A Message from the Undergraduate Officer (continued)

In 2014/2015 our English undergraduates have been involved with a series of really exciting initiatives and projects. I began my term as Undergraduate Chair this time last year, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see so many students begin their paths as English majors, see others graduate and move on to careers or graduate programs, and to help all of our students make informed choices about classes, majors, minors, and specializations.

On that note, it is worth pointing out that we have new specializations in Global Literatures and in Digital Media, and a new specialization and minor in Technical Writing. In 2015/2016, we will unveil a new 2^nd-year creative writing course, a course devoted to “Gothic Monsters,” courses on J.R.R Tolkien and Harry Potter, and a “Fiction and Film” class.

Our current course on “The Superhero” was featured in MacLean’s magazine this year, and our “Digital Lives” class was mentioned by The Huffington Post as one of the most interesting undergraduate courses in the country. We teach not just our own majors, but also students from every other discipline in our electives and in our writing offerings. Waterloo English therefore contributes unique and essential skills and perspectives to the UW education of so many students.

Our own undergraduates are energetic, adventurous, and smart. In the past year, they have applied themselves not just in the classroom but also in co-op placements all over the region, the country, and sometimes the world. Our students also explore academics and culture through International Exchange terms at the more than 90 partner universities with which UW is associated.

Our English Peer Mentors, led by Megan Honsberger, met throughout the year and worked to help English Majors with their coursework. The group participates in formal mentoring training sessions with the Student Success Office, and then sets up opportunities for workshops and social events throughout the year. The English Student Society, led this year by Matthew Sleiman, continued to meet up for social events and poetry slams and book club meetings, and will be publishing another issue of Codex this year featuring undergraduate creative writing.

We held a very successful and well-attended Career Paths event in Winter, featuring local marketing and advertising gurus (as well as an ice cream sundae bar). Look for more of these events in Fall 2015. Our students continue to make compelling connections between their studies and career possibilities – be that through innovative co-op placements, events like the Career Paths talks, or the fact that English students have won the past two Arts Co-Op Work Term Report competitions.

The face of the Undergraduate Office has also been changing in 2015. Many of you may remember Emily Hudson, Undergraduate Coordinator, as she answered your questions about plans and courses and exams. Emily was offered a great opportunity to move to another job at UW. But we were then very lucky to lure Jenny Conroy away from her previous position at Trent University to come and join us. If you haven’t met Jenny yet you soon will, as she works tirelessly to advise students, schedule classes, plan events, and otherwise infuse our program with energy. We are very lucky to have Jenny on our team! We look towards the coming school year with excitement and we invite you to come and join us for a class or an event. But we also hope you can help us to raise awareness about all that UW English has to offer. Despite our successes, we worry that many Ontario high school students don’t know much about our department. So please help us to spread the word!

Jay Dolmage,

Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies