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For her Emerson Grant this summer, Hannah Chappell ’15 is working with Professor of English Onno Oerlemans on a project titled “Moving Through Language: The Intersection of Literature, Dance and Performance.” She'll research authors whose texts contain elements of dance; choreographers and dancers whose work includes elements of literature;  and examine how literary theory can be applied to dance.

With the digitization of information, cyberspace is a developing network that’s changing how we live. In 2009, the first digital currency, Bitcoin, was invented.  Bitcoin has been called a “decentralized virtual currency” by some economists, due to the fact that it is transferred from one user to another, called peer-to-peer or P2P, without the use of any central bank.  Sitong Chen ’16, with Professor of Economics Christophre Georges, worked this summer on an Emerson project, “Analysis of the Internet-born Currency: The Birth of Bitcoin.”

The Cantos, by 1905 Hamilton alumnus Ezra Pound, is an 800-page, unfinished epic poem that is divided into 120 sections, or cantos. The work is widely regarded as controversial due to its experimental style, being loosely structured and arcane, and Pound’s publicized fascist sympathies. “A good deal of the political and economic material in the Cantos is [infamously] wrong-headed,” John Rufo ’16 stated, “but the poetic method and forms are not inherently fascist or anything like that.”

While many people say they “have to” go to work, others are just happy when they have a job to go to.

Today, the written word is widespread and highly structured; yet, there was a point when writing was in its infancy. Almost 5,000 years ago Europe and Asia Minor entered what is known as the Bronze Age, which lasted approximately 2,500 years, and was characterized by proto-writing, early literature, and the widespread use and trade of bronze, allowing for inventions such as the chariot and sword. Ianna Recco ’16 is bringing one such society to life through her Emerson project, “Gournia Excavation Project.”

Before England was united under the monarchy, kings had to establish their legitimacy to gain and maintain power. Loyalty to the king, and support of his authority, were not yet attached to the crown, but had to be won. To discover how this was done, Matthew Currier '16 is examining royal diplomas, a type of charter specific to the crown.

Mercy Corredor ’15, a philosophy major, is working on an Emerson research project, “Absolute Spirit, Logic, and Contemporary Philosophy: Returning to Hegelian Thought” with Professor of Philosophy Marianne Janack. Corredor is reading Phenomenology of Spirit, to examine Hegel’s view on metaphysics, “the study of what and how things exist,” she explained.

This summer, Tori Fukumitsu ’15, an English major and Japanese minor, is working on an independent Emerson project,“Performing With the Picture, Moving With the Times: the Role of Benshi in Preserving a Japanese Cultural Practice and Adapting to a Global Audience” with Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures (Japanese) Kyoko Omori. Fukumitsu is exploring benshi, Japanese silent film narrators, and their performing art of setsumei.

Between the open curriculum, independent studies and interdisciplinary majors, Hamilton’s dedication to intellectual flexibility is evident. Although most students staying on campus are pursuing research in their field of study, Carly Poremba '15 is embracing the breadth of opportunities offered by the College. Poremba is a neuroscience and creative writing double major who is pursuing an Emerson project, “Horticultural and Historical Exploration of Botanico-Vegetable Medicine.”

Emerson project recipient Leigh Gialanella ’15 is examining the print culture of the 19th century Utopian religious community known as the Oneida Community and founded in 1848 by John Humphrey Noyes.