September 2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Cover for the special issue of The Chaucer Review (vol. 55, no. 4, 2020) co-edited by Wendy Matlock.   Each month during the academic year, we assemble a newsletter of the department's recent publications, presentations, announcements, and awards. As COVID-19 continues, we continue to direct significant energies towards teaching fall courses and to supporting others … Continue reading September 2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Mask Up!

Monica Kopenhaver (MA '21) and Amy Levin Plattner (MA '21) with Biscuit COVID-19 has brought many changes to our everyday lives this year, including a new accessory. In support of K-State's new policy regarding face coverings and the City of Manhattan's mask requirement, here are some faculty and graduate students of the Kansas State English … Continue reading Mask Up!

#keatscore Mood Boards

The #keatscore mood board that Hannah Rollison (MA '22) created for ENGL 801 "Introduction to Graduate Studies" This fall semester, our M.A. students in ENGL 801 "Introduction to Graduate Studies" are reading and discussing John Keats's ode "To Autumn" as they enhance their skills at close reading. Also this fall semester, during COVID-19, we are … Continue reading #keatscore Mood Boards

Summer 2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Screenshot from Han Yu's “Response to ‘Make COVID-19 Visuals Gross’” for the Medical Humanities Blog (28 May 2020).  Each month during the academic year, we assemble a newsletter of the department's recent publications, presentations, announcements, and awards. The issue for September typically showcases a substantial amount of research, scholarship, and creative activity that our faculty … Continue reading Summer 2020 Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Found Object: Graduate Newsletter

Location: File cabinet with Grad Program files, storage room, ECS Building.Object: File folder titled "Graduate Newsletter."Observations: It appears that, for a period of 10 years, the Graduate Program in English produced a Graduate Alumni Newsletter. Location: File cabinet with Grad Program files, storage room, ECS Building.Object: File folder titled "Graduate Newsletter."Observations: 1) The first issue … Continue reading Found Object: Graduate Newsletter

Meet the New Grad Students

You probably won't see the new English graduate students at Kansas State University without masks for a while, but you can see their full faces and learn about them here. Here's some foreshadowing: They love their pets! We're thrilled to welcome them to campus, and wish everyone a safe and enriching and healthy semester. Name: … Continue reading Meet the New Grad Students

“Ain’t Nobody’s Respect Worth More Than Your Own”: African American Children’s Literature, Self-Esteem, Education, and Hope

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

Congratulations to the M.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