Mission Statement
The GLA exists for three critical reasons: Community, Communication, and Championship.
1. Community: Most people usually look back upon their graduate experience as one of the best times of their lives. If you simply go to class and study at home, then you will miss out on some of the most rewarding experiences of graduate student life. The GLA's first goal is to build a strong literature community by reaching out and connecting students and faculty from all MA English programs at S.F.S.U., thus enhancing the graduate experience. Our staple events include academic and career workshops (Thesis Writing Workshop and PhD Application Workshop in the fall as well as an academic conference in the spring) and regular social mixers (such as Pub Nights and Poetry Readings).
2. Communication: Critical to achieving success within this discipline is not only having access to important information about the literature program, but also important information about the community of English Literature scholarship locally and across the globe. Accordingly, the GLA's second goal is to give you information, resources and tools to ensure academic success, social enrichment, and career development. We've constructed the following website to be the ultimate information tool for our fellow literature students: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~gla/. On the GLA website you will find breaking news, announcements and deadlines; tools and resources; a calendar of GLA and local events and much more. Still have a question? ASK US! In between 2 co-chairs and 8 officers, one of us will be available to shed some light.
3. Championship: The third goal of the GLA is to ensure that students have a voice in their academic programs and that their voices get heard not only by students, but also by the faculty. GLA is a bridge between students and the faculty. We work tirelessly to advocate for students' rights and to champion their ideas. We are here not only to pitch new ideas about curriculum to the department, but also to mediate grievances and address any concerns.