English Graduate Student Reading Groups

University of Florida Department of English

The following discussion groups have been meeting on a consistent basis for at least a year.

Other discussion groups have met on a short-term basis to discuss a text or an author. If you'd like to form a group to discuss something, get the word out. Chances are, other grads have been wanting to read it as well. If you'd like to form a more formal group, pitch it to the grads listserv. There's always room for more discussion.

Bad Movie Club

The Bad Movie Club meets once a month to watch terrible movies in enjoyable company. For more details, see The Bad Movie Club website.
Children's Culture Study Group: The Children's Culture Study Group (CCSG) is a graduate student-run organization at the University of Florida dedicated to the study of children's literature and culture. Consisting of both faculty and students, the CCSG provides the unique opportunity to examine the children's literature collection located in the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature in the Department of Special Collections at the University of Florida. The CCSG meets throughout the semester to discuss topics like Caldecott Medal winners or Little Golden Books as well as popular films or graphic novels. For more information, see the Children's Culture Study Group website.
Comics Reading Group: The Comics Reading Group generally meets bi-weekly to discuss readings chosen by the group. To hear about upcoming comics-related meetings, please email comics-coordinators@clas.ufl.edu to join the email listserve. Visit the Comics Reading Group website for more info.
Composition Theory Reading Group: The Composition Theory Reading Group is open to students, faculty, and anyone else interested in theories of writing and discourse. Members of the CTRG choose and discuss theoretical readings in the field of composition studies, including topics such as writing and technology, negotiating writing spaces, ideology, philosophy, discourse theory, and rhetoric. For more information contact Clay Arnold (garnold@english.ufl.edu).
Digital Assembly: The Digital Assembly arose from broadening the scope of The Games Studies Group which aimed to explre theoretical issues surrounding gaming both by common readings of critical texts and close "readings" of shared gaming experiences. Due to the diverse interests of the student body, we have broadened the scope but maintained our interest in theoretical approaches to under-represented media. Please see our website for more info.
Early Modern Reading Group: The Early Modern Reading Group is an interdisciplinary reading group housed in the Department of English. Our readings and discussions tend to focus on primary texts from the late Middle Ages to the mid-Seventeenth Century. Although we read all of our texts in English, we do read translations of other European works. UF Undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members are welcome to attend our monthly meetings. For more information, see the Early Modern Reading Group website.
Feminist Reading Group: The feminist reading group meets twice a month to discuss readings chosen by the group and generally deal with feminist theory. The FRG is currently looking for a group coordinator to take over the listserv and administration for the FRG. Please contact Melissa Mellon (mmellon@english.ufl.edu) to request info about the group. Also to view reading and meeting schedules visit the Feminist Reading Group website.
Film Studies Group: FSG activities are open to anyone (grad students, faculty) interested in watching/reading & talking about/teaching film. Activities are not limited to film studies students. The Film Studies Group has workshops, a screening series, and chooses readings to help its members further their knowledge of Film Studies. For more information, visit the Graduate Film Studies Group website.
Jane Austen Society: The Jane Austen Society consists of department members as well as Janeites from all around north Florida. We meet several times each semester either on campus or at a local library to study and celebrate Jane Austen's works, life, and times. For more information, contact Amy Robinson and see www.jasna.org.
Marxist Reading Group: Formed in 1992, the Marxist Reading Group meets bi-weekly during the academic year. Discussion topics and readings are determined by the group. Readings cover both orthodox and contemporary marxist positions and relevant cultural studies texts. Since spring of 1999, the MRG has organized an annual three-day conference, inviting keynote speakers of their choice. For more info, visit the Marxist Reading Group website.
Postcolonial Reading Group: The Postcolonial Reading Group focuses on postcolonial theory and literatures and their intersections with race, class, gender, and sexuality studies. PRG also fosters discussion of feminist postcolonial theory and U.S. Multi-ethnic literatures and film. For more info, visit the PRG website.
Queer Theory Reading Group: The queer theory reading group is a collection of people from differing backgrounds and positions: graduate and undergraduate students, the academic and the non-academic, the disciplinary minded and those who work best outside of any formal boundaries, straights, gays, lesbians, transgendered, transsexual, bisexual and at times even queers. For more information, visit the Queer Theory Reading Group website.
Victorian Studies Forum: We currently meet on roughly a monthly basis to discuss Victorian poetry. The goal behind this is to familiarize ourselves with canonical and non-canonical works that are usually not covered in graduate courses (which tend to focus more on novels). This familiarity will both give us an edge professionally and help us in teaching survey courses on British literature. Contact Dan Brown (dsbrown@ufl.edu) to join the listserv.

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