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Departmental Differences
By Erik Davis
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This year we are starting a series of
articles that compare how our English
department here at Monmouth College stacks
up against the other English departments at
other colleges. This series will focus on
the several different benchmarks including;
overall strengths and weaknesses, curriculum
organization, and unique opportunities that
each school has to offer. To inaugurate
this series I decided to see how our
department compared to our rivals Knox
College. Since they always come up short on
the football field, it seems only fair to
give them a chance to compete elsewhere.
I talked with Dr. Lori Haslem (http://www.knox.edu/lhaslem.xm l),
who is the chair of the Literature
Department at Knox College, about some of
the unique features that the Literature
Department at Knox has. The most obvious
difference between Knox and Monmouth is
that, at Knox, writing, journalism, and
literature are separate majors. This
separation of majors automatically sets up
some differences between our programs. Knox
also has some innate differences because
they are on a system of trimesters instead
of our system of semesters. I asked Dr. Haslem if this system presented any
advantages or disadvantages to students who
study Literature at Knox. Dr. Haslem said,
“Depends on the time of year you ask!
Actually, I do think that we can feel rushed
at times to get everything in in 9-10
weeks). On the other hand, it seems to me
(someone who has taught on semester and
trimester systems off and on for years) that
10 weeks is about the time when energy flags
anyway--even during a semester system. We
perhaps are at a disadvantage when it comes
to asking our students to write truly deep
research papers, which are difficult to
incorporate into a 10-week term.” We also
talked about the different requirements for
literature majors at Knox compared with
those for majors here at MC.
A complete list of the requirements can be
found at
http://www.knox.edu/x2874.xml.
Basically Knox does not require that students take
survey courses or a course in Shakespeare.
Literature majors are strongly encouraged to
take at least two survey courses to provide
some historical context for the texts that
they read, but it is not required. Knox
majors are also allowed more freedom to
choose between journalism and creative
writing courses that could count towards a
literature major. I am sure many of you who
are in surveys right now would like to know
how Knox students get out of doing this, so I
asked Dr. Haslem what she thought were the
strengths and weaknesses of not having her
students take surveys and she said, “As
someone whose area is early English Lit., I
was myself among the most skeptical at
letting go of the requirement [to take a
series of survey courses] a few years back.
I have seen nothing but advantages though,
as I see students in early lit/survey
classes now who have fully chosen to be
there. I don't think that students should
be allowed to skip surveys altogether,
though, and I think that once a student goes
through one survey, he/she is better
situated to understand how taking more might
be worthwhile…We do a lot with our
individual advising of students in their
course selection to help them choose to
get an historical perspective on
literature. That is, instead of mandating
that they take courses that take them into
the historical development, we try to show
them how a study of strictly modern or
contemporary literature is woefully lacking
if one doesn't take into account the earlier
literatures that more recent writers were
building on.”
At Monmouth
College we study literary theory in 200 and
in Senior Seminar, but we do not deal with
it very much in between those two classes.
The literature program at Knox is much more
focused on the study of literary theory.
Dr. Haslem said, “Oh yes, literary theory is
one of the mainstays of the Literature
major. All students are required to take a
gateway course to the major (called Ways of
Reading, ENG 200) that introduces them to
literary theory as it developed from New
Criticism up through post-structuralism. We
put this course early in the major so that
students can draw on that theory (and learn
it more deeply, fully) as they embark on
upper-level courses afterwards. All
upper-level courses are theory-rich and also
require students to engage with literary
criticism, to respond to it both in class,
in their written arguments, and to
incorporate scholarly writings into their
longer essays (a requirement of upper-level
courses).”
Knox College also
has an endowment that offers students some
very unique opportunities. Dr. Haslem
explained, “We are blessed to have a special
fund from a donor that allows us to bring
world class writers to campus. We couldn't
afford to do this if not for the fund
especially earmarked for English.” One of
the things that Dr. Haslem said that she
regrets is that our two departments have not
worked more closely together historically.
Haslem hopes that our two departments can
work more closely together in the future.
She thought that perhaps inviting us to
these types of events would be a good place
to start.
Knox College’s
literature department is quite different
from our English department. They both
offer students some unique advantages while
giving them a quality education.
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A Literary Journey to Haworth, England while Studying
Abroad
By Megan Carlson
This past spring I had
the great opportunity of studying abroad in London, England and
Florence, Italy for the semester. The amount of learning and
traveling and experience that I have obtained from this trip will be
with me permanently. It would hardly be possible for me to write
about everything in this article, but I thought one travel in
particular would interest English faculty and students. I took a
special topics course last fall with visiting professor, Brooks
Applebaum, on the Brontë sisters. I found it particularly
interesting to learn about such an unusual family in the Victorian
Age and, luckily, while living in London, I was able to make a
pilgrimage to the home of the beloved English writers, The Brontës.
The hustle and bustle of London is
unlike any city I’ve been to. My classes were hardly ever inside,
so my classroom was the great outdoors. Everyday I was learning
about the architecture of the late, great Sir Christopher Wren or
walking through Brick Lane, a haven for artists such as Gilbert and
George. I also was seeing extravagant play s in popular west-end
theatres, but I could be found sitting in an upstairs room of a pub
watching a play about Portuguese warfare. With all the excitement
of the city, it was a significant contrast to hit the open roads and
travel into the countryside of England. I did just this in late
March of last semester. I trekked up north to the incredibly small
town of Haworth, England. This is where the Brontë family moved to
in 1820 and remained there the rest of their lives.
I left London in the late afternoon
with no worries of any travel mishaps. But those of you who have
traveled anywhere know there is always a “travel mishap.” By the
time I actually arrived in Haworth, it was close to 11:00 p.m.
Arriving in a city at night is somewhat easy; there are usually
signs and you just follow the bright lights to safety. Haworth is
wholly unlike London, and I was lucky to find even a porch light on.
Dropping me off on a dark and dreary road, the local bus pushed me
into, what looked like to me, the worst decision I had ever made.
Like Patrick Brontë wrote in a letter dated in 1821, I was a
“stranger in a strange land.” I had picked, what I thought was
genius, a hostel that in the 1800’s was considered the
mansion in the town of Haworth. Arriving so late, I thought I was
walking towards impending doom. After much confusion and an
inability to read my map, I found a gravel road that stretched ahead
with looming trees on both sides of the walkway. At the end of the
path, the hostel rose up to the night sky. Never in my life would I
have stayed there if I thought I could find another place to stay.
My evening was thus spent thinking that I might have heard a noise
in the attic or that I could point out Heathcliff on the
moors waiting for Catherine. Now I knew why the Brontës' stories
were full of superstitions.
My evening was discouraging to say
the least. All was pushed aside, though, when I woke up and
actually saw the quaint town of Haworth. The town consists of one
main road which rises up a hill and at the top are the Haworth
parsonage, church, and graveyard. The church has the family vault
of the Brontë family (Anne is the only family member not there; she
was buried in Scarborough) and a chapel dedicated to them. The
parsonage itself is a step back in time. The parsonage, where
Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall were written, has a multitude of personal objects
that the Bronte’s used on a daily basis. Emily’s piano, Charlotte’s
writing desk, and Branwell’s paintings are in the small
 house and in
the memories of those who visit. In addition to exploring the
parsonage and church, I went on a hike to Brontë Falls. The
posthumous name for the waterfalls and walk is known as the pathway
that the Brontë sisters walked for leisure and even wrote parts of
their novels on stones along the way. The path is scattered with
sheep and stone walls that blend in with the large rolling hills.
There is a letter from a friend of Charlotte’s where she describes a
walk while visiting the Brontë family; “It was a small oasis of
emerald green turf, broken here and there by small clear springs; a
few large stones served as resting-places; seated here, we were
hidden from all the world, nothing appearing in view but miles and
miles of heather, a glorious blue sky, and brightening sun.” Seated
on a stone in front of the falls, I saw the beauty that the Brontës
saw their whole life.
I traveled to Haworth to see where
my favorite writers grew up and see some of their influences in
person. Wandering on the moors and standing near the family vault
brought me as close to the Brontë family as reading their novels
did. Admiring the work of an author and then being able to place
yourself in their environment is truly exciting. I hope that you
all can get the opportunity to travel and seek out those great
places of literary success like Bloomsbury in London where Virginia
Woolf and her infamous group met and wrote or to Rome to visit the
final home of John Keats. There are obviously too many places to
visit, but I suggest that you go and pick out those places most
important to you; places that have meaning to you. This truly adds
to your study-abroad experience.
If you have any questions about my semester
studying abroad or just want to talk about traveling, my email is
macarlson@monm.edu.
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All
for Academic Honesty and Academic Honesty for All
By Anne Stone
Every fall, the ILA classes pour
into Dahl Chapel and Auditorium for the annual “Academic Honesty”
convocation. This convocation informs students of the moral and
academic consequences related to academic dishonesty. While most or
all of the MC English majors have heard this lecture, it is easy to
forget what academic dishonesty entails, and English majors are
never too old for a refresher course.
Academic dishonesty is not simply
cheating, while cheating is one of the three ways a person can be
academically dishonest. The two other activities considered as
academic dishonesty by Monmouth College are inappropriate
collaboration and plagiarism. According to the MC website,
“cheating involves misrepresenting one’s knowledge or experience”
which means that making a “cheat sheet” for an exam, or copying
another student’s homework assignment fall under this category (http://www.monm.edu/ila/academic-honesty.htm).
Most students feel no confusion about cheating since it is a fairly
straightforward issue. Inappropriate collaboration, however, can be
a bit hazy. Inappropriate collaboration, in an informal sense, is
“putting heads together.” More academically stated, MC defines it
as “presenting academic work as one's own independent effort when it
includes significantly the work of others” (http://www.monm.edu/ila/academic-honesty.htm).
The third means of academic dishonesty is extremely important for
all English majors to know. Plagiarism, which means stealing the
ideas of another and claiming it as one’s own work, is most commonly
related to writing, and therefore, is something that English majors
should take every precaution to avoid. Even forgetting to cite is
considered plagiarism, and the consequence of this forgetfulness is
failing the class.
Another consequence of academic
dishonesty is a mark on the student’s transcript that labels the
student “academically dishonest” to every future institution he/she
might attend and every company seeking his/her employment. One of
the main things for which graduate schools and employers are looking
is honesty, and this note could make the difference between a
student’s dream job and flipping burgers at McDonald’s.
Many English students fall prey to plagiarism when they search
on-line for information. The majority of students do not feel that
it is wrong or plagiarism when they look for ideas from which to
begin a paper or presentation, however they could not be more wrong.
Even searching on Google or Yahoo and using small details from a
search is considered plagiarizing if due credit is not given.
Another area where students can unknowingly plagiarize is by
paraphrasing without giving credit to the original author.
Rephrasing the words does not make the idea one's own; it is
considered stealing just as much as stealing a direct quote without
crediting the original owner of the idea.
The mere mention of academic
dishonesty is enough to send chills through any college student’s
bones, but there are a lot of ways to prevent academic dishonesty,
and the Printing Press would like to offer students a few tips:
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Start assignments early. It is easy to be forgetful or look
for an easy way out when a student waits until the last minute to
complete assignments, but when students look ahead and begin early,
they have time to use all resources available.
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Proofread! When students proofread, they often find mistakes
in citation. Thirty minutes of proofreading is definitely worth the
alternative option: failing.
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Ask professors for help. At Monmouth College, the faculty is
always willing to lend a hand.
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Visit the writing center. The knowledgeable tutors can help
in any step of the writing process.
There are many ways to be academically
dishonest, but there are even more ways to prevent it. Most
students who cheat get caught, and taking that chance is not worth
the possible consequences. For more information on Academic
Honesty, visit the Monmouth College website at:
http://www.monm.edu/ila/academic-honesty.htm.
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Carol Gilbertson, Professor of English at Luther
College, extended the following invitation to Sigma Tau Delta members at
MC:
"On behalf of Luther College's Sigma Tau Delta chapter, it is my
pleasure
to invite you and your students to a writing conference November 2-4,
2008, at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
"Called to Create: A Lutheran Festival of Writing” brings together for
the first time writers of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry who have been
shaped by the Lutheran tradition. The Festival is open to anyone
interested in literary work--readers as well as writers--and one does
not have to be affiliated with the Lutheran church to attend. We are
particularly eager to have students enjoy this rich program of literary
work.
Over 20 award-winning authors will read their work. In addition, book
and magazine editors will talk about the publishing climate for
religious writers. Keynote speakers include National Book Award winner
Walt Wangerin, Jr., and Marilyn Nelson, former Poet Laureate of
Connecticut. For complete information about the festival, presenters,
and how to register, visit:
http://programming.luther.edu/lutheranwriters/
We would appreciate your forwarding this to the Sigma Tau Delta members
on your campus. Feel free to contact me if you have questions."
The Monmouth Community is invited to
attend:
Liberation Theater: The Ceremony of
Empowerment
Sheila Rocha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Playwright, director, writer, performance artist, storyteller and
advocate. Director and
founder of
Teatro Mestizo, Young, Gifted, and Black Theater Companies and TICOTA,
The Indigenous Collective of Theatre and Arts.
Liberation Theatre
Workshop
Thursday, October 4. 6:00 – 9:00 pm
The Highlander Room, Monmouth College
Refreshments Provided
This Liberation Theater Workshop is for
all cultural and linguistic segments of the Monmouth College community
who are concerned about empowerment. This is not a theatrical
production; instead this intensive workshop is a form of popular
community based education that uses theater as a tool for
transformation. Originally developed out of Augusto Boal’s work with
peasant and worker populations, these techniques are now used the world
over for social and political activism, conflict resolution, community
building, therapy, and government legislation. The workshop provides
participants with the opportunity to explore social, racial, and
economic issues in the safety of a theatrical form. Intended for both
the college and grassroots community member, this high-energy experience
takes us on a journey of physical exercises and theater games designed
to uncover essential truths about our self, society, and culture in
which we live. Ms. Rocha es bilingue and her only request is for
participants to be at least 15 years of age.
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Survey Says
What is your favorite book so
far this semester?
Melissa Gorski: The Glass
Castle
Molly Rhoderick: Time
Traveler's Wife
Anne Stone: Disgrace
Missy Metz: Kindred
Drew Johnson: Angels and
Demons
Nick Basala: Three Nights in
August
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| Writing Labs |
3:00-5:00 pm Monday -
Thursday |
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7:00-10:00 pm Sunday -
Thursday |
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