Although Laura Oman '07 (New Providence, N.J.) has already had great success exploring two of her academic passions, English literature and Asian studies and culture during the academic year, she will be able to concentrate on these two diverse interests this summer. As the recipient of an Emerson grant, Oman will spend her summer working with Hamilton Assistant Professor of English Steven Yao on a project titled "Chineseness in Ezra Pound's Cathay and the Construction of Race in Early Twentieth Century Discourse."
"I'm determining what the historical context was at the time that Ezra Pound published his book of poems Cathay in 1915," Oman explains. She will focus her research on this work of literature, specifically looking for what the general American attitude was toward Asian Americans and how Cathay either reflected or refracted the American conception of "Chineseness."
Professor Yao suggested this topic to Oman, as he is incorporating this topic into a book he is currently writing. This research will not only help Yao, however. Oman believes what she is studying this summer will give her valuable insight for the classes she plans to take next semester.
Luckily, Oman has not run into too many difficulties with her research. "Everything has been fine so far. The reference librarian has been a big help, and the professor I'm working with has been great," she explains.
She has really enjoyed her time at Hamilton during the summer. "It's great to do something you really want to do and to have the ability to decide for yourself what's important and what's not for your research," Oman says. "It's a lot of responsibility, but that's what makes it so rewarding." She has also enjoyed the flexible work schedule of conducting summer research. An added bonus of living at Hamilton during the summer according to Oman is the scenery. "It's beautiful here in the summer," she says.
Created in 1997, the Emerson Foundation Grant program was designed to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest. The recipients, covering a range of topics, will explore fieldwork, laboratory and library research, and the development of teaching materials. The projects will be initiated this summer, and the students will make public presentations of their research throughout the 2005-2006 academic year.
-- by Emily Lemanczyk '05
