AW
Amanda Wellhouse
  • History
  • Cedar Falls, IA

Amanda Wellhouse participated in Celebration of Learning

2012 May 7

More than 75 Augustana students from all academic areas shared their advanced research projects on Saturday, May 5, at the Celebration of Learning. This on-campus research symposium annually gives students an opportunity to show off their academic accomplishments to their families and the Augustana community.

Among the students involved:

Amanda Wellhouse, a senior from Cedar Falls, Iowa, majoring in history. The research was titled Taking a Deeper Look at Captivity Narratives. Captivity narratives have been the focal points for many of the inspirational western films of our grandparents' generations. However, it is crucial to take a closer look at these narratives. The reason for looking at these narratives is that, in the past, people have used them without giving them a second thought. However, without looking at the time period, the place, and aspects of the narratives themselves, one would miss the notion that the majority of the narratives one comes across were written for the sole purpose to portray the Native Americans as barbarians. The selected narratives I will be examining are from 1740-1763.

Celebration participants presented their research through a poster display or an oral presentation. Many students expounded on the results of their Senior Inquiry, a multiple-term research project required for most academic programs. Other students shared honors capstone projects or student-faculty research findings. Because of the advanced level of research involved, most of the presenters are upperclass students.

Anne Earel and Stefanie Bluemle, Augustana reference librarians and the event's co-directors, said the Celebration of Learning provided an outlet for students to showcase their accomplishments.

Presentations topics varied greatly and included anthropology, biology, physics, geography, gender studies, theater and more.