Finished!

Hey everyone! 

I decided to write a final post to wrap up my project and describe my experience presenting at the showcase. It’s mostly to say a final ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye,’ and I’ve linked the latest version of my paper (pending final edits) and re-posted my Medea-inspired playlist just for fun.  

I had an amazing time at the showcase and despite my initial nerves, I’m proud of how my presentation went and was happy to conclude my academic journey at Basis on such a strong note, alongside my classmates. Here are a few questions I was asked right after my presentation, the first is directly relevant to my project while the last two more generally refer to my process in deciding my topic and finding an advisor, so hopefully this will be helpful to any future students interested in completing a Senior Project.  

(I’m Paraphrasing Since I Forgot The Exact Wording Of The Question) In Today’s World, Self-Defined Identities Are Becoming More Diverse And May Stray From What Was Considered “Traditional” Motherhood Or The Idea That The Role Of “Mothering” Was Solely The Responsibility Of Females. As Motherhood Is A Significant Theme In Medea, How Do You Think Other Classical Receptions Of Her Character Might Incorporate These Diverse Identities? 

Mothering is definitely a significant theme in Medea, both in antiquity and in contemporary versions, and is what Medea is more commonly associated with in regards to her infanticide and how it shocked ancient audiences and became the notorious version we know today. In terms of how contemporary versions might incorporate more diverse identities of motherhood, I think that classical reception studies is constantly adapting with the times and is aiming to incorporate such identities and cultures to decentralize the field of classics from its reputation of western elitism. Certain scholars are already broadening the definition of “motherhood” and applying “mothering” as a dynamic practice that can be conducted by any individual rather than being chained to labels like “maternal” or only reserved for women. In my paper I discuss two scholars, Patricia Hill Collins and Andrea O’Reilly, who both acknowledge the varying circumstances of mothering and unique family dynamics. Collins describes “othermothers” and the importance of community support when raising children while O’Reilly expands the term “mother” to include any individual who undertakes parenting responsibilities regardless of personal identity. It might take some time before we see more authors incorporating contemporary ideas of motherhood and welcoming diverse characters into their casts, but I’m confident that classical receptions are still expanding the scope of their creativity and how they utilize myths, whether it’s sharing the author’s personal messages, featuring ethnic identities and cultures, or raising awareness about pressing issues affecting communities in today’s world.  

How Did You Find Your External Advisor?

This is a question that I remember asking every Senior I knew last year and over the summer, so I’m happy to share my experience with it and hopefully help any stressed students. I was initially planning on doing a bio research project and joined two different labs over the summer, one in ASDRP and one working with a UCSF researcher at the VA office in San Francisco. ASDRP is a research organization that most BISV kids are familiar with, and I know that many students from past years complete a Senior Project with them, so that’s a great way to go for any STEM-interested students who are still figuring out their projects. The other opportunity, I received after a lot of back-and-forth communicating and several referrals from my parents’ colleagues and friends, but I’m incredibly grateful for the connection I made with this researcher and mentor as I still talk to her and try to ask for career advice whenever possible. While I eventually decided not to do a project based on my STEM-based academic interests, reaching out and conversing with researchers and professionals in the industry was definitely a helpful experience and the best way to go if looking for an advisor.  

I similarly had to reach out to several people to find a humanities advisor for my current project. I started by contacting past literature teachers I had, both in high school and middle school, and then reached out to a lot more people whom they referred to. When that didn’t work out, I turned to cold emailing; not the easiest or most fun way to go about it, but sometimes it works out. I emailed local university professors in the Classics department and actually received a handful of responses (all saying they can’t help, but I appreciated the response nonetheless). One email, however, definitely helped me out; I received an email from someone in the AIMS conference I attended, and they had a colleague that was interested in supporting my project. I had never actually reached out to this person before, nor had I told them I was looking for an advisor, but I’m assuming this person had heard from other AIMS members I had emailed, and had fortunately reached out to people they knew (the power of networking). I still don’t know exactly how I received this referral, but I’m so happy that I did. This led me to contacting my external advisor, Dr. Melissa Funke from the University of Winnipeg. She is an amazing scholar and helpful mentor who has openly communicated with me and guided me through the tumultuous task of figuring out this project and providing feedback on my thirty page paper. So the main takeaway is not to be afraid of cold emailing and not be discouraged if you don’t hear back; most people won’t respond, but definitely keep in touch with the few that do.   

Are You Pursuing A Humanities Major? Was This Project Relevant To Your Career Goals Or College Plan?

No, and no. That’s not to say that I don’t like humanities research (I love literature, hence this project), but it’s not my academic focus for college or for my career aspirations. I’m planning to major in biochemistry with some CS (maybe a minor), or at least some STEM-based major and career path. Like I mentioned above, I enjoy doing bio research and have had plenty of great experiences working on it, but I wanted my Senior Project to be a little bit different. I wanted to make the most of this opportunity that the school provided and explore my personal fascination with Greek mythology and improve my writing and literary skills. The only requirements I set for myself when deciding this project were that I could read a lot, introduce myself to new theories, and have fun learning about classical receptions. I think I accomplished all three, and while compiling my own reading lists and analyzing scholarship were more difficult than I originally thought, I learned a lot from the past ten weeks and feel better prepared for conducting my own research and succeeding in college writing classes.   

I’ve attached the latest draft of my paper below, feel free to read (or skim) any or all parts of it and let me know what you think! It still needs to undergo the last round of editing but I think it’s mostly done as I’ve compiled as many elements of my analysis as I could. 

Ahlawat Medea Paper   

My paper proposal was also accepted to the SWPACA conference for their summer salon, and after a lot of convincing from Ms. Banga and my parents, I’ve decided to register for it and present my insights there in the summer conference (wish me luck!)  

And to conclude this journey, I’ve attached my Medea-inspired playlist below. I tried to arrange the songs in an order resembling her emotional journey with Jason and her story in Euripides’ version. The order starts with notes of anguish and regret as she killed her brother, betrayed father and kingdom, and made many enemies along the way. It then shifts to confronting Jason about his betrayal and merges to songs of self-empowerment to regain her independence. The middle few tracks follow her vengeful killing spree and retribution, adding some Michael Buble for a hint of triumph before realizing her personal sacrifice in killing her children. It then ends with tunes of triumph and self-realization as she leaves Jason to start a new life in Athens. Again, these are just some songs that reminded me of her story, but comment below if you like the songs, the story, or have suggestions for ones to add.    

I think that’s all I have to write for now, and I’m really happy with how this project turned out and all of the elements I have to showcase its progress. Thank you for reading!