AU in Costa Rica Information Meeting

Best of Luck to Our Majors Presenting at 2019 URCA!

The History and Political Science Department wishes its majors the best of luck as they present their work at the 2019 CAS Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium on Tuesday!

Kaitlyn Bailey, History, Political Science, & English major
Topic: Answering the Battle Cry of Freedom: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the Call to Noble Action

The aim of Bailey's project is to understand the Civil War experience of Chamberlain, most known for defending Little Round Top at Gettysburg, through his own words.  The center of this experience was what Chamberlain labeled the “call to noble action.” By understanding the call to noble action, one can better understand the experiences Chamberlain and his men had during the Civil War.

Naomi Sims, Political Science & Creative Writing major
Topic: The Relationship of Artificial Intelligence and Humanity: Andy, the Analysis of a Screenplay

In her presentation, Sims will explore AI through film as opposed to more formal academic mediums because film provokes thought and introspection by placing the viewer in the shoes of a character.  She will discuss the possibility of AI wanting to be human rather than to destroy humanity.  AI as human raises philosophical, moral, and political questions which she will seek to answer by creating a fictional world and exploring what those relationships could look like.

Hendrick Stoops, Political Science major
Topic: Power, Politics, & Public: The Sublime & Depraved Uses of Zeppelins in Germany

Stoops' study examines the political influences of and on Zeppelins, particularly in the Weimar and Nazi eras, in order to better understand their importance to the German people and government. He examines primary documents, and three particular ships covered in them, to highlight the links between Zeppelins and sociopolitical identity.

 

More information about URCA, including full abstracts for each presentation, can be found on their blog.