Spring 2011 Publication, Volume 6

Preface

“No matter how one may think himself accomplished, when he sets out to learn a new language, science, or the bicycle, he has entered a new realm as truly as if he were a child newly born into the world.”

-Frances Willard, How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle

Over the past six years, the Amalgam has proudly displayed the growth of students through their academic pursuits in the USI College of Liberal Arts.  While the topics and styles vary among featured works, this year’s volume truly represents the transcendence of students into new realms through their scholarly endeavors.  However, without the direction and support of many people within the USI College of Liberal Arts, this intellectual transcendence would not have been possible.  The faculty advisors—Dr. Kearns, Dr. Harison, and Dr. Hitchcock— are extended great thanks and appreciation for their work with this year’s submissions.  We would also like to extend our gratitude to Dean Aakhus and the Liberal Arts Council for their support and the funding of the Amalgam for the sixth consecutive year.

In the sixth issue of the Amalgam, students of various disciplines within the College of Liberal Arts reveal their ability to reach new realms of learning.  Lauren Rivera explores gender roles and expression in the world of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.  Next, Bridget Clement investigates the impact of the Irish potato famine of 1845-1850 on nationalism in Ireland.  Delving into the realm of rhetoric, Hollan Staker explores woman, the body, and women’s writing.  Shiloh Stone travels the streets and the history of Paris as he considers how the Revolutionary years shaped modern-day Paris.  Finally, entering the temporal realm, Whitney Litherland examines the role of time in the formation of tragedy in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Many thanks are extended to students who submitted essays for publication.  The Amalgam continues to serve as an exemplary representation of students’ outstanding scholarly growth in the College of Liberal Arts. We look forward to continue traveling with students to new intellectual realms.

Erin Schmitt

Table of Contents

• Lauren E. Rivera, "Gender and Gender Role Expression in Macbeth"
  
  Lauren Rivera is working toward Bachelor of Arts degrees in Both English and Spanish.  Following graduation, she plans to attend graduate school to continue her Spanish studies. Her paper was written for English 451: Shakespeare Histories and Tragedies.  Lauren’s interest in her topic developed from her observations of gender dynamics in the texts she studied.

• Bridget Clement, "Irish Nationalism and the Impact of the Irish Potato Famine"
  
  Bridget Clement is a junior working toward a major in History and a minor in Business administration.  Upon graduation she plans to attend law school.  Her essay was written for HIST 349: Napoleon to World War I, and was inspired by her maternal grandfather’s stories of his life in Ireland during the Potato Famine.

• Hollan Staker, "Got to Find Me a Body to Write"
  
  Hollan A. Staker is a Secondary Education major in both English and German, and will graduate in the fall of 2012. Upon graduation, Hollan plans to teach English in Africa or South America through a Christian organization and do ministry work in Germany before settling back in the United States to teach high school. Her paper, written for ENG 415: A History of Rhetoric, was inspired by the work female rhetoricians across the centuries.

• Shiloh Stone, "Paris: How the Revolutionary Years Shaped a Modern Day Capital, 1782-1889"
  
  Shiloh Stone is a senior majoring in both History and French. In the fall of 2011 he will be attending Brigham Young University to pursue a Master of Arts in French.  His paper was written for his senior history capstone class, “French Revolutions,” and draws on both his fascination with history and French culture.

• Whitney Litherland, "The Enslavement of Time in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo+Juliet"
  
  Whitney Litherland is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a minor in Literature.  Following graduation, she is considering a career in editing.  Her paper was written for English 451: Shakespeare Histories and Tragedies.  Whitney was inspired to write her paper by both the scholarly debate over the time scheme in Romeo and Juliet, and its film adaptation by Baz Luhrmann.