FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Darlene Robertson
937.769.1820
drobertson@mcgregor.edu
AUM Students Visit Sun Valley, Idaho
Yellow Springs, Ohio—Kay Bosse, a Master's student in the Individualized Liberal and Professional Studies program and a graduate of the Humanities program in the Undergraduate Studies program, recently presented her current research at a conference titled Steinbeck and His Contemporaries held in Sun Valley, Idaho (March 22-25, 2006). In her paper, Kay examines "the question of identity, the desire for Eden, and the evolution of The American Dream" as recurring themes in the works of two "quintessential American writers John Steinbeck and Sam Shepard." The paper appropriately titled John Steinbeck and Sam Shepard: Identity and Eden in the Evolving American Dream was very well received and inspired much discussion at the conference which was attended by several Steinbeck scholars from across the world. Kay, in collaboration with another Steinbeck scholar, Michael Meyer also organized a special panel discussion comparing the works of John Steinbeck and Sam Shepard. The conference audience hugely enjoyed Kay’s and Meyer’s performance of selected scenes from these writers’ plays.
Kay was accompanied at this conference by Lana Rotellini, another bright alum of AUM’s undergraduate Humanities program and AUM's M.Ed. program (Integrated Language Arts, grade 7-10). Lana presented a paper comparing Steinbeck’s labor trilogy to Homer, Sophocles and James Joyce. Her paper titled Valley of the World: Homer to Steinbeck delved into the universal themes of life, death, and resurrection. Lana’s well-researched paper that ends with a significant conclusion that “Steinbeck, Homer, Sophocles, and Joyce wrote regional stories from a humanist perspective” was very well received and would soon be published. Lana is also teaching Senior Projects class for the Undergraduate Studies program.
# # #
