student research creative projects - mcla. · pdf filestudent research & creative projects...
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Active & Engaged Learning throughAcademic Travel, Research, & Collaboration
STUDENT RESEARCH & CREATIVE PROJECTS
Prof. Rosanne DenhardEnglish/Communications Department
~Flowers and Gardens as Emblems of Female Power during the English Renaissance
~Brilliant Courtly Creations: A Look into the Masques Written and Designed by Inigo Jones and Ben Jonson
~Margaret Cavendish & Her Legacy of Literary World‐Building
~The Viking Legacy in Great Britain: Art, Arms, and Armor
~The 16th‐century “Photograph”: Miniatures by Nicholas Hilliard
Recent Research Topics included:
By Tyler Prendergast, MCLA 2013Presented at 2013 URC and 2013 Statewide URC
I recently directed Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a play that chronologically
marks the end of the open‐air London theatres. This project, which culminates a year of research that included travel to England, is an experiment in theatrical staging: I suggest that this production—by abandoning the proscenium arch and using research on the context wherein the play was originally produced in combination with the innovations of 20th‐century experimental theatre—engages a modern audience who otherwise may not be fully open to experiencing a classic text.
Contemporary portraiture is heavily reliant on the photograph to produce mementoes to share and document likenesses. Starting in the 16th century, British portraiture achieved the same purposes through miniatures, small‐scale paintings that can be worn around the neck, pinned to clothing, or stowed away secretly. My research during recent travel to England has opened a world of understanding the technique and unique materials that were mastered to create a new and brilliant style. With sincere study of Queen Elizabeth I's favorite portrayer Nicholas Hilliard's methods, I have produced my own miniatures in tribute to this purposeful art.
This is an original children’s book narrated from the perspective of Magic the Cat, who travels mysteriously to England in search of his human companion. The book includes digitally‐edited pen & pastel illustrations. The book itself is handmade displaying techniques learned from the Book Arts course. The project gives children opportunities to explore new places and sparks ambitions to travel.
The history of the relationship of dogs and humans dates back for over 33,000 years. The cultural significance dogs have in modern societies around the world is easily distinguished. What tend to be overlooked are the historical impacts dogs have had throughout the history of humans. This research explores the role dogs played in society within Medieval and Renaissance Britain, particularly among differing social classes. Dogs were seen as loyal, intelligent and hardworking, making them very popular as companions and workers. These roles led to the creation of many of the modern dog breeds and the ways dogs are still perceived today.
Presented at 2013 URC & 2013 COPLAC URCMaking the decision to write something is easy, and so is coming up with a general topic. It is refining the writing to make it a worthwhile piece that is the difficult part. This project explores the process of researching and planning “The Westminster Tales ” by combining academic travel experiences with traditional research. The piece is inspired by Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales of the 14th century and is Written as a collection of tales about the many kinds of people who attended KingCharles II’s coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1661.
Of Man and Horse:William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle’s Contributions to the
Courtly Art of RidingBy Sarah Maust, MCLA 2010
This project explores William Cavendish, First Duke of Newcastle’s effect on the courtly art of riding during the Renaissance. This exploration will be carried out in two parts. The first portion is a short research paper that discusses briefly the life and politics of Cavendish (1592‐1676), a leader of the Royalist side during the English Civil Wars, and a true “Renaissance man”. The paper then discusses the culture surrounding the horse and Cavendish’s treatise, A General System of Horsemanship. The paper serves as an introduction for a short original work of historical fiction that takes place at Cavendish’s Bolsover Castle during the writing of his treatise.
By Alex Marshall, MCLA 2012Presented at 2012 URC, 2012 Statewide URC, & (in an earlier
form) 2011 COPLAC URCStories, particularly in the fantasy and science‐fiction genres,0ften make use of an “alternate world” setting—a different history or another dimension. Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623‐1673), dared to breach the borders of reality in the creation of her own “Imaginary World,” which she called The Blazing World (The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World, 1666). In fashioning her world, Cavendish employed several necessary components of fantasy world‐building. My project acknowledges The Blazing World as the masterwork and foundation of world‐building that it is, and draws connections between it, its antecedents, and modern‐day fantasy fiction.