Volume II: 2005-2006

"A Personal Resurrection" by Rebecca Page ('06)

In “A personal Resurrection,” senior Rebecca Page attempts, in her words, “to understand Catholicism as a human practice and phenomenon, with all the complexities and depth that comes with it.”  Students in Rebecca’s Introduction to World Religions course were asked to observe a religious ritual in the local area, and then describe and interpret that ritual based on their readings and class discussions.  The resulting paper artfully combines Rebecca’s reflection on the development of her own thinking on Catholic practice, even as it describes a community of faith animated and sustained by that practice.

"The Historical Accuracy of The Persian Boy" by Eilís O. ('07)

This paper was written in response to a major assignment in Ancient Mediterranean World.  The students were to look at how a work of popular culture, in this case a Mary Renault novel about Alexander the Great, portrays historical events and then determine whether that portrayal is accurate.

"The Beat Generation: Genius and Legacy" by Becky D. ('07)

Becky wrote this research paper for United States History.  She combined her interest in literature with history and researched the impact of the Beat Generation on American society.  She was fascinated by the counterculture philosophies of people like  Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsburg, and Neal Cassady, who questioned the complacence of American society in the 1950’s.  During the summer Becky was in North Beach and was excited to discover the City Lights bookstore, a hangout of the Beats.   History is alive!

"Radio's Reign: The Societal Impact of Radio during its 'Golden Age,' 1930-1950 by Luke H. ('07)

In his paper, Radio’s Reign: The Societal Impact of Radio During Its “Golden Age”, Luke H. ('07) takes an in-depth look at the meteoric rise of the radio between 1930 and 1950, and analyzes the impact of that technology on American culture.  For this assignment, students were asked to choose a 20th century topic in American history of particular interest to them, formulate a question to guide independent research on that topic, and answer that question using various types of sources.  Luke’s paper is notable for its clear and direct structure and its use of relevant, detailed stories to support its main contentions.

"An Iron Grip--Trujillo's Methods of Control in the Dominican Republic" by Paloma P. ('08)

This project was designed to introduce students of Twentieth century world history to research skills, that is, coming up with a research question, reading various sources on the topic and evaluating their credibility and usefulness and eventually compiling this information into one’s own conclusion. Paloma’s annotated bibliography shows her grasp of these essential skills. Her introduction and conclusion give us the details of her subject and her opinion of Trujillo’s retention of power in the Dominican Republic. Each of her annotations reflects her understanding of the author’s main arguments, their strengths and weakness and their contribution to her understanding of the topic. Her analysis is insightful, precise and clear.

"Position of Afghan Women from 1978 to the Present" by Katherine W. ('08)

This annotated bibliography is very strong in both the selection of sources and the commentary by Katherine.  Her introduction does a good job of highlighting the context of her inquiry and clearly identifies her thesis, while her conclusion is an excellent reflection on the information she learned from her sources.  Her comment on both the Taliban and the West is particularly noteworthy as she displays a nuanced understanding of how perceptions of gender are (mis)used by both. This reflection is no doubt a result of the complex sources she read for the project as she was able to find the most prominent articles and books for her topic and include them. Good sources are the basis of good research!

"The Meaning of Economic Integration for Niumi" by Maya G. ('09)

In modern world history, students study the impact of the first centuries of global economic integration—especially the Atlantic system—on West Africa.  They therefore learn about the growth of the African slave trade in context, seeing both the human tragedy and political destabilization, but also the human agency and control that some African groups exerted in their dealings with Europeans up until around the mid-eighteenth century.  In this essay, Maya G. (’09) uses Donald Wright’s history of Niumi, a small polity on the north bank of the Gambia river, to explore how the first three centuries of the Atlantic system impacted “a very small place in Africa,” in contrast to the textbook’s treatment of the better-known, larger polities. This assignment is the first exercise in which students in this course are asked to read large excerpts from a scholarly work, and think critically about their textbook.

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