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Contents
A Note from the Collaborative Director
Undergraduate Research: Adjusting to Life at a Liberal Arts College
2012-2013 McNair Scholars
Fall-Summer Collaborative Grants
Convention Spotlight
NCUR
AACR
Sigma Tau Delta
- Kaela Gedda
- Jens Paasen
- Gretchen Panzer
- Hannah Schmitt
- Luanne Spence
- Sarah Titus
Collaborative Research Stories
Important Dates
May 4, 2012 Student Academic Travel Grant and Attendee Grant applications due
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Convention Spotlight
Kaela Gedda
'12, President of Sigma Tau Delta
St.
Norbert’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta is pleased to share that seven of its
members were selected to attend the international convention in New Orleans, LA
this March. Representing St. Norbert, six of the students traveled to Louisiana
to the International English Honor Society’s convention to present their
papers. The papers presented ranged in categories from critical analyses of
literary works to creative non-fiction pieces. Each student was assigned a
panel to present among students with relating topics. Along with sharing their
own papers the students were inspired during the readings and lectures from
published authors Naomi Shihab Nye, Anthony Doerr, and Natasha Tretheway. Participating
in writing, revising, and presenting scholarly work at a professional level
showcases the talents and preparation for future writing that Sigma Tau Delta
members have honed while at St. Norbert College. This participation in the
annual convention positively reflects the campus in a competitive academic
setting. The six papers that were presented at the 2012 convention include:
 "Why Not to Shut Books in the Freezer"
Sarah Titus ‘12
"Why Not to Shut Books in
the Freezer" is a creative non-fiction essay written in response to a
novel entitled The Book of Ruth by
Jane Hamilton. The main character's trials become entwined with similar,
personal traumas. Ultimately, this is a paper about why books are important in
the healing process, especially books that are written about heavy issues that
are not often talked about because of their brutality.
Gender
and Power in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children: The Implications
of “The Widow” Gretchen Panzer ‘12
In his novel Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie uses
magical realism to satirize and critique Indira Gandhi (the Prime Minister of
India from 1966-77 and 1980-84). In my essay, I argue that while Rushdie’s
disapproval of Gandhi’s political actions is perfectly understandable, he
attacks her gender rather than simply her politics, making the text problematic
from a feminist perspective. Rushdie emphasizes the fact that Gandhi is a
widow, drawing on the stigmatization of widows in India; portrays her as a
castrating, child-killing witch figure; and blames her for the human rights
violations committed by her son, whom he depicts as emasculated and weak. That
Rushdie focuses so intently on Gandhi’s gender as he critiques her political
actions, I argue, stems from a deep-rooted—though possibly subconscious—bias
against women in power.
“Charlotte
Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”: Writing to Serve” Kaela Gedda ‘12
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman focuses on the
experiences of women during the late nineteenth century centering around the
rest cure that was widely prescribed by the medical community. While often read
as a feminist text, “The Yellow Wallpaper” goes beyond a discussion of female
roles during Gilman’s period. My essay explores the way in which “The Yellow
Wallpaper” offers a dual service to both the narrator of the text and readers
of the short story by utilizing writing—in the form of a personal journal and
published work—to provide liberation from the restraints of patriarchy and the
medical community. Ultimately, Gilman’s novella shares how powerful and
self-serving the ability to be independent is. Writing acts as the tool to help
many women, fictional and in reality.
“Girl Talk: Female Friendships
in Hannah Webster Foster’s The Coquette” Hannah
Schmitt ‘13
Hannah
Webster Foster's The Coquette,
an eighteenth century seduction narrative, can easily be read exclusively for
the male/female relationships in the text. In “Girl Talk: Female Friendships in
Hannah Webster Foster's The
Coquette,” I suggest an alternate reading, one that focuses on the
friendships within the text rather than the story of Eliza Wharton, the female
protagonist, and Major Sanford, the rake who seduces her. In this paper, I
argue that, through The
Coquette, Foster critiques her society's traditional
understanding of female friendship, exposing the inadequacy of her society’s
definitions of femininity. As readers follow Eliza's sexual deviance,
pregnancy, and eventual death, they discover that the kind of female friendship
endorsed by eighteenth-century America fails to adequately assist women.
“Exploring
Religious Uncertainty in MacDonald’s “The Golden Key” Luanne Spence ‘13
George MacDonald, a 19th century Victorian
writer, used his many works to explore both religious discrepancy and gender
norms. As a devout Christian, he wrote fairy tales for children to exemplify
moral lessons he deemed valuable. His piece, “The Golden Key,” tells the story
of two young children searching for the land without shadows. Readers can
presumably infer that the land without shadows is a metaphorical symbol for
religious affirmation and life after death. MacDonald uses two protagonists –
an arduous male and a besieged female to illustrate his religious beliefs. As
the characters journey throughout the story, MacDonald exposes readers to the
many paradoxes between gender norms and religious experience. The male child
not only upholds phallic power by reaching his final destination with little
trouble, but he becomes both a teacher and a faithful example that others can
follow. Although his voyage into faith is faultless, he falls to the wayside as
MacDonald puts the female protagonist into the lime light mid story. In an
intentional move, MacDonald captures the hardships she experiences and her
questioning of faith, while simultaneously portraying her as victorious and
just as deserving of salvation as her male counterpart. The story allows
readers, both children and adult alike, to connect with the characters and gain
a newfound appreciation for questioning the unknown and developing personal
religious beliefs. MacDonald uses “The Golden Key” to aid in inspiring the
unconventional and urges individuals to uncover their own religious key.
“If You Want to Belong, You Have to
Buy: Disney’s Pocahontas and
Consumerism in a Natural Disguise” Jens Paasen ‘13
In their 1995 film Pocahontas Disney uses nature as a Trojan horse to plant messages of
consumerism in the viewers’ minds. In my essay I argue that Disney proceeds in
three steps to covertly introduce ideas of consumerism to young viewers.
First, the notion of a nature-culture dichotomy is reinforced through the
juxtaposition of the Powhatan Indians and the English settlers. Then, the idea
of human dominance over nature is suggested through
depictions of anthropocentrism using nature as special effect. Eventually a consumerist culture is
strengthened through Pocahontas translation of capitalist concepts into
child-oriented ideas and through fostering her individualist nature through
John Smith. Disney successfully introduces ideas of consumerism to children
making them want to buy movie related products in order to follow Pocahontas’s
desirable individualist example.
Faculty
Sponsors:
Dr. Karlyn
Crowley, Dr. Laurie
MacDiarmid, Dr. John
Pennington
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