Publications Internship with the Office of Health Promotions

Click here for the application.

Sports Illustrated Internship

Abbey Theatre Internship Grant

The Villanova University-Abbey Theatre Exchange program was established in 2011, linking the University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with the prestigious national theater of Ireland. As a development of this historic intellectual and artistic partnership, Villanova has announced an “Abbey Theatre Internship Grant,” which will provide a University student with the funding to travel abroad and work for the Abbey Theatre for eight weeks during the summer of 2013. In addition to bringing the finest Irish theatre practitioners to Villanova, the exchange program now provides a grant for a Villanova student to intern at the Abbey Theatre during their prominent summer season.

The University’s exchange program with the Abbey Theatre has created a bridge between the renowned Irish institution and Villanova’s Irish Studies Program and Theater Department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The collaboration brings some of Ireland’s preeminent theatre practitioners to the University’s campus to offer graduate and undergraduate courses, as well as workshops, conferences, lectures and other events that will be open to the public.

The recipient of the Abbey Theatre Internship Grant will be announced at Villanova University’s annual Abbey Theatre Lecture on Feb. 18, 2013, featuring award-winning Irish playwright Frank McGuinness. The internship program, which will begin at the end of May and continue for eight weeks, provides a student with the opportunity to work alongside theater professionals in the day-to-day operations of Ireland’s national theater and to help develop an innovative summer program for theater students. Application guidelines for the grant will be posted on the Villanova University Irish Studies Program Website (click here). Students who have at least junior status or are enrolled in a graduate program in the College of Liberal Arts and Science at Villanova University are eligible.

Applications are due by Jan. 11, 2013.

Prof. Lauren Shohet's Senior Seminar Research Conference

MATERIAL / TEXTS
SENIOR SEMINAR RESEARCH CONFERENCE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
SAC 300

10:30 IMAGE, STORY, MEDIUM
Shannon Welch, “The Intersection of Photography and Narrative in Japanese Photographic Novels”
Michael Libonati, “Metalepsis in Children’s Picture Books: ‘Realistic,’ Immersive, and Affective Experience for Young Readers”
Wesley Brown, “Pulp History: The Ascension of Science Fiction in the Mid-Twentieth Century”

11:30 LETTERS, SPECTACLES, AND SIGNS
Devon Ferris, "Scaffold Speeches: Medium, Form, Effect"
Anthony Iozzia, “Reading the Allegorical Landscape of Spenser's Faerie Queene”
Philip O’Connell, “Text Messaging: Effects of the Medium”

1:00 READING SPEECH, READING SILENCE
Tina Krajewski, "Sylvia Plath: Writing Suicide, Reading Betrayal"
Gregory Dool, “Silent Reading of Shakespeare in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries”
Stephanie Gabriele, “Madame Bovary and the Effects of Silent Reading"

Spring Literary Festival: January and February

Spring Literary Festival: March and April

Ryan Costella ('04) on 60 Minutes

Ryan Costella, an English and Political Science major who graduated in 2004, will be appearing on 60 Minutes on Sunday, Nov. 11.  The segment is entitled “Three Million Open Jobs”;  the one-minute preview video, in which Ryan appears, is here.  In the preview, he refers to the importance of being able to put together a sentence that doesn’t have grammatical errors.

Ryan is head of strategic initiatives at Click Bond in Carson City, Nevada.

Eli Goldblatt Talk

Allison McIntyre ('12) on Finding a Job

I graduated from Villanova University in May of 2012, with degrees in both English and Geography. I was in the unique position my senior year at Villanova of having completed all of my core requirements in the first semester, leaving my spring semester completely free before I officially graduated. As a direct result of this, I was afforded the opportunity to complete an amazing internship at National Geographic in Washington, DC. The internship program I was part of was special because it was geared towards Geography majors. However, I believe the unique combination of having both an English and Geography degree, and the strong communication skills an English major entails, is what set me apart from the hundreds of other applicants.  As one among nine other interns, many of whom also had other majors in addition to geography, I was the sole English major, and that greatly shaped my internship. I was given the opportunity to participate in the development of a marketing campaign aimed at promoting geography education as well as the opportunity to work with the Chairman Emeritus of National Geographic on several presentations.  It was the attention to detail and ability to think in creative ways while keeping in mind the ultimate goal of a project that I developed and honed as an English major at Villanova that was a key factor in my assignment of these prestigious projects.

A recent picture of Allison.

I am going to be honest;  finding a job in this day and age is not easy. I followed all the right steps;  I personalized every application and cover letter, detailing specific examples and characteristics that made me uniquely qualified for said position. And while employers were not causing my phone to ring off the hook, I did find that skills I had developed as an English major were applicable to any of the wide variety of jobs I applied for. Geography-based positions would be impressed by the caliber and readability of my scientific writing samples; other positions might have been more intrigued by my attention to detail and creative thinking skills.  Despite this, I had to send out a lot of applications before getting a yes.

A month ago, I started working at the Institute for Advanced Study, in Princeton, New Jersey. As a post-doctorate research center, known for having played host to Albert Einstein and other intellectual elites, IAS is one of the most unique working environments I could have imagined. I work in the Development Office, managing a large and expansive database containing the records of thousands of members, faculty, donors and other acquaintances. While my English degree is not being explicitly used, my job is a lot like trying to read and analyze a novel. I have been asked to research constituents, using our database and the internet to create brief 1-3 paragraph summaries of some of the most influential businessmen and women in the country, which are given to managers and directors at IAS in preparation for meetings and other events.

GWS Book Club

Jennifer Bradley ('13) on a Service Break Trip to San Diego

From Jen Bradley ('13):

Over fall break I had the opportunity to go on Villanova’s first service break trip to San Diego, California.  It was a mission trip that primarily focused on immersing ourselves in the immigrant population of San Diego.  We learned about border issues from a number of different viewpoints as we took a tour of San Diego’s border with Mexico with U.S. Border Patrol, and listened to the stories of struggling immigrants and day laborers.  We also worked on a farm, helped local artists restore a mural in Chicano Park, and visited two high schools in the area.  At the schools, we listened to the experiences of refugee students and learned how much they valued the educational opportunities in the U.S.  Interacting with the students was one of my favorite parts of the trip because it reinforced my desire to teach and mirrored my opinions on the importance of a liberal arts education that provides insight into several different perspectives.  I was also really excited to use my Spanish, and thankful for the opportunity to learn about current social issues outside of the classroom.

The mural Jen helped restore in Chicano Park;  Jen is fourth from the left.

Jen at work on the mural.

Prof. Heather Hicks in London

In October Prof. Heather Hicks presented a paper entitled, "Is Myth the New Genre?: Genre, Genre Fiction, and the Crusoe Factor” at an international symposium of the Association for the Study of the Arts of the Present in London.

Prof. Hicks took this photo of the Albert Memorial in London.

Catherine Phil MacCarthy reading

"Black Masculinities" Lecture

The time and location of the lecture have been changed to Wed., Nov. 7, 7:00 p.m., Radnor St. David's.

New English Professors

We hope you'll study with and get to know the two new faculty members who joined the English department this fall.

Prof. Travis Foster is a specialist in American literature before 1900. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and his B.A. from Amherst College, where he majored in both English and Economics. Prof. Foster previously taught at the College of Wooster. He is currently teaching English 4590 (The Civil War in American Literature) and Honors 1975 (Sophomore Seminar: Friendship and Eros).  In the spring he will be teaching English 1975 (Sophomore Seminar: Secrets and Lies) and English 4690 (Reading Sexualities in American Literature).

Prof. Brooke Hunter is a specialist in medieval literature. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Texas and her B.A. from Whitman College. Prof. Hunter previously taught at Loyola University, Maryland. She is currently teaching English 2101 (The British Literary Tradition I) and English 3150 (Chaucer).  In the spring she will be teaching English 2101 (The British Literary Tradition 1), English 3190 (Knights, Ladies, and Love: The Medieval Romance), and Honors 1975 (Sophomore Seminar: Heaven and Hell).

Click here to read full descriptions of all spring 2013 English courses and here to read full descriptions of all spring 2013 Sophomore seminars.

Professors Brooke Hunter and Travis Foster at the fall reception.

Creative Writing MFA Programs

Interested in Creative Writing MFA programs?  The article here details 25 top underrated programs.