After spring break, so starting in the first week of April, a second 500 section will open. Those on the waitlist will be able to enroll in this, and a few more seats will be available for others who need to take it this fall. Students seeking to enter a 599 thesis tutorial section and who have completed the procedures to get a 599 section opened (explained here, as well as in the program handbook downloadable in the left-hand menu of this blog) will start seeing this appear on their schedules early in April as well. Note that your mentor is the one who must notify me when you are ready to have your 599 section opened. There’s plenty of time to secure a 599 section for the fall so don’t panic if you don’t see it appearing on your schedule right away in April, or if you’re just discovering now the procedures for enrolling in the course. As always contact me at cloots@mercy.edu with any questions (though I will be away from email over spring break).
Monthly Archives: March 2016
If You’re Needing 500 this Fall, Get on the Waitlist
Currently the fall ENGL 500 theory course is full with six additional people on the waitlist. If you were needing to take 500 this fall be sure to get on the waitlist too. Once the waitlist number reaches a certain point, we can work to open a second section of 500 to make sure that everyone gets a seat as needed. But we need the evidence of the people on the waitlist to justify to the administration opening the second section.
Seeking Feedback About Spring Symposium / Gathering
In years past the graduate English program has put together a symposium, sort of a mini-conference right here in Maher Hall, for interested MA English students at which to gather and read aloud a scholarly paper, as well as to simply meet some fellow students and professors. Graduate students and professional scholars often attend and read at local, regional, and national conferences, so this symposium can provide a friendly small-scale introduction to the conference experience. And for anyone who reads a paper, it becomes a line-item you can list under the scholarship section on your CV (click here to read more about the CV). The issue in recent years has been that, because our student-body has shifted in the past decade from being traditional/on-campus to being entirely distance-learning, we don’t necessarily have enough students within convenient driving/traveling distance of the campus who are interested in participating in the symposium.
Well, maybe this year will be different, and that’s what I’m seeking feedback about. If you would be interested in attending a program-hosted symposium, please send me a note at cloots@mercy.edu letting me know. If we get enough student interest we’ll schedule an afternoon, perhaps near to commencement in May so that anyone traveling to walk in the commencement ceremony can attend, during which we’ll have a catered reception and have a few panels sharing a bit of our scholarship/writing aloud to one another. Any topic, really any type of writing would be appropriate to share, including creative. Again, if you’re interested, just write me a note letting me know, please. I’ll update everyone here on this blog later this semester based on the feedback I receive.
Program Director's Blog for the Mercy College MA in English Literature Program 