Author: Sara Sobota

Publications Editor, Edwards College at Coastal Carolina University
February 7, 2023 English Corner Professor Profiles Post a Comment

Sara Sobota

  1. What is your area of specialty?

Professional and business writing. In addition to teaching as a senior lecturer, I work as publications editor for the Edwards College, so I do a lot of writing and also have the chance to work closely with students through writing internships.

  • What is the title of your master’s thesis or dissertation?

My master’s thesis is titled “Heteroglossia According to Garp: The Polyphany of Voices in the Recent Works of John Irving.” The work explored four of Irving’s most recent (at the time! ) novels — Hotel New Hampshire, The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules, and A Prayer for Owen Meany — through the lens of Mikhail Bakhtin’s narrative theory of heteroglossia. My thesis traces and analyzes Irving’s use of a variety of linguistic forms within his works and how he layers voices and dialects upon one another to achieve specific goals .

  • What is your most recent publication?

I write feature stories for Tapestry, the alumni magazine of the Edwards College, and I’m a contributor at Grand Strand Magazine. Most of my publishing work is in magazines; you can see several of my pieces in the latest version of Tapestry, or you can read “Transformative Growth” in the Feb/March 2023 issue of Grand Strand.

  • What is your favorite assignment to assign?

I always like the group projects in business communication; the assignment requires students to work together to research a particular company as a potential employer. The students always come up with companies that are unfamiliar to me, and I see a different side of those students when they’re the ones up there teaching the class.

  • What was the last book you read?

I’m currently enrolled in a low-residency MFA program in creative writing at Bennington Writing Seminars. I’m working on a book-length memoir, so I’ve been reading many, many memoirs and works of nonfiction. The most recent was The Story of my Father by Sue Miller. Another recent favorite was How We Fight for Our Lives by Saeed Jones.   

  • What are your favorite events on campus?

I always love the Words to Say It writers’ series, and I also enjoy CCU theatre productions. I saw The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime a few weeks ago, and it was great.

  • What is your favorite place to eat on campus?

I usually eat at my desk, but sometimes I wander up to the faculty lounge in the Edwards building and have a chance to chat with colleagues. It’s always lovely.

  • What do you enjoy most about CCU?

The opportunity to work with so many colleagues from different departments around the college. I really enjoy experiencing, and writing about, how each discipline approaches and encourages a life in the humanities in the same, and in different, ways.

October 10, 2022 English Corner Faculty Voices

Alan Reid on philosophy, technology, and guns

Alan Reid author of book

Alan Reid, associate professor of English, is knowledgeable about technology and has a concern about guns and gun culture in the United States. These blended impulses led to the creation of his latest scholarly work, A Philosophy of Gun Violence.

In many ways a follow-up to his 2018 book The Smartphone Paradox: Our Ruinous Dependence in the Device Age, Reid applies the same philosophy of technology to guns.

Cover of book

“Our technological artifacts, like smart phones or guns, are non-neutral,” said Reid. “They are positively charged for a deliberate, specific use. Smart phones are intended for you to pick it up and scroll, and they are designed to hold your attention in those ways. Similarly, guns are designed for you to pick it up, hold it, and pull the trigger.”

In addition to his research background in the philosophy of technology, Reid’s interest in this topic generated from his concern as a citizen and a parent about increasing desensitization of gun violence, including nationwide increases in gun sales as a solution to that violence.

“It hit me after Sandy Hook in 2012 that we’ve really crossed a line in terms of normalization,” said Reid. “That, and the call for more firearms — more access to guns. It led me on a path of thinking, ‘This is not the approach we should take, and here’s why.’”

Reid incorporates concepts from a wide range of contemporary tech philosophers in presenting his case, including Bruno Latour’s Actor Network Theory (ANT) and the work of Peter-Paul Verbeek and Langdon Winner.

“Our technological artifacts, like smart phones or guns, are non-neutral. They are positively charged for a deliberate, specific use.”

Alan Reid

“The basic concept is that technologies invoke actions,” said Reid. “I’m not saying that guns make people kill people. But, they can change your perception of reality; they can distort your views of things. Especially when one is carrying a gun, open or concealed, it changes circumstances, and I think that’s really dangerous. I reference Latour, who said, ‘You are different with a gun in your hand, and the gun is different with you holding it.’”

Reid also offers a background on technology and how he defines it, incorporating concepts from the field of semiotics that categorize items as a thing, an object, and an artifact. A “thing” is an item with no prescribed meaning or definitive use. An “object” takes on meaning for the user because it has an identified particular use or purpose. An item becomes an “artifact” when individuals in society generally agree upon a single purpose for that item.

“What makes a gun an artifact is that we all collectively understand that it’s meant to be aimed and fired…. I’m interested in it as an artifact in that it drives you toward its use. It does have an agenda. It wants to be used, and it wants to be used in a specific way; that way is to fire a projectile. It does want you to use it in that way and in no other way.”

Reid consulted with numerous gun manufacturers and high-profile gun rights advocates in researching his book to learn their perspective and offer his philosophy.

“I wanted to understand their view and encourage them to understand mine, that a gun changes one’s perception when it’s in their hand,” said Reid.

In the end, a gun works as a technology just as a cell phone does, said Reid, and that technology has an effect on its user.

“People might say, ‘Oh, it’s just a smart phone; it’s an instrument.’ But so much research shows it’s not just an instrument. It persuades you to do things you might not otherwise have done. The difference is that using a gun is quite a bit more lethal than checking your smart phone.”

 

 

April 20, 2021 English Corner Student Voices, Student Voices Post a Comment

A Prize-Winning Poetic Performance

We don’t always think of poetry as a performance art. Though it’s fundamentally designed to be spoken, poetry is frequently considered to be a solitary pursuit, with the creator focused inward. CCU senior Aliza Saper, physical theater major and winner of the Spring 2021 Paul Rice Poetry Broadside Contest with her work “To Eat and Be Eaten,” brings the dynamic nature of poetry back to its rightful place: front and center stage.

Aliza Saper reading her piece, To Eat and Be Eaten

Saper’s winning work is a reflection on the nature of space, the passage of time, and a permeating anxiety that she believes afflicts everyone in a Covid-19 world.

“This is my Covid life,” Saper said of her winning work, which was judged by poet Abraham Smith. “I think we all have a version of this right now. The problems that we’re facing, the struggles that we’re having, are all compounded together.”

Saper edited and submitted the poem from her childhood bedroom, the same place she inhabited the entire pandemic. The focus on space in the poem blends with a chronic worry that Saper fears is an unavoidable symptom of the pandemic.

“It really has been a time of, ‘If it’s not this thing that’s eating at me, then it’s this thing,’” said Saper. “And then it almost feels abnormal to be at peace and not be worrying — we have become so used to that little eating-away-at-you feeling that something’s wrong, something bad is going to happen.”

Saper has certainly gained notoriety for her verse in her final semester at CCU; in addition to her Paul Rice Poetry Broadside Contest honor, Saper also won the inaugural commencement poetry contest, open to all pending graduates of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration and the Thomas W. Edwards and Robin Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts, established for the combined ceremony for students of the two colleges. Saper’s winning work, “Inches,” will be presented at commencement.

Joe Oestreich, chair and professor of the Department of English, said Saper’s approach transcends mere reflection on a given subject.

“What I love about her work, and this commencement poem specifically, is how she gets beyond the sentimentalized, conventional wisdom of her topic to the truth with a capital ‘T,'”said Oestreich.

Theater has always been the center of Saper’s artistic life, with poetry serving as a side hobby. Her discovery of poetry as performance occurred during a gap year she took after attending Illinois Wesleyan University for one year. At home in Denver and feeling a bit pigeonholed, Saper dared herself to attend the weekly poetry slam at the Mercury Café.

People liked my words, and I was shocked.

“I went, and it was one of those magical moments in life when I was in the right place at the right time,” said Saper. “I had written poetry before — that wasn’t new — but performing it was. People liked my words, and I was shocked.”

Saper enrolled in CCU’s physical theater program the following year, and during that time she founded Tongues in Common, a monthly poetry open mic night at Yoga in Common in Myrtle Beach. Established in February 2019, the student-run program continues today as an outlet for artistic performance, growth, and connection.

This year’s Paul Rice Poetry Broadside Contest was Saper’s first experience submitting her work, and she encourages other students to do the same, emphasizing the concept of pulling out work that’s already been produced and polishing it up.

“Giving life to old work is sometimes more accessible and more fulfilling that even producing something new,” said Saper. “That idea is really well taught to the physical theater majors: work never dies. I think we’re so used to having our work die. We get an assignment to make this project, and we organize it, and we show it in class, and we get a grade on it, and it evaporates after that. But that’s always raw material. Once you make something, it’s raw material.”

Saper credits Jessica Richardson, associate professor of creative writing in the Department of English, with guiding her, an artist who typically wrote poetry for the ear, toward learning how to edit for the eye.

“I write poetry for performance, so I never thought about the importance of details such as punctuation and line placement,” said Saper. “It was a fascinating experience.”

November 11, 2020 Faculty Voices Post a Comment

Woodwind wizardry

As an award-winning clarinetist and emigrant to the South by way of New York and Wisconsin, Eric Schultz, assistant professor in the Department of Music, is eager to explore CCU’s potential as his new academic and professional home.

Schultz comes to CCU in the midst of a prestigious career as an internationally renowned musician who has performed with the Chelsea Symphony, toured as a member of the orchestra in Tony Award-winning Broadway musicals, and was scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall in May 2020 (rescheduled for 2021).

In his shift to a position that blends performance with teaching, Schultz is excited for the opportunities that CCU offers.

One of Schultz’ goals is creating new chamber music groups for students and other musicians, taking advantage of CCU’s facilities.

“The Wheelwright Auditorium recording studio is a great benefit for students,” Schultz said.

In the classroom, Schultz’ goal is to push students out of their comfort zone.

“I will challenge you,” he warns fledgling musicians, “but that is done out of love. It means I believe in you. I want to help you find your path.”

Being pushed out of one’s comfort zone is nothing new to Schultz; it’s how he discovered his love for teaching.

“An undergraduate teacher inspired me quite a bit. My clarinet teacher at the time, Melissa Koprowski, really pushed me in every way possible,” Schultz recollects. “On top of her excellent teaching, she also has one of the most beautiful clarinet tones I have ever heard… I never thought I would want to teach, but as I went on to teach privately and later even teach in Melissa’s studio during a leave, I fell in love with teaching.”

Teaching at the university level is very liberating for Schultz.

 “Now I get to do everything,” he says, noting that being a professor affords him the opportunity to perform, write about music, commission new pieces, learn about new technology, conduct, and, of course, teach.

The pandemic has offered Schultz some time to engage with his other interests, however. To stay sane during quarantine, Schultz has watched the series The Magicians on Netflix, and he enjoys reading books about language learning.

“My cat, Andreas, is also very entertaining,” he notes.

In his off time, Schultz enjoys binging on ice cream and balancing out the calories with one of his favorite hobbies: running, weightlifting, or yoga.

To keep up with Schultz and his work, check out his website. 

To view a full video interview with Schultz, visit the CCU Edwards College Facebook page.

November 11, 2020 Faculty Voices Post a Comment

Rethinking the book

Emily Brooks, assistant professor of digital culture and design in the Department of English, shares her interests in multimodal composition, the digitization of books, and non-standard book objects.

To Emily Brooks, “book” has a wide definition. It’s not limited to the traditional bound paper item we all keep on our shelves.

Brooks’ teaching focuses on “critical making,” which includes traditional print books, but also interactive fiction. Her students have created photo-poetry books; 3D-printed books; and choose-your-own-adventure narratives using Twine, an open-source tool for telling non-linear stories. As a “makeademic,” Brooks also makes and creates digitizations of non-standard book objects, such as touch-and-feel books, movable books, and treasure bindings (books that include precious gemstones or ivory carvings).

Her scholarly interests, Brooks said in a recent interview, are rooted in the early days of her undergraduate experience. Having started college as a pre-med student, Brooks then considered photography and graphic design before settling on English as her major discipline. Discovering that English has a home outside of traditional media was a key moment in the commencement of her academic journey.

“My first English course as an undergraduate was a very non-traditional approach to studying English; it involved combining comics and science studies with Romantic poetry and printmaking… it really got me started with combining creative and making projects within more traditional literary studies.”

Brooks’ creative making involves books’ content and makeup, but also how a story’s topic affects its interpretation – a concept she applies in the classroom as well. Brooks is interested in giving students a new appreciation for the things that they may take for granted when evaluating creative works.

“The creative work itself can transform the creator as well as the viewer,” Brooks said. “Teaching through the creative process gives students a much more nuanced and richer understanding of the things that they’re viewing.” 

For the full interview of Emily Brooks and other new faculty , check out our Facebook page.

Learn more about Emily Brooks through her website.

Learn about about Emily Brooks through her CCU profile.

August 24, 2020 Faculty Voices 1 Comment

Gary Schmidt on cross-disciplinary language study

Gary Schmidt

Gary Schmidt, professor and chair of the Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies, has been awarded a U.S. Department of Education grant for $191,000 over two years to support the development of an Intercultural Language Resource Center. Schmidt offered his insights on the impetus for the project and his vision for the future of language incorporation across disciplines at CCU.

Schmidt reflected on the grant and the center as a tool to allow  students to not only learn but apply the languages they acquire in authentic settings.

“My vision for the center has been guided by something I’ve been trying to do since I got here to CCU: create more connections for studying language and culture across the disciplines,” said Schmidt. “We need to foster ways for students to apply language study to other disciplines, to actively use their language knowledge in research questions or some sort of active engagement in another discipline.”

Who needs language?

Two examples Schmidt gives are students in an intelligence and national security studies class who would benefit from reading intelligence and news briefs in the original language, or students in a Russian literature class having the ability to read the original text rather than an English translation.

“The center will be a place that supports these types of activities,” said Schmidt. “It will provide resources such as film and media databases and subscriptions to specialized proficiency analysis sites. These will help students may acquire the advanced proficiencies they need to utilize the language in real-life situations, in contexts that cross disciplinary boundaries. The center and its resources may also bring in students from other disciplines who might otherwise have not seen the connection and the relevance of language study.”

A center with a mission

Schmidt said the center will have two major goals.

“The first goal is to increase the number of students doing area studies [such as Asian studies, European studies, or Middle Eastern studies] with a language component, so they’re doing language culture study across disciplines,” said Schmidt. “Secondly, the center will increase substantially the number of students who have a certain level of proficiency in any language, but especially a critical language: Chinese, Russian, or Arabic.”

At the end of the two-year grant period, Schmidt hopes to have built a new dimension in cross-disciplinary language learning and proficiency at CCU.

“My vision is that after the grant period ends, we will have created new interdisciplinary courses in which foreign language skills are utilized,” said Schmidt. “We will have a center that regularly offers events and programming related to language and cultural learning across the disciplines: a place where we have guest speakers, film screenings and discussions, readings, reading  groups, language group meetings, and the like, with involvement from other faculty and students from other disciplines. It will also be a place where students in the college can go and be advised on opportunities related to interdisciplinary language studies including study abroad and scholarships. And we will see, as a result of available resources, demonstrable improvement in number of students leaving CCU with advanced proficiency in a language.”

August 20, 2020 Faculty Voices Post a Comment

Tim Koch and artistic innovation

Tim Koch, CCU Director of Choral Activities and music director of the Carolina Master Chorale

Tim Koch, lecturer in the Department of Music; CCU director of Choral Activities; and music director of the Carolina Master Chorale, is carving a pathway forward for his arts organization within the current context of COVID-19. He’s created a platform for artists to not only perform but also share their reflections on related issues most important to them. This is one way, Koch believes, that artists and audiences can mutually support one another in a new reality.

The State of Things

Koch’s biweekly virtual event, titled “The State of Things: House Concerts and Conversations with Artists,” takes place over three consecutive sessions in September and October and is made accessible through the Carolina Master Chorale’s Facebook page.

The musician and director took a few minutes recently to talk about the series as well as the long view for the performing arts field.

Koch acknowledges that his particular industry is among the most vulnerable to long-term detrimental effects of COVID-19.

“My profession is all of a sudden one of the world’s most dangerous professions,” Koch said. “All the research says singing in groups, particularly indoors, is impossible. We’re trying to find solutions to that part of it, but in the meantime, my choir, the Carolina Master Chorale, which has a wonderful interface with Coastal, had to cancel our last concert, as lots of performing arts organizations have been forced to do. Our long-term viability is in jeopardy if we have to cancel another entire season.”

 And, of course, no concerts means the community loses the shared artistic experience.

“Right now, we’re not engaging the public,” said Koch, “and I wanted to find a way to do that.”

“Not just pretty music”

Offering purposeful art is already a tradition in the CMC, Koch said.

“I’ve always tried to make the music-making more than relevant, to try give it a real purpose. We’ve done concerts to recognize heroes, we’ve done concerts for the Boys and Girls Clubs – we regularly try to lift up our community. I don’t want people to come just to listen to pretty music; I want the music to be a vehicle for making our little corner of the world a better place.”

Garnering support

In creating this event, Koch drew upon his relationships with musicians and artists across the country and around the globe, in addition to his knowledge that artists often hold strong, informed views on various social and political issues. He wanted to highlight both the talent and the passions of the artists involved, so he tested interest in the event by sending some emails.

“I wrote to 25 friends,”  said Koch. “A number are local, a number are CCU faculty, and others are varying degrees of nationally and internationally recognized. I said ‘I know you care about what’s going on in the world and that you care particularly about some aspects rather than others. I wonder if you would just say a few words about the state of things, and then could you pair that with some sort of performance? And, I’m not going to pay you; I’m going to use what you do to generate help for the Carolina Master Chorale.’ I’m going to try to make this a forum where people might hear it all over the world, and I asked them to spread the word among their friends.”

A gracious response

The artists responded, not just gradually, but quickly and in impressive numbers.

 “All of these people said yes,” Koch said.

The recordings came in, and Koch compiled them into a comprehensive, sequential series of recitals.

The artists’ performances range from piano and flute to singing and poetry, and each artist shares insights on an issue close to their heart: Alzheimers research, the legal and penal system, and the plight of American Indians, to name just a few.

Much like so many factors of the COVID-19 pandemic, the compilation of these pieces was piecemeal, and participants were given very little guidance on logistics. The result, Koch said, is a beautiful and eclectic array of expression.

“They’re so varied,” said Koch. “They were all done in people’s homes — some performers are dressed up, some don’t have any makeup on. I wanted them to convey however they were feeling and whatever they wanted to talk about; I didn’t let them see what anyone else was doing, It looks a little ragtag now and then, but it’s authentic. I’m super excited about that.”

May 7, 2020 Congrats 2020 Post a Comment

Senior reflection: Grey Eckert

Senior Grey Eckert took a few moments to introduce herself and reflect on her time as an undergraduate in CCU’s Edwards College.

Edwards College (EC): Hello Grey! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

GE: I’m a fifth-year senior with two majors, Studio Art and Graphic Design, and two minors, Photography and Art History. I currently live in my parent’s hometown, Myrtle Beach, S.C., but often visit my own: Durham, N.C.

EC: What are your future plans?

GE: In the fall, after graduating from CCU, I’ll head straight to graduate school at the University of South Carolina, where I’ll pursue an MFA in Photography and a MA in Graphic Design. 

EC: What is a favorite memory from your time at CCU?

GE: One of my favorite memories at CCU is from my very first photography class, which, at the time, I didn’t know was a photography class. One of my former minors — Studio Art — required that students take an introductory photography class. My advisor realized I hadn’t registered for the course and signed me up for the class, which she called “Intro to Black and White.” I knew nothing about art, at the time; I figured that “black and white” referred to some sort of drawing principle. Besides that, I knew and really liked the professor, Tracy [Fish], so I was chill with it.

Anyways, when I walked in on the first day, Tracy wasn’t at the front of the room — my current photography professor, Jeff [Rich], was — and after he introduced himself, he handed out cameras. Only then did it dawn on me. “Oh… this is a PHOTOGRAPHY class!” I’d never held an analogue camera in my life, so I was really caught off guard. Fast-forward three years? I’m going to graduate school in the fall to get my MFA in Photography.

EC: What is an important lesson you learned while at CCU?

Probably the most important artistic lesson I learned at CCU is the value of trying out different media. The visual art program really forces its freshmen to jump around a bit, in terms of artistic process — you’ve got to take 2D and 3D courses. Within those constraints, there are a ton of materials you can play with.

When I came into the program, I exclusively drew and painted, and thought I’d continue to do so. Now? I’ve found other interests, ones that suit me a lot better. Because of that, I haven’t picked up a paint brush in at least a year, and I couldn’t be happier about it. If I hadn’t tried something new, however, I’d still be covered in oil paint, which smells gross. 

Learn more about CCU’s Department of Visual Arts here.

May 6, 2020 Congrats 2020 Post a Comment

Senior reflection: Audrey Oien

Audrey Oien, a native of Beaver Dam, Wis., earns her B.A. this week as a double major in Intelligence and National Security Studies and Language and Intercultural Studies with concentrations in Mandarin and Russian. With traveling and graduate school in her immediate future, Oilen reflected on her most significant memories at CCU.

“Some of my favorite classes at Coastal have been my language classes with Dr. [Nataliya] Alekseyenko, Dr. [Xinyi] Tan, and Dr. [Anna] Oldfield,” said Oien. “Some of my favorite memories have been made during my extracurricular activities, like the National Security Club and the Chanticleer Intelligence Brief.”

Oien emphasized that her experience at CCU spanned not only academic knowledge, but personal growth as well.

“Besides everything I learned in terms of my degree, I learned a lot about myself,” said Oien. “Managing challenging course loads, extracurriculars, and even being able to study abroad in China taught me what I’m capable of and expanded my limits.”

           

May 5, 2020 Congrats 2020 Post a Comment

Senior reflection: Billie Rogers

We asked a few select May 2020 graduates to offer insights and advice on their time in the Edwards College.

With multiple majors, minors, and certificates, Billie Rogers has made the most of her learning experience at CCU. The degree bestowed on her this week includes a major in Anthropology and Geography, minors in Human Environment Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and certificates in Sustainability and Applied Archaeology. Rogers is researching graduate school programs and also has travel on her mind – perhaps a national parks road trip — for immediate post-graduation plans.

Rogers, a native of Rangeley, Maine, expressed gratitude and admiration for a range of professors during her time at CCU.

“I have been blessed with so many amazing professors in the Department of Anthropology and Geography, I can’t pick a favorite because they are all so incredible and have supported me and helped me out so much during my time at Coastal,” said Rogers. “However, I have to give a shout-out to Dr. Carolyn Dillian because I have been doing research with her since my freshman year, and I’m eternally grateful for her mentorship.”

Rogers also offered a bit of advice for getting the most out of one’s CCU experience.

“Take advantage of every single opportunity you can,” said Rogers. “I have had so many wonderful opportunities since my freshman year, such as a short-term study abroad trip to Trinidad, being part of a research fellowship, attending and presenting at multiple conferences, being a Resident Adviser, and being the president of a student organization on campus. These things have completely shaped me into who I am, and had I been too scared or nervous to not take advantage of these opportunities that came my way, my time at CCU would have been much different.”

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