Tag: Department of English


A&S in the News – September 9-September 15

Shifting South: Why Alabama is Trump’s red-state constant Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Sept. 13 They’re mad at the stagnant economy, decaying infrastructure and deepening divide between the wealthy and the poor. And on a recent stormy night, the frustrated and furious in this central Alabama town of 1,250 made sure the local political elite heard them … How red is Alabama? Richard Fording, a University of Alabama political scientist, can’t find internships for his students because there are few campaign operations […]

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UA Appoints New Summersell Chair and Director of Hudson Strode Program

From the September 2016 Desktop News | The College of Arts and Sciences welcomes the new Charles Grayson Summersell Endowed Chair of Southern History and the new director of the Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies. Charles Grayson Summersell Endowed Chair of Southern History Dr. Lesley Jill Gordon, former professor of history at the University of Akron, is the new Charles Grayson Summersell Endowed Chair of Southern History at The University of Alabama. The Summersell Chair endowment was established in 1997 by […]

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Summer Reading List 2016

six spines of arts and sciences faculty

While you prepare for the fall semester, pick up these books written by A&S faculty on various topics: Enter Your Initials for Record Keeping, by Brian Oliu This nostalgic essay collection introduces a particular vision of basketball, courtesy of the classic arcade game NBA Jam. By using the personal experiences the authors had with both the video game and the sport, Enter Your Initials illuminates how the intensity of pushing big plastic buttons or shooting a ball can come to […]

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English Professor Wins 2016 Mark Twain Award for Midwestern Literature

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Michael Martone, a professor of English and creative writing, was selected as the winner of the 2016 Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contributions to Midwestern Literature. Martone, author of more than 25 books and anthologies, joins such past Mark Twain Award recipients as Gwendolyn Brooks, Ted Kooser, and Philip Levine. “I feel really good about the award,” he said. “It came out of the blue. I had no idea people were thinking about […]

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Students Receive Truman, Hollings, and Fulbright Awards

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Each year students from the College of Arts and Sciences prove themselves nationally, and with two Truman scholars, two Hollings Scholarships, and four Fulbright Awards, this year is no exception. Fulbright Awards The highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually-designed research projects or for English-teaching assistantships. More than 11,000 applicants compete for approximately 1,500 awards each year. The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the largest U.S. […]

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A Leader’s Legacy: Bringing Life to Renaissance Literature

From the 2016 Celebrating Excellence |Four hundred years ago, at the age of 52, William Shakespeare died. He left behind a legacy of nearly 200 plays and sonnets, which students, scholars, actors, and directors have been reading, studying, and adapting ever since. In anticipation of the anniversary of his death on April 23, Dr. Sharon O’Dair, a professor of Shakespeare in the Department of English and director of UA’s Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies, wondered why, after 400 years, […]

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Debunking Major Misconceptions

English, biology majors explore not-so-obvious opportunities for graduates in their fields What can you do with an English degree? English professor Cassander Smith says she’s heard that question a lot. To help English majors figure out the answers, Smith and colleague Lauren Cardon have created a series of professional development workshops, kicking off this February. “There’s this common misconception that a degree in English is just preparing you for education, but the truth is that it’s a versatile degree and […]

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Associate Dean Named SEC Fellow

From the November 2015 Desktop News | Dr. Tricia A. McElroy, associate dean of humanities and fine arts in the College of Arts and Sciences, is among 50 Southeastern Conference faculty and administrators selected as Academic Leadership Development Program fellows by the SEC this year. The professional development program seeks to prepare academic leaders for roles within SEC institutions and beyond. McElroy is among four faculty and administrators selected from UA this year. All are participants of Leadership U, UA’s […]

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Presenting Undergraduate Research

From the June 2015 Desktop News | Five undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences presented their research findings April 16-18 at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research. The annual event, held this year at Eastern Washington University, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study. Arts and Sciences students who presented are: Christine Kim, psychology of Auburn; Taylor Sheeran, English and communication studies, San Antonio, Texas; Erin Hein, biochemistry and art history, […]

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Cool Books for Hot Days

Our annual summer reading list includes 10 books by College faculty and the latest by distinguished scientist and UA alumnus Dr. Edward O. Wilson. Martin Luther King Jr., Heroism, and African American Literature, by Trudier Harris The heroes in African American life and literature don’t necessarily have to be moral or immoral, good or bad, so long as they work toward the good of the community. English professor Dr. Trudier Harris asserts that Martin Luther King Jr. fits within this heroic tradition, […]

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