Seniors prepare for their final projects

Megan Bowen
Staff Writer
April 22, 2004, Page 3

The end of the school year is just around the corner, and for the seniors, that means the end of their undergraduate experience.
Even though they are just weeks from being in the "real world," most of them are still required to work hard and finish up. One of the big things that some seniors have to do is the senior research projects. Not everyone has to do one, but a few majors require it.
Two of the prominent major fields where research projects are a must are the Biology and English departments. Biology majors do a two-semester lab or field research project. Students are to conduct a scientific study concluding with a report.
"There are quite a few working on research projects," said Barbara Clement, associate professor of Biology. "I believe there are two working on neuroscience projects, two on fish behavior, one is researching the genetics of prairie dogs and one is doing the endophytes of plants with medicinal value."
For the English majors, students are to come up with an argument about one or more of William Faulkner's works. Brad Johnson, assistant professor of English, said he requires the research to be thorough and the writing precise. Some of the current topics are "Images of Mechanization in Faulkner's Work," "Faulkner's Depiction of Confederate Women" and "The Linguistic Qualities of Faulkner's ‘As I Lay Dying.’" He wants these topics to be refined into focused arguments of roughly 20 pages.
"I enjoy assigning and reading literary research because it requires that students be tireless detectives who gather and examine evidence, formulate theories based on that evidence, and write convincingly about their discoveries," Johnson said.
He believes that research is the central activity in the college experience. When students write research papers, they weigh their views against the views of other critics. Although students may run into obstacles along the way, the process eventually leads them into a deeper understanding of literature and the values of those who respond to it.
"Students discover that they have a much greater appreciation for a work of literature when they examine the diverse, sometimes outlandish, things that have been said about it," Johnson said. "Hopefully, they also develop a greater appreciation for themselves as critics who are qualified to take part in the debate."