Second Place in Category #7 – Oral Presentations

Runner-up Library Literacy Award for Presentation

STUDENT: Jamise Sealey

PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Todd Adams

ABSTRACT:

“The subject of Congressional term limits has been debated for centuries and continues to cause turmoil with American Politics. Enforcement of term limits is not a new concept; between 1990-1995, U.S. Senators and Representatives from 23 states faced term limits [1]. However, this practice was deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton [1]. Many Americans are not in agreement with this decision. Recent studies show that Americans of all ages, races, and political parties are in favor of term limits [2]. This decision should be overturned to improve the effectiveness of Congress and more importantly, the government at large. In this presentation I will discuss the positive effects of the removal of congressional term limits along with realistic approaches to achieve the enforcement of these limits.”

ZOOM ROOM #2 Where’s the Finish Line?: Interrogating Limits in Student Writing, Literature, and Government

Runner-up Library Literacy Award for Presentation

STUDENT: Nancy Richards

PROJECT ADVISOR: Paul Frisch

ABSTRACT:

“During the Hundred Years War, many battles were fought between the English and the French as they disputed over the French line of succession and the possession of the duchy Aquitaine. At one such battle, Agincourt, King Henry V and his weary band of English soldiers found themselves face-to-face against the much larger and better equipped French army. Trapped, King Henry V and his men would not have prevailed against this greater foe were it not for the one weapon they had to their advantage: the longbow. Through the strategic positioning of his archers as well as using the terrain at Agincourt to his advantage, King Henry V demonstrated the astonishing power and destructive capability an army could commit while wielding a longbow. Even with such evidence there have been those who do not credit the usage of the Longbow as the main factor in the English’s victory. In this paper I have thoroughly researched just how powerful a longbow is. In the event of firing upon many sets of armor such as riveted mail and plate armor the longbow often prevailed in inflicting damage. Likewise, wielding a longbow was no easy task. An archer has to be physically fit to do so and oftentimes at the expense of their own bodies. As much and more is explored in my paper and it is quite clear that the longbow was a weapon to contend with.

ZOOM ROOM #1 In War and Peace: Examining Relationships in Literature, History, and Cultural Studies

First Place in Category #7 – Oral Presentations

Runner-up Library Literacy Award for Presentation

STUDENT: Lauren Sciabbarrasi

PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Griffith

ABSTRACT:

Writing tutors are trained to help students analyze writing prompts, review papers, and tackle organizational or grammatical errors. However, tutors may not be aware of what writing anxiety is, or feel prepared to adequately address such cases. Writing anxiety is a common precursor to, or even a result of, writer’s block. Both writing anxiety and writer’s block are “informal terms for a wide variety of apprehensive and pessimistic feelings about writing” (“Writing Anxiety”). Triggers such as focusing on what the professor wants, deadlines, outside pressure, fear of failure, competitiveness, preoccupation, language barriers, prior negative experiences, lack of interest, and inexperience all inhibit creativity and putting one’s ideas into words. Overall, having some level of anxiety while writing is normal. However, in excess, stress is a major hindrance to creativity (Cone). If tutors are educated on common triggers and coping mechanisms, they will be better able to teach students various skills to apply while writing, whether that student is currently experiencing writing anxiety or not. Since everyone’s experience with writing is unique, so are possible solutions to overcoming anxious feelings around writing. Options that tutors can employ are brain dumping, breaking topics down, collaborating, using strengths effectively, trying something new, and understanding that writing is a complex process. This research explores the impact of said triggers and coping mechanisms, so tutors can apply those findings in the Penn State Scranton Writing Center for continuous center improvement and inclusivity.

ZOOM ROOM #2 Where’s the Finish Line?: Interrogating Limits in Student Writing, Literature, and Government

Runner-up Library Literacy Award for Presentation

STUDENT: Gabby McFey

PROJECT ADVISOR: Paul Frisch

ABSTRACT:

Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the Father of English Poetry. However, his greatest work, the Canterbury Tales was never completed. The disconnect between his stories questions the order and what his intentions were. This paper explores the reasoning behind Chaucer’s choices and the surrounding historical contexts were. In the late 15th century, Chaucer “completed” the Canterbury Tales and earlier England saw its first wave of the Black Death. The Canterbury Tales has a disconnect between the Manciple’s Tale and the Parson’s Tale specifically. The Parson doesn’t tell a tale necessarily but seems to sum up the morals of all the previous stories told. Considering the characters on this pilgrimage are society’s “worst” people, it questions if they can tell stories with moral and if those morals can hold value. Even some of the churches people like the Friar are greedy and unpious. Geoffrey Chaucer has made the scholarly world divided for centuries. There has been discourse over his works, especially the Canterbury Tales. Due to their popularity, there will always be new ideas to add to the conversation.

ZOOM ROOM #2 Where’s the Finish Line?: Interrogating Limits in Student Writing, Literature, and Government

Runner-up Library Literacy Award for Presentation

STUDENT: Megan Lucey

PROJECT ADVISOR: Kelley Wagers

ABSTRACT:

An estimated 100 uncontacted tribes currently exist around the globe. These people subsist on their own land, maintaining minimal contact with the outside world and utilizing their own resources. They retain ways of the past and do not use any of the luxuries provided by modern society. These tribes are threatened and even harmed by our industrialized society due to factors such as disease from outsiders, cultural decimation, effects of climate change, and environmental exploitation. Although they are relatively disconnected from our modern world, these tribes benefit us by maintaining biodiversity and holding knowledge of the natural world. Because our modern society is largely responsible for the threats imposed on isolated tribes, we should be protecting them and ensuring their survival. Looking at the history of isolated tribes, it is evident that a complex relationship exists between them and modern society. Measures have been taken to protect the tribes; however, they remain threatened. We must revise the laws regulating contact with these tribes in order to better protect them.

ZOOM ROOM #1 In War and Peace: Examining Relationships in Literature, History, and Cultural Studies

First Place Library Literacy Award for Presentation

STUDENT: Micah Cameron

PROJECT ADVISOR: Dr. Kara Stone

ABSTRACT

The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus has been the subject of extensive literary criticism; however, little attention has been paid to the difference in age between the two as depicted in the Iliad and how this relates to other interpretations of their relationship as portrayed, for example, in Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles and Plato’s Symposium. Historical and literary scholars have long held that Plato was correct in his claim that Patroclus was “much older” than Achilles. However, what does the Iliad actually say about the ages of Achilles and Patroclus? To answer this question, I examined all relevant passages in the Iliad that infer or directly discuss the ages of one or both characters using several translations, and I also used Greek dictionaries to examine the text in its original form in an attempt to remove any hint of translator bias from what Homer intended. What I discovered was that the Iliad has very little to say about the ages of any characters, and although Patroclus probably was the elder of the two, there was likely very little difference in age between him and Achilles. In an effort to see what led Plato to make his erroneous claim, my research indicated that Plato was not basing his assertion on evidence, but was rather imposing 5th century B.C.E. Athenian norms on Achilles and Patroclus to make the homoerotic component of their relationship more palatable to the upper class.

ZOOM ROOM #1:In War and Peace: Examining Relationships in Literature, History, and Cultural Studies