Interested in working for SCSU this summer? Great opportunities and GREAT people to work with! We highly encourage you to consider working for SCSU this summer.
As someone who works on campus this year, I can say this is one of the best jobs I’ve had. Everyone on staff is so helpful and kind; it’s truly a pleasure to work here! I personally highly recommend working for SCSU.
Applications are due February 12th. Apply here and email advising@stcloudstate.edu if you have more questions.
This week, we’re talking about the humanities and the liberal arts education! Buckle up! It’s a good one!
The following was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
November 9, 2020
Just over half (56 percent) of Americans agree strongly with the statement that “the humanities should be an important part of every American’s education,” while 38 percent “somewhat agreed” with the statement, according to a new survey of 5,015 American adults from the Humanities Indicators Project of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
The survey found differences in attitudes across educational levels, political ideologies and gender. While 68 percent of college graduates strongly agree that the humanities should be an important part of every American’s education, just 47 percent of people without a college degree do. Liberals (70 percent) are more likely than conservatives (48 percent) to strongly agree the humanities are important. Women (60 percent) are also more likely than men (52 percent) to see the humanities as being an important part of every American’s education.
The survey also found that 78 percent of Americans wish they had taken more courses in at least one humanities-related subject in school. Nearly half (49 percent) wish they’d taken more classes in languages other than English.
Eighty-one percent of respondents said they regularly use at least one humanities-related skill in the workplace, and 29 percent of respondents said they think their career advancement has been “at least partially impaired” by a deficiency in at least one humanities-related skill.
The survey also asked Americans about their engagement with humanities-related content in their daily lives, through such activities as consumption of humanities-related video or audio programming, reading fiction and nonfiction books, researching humanities-related topics online, visiting museums, and attending poetry readings and other cultural events. While 97 percent of respondents engaged at least sometimes in at least one humanities-related activity over the last year, a majority of those surveyed did not engage in any single activity often or very often.
The following was published in the St. Cloud Times, our local newspaper:
This goes beyond a failure to communicate; it’s a failure of understanding.
Both sides say they value freedom, for example. But neither side is very good at articulating what their concept of freedom consists in. This is a philosophical question.
Another aspect (among many others) of this divide is between a conception of persons as independent individuals and one that sees them as fundamentally connected. This is a metaphysical issue about the nature of persons, and is also a philosophical issue. But most people have little awareness of how their conception of persons underlies their political views, or even how to think about these conceptions.
There are many more issues at the heart of our failure to understand each other, issues that lie deep in our fundamental conceptions of ourselves and our values. What makes it so hard to talk about these things? The situation was not always this way, but it has been building for a while now. How did it get this way?
It’s no accident that the increase in the rancorous political atmosphere has accompanied another change: education (particularly higher education) has increasingly tailored itself to market forces. Students don’t go to college to become educated, learn how to think, expand their horizons and deepen their appreciation of life experiences. They go to college to get a job.
There are many (good) reasons for this; the cost of college and the burden of student debt is a major factor. But I want to focus on the effects of this trend.
The liberal arts have always been the place where students learned how (not what) to think about value, about their own conceptions of themselves and others. Philosophy, literature, theater, the arts and history have all centered on these fundamental issues about human nature and how we relate to each other and the rest of the world.
As interest in these issues have eroded in favor of marketability and employability, we find ourselves increasingly at a loss about how to understand or even talk to each other about political, ethical and metaphysical issues that divide us. We have no common language in which to position different views on these issues.
Even many of the liberal arts have been forced to shoehorn themselves into a model of education that sees their value only as a path to employment. We’ve just seen the result.
The problem is not so much that we don’t agree on what freedom is (for example). The problem is that we have little awareness of what these different conceptions are or how to reason about them.
The erosion of the liberal arts has fed directly into the situation that the country finds itself in today.
Carolyn Hartz is a professor of philosophy at SCSU and a champion of the liberal arts.
On October 26, 2020, SCSU’s Linguistic Portfolios (LP) surpassed 100,000 downloads! This is a huge accomplishment!
Read the following excerpt, from Ettien Koffi, Professor of Linguistics, which explains how impactful this accomplishment truly is!
Today, October 26, Linguistic Portfolios (LP), the research-based journal of the linguistic emphasis in the English Department at SCSU reached 100,000 downloads today!!! I began this publication in 2012 with the goal of letting the whole world know about the cutting-edge research that the students in Linguistics/TESL are doing. The response has been overwhelming, well beyond my wildest imagination. Articles from LP have been cited by leading journals in many fields, not only in linguistics, but also in engineering, robotics, and computer science. As of today, 10/26/2020, 32,750 institutions have downloaded articles from LP. Of these, 55% are in education, 33% are commercial, 5% government, 4% organizations, 3% others. The acoustic phonetic research in which my students and I are engaged has caught the attention of the world of academia and ALSO the world of language technologies: Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc. Leading universities around the world have downloaded articles from LP. Our cutting-edge acoustic phonetic research and findings help build smarter voice-driven artificial intelligent systems. I’m extremely proud that a small program like ours is having such a huge impact around the world. If you click on the link below, you will see the worldwide impact of LP:
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/stcloud_ling/
I’m happy to share this momentous milestone with the whole department. I’m proud of the impact that SCSU is having around the world through LP!
Consider checking out Linguistic Portfolios and by all means, download some content! It’s filled with some amazing pieces!
Thank you to anyone who has downloaded or visited this page!
Congratulations to the English Department, and more specifically our Linguistics professors and students for making this accomplishment possible.
Did you know that SCSU has a writing club??
Check it out here!
Now, joining a club is a big deal, I know! You’re in college. You’re already so busy! But there are so many psychological benefits to write more, so you should definitely consider joining the Writer’s Club!
Check it out!
I absolutely love this reason to write! In our world today, we can all use a little more happiness. Why not find your happiness through writing for the Writer’s Club?
I mean, I think this is pretty obvious, but what better way to experiment with enhancing your writing and thinking skills than joining the Writer’s Club?
This is another value we need to see more of in our society. Why not help contribute in increasing the world’s gratitude by first increasing yours! Join the Writer’s Club!
So, you’re here at SCSU for what? To learn!! Why not join a club that will directly help your degree mean more?
There are so many more reasons to write and join the Writer’s Club. Feel free to check out “The Psychological Benefits of Writing” from sparringmind.com for more valuable reasons to write!
This week, we have the great pleasure to feature:
Cezarija AbartisIn her words:
Some of my favorite classic authors and books:
Homer, Euripides, Jane Austen, Chekhov’s stories and plays, James Joyce’s “The Dead,” Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Eric Ambler’s A Coffin for Dimitrios, Nabokov’s Lolita, Isaac Babel, Carson McCullers’ “The Ballad of the Sad Cafe,” Isaac Bashevis Singer, Bernard Malamud’s stories. And Shakespeare, always Shakespeare.
Some of my favorite contemporary authors:
I’m going to list titles of books. Jo Ann Beard’s The Boys of My Youth, Lucia Berlin’s A Manual for Cleaning Women, Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, Ellen Currie’s Available Light, Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son, Thom Jones’ The Pugilist at Rest, Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John, Lorrie Moore’s Self Help, Grace Paley’s stories, Martin Cruz Smith’s Arkady Renko novels, Robert Stone’s Dog Soldiers, Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club, Stephanie Vaughn’s Sweet Talk. I will stop now. I expected this compiling to be tedious and effortful, but I find myself smiling as I recall these beautiful books and inspirations.
What I’m most proud of is my book on Shakespeare The Tragicomic Construction of Cymbeline and the Winter’s Tale (Humanities Press) and my collection of short stories, Nice Girls and Other Stories (New Rivers Press). In a review on NewPages.com, Sima Rabinowitz writes, “These stories are as good the second time through as they are the first. Always, for me, a measure of success.”
Ursula K. Le Guin writes: “Covering the territory between memoir and fiction, these deft and accurate stories hava a rare honesty.”
Gosh.
A few of my hundred flashes published online:
“The Writer,” was chosen by Wigleaf Journal as one of the top 50 online flashes of 2011. Dan Chaon was the selecting editor. http://wigleaf.com/2012top501.htm
“Lost and Found,” New World Writing. Online. June 15, 2020
https://newworldwriting.net/cezarija-abartis-lost-found/
“Sisters.” matchbook. Online. February 2020
https://www.matchbooklitmag.com/abartis2
“Medea Imagines” Carmina. Online. December 2, 2019
https://carminamagazine.wordpress.com/medea-imagines-by-cezarija-abartis/
“Stories for Second-Grade Teachers” Baltimore Review. Summer 2019
https://baltimorereview.org/index.php/summer_2019/contributor/cezarija-abartis
“Sleeping Beauty Is Not Well,” Bennington Review. Issue Four. Fall / Winter 2017, pp. 146-147. Also online: http://www.benningtonreview.org/cezarija-abartis
Current research interests:
I certainly value historical, biographical, political criticism, but I also value formal criticism. As a fiction writer, I study the structure of the work itself: character, setting, plot, theme, imagery. I’m interested in the formal characteristics of a work of art–how an author constructs a work to have an effect on our emotions, especially complex layered emotions (the pity and fear that Aristotle famously talked about in tragedy; the nobility and revenge that Euripides dramatizes in his plays).
Thank you so much for reading!!
Ok friends. Let’s address the elephant in the room. And by “elephant,” I mean “COVID-19.”
Everyone knows about it. Everyone’s talking about it. But, I haven’t seen anyone talk about how different campus looks right now.
I walked around Webster Hall, our home, on Tuesday before teaching my class. It was about 1:30 PM.
Before I drop the photos I took, I want you to remember what Webster was like back before COVID. I remember walking through the halls, hearing a multitude of voices and seeing students studying in the comfy chairs on every floor. I remember the English department (and other departments as well) office doors open, the office full of smiling faces ready to greet anyone who walked in! I remember seeing full classrooms of students learning. I remember an alive and active building.
I’ll admit. I was very saddened by my walk through Webster. I felt like I was alone. I didn’t get to greet anyone. No smiles. No “How are you?” No interaction. Just me and my thoughts.
Walking around Webster was a sad experience. When I finished my walk, I went to my classroom to get set up for class. Some students come in-person and the rest join on Zoom. It’s far less than an ideal situation, but at least they get a little bit of in-person instruction. When I’ve asked which method the students prefer, the say in-person. I had five students in my classroom on Tuesday. The rest were on Zoom.
Drop us a comment to let us know which method you prefer!
I hope eventually we can go back to fully in-person classes, but until then, we’re doing the best we can and I’m confident all the professors teaching here are continuing to provide high quality instruction!
Take care and be safe!
This week, the SCSU English Department feels very fortunate to feature one of our past graduates, Ayan Omar.
Ms. Omar currently teaches Language Arts at St. Cloud Technical High School. Her students are very fortunate to be learning from such a tremendous leader.
In her words:
“When I was a little girl, a black-Somali-Muslim refugee little girl, earning a master’s degree in English never seemed imaginable. Earning a master’s degree in English Studies at St. Cloud State solidified my ambitious refugee narrative and community efforts. Like many great writers, growing up, reading became my vehicle to success. Books buried my failures and inspired my successes. Gifted writers taught me how to express myself more eloquently. I fell in love with language as an art. Even today, amid the chaos and division of society, I maintain my faith in a better world by reading one book at a time. In my earlier years, Maya Angelou, in her book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, validated that all my experiences color the storyline of my life. Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his book The Scarlet Letter, branded my otherness as a pearl, despite what those in power might think. Lastly, the great writers, Whitman, Emerson, and Thoreau satiated my curiosity of transcendence. Their writings inspired me to practice intentional listening in search of a universal truth. Reading provided me a clear path to knowledge and pushed me toward civic engagement.
The English Studies graduate program at St. Cloud State fostered my personal growth. For instance, my thesis evaluated the goodness of black women using three of Toni Morrison’s greatest artifacts: The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and Sula. These three creative works expose the conflicting disposition and the unconscious bias held toward black women’s goodness by society. With the help of Dr. Monica Pelaez, I uncovered how Morrison writes progressively and pragmatically about black women and for black women. The continuous support, patience, hard questions, and immense knowledge of Dr. Pelaez allowed me to narrow down my topic, structure my thesis, and revise continuously. Her insightful comments allowed me to learn and produce throughout the entire experience.
I am forever grateful to Toni Morrison and the faculty at St. Cloud State’s English department, specifically Dr. Monica Pelaez, Dr. Constance Perry, Dr. Judith Dorn, and Dr. Christopher Lehman, for their insightful guidance.”
If that isn’t inspiring, then I don’t know what is. We have such an esteemed faculty in our English department, and Ms. Omar does a great job highlighting that fact. We are so proud, as a department, to have been a part of Ms. Omar’s life and we are excited to see where her journey takes her.
Are you interested in learning more about Ms. Omar?
Click here to read more about Ms. Omar and her journey!
Check out this video to hear her TED Talk!
Ms. Omar also had the opportunity to write a compelling article for the Washington Post where she discusses explaining her “faith to fearful Americans.”
If you’re still itching for more, please take the time to watch this video, a recording of “Face Value: Communication on a Human Scale,” a presentation she delivered at St. John’s University in 2019. Her story and
Last but not least, we highly encourage you to read her thesis, “What does it mean to be a good black woman?”, a study of the writings of Toni Morrison.
The SCSU English Department has some really amazing students, both current and former. Many of our students go on to accomplish great things! An education from St. Cloud State provides students with the skills and opportunities to reach these accomplishments.
We were recently informed of one of these accomplishments. Darren LaScotte, former SCSU English Department student, recently had one of his papers accepted for publication.
Mr. LaScotte was a student in Dr. Kim Choonkyong’s ENGL 670 (Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition) course during the Summer 2019 semester. Following the course, he submitted his final paper, a perspective piece, to TESL Canada Journal. The paper was well received and was published on their site on July 31, 2020.
The abstract to Mr. LaScotte’s piece, “Leveraging Listening Texts in Vocabulary Acquisition for Low-literate Learners” is as follows:
To date, the vast majority of research in second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition has looked at reading, but relatively few studies have explored the potential for vocabulary acquisition through listening. As for participants involved, studies concerning first language (L1) acquisition have mainly focused on pre- and emergent-reading children, whereas those concerning L2 acquisition comprised learners already highly literate in their L1. Like other research areas of second language acquisition (SLA), learners with low or no literacy in their L1 have been virtually neglected in these studies. Clearly, who we study determines what we know in SLA, yet there exists a significant gap in research literature regarding how understudied, low-literate (and illiterate) populations with strong oral traditions may acquire L2 vocabulary through listening. This paper attempts to bridge the gap in research on cognitive processing and L2 vocabulary acquisition through listening. In light of this, relevant pedagogical implications for low-literate populations are discussed.
Let’s support Mr. LaScotte by heading over to TESL Canada Journal’s website and reading his piece!
You can also go straight to the PDF of his article by clicking here.
If you’d like to learn more about Mr. LaScotte, click here to view his Google Site.
If you liked “Leveraging Listening Texts in Vocabulary Acquisition for Low-literate Learners,” click here to see his other publications!
If you haven’t yet read last week’s post, I highly encourage you to do so! This is the complimentary post to last week’s!
Part of the reason I chose to attend SCSU is because it’s so conveniently situated in the middle of some really unique things to do!
Ever wonder what it’s like to attend school in Central Minnesota?! It’s pretty awesome, honestly! Central Minnesota presents opportunities for students of all kind!
Note: Please check websites for COVID updates before you visit any of these locations!
For my nature friends!
Lake George – Situated right next to campus, Lake George is a great place to hang out any time of year! While visiting, enjoy the walking paths, park, fishing, or other water sports!
Munsinger Clemens Gardens – Just across the river from SCSU, the beautiful Munsinger Clemens Gardens contains so many beautiful flowers and walking paths! Bring a picnic lunch, have a seat by the river, and enjoy the fresh air!
Quarry Park and Nature Reserve – Just five miles from campus, the Quarries is a great hangout any time of year! From hiking, to skiing, to swimming, the Quarries presents something for everyone!
Charles A. Lindbergh State Park – This is one of Minnesota’s beautiful state parks located about 40 minutes from campus! Enjoy an afternoon of hiking, swimming, and more, or spend the night in their campground and enjoy a few days within the park.
For those who love craft brews!
Beaver Island Brewing Company – Up for some good local craft brew? Check out the Beaver Island Brewing Company, just a short walk from campus!
Pantown Brewing Company – What’s unique about this brewery? It’s owned by a St. Cloud State University graduate! If that’s not enough reason to visit the brewery, then I don’t know what is!
Bad Habit Brewing – Head down the street to St. Joseph, MN for some truly unique brews! Sit in the taphouse or on the patio.
For those history buffs!
Charles A. Lindbergh Historic Site – Celebrate the man who made the first solo transatlantic flight! A native to Little Falls, Minnesota, Charles Lindberg’s life is documented at this historic site. You can also see his boyhood home!
Stearns History Museum – Visiting the Stearns History Museum is a perfect daytime activity to learn more about the county in which you are studying! At just three miles from campus, there’s no reason to not stop by!
For the adventure junkies!
Quarry Park and Nature Reserve – I know, this is a repeat on the list, but it’s for a good reason. Looking for an opportunity for some high adventure? Want to jump off cliffs into water below? You can do this at the Quarries! Make sure to exercise caution while cliff jumping.
Powder Ridge – Just 20 miles from campus, Powder Ridge is the perfect weekend day trip if you enjoy winter sports! You can downhill ski, snowboard, cross country ski, and more at Powder Ridge!
For the music and art lovers!
Paramount Center for the Arts – The Paramount really presents something for everyone. Watch a play or musical, attend a concert, or take part in a variety of arts-based classes!
Summertime by George – A free summer concert series that takes place by Lake George! Bring your lawn chair and get ready for a really fun evening! Also, get there early because parking can get a little hectic if you don’t!
For the sports fans!
SCSU sports games – This one is just a given! SCSU has so many amazing sports teams! You can always find a game to watch to support your fellow Huskies! One really great aspect of SCSU is the support system! Students are supported everywhere they turn. They’re supported by other students, professors, staff members and community members! Be part of the community of support by attending and cheering on your fellow Huskies!
Joe Faber Field – Home of the St. Cloud Rox. Check out a local ball game with friends!
Wobegon Trails – 65 miles of trails to walk, bike, run and more! Get outside for a causal walk or a lovely workout!
For those who love to shop!
Crossroads Center – Right in the heart of St. Cloud, Crossroads presents shops small and large. If you go, definitely check out the fudge in Scheels; you can get a free sample!
Mall of America – You’re coming to Central Minnesota to study! You might as well venture south and hit up the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota! If you like Crossroads, you will LOVE the Mall of America! (Bonus: MOA is also right near an IKEA in case you need to furnish your dorm or apartment!)
Nicollet Mall – Contrary to popular belief, Nicollet Mall isn’t a shopping mall, but does present some really great culture! Right in the heart of Minneapolis, Nicollet Mall is a one-stop-shop, so to speak. They have food and drinks, shopping, music, and attractions such as the Walker Art Center! Across the street from the Walker Art Center, you’ll find the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden home to the iconic “Spoonbridge and Cherry” sculpture.
I could continue this list of amazing Central Minnesota things to do, but for now, I’ll just leave it at this!
What is your favorite thing to do in Central Minnesota?
I often get asked, “Why SCSU?”
With so many good colleges and universities in Minnesota, choosing a secondary education institution may be difficult. I’ve lived in Central Minnesota my entire life and SCSU has always been in my backyard. I’ve always felt fortunate to have a large university right near my home.
When I began my search for graduate education, I started and ended with St. Cloud State University. It felt like there were no other logical options. I sent away my application and crossed my fingers!
I feel very fortunate to be learning at SCSU, and here’s why you should also consider coming to SCSU for your education.
These are just five reasons why you should consider attending SCSU! Believe me, there are so many more beyond these! If you’re a current/past student, what do you love most about SCSU or the local community?! Comment below!