This June marks the end of my third year at DGS, and thus the end of my first term, and I therefore want to begin by thanking all graduate students, past and present, who have made this a wonderful experience, so wonderful, in fact, that I am planning to return to the job after my leave, during which time things will be left in the immensely capable hands of Daniel Donoghue. To Dan therefore goes my second round of thanks for taking over the reins. 2012-2013 was busy as usual, perhaps even more so. Things started on a good foot with the great success of the G-2 class on their Generals, the first class to use the revised list. Marjorie Garber, with the help of Matthew Sussman, this year's departmental teaching fellow, guided the G-3s through their first teaching experience and introduced them to other aspects of the profession with her usual professionalism. The job market preparations were in the hands of James Simpson and Leah Whittington, who shepherded many students through that difficult process. Things were made easier, however, by the fact that the MLA was meeting in Boston, and not only for those on the market. The Graduate Advisory Committee organized an MLA party, which allowed job seekers a welcome occasion to relax in the company of their fellow students and professors, but it also was a good way to introduce younger G-years to the mysteries of the profession. Perhaps we can try to do something similar in future years: there's nothing like a party to take the edge of the hectic atmosphere of the MLA. Graduate selection and recruitment was next on the agenda, and I want to thank everyone who helped organize the visits of prospective students, which led to a wonderful class of incoming G-1s. Finally, both Seth Rosenbaum and Sara Gorman opted for the dissertation defense (needless to say, both performed excellently), and several more are scheduled for the fall. Everyone involved has found these defenses a meaningful and stimulating capstone experience and we are all looking forward to a time, not too far in the future, when they will become a regular feature of the graduate program.
The spring also saw the arrival—and departure—of the Visiting Committee, which had very good things to say about the graduate program, so I want to thank everyone involved in that process as well. Graduate education is changing in the face of new technologies. More students have been developing their personal websites, and several of our students participated in Harvard Horizons, an initiative that encourages graduate students to present their research to a non-specialist audience, and which culminated in a symposium during which the winners presented their work in the form of five-minute TED talks. Our own Liz Maynes-Aminzade was among the eight winners. I hope our graduate program will continue to be represented in this initiative, so please participate in the future! Finally, let me remind everyone that November 2012 marked Gwen Urdang-Brown's 25th anniversary at Harvard (and 23rd anniversary in the grad program) and that Shayna Cummings received the Dean's Distinction Award this March. With Gwen and Shayna, the grad program simply couldn't be in better hands.
Martin Puchner
One of the enduring pleasures of being a professor in Harvard’s English Department is the chance to get to know the graduate students. After all, each August brings a new wave of incredibly bright and motivated students whose arrival reinvigorates our department—and the vigor persists as they move through the program and collaborate with us as teachers and scholars. With this in mind, as I assume the role of acting DGS during Martin Puchner’s sabbatical, let me say how much I look forward to the chance to deepen my acquaintance with each of you: for some that means meeting for the first time, while for others it means building on what we already have.
During orientation, as is customary, each first-year student will have an informal advising session with me, which is always one of the most pleasant duties for a DGS. In addition I will set aside time to meet every second-year student at the beginning of the term. While not mandatory, these sessions might take on aspects of advising or they might be wideranging conversations. Either way, they can only help as we get to know one another better. These meetings for G1s and G2s are just the first opportunity. For all of you, no matter what number follows your “G,” feel free to stop me in the hallway or drop in during office hours for any reason at all.
Daniel Donoghue
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Junior Research Fellow, Magdalene College, Cambridge English Teacher, Deerfield Academy Clinical Assistant Professor, Galliton School of Individualized Study, NYU, Literature and the Visual Arts Visiting Assistant Professor, Macalester Visiting Assistant Professor, Washington University Research Librarian, Services for Academic Programs, FAS Library ACLS New Faculty Fellow, Department of English, University of Virginia Assistant Dean of Students, Columbia University Assistant Professor, Colgate University Fellow of Lincoln College. Oxford University Assistant Professor, University of Chicago Lecturer, History and Literature, Harvard
Alison Chapman: English 165
Seth Herbst: AIU 55
Michelle De Groot: English 40
Ari Hoffman: Culture & Belief 23
Margaret Doherty: English 165
Ari Hoffman: English 166
Nicholas Donofrio US-World 12
Craig Plunges: AIU 55
Margaret Gram: English 179j
Daniel Williams: English 194
Seth Herbst: English 59
Annie Wyman: English 52
Robert Jenkins: English 156 John Radway: AIU 12 Margaret Rennix: English 156 Stephen Tardif: AIU 42
Jadavpur University (BA 2011) Oxford (BA 2013) Interests: Medieval
Boston College (BA 2010) Interests: Critical Theory
Amherst (BA 2009) Interests: 20th C. American
Bard College (BA 2012) Interests: 19th C. British
Stanford (BA 2011) Interests: 20th C. British, Modernism, Visual Arts
This year has been a quiet but a successful one for the Graduate Advisory Committee. Our Director of Graduate Studies, Martin Puchner, shared with us changes to the structure of dissertation advising and the fields exam. We were pleased to provide feedback both to the graduate program directly and to the Visiting Committee this year. Social events, too, were a part of our agenda as a committee. With the annual MLA Convention in Boston, the GAC brought together alums and grads for cocktails and desserts downtown in early January. For several hours, we mingled, networked, and reminded ourselves of the sociability and warmth of our department in particular and our profession at large. We also hosted more than half of our prospective graduate students for afterhours pizza and beer in the department during their visit weekend this spring. Current grad students from G1s to G8s arrived to make our visitors feel welcome and to answer questions about the program. By all accounts,
SUNY Geneseo (BA 2012) Interests: Renaissance
University College Galway (BEng, MEng 1993) Hunter College (MFA 2013) CUNY (MA 2013) Interests: 18th C., Modern, and contemporary fiction; literature and philosophy; 20th C. drama; music
Princeton (BA 2010) Interests: American to 1900
Amherst (BA 2011) Oxford (MSt 2012) Interests: Poetry, esp. from 1900 to now; literature and music; contemporary fiction; comics; comedy and satire
the evening was an enormous success, and we hope to continue with similar events next year. Stay alert, too, for news about next year’s GAC Symposium. After two years’ hiatus, the conference will return with a full day’s worth of papers and discussion intended to showcase our graduate work and provide conference experience as well provide an opportunity to engage with top critics from across all fields. On that note, we’re glad for suggestions as to a second guest speaker to visit along with our keynote, Duke’s Nancy Armstrong—and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there are any concerns or questions related to graduate student life here at Harvard. That’s what we’re here for! Warmest wishes,
Annie Julia Wyman, chair Graduate Advisory Committee ajwyman@fas.harvard.edu
GSAS Residence Halls open
Registration Begins
Registration Ends
LABOR DAY
9am-5pm General Exams (G2s)
10am Departmental 7pm GSAS Discover Orientation for G1s Dudley(G1s)
10:30am GSAS Orientation & Dudley Fest (G1s)
3-5pm Language Exams
First Day of Classes 5p Dept. Welcome Reception
Study Card Day
Dissertations due for Nov. degrees
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