English in Demand — The preliminary enrollment figures for the spring 2015 semester provide solid evidence that the demand for our undergraduate English courses is continuing to increase. This spring semester, the combined registration numbers for all of our undergraduate courses is 2,126. In spring 2014, the comparable number was 1,914. In spring 2013, the number was 1,824. In spring 2012, the number was 1,679. As these numbers demonstrate, our courses are in high demand and the demand is on the rise. In fact, nearly all of our undergraduate courses have hit their registration caps. I cannot speak for other English departments, but our English Department is offering courses that clearly appeal to a wide range of our undergraduate students.
After reviewing these registration numbers, I am reminded of the following quotation that is often attributed to Mark Twain: “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Similarly, the reports of the demise of English Studies as a discipline, at least at UNC Charlotte, are about as accurate as the report that Mark Twain had died in 1897 when in fact he was alive and well at the time.
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:
Balaka Basu presented a paper at MLA titled “I hear of Sherlock everywhere: Digital Scrapbooks and the Curation of Female Desire.” The paper was part of a panel called Textual Assemblage: Readers, Remixing, and the Reconstruction of Books organized by the Discussion Group on Bibliography and Textual Studies.
Sonya Brockman organized and presided over a special session titled Literary Rape Culture at MLA. She also has an article forthcoming in the Journal of Early Modern Studies titled “Tranio Transformed: Social Anxieties and Social Metamorphosis in The Taming of the Shrew.”
Malin Pereira presented a paper at MLA titled “Wanda Coleman’s ‘Retro Rogue Anthology’ in Mercurochrome.” She also presided at the ADE-sponsored “Pre-convention Workshop for Job Seekers.”
Alan Rauch organized a panel at MLA titled “The Ballad Beyond Bibliography.” As part of this panel, he gave a paper titled “The Logic of the Ballad: An Introduction.” He also organized the session for the Council of Editors of Learned Journals of which he remains president. His paper for this panel is titled “Editing a Critical Journal: Pitfalls and Possibilities.”
Heather Vorhies will be attending the Rhetoric Society of America Summer Institute at University of Wisconsin-Madison this June. Also, she will be presenting “Transatlantic Adaptations of Hugh Blair’s Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres” in July at the International Society for the History of Rhetoric.
Upcoming Events and Deadlines— Here are some dates to keep in mind:
January 16 — Last day for students to add courses or drop courses with no grade.
January 19 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – University Closed.
January 23 — The first department meeting of the spring semester will take place from 12:00-1:30 in the English Conference room. Please note that this meeting will take place an hour later than our customary start time for department meetings.
Quirky Quiz Question — Mark Twain is associated with his boyhood home in Hannibal, Missouri, but he spent his most productive years as a writer living in New England. What is the name of the New England city that he called home for many years?