The Weekly: Undergraduate News
...Coming to your inbox Mondays
Issue #18 for the week of 1/11/2020
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From the Director of Studies
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January greetings, everyone—
I have no rhetorical resources left to address this strange time, nor any predictions for it, save to say that we have a semester before us and the chance to read and think together, which is a gift.
But that’s not entirely true—I do have a couple more predictions, and even some confidence in them. First, on Sunday, January 17, we will inaugurate a weekly series of virtual Writing Rooms for senior thesis and junior paper writers. From 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. EST each Sunday afternoon, the room will be open for two two-hour sessions. Come at 1:30, meet up with some fellow English majors, plot your course for the next two hours, and write! Around 3:15, you’ll get together again, compare notes on what you’ve done and, if you so choose, prepare to do it again! There will be regular, virtual-sociable breaks along the way, and a couple of our most wise and dedicated graduate students, Ryan Zaluzek and Jessica Terekhov, to offer encouragement and advice. These rooms are a great way to make a writing contract with yourself and your classmates to keep that thesis or JP moving. No reservations necessary; zoom codes to come by email—drop on by!
And, also coming right up, a pair of events about Jane Austen’s Emma—a Common Work (so, a good occasion to get your brain turning on a text for the exam that waits for you juniors in the spring of ’22), and just a great book by any measure. There will be a discussion of last year’s film on Wednesday, January 13th, at 3:00 p.m. ( sign up here and watch ahead of time through the Canvas Common Works group here), and a freewheeling discussion of the book itself a week later, on Wednesday, Jan. 20th, at 3:00 p.m. ( book sign up here). Both events led by the dynamic duo of graduate students Jeewon Yoo and Yan Che.
Otherwise—write well, thesis writers, and you junior paper writers; read well, as Susan Wolfson’s afterword below exhorts us; and find some time for loafing and leafing too, as best you can; and stay safe.
Director of Undergraduate Studies
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Undergraduate Administrator
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ACADEMIC DATES & DEADLINES
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2021
January 2021
January 13
EMMA. Watch. Meet. Discuss.
via Zoom 3:00 p.m. EST
January 18
Undergraduate Add/ Drop Period Begins
Virtual Wintersession Begins
January 20
Emma, Jane Austen. Read. Meet. Discuss. A Common Works Event.
via Zoom 3:00 p.m. EST
January 25
Socially Distant Social Hour. An Outreach Event
via Zoom 2:00 p.m. EST
January 27
Black Writers Workshop: Welcome & Informational Session 2021
via Zoom 4:00 p.m. EST
February 2021
February 1
Spring 2021 Classes Begin
February 12
Deadline to Add/Drop Classes without fee
February 12
Art to Heart Workshop with Saturnia
via Zoom TBA
March 2021
March 3
The Next Chapter: Alumni Panel
via Zoom 4:30 p.m. EST
March 8 - 12
Spring Midterm Period
March 13-16
Spring Recess
March 17
Classes Resume
Undergraduate Selection of P/D/F begins
March 18
King Lear. Read. Meet. Discuss. A Common Works Event
via Zoom TBA
March 25
A.B. Concentration Declaration Period Begins
April 2021
April 1
Akira Kurosawa's Ran. View. Meet Discuss. A Common Works Event
via Zoom TBA
April 6
Deadline to Drop Spring Term Courses
Deadline to Select P/D/F Option
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 27
Spring 2021 Term Courses End
April 28
Reading Period Begins
May 2021
May 5
Reading Period Ends
Dean's Date
May 8 - 14
Spring 2021 Final Exams
May 25
Commencement
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Additional Dates for Juniors:
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Additional Dates for Seniors:
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2021
January 15, 2021
Deadline for Submitting 10-pages of Junior Independent Work or final JP prospectus DUE
February 19, 2021
First full JP draft due to advisor
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
March 8, 2021
Deadline for submission of non-thesis materials for department prizes
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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Film Discussion:
EMMA. (dir. Autumn de Wilde, 2020)
View. Meet. Discuss.
A Common Works Event
Wednesday, January 13 at 3:00 p.m. EST
via Zoom
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We're kicking off the new year with two Jane Austen events geared specifically for the Common Works Exam text, Emma.
We strongly encourage our junior concentrators to attend both events; definitely try to attend at least one.
Join our wonderful graduate students Jeewon Yoo and Yan Che to chat about the 2020 film "EMMA." starring Anya Taylor-Joy. The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime and on Canvas for English majors and prospective majors.
Watch on your own and then meet to chat.
Concentrators will find the zoom link in the Canvas Common Works Group under the "Zoom" tab. All others, Zoom link will be provided after registration.
Both sessions should be a spirited and fun time, offer you the opportunity to connect in meaningful ways around this text, and an open and enjoyable way to start the year together.
Please join us!
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Calling all English Concentrators: Thesis Writers and Junior Papers
English Writing Room
Sundays beginning January 17, 2021
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST
via Zoom
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Calling all thesis writers!
And all writers of junior papers! (And that adds up to everybody in the major.)
Beginning this Sunday, January 17, 2021-- the department will host a weekly Writing Room, afternoons from 1:30 to 5:30p.m.
Our Writing Room is a virtual place to work in the company of your classmates, where you can set achievable goals, cheer each other on, and hold each other accountable.
The structure is simple. There are two two-hour sessions, from 1:30 to 3:30 and 3:30 to 5:30. Show up at 1:30 to check in with your fellow scribblers, explain what you hope to accomplish, and then get to it; a little before 3:30, check in again and compare notes on progress, struggles, unexpected intellectual events, etc. Over the two writing hours in-between, there will be encouraging short breaks to recover momentum for the next stint. The process repeats at 3:30. Come for the first session, or the second, or both!
Ace graduate students Jessica Terekhov and Ryan Zaluzec will be on hand to keep the trains running and to offer encouragement and counsel. Writing is a solitary business by nature, but it can make all the difference to know that you are not alone in that solitude—and that your fellow English majors are pulling for you, and you for them. Our hope is that over the semester the Writing Room becomes a place where the Great Work of the thesis (or the JP) becomes a week-by-week, manageable, even companionable task. The zoom address is below.
O join us!
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Book Discussion:
Emma, Jane Austen.
Read. Meet. Discuss.
A Common Works Event
Wednesday, January 13 at 3:00 p.m. EST
via Zoom
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Join our wonderful graduate students Jeewon Yoo and Yan Che to chat about Jane Austen's Emma, one of our ten Common Works for 2022.
Read on your own and then meet to chat.
Concentrators will find the zoom link in the Canvas Common Works Group under the "Zoom" tab. All others, Zoom link will be provided after registration.
Both sessions should be a spirited and fun time, offer you the opportunity to connect in meaningful ways around this text, and an open and enjoyable way to start the year together.
Please join us!
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Black Writers Workshop
Welcome and Information Session 2021
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
4:00 - 6:00 p.m. EST
Zoom
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Join a Community of Black writers as we read and workshop one another's creative writing.
All forms of writing are welcome!
No prior writing experience necessary!
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Calling All ENG Current & Prospective Concentrators
SAVE THE DATE!
Socially Distant Social Hour 2021!
Monday, January 25, 2021
2:00 p.m. EST
Zoom
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English Concentrators & prospective concentrators join us for a socially distant social hour!
Test your ENG Jeopardy Knowledge! Princeton Lit & McCosh Trivia!
Socialize with fellow ENG concentrators!
SAVE THE DATE - LOOK FOR THE EMAIL - CHECK BACK FOR THE LINK.
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Intersections Working Group: Book Talk
Decolonizing Diasporas:
Radical Mappings of Afro-Atlantic Literature
by Yomaira C. Figueroa-Vásquez
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 12:00 p.m. EST
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The first 20 Princeton affiliates to register for the event below will be reimbursed for a copy of the book (Digital or Paperback) available on Amazon.com or at Northwestern University Press (links at bottom of page)
Book reimbursements can only be provided to University affiliates but the event is open to the public and all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
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Here and There: Issue 3: Food
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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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Winter Break/ January Winter Semester O.U.R. Funding Cycle:
O.U.R.'s Application Opens: Monday, November 16, 2020
O.U.R.'s Application Closes: Sunday, December 6, 2020
O.U.R.'s Award posted: Friday, January 8, 2021
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Summer O.U.R. Funding Cycle:
O.U.R.'s Application Opens: Friday, February 19, 2021
O.U.R.'s Application Closes: Sunday, March 21, 2021
O.U.R.'s Award posted: Friday, April 16, 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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The Program in Theater Presents:
Unbecoming
by Emma Catherine Watkins '18
View the Film:
Friday, January 15 at 7:00 p.m. EST
Saturday, January 16 at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. EST
Sunday, January 17 at 2:00 p.m. EST
Participate in the Talkbacks:
Saturday, January 16 at 9:45 p.m. EST
Sunday, January 17 at 3:45 p.m. EST
Registration Required
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The Program in Theater presents Unbecoming, a new play by alumna Emma Catherine Watkins ’18, as a filmed theatrical production.
Victorian housewife Lady Charlotte Guest aspires to become the first person to translate the Mabinogion — a collection of ancient Welsh stories — into English. Through her translation, she encounters Blodeuwedd, a woman conjured from flowers as a wife for her creator and punished for her infidelity. As Charlotte struggles to reconcile her creative ambitions with family expectations, she also confronts the power she holds in retelling Blodeuwedd’s story.
Live talkbacks on Zoom with the audience and creative team/scholars immediately follow two shows: join the conversations on 1/16 at 9:45 PM and 1/17 at 3:45 PM; Registration and more information about the show is available here: https://arts.princeton.edu/events/unbecoming/2021-01-15/.
Film is closed captioned; conversations offer live captions. FREE
Performed by a cast of six in a unique outdoor setting and presented as a filmed theatrical production, Unbecoming serves as a senior thesis for Paige Allen (dramaturg, Charlotte) and Eliana Cohen-Orth (director, Wife of England/Gwydion)
**In order to follow COVID-19 precautions and social distancing, the cast of Unbecoming quarantined together for the fall semester. The performance was recorded without a live audience, and all interactions with the production team outside of the pod of performers are occurring in a remote or socially distanced fashion.**
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Submission Opportunity
Tortoise
Thursday, January 21, 2021 11:59 p.m. EST
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Tortoise is an annual journal published through the Writing Center that showcases exceptional student writing and accompanies that writing with explanatory comments in which the authors and editors reflect on the writing and research process.
We are currently soliciting submissions for our next issue, which will be published at the end of the academic year. Our Final submission deadline, Thursday, January 21st 2021 at 11:59pm ET. Further submission information is available on the above poster or here.
We publish writing from all disciplines and at all levels, from Writing Seminar papers in literature to graduate student abstracts in linguistics.
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Wintersession 2021 will be a fully virtual experience and will run from January 18–31, 2021.
Undergraduate students, graduate students, staff and faculty can participate as teachers, learners or both.
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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). It will be taught by Prof. Hamza Zafer, who has taught this course to great acclaim at the University of Washington.
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University Center for Human Values offers events of interest:
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To access the events that the University Center of Human Values presents please use this:
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Ever wanted to know what your professors have been working on when they're not teaching your classes?
Visit the Humanities Council's Faculty Bookshelf! Browse by author or discipline to explore the University's cutting-edge humanities scholarship. (Check out our Department's Faculty Author Q&A: Claudia Johnson on "30 Great Myths about Jane Austen" here!)
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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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This week's contribution is graciously provided by
On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again
John Keats (1816)
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O Golden-tongued Romance, with serene Lute!
Fair plumed Syren! Queen of far-away!
Leave melodizing on this wintry day
Shut up thine olden Pages, and be mute.
Adieu! for, once again, the fierce dispute,
Betwixt Damnation and impassion’d clay
Must I burn through; once more humbly assay
The bitter-sweet of this Shakespearian fruit.
Chief Poet! and ye Clouds of Albion,
Begetters of our deep eternal theme!
When through the old oak forest I am gone,
Let me not wander in a barren dream:
But when I am consumed with the fire,
Give me new Phœnix Wings to fly at my desire.
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Photo Credit: King Lear. Act I Scene I is a painting by Edwin Austin Abbey which was uploaded on December 6th, 2015.
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Suggestions, events, additions, or questions: contact The Department of English's Undergraduate Administrator, Kelly Lake kalake@princeton.edu
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Department of English
22 McCosh Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544
(609) 258-4061
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