Honors Students and Papers
Class of 2024
Honors Students and Papers
Kirsten Bell “Challenging the Stereotype of the Witch: Medea in Fifteenth Century Burgundy”
One specific trend that occurred in fourteenth and fifteenth century Europe was a shift in attitude towards witchcraft and magic, in that it hardened and eventually resulted in the multitude of witch trials of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This shift also included the formation of the diabolical witch stereotype, where ideas about dangerous witches were no longer isolated to clerical scholarly circles but spread to the public. The book L’Histoire de Jason, written by Raoul Lefèvre in 1460, serves as a testament to how certain authors grappled with these evolving concepts concerning witchcraft. In this thesis, I argue that Medea’s portrayal in L’Histoire de Jason reflects the attitudes around witchcraft and magic in Burgundy in the late fifteenth century, in that she is a redeemable magic user but harmful magic is still a problem. She is not inherently malevolent and after committing wicked magical deeds, embarks on a redemptive journey at the end of the book reminiscent of Christian penitence, specifically that of Saint Mary Magdalene. Additionally, clerical authorities during this period attempted to convince fifteenth century Burgundians that diabolical witchcraft was real, branding accused practitioners as apostates who had forsaken Christianity and were beyond redemption. This is exemplified by the witch trials conducted in Arras, Burgundy, between 1459 and 1460, which are considered among the earliest instances of institutionalized witch trials. Medea’s ability to repent demonstrates the reluctance of fifteenth-century Burgundians, including Lefèvre, to fully embrace the notion of irredeemable demonic witchcraft, perhaps indicating a lingering adherence to the earlier medieval understanding of magic as a tool capable of both goodness and malevolence.
Max Creamer “Charles Coughlin and American Fascism”
Charles Coughlin was an American radio priest who operated from the 1920s into the late 1930s. His sermons were often politically charged with a right wing and antisemitic flair. Scholars who have researched Coughlin debate about whether or not Coughlin was a simple populist hungry for power or a full-blown fascist hoping to install a dictatorship within the United States. By adopting Dylan Riley’s definition of fascism, this paper not only shows that Coughlin was a fascist, but also shows how his version of fascism was uniquely American compared to the other fascist movements within America, which were largely exports of German Nazism. By shedding light on Coughlin’s fascism, this thesis reveals similarities between Coughlin’s “social justice” movement and contemporary right-wing politics such as Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
Ronald Faris “Imitatio and Milites Christi:Pain, Suffering and Sacrifice Through Early and Medieval Christianity”
This essay dives into a history of Christianity that follows the thematic line of pain and suffering. Pain, suffering, and death are important aspects of the Christian faith, shaping its historical and modern context. Over centuries, faithful have embraced these aspects of the religion to deepen their spirituality and create a closer connection with God. While modern scholars often analyze past Christian practices involving self-inflicted pain through the lens of masochism, I aim to demonstrate in this essay that such actions were part of a broader historical and theological tradition. To support this idea, it is crucial to delve into the historical and theological underpinnings of these practices. For devout Christians, the significance of enduring suffering like Christ did is deeply intertwined with concepts of redemption and atonement. Engaging in physical hardships like self-flagellation, wearing discomfort-inducing garments or inducing emotional distress was viewed as a means to cleanse oneself of sin and draw nearer to God. These acts represented acts of penance, where the physical discomfort mirrored the spiritual battle against temptation. By delving into the motivations behind these penitential practices, we gain insight into the intricate nature of redemptive ideology within Christianity. It underscores believers' steadfast belief in the transformative potential of suffering and sacrifice, as well as their willingness to actively engage in spiritual warfare for salvation. Ultimately, such behaviors stand as testament to the profound devotion and commitment of those who sought to emulate Christ's example. These practices whether they be physical or directed more towards emotional torment were tools used to open one’s heart up to receive the grace of God.
Amelia Kwak “Corazón Femenino: The Feminine Archetype as a Tool for Political Agency in Revolutionary Nicaragua, 1970-1990”
Throughout Nicaragua’s popular insurrection and revolutionary decade (1961 – 1990), women’s political activity was subtly influenced by preexisting ideas of womanhood. This feminine archetype was a collection of societal and cultural cues that informed what was expected of women. The image of the traditional mother opened avenues for women’s contributions to judicial reform, reconciliation, and labor policy. Similarly, the feminine educator led women to the FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional), while the caretaker encouraged their involvement in community defense, national health initiatives, and eventually government service. Although traditionally, Latin American women’s rights are thought to connect strongly to motherhood, Nicaragua’s newspapers (Barricada, La Prensa, and El Nuevo Diario) and its citizen’s personal testimonies demonstrate that this homogenous idea should be diversified. Nicaraguan women’s experience also speaks to the feminine role of caretaker being more expansive for women’s political ends than motherhood. Across the political spectrum, economic class, and ethnicity, Nicaraguan women took advantage of and were restricted by these images as they worked toward their unique political goals. Many made a substantive impact on policy and found their personal liberation partly due to the archetype, but ultimately, its continued existence dampened the possibility of true gender equality.
Clarice Speight McKee “I WANT TO BELIEVE The Role of Prester John in Medieval Europe, 1200-1400”
Paul Veyne famously asked the question “Did the Greeks believe in their myths?” I want to ask a version of this question about medieval Europe. Chronicles and letters from medieval Europe abound in mythical tales about faraway lands that often conveniently aligned with their author’s own polemical goals. One such tale is that of Prester John, a powerful Christian priest-king from the Far East, whose kingdom was wealthy and pious beyond the European imagination. Were these just cynical manipulations, a literary trope, or, to echo Veyne, did medieval Europeans believe in the existence of Prester John? I argue that, during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, yes, they did. This thesis traces the development of Prester John from his role in the Fifth Crusade as a potential Christian ally through his appearance as an Eastern Christian king in real and imagined travel narratives in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Along the way, who Prester John was, his desired role in the mind of medieval Europeans, and his relationship with the very real Mongol Empire changed dramatically. The multifarious depictions of Prester John in various letters, chronicles, and travel narratives were incongruent at best and directly contradictory at worst. The continuing search to understand who Prester John was shows that yes, medieval Europeans really did believe in their myths.
Ronin Ross “THE REICH BISHOP AND THE SUPERINTENDENT—TWO FACES OF THE KIRCHENKAMPF AND THE LIMITS OF GLEICHSCHALTUNG IN INTERWAR GERMANY, 1933-1937”
The process of Gleichschaltung as carried out by the NSDAP party-state during the interwar period within the Third Reich was not a linear process leading from Point A to Point B; that is, it did not begin with the arrival of the National Socialists into government in 1933 and end with the submission (or rebellion) of the social institutions they sought to subordinate. A clear example is the Kirchenkampf or Church Struggle between the Party-State and its allies and the Protestant Churches from 1933 to 1937. During this time, two distinct “phases” of the Struggle can be observed. The first evolved as a proxy confrontation between the pro-NSDAP Protestants led (loosely) by Reich Bishop Ludwig Müller in conflict with the established Protestant Church authorities over establishing and controlling a new, national “Reich Church.” The second phase saw an initial change in course, as the Party-State sought to establish a tenable status quo by encouraging mediation between the various factions via the “Church Committees” led by Wilhelm Zöllner. However, the Committees utterly failed in their intention due to now-irreconcilable differences between the factions and the party-state’s aggressive persecution of dissidents within the Church. By examining the complicated tangle of strategies, conflicting interests, and participants in these phases, we can better appreciate the nuances of the overall “Coordination” process as it occurred across German society.