Department of English New Student Orientation Guide Student

Department of English New Student Orientation Guide Student Orientation Indiana University of Pennsylvania Dr. Gian Pagnucci Interim Chair of English

English Department Mission The Bachelor of Arts program in English is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in literature and language. The program aims to create majors with marketable literacy abilities useful in pursuing professional careers and graduate education. A degree in English aims to develop: • Writing and Reading Ability • Research Skills • Critical Thinking Skills • Rhetorical Ability • Engagement with Diverse Perspectives • Lifelong Learning 2

Degree Options for English Majors • Bachelor of Arts in English – Tracks • • • Literature Writing Film Studies Rhetoric and Language Pre-Law • Bachelor of Arts in English Education • Minor in English 3

Program Features To develop powerful literacy skills, the English program features: • Guided major advisement • Intensive writing practice • A combination of required and elective course work • Both traditional and non-traditional texts (filmic and oral as well as print and electronic) • Both creative and discursive writing • Both curricular and extra-curricular activities • Accommodation of student interests In addition to course work in the major, students have some 30 hours of free electives that can be used for more extensive preparation in the discipline of English, for a minor in one or more fields of study, or even to complete a double major. 4

English Department Office • Location: Leonard Hall, Room 110 • Phone: 724 -357 -2261 • Fax: 724 -357 -2265 English Department Office Personnel • English Chair: Dr. Pagnucci (pagnucci@iup. edu) • English Assistant Chair: Dr. John Marsden (marsden@iup. edu)-advising information • Program for Majors Director: Dr. Wendy Carse (wcarse@iup. edu) • 2 department secretaries: – Ms. Jackie Rohrabaugh (jrohra@iup. edu)--scheduling questions – Ms. Esther Beers (beers@iup. edu) 5

English Facilities • Student lounge (Leonard 113) – – Used for student socializing Used for club meetings Room for posting of events Includes mailboxes for all English majors • 3 computer classrooms for writing instruction (Leonard 202, 204, and 213) • Film classroom for cinema study (Leonard 219) 6

IUP Writing Center • Provides assistance with all sorts of papers • Has computers and writing reference materials • Used for a variety of writing workshops • Employees many English majors as paid writing tutors 7

English Organizations • English Book Club – For Fall 2008 Reading The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett – 128 pages about the power of reading (and very funny too!) – Copies available soon for 2 week checkout from Leonard 110 soon – Book discussion and pizza party in Novemeber • NCTE IUP for English Education Majors • Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society 8

Opportunities for Publishing • New Growth Arts Review – Literary magazine publishing poetry and short fiction – Join the Editorial Board of NGAR! – Advisor: Dr. Tony Farrington (anthony. farrington@iup. edu) • Viewer Discrection is Advised – Magazine of poetry and stories for IUP Northpointe campus – Advisor: Dr. Ronald Smits – (rfsmits@iup. edu) • The Penn – Campus newspaper published 3 times a week covering IUP news, sports, and features – http: //www. thepenn. org/ 9

Opportunities for Professionalization • English Undergraduate Conference – Annual event in the spring semester – Opportunity to present work from courses such as literary essays, fiction readings, and teaching demonstrations – Advisor: Dr. Wendy Carse (wcarse@iup. edu) • Internships – Opportunity for seniors to gain professional writing experience with real businesses – Can be done for 3 -12 credits; may be for pay – Advisor: Dr. Judith Villa (jvilla@iup. edu) 1 0

Secret Tip for IUP Success • IUP is a Doctoral One Research Institution • That means the IUP faculty regularly publish scholarly articles • So look them up at – http: //www. googlescholar. com • Read some of your professor’s work and you’ll get an insight into how they think 11

Program Outcomes The skills students acquire from an English major are marketable in such areas as business, government service, professional and graduate schools, and publishing. IUP English majors can lead to: • A wide variety of career options after graduation (Federal government, web publishing companies, insurance industry) • Matriculation to well regarded graduate programs (such as Georgetown, John Hopkins, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota) • Advance rapidly in careers based in strong communication skills (Managers at Shared Medical Systems in Philadelphia are former IUP English majors) • An appreciation for language, literature, and the power of writing and oral persuasion • (Dorm rooms and apartments crammed with books and papers!) 12

Graduate English Study For those who finish a degree in English, we offer: • Assistance in preparing graduate school applications • Masters in English Education • Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages • Ph. D. in Composition and TESOL • Ph. D. in Literature and Criticism 13

Good Luck! • We hope you have an energizing first year at IUP • We look forward to talking with you about your reading and writing in the years ahead “The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you. “ — B. B. King 14