Michigan State University Associate Professor of English Divya Victor had long noticed that writing students didn’t have a space on campus where they could feel comfortable and centered to fully concentrate on their thoughts and words. “Writing is a somatic practice, which means it integrates the body, the mind, society, and the environment we live and work within,” Victor said.…
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranked Michigan State University’s English Doctoral Research Program in the Top 25 nationally for total minority student enrollment (No. 22) and all-races combined enrollment (No. 23) in 2022-2023 as part of its Top 100 Degree Producers ranking. “The discipline of English as a whole is enriched when our graduate student cohort reflects a vital diversity…
Although they never had kids of their own, Gregory Shafer and Bernadette Gongora helped raise 39 foster children and soon will have a positive impact on the lives of countless students at Michigan State University for generations to come thanks to the $1.638 million gift they made to MSU’s College of Arts & Letters. Married for 30 years, Shafer and Gongora say…
Gordon Henry, Professor in the Department of English and the inaugural Audrey and John Leslie Endowed Chair in North American Indian and Indigenous Literary Studies, will retire from Michigan State University on December 31, 2023, after more than 29 years of service to the university and community.His work and the impact he has made was celebrated during an event held…
The Department of English at Michigan State University is home to a myriad of talented faculty members actively engaged in research and creative activity with several of these scholars and artists recently earning awards and professional recognition for the books they have written. These celebrated publications examine topics like linguistic justice in English education, queer literature and theory, color in…
The Comic Studies Society (CSS), one of the premier academic communities dedicated to comic studies, will hold its fifth annual conference at Michigan State University from July 28-30 this year. Supported by MSU’s Department of English, the MSU College of Arts & Letters Office of the Dean, and MSU Libraries, the conference is part of a multi-year agreement that will bring the CSS to…
Michigan State University and the Comics Studies Society (CSS) are pleased to announce the formation of an ongoing, multiyear collaboration that will begin with the 2022 CSS conference taking place on MSU’s campus. Future CSS conferences will return to MSU in 2025, 2028, and beyond. Supported by MSU’s Department of English, the MSU College of Arts & Letters Office of the Dean, and MSU Libraries,…
The College of Arts & Letters and Residential College in the Arts and Humanities came together last week to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Bauhaus, a famous art school that originated in Germany and influenced a broad range of disciplines including art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography. The commemorative events explored the idea…
Professor Justus Nieland has been named Chair of the Department of English, effective October 1, 2019. Dr. Nieland joined the Department of English as an Assistant Professor in 2002. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and to full Professor in 2014. During his 17 years with the department, Nieland has been actively involved in its research, teaching, service,…
Dear Colleagues & Friends, I write to update you on activity in the College of Arts & Letters (CAL) and at the University level in response to H.R. 1—Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. I want to thank Justus Nieland, Director of Graduate Studies in English, and Suzanne Wagner, Chair of the College Advisory Committee (CAC),…