Remarks from Director of Undergraduate Studies:
This was an exciting year at Duke as we saw the resumption of social activities outside the classroom. Undergraduates and faculty members mingled at “Third Tuesdays,” a series of monthly gatherings designed to build community and introduce majors, prospective majors, and faculty (new and old) to one another. Pie and Locopops were served!
The academic year saw the return of perennially popular courses on John Milton and William Shakespeare as well as more specialized courses on Narrative and Moral Crisis and the Environment in Law, Literature, and Science. Our Distinction program stayed strong with ten seniors writing honors theses in close contact with faculty
mentors. The program culminated in a celebratory event known as “Distinction Day” during which eight seniors presented excerpts from their Honors theses on topics ranging from Blues in the American novel to Black feminist science fiction. Creative writing distinction students read from their original poetry collections, novels, and creative nonfiction.
Our students, amongst the most talented and creative at Duke, also won their share of awards and accolades. Below is a list of award winners from this year:
- Stanley E. Fish Award for Outstanding Work in British Literature: Anneke Zegers, “Minor Caricatures, Supporting Characters: A Case Study of Mr. Palmer in Sense and Sensibility”
- Barbara Herrnstein Smith Award for Outstanding Work in Literary Theory or Criticism: Akshaj Turebylu, “The Great Blue American Novel: A Story of The Crossroads”
- Louis J. Budd Award for Outstanding Work in American Literature: Alison Rothberg (co-winner), “Undoing Disneyland: Using the Judaic Cynical Hope of Storytelling to Reconnect to Tradition” & Aiyana Villanueva (co-winner) “Reimagining Reality: The Intersection of Black Science Fiction, Structural Violence, and Trauma on the Body and Environment”
- Award for Most Original Honors Thesis: Kyle-Brandon Denis, “Bastards & Butterflies: Theorizing the Hip-Hop Epic During the Woke Era”
- Critical Essay Award: Shourya Agarwal, “A Common Tongue Beyond English: The Urdu Poetics of Agha Shahid Ali”
- Honorable Mention: Zachary Partnoy (Honorable Mention), “To Wit, To Woo?: The Role of Wit as an Agent of Self-Love and an Obstacle to Self-Knowledge in Love’s Labor’s Lost and Much Ado About Nothing”
- Faculty Scholars Award: (the highest award awarded by faculty to undergraduate students pursuing a scholarly career): Maggie Wolfe
- University Commencement Speaker: Kyle-Brandon “KB” Denis
- English Departmental Ceremony Speaker: Avery Didden
Congratulations to all our graduates!
Duke English Class of 2023:
- 28 English Majors
- 16 English Minors
- 12 Creative Writing Minors
Distinction Program Graduates
- Nicholas Bryce Bayer, “Ellegua"
- Kyle-Brandon Denis, "Bastards & Butterflies: Theorizing the Hip-Hop epic During the Woke Era"
- Dylan Charles Haston, "I Sailed On/Our Ocean"
- Mina Jang, “Jaywalking"
- Lily Eliana Levin, "Ceramics After Sundown: My Family’s Jewish Diaspora Grief and Resilience"
- Alison Rachel Rothberg, "Undoing Disneyland: Using the Judaic Cynical Hope Storytelling to Reconnect to Tradition"
- Rebecca Paige Schneid, "A Quiet Between Bombardments"
- Katelyn Amy Tsai, "Writing to Heal: The Expulsion of Intergenerational Trauma in Vietnamese American Literature"
- Akshaj Raghu Turebylu, "The Great Blue American Novel: A Story of the Crossroads"
- Aiyana Villanueva, "Reimagining Reality: The Intersection of Black Science Fiction, Structural Violence, and Trauma on the Body and Environment"
Articles:
RECORDING: 2023 Duke English Graduation Ceremony
Students and Faculty Exchange Ideas
2023 Duke English Creative Writing Contest and Scholarship Winners
