Resource of the Week: Summer Financial Aid Application

Taking summer courses and looking for summer financial aid? The application for summer 2026 is now available: https://secure.osfa.illinois.edu/ApplyApp/

To be eligible for summer financial aid, you must be registered to take at least 6 credit hours of summer coursework. The application is due by Friday, June 12, 2026.

Drop-In Tutoring at the Jeffries Center!

Free Weekend Films: “Wuthering Heights“

When: Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 at 7:00pm
Where: Illini Union Pine Lounge

Enjoy a free viewing of “Wuthering Heights” courtesy of the Illini Union Board! The Quad Shop will be open before the movie for you to enjoy your favorite movie candy, popcorn, and drinks.

Climaginaries & Environmental Futures: A Student Sustainability Exhibition

Business Minor Mixer

Back by popular demand, the Gies Business Minor (GBM) is hosting another GBM Mixer this spring on Monday, May 4^th, 2026 from 6-8 pm in the Business Instructional Facility (BIF). There will have GBM faculty with in attendance, refreshments, giveaways, information about the GBM and the Business Fundamental Microcredential and the opportunity to meet the new GBM Ambassadors! No RSVP or registration is needed.

Part-Time Job on Campus: Social Media Student Worker

The Communications Office at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is seeking a social media student worker to assist in writing, editing and posting social media posts to promote Beckman research and events. The intern will work with communications team members to create and implement social media strategies, brainstorm engaging campaigns for our various audiences develop and post content and collect analytics. A major part of this position will be to build up the Beckman Institute’s presence on BlueSky and Threads.
If you’re a detail-oriented and thoughtful communicator who wants to use your talents in various mediums, this will be a great employment opportunity for you. 

Primary duties:

• Draft content for social media, including reels, stories and posts for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, BlueSky and Threads.
• Maintain social media engagement on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and build up the Beckman Institute’s social media presence on BlueSky and Threads.
• Collect and compile social media analytics that generate insights to improve our social media strategy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Preferred skills:

• Excellent writing, editing and proofreading skills.
• Knowledge of the different social media platforms and the audiences they cater to.
• Experience with/interest in graphic design platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite and Canva.
• Experience managing professional social media accounts (preferably for an organization or institution).
• Capable of generating creative, innovative and engaging ideas to enhance social media content.
• Well-organized and detail oriented.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently toward set goals and deadlines.
• Ability to communicate effectively, thoughtfully and efficiently with team members.

Hours
This is a paid position requiring 10 hours of work per week at $15/hour, with a set schedule that can be flexible to accommodate coursework. The work will often require in-person presence to document events and engage with researchers, as well as attend in-person meetings, but hours are flexible. The position begins no later than summer 2026 (preferably June, though the start date is flexible) with the possible opportunity for renewal into the fall 2026 semester. While this is a student worker position, it can be converted into an internship.

To apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and two to three samples of professional social media posts (preferably illustrating how to engage with audiences on different platforms) to Alejandra Pires at pires2@illinois.edu. The deadline is 11:59 PM on May 15.

Part-Time Job on Campus: Student Science Writer

The Communications Office at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is seeking a student writer to cover news, research and announcements for the Beckman website and other media as necessary. 

Job description
The primary duties for the student science writer position include:

• Writing news stories, press releases and features about peer-reviewed research, grant awards, Beckman faculty members and additional topics as assigned, with the goal of making complex scientific concepts understandable to lay audiences. (65%)
• Collaborating with editorial team to proofread, edit and rewrite content. (10%)
• Conducting interviews with faculty members and asking questions to understand the main ideas and significance of their work. (5%)
• Assisting with story promotion, including uploading stories to Sitefinity, Beckman’s web content management platform, as well as drafting social media copy. (5%)
• Acquiring a working knowledge of Associated Press style, Beckman’s style guide and editorial best practices. (5%)
• Identifying and pitching relevant, recent and compelling content using databases like PubMed. (5%)
• Other duties as assigned. (5%)

Skills
The ideal candidate is a reliable, proficient writer who adheres closely to deadlines, values accuracy and detail and maintains professionalism when acting on behalf of the Beckman Institute Communications Office. Candidates should be motivated, organized, able to work independently and comfortable managing multiple assignments simultaneously. Candidates must be able to arrange, conduct and record interviews with Beckman Institute students, faculty members and staff so as write articles about their research. Clear and effective communication with colleagues and supervisors is a must.

Hours
This position begins in summer 2026, preferably in June, with a possible option to continue through fall 2026. This is a paid, mostly remote, position requiring 10 hours of work per week and in-person check-ins every other week. Work schedules are flexible and may vary depending on story assignments. Deadlines are flexible to fit the worker’s schedule.

To apply
Interested candidates should submit a resume, a cover letter, and two to three personally generated (non-AI) writing samples to Alejandra Pires at pires2@illinois.edu. (Scientific manuscripts and long seminar papers are not acceptable writing samples.) Apply by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 15.

ENGL 206: Enlightenment Literature & Culture
While many of you are probably familiar with key texts and figures of the American Enlightenment, this course focuses on the European, and especially, the British Enlightenment, which preceded the founding of the United States. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Europe witnessed unprecedented social, economic, political, and cultural changes that collectively produced a giant leap toward the world we inhabit today. It was an age of revolution and newfound faith in the rights of the individual, though these rights were by no means extended to all. It was an age of reason, of tremendous advances in science and technology, though reason was by no means the only altar at which so-called enlightened individuals worshipped: God and sentiment remained powerful forces throughout the long eighteenth century. We will consider how the individualistic mindset that is associated with the Enlightenment was developed by some of the most significant texts of the period, and how it challenged traditional understandings of duty and humanity’s place in the world.

ENGL 360: Environmental Writing
Equips students to write about the environment for various audiences, with a focus on specific current efforts to promote sustainability on the Urbana-Champaign campus. We will practice effective techniques for each stage of the writing process-from defining topics, to gathering information, to crafting active, engaging prose. Readings will include models of effective environmental writing and “how to” pieces by experts. Research will include visits to campus sites and student-conducted interviews with subjects.

ENGL 378: Fairy Tales & Gender Formation
Discusses how femininity and gender formation are related through fairy tales. As children grow they are taught the difference between male and female roles. One of the main ways this instruction takes place is through the pleasurable media of fairy tales in books, poems, and more recently, films. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty and the Best, and the Little Mermaid, among others, will be examined to understand how sexual identity is constructed differently in different cultures, and how issues such as rape and incest are addressed within the narratives. The readings explore the ways that fairy tales work to express psychological reactions to maturation while conditioning both characters and readers to adopt specific social roles in adulthood.

• Mondays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
• Tuesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Wednesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Thursdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
• Thursdays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
• Handshake Appointments (in-person or virtual) are 30 minutes during available staff times. We have an energetic team to help you. Reach out to connect. Having trouble? Reach out to us at las-careerservices@illinois.edu. 

Sharing News

As a reminder, if you have an award, a publication, or some other triumph to report please send news to engl-news@illinois.edu so the social media interns can celebrate you and your accomplishment. Also, if you are a member of a student group affiliated with the English department and you would like an upcoming event posted on our undergraduate calendar (now available at the bottom of the advising page) please send that info to the same address. Thanks!