Seasonal ← EnglanTY

A year of remote learning – and cats 1

Apr

16

2021

What a year it has been! This could easily be a long blog post about the effects of the pandemic on teaching and learning and what pedagogical solutions have been implemented and experimented with at the department, but today we have more important things to discuss. We need to talk about cats. This year has ...

Heat wave and historical linguistics in Essen 1

Sep

2

2016

For university faculty, summer does not simply equal vacation. It is also a prime time for international conferences that are part of our work as researchers. In the end of August, historical linguists flocked to Essen, Germany for the 19th biennial ICEHL conference (22–26 August). ICEHL stands for “International Conference on English Historical Linguistics”. The ...

A Heat Wave of Digital Humanities

Sep

15

2015

It’s not summer for a doctoral student if it doesn’t include an intensive training week or two. We two intrepid travellers from the Department attended the sixth European Summer University in Digital Humanities (ESU DH), “Culture and Technology”, held at Universität Leipzig July 28-August 7. Founded by Prof. Elisabeth Burr, ESU DH is a multilingual, ...

Greetings from Mousehole, Cornwall

Apr

1

2015

I am writing this piece after a night of gales and storm over England, Wales and Scotland. The small bedsit I am renting for a writing-cum-walking retreat gives out to the sea (there are seals, I’m told, but I have not managed to see them), which is now surprisingly still. The sun rises beautiful and ...

Happy Holidays!

Dec

18

2014

I would like to wish all our students and staff a very relaxing Christmas break and rewarding New Year. Joel Kuortti Professor, Head of English Department Head of School of Languages and Translation studies

Seven Wonders of the Frankfurt Book Fair

Oct

17

2014

Have you ever considered how brain waves can be transferred into poetry? Don’t worry. The Helsinki-based Brains on Art collective has solved the problem for us. With the help of a tinfoil hat – i.e. a sensor helmet – and computer magic, brain waves create poems. This is first of the wonders I found in ...

To new beginnings!

Aug

28

2014

A new term is beginning – for the new arrivals as well as for the returning students and staff. New acquaintances will be made, new faces will become familiar, and old faces will gain new features. There are many new teachers in the staff, who will inevitably bring new ideas with them. We look forward ...

A Tale of Two Departments

May

17

2014

The two English Departments in Turku, Åbo Akademi and Turun Yliopisto, congregated, as has been the custom over the years, for a joint retreat, this time on the island of Seili in the Turku archipelago. Seili, of course, is the island historically (in)famous for its leper colony and later its mental institution. For the last ...

Pumpkins are smashing: Happy Halloween! 1

Sep

10

2013

Pumpkins or squash, most often those belonging to the cucurbita pepo family, are plentiful this time of year. From summer squash (also known as zucchini in the US and courgette in Britain) to ornamental gourds and giant pumpkins, they grow well in Finland and are a delight for children and English scholars alike. Pumpkins and ...