On March 11, 1818, Mary Shelley published Frankenstein, and the English Department's Graduate Track in British and American Literature decided to dedicate the 2017-18 academic year to celebrating this singular accomplishment. Often credited with inventing the genre of science fiction, Shelley’s novel is both of its time and timeless, a representative example of romantic literature … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Dear Frankenstein
When students come to my office, they often scan my bookshelves while I read through their drafts. I wonder what impression they’re forming from the titles they read? What words repeat? Gender. Feminist. Rhetoric. Language. Teaching. Composition. Body and Bodies. Students in my “Advanced Expository Writing for Prospective Teachers” classes would recognize the books on … Continue reading Shelfie Thursday: Abby Knoblauch
Here at the Kansas State English Department — Fine Purveyor of Literary Listicles for All of Your Holiday Needs — we're thankful for the holiday break next week, for our families, for our students, for our colleagues, for our friends, for those who fight for the rights of others, and for books — don't forget … Continue reading Five Books to Help You Give Thanks
The 8-foot replica of the Ad Astra statue in McPherson, Kansas. Photo by the author. What do you think of when you imagine the Topeka skyline? Can you easily call to mind the figure that commands the sky? That figure is a 22 foot-tall sculpture of a Native American holding a bow and shooting an … Continue reading Undergrad Student Spotlight: Cheyenne White
Jaime DeTour and her major professor, Associate Professor Carol Franko The success of The Hunger Games and the Divergent series has led to the publication of many other young adult dystopian novels. While fictional dystopian societies can inspire movements for political change, such as the use of the iconic red handmaid’s uniform from The Handmaid’s … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Jaime DeTour
Office discoveries, as Dr. Michael Donnelly, Emeritus Associate Professor, cleaned out his office after 45 years of service to K-State. (Photo: August 7, 2017) Can you identify all of the technologies in the photo above? Have you taught with one or more of them? While assisting Emeritus Associate Professor Michael Donnelly this summer, as he … Continue reading Teaching with Technology through the Years
It's the spookiest time of year: You know, when undergraduates are trying to decide whether or not they should pursue graduate studies. At Kansas State, we have an M.A. program, and we've done a lot to make sure that our grad students receive financial support (most of our graduate students are also GTAs), opportunities for intellectual growth … Continue reading No, This Skeleton Did Not Prep for the GRE: On Applying to Grad School in English
It’s the time of the year for jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires, trick-or-treating, and costume parties! In celebration of Halloween, some of Kansas State University’s faculty suggest books that frighten and books that brighten (not all of our recommendations are scary). Happy Halloween! Elizabeth Dodd on Colson Whitehead’s Zone One (2011) We’re losing daylight fast. The weeks around … Continue reading Eleven Halloween Tales to Give You the Chills!
As a grad student in English, I chose the Cultural Studies Track because I am a conservative evangelical Christian. Wait, what? On the surface, this pairing may seem contradictory since Christians have the reputation for being judgmental, homophobic, and generally narrow-minded whereas cultural studies embraces diversity of all kinds. I believe, however, that real Christianity … Continue reading Grad Student Spotlight: Grace Ure
Books may furnish a room, but it’s the shelves that provide the key to happiness. Where books give you all the intensive pleasures of reading and analysis, bookshelves offer the calmer joys of meditation and reflection. Let your eyes drift over the titles, the play of colors, the passing moments of nostalgia or recollection … Continue reading Shelfie Thursday: Kimball Smith
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