Workshop Recap: Path to the PhD

AGSE hosted Dr. Kent Baxter to share his journey in getting his PhD. This was a great opportunity to learn a little more about our Graduate Advisor as well as gain some valuable knowledge about the PhD process.

Couldn't make it on May 9th? Thanks to your 2013 - 2014 Recording Secretary, Wafa Azeem, here is a recap of the day's talk!  

Dr. Baxter’s story: 
He received his bachelor’s degree from CSUN in 1983, going from a music major, to Psychology, before finally choosing English. It took him 5 ½ years to get his degree.
He applied to UCLA, UCB, and USC for their PhD programs, getting accepted to USC, then deferring a year to travel in Europe instead.
When Dr. Baxter returned, he wasn't allowed to reclaim his spot at USC, but got incredibly lucky and found a place because someone else had dropped.
Through hard work and perseverance, he received his doctorate.


Some things to consider for a PhD:

• Are you interested in independent and focused learning? Do you work well without a lot of “hand
  
  holding?”: You really, really, really have to love the work that you do and the subject that you’re working on. You’re going to face a lot of obstacles and your passion is what will get you through it. (The programs are also really competitive and this creates a lot of anxiety, so again, you really need to love the work.)
• Think about funding: Teaching English Composition or a T.A.-ship can get tuition waived and sometimes may include a stipend.
• If you’re willing to put in the hard work and effort the program requires, you will do quite well, regardless of background. 
• You learn a lot through teaching, so consider the teaching opportunities the school has.
• Academic relationships are essential, so look at how available the faculty is and how involved they are. 
• Check the requirements of the school; do they require you to have fluency in two languages? 

Job Market:

5% RI- Research schools. (Usually the elite schools like Harvard and Yale).
95% in schools like CSUN (Where research emphasis is lighter than the RI schools. Focus more on teaching).

Questions to ask yourself:

Do you really love the work?
Do you like the graduate mode of study?
Can you be somewhat flexible in your approach to the program? (How broad is the program. Are you willing to explore different avenues of the topic?)
Have you researched programs?
Course requirements?
Languages?
How many people actually finish the program?
Availability of professors?

Thank you to everyone who could join us, and to the 2013 - 2014 board members: Wafa Azeem for her notes, and Stephanie Lim, for her pictures.

Conference Recap: "Innocence and Experience" - March 9, 2013

Our panels this year featured a variety of topics, everything from pedagogy and nature, to Rocky Horror and Peter Pan, we followed our presenters down the rabbit hole to look at innocence and experience from a range of theoretical, critical, and creative perspectives.

Sean Pessin, Vana Derohanessian, and Jaclyn Hymes












Holly Batty, Mary Gifford, and Susana Macelo

Sonia Chumber, Stephanie Harper, and Eric Barnhart

Dr. Haake moderates Trista Payte, Megan Betry, and Jessica Canton

Elizabeth Jurgensen and Jeff West












Yollotl Lopez presents on The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dr. Chatterjee introduces Laura Beerits, Melissa Palazzo, and Gina Srmabekian










New to this year were two special panels. The first, sponsored by the Northridge Creative Writing Circle (NCWC) featured readings and a Q & A with Creative Writing Alums Theresa Shreffler, Ara Shirinyan, and Joseph Mattson. 

Dr. Irene Clark moderated one of the most poignant and entertaining panels of the day. 

Our five freshmen presenters shared their literary narratives and concluded with a song that brought a standing ovation from the crowd. 

(A huge thank you to Jocelyn Segovia for capturing and sharing Valerie Mok's performance on YouTube! Watch it above)

Dr. James Kincaid's keynote presentation on "'No Cause, No Cause': Plots of Forgiveness" was a look at forgiveness from Dickens to Sandusky. 

(to see the video of Dr. Kincaid's presentation, see our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/agse.csun)

The AGSE 2012-2013 board would like to thank all our fantastic presenters, moderators, members, and volunteers for making "Innocence and Experience" the success that it was. None of this would have been possible without your help and support! 

A special thank you to our graduate advisors, Dr. Ranita Chatterjee and Dr. Kent Baxter, and to our "just darling" keynote speaker Dr. James Kincaid. 

Next Month: 

Our annual "Path to the PhD" Seminar with Dr. Baxter

and Elections!

"Innocence and Experience" Program and Information

Located at the USU, 2nd Floor

#26 on the map below

(larger map HERE)

New to Presenting at Conferences?

February Meeting Highlights

AGSE is happy to announce our Spring Workshop, just in time for our Spring Conference "Innocence and Experience,"

How to Present at a Conference

Join AGSE and Dr. Spratt on Friday, March 1st @ 2:30 in JR319!

Please bring a paper that you are thinking about presenting at a conference. 

If you will be presenting for the first time, you are at all nervous about presenting, or even if you just need some helpful tips and tricks, this workshop is a prefect opportunity to gain some valuable knowledge about the world of conferences. All are welcome!

Speaking of our Conference, which is Saturday, March 9th, from 9:00 to 5:00 PM (stay tuned for the unveiling of the program!), if you are not presenting but have some free time to help us out, AGSE could always use some extra hands! If you weren't able to sign up at the meeting, let us know via email to agse.csunorthridge@gmail.com or through our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/agse.csun

We are looking for ideas and suggestions for a Spring FUNdraiser! If you know any fun events that will bring money to our organization, let us know. We have some great suggestions that we are currently looking into, including laser tag, bowling, and beer pong at The Draft on Ventura Blvd. Stay tuned! 

We are always taking book donations - anything you donate now will benefit next year's conference and the incoming 2013 - 2014 members! Bring any books to the 8th floor of Sierra Tower - next to the elevator is closet marked "faculty lounge." It's nearly always open, but on the rare occasion is it not, Frank in the English  Department office one floor down will help you out! 

If you'd like to be a 2013 - 2014 AGSE officer, now's the time to start thinking! Elections will be held sometime in April, but until then if you have any questions you can always ask any of our current officers. We'll give you insights into the inner workings of AGSE, just find any of us around campus or send us a note on Facebook! 

Next Month: 

Conference time! 

As always, thank you to all our fabulous members who make AGSE possible!

How to Write an Abstract Workshop

Couldn't make it to our "How to Write an Abstract" Workshop with Dr. Ian Barnard? Not to worry, we have you covered! 

Why present at a conference at all? 

1. It's good to get feedback from scholars and peers
2. You can share and show off your ideas!
3. Join in a scholarly conversational.
4. Network.
5. It looks good on resume
6. Party it up! Some conferences have big parties! 

What are the steps for presenting at a conference? 

1. Find a call for papers (look on www.cfplist.com and www.cfp.english.upenn.edu)
2. Beware of conferences that ask for more that $100 for a registration fee, as they could be a scam!
3. Submit to many different conferences. You don't have to go to all of them. Some conferences are large (MLA, CCCC) and some are small (AGSE, graduate conferences). It may be a good idea to start with small ones if you have never done a conference before. Small conferences are generally more warm and welcoming.
4. Peer referee process. Some conferences ask for no names on the abstract to make the selection process fair. Some ask for a CV (which generally means they are looking for big names).

Do I submit a paper I have written or do I write a new paper? 

1. As a graduate student, it's a good idea to submit an abstract for a paper you have already written, since we are all so busy writing papers anyways!
2. You can submit an abstract for a paper you have not yet written. This is called the art of BSing! The drawback is that then you have to write an extra paper.

Here are some general tips for writing an abstract: 

1. In the language of your abstract, act like you already wrote the paper.
2. Summarize your main argument.
3. Show the significance to what is going on in the field - add your voice to the conversation.
4. Indicate if you are going to do something different in your presentation (mode of presentation) other than just reading the paper. This can be everything from using multimedia to doing an interpretive dance.
5. Try to polish your writing.
6. Follow the abstract guidelines. Don't go over the word count.
7. Connect your title to conference theme if possible. Title should also indicate the significance of your ideas.
8. If submitting a creative writing piece, summarize what you are doing in your piece (AWP is a well-known conference for creative works).
9. Use some buzz words (jargon), especially if your paper is heavy on the theory.

* Once you have been accepted, remember that the paper you present does not have to reflect what you stated in your abstract!

A big thank you for everyone who could make it and to Dr. Barnard for leading a fabulous and informative Workshop! 

Stay tuned for part 2, coming Spring 2013 

Need help writing your abstracts for AGSE's Spring Conference?