Maria Colletti is an English major / Journalism minor on the English honors track. She’s a proud Alpha Nu Zeta member, and serves on the SBU English Advisory Committee, a collaborative council composed of students and staff dedicated to improving the SBU English department. As Maria embarks on the last semester of her undergraduate career, she reflects on her experience at Stony Brook:
What’s your favorite area of study/topic within your major, and why?
Since last Spring, I have been working on my honors thesis. I decided to focus on the expression of gender and sexuality in children’s literature. Although the topic has become increasingly prevalent in both the news cycle and politician’s mouths, relatively few scholarly articles analyze the literature itself. Having the opportunity to fill in that gap has been super rewarding. I think children’s literature in general often goes overlooked; the reality is: children’s books never stop being insightful, helpful, and relevant!
What do you wish to do with your degree, and why?
Ideally, I would like to apply my degree to the publishing world! My favorite part about my schoolwork has always been the editing process. I find a lot of joy in scrutinizing words, weighing one synonym against another, and having the smallest difference in meaning be a tie-breaker. The same goes for comma placements, the use of em dashes, and pretty much every other grammatical element there is to deliberate over. The opportunity to go through this process for a living would be incredible.
What made you pursue English as a major? What’s the most fulfilling part of your major?
Since I was an elementary schooler, English has been my favorite subject. It felt like something I could depend on; a good book has never disappointed me and, as aforementioned, writing has consistently been something I could feel confident in. I wanted to choose to dedicate my studies, my time, and myself to a subject I genuinely loved, and English was just that. To me, studying English seemed like a no-brainer! I feel really lucky to have had a clear view of what I wanted to academically pursue from an early age.
What has been your favorite class that you’ve taken so far?
I really loved taking EGL 286 with Professor Wertheimer in the first semester of my sophomore year. The class is a poetry workshop committed to helping students find their individual poetic voice. Every class, we would align the desks to form a circle, and share our writing with each other. Our peers would then offer constructive criticism. I learned a lot in that class. Perhaps the most important lesson I learned from EGL 286 is that it’s okay to start writing without having clear intentions pre-determined. The uncertainty can lead you to create something you never would have thought of had you not been spontaneous!
What’s been the most interesting thing you’ve learned either from any of your classes or your time as an English major?
In my first year of undergrad, I learned how to integrate poetic language into academic papers. Incorporating words typically associated with emotions into an essay whose (see?) subject is more emotionally detached or distant can evolve and improve the writing and reading experience. Likewise, occasionally deciding to use less conventional (albeit still technically correct) grammar can help writers establish a unique voice and, in doing so, keep readers engaged.
What advice would you give to students who are interested in becoming an English major?
Honestly, my advice to anyone who is considering become an English major is the same advice I would offer anyone considering majoring in anything: take a class in the subject (preferably one that fulfills a gen ed requirement) and, if you really enjoy it and can genuinely envision yourself pursuing a career within the field said major appertains to, major in it! If you choose to be an English major, prioritize time management and consider getting a Libby subscription as virtual and audiobooks can really come in handy (plus it’s always good to support libraries)! Most of all, though, please allow yourself to be in touch with, learn from, and grow with the material. You will probably change for the better.
Chelsea B. Osademe is a Nigerian-American scholar from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. She joins the Department of English as a PRODiG+ Fellow. She researches and teaches in the areas of Black Cultural Studies, Contemporary African-American Literature, Gothic studies, Media studies, and Feminist theory. Her current work places Black studies and Gothic studies in conversation with one another by surveying Black cultural and literary works produced at the onset of The Black Lives Matter Movement, and amidst a political climate that circulated the narrative of a post-racial society during the Obama administration. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Spelman College, an M.A. in English with a concentration in Cultural Studies and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies from Kansas State University, and a Ph.D. in American Studies with a certificate in African American and African studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Angelyse is an English major in her senior year who is incredibly passionate about the interdisciplinarity and community of her major. In her studies, Angelyse likes to focus on theoretical approaches to literature and how it relates to historical events, all while engaging in active discussion with her peers to take her research to the next level!
Yolanda Mackey-Barkers joins us as an Assistant Professor of African American Literature and Culture. Mackey-Barkers earned a dual-title PhD in English Literature and African American and Diaspora Studies from Pennsylvania State University. Her research and teaching focus on African American literary history, print culture, and the Harlem Renaissance.