April 29, 2011: UNH Undergraduate Research Conference panels on Ethnic Studies moderated by English Department Faculty 
This year’s line-up at the Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) includes new sessions that will feature student projects focused on Ethnic Studies. As student interest in projects concentrating on racial, ethnic and national differences grows at the University of New Hampshire, the URC Planning Committee has responded by collaborating with faculty and staff who mentor students in these areas in order to create three oral presentation panels titled, Inventing the (In)visible Self, Difference and the World Around Us, and Writing Race Matters in Black and White.
Panelists will present on diverse topics that range from literary analyses on the works of major American writers such as Ralph Ellison and Phillis Wheatley , to reflections on organizing for immigration reform in Los Angeles and a collaborative writing project from the Discovery course “Race Matters,” to examining violence against women in the partition of India. Faculty moderators for the panels include faculty members from the English and Women’s Studies departments, Professor Sandhya Shetty, Professor Courtney Marshall, and Professor Reginald Wilburn.
“At the URC, students from all disciplines showcase intellectual work that directly engages life in the world around them. They apply the techniques of critical analysis to matters of personal, national, and global importance. It is imperative that students doing work in Ethnic Studies—a field that touches the lives of everyone in an increasingly multi-ethnic, multi-racial, and multi-cultural world—have the chance to take part. The URC gives Ethnic Studies students the opportunity to hone their research skills while also presenting their work for the edification of fellow students and audience members alike. We are thrilled that these new Ethnic Studies URC sessions have come into existence,” said Assistant Professor of English and URC Planning Committee member, Cord Whitaker.
Whitaker and Cait Vaughan—coordinator for the minors in Africana and African American Studies, American Studies, and Race, Culture and Power—met early last summer with URC Planning Committee director Peter Massucci and registration coordinator Lynne Cooper to create this unique opportunity to showcase students’ academic research and findings in the exciting, interdisciplinary field of Ethnic Studies.
“Ethnic Studies is a cutting-edge realm of academia, and students who engage it are dealing with complex and ever-changing theory and texts. Our University’s commitment to inclusive excellence includes highlighting the role of students’ scholarship and the faculty teaching and mentoring. It’s exciting to have a space in the URC for these projects to shine,” states Cait Vaughan.
For over a decade the University of New Hampshire has been hosting one of the most expansive Undergraduate Research Conferences in the country, and each year it grows and gets a bit more innovative. The Ethnic Studies sessions are part of the Parents’ Association Undergraduate Research Symposium (PAURS), which takes place on Friday, April 29th from 9:30 am – 2:50 pm. For further information, visit http://www.unh.edu/urc/parents-symp.html or email Cait Vaughn.
The session details are as follows:
Inventing the (In)visible Self, moderated by Dr. Reginald Wilburn
4/29 from 9:30-10:40 am in MUB room 203
Writing Race Matters, in Black and White, moderated by Professor Courtney Marshall
4/29 from 10:50 am – 12 pm in MUB 203
Difference and the World Around Us, moderated by Professor Sandhya Shetty
4/29 from 1:40-2:50 pm in MUB 203