INQUIRY

CELEBRATING FIRST-YEAR WRITING AND RESEARCH AT CAL LUTHERAN

INQUIRY is an online journal showcasing writing and research by students in English 110 and 111, Critical Reading and Writing I and II. The inaugural Spring 2021 issue is a collaboration between Pearson Library and the English Department as a presentation for the Spring 2021 Festival of Scholars. The journal’s title reflects Cal Lutheran’s identity, which “encourages critical inquiry into matters of both faith and reason.”

outstanding ENGLish 110 Essay

This year's judges selected an essay written by Charis Pulei for her Fall 2020 English 110 course, taught by Dr. Scott Chiu, as this year's Outstanding English 110 Essay. Charis is a first-year student, majoring in Theater and minoring in Art and French. Before moving to Cal Lutheran, she lived in Tanzania with her family, where she attended a British curriculum school and focused on Fine and Performing Arts.

Watch a recorded conversation between Charis and Dr. Chiu as they talk about her reading process, finding one's angle to write about systemic racism, and about writing personal narrative as a powerful strategy for writing argument. And read Charis' essay.

SPRING 2021 CONTENTS

This issue focuses on English 110. Professors nominated thirteen exemplary essays responding to this year’s English 110 shared reading, “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates. We invite readers to celebrate our students’ writing, research, persistence, and compassionate inquiry, as they navigated pandemic teaching and soul-searching conversations about racism and violence across the nation. In addition to the “Outstanding Essay,” this issue highlights the following:

  • “Honorable Mention” Essay: A conversation between writer Noah Rigo and Professor Linda Olson; judges’ comments; Noah's complete essay.

  • “In the Stacks”: Librarians Meghan Kwast and Yvonne Wilber on the research process. Meghan illuminates readers on her process for creating the “The Case for Reparations” reading guide, an invaluable resource for faculty and students alike. Yvonne writes about Pearson Library’s mission to provoke critical inquiry at Cal Lutheran. Both Meghan and Yvonne emphasize one’s own curiosity as a key element to academic research.

  • “About” describes the English 110 shared reading and assignment. You can also view the complete list of nominated students for this year’s exemplary English 110 essays, and read faculty and judges’ bios.