Joseph Squier
Title: Professor
Department: Narrative Media
College: Fine and Applied Arts
Interview
What classes do you teach?
- ART 250 – Writing with Video
- ART 199 – Artists & Computers
- Graduate Program – New Media
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Illinois?
As a faculty member at the U of I, I believe that I occupy a privileged postion. I have been given an opportunity to educate the leaders of the next generation. This may sound overly grand, but the caliber of students at this institution is exceptionally high. Many of the students in my classroom will indeed go on to lead exemplary lives, both as professionals and citizens.
Do you have a unique teaching method or project you assign?
I am particularly proud of having developed Writing with Video, which is a course that views video as a powerful rhetorical medium and seeks to fuse this with skills in traditional writing. Students do extensive process-oriented writing, but also produce finished videos that deal with a fascinating array of contemporary issues.
Describe your greatest professional accomplishment.
As someone who comes from the world of fine art studio practice, I am very proud of having my artwork featured in the New York Times and in many recent books on electronic art. And as a co-founder of the visual/literary art magazine Ninth Letter, I take great satisfaction in having created such a successful collaborative project with colleagues in the Creative Writing Program. Although the magazine is only a couple of years old, we have already published work by some recent Pulitzer Prize winners, and Ninth Letter has been singled out for a slew of awards.
What sparked your interest in your field of study?
I am a very visual person, so my attraction to the world of visual art and communication has also been innate and intense. Art is also a powerful language for communicating basic and timeless human issues and this gives me a sense that my work, and the work of my students, has important social value and impact.
What's your favorite aspect of life at Illinois?
I especially like the diversity that is prevalent here at a major research and education institution. Everyday I interact with brilliant people who are very different and who come from all over the world. It is intellectually stimulating and always high energy. The fact that this all happens in a mid-sized midwestern town is a wonderful balance to the 'buzz' on campus. I feel like I have the best of both worlds.
What book, related to your field, do you recommend reading?
Interface Culture by Steven Johnson
Do you have any advice for entering students?
Follow your passions, it can make hard work feel like play. Listen carefully and respectfully, but make your own decisions. Embrace difference, be curious about what you don't know or haven't experienced. Make generosity a daily habit. Never stop learning.