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Session I, Yongan Wu Dr., Nicholas De Villiers Dr., Meredith Wilson, Cory Chamberlain

English Graduate Organization Conference

Session 1: 6:00pm-7:00pm

Dr. Yongan Wu and Dr. Nicholas de Villiers, "Disorder and Excavating the Future from the Past,” Meredith Wilson, “Dystopian Visions in The Hunger Games and Atlas Shrugged,” and Cory Chamberlain, “Ideologies of the Insane: A Reading of Gogol and Althusser.”

Respondents: Dr. Betsy Nies, Professor Linda Howell

Distancing The Past: New Forms Of Discomfort With Aids In The U.S, John C. Hawley

English

In his Introduction to this collection, Gustavo Subero makes reference to the AIDS Quilt, a reference made especially significant since the year 2012 marked its 25th anniversary. The whole quilt had been last displayed in 1996; in the summer of 2012, 8.000 panels were rotated each day in the National Mall in Washington, DC. The quilt, composed of thousands of 3’ x 6’ panels (intentionally the size of a human grave), currently consists of over 48.000 panels honoring more than 94.000 individuals who have died of AIDS. In the early days of the quilt, in the 1980s and 1990s, the …

The Broadsheet- Issue 3, Merrimack College

The Broadsheet

Merrimack College's English Department newsletter.

This issue features:

• Books to take into seclusion.
• Why English majors succeed in the marketplace.
• The alumni panel at the English Career Night.
• Catherine Murphy honored in conference room re-dedication
• News from the Writers House: Gail Caldwell
• Upcoming Events

Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice & The 'Productions' Of National Identity In The Face Of The Other, Eder Jaramillo

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This examines the development of England’s national identity from the middle to the end of the sixteenth century, and specifically the role that its nascent imperial projects in the New World play in that development. As the questions of nationhood surface during Mary’s turbulent reign, these in turn prompt England’s ambivalence in openly emulating a proposed Spanish colonial model. This ambivalence is turned into a positive strength during the reign of Elizabeth I, where the question of her marriage becomes an essential tool to keep foreign powers guessing and hoping for an alliance. My analysis of England’s developing imperial identity …

Paradox Of The Book: The Chaos Of The Internet Makes Reading Easier, Thomas L. Jeffers

English Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Extending The Conversation: Raising Issues Of Rurality In English Teacher Education, Lisa Eckert, Robert Petrone

Faculty Works

Situated within the challenges faced by English teacher educators in the frontier state of Montana, this article argues for the need for increased attention to issues of rurality within the field of English Education. Conceptualizing rural education as an issue of social justice, the article suggests several approaches English teacher educators and researchers might take in thinking about rural English education, including integrating readings related to rurality in English Education coursework, researching the unique challenges of teacher identity formation within rural contexts, and emphasizing research focused on rural youth literacy practices.

Listening As Heroic Action In L'Engle's A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Cara-Joy Steem

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Examines the theme and spiritual functions of listening in the third Murry family novel, A Swiftly Tilting Planet: as participation in an interconnected universe, as embracing humility, as a witness to cosmic community, and as a sacrificial act. Connects these ideas to her larger theological and interpersonal themes.

Reviews, Damien Bador, Gregory Bassham, Joe R. Christopher, Janet Brennan Croft, Hugh H. Davis, Melody Green, Holly Ordway, Robert T. Tally Jr

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

The International Relations of Middle-earth: Learning from The Lord of the Rings. Abigail E. Ruane and Patrick James. Reviewed by Robert T. Tally Jr

Moments of Grace and Spiritual Warfare in The Lord of the Rings. Anne Marie Gazzolo. Reviewed by Damien Bador.

The Wizard of Oz as American Myth: A Critical Study of Six Versions of the Story, 1900-2007. Alissa Burger. Reviewed by Hugh H. Davis.

Plain to the Inward Eye: Selected Essays on C.S. Lewis. Don W. King. Reviewed by Holly Ordway.

Tolkien's Poetry. Ed. Julian Eilmann and Allan Turner. Reviewed by Joe R. Christopher.

The …

J.R.R. Tolkien, Fanfiction, And "The Freedom Of The Reader", Megan B. Abrahamson

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Student paper award, Mythcon 2013. Abrahamson makes a particularly convincing case for the validity of fanfiction by applying Tolkien’s own statements about the “dominion of the author,” the “Cauldron of Story,” and subcreation to the issue. Discusses Tolkien’s experiences with early fanwork and his own use of sources as an author.

What Jane Saw: An Example In Digital Humanities, Janine Barchas

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

No abstract provided.

New Perspectives On Elizabeth Bennet, Toni Guthrie, Margaret M. Dunn, Lori Halvorsen Zerne

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

In this session Toni Guthrie, Margaret Dunn, and Lori Halvorsen Zerne presented the following papers:

• “Women Who Like to Read: Jane Austen’s and Elizabeth Bennet’s Views of Education” - Toni Guthrie
• “Lessons in Mentorship from Elizabeth Bennet” - Margaret Dunn
• “Ideology in ‘The Lizzie Bennet Diaries’” - Lori Halvorsen Zerne

At the end of the session the presenters answered questions from the audience.

Gender In Pride And Prejudice, Stacey Donald, Douglas Murray, James Tyler

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

In this session Stacey Donald, Douglas Murray, and James Tyler presented the following papers:

• “Silly Men: Austen and the Parody of Masculinity in Pride and Prejudice” by Stacey Donald
• “‘Fine Eyes:’ Male and Female Gazes in Pride and Prejudice” by Douglas Murray
• “Failures of the Father: Mr. Bennet’s Vital Role in Establishing the New Mistress of Pemberley” by James Tyler

At the end of the session the presenters answered questions from the audience.

Teaching Pride And Prejudice: A Pedagogy, Jodi Wyett, Laura Gray, Lisa Ottum, Crystal B. Lake, Cynthia D. Richards, Sally Lamping

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

This informal round-table discussion focuses on the different strategies for teaching Jane Austen from educators across Southwestern Ohio.

Jane Austen In The Twenty-First Century, Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer, Andrea Coldwell Cabus, Karen C. Hadley, Cheryl Comparativo

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

In this session Phyllis Bottomer, Andrea Coldwell Cabus, and Lori Halvorsen Zerne presented the following papers:

• “Social Awkwardness: Viewing Some of Austen’s Characters Through the Lens of Twenty-First Century Knowledge of Autistic Spectrum Disorders” - Phyllis Bottomer
• “Imagining Future Janeites: YA Adaptations of Pride and Prejudice” - Andrea Coldwell Cabus
• “Jane Austen, Regency Zombies, and the ‘Monstrous Future’ of Capitalism” - Karen C. Hadley
• “The Austen Obsession: Jane’s Continuing Relevance and Cultural Power in the Twenty-First Century” - Cheryl Comparativo

At the end of the session the presenters answered questions from the audience.

Pride And Prejudice Goes Interactive: "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries", Marilyn Francus

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

No abstract provided.

Jane Austen In The Information Age, Sean Silver

Pride and Prejudice: The Bicentennial

No abstract provided.

The Ring And Feminism At The National Pc/Aca Conference, Landon E. Cowan, Dr. Dennis Cutchins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My initial intent in researching horror films find out why horror films exist in American society, why they are enjoying a resurgence of popularity among contemporary audiences, and show possible detrimental affect on viewers, specifically children. For the purposes of my paper, I focused on the 2003 film The Ring.

Mark Twain And Critical Thinking In The Secondary Classroom, Daniel Zehr

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study will explore and evaluate the school literacy practices of high school-aged participants at the freshmen level (grade 9). It will interpret their analysis, comprehension, and critical thinking skills through an examination of confidence, abilities, and fluency through discussion and student-led dialogue. Building on previous research regarding critical thinking skills, the researcher hopes to articulate the ways in which students with varied levels of ability (grades 9-12) may be able to use their literacy learning to demonstrate critical thinking skills that will enhance their reading fluency, comprehension, and analytical skills and to foster an appreciation of literature and …

Beatnik Buddhism In Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums, Steven Marx

English

The Dharma Bums, Kerouac's 1962 novelistic memoir, offers portraits of Alan Ginsberg, Gary Snyder and Kerouac himself as jolly bodhisatvas.

‘There’S A Lot More To Ogres Than People Think’: Shrek As Ethical Fairy Tale, Eugene O'Brien

Journal of Franco-Irish Studies

No abstract provided.

Unruly Catholics From Dante To Madonna: Faith, Heresy, And Politics In Cultural Studies, Marc Dipaolo

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

"During the Second Vatican Council, the Roman Catholic Church went through a period of liberal reform under the stewardship of Popes John XXIII and Paul VI. Successive popes sharply reversed course, enforcing conservative ideological values and silencing progressive voices in the Church. Consequently, those Catholics who had embraced the spirit of Vatican II were left feeling adrift and betrayed. In Unruly Catholics from Dante to Madonna, scholars of literature, film, religion, history, and sociology delve into this conflict–and historically similar ones–through the examination of narratives by and about rebellious Catholics.

Essays in Unruly Catholics explore how renowned Catholic literary figures …

October 3, 2013: Evan Gottlieb Lecture Opens Scholarly Speakers Series For 2013-14, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The Assimilated Asian American As American Action Hero: Anna May Wong, Keye Luke, And James Shigeta In The Classical Hollywood Detective Film, Philippa Gates

English and Film Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Looking Outside The Image: Trusting A "Few Bad Apples" In Errol Morris's Standard Operating Procedure (2008), Brenda Helmbrecht

English

No abstract provided.

Engaging "Apolitical" Adolescents: Analyzing The Popularity And Educational Potential Of Dystopian Literature Post-9/11, Melissa R. Ames

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Although dystopian novels have been prevalent under the young adult banner for decades, their abundance and popularity post-9/11 is noteworthy. The 21st century has found academics and laypersons alike discussing the supposed political apathy of young adults and teenagers of the Millennial Generation. However, despite this common complaint—and contrary to ample research that indicates that this age group has traditionally been uninterested in global politics—the reading preferences of this generation indicate that this label of "apolitical" may not be as fitting as some believe. In fact, the popularity of young adult dystopian literature, which is ripe with these political themes, …

Attending To The Act Of Reading: Critical Reading, Contemplative Reading, And Active Reading, Paul T. Corrigan

Selected Faculty Publications

How students read influences how they learn. In particular, in order for students to learn to read more deeply or on a /oig/oer level, they need to learn to read actively. While many scholars and teachers appear to take active reading for granted, possibly assuming students will come into such “study skills” on their own, I propose that we should make concerted efforts to help students understand and adopt such habits as underlining, writing comments in the margins, asking questions, rereading, and so forth. In this essay, I survey recent work on critical reading, contemplative reading, and active reading and …

Course Syllabus (Fa13) Coli 211 Literature & Psychology: "Power, The Subject, And Technological Rationality", Christopher Southward

Comparative Literature Faculty and Student Scholarship

Course Description and Objectives:

In this course, we will examine mechanisms of power and the processes by which these produce categories of subjectivity. Theoretically speaking, we will begin by considering these processes at the level of society and then dwell on their human experience at the level of the psyche. Here, we will aim to discover processes by which the subject reproduces conditions of domination by power at the level of psychic experience. Power-practices assume their condition of possibility by positing, on the one hand, that the category of the subject is a priori existent and, on the other, that …

Nuestros Refranes: Culturally Relevant Writing In Tucson High Schools, Cruz Medina

English

Colonial narratives often characterize Latin@ culture and students as deficient with regard to education. These narratives persist through legislation like Arizona’s House Bill 2281, which outlawed the culturally relevant curriculum of Tucson High School’s Mexican American Studies program. This article argues that culturally relevant student writing that responds to a prompt about dichos or proverbial sayings in Spanish, illustrate rhetorical strategies of subversive complicity when analyzed through a decolonial framework. Written by students at multiple Tucson High schools during the controversy surrounding HB 2281, the student publication, Nuestros Refranes, serves as the site of analysis that demonstrates how students navigate …

Love Against Substitution: John Milton, Aphra Behn, And The Political Theology Of Conjugal Narratives, Eric B. Song

English Literature Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Shieldmaiden, Allison A. Taylor

Student Publications

"Shieldmaiden" is a poem that examines J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series from a feminist perspective, focusing on the character of Éowyn and her influence on female readers of Tolkien's novels.