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ESA welcome event REDUX

Come to the online Welcome Event for English and Creative Writing Majors on Sunday, February 13th!  This event will be hosted by English Student Association (ESA) and we will be watching the 2019 movie Little Women on Zoom. The festivities will start at 6:00 pm, so join us to hang out with ESA and get to know your fellow English department students!  All are welcome.

New Book Launch Reading

David Wright Faladé, author of the new novel, Black Cloud Rising 

Corey Van Landingham, author of the new poetry collection,  Love Letter to Who  Owns the Heavens

Thursday, Feb 10 | 4:30-6:00 pm

Room 407 of the Illini Union

Empower yourself in professional negotiations!

Our own Dr. Venetria Patton (Harry E. Preble Dean of the College of LAS and Professor in the Department of English) is partnering with the HPRC to present an exclusive workshop: Start Smart Salary Negotiation Workshop for College Students. Dean Patton is a certified trainer for the American Association of University Women and will be sharing important facts and strategies.  AAUW advocates for equity and fair pay for women. This is a 2-hour long event on Feb 22 (5 pm to 7 pm) with limited seating.  Students will need to pre-register at https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1440533902 so act now to secure your spot!  The event will take place in Lincoln Hall (room to be announced) for those students that are needing to know if they can arrive on time from a prior commitment.

2022 UNDERGRADUATE CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS

The English Department is pleased to announce its annual undergraduate literary competitions in Short Fiction and Poetry. Depending on available funding, there will be 2-3 prizes in Fiction and 2-3 in Poetry this year. Past prizes have ranged from $100 to $1500.  The deadline for submission is 12:00 Noon on Monday, February 28. 

Contest rules are as follows:
Short Fiction: Submit no more than one unpublished story (7500 words, maximum length)
Poetry: Submit up to 5 unpublished poems in a single document.

Only University of Illinois undergraduate students are eligible. To be considered for a prize, submissions must adhere to the following rules:

All submissions must be sent via email as an attachment to: jdudek4@illinois.edu.  The subject line of your email message must read as follows: “UNDERGRAD POETRY: Last name” or “UNDERGRAD FICTION: Last name”.  If you enter in both categories (poetry and fiction), you will need to send separate emails.

In the body of your email, please include:

• • Your name
  • address
  • phone number
  • e-mail address
  • status (undergraduate student)
  • UIN

Your entry is to be contained in one attached .docx file. The name of this file must be the contest category followed by your last name, such as “FICTION JONES.docx” or “POETRY JONES.docx” Your name should not appear within the document itself.

Please direct any questions to John Dudek, Associate Director of Creative Writing at Jdudek4@illinois.edu

check out this POTB (aka 2nd-8-week) course!

ENGL 199, Section X
Writing to Get That Job!
Part of Term B  /  1 credit hour
MW 12:00-12:50 (online)
Through conceptual development and context-sensitive lessons/assignments, students will develop/improve writing skills particularly germane to successfully applying for an internship, a post-baccalaureate job, or an advanced-degree program.  They will then apply those skills to create a polished set of recruiter-ready texts relevant to their career plans and a career-relevant, currently-advertised job/internship/program. Use Moodle website for access to meeting location (learn.illinois.edu)

Creative writing club

Do you know about Creative Writing Club?  Open to students in all majors, this group meets weekly on Tuesdays from 6:30pm-7:45pm in room 259 of the English Building.  If you would like to be kept apprised of upcoming meetings and other activities, send a message to creativewritingclubatuiuc@gmail.com  and ask to be added to the mailing list.  You can also follow CWC on Facebook/Instagram, both @creativewritingclubuiuc. 

get help at the writers workshop

Check out the upcoming Writers Workshop events.   The Writers Workshop provides feedback on all kinds of writing including course papers, job application materials, and personal statements. We have appointments and drop-in hours, and we’re available in-person at the Undergraduate Library and online.

text anxiety workshops

Could you benefit from a workshop that provides strategies for managing anxiety around taking tests? The Counseling Center hosts drop-in workshops throughout the semester with tips on:

• Remaining calm during tests and exams
• Getting the most from your study time
• Preparing effectively for tests and exams

To find out more about individual workshops and to register, please visit counselingcenter.illinois.edu/TestAnxiety.

There are simple, effective ways that can help you perform well on tests and not let anxiety get the best of you! These workshops are free for students. If you have any questions about this group, please contact Dr. Kathy Wierzchowski at wierzch1@illinois.edu.

DEADLINE APPROACHING!
KAM CURATORIAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATION

KAM (Krannert Art Museum) curatorial internships are offered during the fall and spring semesters, as well as during the summer. They are compensated with academic credit hours and are not hourly positions. Applicants do not need a background in art history to apply. Internships require a commitment of at least 6 hours a week, and reference from the student’s advisor or other faculty member. Applicants should have excellent communication and writing skills, computer proficiency, and research skills. Interns are assigned to work with an individual curator, based on the student’s educational background, experience, and interests. The goal of KAM internships is to help individuals interested in museum careers or related fields gain significant experience in one or more areas of museum practice, including work with the collection, exhibitions, publications, and programs, and to encourage critical engagement with the history and changing roles of museums in our communities today.

How to Apply: For the application, you will need to prepare the following materials and submit them to elizas2@illinois.edu.

Deadline to apply:  February 4, 2022 -Cover Letter: Along with your mailing address, email, and telephone information, include a personal statement of no more than 500 words, which explains how an internship at KAM would fit with your background and career goals. If possible, mention specific subjects, resources, or parts of the collections that are of particular interest. Describe what you hope to learn from the internship. Please indicate if you would like to work on Project 1 or Project 2 in your cover letter. – Resume/Curriculum Vitae: Please limit resumes to three pages or less – Faculty Member Reference: Please provide name and email/contact information. A curator will contact you to indicate if your internship is approved.

work at the career center!

The Career Center is currently seeking undergraduate students to join the Career Services Paraprofessional (CSP) team for the 2022-2023 academic year! The CSPs are hourly-paid student leaders, equipped to represent The Career Center by supporting the student population in achieving their career readiness goals. CSPs facilitate one-on-one services including resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile reviews, and present a variety of career-related workshops.

Sign up for the Feb 9 info session: https://go.illinois.edu/applycsp2022

DEADLINE APPROACHING!
leadership center positions

The Illinois Leadership® Center (ILC) is hiring undergraduate student employees for the 2022-2023 academic year. The application deadline is Monday, February 7th.  Positions include:

Communication & Marketing Specialist
Leadership Certificate Program Specialist
Data Analytics Specialist
Graf Intern
Graphic Designer*
Podcast Intern*
Photographer*

Check out our website for position descriptions, student testimonies, and more: https://leadership.illinois.edu/employment

community-academic scholars initiative

The Community-Academic Scholars Initiative matches undergraduates with a faculty mentor and a community partner to address issues affecting our community. This year’s program includes fourteen powerful projects from faculty across the University of Illinois that address a range of topics, including the rural healthcare, poverty and social inequality, nutrition, educational equity, disability awareness, social-emotional learning, technology and aging, racial disparities, Veterans’ issues, postpartum pain, and socio-cultural connectedness among Black youth.

Visit http://go.illinois.edu/communityscholars to learn more about eligibility and program requirements, a recorded info session, and the application.  Deadline: February 10

Call for submissions

REVIVAL at Cornell University is a student-run intersectional feminist zine that focuses on promoting our three pillars: 

1.      VOICE: journalism, free speech, open discussion

2.      EQUITY: community service, feminism, social justice

3.      EMPOWERMENT: student support, writing education, minority elevation

We are calling for creative submissions to publish in our Spring 2022 “Secret Edition.” Submissions may include poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and any visual artwork that can be converted into a pdf (photography, drawings, etc.). Submissions should also align with our theme “Secret.”

You can find our submission form here.

Please review our submission guidelines here.

All submissions are due Sunday February 13th at 11:59 EST

LAS Success Academic Workshops

Check out the Spring LAS Success Academic Workshop Schedule here:

• All workshops are open to all students
• All are offered in-person in Lincoln Hall
• Our website lists events by month so you can’t access anything past February yet, but those events will become visible as the earlier events pass

Summer Faculty-led Study Abroad Opportunities

With the summer study abroad deadlines approaching, we wanted to share a list of faculty-led programs that are open to students in all majors across campus.

Each program page is linked below and can be found in the My Study Abroad system. Students are also eligible to apply for campus, college-wide, and national + international scholarships.

Application Deadline: February 15

• AUSTRIA: International Organizations and Regionalism in Vienna (PS 392)
• COSTA RICA: Natural Products in Costa Rica (CHEM 492)
• ECUADOR: Sustainable Agriculture & Eco-Tourism in the Galapagos Islands (ACE 499 & ACE 398) 
• ITALY: Energy Systems & Italian Language and Culture (NPRE 201)
• PERU: Archaeology Field School in Peru (LAST 395)
• SOUTH AFRICA: Service Learning, Child, Family, Health and Agriculture in South Africa (HDFS 379)
• SWEDEN: Environment and Society in a Changing Arctic (NRES 285 + NRES 293)

Cornell Prelaw in Paris

Have you considered summer study abroad and are interested in studying law?  Join Cornell Law School faculty and the Office of Global Learning to learn more about the Cornell Prelaw Program in Paris,  a three-week academic program in international and comparative law open to students from all universities.  Study law in a uniquely international and culturally rich environment, combining the excellence of Cornell Law School faculty and the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.  Prepare for the law school admissions process and acquire the study skills for success in law school.  Attend the upcoming information session to learn more!

Info session: February 16^th, 5:30-6:30PM

Minor in Game Studies is here!

This Office of Undergraduate Research is accepting submissions to present at the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium set for Thursday, April 28 at the Illini Union. For more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, follow this link.  Application deadline: Tuesday, March 15

grants supporting research and travel

Research Support Grant (RSG)
Research Support Grant (RSG) This grant provides students from all disciplines with the funds necessary to conduct research or creative projects during the academic year both on and off campus (including summer terms). Awards will be up to $2,000 and are meant to cover research travel costs, living expenses incurred during academic breaks (i.e., winter break and summer terms, NOT regular semester living expenses), and materials or other ancillary costs. We hope that this competition will both broaden and deepen the types of research being conducted by undergraduate students on campus, and that the recipients are able to use this opportunity as a way of engaging with their fields. For details, eligibility requirements, and link to the application please visit: http://go.illinois.edu/OUR_RSG.
The deadline to apply is March 11, 2022 at 11:59pm.

Conference Travel Grant (CTG)
Conference Travel Grant (CTG) This grant provides undergraduate students with awards of up to $350 to subsidize costs associated with presenting their research posters, papers, or creative works at in-person and virtual professional conferences. Please note, the Office of Undergraduate Research does not provide funds for conference attendance only; grants are meant for students who will present their work. For details, eligibility requirements, and link to the application please visit: http://go.illinois.edu/OUR_CTG.
The deadline to apply is February 24, 2022 at 11:59pm.\

Don’t Forget about These!

The Career Center – Spring 2022 Workshop Calendar

Math & Stat Student Support Center now open

The Math and Statistics Student Support Center (SSC) provides walk-in academic support and tutoring for students enrolled in a set of core introductory mathematics and statistics courses. The center is staffed by qualified teaching assistants and course assistants. The SSC is located in room  **304 English Building.** (Change from Fall 2022.)

Access to the Student Support Center is restricted to students enrolled in designated Math and Statistics courses. There is no charge for access to services in the Student Support Center. Courses covered in the SSC include the following: Math 112, Math 115, Math 220, Math 231, Math 234, Stat 212, Stat 400.

For more information including hours, please visit the SSC website at

https://publish.illinois.edu/mathstat-ssc/

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Welcome back to all of our English department students, and a special welcome to new mid-year transfers!  We’re happy to have you. 

As a reminder, the deadline to add a full-semester course is Monday, January 31.  If you have questions or concerns about your spring schedule, email englishadvising@illinois.edu or call the office to schedule an appointment. 

“How I got that first job” alumni panel

The Humanities Professional Resource Center (HPRC) is hosting an alumni panel on January 26 at 5pm in 205 Greg Hall.  Panelists include wonderful English department students (along with students from German and History) who will talk about their first destinations after graduation.  Whether you’re just starting out or approaching graduation, come and be inspired by them!

illinois business council info session

Business Council is a professional organization on campus that welcomes ALL majors and focuses on developing well-rounded individuals through professional, social, and service events to explore their passions in any given career.  Find out more at the info session on Monday, January 24th at 7pm in Foellinger Auditorium. 

leadership center positions

The Illinois Leadership® Center (ILC) is hiring undergraduate student employees for the 2022-2023 academic year. The application deadline is Monday, February 7th.  Positions include: 

Communication & Marketing Specialist
Leadership Certificate Program Specialist
Data Analytics Specialist
Graf Intern
Graphic Designer*
Podcast Intern*
Photographer*

Check out our website for position descriptions, student testimonies, and more: https://leadership.illinois.edu/employment

social justice RSO offers paid internships

The UIUC RSO Organic Oneness has a paid Internship Program that is now open and accepting applications until January 30 for the spring semester.  Great for students seeking to strengthen their expertise around social justice-focused not-for-profit work in the areas of communication, development and programming. All majors and academic levels are invited to apply.

For more information visit: https://www.organiconeness.org/internship-opportunities.html

Please send any questions to uiuc@organiconeness.org.

Illinois Part-Time Job Fair

Come to the Part-Time Job Fair to find jobs on-campus and in the local community where you can earn extra money and get work experience! This is an informal fair, no need to dress up in a suit. See the list of participating employers.

Thursday, January 27, 2022
Noon – 3 p.m.
Illini Rooms ABC

All students must have “Access Granted” status in the Illinois app or Boarding Pass to enter the fair and wear a mask.

Deadlines approaching!

Internship opportunity

The College of LAS is accepting applications for five internship positions to support Global Education and Training (GET) and LAS International Programs staff working with a group of 15 university students from Egypt who will be on campus for a 2-week academic training program administered by AMIDEAST Egypt and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The program is for visually impaired students and the group will include 11 visually impaired students and four sighted students who will study English at the Intensive English Institute and attend DRES trainings to learn more about disability services and technology in the United States. Interns will support this program through organizing and leading social activities and programming, attending and supporting courses and trainings, serving as a guide and resource for students, etc.

The time commitment is 20 hours per week for 3 weeks in February. Additional details can be found in the attached flyer and shared with students. We ask that anyone interested in the position to submit their resume and cover letter to Amanda Lentz (alentz@illinois.edu) by January 23^rd.

Secondary education minor

The application for the Secondary Education minor is now open, for students who are expecting to begin the licensure sequence in Spring 2023 and graduate at the end of Spring 2024.  This application is NOT for first-year students, but rather for second-year students (or third-year students who are on a 5-year plan).  The application is available here, and the deadline is February 1, 2022.

Kevin T Early Memorial Scholarship

Submissions for the 2021-2022 academic year’s Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship are open. This scholarship is made possible from an endowment by William and Donna Early in memory of their son, a poet, Kevin T. Early. It awards $2000 to a student with freshman standing at UIUC for the 2021-2022 school year. The deadline for application is January 31, 2022. 

For consideration, students must submit 5 poems via email to John Dudek at: Jdudek4@illinois.edu. The complete submission should not exceed 5 pages (so 1 poem to a page). Submissions should be attached to the email as .docx (Word) files.

The subject line of the email should read: “EARLY PRIZE SUBMISSION: Last name.”

The body of the email should include the student’s name, address, phone number, e-mail, UIN, and the titles of the poems. The name should not appear on the entry file itself. Complete guidelines are included in the attached document.

If you have any questions, please email John Dudek at Jdudek4@illinois.edu. 

FLAS Fellowships

Applications are now open for Summer 2022 and Academic Year 2022-23 Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships! This is a prestigious fellowship that supports the study of modern foreign languages in combination with area/global studies. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Applicants need to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  Applications are due Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Letters of recommendation are due Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.  For more information see https://publish.illinois.edu/illinoisflas/application/. 

Office of Advancement Student Worker Position

The Office of Advancement within the College of Education is offering an exciting student employee opportunity for the Spring 2022 semester.  If you love your experience at the University of Illinois, thrive on opportunities to be creative, and have a can-do attitude, this job is perfect for you! The goal of this position is to assist the Office of Advancement, primarily the Director of Constituent Engagement, with an array of projects associated with special event planning, material creation, editing and design, scholarship promotion, alumni and donor relations, and communication.

For more details about this position, and how to apply, email Heather Zorn at hpzorn@illinois.edu.  Deadline is Monday, January 24. 

Minor in Game Studies is here!

This Office of Undergraduate Research is accepting submissions to present at the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium set for Thursday, April 28 at the Illini Union. For more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, follow this link.  Application deadline: Tuesday, March 15

grants supporting research and travel

Research Support Grant (RSG)
Research Support Grant (RSG) This grant provides students from all disciplines with the funds necessary to conduct research or creative projects during the academic year both on and off campus (including summer terms). Awards will be up to $2,000 and are meant to cover research travel costs, living expenses incurred during academic breaks (i.e., winter break and summer terms, NOT regular semester living expenses), and materials or other ancillary costs. We hope that this competition will both broaden and deepen the types of research being conducted by undergraduate students on campus, and that the recipients are able to use this opportunity as a way of engaging with their fields. For details, eligibility requirements, and link to the application please visit: http://go.illinois.edu/OUR_RSG.
The deadline to apply is March 11, 2022 at 11:59pm.

Conference Travel Grant (CTG)
Conference Travel Grant (CTG) This grant provides undergraduate students with awards of up to $350 to subsidize costs associated with presenting their research posters, papers, or creative works at in-person and virtual professional conferences. Please note, the Office of Undergraduate Research does not provide funds for conference attendance only; grants are meant for students who will present their work. For details, eligibility requirements, and link to the application please visit: http://go.illinois.edu/OUR_CTG.
The deadline to apply is February 24, 2022 at 11:59pm.

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secondary education application open

The application for the Secondary Education minor is now open, for students who are expecting to begin the licensure sequence in Spring 2023 and graduate at the end of Spring 2024.  In other words, this application is NOT for first-year students, but rather for second-year students (or third-year students who are on a 5-year plan).  The application is available here, and the deadline is February 1, 2022. 

If you have questions about your timeline or eligibility to apply to the minor, email englishadvising@illinois.edu.  If you have questions about the application process itself, or the licensure program, contact Kelli Halfman at halfman@illinois.edu. 

Lawson Poetry Prize

The Dr. William and Mrs. Rosemary Lawson Poetry Prize for College Undergraduate and Graduate Students is now open. The award is $1,000. Deadline for submissions: January 15, 2022. The winner will be announced in June, 2022. Submissions should be typed and no longer than two pages. The poet’s name, return address, and email address should appear in the upper right-hand corner of the page with the heading “Lawson Prize.”

Please send all poetry submissions to: Illinois Humanities Attn: Lawson Prize 125 S Clark St ., Ste 650 Chicago, IL 60603.

The prize, underwritten by Dr. William and Mrs. Rosemary Lawson, is sponsored through the Office of Angela Jackson, Poet Laureate of Illinois. Illinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson is in residence at the Illinois Humanities.

Minor in Game Studies on its way!

FLAS Fellowships

Applications are now open for Summer 2022 and Academic Year 2022-23 Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships! This is a prestigious fellowship that supports the study of modern foreign languages in combination with area/global studies. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Applicants need to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.  

Which languages and language levels are eligible? 
Undergraduate students may apply for FLAS to study any language except French, German, and Spanish, and they must be able to enroll in a language course at the second-year or higher level at the start of the fellowship. For instance, if you are currently studying first-year Arabic, you are eligible to apply for FLAS to study second-year Arabic next summer or academic year.  
How much are the tuition support and stipend amounts? 
Summer FLAS fellows receive $5,000 towards tuition and fees and a $2,500 stipend. Academic year FLAS fellows receive $10,000 towards tuition and fees and a $5,000 stipend. 
What do I need to apply? 
The application requires a brief statement of purpose, two recommendation letters, and a transcript, in addition to the application form (https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/897674543). 
When is the application due? 
Applications are due Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. Letters of recommendation are due Friday, Feb. 4, 2022.  
What is required from FLAS fellows? 
Academic year FLAS fellows are required to be enrolled full-time and to take a language course and an area studies course each semester. Summer FLAS fellows are required to enroll in a language program that provides the equivalent of one year of language study.  
Can I use FLAS to study abroad?
Yes! 
Where can I find more information on FLAS? 
Please visit the university FLAS website here: https://publish.illinois.edu/illinoisflas/. 

Build professional skills with a spring BTW course

BTW 263, Section Z1
Writing a Web Presence
In this class, students will build a professional online web presence and familiarize themselves with social media management. We will explore how principles of effective composition and writing as a process interact with different, increasingly popular digital media. In addition to hands-on activities and practice with digital design and web development techniques, students will create social media campaigns, write reports that visualize data, and analyze the diverse audiences that make up the internet.

Office of Advancement Student Worker Position

The Office of Advancement within the College of Education is offering an exciting student employee opportunity for the Spring 2022 semester.  If you love your experience at the University of Illinois, thrive on opportunities to be creative, and have a can-do attitude, this job is perfect for you! The goal of this position is to assist the Office of Advancement, primarily the Director of Constituent Engagement, with an array of projects associated with special event planning, material creation, editing and design, scholarship promotion, alumni and donor relations, and communication.

For more details about this position, and how to apply, email Heather Zorn at hpzorn@illinois.edu. 

become a Social Justice Educator Paraprofessional

The SJEP Program is designed to promote diversity and student leadership by providing intensive training regarding knowledge and awareness of issues related to diversity and social justice, and building skills necessary to facilitate discussion and educate others about these topics. Social Justice Education Paraprofessionals serve as peer educators through facilitating workshops, allyship, and program development.

Social Justice Education Paraprofessionals will receive 11 advanced credit hours through the Department of Psychology.

Deadline to Apply: Dec. 19th

Interested? You must:

• Be available to make a three semester commitment to the program (Spring 2022, Fall 2022, & Spring 2023)
• Be an undergraduate student at UIUC during the 2021-2022 academic year
• Hold Junior or Senior status during this time period [Seniors must be able to make the 3 semester committment]
• Complete application in the Fall 2021 semester
• Be able to commit to 10hrs/wk to class, homework, and other program requirements.
• Have a Social Science/Humanities Major (e.g. Psychology, English, Sociology, Social Work, etc.)

Questions? Contact tbrewste@illinois.edu.

To apply, go to https://go.illinois.edu/SJEPapplication

Don’t forget these!

Kevin T Early Memorial Scholarship

Submissions for the 2021-2022 academic year’s Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship are open. This scholarship is made possible from an endowment by William and Donna Early in memory of their son, a poet, Kevin T. Early. It awards $2000 to a student with freshman standing at UIUC for the 2021-2022 school year. The deadline for application is January 31, 2022. 

For consideration, students must submit 5 poems via email to John Dudek at: Jdudek4@illinois.edu. The complete submission should not exceed 5 pages (so 1 poem to a page). Submissions should be attached to the email as .docx (Word) files.

The subject line of the email should read: “EARLY PRIZE SUBMISSION: Last name.”

The body of the email should include the student’s name, address, phone number, e-mail, UIN, and the titles of the poems. The name should not appear on the entry file itself. Complete guidelines are included in the attached document.

If you have any questions, please email John Dudek at Jdudek4@illinois.edu. 

LIFE + CAREER DESIGN SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SPRING 2022

You could receive up to $5,000 in scholarship money to support an internship, undergraduate research experience, extended volunteer experience, or possibly even a part-time job that you want to use for professional development. Read the FAQ’s before applying to avoid common application mistakes. You can also drop into 2002 Lincoln Hall from 1-4:40 p.m. and meet with a peer counselor who can help you complete your application.
Apply now!  Priority application deadline: Monday, Dec. 20

submit your work to Montage!

Montage Arts Journal, the university’s undergraduate literary magazine, is now open for submissions! We welcome all publishable forms of art—photography, paintings, sketches, digital art, collages, sculptures, poetry, prose, creative nonfiction, drama, and more. This semester’s reading period closes December 15th, but submissions can be emailed to montagejournal@gmail.com any time before then. Please see https://montagejournal.wordpress.com for more information. We look forward to reviewing your work!

Check out these CW offerings!

We have two great CW courses hiding under the generic 199 “undergraduate open study” rubric that may have escaped your notice.  Open to all, regardless of major, these are small creative writing courses in which you will read, write, and converse about a variety of topics.  No previous experience necessary!

CW 199, D
Athletic Aesthetics: Sports in American Literature
This literature-based course examines how American artists have represented athletics across the long 20th century, up to and inclusive of the present—that is, the course reads contemporary literature through the lens of sports. To what extent is sport—the triangle offense, the triple Salchow—an aesthetic phenomenon? How might the representation of athletic activity, in turn, affect aesthetic form? Can a poem move like a run-pass option? Looking together at poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, long-form journalism, movies, photographs, and documentary film, we assess how the representation of athletics opens onto culture-wide questions involving race, class, gender, and national identity. How might the World Cup underwrite western imperialism? What is the relationship between Illinois high-school basketball and the state’s profound racial segregation? Though this class is not a workshop, students will produce multiple forms of creative writing in genres of their choosing, with some critical reading-responses to select texts.

CW 199, P
Latinx Underworlds: Border-Crossings and Migration Narratives in Latinx Literature
Drawing from the idea of katabasis (descent to the underworld) this course will examine how several texts of Latinx literature have employed the descent to and ascent from the underworld as a complex metaphor to describe border-crossings and migration narratives. Moving beyond our common understanding of the underworld as a place where the dead reside, this course and the selected readings will further complicate how migrant protagonists who cross all manner of borders must also contend with the underworld as a space of illegality, imagination, criminality, insanity, and outsider status. Drawing between the intersections of identity and the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and immigrant status, this course will take an interdisciplinary and cross-genre approach to our understanding of Latinx underworlds.

other spring courses of interest

JOUR 475: In-Depth Writing Styles

3 credit hours
TR 5:00-6:20
This course used to be called “magazine writing.” Now, the course focuses on allowing students to dive deeper into their subject matter by writing more feature-length types of stories – suitable for magazines or elsewhere. The usual pre-req of JOUR 210 is NOT being enforced, and the course is open to all juniors and seniors in any major.

CI 210: Intro to Digital Learning Environments

3 credit hours
M 1:00-1:50 plus choice of discussion section
Students in the course will evaluate the learning and instructional potential of popular digital environments ranging from simulations and social networks to virtual worlds and video games. The course combines instructor lectures and class discussion with hands-on activities in the discussion sections. Students will interact with digital platforms in class, and they will work in small groups to create a design project in a digital platform of their choice.

MUS 499 POD: Intro to Podcasting     

1 credit hour
T 2:00-3:50pm
Podcasting is the most prolific media platform available to any user at any level of expertise. The cost threshold is low but the potential for almost immediate monetization is high. There is a pedagogy around the art and science of podcasting that can show students a path from technical setup, to content creation, production and distribution to audience identification and monetization. Students will learn how to:

• set up and record multiple vocal channels at high quality
• pre-produce a timed episode with intros, segments and transitions
• book and interview guests
• upload and distribute their episode
• identify and market to an audience
• monetize their content through ad sales, third party platforms and direct to consumer sales with their listening audience

FAA 199 Black Arts Today

3 credit hours
MW 11:30am – 12:45pm
This is a global course in theorizing Black cultural expression. It surveys artistic and cultural responses to types of racism (racial formations), modes of Black resistance and resiliency, and expressions of Black liberation and self-determination. Topics range from Spirituals, Gospel, and “ring-shouts” to Western classical music, ballet and modern dance; from Blues, Jazz, and Hip-Hop to African-inspired architecture and Blues tropes embedded in urban and regional segregationist planning; and from the lineage of Black Art + Design to the power of place of the Black Metropolis. As such, the course attends to the geographies of place and ontologies of time, i.e., moments formed from the intersection of Black social movements against white supremacy and Black reimagining of what it means to be human. Through a series of engagements with faculty-artists and researchers in the College of Fine & Applied Arts (FAA), Black Arts Today explores the practice and speculative spaces (imaginaries) in which FAA artists-instructors-researchers engage Black Arts or transmit Blackness to the arts.

GWS 495: Advanced Topics in GWS-Black Girl Studies

This course is designed to introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of Black Girls’ Studies/Black Girlhood Studies. Importantly, Black feminist theory, poetics and practice have always remembered and valued the experiences of Black girls and informs the design of this course and related lectures. Together, we will address various topics within the field, including foundations, lived experiences, sexuality, popular culture, arts, representation, policy, and digital humanities (broadly defined).

become a FYCARE Facilitator!

Interested in becoming a leader on campus? Register for the Spring 2022 CARE Class (CHLH 126), TU/THR 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM.  Participants in the course will gain a deeper understanding of sexual violence prevention, meet passionate, intelligent, and enthusiastic peers, gain skills to create positive change in your communities, and develop public speaking & facilitation skills. Open to all undergraduate students! Students who successfully complete CHLH 126 are eligible to serve as FYCARE Facilitators.  For more information, contact fycare@illinois.edu.

Apply now to get ahead!

Applications open to present at the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium
Application deadline: Tuesday, March 15
This Office of Undergraduate Research is accepting submissions to present at the 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium set for Thursday, April 28 at the Illini Union. For more information, including answers to frequently asked questions, follow this link.

University of Michigan Student Publication Looking for Staff Writers

They’re looking for students at the University of Illinois who are interested in creative and argumentative writing to join our team of undergrads as staff writers, particularly focusing on creative nonfiction, book reviews, literary analysis, and American culture. MC is an independent, inter-university student organization. Positions are not paid, as staff are most akin to “club members” at a more typical university club.

This is a great opportunity for UIUC students to practice and hone in their writing, research, and argumentative skillsets outside the classroom in a uniquely undergraduate space.

Application link —> https://forms.gle/oHBEQFC8nqE6N3hK8
Website —> midwesterncitizen.com

The Summer Institute for Languages of Muslim World

The Summer Institute for Languages of the Muslim World (SILMW) is an annual intensive language program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We invite students to join the 9% of Americans who choose the unique and meaningful experience of learning a Less Commonly Taught Language (LCTL). This summer SILMW will take place from June 13 to August 6, 2022, and we will be offering Arabic, Persian, Swahili, Turkish, and Wolof. The program is 8 weeks and is divided into two, 4-week semesters. This is an immersive experience, complete with instruction, cultural activities, opportunities for language practice, conversation tables, cooking classes, movie nights, and more!   We invite you to check out our website for more details about the program in general and for the application requirements in particular. The following selected web pages might be of interest to you, should you want to learn more about the program:

Prospective Students

Academic + Career Advising!

You can now schedule in-person advising appointments with Anna on Thursday mornings at HPRC!  You’ll have a private appointment in the HPRC conference room (105 Greg Hall) and then you can stick around to talk to Julie or Kirstin about career planning.  It’s one-stop shopping!

Sign up for HUM 275 to explore career paths

LGBTQIA+ peer support

HRI Survey

Humanities Research Institute wants to hear from undergraduates who are interested in the humanities! By completing this survey, you are helping us learn what kinds of events and research activities you’d like to see us offer. You do not need to be a declared humanities major or minor to participate in this survey. As long as you’re interested in the humanities —books, TV and film, history, culture, philosophy, politics, religion, arts, theatre, and similar topics—we want to hear from you!  The survey will remain open through December 31, 2021.

LAS Student Voices Needed

The College of LAS is interested in how students are feeling about their academic, wellbeing and career development.

All LAS undergrads received an email invitation with a unique link to the LAS Pulse survey. They can also find their link at: feedback.illinois.edu.

The current survey will take about 5-10 minutes of students’ time. Respondents who complete this survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win 1 of 15 $10 gift cards. In addition, respondents who complete all three LAS Pulse surveys will be entered into a special drawing with a chance to earn 1 of 5 $100 gift cards. Names will be randomly selected after data collection is complete and the winner will be notified by email.

curious about research? Ask an ambassador!

Undergraduate Research Ambassadors are accepting virtual meetings with students throughout the semester. Staff from the Office of Undergraduate Research are available for one-on-one virtual and in-person meetings to answer any questions you have about undergraduate research at Illinois.

Schedule an appointment today at: http://go.illinois.edu/AskOUR

Need to talk to someone?

The Counseling Center has resumed face-to-face services for all counseling modalities except group (which will remain on Zoom). They are also offering online scheduling for initial appointments and you are also welcome to reach out to the embedded LAS counselor, Andy Novinska, at anovinsk@illinois.edu.