Features
Beginning in Fall 2008, the English Department began a series of articles on faculty, alumni, students and departmental initiatives. Check back frequently for new additions!
Sixties Extravaganza promises a groovy time
10/6/11
Sixties Extravaganza reunites an unlikely combination of alums on campus October 10 and 11: Merry Pranksters, subjects of the film Magic Bus, Miami English majors, and basketball players.
Miami students present class research at conference
9/9/11
Four students enrolled in Heidi McKee’s honors course “From Amazon to YouTube” (ENG 280) last spring parlayed their class work into the opportunity to present at an international conference this summer.
Professional Writing major to debut in fall
5/17/11
A college or university is often judged in the professional world by the writing skills of its graduates. In a move to make pre-professional writing available to more students, the English department has changed the specialized major in “technical and scientific communication” to a major in professional writing.
Publishing executive, department alum returns for lecture
3/13/11
English alum Rebecca Bondor began her post-Miami life as a puppeteer. She is now vice president of one of the world’s largest educational publishing houses.
B.A./M.A. program accelerates students’ options
2/14/11
Program offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in five years rather than the usual six or more.
Hollywood screenwriter gives students a glimpse of life in film
10/21/10
This semester, an up-and-coming screenwriter is giving back to the university where he got his start in the craft—and providing a unique opportunity for students interested in film.
Department welcomes visiting scholars, new faculty
9/27/10
The Department of English includes faculty and students from around the globe, and four international visiting scholars are among those learning in Bachelor Hall this semester.
“Writing” much more than words on paper
5/26/10
Digitized technologies have changed the processes, spaces, and products of writing in school, in the workplace, and in society, and the Digital Writing Collaborative is working to integrate those changes.
Students branch out, dig in to research
4/8/2010
With four disciplines and new courses offered each semester, the English Department seems to have every topic covered. Even so, students can go beyond available classes to pursue their own unique research interests through the Undergraduate Summer Scholars program and Independent Study.
English faculty, students recognized for dramatic work
2/18/2010
The interactive lobby display for “Down in Mississippi” has been recognized by a national college-level theatre arts program. English students and faculty were among those involved in making 1964 Mississippi come alive.
English professor REACHes out to community
1/19/10
For many high school students, the question of “what comes next?” is overwhelming. Deciding whether to attend college and what field to enter drastically affects career possibilities, and for at-risk students, the options may seem limited from the start.
New Western program opens major possibilities
12/09/09
Choosing a major can feel so confining—which is probably why so many Miami University students major in more than one subject. But the redesigned Western program takes it a step further.
Literary London transports students through literature’s history
11/16/09
For many students, Shakespeare’s dramas are classroom lectures, Bloomsbury is a dot on a textbook map, and the Westminster Abbey is a photo on a postcard. Every summer, Miami faculty help these scenes become reality for a group of study abroad students.
Department welcomes new faculty, administrators
10/22/09
The English department welcomed four new faculty members this fall, gaining a wealth of knowledge in everything from cultural identity to computer science. The fall semester also brought new front office administrators to the department.
Summertime no slow time for English faculty
9/15/09
Miami’s English faculty spent the summer collecting stamps—in their passports, that is. From departmental initiatives to personal projects, they racked up some serious frequent flier miles.
English Department charts new territory
8/26/09
The Department of English has established Miami’s first international certificate program in partnership with Shanxi Normal University (SNU) in Western China.
Graduating seniors share their wisdom with incoming English majors
4/15/09
If only we knew then what we know now. Five senior Miami English majors reflect on their time in the program and pass along helpful nuggets to the incoming class.
Miami professor brings vintage texts into digital age
2/25/2009
Literary scholars are faced with a difficult and pressing question: What’s going to happen to historical texts in the digital age?
Luckily, one Miami English and IMS professor has come to the rescue. Meet Laura Mandell.
Mao leaves English Department grad program at the top of its class
1/26/2009
LuMing Mao has a 17-year history at Miami, and a history of leaving things better than he found them. This time he’s left the English Department graduate program a better place.
Longtime Administrative Assistant bids English Department adieu
1/26/2009
Twenty four years. Four department chairs. Countless students, faculty and staff. It’s been great, Jackie Kearns says, but she’s ready for some new challenges.
Royal Holloway semester a chance of a lifetime for Miami students
12/08/2008
Two students who spent a semester at Royal Holloway say the experience provided them with an education beyond any they could have imagined. They returned with a broader view of the world, and in turn, themselves.
Creative Writing alum finds niche in playwrighting
11/07/2008
Rajiv Joseph didn’t quite know what he wanted to do with his life when he first came to Miami, but a desire to take Introduction to Creative Writing led him to become a successful playwright of four off-Broadway plays and a fifth play which will debut in Los Angeles this May.
Miami’s Academic Preparation and Culture Program a success
10/07/2008
The academic and cultural “warmup” program launched by Miami this summer is believed to be unprecedented among U.S. colleges, and may be the most interdisciplinary course taught at Miami.
Department alum uses English degree as launch pad for life
9/29/2008
Create your own opportunities. Decide what you want, and go for it. For 1973 Miami graduate Jeanne Matson, these words encompass the essence of her long, prosperous career.
Modern meets medieval in Murphy’s Literature class
9/22/2008
Students experience a blast from the past when they take medieval literature with Assistant Professor Patrick Murphy. Murphy is known as the “comic book guy”—even though many of his classes are about the earliest surviving English texts.