Source: Robert Corum, 785-532-1987, corum@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu
Thursday, June 11, 2009
PAPERS WRITTEN BY K-STATE STUDENTS HONORED BY MIDWEST ASSOCIATION FOR CANADIAN STUDIES
MANHATTAN -- Papers written by two Kansas State University students have been honored by the Midwest Association for Canadian Studies.
Their papers, which focused on issues impacting French Canadians, were presented at the 2008 conference of the Midwest Association for Canadian Studies in St. Louis, Mo. The paper awards were only recently announced.
Abby Heraud, a graduate student in French literature, Council Grove, received the conference's Best Graduate Student Paper Award for "Protofeminism: Gender Roles and Sexuality in Gabrielle Roy's 'Bonheur d'occasion.'"
"Using modern feminist frameworks, the paper explained how Roy's work could be seen as a precursor to the feminist movement," Heraud said. "Also, due to the historical and social context at the time Roy was writing, there appears to be a struggle between her 'feminist' values and the constraints placed upon the characters in the novel by the society in which they are living, which posits the question, 'Can Roy be considered a feminist author?'"
Kate Herzog, a senior in anthropology, biology and French, Wichita, received the Best Undergraduate Paper Award for "Those Left Behind: French Canadians at Home in World War II." Her paper focused on how the Quebecois viewed the issue of forced conscription, particularly in relation to the war.
"The paper addressed Quebecois identity and the changing viewpoints of a people on their government and its policies over time and during a war," Herzog said.
Both papers were written for a French seminar on Quebecois literature taught by Amy Hubbell, K-State associate professor of French.
"The department is proud of these French students," said Robert Corum, head of K-State's department of modern languages. "They are fine products of a program that emphasizes quality humanities research for both undergraduates and graduates."
The Midwest Association for Canadian Studies is an interdisciplinary regional organization of scholars and professionals. The association encourages creative and scholarly activity in Canadian studies.
