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February 2009
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Issue No. 1 |
A Publication of the Department of English & Literature, Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN |
| Chair's Corner |
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Welcome to the first issue of the Department of English & Literature's ConnectENGonline newsletter! We are thrilled with this new opportunity to keep you connected and to celebrate the various activities and accomplishments of our students and faculty.
Two of the strongest elements connecting our ENG, CALE, and ESL ED majors is our commitment to Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, and our passion for words in general, both written and spoken. Our newly revised departmental mission statement, to be included in the 2009-2010 catalog, clearly reflects our vision and our goals:
In the Department of English & Literature, we celebrate the power of words and their capacity to influence our lives and our world. Our desire is to ignite students' love of words through the study of literature, writing, and linguistics and to honor Christ as the foundation for our teaching and learning. . . . (Click here to access the full statement)
As we continue striving together to achieve academic excellence for God's glory, let's do so with humility, recognizing that the "wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere" (James 3:17), and with joy, knowing that "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights" (James 1:17).
I thank the Lord for the Department of English & Literature and this new online opportunity to build bridges among our current students, our alumni, and our prospective students. Read on, and celebrate with us!
Blessings,
Janet Sommers, Ph.D. | |
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Achievements
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Dr. Sally Harris
recently wrote "From Me to We: Moving From Academic to Job-Related
Writing," an article published in the EFLIS News electronic newsletter
in November 2008. To read the article, click here.
Heidi Thulin
(recently known as Heidi Graser), a current senior, was awarded the
Society of Technical Writing Scholarship in spring 2008. For more
information about the scholarship and the Society of Technical Writing,
click here.
Congratulations to the eight Northwestern students who will be presenting at the Sigma Tau Delta Convention held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis, March 25-28:
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Ashley Beck
Rachel Grammer
Stephanie Hicks
Kate Hoganson
Caitlin Johnson
Sarah Lysaker
Heidi (Graser) Thulin
Lindsey Young
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Current
Sigma Tau Delta members are encouraged to attend the convention and
support their peers. Transportation will be provided. Contact Dr. Helen
Aling, Dr. Keith Jones, or Professor Amy McCann for registration
information.
Some of our Department of English & Literature majors are performing in Godspell!
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Elizabeth Coslet
Drayton Jones
Merissa Kittleson
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Come see them at one of the 7:00 p.m.
shows February 25-27th or at the 2:00 p.m. show February 28th in
Maranatha Hall. Tickets are on sale now and are $5 for NWC students
(with ID), $8 for children (age 6-17), and $10 for adults. All seats
need to be reserved, so buy your tickets soon!
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| Featured Student: Rachel Higgins |
Rachel Higgins is not the typical senior ESL Ed major here at NWC. She graduated from high school in 1998, had a promising job, but felt that she was working for "someone else's goals or dreams." A wife and an owner of two dogs, Rachel "took the plunge" in 2006 by coming to NWC to pursue her passion for teaching.
In March, Rachel will be student teaching at a K-12 school and at an area high school. She plans to apply for teaching positions in the Twin Cities once she graduates.
Shortly after graduation, Rachel has the exciting opportunity to travel to Tanzania for three weeks to work with Fulbright scholar and Northwestern professor Dr. Sally Harris. Having served as Dr. Harris' teaching assistant, Rachel is looking forward to her first visit to Africa, where she plans to help grade research papers and train other teaching assistants.
Through her experiences at NWC, God has shown Rachel that "money isn't everything," and she looks forward to using her degree to help kids dealing with "tough situations." Rachel marvels at the way God continues to work in her life.
"God is truly amazing. He won't give up until you follow His desire for you." |
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Classroom Commentary:
Holocaust Literature
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Holocaust Literature, one of Dr. Helen Aling's favorite classes to teach, provides the opportunity for students to read and discuss novels, poetry, letters, short stories, drama, and memoir directly related to this significant period in history. Don't expect the class to include only reading, however, as a major highlight is the guest speakers. Students listen and ask questions as Holocaust survivors and children of survivors tell their stories in their own voices. Last semester Henry Oertelt spoke about his deportation to Auschwitz as a teen, and Laura Zelle shared her experiences as the daughter of Holocaust survivors. The poignant and moving literature covered in this class reveals the height and depth of the human condition and is sure to challenge students' spirituality. Although Holocaust Literature is a general education literature class, consider taking it to guarantee a historically significant and spiritually stimulating experience! |
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| Featured Alum: Kristin Thompson |
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Year of graduation: 2007
Major and emphasis: CALE (Secondary Education)
What are you doing these days? Teaching sixth-grade language arts at Coon Rapids Middle School and working on my master's in literacy education at Concordia University.
How did your English degree from Northwestern help you out (spiritually, professionally, cognitively, etc.)? I am equipped with the knowledge and skills to do my job well. I'm also deeply aware of how everything I do as a teacher can be done with the sort of love that Christ calls me to. Northwestern helped me connect my knowledge and skills to my heart for service.
Do you have any tips for current or prospective English majors? Find time to love reading and writing after you graduate. Many things will compete for your time and energy. Don't let your passions die!
If you had a pet tiger, what would you name it? Davey
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Book Review
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Nineteen Eighty-Four by Zach Marshall
Sure, 1984 precedes the lifetime of most college students, but the message of Orwell's masterpiece Nineteen Eighty-Four is more relevant now, with today's new technology and political equivocation, than ever. Commonly mistaken to be similar to Animal Farm as a picture of Communist Russia, Nineteen Eighty-Four's
message is that totalitarianism is at our doorstep. Winston and Julia's
struggle to find freedom and self-expression under the most watchful
eye imaginable should cause us to question the institutions to which we
mindlessly cling and the technologies which we endorse under the guise
of consumerism. As always, Orwell completely demolishes both
self-righteous sides in the most ominous political debate of his time,
something which is certainly relevant for today. Some critics call him
a prophet, but he would probably say we could avoid his bleak picture
of the future by heeding his warning--Nineteen Eighty-Four. |
| Faculty Focus: Judith Hougen |
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Tell us about what you are working on these days besides teaching.
 I'm currently on sabbatical for spring 2009. So far it's been good. My project is to write literary-quality essays on writing/the writing life/integration of faith and writing, along with some short creative pieces. I would love to have the essays and creative pieces combined into a book at some point.
Do you have any special plans while on sabbatical?
I'm preparing for a time of intensive writing at Friday Harbor, Washington, which is on an island in Puget Sound. There is a retreat center there for people doing scholarly or creative projects. I leave in February and will stay for about a month. It's a beautiful place.
Any tips for current or prospective students?
Cultivate your life as a reader of good literature. All writing, whether critical or creative, is a conversation with other authors. Find some authors with whom you connect and dive into their work.
What is your favorite class to teach?
That's a tough question. Christianity and Writing and Autobiographical Writing are probably my two favorite classes to teach. Both touch on areas I love--how the life of faith is discovered in our writing life and how we learn to tell our own stories honestly and well. |
The History of Fish |
By Judith HougenClearing the clouds, sun smacking the wing,
angling across my face, I settle into my seat
on the noon flight to Salt Lake, transferring
to Seattle. Already bored and useless,
I glance at the beautiful magazine photo
of tropical fish in the lap next to me, each one
To read the rest of the poem, click here.
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