We’re looking forward to seeing you all this spring, whether virtually or in person! Here are some important reminders about beginning-of-semester dates, deadlines, and procedures, some courses to be aware of, and assorted announcements of scholarships, prizes, and opportunities for submission of your creative work. Read on!
First, if you are expecting to graduate at the end of this semester, remember to add yourself to the degree list. You can do this online in Self Service, and must do so no later than January 30 (but preferably before then, to give the records office time to do an official degree audit and let you know if you’re missing anything in your spring schedule).
Students on academic probation should plan to check in with an advisor before the 10th day of classes (January 30), as should first years and new transfers who did not check in last fall and any students who are new to the department. Now is the time to review your spring schedule, talk about your overall plans, and get help locating any resources you might need. As always, see our advising website for contact information and instructions for scheduling appointments.
KEVIN T. EARLY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR FRESHMEN:
Submissions for the 2022-2023 academic year’s Kevin T. Early Memorial Scholarship are being accepted now. This scholarship is made possible by an endowment from 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 2022-2023 school year. The deadline for application is January 31, 2023. For more information, see the flyer below:
courses of interest
Keep the following courses in mind as you tinker with your spring schedule:
ENGL 475: Lit & Other Disciplines–Building a (Better) Book
What is a book, and what might it become? This studio-based course will be a historical, imaginative, and experiential introduction to one of the most enduring and influential human technologies, the book. Students will investigate intersections among media, literature, and computation in order to understand the history of the book and imagine its future. Students will learn about the technical skills that helped produce books historically, such as letterpress printing and binding, while cultivating new technical skills that will enable them to effectively use contemporary technologies such as 3D printing and interactive digital storytelling. The course will be housed in the CU Community FabLab’s new Skeuomorph Press and BookLab. Students will use the skills they develop over the course of the semester to develop multimodal creative or research projects, building their own print-digital books. As a studio course, “Building a (Better) Book” centers around students’ conceiving, developing, and workshopping these independent projects.
ENGL 261: Topics in Lit & Culture–Race and Visual Culture
How do we visualize race in American culture? Why is race so strongly associated with the visual? How is race produced, explored, and circulated through the visual? This course will study how race is “seen” in American literature and culture from 1980 to the present day. We will consider concepts such as racial classification, stereotype, representation, fetish, abstraction, and social and political transformation. You will learn how to read literature, visual art, and films using both critical race and ethnic studies and visual culture studies frameworks. Expect to study texts by authors, artists, and filmmakers such as Toni Morrison, Adrian Tomine, Lara Mimosa Montez, Jeffrey Gibson, and Jordan Peele, among others.
CW 463: Advanced Topics in Creative Writing
We have two new sections of CW 463 available this spring. These courses meet with GSD (Game Studies and Design) and WILL count in the CW major. Section AL (Interactive Fiction with Twine) is a workshop course, while Section WGP (Literature Lab: Books as Games) is a non-workshop course. Either one will count as a department elective in the ENGL major.
JS 495: Local Histories in Central Illinois
What is Oral History? What are Ego-documents? What kind of History can we glean from daily lives and life stories? Want to go looking in your grandparents’ old drawers, or the boxes up in the attic? Engage with some of the newest methodologies in the humanities, and choose a project based on your own interests exploring life in central Illinois microhistory as a method and a point of view, challenge our understanding of what history is and how it can be expanded, and get a glimpse into Jewish lives in decades and centuries past. This is a small workshop-style class that will provide students with the opportunity to propose and work on their own project.
Law 199: Tolerance Means Dialogues Internship
(1 Credit Hour Course, 3-5 hours a week)
The question that is explored in LAW 199 is whether civil rights movements can learn from each other, and how we can become more tolerant of differences. We too often find tolerance in short supply at the intersection of faith and other important societal values, like non-discrimination and child welfare. For example, some people reflexively believe that any response to LGBT discrimination is a losing proposition for people of faith. In this winner-takes-all mentality, the rights of some are pitted against the rights of others. What gets lost: mutual respect, justice, and how all people need to be able to live with dignity.
The Law and Dialogue Ambassadors’ job is to be catalytic, supporting the work of the Dialogues. You will help bring together students and thought leaders to find more constructive approaches to living together in a pluralistic society.
Students will work with a team of students and Professor Wilson, to elevate the voices of Generation Z and Millennials—tomorrow’s leaders—who have come of age in an era of increasing diversity and a spirit of openness and inclusivity.
Specifically, they will learn how to develop strategies for recruitment and networking, for working with the media, and for building programs. The students will also build communication skills by coordinating with others, and learning how to create compelling blog posts, social media, and other electronic content. Law and Dialogue Ambassadors will work three to five hours each week on the project and earn one academic credit for completing the internship course.
Please contact the instructor of the course, Professor Robin Fretwell Wilson at wils@illinois.edu for further questions Please cc Roxana Madani (rmadan3@illinois.edu) in any emails sent to Professor Wilson regarding TMD.
Students can read about award winning program here: www.tolerancemeans.com
HDFS 199: Academic Strategies for Neurodivergent Students
If you are struggling with study habits and academic responsibilities due to autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, dyslexia or other neurodiverse conditions, you might find Academic Strategies (HDFS 199) helpful. For more information, email Dr. Kramer at jjkramer@illinois.edu.
EPOL 473: Facilitation Skills
This course is designed to teach students how to effectively facilitate group discussions and decision-making processes. This covers a range of topics, including the nature of groups, individual dynamics within groups, and how to use various tools and techniques to guide group discussions. The theoretical foundations for the course are based on theories of human values, group dynamics, decision-making, communication, conflict management, and effective group intervention. The course emphasizes experiential learning, with students practicing self-reflection and facilitating group discussions on their own. The skills and knowledge gained in this course are valuable for professionals in various organizations, and increasingly expected of human resource development (HRD) professionals. The ultimate goal of Facilitation Skills is to prepare students to effectively facilitate others in making group-oriented determinations within diverse settings and organizational environments.
cornell pre-law program
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. 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.
- Tuesday, Jan 17, 1:00pm ET, ZOOM (Info Session Zoom Link)
- Thursday, Feb 16, 5:00pm ET, ZOOM (Info Session Zoom Link)
college magazine writer opportunity
Are you ready to gain real-world experience and advance your writing? College Magazine‘s professional writing program is a 4-month commitment that includes a 7-week intensive training where you’ll uncover your voice, interview dream sources and write meaningful articles that readers love. Writers who succeed in the first 4 months often continue into our editorial internship program. Working closely with our editors, writers receive one-on-one feedback. Writers also learn social media, WordPress HTML, and the SEO knowledge necessary for the real world of magazine journalism.
The writer position is 10 hours a week on a flexible schedule. It’s a volunteer, intensive and challenging writing experience. Our graduates have gone on to careers at Vox, NBC, USA Today, Redbook, National Geographic, Random House and more. We welcome applicants from all majors and all colleges. Previous writing experience for a college-level publication is recommended.
To Apply: Please send your resume and writing sample to editorial@collegemagazine.com
Subject: College Magazine Writer Application
Deadline: January 31, 2023 by 6 p.m. ET
UAFS APPLAUSE-NATIONAL UNDERGRADUATE LITERARY JOURNAL OPEN FOR SUBMISSION
Applause, the national literary arts and culture magazine housed at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, is currently accepting submissions from undergraduate students around the country for its 33rd issue. The deadline for submissions is 2/14/2023, but the earlier the better for submissions.
Please contact Dr. Christian Anton Gerard at Christian.Gerard@uafs.edu if you have any questions about the magazine. This Submittable link will take students to Applause’s guidelines and submissions page where students can submit their work for consideration: https://applause.submittable.com/submit Here’s a link to the website and latest issue: https://applausejournal.com
COLLISION CALL FOR SUBMISSION:
Collision, an annual undergraduate publication at the University of Pittsburgh, is currently open for submissions of undergraduate fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. By submitting to the magazine, you will be considered for its writing and cover art contests. Submissions for the annual magazine close Friday, February 24, but submissions are read on a rolling basis. You can find more information about the magazine and our submission guidelines at https://www.collision.pitt.edu. If you have any questions, please contact collisionlitmag@gmail.com.
UDALL SCHOLARSHIP:
The University of Illinois seeks to nominate sophomores and juniors for the Udall Scholarship. Udall awards $7,000 to sophomores or juniors in any field of study who are taking action to address environmental concerns and are committed to a career related to the environment. There are also special awards also for Native American students interested in Tribal policy or health care (no need for these interests to be related to the environment). Students must be US citizens, US nationals, or US permanent residents. A successful applicant will have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and demonstrate leadership and a commitment to service. The campus deadline is January 30, 2023 to be considered.
For more information, contact the scholarships office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit our website.
ALL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WELCOME TO APPLY TO 2023 NYU CREATIVE WRITING SUMMER INTENSIVES:
New York University’s College of Arts and Science invites visiting undergraduate students to participate in their short-term summer programs. The month-long creative writing retreats in Florence and Paris may be of particular interest to students. The Writers in Florence and Writers in Paris programs are only offered during the summer, and students are encouraged to immerse themselves in their host city through both reading and writing assignments. Participants focus on one of three genres—poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction—and attend daily writing workshops and craft seminars. 2023 faculty will include Catherine Barnett, Raven Leilani, Jonathan Safran Foer, Katie Kitamura, Ken Chen, Mark Bibbins, and Matthew Rohrer, among many other acclaimed writers. All coursework receives a NYU transcript, transferable to other institutions.
Applications will open December 1, 2022 with a priority deadline of February 1, 2023. For more information, contact cas.summerabroad@nyu.edu
APPLY FOR CLA’S CAROLL MILLS YOUNG STUDY ABROAD SCHOLARSHIP:
The CLA Caroll Mills Young Study Abroad Scholarship is designed to support students at member institutions who want to participate in a study abroad program. The scholarship is open to any student who meets eligibility requirements and is presently attending a CLA college or university. A CLA college or university is one where a member of the College Language Association is presently employed or is a retiree.
Each application must be verified and signed by a faculty sponsor who is a current financial member of the College Language Association. Complete applications must be RECEIVED by 5 p.m. EST on Friday, February 10, 2023 for study abroad in summer or fall 2023.
For more information contact the English advising office and we will supply the full document (it’s not available online and it’s too long to reproduce here).