Madeline Baker and Staci Stutsman Thesis Reading

WMU Medallion Scholars and English Department Presidential Scholars Madeline Baker and Staci Layne Stutsman shared excerpts from their honors thesis projects on Tuesday, April 26th in the Lee Honors College lounge. Pictured in the photo from the left are Staci Layne Stutsman, Dr. Tarbox, Dr. Adams, Dr. Minnick, and Madeline Baker.

Madeline's essay, "Language, Race, and Culture in Porgy and Bess," was directed by Dr. Lisa Cohen Minnick, with Dr. Jon Adams as the second reader. Madeline will be joining the MA-to-PhD program in the English Department at Ohio State University this fall, where she plans to continue her research into the relationship between American music and literary culture.

Staci's essays, "Communal Authorship in a Contemporary Context" and "Queering the Blog: The Sex Blog Revolution," were directed by Dr. Gwen Athene Tarbox, with Dr. Jon Adams as the second reader. Staci will be joining the PhD program in English, with a Media Studies emphasis, at Syracuse University, where she will focus on authorship in the digital age.

The event, attended by family, friends, and a number of faculty members, provides another indication of the rigor of our programs and of the significant contribution that our undergraduates bring to the intellectual life of our department.