VOTE!

Global Programs to host Virtual Education Abroad Fair

October 14, 4:00-7:00 p.m. via Brazen

We’re really excited to chat with you at the next Education Abroad Fair. Whether you’re a first-year student trying to figure out how to get started, or you're well into the planning stages, the fair will get you headed in the right direction!

Students can register here to attend this year's Virtual Education Abroad Fair.

Wondering how to get the most out of attending the fair? Who will be there? What will I learn? Please visit our section on Getting the Most out of the EA Fair. 

More info...

Liberal Arts Student Org Fair

October 20, 5:00-6:00 p.m. via Zoom

Meet us at the virtual Liberal Arts Student Org Fair! Learn more about Liberal Arts student organizations or offices by joining their Zoom Room at the Fair. Talk with representatives of a variety of groups and ask your questions. You’re free to enter and exit meeting rooms throughout the duration of the event. Stop into the PFP room to say hello!

The Meritocracy Trap Reading Group -- Call for Members

Tuesdays, Oct. 27-Jan. 19, 7:00 p.m. via Zoom

The Meritocracy Trap by Daniel Markovitz presents a novel argument about how inequality has grown over the past 50 years, with meritocracy as a guiding theme and chief culprit. Markovitz argues that meritocracy is an economically and technologically integrated value structure, which has produced a feedback loop between higher education and industry. The book explores the rise of finance and management consulting, industries which include many Penn State grads, and the corresponding decline in middle-management, manufacturing, and the hollowing of the middle-class. It is a fascinating book and I believe that its analysis is a useful one in understanding many of the issues facing American today.

The Paterno Fellows Program has graciously purchased 15 copies of the book. As there is limited space, books will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. However, members are encouraged to purchase their own copy and join us!

For more info and to register...

McCourtney Institute for Democracy virtual events

Wednesday, October 14, 12:00 p.m. ET
CENTER FOR DEMOCRATIC DELIBERATION LECTURE: HUI WU
A Woman Teacher of Rhetoric in Ancient China: Ban Zhao and Her Impact on Modern Gender Perceptions

Monday, October 19, 4:00 p.m. ET
THE PEOPLE, POWER, AND MONEY BEHIND THE U.S. CENSUS
A conversation with NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang

Wednesday, October 28, 12:00 p.m. ET
CENTER FOR DEMOCRATIC DELIBERATION LECTURE: JEREMY ENGELS

Marathon Read: Voices of Power in Women's Activism

This year’s Marathon Read will celebrate the work of female writers and activists to expand political, social, and economic equality for women. The theme is “Voices of Power in Women’s Activism” and joins the College of the Liberal Arts in marking the 100-year anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Featured readings will include the work of Kate Chopin, Joy Harjo, Rebecca Solnit, Audre Lorde, Julie Otsuka, Sojourner Truth, and others.

While the event is free, registration is required. Visit marathonread.psu.edu to find more information and to register. Participants can also sign up on the site to read for 10 minutes during the event. Read the story...

Virtual Health Humanities Symposium to be Hosted by Penn State Abington -- Register by Oct. 16

Thursday, October 22, and Friday, October 23, 2020
Register here through October 16.

The Virtual Health Humanities Symposium will kick off on Thursday evening with the screening and panel discussion of the documentary “Why Doctors Write.” Friday’s schedule includes five sessions on various topics related to the Health Humanities. View the full schedule on the website.

The free event, which is open to all members of the Penn State community, will be especially appealing to students and faculty interested in health, illness, and society, as well as those intrigued by the role the humanities play in health and health care. 

Contact Wendy Horwitz (wah5115@psu.edu) or Friederike Baer (fbb10@psu.edu) with questions.

Student Leadership Workshop -- register by October 28

Metta Meditation and Creative Activities for Life in Pandemic Times

In an effort to reinforce a sense of community, provide a space for a bit of self-care, and offer some creative activities for centering in these pandemic times, Zoom sessions have been planned for Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m. (ET), starting October 7 and running through the rest of the semester.
 
Pandemic Poetry Slam
Wednesday, October 28 via Zoom
Bring a poem (any format) that you’ve written about the pandemic experience and share it—or just come listen to the work of others.
 
Erasure/Round/Black-out Poetry Session
Wednesday, November 11 via Zoom
Bring a page from a book (you’re willing to destroy), a magazine, a newspaper, or a piece of junk mail, as well as pens/markers/pencils, and create a poetic masterpiece from something pre-existing.

COMING SOON: Connect with recruiters and alumni at these virtual events

• Nov. 5: Lunch and Learn: Careers in Lobbying
• Nov. 10: StrengthsFinder: Understanding Your Strengths: Make sure to complete your StrengthsFinder assessment before this workshop. Request your code here.

Research opportunity for spring 2021 through LA 497 (1-4 cr) The Arts, Student Engagement, and Engaged Scholarship

For the spring 2021 semester, an interdisciplinary virtual team of students from University Park, the Commonwealth Campuses, and World Campus will be formed to undertake and complete the following research study tasks:

• Prepare and submit articles to targeted academic journals and professional trade magazines for publication consideration based on the research study report prepared by an undergraduate research team during the fall 2020 semester;
• Prepare and submit proposals to present at targeted conferences, symposiums, and workshops based on the research study report and executive briefing presentation(s) prepared by an undergraduate research team during the fall 2020 semester;
• Collaborate with and support the research study project videographer to finalize documentary film and short video clips to be posted on relevant Penn State websites and the websites of collaborative research institution;
• Collaborate with and support the TLT Faculty Fellow undergraduate research assistant. 

View the flyer for more info and to apply.

Spring 2021 English Honors/Ethics Courses

ENGL 406M (3 cr) Beat Dharma: Buddhism and the Beats
Prof. Rich Doyle
 
This course will explore two distinct currents in 20th Century American discourse: The Beats and Buddhism. The Beats, a literary movement composed of writers in creative flight from the suffocation of Post War mainstream culture, rigorously and vigorously engaged in diverse practices of self-experimentation. The Beats, for example, researched the effects of drugs and alternative sexualities on the human sensorium and consciousness. Along the way, the Beats encountered the practices and discourses of Buddhism, and so they rigorously and vigorously investigated Buddhist disciplines of the mind and attention that then fed back onto their creative production. Together we will explore the encounter of these discourses as an extraordinary snapshot of a globalized admixture of conceptual, practical and creative exchange vital to the emergence of contemporary global culture. Some of our discussion questions will include: How did the Beats appropriate and transform materials of foreign cultures, e.g. ayahuasca from South America and Buddhism from India, China, Tibet and Japan? How did the Beats understand the nature of self, and what effect did Buddhism have on those concepts and practices? How did Buddhism influence the emerging counterculture catalyzed by the Beats? To what extent can we perceive the influence of non-western poetics and literary forms on the creative production of these writers? Were the Beats a sangha? This course meets the department’s 20th-century requirement and diversity requirement for majors. 

ENGL 464M (3 cr) Reading Black, Reading Feminist
Prof. Ashleigh Wade
 
This course provides two important learning opportunities for undergraduate students. The first is to examine the construction of female identity in the textual representations of gender, class, color, and cultural differences by black American women. The second is to identify, explore, and analyze the major issues concerning the discovery and development of a black feminist literary tradition. Authors under consideration will vary from class to class, but may include writers such as Hortense Spillers, Harriet Jacobs, Harriet Wilson, E. Genovese, Hazel Carby, Francis Harper, J. Fauset, Nella Larsen, Zora Neale Hurston, Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou, Lorraine Hansberry, Adrienne Kennedy, E. Brown-Guillory, Toni Morrison, S. A. Williams, Alice Walker, Paula Marshall, and Octavia Butler. The course will focus on the complex relationship of slavery and post-slavery black experience to the literary imagination of African American women, and of issues of gender in black identity in America. Topics covered will vary, but will include the development of black feminist thought, representations of black womanhood, women 'Black Power' poets, black female playwrights, the aesthetics of contemporary black feminism, and post-modernism and the challenge to understandings of canonicity posed by black women's writing, and the like. This course meets the department’s 20th-century requirement and diversity requirement for majors.

Study Abroad/Internships Affected by COVID-19

Paterno Fellows who had an internship or study abroad experience cancelled due to COVID-19 may propose an alternative experience that can substitute for the lost experience. We cannot replace what is lost, but we can substitute a new experience in their place. Perhaps there is an online course you can take that is based in another country or in another language; an important service that the community needs and you are uniquely positioned to render; a pressing academic question that you can explore through an independent study; or a non-traditional internship that takes place virtually. Before beginning this new and exciting project or experience, we ask that you tell us which experience you have lost due to COVID-19, and write up a brief description of your proposed plan of action that you submit to the director for review.
 
If you were abroad for five weeks before returning home, you have met the study abroad requirement! Go to the PFP database and add a note telling us the dates, duration, and location of your study abroad, and mark it Claimed Satisfied. If fewer than five weeks, you can add time abroad from an embedded course, or propose a creative solution for the remaining time. Likewise, if you completed 150 hours at your internship before it was terminated, your requirement is fulfilled. If your internship is on your transcript, make a note in the database of how many hours you completed; or if not on your transcript, submit our Non-Credit Internship form to document your full or partial experience.

Ethics Courses

Check our website for courses you can take to meet the PFP Ethics requirement. New courses are added as departments alert us of their offerings, or as students bring them to our attention. Students must complete 3 credits in ethics (one 3-credit course, or a series of 1- or 2-credit courses) before graduation.

PFP Service/Leadership Requirement

Fellows are expected to take on a leadership role or offer volunteer services to a community of their choice totaling at least 50 hours during their college career. Participants in the Presidential Leadership Academy automatically meet this requirement. To document a leadership or service experience, download the Leadership or Service Documentation Form; complete and submit it using the contact information on the form. Hours may be reported as they are completed for short-term projects, or after the minimum time is met for long-term experiences.

Updating your info in the PFP database

Update the PFP database as you complete your Paterno Fellows requirements. You are responsible for marking them “Claimed Satisfied” or turning in the appropriate documentation forms. You should update the requirements you’ve met as you complete them. Please do not wait until your graduation semester. We need time to approve your submissions and mark them “Satisfied.” For further instructions, see the PFP website.

City Semester Pittsburgh internship applications due Nov. 6

City Semester Pittsburgh is a unique learning experience for Penn State students of all majors who would like spend a semester learning about Pittsburgh’s urban dynamics. Students will intern with a prominent community partner and take an engaging online course in sustainability. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the program has transitioned to a flexible format that allows for both virtual and in-person learning. Apply here by Friday, November 6.

Job/Internship opportunity for talented writers

We are a small business called Unstuck Authors in need of freelance writers to write anywhere from 1-10 articles a week. We primarily write content for webpages and scripts for YouTube videos. 
 
You're a good fit if you are:

• Able to write content that people enjoy reading
• Extremely curious, you don't pigeon-hole yourself (we write about a wide array of topics)
• Willing to learn and take constructive feedback
• Excellent with deadlines
• Great at research
• Can take complicated subject matter and make it interesting and easy to understand
• Good at communication, good response time
• Able to write for web pages (you know how to use headings on Word and Google Doc, know how to link via anchor text, etc.)
• In love with writing! Your essays always went onto the back page and teachers have had to ask you to write LESS. 

1. Your major,
2. Your graduation year and a bit about your future plans,
3. Confirmation of whether or not you are comfortable with ghostwriting.

Resources for students in need

Food Security: Every student with a valid Penn State ID may access the The Lion’s Pantry services.

Emergency Funds: Students in need can find information about emergency funds at the University level. Students enrolled in the College of the Liberal Arts can email laemergencyfund@psu.edu to request Liberal Arts emergency funding.

PFP Student Programming Grants

Paterno Fellows are encouraged to apply for Programming Grants for One-Time Events or Sustained Discussion / Reading Groups. Successful applications will enhance students’ education, ignite an interest, or make students consider a topic more deeply. For details, see: pfp-student-programming-grants/

Join the Paterno Fellows Student Advisory Board

We are looking for several representatives in the first and second year to serve on the Paterno Fellows Program Student Advisory Board. Students can be aspiring or admitted. The Board meets with the Director several times every year to discuss ideas and concerns for the Program. If you are interested in participating on this committee, please contact the Director, Jeremy Engels <jde13@psu.edu>.

Students Teaching Students: Spring 2021 Student Instructor Opportunity

Apply by October 18

Do you have a passion, experience, or background that other students could learn from? Think Penn State is missing a course we should have? You're in luck. Now, select students have the incredible opportunity to create and teach an official course they want to see at Penn State.

Students Teaching Students (STS) is a new student organization that equips and enables Penn State undergraduate students to create and teach their own official courses under the guidance of a faculty champion. We partner with faculty and administrators that will work alongside you to bring your course idea to life.

Check the website for details! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to reach out to us at stspsu.org/contact or email us at sts.psu@gmail.com

Call for Student Reviewers for University Undergraduate Teaching Awards

The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence is looking for undergraduate students to serve on for the review committees for the University Undergraduate Atherton and Eisenhower Teaching Awards.
 
We need students to serve on both the Commonwealth Campus and University Park review committees. Only students who are currently (or started) at a Commonwealth Campus are eligible to serve on that committee. Students will be included on a first come basis.
 
The review committees include students, faculty, prior award winners and administrators and will send final recommendations to the president and provost in January, 2020. Students may include this committee service on their resumes. All reviewers are invited to attend the award banquet, which will be held May 2021, if in-person meetings are allowed.
 
Students who are interested in serving should send their contact information, major or planned major, and whether they have taken courses at a Commonwealth Campus to site@psu.edu.

Explore 40+ Liberal Arts student organizations 

If you missed the Virtual Involvement Fair, you can still learn about each of Penn State’s 1000+ student orgs by watching 90-second videos about each one. You can also learn about each of the Liberal Arts student organizations by visiting la.psu.edu/studentorgs.

Your Blurb Here

Are you involved with a local service group that is open for new members? Send your blurb to PaternoFellows@psu.edu and we’ll publish it here. Please include a brief description of your mission, expectations, information sessions/meetings, how to join, etc.

Better Know a Paterno Fellow

Paterno Fellows are participating in internships, study abroad, research, and more! Read about their experiences here. 

We want to hear from you! Submit your story for publication here.

FEATURED STUDENTS:

Casey Sennett, ’22 PF Anthropology, History, and Jewish Studies
- Curatorial Affairs intern for the Tennessee Holocaust Commission

How has the Paterno Fellows Program had an impact on this experience? I am extremely grateful for the funding the Paterno Fellows program provided me. Their financial support allowed me to participate in this internship and gain such a valuable summer experience.