Weekly Round-Up

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May 7: Last Day of Classes
May 8: Reading Day

Did you know?

The English department website includes an advising section with lots of useful links. Check out Campus Resources for Undergrads if you’re wondering how to run an audit, connect with a college advisor, declare a second major, find a counselor, order a transcript, borrow a laptop, etc. You’re always welcome to ask us for information but when time is of the essence remember that you might find what you’re looking for right on that page.

Late Drops

If you are thinking of petitioning to late drop a course, note that you need to do that before the end of the day on May 7. Now is the time to take stock and consider what is reasonable to expect of yourself by the end of the semester, and if you do want to submit a late drop petition you will need to consult a college advisor (see LAS Student Academic Affairs).

Graduate Reading

Our graduating MFA students will be giving a reading on Saturday, May 3 at 1:00. Illini Union Author’s Corner. The graduates include: Mattie Fash, David Miller, Justine Mercado, Jason Pfister, Erin Stoodley, Hannah Thorpe. Come out to hear them read and wish them well!

Building a Better Book

On Tuesday, May 6th undergrad and grad students from ENGL475: Building a Better Book will be presenting their final book projects, which they have been developing over the second half of the semester. Their projects range widely in form, medium, and content, but all evidence their thinking about our class’ core questions: what was a book, what is a book, and what will a book be in the future? And finally, how do books relate to and evolve alongside other information media? 

We will devote our final class day to a “science fair” style exhibit where you can see what the students have made, chat about their work, and celebrate their accomplishments. We would for love members of the English Department community to join us during that time!

When: Tuesday, May 6 9:30-10:45am
Where: CU Community FabLab, 1301 S. Goodwin, Urbana 

Montage Reading

Come celebrate the artists and writers who have contributed to the newest issue of Montage! If you’d like to pre-order your copy please use this form.

Prestigious Scholarships Info Sessions

Job Opportunity

The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) is recruiting the first cohort of EcoReps for AY 2025-2026 to promote sustainability on campus and serve as a resource to connect students to different campus sustainability initiatives. Approximately ten positions are open, and any rising sophomore, junior, or senior interested in sustainability outreach is encouraged to apply, no matter the major! EcoReps will be expected to work 4-5 hours per week throughout the school year and will receive an hourly wage of $15. EcoReps will benefit from building leadership skills and getting involved in a variety of campus sustainability initiatives. Students will enjoy participating in a community of students who are passionate about sustainability. Further details of the position can be found here.

To Apply:

Please submit a resume and cover letter to Miriam Keep, Sustainability Programs Coordinator at iSEE, at keep2@illinois.edu. The cover letter should describe your prior experience related to sustainability and/or peer outreach, and explain your motivation for pursuing a role in outreach for campus sustainability.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged!

IBC Recruiting

Illinois Business Consulting welcomes learners from all majors and academic levels—from first-year undergrads to PhD candidates. IBC gives students the chance to work on real consulting projects with real clients—building skills, confidence, and connections along the way. Apply here.

Summer Courses of Interest

CW 100: Intro to Creative Writing
ENGL 117: Shakespeare on Film
ENGL 206: Enlightenment Lit & Culture
ENGL 360: Environmental Writing
ENGL 378: Fairy Tales and Gender Formation

Fall Courses of Interest

Take advantage of the rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the life and work of a single author with this course on Henry James!
ENGL 455: Major Authors
The world of Henry James’s fiction is a complex, subtle, often foreign, sometimes alienating literary atmosphere for contemporary readers. As a key figure in the change from realism to modern, James demands a lively, persistent engagement with his singular prose style. He can be an incredibly challenging writer, thinker, and social observer, but by following the evolution of his art from his early fiction in the 1870s through the work of the first decade of the twentieth century, we will find ways of approaching and appreciating its psychological profundity, moral perplexities, and extravagant pleasures—of language and ideas and the senses. To do so, we will examine some of James’s most famous achievements, like The Portrait of a Lady and The Ambassadors, to learn how James continually reinvents—as no other writer before him had done so consistently—the rewards of reading fiction. Yet even if he had never written any novels, we would still read James’s tales and novellas, including masterpieces like “Daisy Miller” or “The Turn of the Screw.” And if he had never written any stories, we would still study James as one of the most instructive literary critics of his time as well as the premier nineteenth-century theorist of fiction. And that’s before we try selections from his travel writing, autobiography, and meditations on an America in the process of being modern.

SOCW 200: Technology & Social Issues
How is technology shaping our world — and who is left behind? In SOCW 220, you’ll critically explore the intersection of technology, social justice, and society. Using real-world examples, ethical frameworks, and emerging tech tools like AI, VR, and social media, you’ll investigate how things such as social justice, diversity and mental health are important intersections of technology use. Through hands-on projects, guest speakers, and lively discussions, students will build skills to advocate for ethical innovation and challenge inequities in the digital world. Prepare to ask hard questions, learn 21st-century skills, and become a changemaker in the tech-driven future.

AIS/ENG 459: “Stories Are Law”: The Legal Reasonings of Indigenous Literatures
This course examines what Indigenous literatures—from creation stories and legal memorials to poems, podcasts, and novels—reveal about Indigenous legal frameworks and ways of ordering the world. Where Euro-American law has long cast Indigenous/Native American people as lawless, this course reveals the historical importance and ongoing significance of Indigenous legal reasoning and forms of governance, law, and order. The course also delves into how Native authors and legal scholars have responded to and analyzed US law. As Heidi Stark (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) puts it, Indigenous writings “dispel the sanctity of law, demonstrating that law is a set of stories.” We will approach law as story and story as law by studying literature from multiple tribal-national contexts and historical time periods.

ENGL 222 satisfies the Difference & Diaspora requirement in the English major and CW majors!

Don’t Forget These!

Curious about Careers in HR?

The School of Labor & Employment Relations will be offering LER 199: Introduction to Human Resources again this Fall 2025 semester.  During this pilot year, the course has received positive student feedback and high engagement with the material.  The course helps students explore the various functions of Human Resources and how HR professionals lead people within an organization.  The course is interactive and will include around 3-4 HR professionals to speak on their experiences and how the topics apply to their everyday work.  If you’re interested, check out LER 199, Section HR in Course Explorer!

New Certificate Programs

There are two new certificate programs you might be interested in, one in Business & Technical Writing, and one in Interactive & Immersive Storytelling. Check them both out to see if you might be interested.

Summer Language Learning

•  June 16th – August 8th, 2025  •

Session includes
• ArabicPersianSwahiliTurkish, and Wolof courses
• Small class sizes and dedicated faculty and staff
• Immersive experience, complete with instruction
• Cultural activities, opportunities for language practice, conversation tables,
cooking classes, movie nights, and more!

Program registration timeline
April 24th – May 12th, 2025

Application & Registration

For more information contact silmw@illinois.edu

A New Way to Share Good News

Do you have good news to share? Have you published something? Won an award? Taken on a new role or had an adventure? If so, please let us feature you and your news on the department’s website and/or social media. Just send a message to engl-news@illinois.edu with whatever information you’d like to share. This is a great way for other students to learn about opportunities so please don’t be shy!

Tuesday @7 Workshops with the Counseling Center

Confidential Advising Resources

The Women’s Resources Center (WRC) is the designated confidential campus resource related to sexual assault/rape, sexual harassment, stalking and abuse within a relationship (sometimes called dating or domestic violence). That means when we talk with students, staff, and faculty who have experienced harm, we make sure you get what you need and on your terms! There are several Confidential Advisors at the WRC who can provide you – or someone looking to support you – with support and advocacy services.

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