Please find the Abstract Submission form below.
Prior to submission, review the following information for how to create your abstract.
What is an abstract?
An abstract is a short summary of your project. It tells readers what your work is about, why it matters, what you did, and what you found or created. Think of it as a snapshot of your research or creative project—it helps people quickly understand the main idea and purpose of your work. Your abstract should be clear, concise, and written in your own words. You do not need to include or cite sources in your abstract.
You’ll include your abstract when you submit your Scholar’s Day proposal, and it will appear in the event program.
Tips for Writing Your Abstract:
Resources on How to Write an Abstract:
Memoirs of Genocide: From Poland to Sudan
Jasmine Angelini-Knoll
Under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Waltzer, Jewish Studies Program
For this project, related to my research assistance for Dr. Kenneth Waltzer in his work on The Rescue of Children and Youth in Buchenwald, I will look at several different memoirs rooted in experiences of mass violence undergone by children and youth. I want to draw parallels between memoirs of youthful survivors who lived through the Nazi Holocaust in Europe and the “Lost Boys,” who survived recent violent conflict in Sudan. My sample of memoirs includes works in French by Polish Jewish boys who survived the Holocaust in ghettos and work camps, finally winding up in Buchenwald. The Sudanese memoirs trace the paths of boys as they fled from destroyed homes to refugee camps. They are written in English, often involving the collaboration of American authors. Besides engaging each story individually, the exploration of these works urges broader questions about memory of horrific violence. How is memory presented and organized in memoir? What is emphasized and why? What are the motivations for speaking as witnesses of horror and survivors of violence? What are the implications of personal memoir for the larger task of preventing violence and genocide? These stories are diverse—they take place in different worlds and times, and involve different actors and contexts. Yet they are also connected, involving experiences by youth of mass violence, survival, and finally efforts to represent memory years later as warning, remembrance, and an effort to help others understand.
Recycling in Michigan
Erin Seavoy, Jennifer Copus, Erik Jonasson
Under the direction of Mark Largent, James Madison
Within our culture, recycling is seen as an important way to help preserve our wildlife and protect the earth for our children’s future. With this positive reputation and strong public interest, it would be reasonable to believe that recycling programs are widely supported and funded throughout the state of Michigan. However, this is not the reality. In our research, we plan to investigate three prominent Michigan cities: Lansing, Detroit, and Ann Arbor. Each city has its own recycling history, and we are delving into the legislation and statistics surrounding the emergence—or absence—of a recycling program in each city. We hope to discover trends that point to why some cities have become more involved in the recycling movement. We seek to determine what types of economic, social, and political conditions are necessary in order for a city to introduce and fund a comprehensive recycling program.
Embodying Social Advocacy
Samantha Mitchell, Megan Brumbill, Christine McCullough, Mary McGorey, Janelle Orser
Under the direction of Sherrie Barr, Theatre
Whether on or offstage, or in or out of the classroom, social advocacy is integral to dance. Choreographers often engage elements of social advocacy in order to empower dancers in their learning and understanding of dances. This notion is critical for students as their education enhances awareness of the art form. Such empowerment invites them to take ownership—in movement vocabulary and choreographic intent. Dancers’ voices, visually and audibly, become active agents of the creative process. We are investigating ideas concerning humanity and humanitarians. A unique research model is evolving as we investigate creatively and through scholarship on socio-political issues. An overarching question is: How, if at all, do our attitudes reflect in our dancing? As we interface physical and cognitive research, we have the opportunity to arrive at new ways of embodied knowing.
Use this form to submit your Abstract