The English Department Bobcast Will Fassbender

Anders Larsson, senior lecturer in the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, joins the Bobcast to discuss a topic he introduced at a Montana State Faculty Symposium: How to Read an Article. In this episode, we discuss how instructors can motivate students to want to read course assignments and develop active reading strategies to help them comprehend and retain important concepts.



Show Links:

Slide Deck from Anders’ Faculty Symposium Talk

The Ezra Klein Show on “The Reading Mind”

Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf

Reader Come Home by Maryanne Wolf

In this episode we talk with Dr. Ben Leubner to discuss his journey to becoming a professor of literature at Montana State University, his approach to research and teaching, and how he supports undergraduates and graduates in our program.

Will and Allison speak with Rose Ashley, Graduate Teaching Assistant and Peer Tutor at the MSU Writing Center. She is a master's student in the history department, studying disability in the national parks. This discussion centers around how graduate students in particular can benefit from working with the writing center and the ways in which interdisciplinary writing groups can serve as important support systems for various projects throughout graduate school.

In this episode, Will speaks with Avery Amende, a peer tutor and research fellow at Montana State University’s Writing Center. Discussions center around the ways in which the Writing Center supports undergraduate writers, the different services and models for facilitating discussions around writing, and how English majors might be able to benefit in unique ways from working with peer tutors.

Important Links:

Writing Center Website: https://www.montana.edu/writingcenter/

Scheduling an Appointment with Writing Center: https://montana.mywconline.com/

Employment Opportunities with the Writing Center: https://www.montana.edu/writingcenter/employment.html

In this episode, Will and Allison speak to Amy Leach, instructor of Creative Writing in the English Department at Montana State University and author of the new book The Everybody Ensemble: Donkeys, Essays, and Other Pandemoniums. During this conversation, they discuss the inspiration for Amy's naturalistic writing, her process, as well as how her approach to writing is reflected in her teaching of creative nonfiction here at MSU.

In this episode, Allison and Will speak with poet, yogi, English teacher, and Montana State English Department alum Brooke Davidson about “Seasons of a Girl,” her most recent book of poetry. Discussions center around her yoga practice and writing process as well as selected readings of her poetry. Brooke's book can be found on Amazon and indie bookstores in Montana: https://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Girl-Brooke-Davidson/dp/B09BGPD7LT/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8