Four University of Lynchburg students will present their research at the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools (VCGS)’ Fifth Annual Graduate Student Research Forum on February 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.
Their research originated in the graduate class, History of the English Language, taught by Dr. Elza Tiner, professor of English and Latin.
The purpose of the forum is to showcase graduate student research and scholarship across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Attendees include members of the General Assembly and their staffs, industry representatives, faculty/administrators, and the general public.
More than 60 graduate students will present their research. LC’s presenters are:
Cary Wright, MA in English candidate, “Seamus Heaney: The Battle for Irish Semantic Property”
Ownership of the lands of Northern Ireland has been contested through many centuries. Recently Seamus Heaney has taken up his pen to write poems about the Troubles of sectarian violence and transnational politics between England and Ireland. Heaney’s use of words that have semantic property attempts to claim Ireland for the Irish and expresses his frustration in violent times.
Jennifer La Plante, MA in English candidate, “Code‐switching, Register, and Authority: Chaucer’s Pardoner and Friar”
Chaucer’s Pardoner and Friar both use code‐switching (switching between languages) and register (level of formality). These two characters switch between French, Latin, and English to convey authority. They use register by switching between “thou” and “ye” and through different levels of style in order to reach, socially include, and impress their audience.
Maria Masci, MA in English candidate, “A New Dimension of Language: An Analysis of Code‐switching in Tato Laviera’s Poetry”
This paper analyzes Laviera’s use of code‐switching in his poetry, a technique that allows the author to give a new dimension to his text. This dimension is unveiled throughout this study. By manipulating his languages, English, Spanish, and a hybrid form of both, Laviera conveys a new meaning to his poetry, identifies with both communities, and resists acculturation.
Taranee Tabaian, MA in English candidate, “Bang goes the pot, and bang goes everything: Alchemy in Chaucer’s Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale”
Chaucer’s Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale is a warning against fraudulent alchemists. Through not included in the medieval sciences, alchemy is the predecessor of chemistry. Chaucer took a great deal of interest in alchemy as shown through the amount of detail about the processes and ingredients used, which suggest that he had access to 8th‐century Arabic texts on alchemy.
More information about VCGS, and the research forum, may be found at www.vacgs.net. The Virginia Council of Graduate Schools (VCGS) promotes the benefits of graduate education to the Commonwealth of Virginia. VCGS is comprised of 13 public colleges and universities from across Virginia: Christopher Newport University, the College of William & Mary, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University, Radford University, the University of Mary Washington, the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Tech.
