For generations, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has been a staple of holiday traditions. From classic films to stage productions, Ebenezer Scrooge’s journey from miser to redeemed man returns each December, boasting familiar lessons and a sense of warmth. This year, Baylor University added its own twist, bringing the tale to life inside the Carroll Science Hall during Christmas on Fifth with an immersive, walk-through performance that invited visitors to step directly into the story.

“Linguistics develops analytical thinking and problem-solving, communication skills that are useful in virtually any profession,” Calafate said. “It provides students with a toolkit to work in fields that require understanding and navigating human interaction.”

Carroll Science will transform into Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” for one night only—here’s what you’ll see inside.

From reading historical documents to writing their own book, students have a variety of English and literature classes to choose from for the spring semester.

The Wordsmith Society has only existed for a year on campus, and in that time its student founder created a club that offers a professional creative writing environment.

Along with a completely revised core curriculum and new electives, the total credit hours required to complete a major or secondary major has dropped from 36 to 30. Many prerequisites, which often barred non-majors from enrolling in a course, have also been stripped.

“I taught Amy Tan for years, but decided I needed to do better,” Hoffman said. “I needed to grow in my understanding of Asian American literature, and so I began a journey of reading and teaching other texts.”

In fall 2024, Dr. Sebastian Langdell and Dr. Ginger Hanchey — both medievalists, both Swifties — will teach “Lit (Taylor’s Version),” a course that promises to put the music of the generation’s biggest pop star into context with literary greats such as William Wordsworth, Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde.

English professor Dr. Greg Garrett and his students are exploring “Harry Potter” from a serious literary analysis perspective in class, inviting students to discuss themes and real-world issues raised by J. K. Rowling’s seven-book series.

Dr. Josh King, director of Baylor’s new environmental humanities minor, said the new environmental humanities minor has one simple goal in mind: to balance humanities and science to get a full look at climate change and inspire action.

So, if you’re looking for something to break the cycle and add a bright spot during your week this Spring semester, you’re in the right place. Here are some of the most interesting undergraduate classes you can take in the College of Arts and Sciences in the Spring of 2024.

Recently named an Inklings Project Fellow for the 2023-24 year, Dr. Richard Russell is revamping English 3372 — the course on J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis — and creating an undergraduate certificate on the Oxford Christians.

The Phoenix Literary Magazine is an annual student-run publication featuring works by Baylor students of all disciplines, including poetry, short stories, photography and even sheet music. The Phoenix is accepting submissions through December.

“Everyone needs writers; everyone needs people who can communicate clearly and effectively and efficiently,” Dye said. “There are seemingly endless career options for people who have writing degrees. I think that a PWR degree sets you up to really do just about anything, because you will write no matter what you do for a career.”

Baylor’s English department hosted a panel of three distinguished Baylor English alumni Thursday afternoon as part of its new “Life After College” series. Panelists spoke to students about how their English degree can lead to an abundance of career options.

According to Turnitin, the platform already has a resource page to support educators on AI and what they need to know about the new technology. These include updates on the capabilities of AI and updates on the progress they have made on their own detection feature so far.