Our English Major Days are just around the corner, and we should all make an effort to participate in this carefully coordinated series of events. I hope that everyone can attend Mayor Terry Bellamy’s keynote address titled “How an English Major from UNC Charlotte Became Mayor of Asheville.” Her presentation will take place on Wednesday, March 12, at 4:30 in Storrs 110.
The English Major Days are especially designed to meet the needs of our English majors and other students who might be interested in declaring English as their major, but this initiative also helps maintain the strength of the English Department. For those of us who teach in the humanities, we need to help students understand the value of humanities majors, such as English. My thanks go to Kirk Melnikoff and the members of the Undergraduate Committee (Balaka Basu, Aaron Gwyn, Liz Miller, Anita Moss, and Aaron Toscano) for organizing our English Major Days. My thanks also go to Alan Rauch for helping to arrange Mayor Bellamy’s appearance.
Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department. Here is the latest news:
Alan Rauch recently gave two invited presentations at the University of Florida. He delivered a lecture titled “The Cradles of Nineteenth-Century Science: Women Writers, Curious Children, and the Dissemination of Knowledge” at the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature. He also gave a talk titled “The Culture of Dolphins and the Dolphins of Culture” at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the campus of the University of Florida.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
March 11 and 12 — English Major Days. For more information about the this event, please click on the following link: http://english.uncc.edu/sites/english.uncc.edu/files/media/pdfs/English-Majors-Days-2.20.2014.pdf
March 20 — In honor of Women’s History Month, please join English/AFRS 2301 and 4050-5050 for “A Celebration of Women’s Literature” featuring poet and playwright Murhl Bussey. The evening will feature an open mic session (you may bring a short piece written by a women author to share) and a reading of an excerpt of Bussey’s play “The Devil’s Playground.” The event will be held on Thursday, March 20 at 6 pm in McKnight Hall, Cone Center.
Quirky Quiz Question — March is Women’s History, which is intended to highlight the contributions of women to our history. One of the many ways that women have shaped our history is by writing works of literature. UNC Charlotte’s English Department faculty have published a number of books that focus on major women writers. Here is a list of some of these books. See if you can identify the authors or editors of these scholarly books the deal with women writers:
A: Maternal Body and Voice in Toni Morrison, Bobbie Ann Mason and Lee Smith
B. Alcott in Her Own Time
C. Ecofeminist Approaches to Early Modernity
D. Troubling Nationhood in U.S. Latina Literature
E. The Poems of Phillis Wheatley
F. H. D.’s Poetry and Prose
G. Rita Dove’s Cosmopolitanism
H. Westward to a High Mountain: The Colorado Writings of Helen Hunt Jackson