Dale W. Simpson, Head Email: simpson-d@mssu.edu
Do you need to take your first college writing course? All MSSU students must take the Writing Placement Exam before enrolling in their first college writing course. For information on the Writing Placement Exam & schedule, click HERE.
Art Saltzman Dies Suddenly: Click here.
Longtime colleague Art Saltzman died on January 8, 2008, at home. He was just 54. His death leaves a huge hole in the department, which had enjoyed his presence for 26 1/2 years. Art was laid to rest in a graveside service in Chicago on January 11. A memorial service was held on February 3, from 2:00 to 3:30, in the Spiva Gallery on campus. Saltzman family members were also present. A prolific author, outstanding teacher, and good colleague, Art will be missed.
To read the Chicago Tribune obituary notice and the guestbook, posted January 10, click here.
Jan Crandall Loses Battle With Cancer
The Department lost another valued, long-time member in February of 2008. Jan Crandall, part-time instructor of composition, passed away on February 15 after a long battle with cancer. Jan taught for the department for 20 years before taking time off to fight her disease. She will be long remembered for going the extra mile to help athletes succeed in their writing courses. One of her successes was Rod Smith, who went on to play for the Denver Broncos. Had it not been for her commitment to their academic success, many athletes might not have made it. She also served as a mentor to new part-time faculty, with whom she shared techniques and assignments.
For the Chart story online, click here.
Voice of the Shuttle
(Unversity of California at Santa Barbara)
Literary Links
(Jack Lynch, Rutgers University)
Language Links
(Richard Lederer)
Links
for Writers and Writing Instructors (Jack Lynch)
Linguistics Links
(Summer Institute of Linguistics)
Bulfinch's
Mythology Link
Philosophy Links: Philosophy in
Cyberspace
Professional Organization Sites: NCTE
|
MLA
| CCCC | American
Dialect Society | Mo Assn of
Teachers of English (MATE)
The department of English & Philosophy offers Core Curriculum courses in composition and literature for all students at the College. These courses emphasize writing and analytical skills and cultivate an appreciation of literature in all its variety. The department also offers majors in English leading to the bachelor of arts degree and the bachelor of science in education degree. The bachelor of arts in English provides an excellent preparation for graduates who plan to enter business and industry, who plan to pursue graduate studies in English, and who plan to enter professional schools such as law and even medicine. Graduates of this program are employed in such widely diverse occupations as human resources, advertising, publishing, sales management, law, mass communications, and college teaching. English majors develop strong skills in writing, organization, and creativity, and they develop a perception and appreciation of the human values that grow out of the study of literature. Such skills equip English majors for success in the many different fields of employment described above, and more.
The bachelor of arts English major at Missouri Southern, revised recently to meet the needs of the 21st century student, now comprises two major tracks. The literary studies track focuses on the traditional study of literature, preparing the student for advanced study of English in graduate school, for law school, and for a variety of careers in which understanding of human nature, critical thinking, and oral and written communication skills are valued. The three writing emphases prepare the student for more specialized careers involving writing in the workplace—such as public relations, copy writing and editing, technical writing, and desktop publishing—and creative writing. The Creative Writing Emphasis provides the student with the full range of poetry and fiction courses. The Professional / Technical Writing Emphasis prepares the student for writing in the workplace by providing experiences with the software and hardware in use in the corporate workplace. Both tracks require senior capstone experiences: a Senior Seminar (English 495) in the literary studies track and one or two internships (English 491) in the writing emphases. These internships allow the students practical experience using writing and research skills in a workplace environment.
The bachelor of science in education English degree prepares students who wish to teach English/Language Arts at the secondary level (grades 9-12). The English BSE program is accredited by the National Council on Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), following all the guidelines for teacher preparation of both of these organizations. Taking a prescribed set of courses in Teacher Education and in English, candidates for this degree may choose to certify to teach English as a single field (Plan B) or English plus another field (Plan A). Students who wish to certify to teach English/Language Arts in the middle school should consult the Teacher Education Program information in the catalog on page 165.
The English Department also offers
an
English
minor with a choice of two emphases. The first, a minor
in English with an emphasis in literature, is a traditional English
minor that allows students to deepen their knowledge of literature and
writing. The
minor in English with a writing emphasis
is designed for students to develop their writing skills, and it
provides
them with a way to present their accomplishments to prospective
employers
and graduate schools. Students who wish to minor in English will
arrange
a coherent sequence of courses in consultation with the departmental
adviser
for minors. Students should choose courses on the basis of their
backgrounds, their major programs, and, above all, their
interests.
The department offers its majors and other students opportunities to
use
their talents and pursue their interests through student organizations
like the Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society and Live Poets Society, creative
arts publications (The Winged Lion), and departmental projects like the
annual English Field Day, hosted by the department for high school
students.
| MYTH: Only teachers and people in education benefit from a major in English. |
| FACT: There are many other opportunities, none of which involve teaching, which should lay to rest the myth that an English major can expect difficulty in securing a position in a profession other than teaching. |
Students attracted to journalism may write for the College's weekly newspaper, The Chart, also an ACP All-American and Regional Pacemaker award winner. For those interested in feature writing, The Crossroads, the College's magazine, provides this writing outlet. For more information on these publications, click here.
Faculty of the Department annually recognize outstanding English majors at the annual Student Awards Banquet held in the spring of every year. Awards are of two types: faculty nominated and competitive.
Faculty Nominated
The English faculty work closely with the staff of Spiva Library to provide a well-balanced collection of materials for student study and research. The faculty are actively involved in assisting students in becoming more effective in using these materials.
The English department faculty also assist students in preparing for admission to graduate or professional schools and for their entry into the world of work. Students should consult the College Catalog for Core, major, and graduation requirements; suggested orders of study are in the catalog.
Dale
W. Simpson, E-mail: simpson-d@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (North Texas)—Medieval,
Linguistics, English
Education
Head, Department of English
David
L. Ackiss, E-mail: ackiss-l@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Duke)—British Romantic
Literature
Barry
E. Brown, E-mail: brown-b@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Rochester)—Philosophy, Logic
Joey
R. Brown, E-mail: brown-jr@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Oklahoma)—Interdisciplinary Studies, Technical Writing, Fiction
Writing
Joy
S. Dworkin, E-mail: dworkin-j@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Michigan)—Creative Writing,
Russian Literature
Hillary Fogerty, E-mail:
fogerty-h@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (University of Washington)—Shakespeare,
Medieval & Early Modern British Literature
George
C. Greenlee, E-mail: greenlee-g@mssu.edu
—M.A. (NE Louisiana)—The Short Story,
O'Connor; Director, Writing Program &
Writing Assessment
Michael Howarth,
E-mail: howarth-m@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (University
of Louisiana)-Lafayette—Children's
Literature, Creative Writing
William
A. Kumbier, E-mail: kumbier-w@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (SUNY-Buffalo)—Comparative
Literature,
Technical Writing
Holly
McSpadden, E-mail: mcspadden-h@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Texas)—19th & 20th
Century Transatlantic
Literature
Ann
M. Marlowe, E-mail: marlowe-a@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (New Mexico)—19th Century
British, American
Patricia
Murphy,
E-mail: murphy-p@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Iowa)—Victorian
Literature, Gender
& Ideological Issues, Literary Theory
Michael
T. Rodgers, E-mail: rodgers-m@mssu.edu
—ABD (Tulsa)—20th Century American
Cliff
Toliver,
E-mail: toliver-c@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Texas)—British &
World Literature;
Historical Linguistics; Children's Literature; Coordinator, Dual-Credit
Composition
Doris
A. Walters, E-mail: walters-d@mssu.edu
—Ph.D. (Arkansas)—Modern British
Literature, Women's
Lit., English Education
Visiting Professors, 2008-09
Rebecca Kanan
—ABD, University of Maryland
Ron Cansler
—Ph.D.,
University of Missouri
Charline S. Lewis, E-mail: lewis-c@mssu.edu
Fall 2008 Adjunct Faculty and Assignments
Holly Doubledee Chism, M.A., Kansas State, Eng 101, 102
Kim Horner, M.A., University of
Tulsa, Eng
101
dual credit, Eng 102
Sherrill Jamo, M.S., University of
Connecticut,
Eng 101, 102 online
Dustin Keys, MA, Southeastern Louisiana University, Eng 102
Trisa Moss, M.A., Southwest Missouri State
University, Eng 101
Kathleen
Studebaker, M.F.A., University of
Southern California, Eng 102
Kyle Tucker, M.A., Southwest Missouri State University, Eng 102
Erin Wilson, M.A., Pittsburg State University, Eng
Recently Retired English Faculty
Jimmy C. Couch, Professor of English, 1970-2006
Henry G. Morgan, Professor of
English,
1971-2001
Joseph Lambert, Professor of English, former
Head, 1971-1999
Elliott Denniston, Professor of English,
1974-1999
Henry Harder, Professor of English, former
Head, 1970-1998
Stephen Spector, Professor of English, former
Head, 1992-1998
Harry Preble, Professor of English, former
Head, 1968-1996--deceased, 2004
| MYTH: An English major is not appropriate for admission to graduate schools in other disciplines. |
| FACT: The intellectual discipline gained from the English major is good preparation. For example, in one large, prestigious Chicago law firm, the most common undergraduate major is English. |
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Updated June 2, 2004 Copyright©; Missouri Southern State University, 1997, all rights reserved.
