The Weekly: Undergraduate News
...Coming to your inbox Mondays

Issue #24 for the week of 2/22/2021
From the Director of Studies
—And we are halfway through the first half of the semester, all! Courage, as ever, to thesis and JP writers. 

But it’s not too soon to look toward summer: You’ll see below information about two internships for English students, at HomeWorks Trenton and at the Princeton University Press. They have been arranged by our tireless and resourceful Outreach Coordinator, Professor Rebecca Rainof. 

Among many worthy distractions meantime, English graduate student RL Goldberg will be among the presenters at a webinar on Friday highlighting transgender studies, past and present, in Princeton University Library collections: Acrobatics: Moving Through the Trans Archives. Over at the Lewis Center, meanwhile, things have been quiet with the Althea Ward reading series, which usually brings a relentless succession of unmissable writers to campus. But student readings continue, and this coming week you have a chance to hear some of your peers read with the novelist Ottessa Moshfegh as part of the C.K. Williams Reading Series. Some of you may have read Moshfegh’s recent and prophetic novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation. You’ll likely not have heard the work of writers Kim, Marusic, Moolten, Park, or Quigley, but this is your chance to be among the first in the know. 

Speaking of C. K. Williams, he was a wonderful poet who taught at Princeton for twenty years (and wrote some fine criticism, too, including a book on Whitman—they are kindred experts in the long line, what our James Richardson calls the self-renewing, “pulse and fade” cadence of the King James Bible). For a taste of Williams’ work, see the afterword below—though do not fail to read everything in-between. 
__
Director of Undergraduate Studies



Undergraduate Administrator
ACADEMIC DATES & DEADLINES
For All Concentrators :
2021
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
Additional Dates for Juniors:
Additional Dates for Seniors:
2021

February 25, 2021
First full JP draft due to advisor

March 22, 2021
Second JP draft due

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.

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.

LINK TO DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UG WEBSITE
COVID-19 Dashboard
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.
DEPARTMENT NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS!

Paige Allen '21 recipient
of the 2021 Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize
Princeton University seniors Paige Allen, Amy Jeon and James Packman have been named co-winners of the 2021 Moses Taylor Pyne Honor Prize, the highest general distinction conferred on an undergraduate. . . 

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.
The New York Times Opinion:

What This Wave of Anti-Asian Violence Reveals About America

By Anne Anlin Cheng
Too often, attention to nonwhite groups is only as pressing as the injuries that they have suffered. . .

Department Events
English Concentrators:
Thesis Writers and Junior Papers

English Writing Room

Sundays Spring 2021
1:30 - 4:30 p.m. EST
Sunday Writing Room Zoom:
Here and There:
Issue 4:
Gratitude & Family
Special Collections Highlight Series:

Acrobatics: Moving Through the Trans Archives

Friday, February 26
2:00 p.m. via Zoom

A live webinar highlighting transgender studies, past and present, in Princeton University Library collections and private archives.
RL Goldberg (they/them), English Department and Associate Director, Behrman Undergraduate Society of Fellows, will be in dialogue with queer book dealer, collector, and historian Gerard Koskovich (he/him), along with Sara Howard (she/her), Librarian for Gender and Sexuality Studies and Student Engagement, and Julie Mellby (she/her), Graphic Arts Curator.

Register Here.
Organizing Stories presents:

Community Organizing 101
with Darren "Freedom" Green

Friday, February 26, 2021
at 4:30 p.m.via Zoom

This event is open to undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.


For more information, visit: https://www.organizingstories.com/
C.K. Williams Reading Series:

Ottessa Moshfegh with Senior CWR Thesis Students

Wednesday, February 24
at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom

The reading will feature award-winning novelist Ottessa Moshfegh and five Creative Writing Senior Thesis Students, including English concentrator Sophia Marusic '21, who will read from their senior theses.

Join the Zoom Webinar herehttps://princeton.zoom.us/j/95562680695

Register:

The Next Chapter: Alumni Conversations
in the Department of English

Wednesday, March 3, 2021
4:30 - 6:00 p.m. EST
via Zoom
Join us for The Next Chapter: Alumni Conversations in the Department of English on Wednesday, March 3rd at 4:30 p.m. EST via zoom.
Registration required.

Meet former English concentrators who are now pursuing careers in the fields of law, medicine, publishing, journalism, film, theater administration, and non-profit education, when they return virtually to campus to talk with our current concentrators and prospective concentrators about their professional journeys and how majoring in English is critical to what they do now.

Our panel of Princeton University English Department alumni: 
Eu Na Noh '16 (Law) 
L. Driskell-Garcia '17 (Education) 
Emily Silk '10 (Publishing)
Jack Lohmann '19 (Journalism)
Veronica Pickett '10 (TV/ Media)
Claire Greene '13 (Medicine)
Gunnar Rice '17 (Graduate School) 
Bhaamati Borkheteria '20 (Tech)

Meet our alumni. Listen to their stories. Hear how English has served them.


Can't wait to meet this year's alums?
Intersections Working Group presents

The Smell of Risk:
Environmental Disparities and Olfactory Aesthetics by Hsuan L. Hsu

Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. EST
via Zoom
The first 20 Princeton affiliates to register for the event will be reimbursed for a copy of the book (Digital or Paperback) available on Amazon.com or at NY 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.
 

 
If you are interested in attending the workshop and being reimbursed for a copy of the book, please register using the following link: https://forms.gle/hiDCgdjiTMKMbxcs9

King Lear
by William Shakespeare.
Read. Meet. Discuss.
A Common Works Event

Thursday, March 18, 2021
4:30 - 6:00 p.m. EST via Zoom
Join graduate moderators, Lisa Kraege and Moeko Fujii to discuss this Shakespearean classic and Common Works text.

Open to current university concentrators and prospective concentrators. Class of 2022 concentrators are strongly encouraged to attend as this is connected to the Common Works.

Akira Kurosawa's film

Ran
View. Meet. Discuss.
A Common Works Event

Thursday, April 1, 2021
4:30 - 6:00 p.m. EST
via Zoom
Join graduate moderators, Lisa Kraege and Moeko Fujii to discuss this Shakespearean classic and Common Works text.

Open to current university concentrators and prospective concentrators. Class of 2022 concentrators are strongly encouraged to attend as this is connected to a Common Work (King Lear) .

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. EST
Registration is Required
The first 20 Princeton affiliates to register for the event below will be reimbursed for copies of the books (Digital or Paperback) available on Amazon.com or at NY 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. 

Links to Purchase the books: 
THE CRY OF THE SENSES
Amazon: 
Duke University Press: 
 
THE FACT OF RESONANCE
Amazon: 
Fordham University Press

Register for the Event Here:
RESEARCH FUNDING INFORMATION
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.

For information on deadlines and eligible expenses, see the Office of Undergraduate Research Thesis Funding Page.

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.
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.
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
  • Your application for all funding must be made through S.A.F.E.
  • 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
  • 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.
Student Activity Funding Engine (S.A.F.E.)
OTHER EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Summer 2021 Internships:
Two Internship Opportunities for English Concentrators ONLY.
HomeWorks Trenton

Proposed Dates of Internship:
June 7th to July 31st, 2021
Application Due Date: Feb. 21,2021

This 8-week long internship will provide the selected English major with a paid opportunity to gain experience in public service careers along with Internship Milestone Credit. Interns will work at HomeWorks Trenton in coordination with the Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES) and the English Department at Princeton University. This opportunity is open to current junior concentrators in English and sophomores intending to declare an English concentration this spring.

Princeton University Press

Length of Internship: 6 weeks
Application Due Date: Feb. 28,2021


This 6-week long internship will provide the selected English major with a paid opportunity to gain experience in academic publishing along with Internship Milestone Credit.
Interns will work at Princeton University Press in coordination with the English Department at
Princeton University.
This opportunity is open to current junior concentrators in English and sophomores intending to declare an English concentration this spring.


Interns will be eligible for Internship Milestone Credit
Call for Submissions:

Student Original Writing & Art Work

Here and There (The Department of English's Lit Review) in collaboration with The Black Writers Workshop
Deadline: March 20, 2021
The English Department’s literary review, Here and There, will be collaborating with Princeton’s Black Writers Workshop this spring to produce a special issue featuring Black student writing at Princeton.
Students of all years and majors are welcome to submit work through our submission dropbox. We welcome written submissions of all forms (both academic and creative) as well as visual art. 

The Black Writers Workshop hosts writing workshops that will be held throughout the semester and are low-pressure and student-led. If you can’t make it to the first workshop or have any questions, please email Hailey Colborn at hcolborn@princeton.edu.

TIME WITHIN TIME
Center for Human Values
Film Forum Spring 2021
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.

Spring 2021 Academic Fellowship Information Sessions

March 24 through April 17, 2021
via Zoom
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. 

Call for Submissions:

The Foundationalist

Yale University's Literary Journal
March 21, 2021 Midnight Deadline.
The Foundationalist accepts undergraduate literary essays, poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. We would also be happy to accept anything that had been written for class. There are no page limits or themes. We simply want students to submit their best work! In the past, we have published works from across the globe; giving writers the opportunity to join a community of over 125+ other authors from 70+ universities. If selected, the author’s writing will be published on academia.edu and in print format. 
 
The deadline is March 21, 2021 at midnight.
More information can be found on www.thefoundationalist.com. Submissions and other queries can be sent to thefoundationalist@gmail.com

On behalf of the editorial board of The Foundationalist,
Cathy Duong and Shayley Martin
Summer 2021:
Princeton's Department of Classics Intensive: Ancient African Language of Gəˁəz (classical Ethiopic)
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.
Questions? Contact Prof. Belcher at wbelcher@princeton.edu.
USEFUL INFORMATION
University Center for Human Values offers events of interest:

To access the events that the University Center of Human Values presents please use this:

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.



Center for Career Development:

While our physical office may be closed, the Center for Career Development is still here to support you. 
Wherever you're studying, you can access virtual advisingprogramsresourcesrecruiting and more. The Center for Career Development serves Princeton undergraduate and graduate students of all years and interests.


Writing Program
For Juniors and Seniors:
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).
HEY! CLASS OF 2021:
CLASS DAY IS 91 DAYS AWAY!
Mark your calendars. It's time to dig through the baby pics.

CLASS DAY 2021
May 24, 2021 at 1:30 p.m.
Class Day 2021 is just around the corner! 98 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.

To aid us in this, we need your help!

Please send us as jpeg/png/doc/pdf:

  1. Your favorite baby/ young person picture (think those photos of cuteness you, creative you, "little reader" you, or the one you like the most!)
  2. We've been in quarantine and socially distant, so definitely include a picture(s) of you now or recently. Please think of ones that "express you" or a photo of you that you love (and your family might too.)
  3. See #2 - we've all been socially distant and not on campus, SO....If you have them, please send us photos that we can share of you and other concentrators.
  4. We'll also be sharing a bit of what drew you to English. Please include a brief favorite poem or passage that resonates with you, one which knocks you over, makes your heart sing, your brain buzz, or the one that captured your interest and brought you to your thesis!

(Kindly label your files with your full name and what they are (eg: "myname_babyphoto.png" We accept pngs, jpegs, pdfs, word docs are all welcome.)

MATERIALS ARE DUE FRIDAY,
MARCH 12, 2021.
(this due date is 18 days away!)

Stumped for ideas? Here is last year's Class Day 2020 to see what's been done before...
AFTERWORD
Light

C.K. Williams
(he reads it aloud here)

Another drought morning after a too brief dawn downpour,
unaccountable silvery glitterings on the leaves of the withering maples—

I think of a troop of the blissful blessed approaching Dante,
“a hundred spheres shining,” he rhapsodizes, “the purest pearls…”

then of the frightening brilliants myriad gleam in my lamp
of the eyes of the vast swarm of bats I found once in a cave,

a chamber whose walls seethed with a spaceless carpet of creatures,
their cacophonous, keen, insistent, incessant squeakings and squealings

churning the warm, rank, cloying air; of how one,
perfectly still among all the fitfully twitching others,

was looking straight at me, gazing solemnly, thoughtfully up
from beneath the intricate furl of its leathery wings

as though it couldn’t believe I was there, or were trying to place me,
to situate me in the gnarl we’d evolved from, and now,

the trees still heartrendingly asparkle, Dante again,
this time the way he’ll refer to a figure he meets as “the life of…”

not the soul, or person, the life, and once more the bat, and I,
our lives in that moment together, our lives, our lives,

his with no vision of celestial splendor, no poem,
mine with no flight, no unblundering dash through the dark,

his without realizing it would, so soon, no longer exist,
mine having to know for us both that everything ends,

world, after-world, even their memory, steamed away
like the film of uncertain vapor of the last of the luscious rain.

Photo Credit: "Hold your breath and hear the silence" by Fr@ηk  is licensed with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Suggestions, events, additions, or questions?
Contact The Department of English's Undergraduate Administrator, Kelly Lake kalake@princeton.edu


Department of English
22 McCosh Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544
(609) 258-4061

FOLLOW US