Students share research at Spring English Colloquium

04/28/2014 5:58 PM

Bradley students gave faculty and peers a glimpse into semester-long research projects at the English department’s 10^th semi-annual Student Research Colloquium in April.

Students based their research from class assignments, including Emily Daniel ’14 who explored family dynamics and patriarchal legacies through William Faulkner’s “Absalom, Absalom.” After spending the semester in her Individual Authors class with an emphasis on Faulkner, Daniel said that the Colloquium was useful in helping her fine-tune and develop an argumentative thesis for her research interests in gender and literature.

Other students, like Gracy Heaton ’15, were able to research their own questions and topics of interest. Heaton identified themes of Irish identity and culture based on her Irish Literature class. Some students like Heaton even took on multiple projects. She also examined Faulkner’s “The Hamlet” and the characterization of women as controllable livestock.

“The Colloquium makes me look deep into a problem and find meaning. I get to use analytical thinking,” Heaton said. “Many of the presentations are papers in progress. This lets us have a discussion about our work and find any potential problems.”

Glenna Nelson ’16 was able to observe the passing of poetry movements, from the Beats poets, to Confessional and modern poetry known today.

While most English students finished their senior projects last semester, some still explored subjects to be applied in other settings or majors. Cole Stalter, a junior secondary education major, presented a step-by-step guide to writing a business-style complaint letter.

“I learned a lot about the difference between academic and business writing,” he said. “Learning how to write effectively and concisely is something that I will be able to teach my future students.”

Students utilized various types of mediums beyond posters to present their research. Multiple set-ups of videos, music and texts were located throughout the tables, enhancing the learning experience. Bridget Baker ’14 played traditional Irish music along with her poster presentation on the importance of music in Ireland.

The objective of the Colloquium is to provide students the chance to discuss their research, learn from the discussion, and further develop their projects. It also allows for visitors to learn about the variety of topics and research being conducted by students over the semester.

Participants and their Projects:

Tessa Armich: “Representation of Ireland as a Woman and its Repercussions”
Bridget Baker: “The Importance of Music in Ireland”
Becky Bucklin: “A Timeline of Irish Feminism through Irish Literature”
Meredith Buneta: “Homosexuality in Irish Culture and Literature”
Liz Cachey: “Female Contemporary Poets”
Maggie Cipriano: “A Psychoanalytic Lens: Quentin Compson in The Sound and the Fury as the Old South’s Tragic Hero” & “Donald Justice: A Closet Confessionalist”
Danielle Cotton: “Constructing and Demolishing Sutpen’s Legacy: Family as an Extension of and Reaction to Patriarchal Authority in Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom!” & “Representing a Nation of Irish Woman in Eilis Ni Dhuibhne’s The Dancers Dancing.”
Jennifer Cundiff: “American Poetry: A Study in Truth and Philosophy”
Emily Daniel: “Faulkner’s Design: Absalom, Absalom! and the Portrayal of Masculinity in the South”
Alison Dixon: “Dancing at Lughnasa: The Combined World of Celtic Paganism and Christianity”
Lisa Dooley: “The Digital Humanities, Project Gutenberg, and Retrograde Progress”
Mari Fike: “Catch 22 Going in Circles: Is Yossarian the Key?”
Rachel Geiger: “Irish Immigration and Literature”
Gracy Heaton: “An Exploration of Irish Identity Formation as it is Expressed Through Irish Literature” & “The Objectification and Comparison of Women to Cattle in Faulkner’s The Hamlet”
Adele Henke: “Exploring Mythological Medicine in Irish Culture and Literature”
Stephanie Hilton: “Frank X Walker: A Blast from the Past”
Hannah Huffman: “The Influence of Confessionalism on the Black Arts Movement”
Darlene Jacobs: “Sonnets in the 21st Century”
Lexi Lewandowski: “Gender in Ireland and James Joyce”
Christian Lyon: “Stylistic Distance and Faulkner” & “American Poetry: Does the Conversation Matter?”
Carly Martin: “Frank Walker: A Confessional Poet”
Glenna Nelson: “Movements in Poetry”
Mollie O’Brien: “New Classifications: Mary Oliver seen in the Romantic Movement”
Jolee Parks: “Storytellers in Ireland” & “The Past in Light in August”
Anna Petsas: “Teaching Grammar and Mechanics in Secondary Education”
Katia Petsas: “Showing Possession Using Apostrophes”
Danielle Salvatore: “Exploring the Movements of American Poetry”
Katie Scaramella: “Lena Grove: The New Southern Woman”
Rachel Shore: “Frank X Walker Comparable to Poets of the Black Arts Movement”
Katherine Smith: “A Jungarian Perspective on the Irish Belief in Fairies”
Cole Stalter: “Schooling for Business”
Sarah Wojcik: “Irish Folklore and W.B. Yeats”