Humanities
Alice Lloyd College’s Humanities Division houses the academic disciplines of English, Art, Drama, Speech, and Music and offers additional coursework in Philosophy, Religion, and Spanish. By serving as the foundation for ALC’s Liberal Arts education, the Humanities promotes the theoretical investigation of the human condition by fostering critical thinking, personal expression, and academic inquiry in its students through the acts of writing, reading, performance, and research. Because of their philosophical orientation, Humanities courses most often analyze aesthetic traditions and cultural values within a socio-historical context by a faculty dedicated to providing a student-centered education in the classroom.
Besides regular coursework, the Humanities Division also provides many extra-curricular opportunities on ALC’s campus. Students may compete in the Billie and Curtis Owens Writing Contest and the James V. Mongiardo Speech Competition, sing as members of the Voices of Appalachia choir, act in campus-sponsored plays, or learn the craft of spinning clay for pottery. Such opportunities allow students to explore a variety of disciplines in the humanities, which add to their understanding of themselves, their culture, and their place in the world.
English
Alice Lloyd College's English Department offers courses in British, American, and world literatures; creative and technical writing; linguistics; and literary theory. The department is dedicated to preparing students for graduate school and/or careers in teaching by offering a curriculum that focuses on canonical and multicultural literature and by providing ample opportunity for writing and theoretical investigation both in and out of the classroom. While many of our graduates now teach in local area high schools, many more have attended graduate school with the aim of becoming college professors, lawyers, or writing professionals. Our graduates have attended programs at Indiana University, the University of Kentucky, Valparaiso University, the University of Virginia, and Middle Tennessee State University, among others.
In addition to coursework, the English Department also sponsors the Billie and Curtis Owens Writing Contest, where students may submit work in the genres of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, as well as a Visiting Writers Series that brings both multicultural and Appalachian authors to campus. Past visiting writers have included Lawson Fusao Inada, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Maurice Kilwein Guevara, Ron Rash, James Baker Hall, and Lee Smith. The department also sponsors a literary club that allows students to discuss literary works and to share their creative writing with peers and faculty. Funds are also available for students to travel to poetry and fiction readings and other cultural events around the region.
While considered excellent teachers on ALC's campus, the English Department faculty are also among the most prolific, having published five books since 2001. Their articles have appeared in such periodicals as The South Carolina Review, the Journal of Appalachian Studies, Resources for American Literary Study, Review of Contemporary Fiction, and Notes on Modern Irish Literature. Additionally, they have had articles collected in such books as Short Story Criticism: Criticism of the Works of Short Fiction Writers, The Poetics of Appalachian Space, The Encyclopedia of Appalachia, and It Works for Me Too! More Shared Tips for Effective Teaching.