Enrolling in Professor Louise Rose’s short story writing class was the best decision 2008 graduate Mark Wilson says he made at St. Joseph’s College.
Hands down, “English 115: The Short Story” was Wilson’s favorite class. In fact, Wilson — now a middle school English teacher and a lecturer at his alma matter — uses teaching strategies similar to Professor Rose’s.
“Professor Rose also shared a story she authored, ‘The Beautiful View,’ which I now teach to my students,” Wilson said, responding to a questionnaire conducted by St. Joseph’s Office of Alumni Engagement. “Professor Rose had an innate ability to facilitate class discussion and pique our interest in uncovering the ‘deeper meaning’ of the texts.
“Taking English 115 indeed solidified my decision to major in English and become a teacher,” he continued.
Wilson took several of Rose’s classes during his time at St. Joseph’s. He looked to her as a mentor, especially when it came time to write his senior thesis, focusing on author Flannery O’Connor’s short fiction.
Finding inspiration in SJC courses
Like Wilson, many of our alumni have fond memories of courses they took at St. Joseph’s.
Here’s a few of their favorites:
- Mary Theresa Moringiello ’76, an educational consultant, loved her philosophy course at St. Joseph’s. She said it was taught by Dr. Stan Nevins. She noted that she was enamored by the way Dr. Nevins made her think about life. Moringiello continues to use the practices she learned in class to reflect on life.
- Jessica Handy ’07, a marketing director, was inspired by Dr. Margaret Jennings’ teachings in her classical literature class. Handy said Dr. Jennings had an incredibly special way of bringing humor and intellectual curiosity into the subject. She appreciated the new light Dr. Jennings cast on literature, explaining that knowledge of the classics is the foundation of a well-read mind.
- Shamire Juste ’17, remembers “Introduction to Case Management,” instructed by Professor Gloria Gasper, fondly as it served as a great bridge to the work she completed for her field placements in graduate school, and is laying a foundation for her social work career. Juste said she used the material she learned in the course a lot during her first field placement at Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC.
- John McKeon ’16 said his favorite class at St. Joseph’s was a course on the Supreme Court, led by Stephen J. Rockwell, Ph.D. McKeon said he learned a lot of useful information from the class — especially when keeping up with today’s political climate. The course was enjoyable to McKeon because of the way Dr. Rockwell kept the classes lively, well informed and intellectually stimulating.
