April 2009
Dr. Dolliann Hurtig, Associate Professor of French in the School of Literature in Language reviewed Gwenno Piette's Brittany: A Concise History (University of Wales Press at Cardiff in 2008)in the May issue of The French Review, a top-tier journal and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF).
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May 2009
Congratulations to our Graduates!
The School of Literature and Language wishes to congratulate all our 2009 Spring graduates! We wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavors. A list of all graduates follows below:
English - Bachelor of Arts
John Bourgeois (cum laude)
Stephanie Freiss (cum laude)
Mary Margaret Gilbert
Sawyer Halbrook
Jennifer Harris
Ashley Hinton
Laura Hogan (magna cum laude)
Staci Parks
Bethany Raybourn
Adrienne Turner Stringfellow
Anna Wilkinson (summa cum laude)
French -Bachelor of Arts
Harold Campbell (cum laude)
Jean Jones
English - Master of Arts
Lauren Coleman
Emily Howell
Emily Zuber
A special congratulations goes out to Laura Hogan (English), who served as SGA President for the class of 2009, and Anna Wilkinson (English), who graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Both students were recognized during the commencement ceremony on May 23rd.
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April 2009
Paulette Doiron, a May graduate, a French student, and a biology
major at Louisiana Tech University, has received a French Embassy
Fellowship for the Academic Year 2009-2010. Paulette will be
teaching English to local students in the Clermont-Ferrand
region of France located in Auvergne. After her honor, Paulette
will attend Medical School. Paulette wants to help others
during her career in her affiliation with Médecins sans
Frontières (Doctors without Borders), an organization
that has received the highest honor, the Nobel Peace Prize.
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May 2009
The School of Literature and Language is pleased to announce the winners of the lower and upper division writing contests. In the lower division contest,
-
Cara Stevenson
won first prize in the
Personal/Narrative category for her essay entitled "The Barn," which she
wrote for Laura Inghade's E101 course;
- Susan Grafton
won first prize in the Analytical/Critical category for her essay
entitled "The Superiority
of Barber's Plea for a Democratic Public in Non-Elite America," which
she wrote for Derek Lowe's E101 summer course; and
- Derek Newman
won first prize in the Research category for his essay entitled "The
Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet: The Use of the Supernatural and Comedy
in Hamlet and A Midsummer Night's Dream," which he wrote for
Christine Strebeck's E102 course.
These winners will receive $100 award
checks and their essays will be published in next year's Freshman
Course Packet and also in The Quatrain.
In the upper-division contest,
-
Anna Wilkinson
won first prize for her
essay entitled "The 'Binding Briars' of the Church: William Blake's
Projection of a Parasitic Priesthood Dependent on the Repressed Desires
of Man" and
- Kayla Walthall
won runner-up for her essay entitled
"Wordsworth's Development of the Meaningful Connection between Man's
Spirituality and Nature in 'Tintern Abbey' and 'Immortality Ode.'"
Both
essays were written for Derek Lowe's fall E413 course. Ms. Wilkinson
will receive an award check for $100 and Ms. Walthall will receive a
check for $50. Both essays will be published in the Freshman
Course Packet and also in The Quatrain.
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April 2009
Dr. Kimberly Vanderlaan,
Associate Professor of English, recently published an article entitled
"Eden's Blissful Bowre in 'Coming, Aphrodite!'"
in
The Willa Cather Newsletter and Review.
The journal is a publication of the Willa Cather Foundation, out of Red Cloud, Nebraska and is dedicated to preserving and promoting understanding and appreciation of the life, time, settings, and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather. Dr. Vanderlaan's article investigates the tension between the carnal, material world and spiritual/artistic creativity in Cather's short story. Dr. Vanderlaan will be presenting a paper on a similar theme at the American Literature Association, in Boston, MA, later this spring. This conference paper will explore the significance of art, the necessities of the world, and the resulting split artistic identity in two of Cather's novels, The Professor's House and My Mortal Enemy.
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April 2009
Dr. Rudy de Mattos, Assistant Professor of French, recently presented "Exploring the Gothic in the Lewd Novels of Felicite de Choisel-Meuse" at the 62th annual Kentucky Foreign Language Conference. The panel, entitled "The Other Gothic or the Gothic Othered: Exploring the Pan-European and Cross-Atlantic Phenomenon," was one of the three out of a total of 145 panels to be highlighted in the program. The Kentucky Foreign Language Conference is the second most important venue for presenting original research on foreign languages in the United States.
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April 2009
The School of Literature and Language is pleased to announce the winners of the first Foreign Language Study Abroad Scholarships. In French,
Joan Rasmussen received $500 in aid to participate in a French immersion program at Université Sainte Anne's in Nova Scotia. Christy Cole and
Brennan Wiggins, both Spanish majors, received $250 each to participate in the 2009 Costa Rica Summer Study Abroad Program, which will take place from May 31st-June 27th.
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March 2009
Louisiana Tech English Honor Society Garners Awards
The Rho Gamma Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, Louisiana Tech's English Honor Society, was one of three chapters in the country to receive an Outstanding Chapter Award at the International Convention on March 28th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to a plaque, the chapter received a cash award of $350 and $250 in travel assistance to the conference.
April Honaker, recent English Master's graduate, presented her critical essay, "The Underlying Misogyny of Elizabethan Courtly Poets: A Reading of Sidney's Astrophil and Stella" in a session on Early British Poetry; and
Lauren Coleman, English graduate student, presented her critical essay, "Trouble in Paradise: Postlapsarian Sexuality and Ominous Myth in Milton's Paradise Lost" in a session on Donne, Herbert, and Milton. Ms. Coleman also chaired a session on Creative Nonfiction.
A. J. King, senior English major, chaired a session on Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the category of original fiction,
John Bourgeois read his short story "For Whom Does the Bell Toll?" and
Sawyer Halbrook chaired two American Literature sessions and introduced keynote speaker, Alexandra Fuller, British author of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood.
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March 2009
English Majors Receive National Awards. April Honaker, MA English 2009, received a writing award for her collection of poetry,
"Talking about What Matters: Reflections of a Louisiana Native." The award was given for "best writing capturing the conference theme, Reflections, and was presented at the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention held in Minneapolis, MN on March 28th. In addition to receiving a $350 cash award, Ms. Honaker will have her poetry published in The Rectangle, the creative writing journal of Sigma Tau Delta.
Other Tech students honored at the awards banquet were
Sawyer Halbrook, outgoing Student Representative for the Southern Region, and
Lauren Coleman, outgoing Assistant Student Representative for the Southern Region. Each received a plaque in recognition of her year of service as a regional officer. During the year Ms. Halbrook and Ms. Coleman edited The Southern Gazette, an online journal for chapters in the South. Other duties included planning and working at the 2009 convention.
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March 2009
Department of English provides Over $3,000 in Study Abroad Scholarships
The Department of English at Louisiana Tech is proud to announce the winners of over $3,000 in scholarship money. The recipients were English graduate student,
Sara Sullivan; English Education major,
Meredith Gore; and senior English major,
Mary Margaret Gilbert.
The awards were made possible through the Mary Alice Posey Garret English Scholarship and will help support the students' participation in the 2009 TECH-London Summer Study Abroad Program, from June 2-24th.
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March 2009
Congratulations to Dr. Tamara Powell, whose book, Queer Exoticism: Searching Outside for Inner Truth, has been accepted for publication by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK. Tammy edited the book with David Powell from Hofstra University, and the anticipated release date is early 2010. The book consists of eleven essays in two sections and should contribute significantly to the field of queer postcolonial and queer racial studies.
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March 2009
Dr. Rick Simmons has discovered a
previously unknown letter by Charles Dickens. Dr. Simmons found the letter among a collection of handwritten letters by Charles Dickens, which are on loan from an alumni family. |
March 2009
Louisiana Tech University's Rho Gamma chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, was selected as one of three chapters to receive a 2009 Outstanding Chapter Award. The recognition comes with a $250 award for travel to the annual convention in Minneapolis and a $350 Outstanding Chapter Award.
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March 2009
Genaro Ky Ly Smith, Instructor of English, was a
finalist in
Hyphen magazine's 2008 Short Story Contest for his story "Perfect in Paris." Hyphen is a magazine about Asian America for the culturally and politically savvy.
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February 12, 2009
Dr. Dolliann Margaret Hurtig, Ph.D. has just returned from Alexandria, Louisiana where she accepted an invitation to speak before members of the Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers' Association Spring Meeting at the Best Western Convention Centre. Her forty-five minute presentation in the target language addressed the topic of songs from around the Francophone World, songs from Paris, France, Toulouse, France, and Cajun Louisiana music. The approach of the presentation was pedagogical in nature and designed to help teachers use song as an effective learning tool in the Foreign Language Classroom.
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February 2009
Dolliann Hurtig, an associate professor of French, has been appointed as co-chairman of the National Committee on the Promotion of French in the United States of America. The selection is permanent and will place her on the executive council of the national association. She will also give a presentation on French cinema at the annual convention July 2-5, 2009, in San Jose, California.
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February 12, 2009
Dr. Susan Roach, Folklorist, Louisiana Regional Folklife Program and Professor of English at Louisiana Tech, will conduct a workshop,
"Collecting Oral History from Your Family and Community"
Oral History Interviewing Workshop
Thursday., Feb. 12, 1-4 p.m.
Lincoln Parish Museum
209 N. Vienna St., Ruston.
The workshop will focus on techniques and equipment for collecting, presenting, and preserving oral history, and how to interview people who lived through the Great Depression (1929- 1941). The event is free. For information or to pre- register, call 318-257-2728 or email
msroach@latech.edu.
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February 2009
The Department of English is pleased announce that it is currently accepting applications for the Mary Alice Garrett Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will award up to $5,000 to English majors or minors, English graduate students, and English Education majors to help support participation in summer study abroad programs at Louisiana Tech. Students should be able to demonstrate how the study abroad program will further their career goals, especially in the field of education. The deadline for applications is Feb. 27th. Finalists will be interviewed in the week of March 9th. For further information, contact
Dr. Donald P. Kaczvinsky, Chair, Department of English. |
January 2009
The Department of English recently received the generous donation of two manuscript letters by Charles Dickens for its Frellsen Fletcher Smith Memorial Collection. Dated 1859 and 1868, the signed letters are written on handmade paper, with Dickens's address, Tavistock House, Tavistock Square. W. C., printed at the top. The letters are on loan from Lorna Kardatzke and are part of a private collection.
In the coming weeks, the letters, along with other Dickensiana, will be on display on the fourth floor of Prescott Library.
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January 2009
Five English graduate students--Ashlee Clark, Lauren Coleman, Magin Gregg, April Honaker, and Rachel Winchel--were elected to the 2009 Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Selections to Who's Who are made each fall by individual school by campus nominating committees composed of representatives from the faculty, administration and student body.
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February 27, 2009
Dr. Dolliann Margaret Hurtig, Associate Professor of French in the School of Literature and Language at Louisiana Tech University, will be an invited presenter at the annual meeting at the Louisiana Foreign Language Teachers' Association. Her presentation, in French, will consider French songs of the Francophone World and their incorporation into the classroom. to use songs like these in a classroom setting. The talk will take place on Friday, February 27, in Alexandria LA.
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January 23, 2009
On Friday, January 23rd, Dr. Robert Rudnicki will be an invited guest speaker at Auburn University in a live webcast symposium honoring the life and work of celebrated Southern Writer Lewis Nordan. The group of invited guest speakers includes major creative writers or essayists, such as Clyde Edgerton, John Dufresne (who wrote Louisiana Power and Light, set in Monroe), Hal Crowther, and Lee Martin. Moderators will include Faulkner scholar and Mississippi Quarterly editor Noel Polk, and critic Bert Hitchcock. The event will become available on iTunes and the proceedings will result in a university press collection of essays from Pebble Hill Books.
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January 2009
Congratulations to Dr. Dorothy Robbins and the Rho Gamma Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society at Louisiana Tech University, which just been identified as one of the most active, vital chapters in the country. The national organization has extended an invitation to Rho Gamma to provide a special exhibit at the 2009 International Convention in Minneapolis, MN, March 25-28, 2009. The exhibit will offer strategies for other chapters on how to enrich their program and promote the Honor Society. |
December 2008
The Department of English was well represented at the 2008 Louisiana Association for College Composition Conference (LACC). Assistant Professor Derek Lowe delivered a paper entitled "Return to Center: Breaking the Orbit of the Five-Paragraph Essay"; Dr. Paula Brown, Instructor of English, read a paper entitled "Writing through Trauma: How Minimalism in the Writing Center Fosters Spiritual Growth"; and graduate student Magin LaSov Gregg presented "Exploratory Pedagogy: Adapting Discernment and Contemplation in the Writing Center." |
November 2008
Congratulations to Dr. Rudy De Mattos who received over $24,000 from the Student Technology Fee Board to update the Foreign Language Lab and Dr. Gregory Schelonka who received over $8,000 in a service learning grant, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Serve's Learn and Serve America program. |
October 29-November 2, 2008
April Honaker and Lauren Coleman, English graduate students and tutors at the Bulldog Achievement Resource Center (BARC), will present a paper entitled, “Looking at Our Interactions: Race and Multiculturalism in the Writing Center” as part of a joint panel at the National Conference in Peer Tutoring in Writing in Las Vegas from October 29-Nov 2. The paper proposes an interactive method for dealing with multicultural issues in the writing center and was developed out of their work in English 500 class.
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October 28, 2008
The annual Dennis E. Minor Lecture Series will be held on Oct. 28, 2008. in Wyly Tower
Auditorium from 9-11 am. The presentation will be given by Ray Schroeder, Professor
Emeritus of Communication and Director of the Office of Technology -Enhanced Learning at
the University of Illinois at Springfield. Dr. Schroeder will speak on "Quality Online Active
Learning: Making the Transition from Face 2 Face to Online Pedagogy."
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August
2008
Dr.
Kimberly Vanderlaan, Assistant Professor of English, attended
the
Fourth International Conference of
the Henry James Society in Newport, Rhode Island, July 9-13th this past
summer. The conference, "Jamesian Strands" brought scholars, editors
and
readers of James's work from China, England, Italy, France, Canada and
the United States. Dr.Vanderlaan
presented her paper and PowerPoint, "Unlocking
the Imaginative
Landscape: James's Newport Bridge from Visual to Verbal Renditions"
on
Thursday, July 10th. She commented that "Newport, with its aesthetic
attractions, and the James family historical ties, was an ideal
location
for such an event."
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August 2008
The Department of English is pleased to announce the awarding of over $6,000 in scholarships
to its undergraduate and graduate students. Missy Wallace, Marguerite Shipley, Courtney
Harrison, John Bourgeois, and Jennifer Harris received scholarship money from the Clairece
Harp Lyles Endowed Scholarship Fund. Students for the Lyles scholarship must be full-time
undergraduate English majors with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Graduate students, Magin LaSov Gregg
and April Honaker, received Dorothy Melton scholarships. The Melton Scholarship is
awarded to 1 or 2 students per academic year who are full-time junior, senior, or graduate
English majors and maintain a 3.2 GPA. Heather Castille, Sawyer Halbrook,
and Anna
Wilkinson received Mary Alice Posey Garrett scholarships. Garrett scholarships are
renewable awards between $400-$1,000 per academic year given to full-time undergraduate
English majors who maintain a 3.0 GPA and show promise as future teachers of English.
Congratulations to all our scholarship winners!
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July 2008
Dr. Donald P. Kaczvinsky, Director of the School of Literature and Language,
recently presented a paper entitled "From Alexandria With Love: Durrell, Fleming
and the Spy Novel, or Durrell in Bondage" at On Miracle Ground XV: The
International Lawrence Durrell Conference, Paris X in Nanterre, France. The paper
considered Durrell's parodic use of spy-thriller conventions in his work The
Alexandria Quartet. Dr. Kaczvinsky was also re-elected as president of the
International Lawrence Durrell Society.
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