Seats still available in ENG 375 with Prof. Kathryn Gardiner in Fall 2021!

Students in this immersive-learning course will be responsible for the digital community of Ball State Anthropology, English, History, Modern Languages and Classics, and Philosophy and Religious Studies, via social media, blog, weekly digest emails, a semi-annual alumni newsletter, etc. You will have the opportunity to get professional experience in editing/publishing, content marketing, public relations, social media management, and strategic communications. You will work together in teams and with the instructor to plan marketing strategies, create, curate, and edit content, conduct user research, discuss best practices and analytics, and make changes to our practices. Students will focus on writing and storytelling within a marketing context. 

Maintaining the digital communities will be your primary work. This class “counts” as an internship in strategic communications. Continue reading to see how ENG 375 has impacted its students. 

Olivia Rowe, Telecommunications Major

My name is Olivia Rowe. I am a video concentration Telecommunications major with a minor in Film Screenwriting. When I first learned of ENG 375, I was intrigued. I’d been working on social media for my job at a non-profit and wanted to develop my skills further. Even though I managed the accounts, I didn’t have a great understanding of how to use social media for marketing purposes. ENG 375 would give me experience while still being a learning environment. I loved the concept of it being both workplace and classroom.

Immersive learning has been my favorite aspect of attending Ball State. ENG 375 is an interconnected web of students working on different teams, collaborating, and working toward a common goal. This is what I love most about the class. I’d encourage any student to take ENG 375 to gain the experience of working in a professional role while having the room to learn from the inevitable but valuable mistakes.

Claire Enk, Public History Major

My name is Claire Enk, and I am a senior Public History major. I took ENG 375 because it allows me to connect to the History Department in a creative way. I’ve run the @ballstatehist Instagram page and written weekly emails for the Humanities departments. ENG 375 is a class that has connected me to the Humanities community on campus and provided me with marketing and communications skills.

To be honest, I didn’t think I would be very good at communications since I had never done anything like it before, but I have immensely enjoyed this class! In fact, I am now considering communications as a career option. You don’t need any prior communications or marketing experience at all. Humanities majors have communications skills already; ENG 375 just shows you how to use them effectively and intentionally. I love ENG 375 because it utilizes both research and creativity while also preparing you for life after college.

Video Testimonials

 

Sophia Hoffert, Public History Major

I took ENG 375 because I wanted to learn new, practical skills that I could apply across fields after I graduate. As a Public History major, learning how to curate social media, work on blog posts, and write newsletters is a crucial skill in being able to interact effectively with the public. It’s incredibly satisfying to see the tangible work you’ve done over the course of a week- to see an e-mail from the department on Monday morning and think “I helped write that!” It’s satisfying in a different way from regular class work. It’s been really interesting and fun to get to do more hands-on projects rather than merely focus on the theoretical.

If you’re on the fence about taking ENG 375, I would highly recommend going for it. It’s brought a new perspective to the material I’ve been studying and helped me to become more well-rounded as a student and a young professional. At first I was really turned off by the idea of taking a marketing class but then realized that our goal is to learn how to be as authentic and genuine as possible in an online format and that really resonated with me. I’m excited to be able to take these skills and experiences with me into the future.

Emma Fulkerson, Animation Major

I decided to take this course because, in my last little bit of time attending school here, I wanted to contribute to something, a real organization with a real goal. I’m quite happy to be given that chance. I also decided to take this course because I am not as connected with the English Department as I’d like to be. Being an animation student didn’t allow for much time spent on writing electives, but my screenwriting minor helped me appreciate Ball State’s English Department more, and since I have both visual art skills and writing skills, this particular opportunity seemed appropriate. I’d known about the course for some time and was really happy to see how much it has grown since I last checked!

The experience lets me practice multiple (marketable) methods of communication. I like that I’m able to see the real-world effects of my work so quickly. I work to produce design content, it is posted online to our various channels, and people interact with it. I like that our goal is to spread awareness of the plethora of potential uses for humanities degrees and the promotion of such underrated, valuable content. I like that, for myself in particular, I am able to use the artistic skills I’ve developed over the past several years to help others. I think other students should take this course if they, like me, want to use and/or practice visual and written communication in a way that affects a larger organization instead of just themselves. This course allows students to get feedback not only from other students and from the instructor, but from the real-time analytics that come with a social media presence.

Emily Helmer, Creative Writing Major

I took ENG 375 because it was an immersive learning taught by one of my all-time favorite professors. I knew that it would help give me some insight on what working with an English degree after college would look like. I knew that, after this class, I would feel a little bit more comfortable going into the workforce. My favorite thing about ENG 375 is the fact that we get to work with real life websites, blogs, and social media. What we do in this class is actually seen by those in the Ball State bubble and is aimed at helping build awareness and interest for these programs.

The things we do in here are paralleled to a lot of the things I may end up doing once I leave Ball State to work for an actual company. Other students should take ENG 375 if they want to practice real-world skills when it comes to writing for and about companies, or if they want to experience a type of workflow they may be introduced to when they get into the workforce.

Talk to your advisor about putting ENG375 in your schedule and email Professor Kathryn S. Gardiner with any questions. 

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