Colloquium on 'Intellectual Curiosity and Enthusiasm in English Studies' is Feb. 16
A panel of faculty and English students will give a presentation on "Intellectual Curiosity and Enthusiasm in English Studies" from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, in the O'Shaughnessy Room, Room 108, O'Shaughnessy-Frey Library Center. Light refreshments will be served.
At this fourth discussion in the English Department's 2006-2007 colloquium series, the panelists will examine what does – or should – English as a discipline do now, and why? Is the discipline more interdisciplinary today? Do members of today's "millennial" generation read texts differently from those who belong to the "Baby Boomer" generation? How do we generate intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm in and for English studies?
In response to these questions, one of our four panelists suggests that English "allows one to explore many different topics in a very people-centered, story-oriented, simple to comprehend, and easy-to-enjoy way." Another panelist argues that "intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm are intimately connected to being surprised: surprised at details that I notice for the first time even though it's my 20th reading of a text, and surprised at all the things I thought I knew but find that I don't – at least, not yet." Join the English Department for this faculty-student discussion that attempts to expose the heart of current English studies.
The two remaining colloquiums for the 2006-2007 academic year are:
- Friday, March 9: Erica Frisicaro, "Square Pegs, Round Whole? New Literacies and the Structure of English Studies"
- Friday, April 20: Joan Piorkowski, "Drama of the Ordinary: Writing About the Sachsenhausen SS"
Questions about the colloquium series can be directed to the English Department, (651) 962-5600.
