Students Present English MAP Projects at Chicago Convention
Yesenia Mozo
This past summer, Senior Lecturer in the English Department Carolyn Jacobson brought together four English majors to study a special literary artifact housed on 黑料百科 campus: the first edition of John Forester The Life of Charles Dickens. Their research became the basis of their Mentored Advanced Project (MAP) titled 淓xtra-Illustrated Dickens. In mid-November, three of her students gave a panel talk about their research projects at the (MMLA) in Chicago.
During the first half of their MAP research, Jacobson and her students focused on 渆xtra-illustration, which refers to the altering and customizing of books by adding relevant visual elements such as watercolor illustrations and prints. For example, Forester The Life of Charles Dickens has over 1,000 insertions, including 800 illustrations of the people and places mentioned in the book. In addition to examining this specific edition at 黑料百科 Special Collections Library, Jacobson team also inspected and explored other altered books at the University of Iowa and the Newberry Library in Chicago.
Based on their research, Jacobson students developed individual MAP projects, each branching out from their initial findings related to Forester extra-illustrations. At MMLA, Jacobson introduced her students following presentations:
Ellianna Cierpiot 25 presented 淓xtra-Illustration and Transformative Book Arts of the Turn of the Century. They are an English major from Kansas City with a concentration in Film and Media Studies.
Sophie Kempenaar 26 shared her presentation, 淪entiment, Materiality, and Celebrity Consumption via the Extra-Illustrated Life of Charles Dickens, at the convention. She is currently an English and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies double major from Iowa City.
Wallis Shepard 25 presented on 淭he Most Authentic Intimate Link Between the Present and the Greatness of the Past: The Role of Letters in Extra-Illustration. Wallis, from Stillwater, Oklahoma, is a double major in English and Political Science.
Jacobson fourth MAP student, Claire Giannosa 26, will present at the Salisbury House in Des Moines in the upcoming spring; she is currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.
淢y students worked so hard to prepare, shares Jacobson, 渁nd they did an excellent job presenting, answering audience questions, and being attentive during the rest of the convention sessions. I was so proud of them.
About the Midwest Modern Language Association
The (MMLA) is a regional branch of the Modern Language Association and is a non-profit organization composed of teachers and scholars dedicated to literature, language, and culture. The MMLA fosters a space for sharing research and enhancing teaching practices in literary and cultural criticism. Loyola University Chicago currently serves as the institutional host of MMLA.
This year, MMLA included an Undergraduate Research Symposium, which included the panel 淓xtra-Illustrated Dickens. Jacobson students attended the full convention and were invited to information sessions and social events for undergraduates wanting to apply to graduate school.