Weekly Round-Up

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Secondary Education Summer Application

The application for the Teacher Education Minor in Secondary School Teaching is open until August 31st. Information about the requirements for admission as well as the link to the application (APPLY button) can be found here.

This application period is for those hoping to start the professional course sequence in spring 2023 (so they can student teach and graduate in spring 2024). Students applying in this period should have junior status as of fall 2022. Students with sophomore status should apply to the minor in our next application period.

Please contact recordsofficer@education.illinois.edu if you have any questions.

Sigma tau delta honors society meeting

Wanting to connect with fellow English students, writers, and lovers of literature? Wanting to gain experience publishing, speaking as a panelist at conferences, and meeting English students from around the world? Come join our chapter of Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society for our new member info night, this Thursday (09/01) at 5 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://illinois.zoom.us/j/87013003220?pwd=UEZGbW9iaUlzNDFEMmkxWU1nYnJrdz09

Meeting ID: 870 1300 3220
Password: 420070

If you have any questions, please contact sigmataudeltaillinois@gmail.com.

Double your advising, double your fun! (CORRECTED 8/31)

Ready to connect with our humanities professional development experts?  Beginning 9/22 you can stop by Greg Hall 105 any TUESDAY MORNING between 9:30 and noon or THURSDAY AFTERNOON between 1:00 and 4:00 to meet with Julie Higgs.  Starting September 24 Anna will be there Tuesday mornings as well so if you want some academic advising you can schedule an in-person appointment with her during that time and then talk to Julie before or afterwards. It’s one-stop shopping!

You can also connect with Julie in the English advising office during her drop-in hours: 1:30-4:00 every other Monday starting September 12.

Join the Student Advisory Board

The Office of the Provost is now accepting applications for appointment to the 2022-2023 Provost’s Undergraduate Student Advisory Board

The Advisory board is a group of diverse undergraduate students who volunteer to serve as advisors to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost. They aim to accurately portray the current realities of the undergraduate experience by articulating the highlights and challenges of being a student at the university. As representatives of the undergraduate population at Illinois, their objective is to convey what could make a successful undergraduate student experience. 

The Application can be accessed here:  https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/683840983.

If selected to participate as a Board member, appointments will be for one full academic year. All applications are due Friday, September 9, 2022, at 11:59 PM CDT.

fab lab open house

Come see the new experiential space for book history and arts in the CU Community FabLab. They have three presses up and running and a new name, Skeuomorph Press. The press is on Twitter (https://twitter.com/skeuomorphpress/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/skeuomorphpress/), if you want to follow what they’re up to and hear about upcoming events. 

If you’d like to see the space, print a little something, and hear more about the goals for Skeuomorph you are welcome to attend the FabLab’s fall open house, on Friday, September 9 from 5-9pm and Saturday, September 10 from 10am-5pm. You can learn more here: http://cucfablab.org/. During the open house, they will have the presses set up to print a souvenir, and other materials on display for visitors to explore. The FabLab is at 1301 S. Goodwin Ave in Urbana. All English department students are welcome!

Fall Internship Course Available

LAS 199, Section JPM: Internships and Professional Experiences
This course develops career readiness competencies of LAS students as they engage in professional experiences (e.g., internship, service learning, volunteer, part-time job). Students make the most of their hands-on experience by engaging in active reflection, connecting experiences to both their academic journey and their next steps after Illinois. Students apply career development and design thinking strategies to address complex career decision-making and management tasks, developing skills that they will continue to use through their lifetime.

This is a hybrid, 1-credit hour course. Attendance and participation are required. You must have an identified professional experience that dedicates at least 60 hours of time over a prolonged engagement (e.g. a fall semester experience that spans at least 10 weeks, at a minimum of 6 hours/week).

Become a Peer Educator
MUSE Scholars Program for Prospective Graduate Students

The Department of English at Michigan State University is delighted to announce the 4th Annual MUSE Scholars Workshop, which will be held this fall in East Lansing, from October 19-22

The MUSE Scholars Program  is intended for prospective English graduate students from underrepresented groups, including students of African American, Latinx and Chicanx, Asian American, and Indigenous descent. It aims to introduce students to a robust culture of mentoring essential for a rewarding graduate school experience, and a thriving life in academia. You can read more about our first three cohorts of MUSE scholars here.

The all-expenses paid workshop will allow students to learn more about the English department, visit graduate classes, meet faculty and graduate students, receive feedback on their application materials for graduate school, and present their research to faculty.

Students can learn more about the workshop, and submit an application here.  The deadline for applications is September 9. 

Research Opportunity for Pre-Teaching James Scholars

This research project focuses on developing a professional learning community with the common goal of understanding how to integrate sustainability into K-12 education. This project is a collaboration between preservice and inservice teachers working to develop a database of cross-disciplinary online teaching resources and unit outlines with a focus on sustainability from global perspectives. Other tasks will include, but are not limited to: developing criteria to screen resources, developing new unit outlines, and participating in professional development in local schools. To learn more about our project and team, visit our website here.

The requirements for this James Scholar Research Project/Independent Study Course are: 

  • Attend our weekly meetings
  • Make meaningful contributions to unit development, database expansion, and/or community collaborations
  • Be willing to be flexible and creative in a team setting (some weeks might require additional individual work)
  • Contribute a reflection of your experiences to the project website.

Why be a part of the Sustainable World Collaborative?

  • Gain valuable research experience
  • Earn a James Scholar credit
  • Collaborate with educators in the Champaign-Urbana community
  • Present at conferences, research fairs, and professional development days
  • Familiarize yourself with resources for integrating sustainability into K-12 education

There will be a no-commitment information session on September 1st, 2022 from 5:00-6:00pm. Please fill out this brief form to show your interest. https://forms.gle/d1mEqR2Pkp6B7GRn9 

All years (undergraduate or graduate) are welcome to apply. 
Please email the team at sustainableworld@illinois.edu with any further questions.

Getting Started with Research

The Office of Undergraduate Research has developed several resources and has programs happening now that are designed to prepare you for the process of getting started with research!

Attend OUR’s “Planning Your Research Journey” and “Getting Started in Undergraduate Research” Workshops. If you are limited on time and enjoy coffee, tea, and cookies, attend the 15-minute Research Bites workshop titled “A Quick Overview of How to Begin your Research Journey at Illinois.”  Find out more and register for our workshops here.

You can also schedule a one-on-one advising meeting with an Undergraduate Research Ambassador.  Learn how to schedule a meeting here.

OUR has created a simple and easy 10-step guide to help aspiring researchers start their undergraduate research journey! Browse this resource at your leisure and establish a plan and timeline for locating opportunities.

Apply to the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program. The Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program, organized by OUR and the Graduate College, provides undergraduate students with little or no research experience the opportunity to work with advanced graduate students and post-doctoral scholars on their research projects in the Spring semester. The application portal will be open August 29 – October 6, 2022. 

If you still have questions, please schedule a meeting by visiting the ASK OUR Page. 

Speaking of Research . . .
Mark Your Calendars Now!

Welcome to Fall 2022!

MANDATORY NEW STUDENT CHECK-IN:

We are asking all new students to check in with an advisor in some way during the first two weeks of the semester. This is to let us know how you’re doing, whether you’re satisfied with your schedule, and (crucially) whether there are any problems we might be able to help you solve. Even if everything seems fine, please do your check-in (at least send an email) so that we know you’re settled in. A good time to do this is once you’ve attended the first meeting of each of your classes (i.e. toward the end of the first week).  The last day to add a semester class to your schedule (in case you do want to swap a class you don’t like out for something else) is Friday, September 2, so you must complete your check-in by then. 

You can connect with us in the following ways:

  • You can email your questions and concerns, and we will email you back. If you have already worked with a particular advisor and would like to email her directly you may, or you can email englishadvising@illinois.edu in which case Anna, Keshia, and Nancy will all see your message and the first person available to reply will do so.
  • If you want to talk to an advisor in real time, please schedule an appointment by calling the office at 217-333-4346 (we do not schedule appointments via email). If you have to leave a message, please include your name, UIN, the reason for the appointment, and your preferred advisor (if any). Someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Depending on the urgency of your questions and our availability you may need to schedule a virtual appointment, but if you prefer to meet in person please let us know.

That’s it for now!  Let us know if you have questions or need help, and we wish you all a happy and safe fall semester!

Best, 

Anna, Keshia, & Nancy