Farewell to the Chair: A Reflection with Professor Kaston Tange
Kira Schukar ’22
Professor Kaston Tange was first hired as a Victorian scholar in 2015, with the expectation that she would become chair two years into her tenure. After serving four years as chair of the Macalester English Department, she is taking her first sabbatical in more than a decade to focus on her personal projects, get back into essay writing, and talk to her plants. Read more about Professor Kaston Tange’s time as chair here…
English Faculty Lead New Discussion Series
Dalton Greene ’22
Throughout the past year, our amazing English faculty have showed up to support students in countless ways. One such way, developed specifically for seniors, was the inception of Keep Calm and Search On, a new lunchtime discussion series. For each session, seniors had the opportunity to gather on Zoom with English professors to talk about topics related to life after Macalester and be encouraged to….well, to keep calm amidst the uncertainty and search on for post-graduate opportunities. Read more about these sessions here…
(Even More) Rambles About the Ramblings
Kira Schukar ’22
This semester, the Podcasting Team in the Macalester English Department launched its own podcast, The Ramblings! A project that began in August of 2020, the department podcast features two English major seniors every episode and covers everything from capstone projects to their favorite fanfiction. The Ramblings will return next fall with new seniors, fresh episodes, and more quirks! Read more about each episode here…
Honoring the Class of 2021
Dalton Greene ’22
Each spring, the English Department sends off our graduating seniors with warm wishes and hearty congratulations on their many accomplishments here at Macalester. But this year, we at The Words felt that our seniors deserved some special recognition. The class of 2021 has weathered the most unusual senior year in recent memory, working on their capstone projects on an accelerated schedule and in a remote setting, all in the midst of a global pandemic. To honor all of their hard work, we want to acknowledge each of our graduating seniors. Read more about our class of 2021 here…
Celebrating the Class of 2021’s Capstones
Alice Asch ’22
The Words would like to take a moment to celebrate the graduating class of 2021’s magnificent capstones. As the culminating experience of an English major, these projects are impressive accomplishments in any year. For this group of students, however, finishing their capstones proved an especially daunting task: not only did they work amidst the backdrop of a pandemic, but they completed their projects in seven-week modules, rather than full semesters. Read more about these capstones here…
Celebrating Betsy Barthelemy’s Honors Project
Alice Asch ’22
In our February issue, The Words published a piece on Besty Barthelemy ‘21, who has earned the impressive distinction of being the sole English major to undertake an honors project this school year. When we last spoke to Betsy, she was in the thick of her research, working towards an April deadline. Now, three months later, we’re thrilled to report that Betsy has successfully concluded her studies! She presented her project, titled “Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Girlhood in the Creation, Content, and Consumption of Victorian Children’s Literature” via Zoom on Tuesday, April 20th. Read more about Betsy’s work here…
Congratulations to the 2021 English Department Award Winners!
Dalton Greene ’22
As another year winds down here on Old Main 2, the English department is thrilled to announce the recipients for our 2021 End-of-Year awards, who were honored at our virtual End-of-Year Celebration on May 6. Read more about the awards here…
Newsletter Staff
Senior Editors
Alice Asch ’22
Dalton Greene ’22
Kira Schukar ’22