Elizabethtown College English Department

The opportunity to present passionate research falls right in line with Elizabethtown College’s real world learning emphasis. Three students who slaved over Shakespeare’s plays reaped the rewards of their labor by sharing their work at a professional conference in the spring of 2018.

Professor of English Louis Martin taught a course focused on the plays of William Shakespeare during the 2017 fall semester. He invited three students to present their research papers at The Anxiety Order, a conference held by the Wilson College Humanities Department.

“After presenting at the Wilson Conference last year I realized that it was an excellent venue for our students,” Martin said. “And when I was accepted to present again this year, I realized that it only made sense to take students along with me.”

Taking the stage

English education major Megan Kane is one of three E-town students who attended the conference in 2018. Kane’s presentation deals with the role of the apparition in Hamlet, a figure that has intrigued her—and scholars—for centuries.

“Hamlet has always been my favorite Shakespeare play,” Kane said. “Every time I read it, I pick up yet another facet about the apparition.”

The English education major also said there was no shortage of material from other scholars to sort through while developing her argument.

“Hamlet in general is such a multi-layered topic, and I have really enjoyed sifting through the writing (and explicating, of course) to discuss the implications the identity of the apparition has for Hamlet and the audience,” Kane said.

Playing the part

Kane said she has attended other conferences—the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society Conference in Washington, D.C., and the National Collegiate Honors Conference in Atlanta, GA.

“At both of those conferences I was just a spectator, but enjoyed the presentations focused around different opportunities each club could take advantage of at the national level,” Kane said.

This time around, she will be a presenter instead of a spectator. Kane said she is a bit stressed but nevertheless excited by the prospect.

Before attending the conference, Kane expressed her excitement in the prospect. “It should be nerve-wracking, but fun,” she said. “I hope to gain experience presenting in front of a critical audience,” Kane said. “Additionally, I hope to pick up insights from other presentations that I could use in my own career one day, especially as I plan to be an English teacher or professor.”

Even though this experience may cause sweaty palms or shaky legs, Martin says it is a wonderful way for English majors to build upon the department’s Student Learning Outcomes.

“It is an opportunity to present their scholarship in a professional setting, with audience members from other schools,” the professor said. “Preparing and presenting draw on and further develop many skills, including writing more concisely, practicing public speaking and conducting oneself professionally in an academic setting.”

 

Author bio:

Rebecca Easton is a junior at Elizabethtown College, where she studies English professional writing, communications and business administration. Her primary interests in these fields include journalistic writing, copy editing and marketing. She works for the Elizabethtown College Center for Student Success as a writing tutor, the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Admissions Office. When she’s not reading or writing for college, she’s reading and writing for pleasure.