THE SCHOLARS JOURNAL

Transcription

1 THE SCHOLARS JOURNAL 2018 November Edition The Aquinas Scholars Honors Program Editor Valerie Brukhis

2 The Scholars Journal N O V E M B E R E D I T I O N UPCOMING EVENTS * December 1 Christmas Cards for Veterans 8 Holidazzle and Christmas Market 18 Study Monday Finals Feed Finals Study Oasis 21 Dec. Journal Submission Deadline *Events list is subject to changes and additions. Please look to updates for most current information as well as details on points and time. Page 1

3 Judah s Crosses Amanda Petersen When asked to design an art installation for St. Paul s Cathedral to commemorate the one-hundred-year anniversary of World War I, Gerry Judah, a Jewish artist and architect based out of London, wanted to reflect on the utter devastation of war. Judah, a Jew born and raised in India until the age of 10, knew about the impact war can have. War has managed to incorporate itself into his grandparents lives in Baghdad and his life today in London. Installed in 2014 in St. Paul s Cathedral, Judah s twenty-feet high, three-dimensional commemorative crosses are based on the white crosses above the graves of the numerous people who lost their lives around the world, including those in the infamous Flanders Fields in France. Seen against decaying domestic and modern buildings, the all-white sculptures provide an open interpretation to the horrific obliteration of war. As Judah said, Colours tell you what to see, I use white because I don t want to tell people what to see. I want to show something people will see for themselves. Judah s crosses don t stop at the commemoration of the Great War. In fact, Judah uses the results and the breakage of the Ottoman Empire after World War I to frame the current religious wars occurring in the Middle East. From Afghanistan to Syria to Israel and Pakistan, the history of war and the conflicts over the Holy Land call out to all people from around the globe. Judah takes a symbol primarily of the First World War and modernizes it artistically in a way that all can understand no matter their location on the globe. Based on inspiration from the 9/11 attacks, the devastation in Aleppo, World War I, and many other historical ruins of the past and present, Judah provides a lens with which to contextualize the past with the present. By doing this, Judah bridges the time and understanding gaps between viewers to see beyond their own individual worlds. Judah s crosses are not only visually striking, but they reveal the ability of art to relate to our deepest emotions. War evokes the same emotions within people from all walks of life. In this sense, war has no borders, no race, and no true winners. Judah s crosses remind us that we all should work to advance the common good because no one benefits from the cruelties of destruction. This commonality challenges us to create a space for dialogue where every person regardless of background, identity, or values can come to learn from each other and about one another. Our past, present, and future selves will be impacted by war and conflict, so the question becomes not about how we differ, but how we can see beyond our own worlds to create a landscape that unites us all. From these crosses a message of hope and unity radiates. We know that even at the most unstable times, we support one another just as the cross supports the near collapsing buildings. Page 2

4 Ireland Kathryn Messelt Page 3

5 An Opportunity for Growth Clarissa Filetti Some of my favorite experiences at St. Thomas have been presenting research at conferences. The first conference I went to was the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference at St. Olaf in the spring of Another opportunity for presenting research occurred again this fall in my psychology capstone course with Dr. Giebenhain. My classmates and I worked on research p rojects throughout the semester and presented them at Seven Rivers Undergraduate Research Symposium in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Completing a project in two and a half months was stressful, yet rewarding. What I love the most about research conferences is the genuine interest people have in my work. Having thoughtful discussion about my research with faculty members and other studen ts opened different avenues for my work that I had not thought of before. Presenting research made me even more passionate about my topic and ignited my interest in pursuing research after I graduate. I strongly encourage anyone who does research to attend a conference at some point in their undergraduate career. Operating in a professional setting like a conference is a great opportunity for growth as a student and future professional. Page 4

6 Insecurity or The Reclamation of Self-Deprecating Language. Hap Hausman The Scholars Journal 1 Self-deprecation (S) and pessimism (P) Are the same thing. That is the assumption P1) You say that all S is P P2) And I use S C) Therefore I must be P. Two-premise categorical syllogisms Make The best arguments. When they re sound, that is. And yours Is not. Because when I say Don t worry, I thought this date would go worse. Because I m bad. Well first, that s obviously a joke. That s not hard to figure out. But more importantly I am accepting Who I am. 2 Who in the world Allowed me To be a real person? No one. Because I am not a person; I m me Without any regard to you. 3 When I was young People called me retarded Because I was quiet People called me a loser Because I d rather dream Than play sports. People called me a baby Because I cried When they made fun of me. So don t tell me I m not trash; If the real people said so, Who am I to disagree? I am trash, And I really make people mad Because I know that s okay. There s a missing phrase in my declaration; So what? 4 I am trash But I still live as well as I can And that s a beautiful thing. I expected our date to go poorly I thought you d reject me Right from the start. But I was brave enough To try anyways, Because I wanted it to go well. Is it really pessimism if I say I m afraid that this will go poorly But then choose to do it anyways? Someone once told me: Hope for the best, But prepare for the worst. Is that not what I did? I ve also heard that good traits Page 5

7 Are like a pickled-plum rice ball: You can t see your plum Because it protrudes from your back Where everyone but you can see it. 1 So maybe the best I can do Is be okay with my flaws and let everyone else see the good things. 5 You spoke once about how you took An hour to sit, completely still and silent, And notice the beauty in everyday things That other people pass by every day. You were still moving too fast. You don t have to be able To hear the grass grow To know that I like who I am. If I m okay with me, Then what right do you have To tell me I m not bad, To think you know me Better than me? 6 Aaaannywaays, There goes your first premise And with it, your argument. Because self-deprecation My self-deprecation Assumes my own beauty. 2 1 Fruits Basket, Chapter 8 2 Which, if anything, actually makes it kind of narcissistic. Page 6

8 The Mississippi River Althea Larson Taken for Multimedia Reporting Class Elbow Lake, Superior National Forest Sparks Conor Abraham Page 7

9 Personal Reflection for Psychology Class Amber Matzoll After learning about the different ways in which we learn, specifically operant conditioning, I have realized how often I incorporate it into my life and work each day. Having been a nanny and babysitter for the past eight years, I have come to learn what works when talking with children, and also what doesn t work. Most often I find myself throwing around the word consequence when the behavior is not going as planned and as a result, I generally get the desired behavior in response. Without realizing it, I have been putting the positive and negative reinforcement ideas into practice each time I work with kids. Looking back, I have employed a variety of phrases that correspond with this type of learning and conditioning. Specifically, this past summer I worked with a third grader who had a long packet of summer homework to be completed and turned in the first day of school. Since I was with the child from 7:30-5:30, it was my job to make sure this got done. The first half of summer went well and there was little complaint about getting the daily amount done. The second half of summer, however, felt like pulling teeth to get a few pages completed. While it was frustrating on both ends, we eventually figured out a system to make the process a little less painful. We had been hoping to go to Valley Fair the entire summer, and I decided what better incentive than to have that be our activity on the last day of summer? However, the deal was that the child would be given a set time at Valley Fair (5-6 hours) and for each page that he didn t complete for the day, 15 minutes would be lost from our time at Valley Fair. If he chose not to do the two pages a day as he was supposed to, he would lose a half hour at Valley Fair and could not earn them back even if he turned them in late. I now realize this is an example of negative reinforcement, more specifically, avoidance conditioning: the child worked to avoid the unpleasant consequence of losing time at Valley Fair. Page 8