New University. New Possibilities 2025
I am now back in another doctoral program: I am excited.
Caring has been phenomenal. All emails are followed up with a phone call, “Hi, Ms. Brown and thank you for choosing….for your academic goals.” The Chick-fil-A experience.
The interesting point, the university has a terrible reputation due to the founder being a rabid segregationist. The university unfortunately, is considered a monolith of Christian Fanatics or Jesus Freaks. The secret is: The readings are broad and actually incorporate controversial topics. Repeatedly, students are advised to be aware diverging ideas contradictory to moral beliefs are a part of the comfortability process in scholarly pursuits. The university also heavily espouses the mission of the university through required Biblical literature in the academic learning.
I selected the university not only because of the lack of a foreign language proficiency requirement—which I never understood but because of the traditional curriculum. First, if the PhD is in English, why do I need to know another language? Clearly, I understand the value of bilingualism —but the last time I learned a language was when I was won 8th Grade Spanish Student of the Year.
I researched many online PhD programs and face-to-face programs. Many of the universities, the English doctoral curriculum was for lack of a better word: weird. The pendulum in America seems to swing outrageously left or outrageously right. There just does not seem to be a middle reference of logical clarity. I prefer classical, straightforward, more traditional curriculum. I will not apologize for not being interested in Examining the Language of Klingon or Writing for the Arriving Martians.
The online PhD in English courses were perfect. My heart jumped!
- Advanced English Grammar
- Christian Literary Tradition
- Creative Writing in AI
- Etymology
- Grant Writing
- Poetry
- Screenwriting
- Seminar in British Literature
- Shakespeare
- Studies in African American Literature
- The American Novel
Absolutely no ambiguity. Something for everyone. Writers, playwrights, poets, artificial intelligence enthusiasts, Christians. I recently achieved my Microsoft Azure Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals certification so I have enrolled in the artificial intelligence writing class as an elective. A conservative Christian university with a bad reputation for being a breeding ground for racist psychopaths offering an artificial intelligence class and an African American literature class. I could not decline acceptance because the courses were exactly what I wanted.
Interestingly, my second class has video introductions, and the professor in the video is exceptional in explaining the upcoming module. I wanted to explore more teachings about redemptive literary analysis. I researched and found the instructor’s blog stating after many years, the professor is no longer with the university. The parting of ways from the university was due to not agreeing with the university money grab in offering an online doctorate in English program. Essentially, the professor asserts, the online doctorate in English program is an affront to authentic scholarship and knowingly will not provide doctoral students with the necessary support as the program is heavily reliant on adjunct instructors. Huh? I did not follow the logic. Now, a few of the professors have undergraduate degrees from the university (including the professor), so an accusation of intellectual inbreeding may be plausible. But, in the business model of collegiate academics, most colleges and universities use adjuncts as thickly as accreditation permits. The line is pushed to the limit. Nevertheless, as my business colleague advises quips quite often, “Isn’t it amazing when people have a problem with you experiencing the same opportunities they benefited?”
