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The subject of medieval times frequently conjures up images of knights, chivalry and the iconic and mysterious King Arthur. Most historians agree that King Arthur is probably only a legend, yet his image pervaded medieval history and politics. Meghan Woolley ’13, a recipient of a 2011 Emerson Summer Grant, will spend the summer exploring the role of Arthurian legend in English monarchies of the 12th to 16th centuries.

Throughout history, the interplay of morality and law has proved to be a point of debate and intense interest for philosophers. Specifically, does one concept determine the other? And if so, does law establish what is moral or should it be the other way around? The issue is even more perplexing in modern society, where religion plays a much smaller role than in most other cultures in history. Thomas Cheeseman ’12 is studying the complex philosophical principles regarding law, morality and religion under a Levitt Research Fellowship Grant with Professor of History Doug Ambrose.

Rising juniors Alexandra Arenson ’13 and Charlotte Cosgrove ’13 will spend the summer with Professor Jeremy Skipper  studying speech and the parts of the brain that affect it.  Their project, “The Phantom Text Effect,” concerns the processes of speech comprehension in the brain among adult English speakers.

In a weakened school system that faces continual budget cuts, co-curricular field trips are usually among the first programs that schools discontinue. In Washington, D.C., this rings especially true, as an increasing number of middle schools are deciding to drop field trips from their curriculum.

Many people agree that climate change is a serious and immediate threat facing the planet, but far fewer offer the initiative, dedication and hard work that it takes to enact change. Yet this is exactly how Yinghan Ding ’12, recipient of a 2011 Levitt Research Fellowship Grant, plans to spend his summer, alongside Lecturer in Economics Margaret Morgan-Davie. Ding will conduct research on climate finance support in developing countries.

The story of Eunice Chapman is not an especially famous one. In fact, many have never even heard of her struggle against 19th century society in search of her kidnapped children. Ilyon Woo’s book, The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother's Extraordinary Fight against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times, chronicles this dramatic story with an unbiased perspective and a flair for storytelling. In a recent lecture at Hamilton, Woo discussed her research, the process of writing a book, and the incredible account of Eunice Chapman.  

George Baker ’74 returned to Hamilton on March 3 and spoke with students about starting their career search in Washington. The discussion, titled “So You Want to Work in Washington, D.C.: A User’s Guide to Finding a Job in the Nation's Capital,” introduced students to the nature of the Washington job market and provided a framework for beginning the search. Baker is a partner at Williams & Jensen PLLC in D.C., a litigation lobbying firm where he started working in 1980.

As part of National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, author Jenni Schaefer visited Hamilton to present a lecture on recovery from eating disorders. As a survivor of an eating disorder that haunted her childhood and teenage years, Schaefer’s story could easily have been bleak, but the speaker chose instead to focus on her journey to recovery and hope.

On Tuesday, February 22, the new Days-Massolo Center held its first presentation on cultural diversity. The Center, which opened earlier this year, is meant to provide support for and foster dialogue about cultural diversity at Hamilton. Through its first lecture, it achieved this goal. The speaker, Giovanna Zaldini, a Somali-Italian cultural mediator, presented an informal discussion about cultural mediation.

To launch Spirituality Week at Hamilton, a panel of faculty and campus religious leaders gathered in KJ’s Red Pit for a discussion about spirituality on the hill and the many ways to express it:  Spiritual but Not Religious.