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October 2009 A Publication of the Department of English & Literature Issue No. 3 |
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News from the Department
of English & Literature |
The Department of English & Literature would like to extend congratulations to the following students who have recently been published:
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Kate Hoganson: Minnesota Christian Chronicle, August 2009
Caitlin Johnson: Cedarville Review, Spring 2009
Nick Olson:
HM Magazine, May/June 2009
Catherine Rivard: Cedarville Review, Spring 2009
Maysa Vang:
Cedarville Review, Spring 2009
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| Faculty Focus: Dr. Sally Harris |
Dr. Sally Harris, the recipient of a Fulbright Scholar award for 2008-2009, spent the year in Tanzania on sabbatical from her position as a literature professor at Northwestern College.
Where did you go for your Fulbright Scholar award?
I went to Iringa University College of Tumaini University, a recently-founded Lutheran university in the south-central highlands of Tanzania, about 12 hours by car from the capital city on the coast (Dar es Salaam).
What did you do at the university?
I taught senior law students who were setting up their primary research projects and then returning to write up their results after doing a month's research in the field and several months of research in libraries. I also taught the equivalent of our Composition II course to first-year theology students and a legal-writing course to first-year law students.
What did you learn through your experiences?
I learned that what motivates students has a great bearing on how they perform and what they actually learn; it's a better gauge of how successful they will be as students than their level of intelligence (although obviously being intelligent makes doing university-level work easier).
Can you tell us one funny story from your time in Tanzania?
We were viewing a lioness from about 20 feet in Mikumi National Park in July when our car's engine died. Another vehicle offered to tow us if my husband would get out and attach the rope. He did, but left the door open so he could beat a hasty retreat. While he was under the car, he heard the car door slam. The Tanzanian who was with us, a former student we had sponsored for his university education from 2004-06, wasn't about to offer a ride to a lioness! My husband did get back into the car intact. But it wasn't the way we train NWC students to treat their scholarship sponsors. My husband will now have something to talk about in Heaven when he meets Daniel.
What is it like being back?
I'm happy to be back at NWC. I love working with NWC students. It is a blessing to work with people who are actively seeking God's will for their lives.
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| Featured Student: Elyse Coleman |
Senior writing major Elyse Coleman admits that this field of study was not always her intention: "I thought I would go into psychology and long term missions." However, through the use of others, God has directed her into English, and now she plans to "use writing both creatively and professionally as a ministry to others." She advises new students to pick a major based on their interests and points out that a writing major can get you "a position in almost anything."
Currently, Elyse is a paid intern at J. Murphy and Associates where she spent her summer as a developmental associate and is now a part-time grant writer. She believes that both God and her internship are preparing her for either grant or technical writing after she leaves Northwestern, but in "whatever circle" she finds herself, she would be "very surprised" if her writing "did not serve some sort of purpose there."
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| Announcements |
The Department of English & Literature sponsored three breakout chapels this quad:
September 8: Dr. Pete Unseth, professor at the Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics, talked about translation issues involving euphemisms in the Bible.
September 14: The ConnectENG chapel gave new freshmen and transfer students the opportunity to participate in a devotional and share experiences with their ConnectENG facilitator.
October 5: Dr. Kathleen Black moderated a panel of student interns who shared advice and lessons learned through their internship experiences. The panel included:
- Elyse Coleman - J. Murphy and Associates, grant writing
- Nicole Heinz - Alive Arts Media, grant writing
- Caitlin Johnson - Osterhus Publishing, graphic design, copy-writing, copy-editing
- Lindsay Wohlenhaus - Farm Bureau Financial Services, professional writing
Mark your calendars now for the What Can I Do with an English Major? breakout chapel on Monday, November 2, featuring alum Ben Vinje, ministries coordinator for Child Evangelism Fellowship in North Dakota. |
Classroom Commentary: Principles and Practice in Bible Translation
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| Coming soon to Northwestern in spring 2010 is Principles and Practice in Bible Translation, a new linguistics topics class centering around Bible Translation! Taught by Dr. Linda Humnick, this class will be of interest to any English or CALE major wishing to explore issues related to Bible translation. Dr. Humnick, who works with Wycliffe Bible Translators, is excited about giving students "a new lens" through which they can better understand cross-cultural communication, the socio-linguistics contexts of Bible translation, and its potential impact on communities. The only pre-requisites are ENG2205 (or concurrent registration) and the ECE. Students from other majors will be invited to register for the course as well, so sign up quickly for this exciting new opportunity! |
| Book Review: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down |
 The Spirit Catches You andYou Fall Down is a non-fiction book by Anne Fadiman that delves into the unfortunate effects of cultural differences and misunderstanding. The book centers around Lia Lee, a young Hmong girl with a severe case of epilepsy. As a refugee family from Laos, the Lees have a very different view of how to treat Lia's seizures than her American doctors do. Though both the doctors and the Lees intend only the best for Lia, the resulting tug-of-war between clashing cultures has tragic results.
Fadiman gives readers a fascinating look at both Hmong culture and the world of American medicine. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down raises questions about cultural barriers that are not easily addressed, leaving readers to seek not only answers, but change.
Join our Facebook group "Engish @ NWC"
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| Featured Alum: Sam Townsend |
 Year of Graduation: 2007
Majors and Emphases: English Writing and Youth Ministry
What are you doing these days?
I work for the Training/Programming Department of YouthWorks, an organization which specializes in creating meaningful resources that serve the Church. YouthWorks is best known for facilitating short-term summer mission trips at over 70 sites across the U.S. In my current position for YouthWorks, I critique and prepare curriculum, programming, and training materials. One part of my involvement at YouthWorks that I continue to be thrilled about is my work on Reverb magazine, a post-mission trip processing tool.
How has your English degree from Northwestern helped you (spiritually, professionally, cognitively, etc.)?
The experiences and connections I made while at Northwestern have ultimately been responsible for where I have landed a couple years down the road.
In the creative and business aspects of my role, I am thankful for the variety of writing I experienced at Northwestern. Nothing has been more valuable than being able to adequately communicate ideas in an accessible manner, whether with my supervisors or with a 14-year-old audience.
Any tips for current or prospective English majors?
Go and get experience. My involvement with The Column was crucial to my education. It opened up doors to other writing experiences. Although journalistic writing is one really great tool for the toolbox, there are plenty of other forms. Get a variety. Be more than a classroom student.
What is your favorite book or author?
So hard! Let me choose genre instead. Hougen got me started in the love of memoir, both the reading and the writing. The rawness and familiarity is enticing. If it is well written and goes to a place that reveals peripheries of truth and beauty, I am interested.
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| Chair's Corner |
The first answer is found in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."According to this verse, we are created by God not merely to exist for His glory but also to serve Him through our actions. The good works we engage in this year--whether studying, reading, writing, teaching, listening, witnessing, or encouraging others--become infused with meaning and significance as we realize that in successfully completing the tasks He has designed for us, we are ultimately fulfilling our calling as believers in Christ.
I'll share the second of the two verses in our next newsletter, but in the meantime, know that your dedication and determination to serve our God is rooted in His design for you. May you continue to go forth both being the individual He created you to be and accomplishing well the tasks He has given you to accomplish at precisely this moment in your life.
Congratulations on completing quad one!
Blessings,
Janet Sommers, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of English & Literature |
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