From "Kansas Fall Color Parade" (Photo: Dr. Megan Kennelly, 2014) It's been a challenging summer, following on a challenging spring, as we navigate a world with COVID-19, but the fall semester is underway -- partly face-to-face and mostly online. We're keeping six feet apart to keep each other and everyone else safe. Until we can … Continue reading Fall Preview
As we get ready for the start of classes on August 17, we’ll soon be back to our regular schedule of twice-weekly posts. In the meantime, watch for another update this coming week, as we prepare for the return of faculty and GTAs to the ECS Building! — Karin Westman, Department Head … Continue reading Found Object: Preparations for a COVID Fall Semester
Earlier today, 98 Distinguished Professors of K-State, KU, WSU, and KUMC spoke out against the recent Student and Exchange Visitor Program’s ban and its decision not to issue visas to international students enrolled in schools or programs that are only online for Fall 2020. Phil Nel and Elizabeth Dodd, University Distinguished Professors of English, are … Continue reading Distinguished Professors of Kansas Call for End to International Student Ban
Counting down the hours until you can experience Hamilton: An American Musical on the small screen? Re-watching to catch all of the details you missed the first time? We've got you covered, courtesy of student projects from our department's Hamilton course which I had the pleasure to teach in Spring 2018 and Fall 2019. … Continue reading Hamilton in Context
I asked the students in my Spring 2020 English 725 "African American Children’s Literature" course to produce a piece of public writing that answers the question of Why African American Children’s Literature Matters. Everyone from ill-informed pundits to well-meaning relatives question the value of courses in the humanities: "Why do universities offer such classes?" Or, … Continue reading “Ain’t Nobody’s Respect Worth More Than Your Own”: African American Children’s Literature, Self-Esteem, Education, and Hope
As we shift into summer mode, we’ll have intermittent contributions to the blog. Watch for some updates during the weeks ahead, and we’ll be back with our twice-weekly posts when the semester resumes in August! — Karin Westman, Department Head
As we conclude the spring semester and remote teaching in response to the spread of Covid-19, we offer a look at recent faculty, student, and alumni achievements in research, scholarship, and creative activity. Want to catch up on past successes or to find future announcements? Visit our archive of monthly newsletters Reading Matters as well … Continue reading April 2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
I turn here to Part Two of two blog posts on teaching, reading, and writing the apocalypse during a moment of real dystopia. Part One sketched out the initial seven weeks of a class on dystopic fiction and film. Part Two below considers the last seven weeks after the rise of Covid-19 and our move … Continue reading On Teaching and Reading the Apocalypse . . . in the Apocalypse — Part II
One of our English Department traditions is to share a graduation card with each graduating senior, signed by all of the faculty in the department. Since we couldn't offer that tribute during this socially-distanced spring, we identified a faculty member to create a short video for each graduating senior to convey our collective congratulations on … Continue reading Congratulations to the B.A. Class of 2020
Today would have been the graduate commencement ceremony for our 2020 M.A. grads. Since we can't congratulate them in person, we offer this brief video celebration: Thanks to our graduate program assistant, Jimmy Gilligan, for his help editing the above video, and for assembling the one below, featuring reflections from our new M.A. alums, as … Continue reading Congratulations to the M.A. Class of 2020
