College of Arts and Letters students made a strong showing at Notre Dame’s 5th annual Undergraduate Scholars Conference, which showcased more than 250 research, scholarship, and creative projects from across the University.
At the May 4, 2012, event, senior art history honors student Caroline Maloney won first prize in the Undergraduate Library Research Awards sponsored by Hesburgh Libraries and the Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement.
Maloney’s winning senior thesis, “God-Daughter of a Witch and Sister to a Fairy: Pamela Colman Smith and the Celtic Twilight,” was advised by Kathleen Pyne, a professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design.
The Undergraduate Library Research Award recognizes undergraduates who “demonstrate excellent research skills” and “incorporate library resources, collections, and services into their scholarly and creative projects.”
Elise Garton, a political science and English major, received second place for her senior thesis, titled “Islamaphobia and Public Discourse in Spain: Prejudice, Historical Memory, and National Identity.” Garton’s adviser was Andrew C. Gould, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science.
Vienna Wagner, a first-year student, won the award for best paper submitted from a 20000- through 40000–level class. She wrote “Mark of Cain: Evil’s Medieval Masquerade,” for a course called The Bible and Its Interpretation, taught by adjunct instructor Eric Bugyis in the Program of Liberal Studies.
Kristyn Jeffries, a senior in the College of Science, won second place in that category for “Eleanor Clubs: Black Cooks, White Kitchens, and Political Conflict in the Depression Era American South,” a paper she wrote for a course called Labor History of American Food, taught by Daniel Graff, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of History.
The award for best paper submitted from a 10000- or 20000-level class went to first-year student Julianne Carson. She wrote “How Far is Too Far? Stem Cell Research & Ethics” for a Writing and Rhetoric course taught by graduate instructor Robinson Murphy, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English.
First-year student Emily Mediate won second prize in that category for “Justification for the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson: Divisions after the War,” a paper for a University Seminar course taught by Richard Pierce, John Cardinal O’Hara, C.S.C., Associate Professor of History and chair of the Department of Africana Studies.
Entries were evaluated by a cross-disciplinary group of faculty members and representatives from the Hesburgh Libraries. They selected the winners based on the following criteria:
- intellectual merit
- demonstration that the work meets the highest standards of its field,
- understanding and application of principles of information literacy,
- extensive and creative use of Notre Dame Library resources,
- clarity of writing,
- persuasiveness of argumentation,
- depth of inquiry, and
- organization of project material.
Learn More >
- Undergraduate Library Research Award
- 2012 Undergraduate Scholars Conference
- Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement
Originally published by at al.nd.edu on May 17, 2012.