Mark Duhaime '09, Department of English

Did you know you wanted to study English before you came to Clark?

MD: I had a pretty good idea. I had two really great English teachers in High School. One was more in tune with the formal aspects of teaching English and one was more discussion based. That got me interested in wanting to teach English. I'd like to study Twentieth Century contemporary literature.

Was there was something that really convinced you once you got here?

MD: Instead of taking the English literature intro course, I kind of dove into the department. My first semester at Clark I took this course called "Major American Writers" with this awesome professor, Meredith Neuman, who teaches post-colonial and 19th-century literature. I was one of two freshmen in my class, and she was so amazed that I was a freshman in this class. I remember she said, "Oh, boy, you sure hit the ground running!" So from the start, I got a lot of support from her. I could go and talk to her about anything. I remember once when I was struggling with a paper I sat with her and said, "I have no idea what I'm going to talk about in this paper. She start asking me questions and trying to get me to stretch my thinking. And at the end of the time we were sitting together I had this thesis for my paper.

Do you think it's unusual that she took so much personal time with you?

MD: Not at all. Not at Clark. My experience has been that Clark professors make themselves very available to students. And the thing with students here, as far as I've seen, is that a lot of times students are afraid to talk to a professor because they think that it's going to be a lot more intimidating than it really is. I know there have been times when I have been kind of apprehensive about talking to a professor about something, and then I go talk to him or her, and it's fun and very comfortable. In fact, the experience always gives me more confidence. I think students get that same feeling a lot because the professors here are very experienced experts in their fields. They can also be a little quirky and offbeat which add character to their classes.

Have you found anything unexpected about Clark's English department?

MD: There's a lot of experimentation. My English professors are not afraid to introduce non-traditional works. I'm taking an African-American satire class right now with a terrific professor named Winston Napier. African Americans didn't start writing satire until 1930, so it's really exciting that Clark offers a class that is so current and progressive.. In fact, the professor hasn't even finished reading the book he just assigned since it came out two weeks ago. It's interesting to be right abreast of him as we read this book. That freshness adds a lot of excitement to the class.

I hear Professor Napier uses one of those PC tablets when he teaches. How does that work?

MD: It's really cool. A tablet PC is a small, flat-screen computer that uses touch screen technology. Last week he pulled it out and said, 'You kids ever use done of these tablets? None of you? What are you waiting for? These are the greatest things.' It was so funny. It's great because it's a lot less cumbersome than a laptop. He'll pull it out and then use it to quote from articles and famous works.

Are there any other aspects of studying English here that have been pleasant surprises?

MD: Well, when I first visited Clark, what struck me were all the Victorian Houses that house academic departments. I think that's really unique. As an English major, I really like coming to Anderson House. It is really majestic and has a lot of character. The inside's filled with warm wood. It's nice to go into a house that has a history instead of into a bland academic building. I always like the bathrooms in these old houses too with their footed tubs—no one uses anymore but it's cool that they're there.