The Weekly: Undergraduate News
...Coming to your inbox Mondays
Issue #30 for the week of 4/5/2021
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From the Director of Studies |
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…and one more week, writers. I wish you joy of that final push! May it be exhilarating to see your work coming together. And once again, please reach out if you find yourself needing a hand. All of us on the faculty, and so many others, are at the ready if you need us.
This past week I found myself reading the essays of Francis Bacon (1561-1626), and reflecting on his “Of Studies.”
Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business…Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention…Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.
Bacon appreciates how study can decorate your conversation, and advance your affairs, but it is chiefly for the purpose of delight. Let us not forget! It is delight that leads the first of his tricolons, the balanced triplets that give these reflections their deliberative rhythm. We will need to hear the inclusive “person” in his period “man,” but if we allow him that, we can appreciate how reading fills us up, and conversation sharpens our wits, but exactness, which is both precision and care, cannot be better cultivated than by writing. So, proofread, everyone! And cite your sources! And most importantly, hunt the right word, the apt phrase, the just claim. Bacon’s meditation comes full circle in the delights of exactness.
And if you need a break…there is the rare opportunity today to hear Prof. Anne Cheng talk with filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung about his film Minari, and on Wednesday, a talk by the filmmaker and artist Isaac Julien, Marvelous Collaborations. Thursday, the Organizing Stories series (organized by our own Profs. Monica Huerta and Autumn Womack) offers Making|Future|Making with Ni’Ja Whitson.
And right now, you can find some inspiration for the task of revision down at the bottom of this page—just don’t miss anything along the way.
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Director of Undergraduate Studies
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Undergraduate Administrator
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ACADEMIC DATES & DEADLINES |
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2021
April 2021
April 6
*Deadline to Drop Spring Term Courses
*Deadline to Select P/D/F Option
April 7
UG Conversation Regarding Department & University Hiring Practices
and the Role of CDS
via Zoom 12:00 p.m. EDT
April 9
A. Scott Berg Fellowship Application due S.A.F.E.
April 13
*Declaration Day
*Junior Fall Term 2021 Course Selection
*Junior Independent Work Due
*Senior Thesis Due
April 14
Sophomore Fall Term 2021 Course Selection
April 15
First-Year Fall Term 2021 Course Selection
April 21
2021 Major's Colloquium:
Your Faves Are Problematic: Reading and Teaching Fraught Texts
4:30 p.m. EDT via Zoom (Register for Link)
April 27
Spring 2021 Term Courses End
April 28
Reading Period Begins
April 30
UG Add/Drop Ends
May 2021
May 5
*Reading Period Ends
*Dean's Date
May 6 & 7
Senior Departmental/Comprehensive Exams
May 8 - 14
Spring 2021 Final Exams
May 14
Department Class Day Celebration
4:00 p.m. EDT via Zoom (Registration Required)
May 16
Commencement
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Additional Dates for Juniors: |
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Additional Dates for Seniors:
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2021
April 9, 2021
A. Scott Berg Fellowship Application DUE S.A.F.E.
April 13, 2021
Deadline for Submitting Junior Independent Work
Please see the below information regarding O.U.R.'s funding cycles and the Departmental resources for research funding support.
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2021
April 13, 2021
Senior Thesis DUE
May 6-7, 2021
Senior Departmental/
Comprehensive Exams
Please see the below information regarding O.U.R.'s funding cycles and the Departmental resources for research funding support.
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LINK TO DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UG WEBSITE
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The COVID-19 Dashboard now includes data from the undergraduates living on campus and those living locally with access to campus for the spring semester. Please keep in mind that the Dashboard is updated weekly on Mondays with results from the previous week, not in real time.
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Summer Funding Opportunity: |
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Class of 2022 & 2023
Funding Opportunity Summer 2021:
A. Scott Berg Fellowship
Deadline to apply in SAFE:
Wednesday, April 9, 2021
at 5:00 p.m. EDT
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Learn more information about this funding opportunity here.
Or search in S.A.F.E.
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DEPARTMENT'S CLASS DAY CELEBRATION
CHANGE OF DATE:
FRIDAY, MAY 14 at 4:00 PM EST
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DATE CHANGE!
The Department of English
2021 Class Day Celebration
Friday, May 14 at 4:00 PM EDT
via Zoom
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Seniors,
Please check your emails! If you have not already, please fill out the following to let us know your most recent information: https://bit.ly/2PTkUo5
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Find links to recent public-facing writing by English Department alumni, faculty and current students (undergraduate and graduate) that addresses urgent contemporary topics, including the pandemic, the national reckoning with racism, the environment, and the role of arts in times of crisis. |
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The Daily Princetonian:
Why we should start listening to those ‘minor minorities’
The major significance of ‘minor’ acts of everyday racism
by Cameron Lee '21
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Let me begin with my body.
My skin-picking began innocuously, as a way to remove hangnails and other patches of dead skin from my cuticles. . . .
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Avidly:
The Poetry of the Past
By Virginia Jackson & Meredith Martin
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On Sunday, February 7th, a month after the insurrection at the capitol and two days before the beginning of the impeachment trial, some of America watched the Superbowl. . . .
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The New York Times Opinion:
What This Wave of Anti-Asian Violence Reveals About America
By Anne Anlin Cheng
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Too often, attention to nonwhite groups is only as pressing as the injuries that they have suffered. . .
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Apply for Fall Creative Writing Courses HERE
Course apps are due TONIGHT, April 5th, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
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Class of 2022: Apply for the Creative Writing Thesis HERE
Thesis apps are due TONIGHT, April 5th, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Check your email for links and Creative Writing Thesis Info Packet
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English Concentrators:
Thesis Writers and Junior Papers
English Writing Room
Sundays Spring 2021
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. EDT
Sunday Writing Room Zoom:
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Here and There:
Issue 4:
Gratitude & Family
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Here and There Podcast Episode 3:
Reimagining the Archive,
A Conversation with Rene Boatman and Autumn Womack
Senior concentrator Isabel Griffith-Gorgati interviews Rene Boatman & Autumn Womack about Toni Morrison's legacy and archive at Princeton.
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Class of 2023, want to declare English? |
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The Department of English
Sophomore Sign-Ins
March 25 through April 13, 2021
Advisor Appointments Available in WASE
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Class of 2023, want to declare English as your major?
Make sure to schedule your English Advisor meeting in WASE: "English Sign In 2021."
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The Department of English with Program in American Studies & the Office of Dean of the College
A film Screening & Conversation with
Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung & Prof. Anne A. Cheng
MINARI
April 5, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. EDT via Zoom
Registration Required
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Location: virtual - registration required
Speakers:
Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung in conversation with Prof. Anne A. Cheng
Please join us for a screening of MINARI, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and a Golden Globe. A delicately wrought drama about what roots us, MINARI follows a Korean-American family that moves to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. Tracing the material and emotional challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks for this young family, MINARI shows the resilience of family and what it means to forge a home when you are seen as strangers from a different land.
The first 100 registered will be invited to a free, virtual screening of the film which will be available for viewing anytime between 12:30pm to 4:30pm on April 5th, 2021. A conversation between filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung and Professor Anne Anlin Cheng via zoom will follow the film screening at 4:30pm. All are welcome to attend the conversation, even those who could not attend the screening.
Sponsored by: The Department of English, Program in American Studies, Office of the Dean of the College
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Undergraduate Concentrator Townhall Session:
Anti-Racist Pedagogy Advisory Committee, Hiring, Curriculum & the Common Works, and Outreach in the Department of English
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EDT
via Zoom Register Below
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Events over the past year have magnified the violence, racism, and everyday discrimination faced by Black, Asian, Latinx, and Indigenous communities in the United States. Though some public figures have called such acts “un-American,” the record suggests that they are in fact interwoven with the fabric of our collective history. As instances of racial animus continue to appear on our news feeds, it’s important to recognize that the only unprecedented thing about them is the mass public attention they have drawn.
The Anti-Racist Pedagogy Advisory Committee of the Department of English was convened by Chair Simon Gikandi to name and hone our responsibility to this history. English is a community of students and teachers, and it’s more important than ever to explicitly connect our intellectual endeavors to current events. Student representatives on the committee advocated transparency around features of the department that affect undergraduate education, and they recommended that students be given the floor to pose questions and air opinions in a town hall setting.
To that end, I invite all of you to a meeting centered on student questions and concerns to be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at 12:00pm EDT. The floor is yours, with three faculty members addressing your interests in hiring and field representation (Professor Gikandi), curriculum and Common Works exam (Professor Jeff Dolven), and outreach (Professor Rebecca Rainof). No other faculty will be present, and all issues that matter to you are on the table. Kelly Lake will be providing technical and logistical support.
If you have any questions about the work of the Anti-Racist Pedagogy Advisory Committee this year, feel free to reach out to me. I’m happy to have a chat during office hours or some other appointed time.
I hope you’ll join your peers for the conversation on April 7.
Professor Kinohi Nishikawa
Chair, Anti-Racist Pedagogy Advisory Committee
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Organizing Stories presents
Making|Future|Making with Ni'ja Whitson
Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. EDT
Register for Zoom link
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Join us on Thursday, April 8th at 4:30 PM as Organizing Stories presents: “Making|Future|Making” with Ni'Ja Whitson!
In this student-faculty activist workshop, Ni’Ja Whitson will lead an exploration of the myriad bonds between embodiment and politics. How do our liberation-making practices engage in futurity technologics? How do Black Queer and Trans embodiedness archive ancient and future intelligences? And what will you do with all the mess? All the mass?
Ni'Ja Whitson is a Creative Capital and Bessie Award winning nonbinary interdisciplinary artist, performer, and writer who has been referred to as “majestic” and “powerful” by The New York Times. They are currently an assistant professor of experimental choreography at UC Riverside as well as the founder/artistic director of The NWA Project, an initiative which creates interdisciplinary and site specific performances that speak to space making and shape shifting in the lives of Queer people of color and the African Diaspora. Whitson has been a student and practitioner of indigenous African ritual and resistance forms for over ten years, creating work that reflects the sacred in street, conceptual, and interdisciplinary performance. They engage a nexus of postmodern and African Diasporic performance practices, through a critical intersection of gender, sexuality, race, and spirituality.
This workshop is open to undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and all other individuals interested in the intersections between scholarly and activist work.
All interested participants will receive an event invitation after completing the RSVP form.
Organizing Stories is a student-focused project founded and directed by Professors Autumn M. Womack (English; African American Studies) and Monica Huerta (English; American Studies). The project connects students with veteran organizers to investigate the long histories of anti-racist activism, racial justice organizing, and coalition-building as they relate to questions of storytelling and humanistic study more broadly.
Organizing Stories is supported by an Exploratory Grant in Collaborative Humanities from the Humanities Council, as well as the Dean of the Faculty, the University Center for Human Values, the Department of African American Studies, and the Princeton African Humanities Colloquium.
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Intersections Working Group presents:
The Cry of the Senses and The Fact of Resonance
by Ren Ellis Neyra by Julie Beth Napolin
Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EDT
Registration is Required
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Find further event information here:
https://english.princeton.edu/events/intersections-working-group-presents-ren-ellis-neyra-julie-beth-napolin
Register for the Event Here:
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Presented by Intersections Working Group and sponsored by the Department of English, the Department of African American Studies, the Program in American Studies, the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Center for Human Values
BECOMING HUMAN: A Graduate Lunch Hour with Zakiyyah Iman Jackson
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EDT
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2021 Majors' Colloquium
Your Faves Are Problematic:
Reading and Teaching Fraught Texts
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. EDT
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Calling all current majors and newly minted majors:
You picked the speakers. Peers set the topic. Join the conversation.
2021 Majors' Colloquium
Your Faves Are Problematic:
Reading and Teaching Fraught Texts
Join us to hear department speakers:
- Anne A. Cheng
- Kinohi Nishikowa
- Jeff Nunokawa
- Autumn Womack
On Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. EDT via zoom.
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Presented by Intersections Working Group and sponsored by the Department of English, the Department of African American Studies, the Program in American Studies, the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies and the Center for Human Values
BECOMING HUMAN: A Graduate Lunch Hour with Zakiyyah Iman Jackson
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EDT
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RESEARCH FUNDING INFORMATION |
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The Maren Grant for Senior Thesis Research
The Maren Grant for Senior Thesis Research supports work toward the thesis for seniors in the English Department. Students should apply through SAFE, and choose the Maren Grant among their funding sources.
Please apply to all funding sources for which you are eligible.
Applications to the Maren Grant for Senior Thesis Research may be made in any of the three OUR funding cycles:
- for thesis research in the summer before senior year;
- in the fall of senior year;
- or in the winter before the thesis is due.
Awards are typically between $200 and $1200.
Deadlines are early: be sure you consult OUR and plan ahead.
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The Maren-Annan Grant for Departmental Research
The Maren-Annan Grant for Departmental Research supports student research for the Junior Paper and, under special circumstances, for other work for juniors or seniors within the context of a course in the English Department (excluding the senior thesis).
Applications should be made through SAFE, by choosing “Undergraduate Independent Projects” under “ACTIVITY.”
Please apply to all funds for which you are eligible along with the Maren Grant.
Allowable expenses correspond to those listed for senior thesis research on the OUR website.
Applications may be made at any time, but we recommend submission at least four weeks before any planned travel.
Awards are typically between $200 and $1200.
Consultation with your JP advisor or the instructor for your class is essential.
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Summer O.U.R. Funding Cycle:
O.U.R.'s Application Opens: Friday, March 19, 2021
O.U.R.'s Application Closes: Sunday, April 4, 2021
O.U.R.'s Award posted: Friday, April 30, 2021
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Your application for all funding must be made through S.A.F.E.
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Students applying to the OUR senior thesis research funding program are required to apply for all departmental and programmatic funds for which they are eligible in one single application.
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You will be able to save your application in SAFE and go back to it, but you must complete and submit the application by the earliest deadline of all the funding sources to which you are applying; no changes will be accepted once applications are submitted and locked, except for the selection of additional funding opportunities when eligible.
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Student Activity Funding Engine (S.A.F.E.)
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OTHER EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES |
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TIME WITHIN TIME
Center for Human Values
Film Forum Spring 2021
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The Film Forum started in the fall of 2005. It is dedicated to the discussion of films that not only delight us in the spectacular ways cinema most naturally does but also leave us puzzled, challenged, unsettled, or even irritated. The films we show cry out for discussion and have afforded us on many Monday nights with the pleasure of intelligent and passionate conversation.
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Spring 2021 Academic Fellowship Information Sessions
March 24 through April 17, 2021
via Zoom
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Check out the OIP Events Calendar and weekly OIP Newsletter, and like the OIP Facebook page for updates. All spring 2021 events (and advising appointments) will occur over Zoom using the links specified below.
From March 24 to April 17, we will be hosting an informal fellowships café series (on Zoom) on Wednesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. ET, featuring recent alumni and seniors speaking about their fellowships clustered around a particular focus, such as STEM, sustainability and the arts. We will post those on the OIP calendar. Students and alumni should request access to resources and recordings of taped presentations by emailing fellow@princeton.edu and request the Dropbox Fellowships Link for Spring/Summer 2021. Following each presentation, we will add updated slides and other information there.
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Summer 2021:
Princeton's Department of Classics Intensive: Ancient African Language of Gəˁəz (classical Ethiopic)
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This summer, Princeton’s Department of Classics will be offering an intensive class for Princeton undergraduates and graduate students in the ancient African language of Gəˁəz (classical Ethiopic). If you are at all interested, please fill out the Google Form at https://forms.gle/mcRbjWQoYz6ve2gc6 to be updated on exactly where and when this class will happen.
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Summer Post Graduate Opportunity |
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is seeking new college graduates to join its team of Corporate Legal Assistants for immediate and June full-time hire. Corporate Legal Assistants work across an array of practice areas to provide clerical support to a team of world-class lawyers. To apply, applicants should furnish the Corporate Legal Assistants Manager with a cover letter, resume, short writing sample, and transcript. For more information, please reach out to one of DPW’s recent alumni of Princeton or David Ehmcke (david.ehmcke@davispolk.com) in Client Services.
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Remote Internship Opportunities
Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents
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Massie & McQuilkin seeks intelligent and versatile interns interested in a career in book publishing. The ideal candidate will be able to commit 10-15 hours a week, 2 days a week, though we are flexible in regard to scheduling. Internships last about 3 months, with academic credit available. This internship is unpaid. Due to COVID, all internships for the spring semester will be remote.
The intern’s main duties will revolve around managing and responding to unsolicited queries and manuscripts, and will involve evaluating this material with an eye to its quality, relevance to the agent queried, and its viability in the marketplace. A critical eye is necessary for this position. Additional projects may be assigned that will address other aspects of agenting, including foreign rights and contracts. As with any internship, a part of the position will be general administrative work, but we will do our best to work with individual interests.
To apply, please email Max Moorhead (max@mmqlit.com) and Maddie Woda (maddie@mmqlit.com) with a cover letter in the body and your resume as an attachment. For more information, see our website.
Please submit your application during the following periods:
Spring: November 1-December 20
Summer: March 15-April 15
Fall: August 1-September 1
Maddie Woda (she/her)
Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents
27 West 20th Street, Suite 305
New York, New York 10011
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Center for Career Development:
While our physical office may be closed, the Center for Career Development is still here to support you.
The Center for Career Development serves Princeton undergraduate and graduate students of all years and interests.
We know that many of you have summer/post-graduation on your mind. The Center for Career Development is available to help you figure out your plans. A few resources and an upcoming event they're offering include:
Just-in-Time Career Fair (April 7): Meet top employers from various industries with currently available internships and full-time roles for 2021. This virtual career fair is open to undergraduates, graduate students, post-docs and recent alumni from Princeton, Brown, UChicago, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, MIT, Penn, Stanford and Yale.
One-on-one advising: Schedule an appointment with a career adviser to explore options and to start to put a personalized plan together.
Planning Your Summer Guide: This guide will help you build your own summer experience, mixing and matching options to find what works for you.
The Center for Career Development is also available during the summer to support students and the Class of 2021. Questions? Send them an email at careerdevelopment@princeton.edu.
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Humanities Council Faculty Bookshelf:
Visit the Humanities Council's Faculty Bookshelf! Browse by author or discipline to explore the University's cutting-edge humanities scholarship.
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University Center for Human Values offers events of interest:
To access the events that the University Center of Human Values presents please use this:
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Writing Program
For Juniors and Seniors:
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80-minute, Discipline-Specific Appointments: From formulating a plan for semester- and year-long projects to conducting research and drafting and revising, our trained Graduate Fellows are available as students tackle the challenges of independent work! Make an appointment now: https://writingcenter.princeton.edu/s/80MIN
The Virtual Writing Lab (Sunday-Thursday 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET): Having a hard time getting motivated working on your JP or Thesis? Looking for a sense of community? Don’t go it alone! Join our Zoom-based virtual lab to write with peers, consult Fellows as needed, and tackle your short and long-term writing goals! Join here any time we’re open.
Writing Partnerships: Pair up with an experienced Graduate Fellow for a standing weekly appointment to structure the JP or thesis writing process and avoid a pile-up of writing at the end of the semester. If you’re interested in setting up a partnership, write to Dr. Creedon (greedon@princeton.edu).
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CLASS OF 2021:
CLASS DAY IS 39 DAYS AWAY!
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CLASS DAY 2021
NEW DAY & TIME:
May 14, 2021 at 4:00 p.m.
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Class Day 2021 is just around the corner - 46 days away!
We in the Department of English Undergraduate are already working to put together a wonderful experience to celebrate you, your family and loved ones, and your graduation.
If you haven't submitted materials to us, you will have received a message from the UA, Kelly Lake today. While we can include your information without an image of you, you as a child, or a video, it will make the event so much richer to include you. Parents, friends, faculty, and staff all want to celebrate this amazing accomplishment.
Stumped for ideas? Here is last year's Class Day 2020 to see what's been done before... and if you're on the fence, please reach out to me directly to discuss how we might represent you in this year's Class Day.
Best,
Kelly Lake (kalake@)
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You may know Elizabeth Bishop’s great villanelle, “One Art,” but you may not know how it came into being. As you wrestle that thesis or JP into shape, consider the heroics of bringing her first draft into its final form. (Write it!)
One Art
Elizabeth Bishop
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The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.
—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
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Suggestions, events, additions, or questions?
Department of English
22 McCosh Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544
(609) 258-4061
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