EMU Today

YPSILANTI — The English Graduate Student Association (EGSA) at Eastern Michigan University is hosting a specialized conference featuring around 20 research and creative projects presented by graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences.

In addition to showcasing work from all five graduate programs in the Department of English Language and Literature, participants also include graduate candidates from the Department of History and Philosophy and the Department of Women’s & Gender Studies.    

The 2019 Conference will occur between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday, April 5, on the second floor of the Pray-Harrold building. Light refreshments will be provided in the morning. Admission is free and open to the public.  

“We are working to foster opportunities for graduate students to work together, grow credentials, and share research,” said EGSA President Dominic Meo, a graduating candidate in the Literature MA Program. “Our annual Conference is just one example of our public-facing, collegial effort to provide opportunities for professional development … This networking opportunity is critically important to the graduate community at Eastern.”   

In addition to providing networking for current graduate students, EGSA hopes that this event will showcase graduate research in the humanities for both undergraduate students considering graduate school and members of the public.

“There’s a misconception that graduate-level research really only occurs in STEM fields, and an even bigger one that English majors don’t end up with skills that lead to ‘real jobs’,” said Lin Soria, EGSA’s Community Outreach Coordinator and a candidate in the Written Communication - Technical Writing MA Program. “EGSA hopes that by going public with our activities, we can change that line of thinking.”     

Among the research featured is the work of graduate scholars working in the Jewish Life and Language in Southeast Michigan (JLLSM) project, a cooperative research initiative conducted through the joint efforts of the Linguistics and Jewish Studies programs at Eastern Michigan University.

JLLSM documents the life and language of the Jewish people, capturing the community’s experiences in its own words. Linguistics MA Candidates Rachael Crain, Mae Bower, Shelby Taylor and Janet Lapalla are to present “Northern Cities Vowel Style Shifting: Evidence from Jewish Women in Metro Detroit,” detailing one component of the overall larger, ongoing research project.     

For more information about the EGSA Conference and EGSA’s other activities, please visit the EGSA page or contact the EGSA Board at EGSA.EasternMichigan@gmail.com.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.