GLS eNews September 14, 2020
GLS Weekly News - September 14, 2020
Join us every Thursday at 5 PM via Zoom for Virtual Porch Sitting! Please note the new meeting room link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/99662930148
GLS House remains closed until further notice. GLS staff are working remotely and may be reached via email.
In this edition:
- From the Director
- GLS Hosts Weekly Virtual Info Sessions
- Graduate School Launches New Video Series
- Professional Development Workshops for Master's Students
- Call for Submissions: Palaver
- Upcoming Events - Registration Open for AGLSP Virtual Conference
- Graduate School Updates and Coronavirus Resources
- Important Dates for GLS Students
From the Director
Hello GLS Community,
Good day from Week 2 of GLS A.D. – “after Dink.” As you all know, our beloved and long-serving staff assistant, Dink Suddaby, retired from Duke on September 4th. We were glad to be able to celebrate her with many of you (including my predecessors Donna Zapf and Diane Sasson) at our September 3rd virtual porch sitting. And on her last day, Lisa, Kent, and I surprised her by showing up at her house at the time of what she thought was our final afternoon Zoom staff meeting with flowers and Guglhupf tarts! We brought lawn chairs and all enjoyed an appropriately socially distanced visit in her yard before saying our goodbyes. I know that all of you who have known and worked with Dink over the years will understand when I say how much we already miss the brightness, warmth, and joy that her presence always radiated.
Due to an extremely tight budget for 2020-21, we will not be replacing Dink in the near term. We have redistributed her duties among the three remaining staff, with Lisa taking over the official role of Director of Graduate Studies Assistant – the person who works most closely with me and with various university systems to handle student issues, registration, course listings, and the like. For current students, that means that most queries that might have gone to Dink in the past should start with Lisa now. Partly due to this change, we will be shifting our E-News to a quarterly schedule going forward, with “Express” updates sent to current students weekly to update you about program deadlines and campus opportunities.
I am so thankful to have both Lisa and Kent helping me to keep the GLS ship “between the buoys” as we navigate ahead.
And speaking of navigating ahead, the second major transition of late is on our faculty Advisory Committee. As many know, this committee serves a number of roles for GLS: reviewing applications for admission, interviewing applicants, reviewing master’s project proposals, advising master’s projects, and generally helping to set the program’s direction. This summer, we bade goodbye to two of our longest-serving members: professors Melissa Malouf (English) and Deborah T. Gold (Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Sociology), both of whom retired from Duke at the end of June. Although in some ways a crude measure of the deep commitment both have had to our program and its students, a “by the numbers” summary gives a snapshot of all they gave us:
Melissa Malouf
Years on GLS Advisory Committee: 21
Year started teaching with GLS: Spring 1994
Most recent semester teaching with GLS: Summer 2015
Classes:
- First Person Narration: Autobiography and Fiction
- Portraits and the Literary Arts
- Sex, Death, and Money
Total MALS students taught: 162
Total MALS master’s projects supervised: 30
Deborah T. Gold
Years on GLS Advisory Committee: 21
Year started teaching with GLS: Summer 1998
Most recent semester teaching with GLS: Summer 2020
Total consecutive summers teaching for GLS: 23
Classes:
- Adult Development and Aging
- Aging and Health
- Death and Dying
- Art and Science of Death and Dying
- Aging and Death in Literature and Film
Total MALS students taught: 254
Total MALS master’s projects supervised: 41
We wish we could have celebrated Debby and Melissa at a special event this fall; however, like everything else, that day awaits the abatement of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, we are delighted to welcome two new members to the GLS Advisory Committee: professors Leo Ching (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies) and Mark Olson (Art, Art History & Visual Studies). Both scholars have worked with GLS students on master’s projects, and both have deep experience teaching and producing scholarship in interdisciplinary liberal arts spaces. They both also bring long histories at Duke and valuable connections with campus constituencies that GLS needs to reach. Leo and Mark join continuing members Thomas Brothers (Music), Amy Laura Hall (Divinity), Jonathan Shaw (Biology), and Susan Thorne (History). I look forward to working with the Advisory Committee in the coming year as we imagine and plan for GLS’s future.
GLS Hosts Weekly Virtual Info Sessions
Spread the word! Each Friday at 10 AM, through October 9, GLS will hold weekly virtual information sessions via Zoom. Word of mouth continues to be one our best recruitment tools, so if you know of someone you think might be interested in the program, please send them our way.
Info sessions are a great way for prospective students to learn more about GLS and to see whether it's a good fit for them. We'll talk about the application process, curriculum, faculty, students, cost, and how Duke employees can use their tuition benefit to help finance their degree. We will make time for your questions as well. Advanced registration is required. See our website for dates and registration details.
The Graduate School Launches Prescription for Persistence Series
The Graduate School has launched Prescription for Persistence, a new video series that outlines 10 strategies for staying the course in graduate school. Watch the first video below.
TGS Offers Virtual Professional Development Workshops for Master's Students
Each semester, The Graduate School offers several workshops specifically designed for students in the school’s research master’s programs as part of the Professional Development Series. Master’s students are also welcome at most other events offered as part of the Professional Development Series.
Next up:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2020, 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Developing Your Personal Leadership Brand
In this workshop, you will learn how to determine your destination and create your map by defining your purpose, values and principles through development of a Leadership Brand. Besides providing you with a “life compass,” this will differentiate you from others and allow you to present yourself in a consistent manner to everyone with whom you interact and lead. Learn why you need a Leadership Brand and what it can do for you.
See the full master's student workshop lineup here.
Call for Submissions
Upcoming Events
This year’s AGLSP conference will be held in a virtual format. Pre-recorded presentations will be shown during the conference and live question and answer sessions with presenters will be held via Zoom.
Click here to view the conference schedule.
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Please click here to register.
Online Resources for Graduate Students
- COVID-19 updates for students are available on Duke's Coronavirus Response website.
- Graduate School-specific COVID-19 updates are posted here. TGS has also created a FAQ for continuing and incoming international students.
- The Duke Student Assistance Fund was established better support master's students who may be experiencing difficulty providing for their basic needs during this extraordinary time.
- Blue Devils Care is a new mental telehealth service that can provide support wherever you may be located currently. You can access the service by using the key DUKE2020.
- The Career Center now offers online drop-in advising for graduate students on Wednesdays and Fridays. View the schedule here.
Important Dates for GLS Students
Registration Deadlines:
October 19 - Bookbagging begins for Spring semester
October 28-Monday, November 9 - Spring Registration
November 17-19 - Graduate reading period
November 20-November 24 - Final examinations
Master's Project Deadlines:
October 11, 2:00-3:30 PM - Optional MP proposal workshop (for Spring projects)
October 9 - Proposal meeting deadline (for Spring projects; contact GLS early in semester with supervisor availability)
October 23 - Proposal submission deadline (for Spring projects)
October 23 - "Apply for Graduation" deadline (for December graduation)
December 4 - Last Day to Hold Master's Exams
EVERY THURSDAY :
