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What’s Next: New Professional Development Courses for English Majors
“Wow, a double major in English—what are you gonna do with that?” is the start of a question-and-answer session I have managed to get down to a tight five while a student at the University of Pittsburgh; I’d like to thank my PR and public writing professors for that.
But it’s also a very valid question that I have spent the better part of three years trying to figure out, as I am sure many readers have too. I am majoring both in Public and Professional Writing and in English Writing with a focus in Poetry. This isn’t an uncommon thing, either. There are over 3,000 colleges and universities in the U.S. alone, with English programs giving out tens of thousands of degrees a year. <More>
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On Attention: Some Notes on Teaching Writing, by Way of a Eulogy
My friend and colleague Jeff Oaks died of cancer just before the Solstice. He was young and much loved, and his death leaves a void in the hearts of his friends and in the life of the University of Pittsburgh’s Writing program, where he taught for more than 30 years. Along with instructing generations of young poets, he mentored many colleagues, including some who were better paid and occupied higher niches in the academic ecosystem. One of the reasons I became active in Pitt’s then-emergent faculty union was because I saw how hard Jeff and other non-tenured (‘appointment stream’ is the University’s preferred term) colleagues worked, teaching more courses for less pay and without the security of tenure, scrabbling for time in which to write. If I hadn’t joined the union, I wouldn’t have been able to look those colleagues in the eye. <More>
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Issue 27
Fall / Winter 2023
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Next Issue
Staff, Faculty, and Grad Student News
Alumni Book Reviews: Send Yours to Us!
What Would You Like to Read? Write to engalums@pitt.edu
New Faculty Hires and Retirements
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