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Header: The English Channel English Department News
February 11, 2004
Volume 6.21		  

 

Creative/Research Forum - TODAY - 2:00 pm - 3104 Haley Center
Today's Creative/Research Forum will feature English faculty members Chris Forhan, Keith Gibson, and Cedrick May. Their presentations, described below, will start at 2:00 pm in 3104 Haley Center.

Chris Forhan

Chris Forhan: The Actual Moon, The Actual Stars

Chris Forhan, who specializes in poetry, will be reading from his most recent book, The Actual Moon, The Actual Stars (Northeastern UP, 2003), plus selections from his more recent work. He also plans to talk about a change occurring in his work recently and the reasons for—and challenges of—writing in a more disjunctive, elliptical, and associative style than in his earlier work. The poetry that Forhan will read from in the forum will illustrate this stylistic shift, and he will discuss questions that this change of style has brought to his mind that are applicable to the work of most creative writers: How might a change of style lead to a change of subject? How can one distinguish between meaningful mystery and needless obscurity? What might a poem be able to say by keeping something unsaid—by employing noticeable gaps, lacunae?
Keith Gibson

Keith Gibson: Scientific Revolutions in the 21st Century

Keith Gibson's research traces the arguments that have shaped artificial intelligence research since 1950. Thomas Kuhn's work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, originally published in 1962, relied on the examination of paradigm shifts that were as many as 400 years old. Gibson's book-length project brings Kuhn's historical perspectives to bear on an ongoing scientific argument, one that has features that are strikingly different than those in the 16th and 17th centuries. Gibson examines elements such as the changing nature of the scientific community, the shifting roles of academic and entrepreneurial research, and the influence of governmental agendas. His work, though still in progress, is shaping up to lend support to many of Kuhn's general principles, while also suggesting some new data on the progress of scientific knowledge.
Cedrick May

Cedrick May: "Enthusiasm" or Religious Emotionalism

Cedrick May's presentation is a study of "enthusiasm," or religious emotionalism, as a racial and class marker in 18th century British and British North American society. During the 17th and 18th centuries, British and American authorities viewed religious emotionalism as a potential threat to religion and government. Black evangelical writers like John Marrant, Prince Hall, Richard Allen, and David Walker, however, would clarify and redeem the role of "enthusiasm" in North American evangelism, particularly among African-descended peoples and poor whites. May will discuss their recognition of the social and political importance of emotionalism as a unifying feature of evangelical Christianity among the North American under classes like free blacks, slaves, and poor whites.

MTPC Oral Exams Begin Tomorrow
Master of Technical and Professional Communication (MTPC) students complete the requirements for the MTPC with an oral exam and a portfolio. During the oral exam, they present many of the projects they completed while in the MTPC program and that appear in the portfolio. Students incorporate into the oral exam presentation information from their course readings and discussions.

Members of the student's committee conduct the oral exam; members of the department and guests may ask questions.

Members of the Department of English and guests are invited to participate in the oral exams.

MTPC Student: Date, Time, and Location of Exam
Kelly Messerschmidt
BA English, Auburn University		 Thursday, February 12 - 3:30 pm - 3130 Haley Center
John Campbell
BA English, Auburn University		 Thursday, February 26 - 3:30 pm - 3130 Haley Center
Angela Woods
BA English, University of Mobile		 Thursday, March 11 - 3:30 pm - 3116 Haley Center
William Shurtz
BA Journalism, Auburn University		 Thursday, March 18 - 3:30 pm - 3116 Haley Center
Paul Wamsted
BA History, Samford University		 Thursday, March 25 - 3:30 pm - 3130 Haley Center

CDRR and the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs to Sponsor Forum - Friday, February 13 - 7:00 pm - Foy Union Ballroom
The Center for Diversity and Race Relations (CDRR) and the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs will present "The Future of the Race - The Du Bois and Washington Discussion in the 21st Century," an analysis of issues that affect the future of blacks in Alabama and the nation, on Friday, February 13 at 7:00 in the Foy Union Ballroom. A reception will precede the forum, beginning at 6:00. The event is free and open to the public.

The forum will feature Dr. Cornel West, Dr. John Sibley Butler, and Ms. Cynthia Tucker. Read more information. For more information about Black History events, visit the CDRR website.

AU Study Abroad Fair - Wednesday, February 18 - Haley Center Main Lobby
The AU Study Abroad Fair will take place from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm in the Haley Center Main Lobby on Wednesday, February 18. All students and faculty are welcome.

There will be over 30 representatives for study abroad programs around the world. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to learn firsthand about AU study abroad offerings. Many program representatives will have drawings for door prizes, and some will include scholarships as the awards.

Great Flicks - Wednesday, February 18 - 7:30 pm - 1203 Haley Center
Daughters of the Dust (Dash, 1991)
Set in 1902 among the African-American coastal communities of South Carolina and Georgia, Julie Dash's film takes a circular, nonchronological approach to its story of race and gender tensions in the South. The story centers on a matriarchal family facing challenges from many directions.

View the Great Flicks Spring Schedule.

The Auburn Circle - Accepting Submissions Until Thursday, February 19
The Auburn CircleThe University's general interest magazine, The Auburn Circle, is accepting submissions for the spring 2004 issue until Thursday, February 19. The spring issue will be distributed April 21-23.

The Auburn Circle invites all students, faculty, alumni, and Auburn University supporters to submit their fiction and non-fiction work, poetry, artwork, and other visual media.

For more information about the Circle, visit the Circle's website or email the Circle staff.

CLA PETL Panel Discussion - Thursday, February 19 - 3:30 pm - 202 Thach Hall
The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Promotion of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (PETL) will present a panel discussion on Auburn University's Academic Honesty Policy on Thursday, February 19 at 3:30 pm in 202 Thach Hall. The coordinator will be Dr. Kelly Jolley, Philosophy.

A small panel of CLA faculty will briefly discuss their experiences with the University's Academic Honesty Policy and field questions from the audience regarding how to deal with specific issues and concerns related to violations of the policy.

If you have questions or comments, please email Bill Buskist.

Submissions Deadline for the Robert Hughes Mount, Jr. Poetry Prize - Monday, March 1
The English Department is pleased to announce its annual Robert Hughes Mount, Jr. Poetry Prize, sponsored by the Academy of American Poets, and endowed by Mrs. Frances Mayes, offering a $100 prize for the best poem submitted by an Auburn University student. Past judges of the Mount Poetry Prize have included poets Susan S. Chambers, Davis McCombs, and Katherine Soniat.

Graduate or undergraduate students may submit up to three poems to Jeremy Downes' mailbox in 9030 Haley Center. The contest deadline is Monday, March 1.

Submission Guidelines:

• cover sheet with contact information (no identification on poems)
• three poems maximum
• no electronic submissions

 

 

The prizewinner will be announced at the English Department's annual Benson Lecture on Thursday, April 15. If you have questions about Auburn's contest, please email Poetry Prize Coordinator Jeremy Downes, or call him at 844-9040.

The Academy of American Poets University & College Poetry Prize Program was founded in 1955 with only ten schools but now awards more than 170 prizes across the country. Many prominent American poets won their first recognition with an Academy College Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Joy Harjo, Robert Haas, Li-Young Lee, Heather McHugh, William Matthews, Robert Pinsky, Sylvia Plath, George Starbuck, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

Prizes are funded by alumni interested in encouraging young writers, by the colleges and universities themselves, or through the gifts of donors to the Academy. Two-thirds of the prizes are now, like Auburn's, supported by permanent endowments. The Academy of American Poets is the largest organization in the country dedicated specifically to poetry. The academy sponsors a broad range of national programs, including the prestigious Whitman, Laughlin, and Marshall Awards, as well as National Poetry Month in April, an annual celebration of the vitality and richness of American Poetry. For more comprehensive information, visit the Academy's website.

Summer Academy Applications Deadline - Monday, March 8
This year's Summer Academy is looking for faculty and GTAs to participate. The Instructional Multimedia Group will offer two basic Summer Academies and one advanced Summer Academy in which faculty and GTAs will work on specific teaching projects. As in previous years, the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) will provide funding for some participants of each session with $3000 per participant.

In the last couple of years, the CLA has received considerably more applications than funded spots, emphasizing that the application process for CLA-funded spots is competitive. For the best chance of acceptance, applications need to be carefully thought through. Teams have been successful in working on larger projects—core and introductory courses in particular. All faculty are encouraged to talk to their program coordinators and heads/chairs to find out what kinds of projects will be most useful for a program or department; graduate students and instructors should be sure to get specific approval from their program or department.

The deadline for applications is Monday, March 8. Please submit by this deadline for best chances of getting into the Summer Academy. While late proposals might get accepted into the Summer Academy, no late proposals will be considered for CLA funding.

Apply for Summer Academy online. If you have questions concerning the Summer Academy, please email Wiebke Kuhn.

OIT Department Announces Teaching with Technology Day - Tuesday, March 16
The Education Technology Services Department within the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and the AU Library will be sponsoring a Teaching with Technology Day on Tuesday, March 16 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in the AU Library. Faculty members will have the opportunity to share their special methods of enhancing the learning experience of their students and to present their accomplishments in a context that will encourage face-to-face discussion with their colleagues.

The informal presentations may be in the form of a computer lab presentation or poster board presentation with or without the use of a computer. Faculty who need a wireless laptop will be able to check one out from the AU Library. All poster board presentations will be located on the first floor hallway of the AU Library just outside of the computer lab.

Faculty members wishing to participate in the Teaching with Technology Day are requested to submit a brief description of their proposed presentation by email to Terry Daughtrey. Please include the name and number of the course and summary information about the use of the technology in the course.

Tables, poster board backing material, folding chairs, wireless computers, and a computer lab will be provided to the presenter. Also, a color printer for creating large posters can be used at the AU Library for the purpose of the presentation at no cost. If you have questions, please email Terry Daughtrey or call him at 844-9939, or email Harmon Straiton or call him at 844-1760.

Freelance Work Opportunity for English Graduate Student
A local medical journalist needs help transcribing taped interviews on occasion. For more information, please email Renee Twombly or call her at 502-1262.

Paper Copies of The Chronicle of Higher Education Now in 8011 Haley Center
Job seekers preferring to use a paper version of the journal, The Chronical of Higher Education, can find copies in 8011 Haley Center, thanks to Professor Paula Backscheider.

To include an item in The English Channel, submit text items by Tuesday at 11:40 am for publication Wednesday. Submit items by email to Kelly Messerschmidt or Betsy Smith or put the information in their mailbox. Please check your submission for accuracy and completion--all calendar items and meeting announcements must include the date, time, and location of the event.

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Last updated February 11, 2004


Department of English
9030 Haley Center
Auburn University, AL 36849-5203
Phone (334) 844-4620
FAX (334) 844-9027
© 2004 Department of English at Auburn University. All rights reserved.

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