Laura Ayala recently graduated from Hunter College with a BA in English Literature and Criticism. Besides this magnificent bit of madness, her other recent thesis work includes a study of the Nineteenth Century Spiritualist Movement and its Feminist influence on two works of Victorian fiction: Jane Eyre and Dracula. In addition to studying Gothic literature, horror films and Latin American art history, she has dedicated her undergraduate career to interning and volunteering at art museums throughout the city, including El Museo del Barrio, Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the future, Laura plans on developing her mixed media artwork abroad as well as finding time to face paint and attend graduate school to earn an MA in Arts Management. Her next research project will most likely entail Victorian death rituals and mourning jewelry. You can reach her at ayala.lauramichelle@gmail.com.
Here is a brief description of Macaulay Honors College’s thesis colloquium course which was conducted from August 2013 to May of this year:
This yearlong course will provide students with a unique opportunity to:
- Conduct in-depth research on a topic of their choice in consultation with a faculty advisor who specializes in that subject matter
- Collaborate extensively with each other for peer evaluation
- Write a polished journal-length essay
- Create an accompanying website for further presentation of their findings
- Cultivate oral presentation skills
Throughout the two semesters, weekly assignments will be geared toward fostering intellectual community as well as cultivating skills in techniques of inquiry, writing, oral presentation, and website creativity. As a class, we will meet to brainstorm about issues, refine arguments, and offer advice on research, revision, and representation.
Participants are expected to complete a full essay by the end of the fall semester. During the spring semester, while students continue to polish their essays, the emphasis will be on conference presentation for an academic audience and the creation of digital projects which will bring their research to the public.
For more information, visit our class blogs for the fall and spring semesters.
