- Newsworthy: Sabry Hafez, Professor of Modern Arabic at University of London, Will Begin World Literature Lecture Series
- Gender Questions: A Film and Discussion Series - Discussion of Frida and Brown Bag Lunch - Today - March 2 - 12 pm in 2306 Haley Center
- Not Just Desserts - Lecture by Susan Lanser - Thursday - March 3 – 12:30 pm in 217 Foy
- MTPC Oral Exam - Prashant Natarajan - Thursday - March 3 - 3:30 pm in 3166 Haley Center
- World Literature Lecture Series and Faculty Seminars - Sabry Hafez - Monday and Tuesday - March 7 and 8
- EGO Intra-Departmental English Research Colloquium - Call for Abstracts - Deadline March 9
- EGO Meeting - Wednesday - March 9 - 3:15 pm in 8009 Haley Center
- MTPC Oral Exam - Rachel Kennedy - Thursday - March 10 - 3:30 pm in 3166 Haley Center
- CLA Promotion of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (PETL) Teaching Enhancement Activity - "Tenure and Promotion at Auburn University" - Thursday - March 10 - 3:30 pm in 202 Thach Hall
- Breeden Teaching Grants - Application Deadline March 11
- English Hour - Bert Hitchcock - "Well, Maybe Just This Once: Erskine Caldwell, Old Southwest Humor, and Funny Ha-Ha" - Monday - March 14 - 3:30 pm
- IMG Academy Application Deadline - March 15
- Faculty Publication - Paula Backscheider
- Faculty Members Lead Workshop at STC Currents Conference in Atlanta
- Registration for Annual STC April in Auburn Meeting
Newsworthy: Sabry Hafez, Professor of Modern Arabic at University of London, Will Begin World Literature Lecture Series
The Department of English in Auburn University's College of Liberal Arts is starting a World Literature distinguished-lecturer series to highlight the expanded scope of the literature program in Auburn's core curriculum. Each semester an internationally prominent scholar will come to Auburn to discuss topics that will be of special interest to the general public as well as students.
The first speaker in the twice yearly World Literature Lecture Series will be Sabry Hafez, a professor of modern Arabic at the University of London. Hafez, who is also a visiting professor at Harvard, will give a public lecture titled "Occidentalism: Arab Perspectives of the West" at 7:30 pm Monday, March 7, in the auditorium of Draughon Library. An internationally prominent literary scholar and critic, Hafez is co-editor of three volumes of The Longman Anthology of World Literature, a survey of significant literature from major cultures of the Ancient World, the Medieval Era and the Early Modern Period. He earned a PhD in modern Arabic literature from the University of London in 1979 and is the author in English or Arabic of seventeen books, the editor of seven others, and the author of translations, book chapters, and about 70 scholarly articles on Arabic and comparative literature. Hafez is a consultant to several journals as well as to film, TV, and radio projects, and he also serves on the Panel for Modern Languages of the Arts and Humanities Research Board, which is responsible for financing the research in modern languages in all British universities.
Alex Dunlop, Coordinator of World Literature, believes that this new lecture series will help focus attention on a major part of Auburn's core curriculum, saying, "The study of literature helps people learn more about themselves as well as other cultures." He added, "We have not abandoned the traditional canon, but we are refocusing the courses to show how Western literature fits in with literature from other cultures."
The lecture series is sponsored by the English Department, the AU Office of Diversity and Race Relations and the Longman Company, publishers of The Longman Anthology of World Literature.
Gender Questions: A Film and Discussion Series - Discussion of Frida and Brown Bag Lunch - Today - March 2 - 12 pm in 2306 Haley Center
Gender Questions: A Film and Discussion Series sponsored by the World Literature program will sponsor a discussion of Frida (2002) and brown bag lunch today, March 2, at 12 pm in 2306 Haley Center. This biography of artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is directed by Julie Taymor and stars Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, and Ashley Judd. Kahlo, one of Mexico’s esteemed painters, channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
Not Just Desserts - Lecture by Susan Lanser - Thursday - March 3 – 12:30 pm in 217 Foy
Dr. Susan Lanser will give a lecture entitled "The Sexuality of History: Sapphic Subjects and the Making of Modernity" on March 3. Her lecture, a part of the Not Just Desserts series, is sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Race Relations, Department of Foreign Languages, Women's Studies, and the
Philpott-Stevens Fund.
MTPC Oral Exam - Prashant Natarajan - Thursday - March 3 - 3:30 pm in 3166 Haley Center
Second-year MTPC student Prashant Natarajan will present materials from his portfolio and coursework on Thursday, March 3, at 3:30 pm in 3166 Haley Center.
MTPC students fulfill their degree requirements by completing an oral exam and portfolio presentation. During the oral exam, students present many of the documents they have created in their MTPC classes and that appear in their portfolios. Students also incorporate information from their course readings and discussions into their presentations.
Members of the student's advisory committee conduct the oral exam. Department members and guests are invited to attend and ask questions.
World Literature Lecture Series and Faculty Seminars - Sabry Hafez - Monday and Tuesday - March 7 and 8
Sabry Hafez, Professor of Modern Arabic at the University of London, will present the first lecture of the new World Literature Lecture Series at 7:30 pm on Monday, March 7, in the Draughon Library Auditorium. Hafez's lecture is titled "Occidentalism: Arab Perspectives of the West" and will address the perceptions and misperceptions that the Arab World and the West have of each other. A reception will follow the lecture.
Hafez will also lead two faculty seminars titled "Teaching Arabic and Islamic Literature in World Literature Courses" on Monday, March 7, and Tuesday, March 8, from 2 to 4 pm. The first seminar will focus on classical Arabic and Islamic literature and will be held in 2330 Haley Center, while the second seminar, to be held in 2312 Haley Center, will focus on modern Arabic and Islamic literature.
EGO Intra-Departmental English Research Colloquium - Call for Abstracts - Deadline March 9
EGO is soliciting abstracts in all English-related fields (Literature, Rhetoric, Technical and Professional Communications, Linguistics, Theory) for an intra-departmental English research colloquium. Abstracts are due Wednesday, March 9.
The colloquium, which aims to promote active participation in the academic scholarship of our field in an informal, friendly atmosphere, is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 16, in Haley Center. Submissions are welcome from all academic levels: faculty, instructors, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduate English majors. Research at all levels of completion is invited, whether recently published or still in progress.
To submit an abstract (with any technology requests) or ask questions, contact a member of the EGO Colloquium Committee: Jill Parrott, Mary Ann Rygiel, or Stephanie Bogle.
EGO Meeting - Wednesday - March 9 - 3:15 pm in 8009 Haley Center
A meeting of the English Graduate Organization (EGO) will be held on Wednesday, March 9, at 3:15 pm in 8009 Haley Center.
MTPC Oral Exam - Rachel Kennedy - Thursday - March 10 - 3:30 pm in 3166 Haley Center
Second-year MTPC student Rachel Kennedy will present materials from her portfolio and coursework on Thursday, March 10, at 3:30 pm in 3166 Haley Center.
CLA Promotion of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (PETL) Teaching Enhancement Activity - "Tenure and Promotion at Auburn University" - Thursday - March 10 - 3:30 pm in 202 Thach Hall
The College of Liberal Arts Promotion of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (PETL) will sponsor a Teaching Enhancement Activity on Thursday, March 10, at 3:30 pm in 202 Thach Hall. Isabelle Thompson of the English Department and Donna Bohanan of the History Department will discuss "Tenure and Promotion at Auburn University." This TEA will provide an overview of the tenure and promotion process at both the college and university levels. All facets of the process will be addressed.
Breeden Teaching Grants - Application Deadline March 11
Competitive grants for teaching enhancement projects will be available again this year from the Daniel F. Breeden Endowment for Faculty Enhancement. Tenured/tenure-track faculty from all disciplines or faculty from the clinician title series with appointments continuing through the 2005-2006 academic year are eligible. Funds may be used to enhance courses or programs, enrich the core curriculum, develop workshops, or underwrite almost any activity germane to teaching or the evaluation and assessment of teaching.
Applications must be received by the Biggio Center by 4:45 pm on March 11. For more information and for application forms, visit the Biggio Center website.
English Hour - Bert Hitchcock - "Well, Maybe Just This Once: Erskine Caldwell, Old Southwest Humor, and Funny Ha-Ha" - Monday - March 14 - 3:30 pm
During the English Hour on Monday, March 14, at 3:30 pm, Bert Hitchcock will give a presentation entitled "Well, Maybe Just This Once: Erskine Caldwell, Old Southwest Humor, and Funny Ha-Ha."
IMG Academy - Application Deadline - March 15
The Instructional Multimedia Group will offer two basic and one advanced Summer Academies (now referred to as IMG Academies) this summer and is looking for faculty and GTAs to participate. These Academies aim to help participants develop teaching materials using instructional technology.
The College of Liberal Arts, as in previous years, will fund several participants for each session. This year funding has been raised to $4,000 per participant, but the number of participants funded through the College will be limited.
Applications need to be carefully planned for the best chance of acceptance. 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 must get specific approval from their program or department.
The deadline for applications is March 15. Information about application submission can be found online. Contact Wiebke Kuhn for more information or if you have any questions about the Academy.
Faculty Publication - Paula Backscheider
"Eighteenth-Century Women Poets" by Paula Backscheider has just been published in The Cambridge History of English Literature, 1660-1780. CBHEL, as it is known, is a reference work intended to give readers "discussions of the entire range of literary expression," and revisions of it are commissioned approximately every 20 years.
Faculty Members Lead Workshop at STC Currents Conference in Atlanta
Joyce Rothschild and Don Cunningham conducted a writing and editing workshop titled "Trends in Punctuation and Spelling: What's Changing in Modern English--And Why" on Saturday, 26 February, in Atlanta. The workshop, which was part of the Atlanta Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication annual Currents conference, was held on the Mercer University Atlanta campus. Professional technical communicators of several different skill levels, positions, and experience participated.
Registration for Annual STC April in Auburn Meeting
Technical and Professional Communication faculty and students and members of the Birmingham Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication will meet on Saturday, April 9, for the annual April in Auburn meeting. This year's theme will be "Writing Proposals and Grants." Chuck Keller, co-author of the textbook Proposal Writing: The Art of Friendly and Winning Persuasion, will give the keynote address: "Tips for Finding, Analyzing, and Responding to Requests for Proposals." A PDF version of the meeting's complete agenda and information about presenters can be found online.
Those planning to attend the meeting must register through the Birmingham STC website. Registration is $15 for STC members, $20 for non-members, and free for students.
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Last updated March 2, 2005