GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College First Year Curriculum Coordinator and Lecturer of English Sean Oros ’15 has designed an engaging assignment and worksheet series that was accepted for publication in “Writing Spaces.”
This innovative series focuses on a two-week segment of literary analysis, encouraging students to apply their analytical skills to songs of their choosing. The worksheets are crafted to help students develop their abilities in poetry analysis, ultimately allowing them to transfer these skills to contemporary music. This approach not only fosters a deeper understanding of poetic elements but also enhances student engagement by connecting literary analysis to familiar songs. This lesson plan was initially developed and successfully implemented in Thiel College classrooms for the ENG 101: College Composition course, demonstrating its effectiveness in promoting literary skills. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing is a book series containing peer-reviewed collections of essays—all composed by teachers for students—with each volume freely available for download under a Creative Commons license. Writing Spaces aims to build a library of quality open access textbooks for the writing classroom as an alternative to costly textbooks.
Writing Spaces is a collaborative project managed by a team of writing instructors from across the United States and beyond. It offers a wealth of resources, including lesson plans, assignments, and activities, all available under a Creative Commons license. Oros’ contribution can be found in the Activities and Assignments Archive on the Writing Spaces website.
Oros was a history and English double-major at Thiel and graduated in 2015. He earned a Master of Arts in social sciences, specializing in history from the University of Chicago in 2017 and is working on Ph.D. at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in composition and applied linguistics. In 2024, Oros was recognized by the Shenango Valley Chamber of Commerce as a member of its annual 30 under 40 awards.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.