WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 17, 2016 — West Liberty University’s Department of Humanities held its annual Advanced Composition Research Symposium this week on Monday, November 14.
“This event provides the students with important professional experience, as they gain confidence in presenting their ideas, answering questions, and engaging in meaningful dialogue on topics that pertain to their career aspirations. It is a valuable learning tool for all disciplines,” said Dr. Angela Rehbein, associate professor of English in the Department of Humanities.
Featuring research presentations and posters from students representing almost every college on campus, the interdisciplinary research gathering took place from 1-4:15 p.m. in the Boyle Conference Center.
Though there were no official prizes, the students were pleased to have a chance to present their research to campus. Besides 10-minute formal presentations, there was a poster session that allowed students not speaking a chance to informally present their research via poster explanations.
Students and topics presenting formally include:
- Alaina Pauley, “Reconsidering Socialism”
- Dan Lukich, “Redefining Meditation”
- Judy Johnston, “Mary Bennet: Women’s Modern Day Model”
- Kristin Fisher, “Unmasking the Phantom: Adapting a Novel”
- Emily Davis, “A Tale as Told Through Time: How Beauty and the Beast Can Track Societal Changes”
- Andrew Shaw, “Striving for Greatness: The Potential for Morality in Video Games”
- Madison Hamby, “Obsession with the End”
- Cat Burke, “Poverty and Abuse in Jeanette Walls’ The Glass Castle
- Zoe Stoffel, “Spectacleization: The Implication of the 2016 Presidential Election as a Modern Day Freak Show
The poster session offers a graphic way for students to explain and defend their thesis. - Josh Smith, “Journalism in 140 Characters or Less”
Poster presentations included:
- Sarah Jarvis, “The Byronic Frankenstein & Monster”
- Sean Kranske, “The Negative Social Impact of Mass Media Obsession”
- Caitlyn Moore, “Harry Potter and the Allegory of Feminism”
- Lynnsie Parsons, “Early Prevention in Juvenile Delinquency: What is the Best for Our Future?”
- Abby Reeves, “TPACK and Technological Integration in Education”
- Emily Roe, “Katniss Everdeen and the De-Gendering of the Hunger Games”
- Josh Williams, “Safety in a Sexually Gray Culture”
Students represented a variety of programs including: English, Criminal Justice, History, Biology, Journalism, Education.
All students taking place in the symposium presented material from a longer essay or research paper that is required for the three-credit hour class. For more information on the Department of Humanities, visit the College of Liberal Arts webpage at westliberty.edu/liberal-arts.