[Air-l] re: graduate programs

[Cheryl E. Ball]

Rob (& others interested...)--

(1) Don't worry about the MFA; if you apply to the right program,
they'll be itching to have you and your experience that your MFA has
offered you. I speak as one who has an MFA in poetry and who now is in a
PhD program studying new media. Granted, I'd done some electronic work
while getting my MFA, but everyone is always intrigued when I start
talking about a field other than Rhet/Comp, which is the area that many
of our grads come from.

(2) As for programs, I just *have* to recommend the one I'm currently
in: Rhetoric and Technical Communication in the Humanities Dept. at
Michigan Technological University <http://www.hu.mtu.edu>. Right now,
I'm taking a class with Anne Wysocki on new media and we're reading a
range of books (both theoretical and practical, but focusing more on the
theory-side of things) and creating our own new media works
<http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~awysocki/courses/HU6112-S02/page0.html>. And,
being in a Humanities department offers so many possibilities for
cross-disciplinary work/research, with scholars in the field of cultural
studies, film studies, new media, rhet/comp, rhetoric, communication,
etc. etc., (even for those of us with an MFA who feel we may not be as
theoretically prepared while our practical experience speaks loads more
than the MAs of others students ;)

In any case, Michigan Tech rocks. I'd love to talk about it more. If
anyone wants to know more about our program, email me off-list. We also
have a summer institute, if you just want to get a taste of things MTU
and interactive/new media design: http://www.hu.mtu.edu/ciwic.

--Cheryl.
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~ceball
ceball at mtu.edu
ceball at chartermi.net