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Although France legalized gay marriage last year, LGBT individuals in the country still feel marginalized. One contributing factor to this is the portrayal of homosexuality in the media, the topic Asad Javed '15, film and French double major, is spending the summer studying. He is working on the independent Emerson project, En Rose - The Depiction and Reception of Homosexuality in French Cinema, with Professor of French Martine Guyot-Bender.

In 2011, during its 50th season, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) declared bankruptcy. The SSO’s dissolution upset many members of the Central New York community, especially the musicians and patrons who for the last half-century had treasured the SSO’s talent and presence. Unfortunately, the SSO’s collapse is representative of a national decline in live orchestral performance.

While writing is often used to convey an idea or a thought, it doesn’t often try to mimic the haphazard connections our mind makes.  But one literary technique, stream of consciousness, attempts to do just that. Nate Lanman ‘15, a creative writing major, is working with Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Benjamin Widiss on his Emerson research project, “The Thought of Thought: Contemporary Inheritances of the Modernist Stream of Consciousness Narrative.”

Henry Rittenberg ’15 is examining the evolution of fashion photography since World War II for his Emerson Grant with Postdoctoral Fellow in Asian Studies Lawrence Chua. Through his project, titled “From Penn to Richardson: A Study in Post World War II Fashion Photography,” Rittenberg said, “I hope to find why there has been a shift from the supremely beautiful compositions of Richard Penn and other post-war photographers to the amateurism of Terry Richardson and the desire for shock value among other contemporary photographers.”

This summer Bennett Glace ’16, the recipient of an Emerson Grant, is examining ‘trash’ cinema with Visiting Professor of Art History Scott MacDonald in their project titled “Another Man’s Treasure: An Exploration of ‘Trash’ Cinema.”

Rushing through the dimly lit tunnels of the subway, passengers might be too focused on their transportation to pay any attention to the changing gallery of graffiti on the walls. Yet each piece in this underground collection has a story, an author, an objective. Collin Spinney ’16 is examining this through an Emerson project, “Beautiful Deviancy: A Work of Fiction and Poetry Born Out of Activist Art.” 

In a world riddled with social injustice, it’s important to discover the tools that can enlighten a population. Caleb Williamson ’17, a philosophy major and government minor, is working with Professor of Philosophy Todd Franklin to determine just that. His Emerson project, “The 21st Century New Negro,” was inspired by Franklin’s course, “The Black Self.”

Shannon O’Brien ’15, the recipient of an Emerson Grant, is spending her summer researching food justice organizations under the guidance of Associate Professor of Africana Studies Angel David Nieves. In her project titled “Examining the Community-Building Efforts of Food Justice Organizations in Philadelphia,” O’Brien hopes to determine how and to what extent food justice organizations actually contribute to the sense of community in Philadelphia.

Although the “Midwest” is a generally understood term, a definitive list of Midwestern states does not exist, which calls into question exactly where this region lies. Kevin Welsh ’15, who’s pursuing an Emerson Project with the supervision of Professor Peter Rabinowitz, was faced with this dilemma when he started his research. His project, “Uncovering the 'Quality of Distortion': Investigating the Cultural Divide Between the Midwest and the East Using Midwestern Literature from the 1920’s and 30’s,” requires an understanding of what “the Midwest” means.

Blasé, concierge, and faux pas, among many other words, have become so integrated into the English lexicon that we often forget their French origin. The process of adopting words from other languages has been common practice for centuries, and, in fact, English has more borrowed words than any other language. This stands in stark contrast with French, which prides itself on being a “pure” language. Brendon Kaufman ‘15 was awarded an Emerson Grant to research the use of Anglicisms in everyday French in Paris this summer.