The English UAB

The Penn English Undergraduate Advisory Board (UAB) is a group of dedicated students who take charge of initiatives and events designed to foster a sense of community in the undergraduate program of the Department of English. The UAB serves as the voice for undergraduates to the Department.

 The UAB has two headlining activities: 

• The Winter Reading Project is an annual event designed to engage students in reading over winter break. The UAB selects a text in the Fall, and a special in-person panel discussion takes place early in the Spring to explore that text as a community as well as with the wider public.

• The other important task of the UAB is to decide on Teaching and Advising Awards; the UAB facilitates the selection of faculty for two major prizes and announces them at the Department’s end-of-year reception.

 And the English UAB does much, much more! Over the years, this lively board has hosted distinguished writers and scholars, including Monty Python’s Terry Jones and bestselling authors Susan Jane Gilman and (Penn English Alum!) Jennifer Egan; run marathon readings like “Austen ‘til it Hurts” and a faculty-student play – an extremely abridged version of Shakespeare’s complete works. Recently, the UAB has presided over a number of gatherings – festive and ruminative – to bring students together.

The English Undergraduate Advisory Board welcomes new members! Please contact our Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Becky Friedman (beckysf@english.upenn.edu) if you'd like to join!

Penn English majors who join the UAB and participate actively become eligible, at Commencement, for induction into Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society.

Previous UAB Events and Reading Projects