Humanities Symposium: Excellent practice, learning

The second annual Pfleiderer Humanities Symposium took place on Nov. 15-16. Twenty-five students took part in this event and presented on their research projects progress. Most of the students are in classes that use the symposium as a way to increase learning outside of the classroom.

The symposium provides these students with experience in presenting their work to their peers. Being able to speak on research to the public is a critical communication skill that the symposium helps students learn early. The Pfleiderer Humanities Symposium is designed to be a safe and comfortable setting for students to gain experience in public speaking.

This year, a new member of the humanities faculty was able to enjoy the event and his experience was overwhelmingly positive. Before coming to Heidelberg, Barry Devine, visiting assistant professor of English, had only previously taught at large universities and an event like the symposium was a new experience for him to see in an undergraduate program.

Devine said he felt that the symposium was a valuable experience for humanities students because it allows them to work on speaking and critical thinking skills. He thought the experience was “fantastic,” claiming it is a great way for humanities majors to share their work that may not have another place to be shared, like short stories or other forms of writing. Devine said he is looking forward to future semesters where he can plan a research project that his students will be able to present at the next symposium.

Students who participated in the symposium felt a variety of emotions toward presenting. Many students were confident and excited to present what they had been working on over the semester. Others were nervous and anxious because of the decent crowd that had come to listen to them present.

Students presented a variety of work ranging from capstones to projects from various writing, history and religion classes. Overall, the presentations went off without a hitch, and the event was quite successful. As we look toward the future, we are excited to build off of this year’s symposium to improve the event for years to come.

This year’s presenters and their topics were as follows:

• Stephen Crouch: The Treaty of War (Versailles)

• Victoria Pisarsky: Protest Songs: Snapshots of History

• Erica Dame: Matching Boots and Gloves: Social Hierarchy in "The Breakfast Club"

• Ericka Kaimer: Psychological Seclusion, Manipulation, and Insanity in “Hedda Gabler”

• Alexis McClimans: Creative Transformation and "Alice in Wonderland" Retelling

• Rachel Peters: Ghosts

• Rachel James: Identity Poems for "The Satanic Verses"

• Tiana Young: Modern Day Social Media Retelling of "Romeo and Juliet" and Saleem and his Impact on India

• Kate Rose: Widow

• Kenzie James: Series of Articles Surrounding "Little Women: The Musical" and Looking at censorship in Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories," also examines the hidden political commentary woven into a children's book

• Megan Cook: Collection of poetry

• Elyssa Williams: Physical and Textual Metamorphosis with Salman Rushdie

• Madison Crow: The Significance of Time in Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children"

• Suzanne Brengartner: Cold War Human Experiments

• John Eckroth: Experiments Done During WWII

• Andrew Woodyard: Italian-American Mafia

• Megan Almendinger: Top 10 articles about a variety of English topics and Annotated Bibliography of "Haroun and the Sea of Stories"

•  Jonathan Sallee: Martyrs for Their Faith

• Amanda Blanton: The Fall of Constantinople

• Brenna Wnek: Religion and Symbolism in "The Satanic Verses"

• Alexandra Chakov: How the Five Senses Combined with Magical Realism Affect Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children"

• Josh Hilgenberg: Something to Pass the Time

• Alixandra Siemer: American Women's Dress Reform

• Kory Wise: 2071

• Chelsea Jones: "Alice in Wonderland" vs. "Haroun and the Sea of  Stories"

─ Article by Kate Mundy and Madison Crow