Letter from the Directors

On behalf of the entire graduate faculty in the Department of English, we would like to welcome the nearly 70 of you who began your master's studies this month, and to the over 200 students who are returning to DePaul after a summer away from graduate classes, we extend to you a warm “Welcome back!”

We mark a number of important changes as we begin the 2008-2009 academic year: a new director for the MAE, a brand-new master’s program in writing, several changes in course numbering and course eligibility in your graduate program, and some shifts in administrative duties.

From Prof. Paula McQuade comes this news. I am delighted (and excited!) to assume the directorship of the MAE this year. Some of you already know me from classes in Shakespeare, Milton, and Renaissance drama courses that I teach, but let me introduce myself to those who don’t yet know me. I hold a Ph.D. in English Renaissance literature from the University of Chicago, and my principal area of research and writing is the field of casuistry and its relation to literature. For some of you, “casuistry” is an unfamiliar word, but I am more than happy to familiarize the word, and the field, to you. Please feel free to make an appointment with me to introduce yourself and to discuss your academic plans. I look forward to meeting you. I also want to acknowledge the wonderful contributions that Prof. Lesley Kordecki has made the last two years as director of the MAE. Professor Korkecki is returning full-time to the English faculty to devote more time to her research and writing. We all owe her a big “thank you” for her work as director.

Prof. Craig Sirles sends this. This fall we inaugurate our new Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing program, and I am very pleased to take the reins as director of this new program. I want to welcome the many continuing and new MAW students who have transferred to the MAWP, and I encourage any MAW student with interests in literary writing or in publishing to contact me about the many opportunities the MAWP offers. One of the big differences you will notice between the old MAW and the new MAWP is a dramatic increase in our writing workshop offerings: each quarter this year we are offering five workshop classes in a range of creative and literary writing genres, and with enrollment demand for writing courses expected to be even stronger in winter and spring, we anticipate adding at least one more. We have also added new “Topics” sections in publishing, form and style, and teaching. All in all, the graduate writing faculty in English is very excited about this unique graduate program in writing. In the next issue of Ex Libris, we will be sending you a summary of the course numbering changes that will go into effect in the winter 2009 quarter.

From Ms. Jan Flood comes this. The creation of two new programs, the Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing and the Master of Arts in Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse, does not at all signal the end of the venerable M.A. in Writing program. Because the MAWP and MAWRD programs were not officially approved and recognized until this past July, virtually all writing students who are beginning their graduate studies this fall were originally admitted to the MAW. We anticipate that most of these incoming students will eventually transfer to one of the two new programs, but we know that many students in the second year of their studies will remain in the MAW and finish degree requirements under the old requirements. I have taken on the responsibility of academic advisor for students who plan to stay in the MAW. Because of course numbering and label changes, you may well have questions about what classes fulfill which core requirements or major concentrations. I will try to convey all necessary information to you through Blackboard postings and in Ex Libris, but please feel free to contact me about any MAW questions you have.

Ex Libris, the monthly newsletter for the M.A. in English, the M.A. in Writing, and the new M.A. in Writing and Publishing, provides you with timely news and notices about your graduate program as well as about scholarly activities and opportunities that will be of interest to many of you. The only way you can ensure that you will receive this is to keep your preferred e-mail address current on your Campus Connection account and also to let us know of these changes. We rely on contact information supplied by you to send out important announcements about deadlines, scholarships, conferences, jobs, and internships. Please send any e-mail address changes to Ms. Flood at jflood@depaul.edu.

Lauren Abbott, a second-year student in the Master of Arts in Writing, is the editor of Ex Libris. Remember that Ex Libris is your newsletter. Please send us news about yourself and about events and organizations that would interest students and faculty in the MAE, MAW and MAWP programs. We are also interested in suggestions that would help Ex Libris serve you better. Send all e-mails to Lauren at labbott@depaul.edu.

Our graduate programs are housed in the McGaw 247 suite of offices. Please feel free to drop by to say “hello” to us or to introduce yourself.

Best wishes for a successful fall quarter and for an exciting, rewarding academic year. Graduate study is hectic, challenging, draining, but also exhilarating, fulfilling, and all too short. Come June 2009 (or 2010, 2011, ...), we will see you cross the stage at the commencement ceremony to receive your Master of Arts degree. And with this you will commence the next stage in your life as a long-long thinker, scholar, reader, and writer.

Jan Flood, Assistant Director, Graduate Programs in English
Paula McQuade, Director, M.A. in English
Craig Sirles, Director, M.A. in Writing and Publishing