The Catawba College Honors Program took 12 students to the Southern Regional Honors Council conference in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 28-30.

According to the council’s website, it promotes and advances honors programs and honors colleges in the South, with more than 100 institutional members.  

All 12 Catawba students who attended the conference presented original academic work. The students and their presentations were:

• Abigail Birkhead of Salisbury, “Gothic Showers Bring No Flowers: Pathetic Fallacy in Gothic Novels.” Faculty mentor, Kerstin Rudolph, English.

• Taylor Cielo of Raleigh, “Models of Christian Character? Boring?? An Undergraduate Defense of Chaucer’s Constance and Parson.” Faculty mentor: Aaron Butler, English.

• Emily Fogleman of Liberty, “How Snacking Impacts Cognitive Performance: What Food Could Do for You.” Faculty mentor: Sheila Brownlow, psychology.

• Emily Hoffler of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, “Reminiscence Therapy for Aging Individuals with Cognitive Decline and Depression.” Faculty mentor: Edith Bolick, sociology.

• Amanda Johnson of Salisbury, “James Cone’s Theological Impact on Black Theology.” Faculty mentor: Barry Sang, religion and philosophy.

• Megan Smith of Salisbury, “A (Feminist) Truth Universally Acknowledged: A Study of Pride and Prejudice.” Faculty mentor: Gordon Grant, English.

• Indya Woodfolk of Hopkins, South Carolina; Mackenzie Rennie of Greensboro; Bryn Early of Fuquay-Varina;  Alexandria Snider of Lexington; and Matthew Smith of Salisbury, “End of the World: A Moral Panic or Actual Threat?” Faculty mentor: Buster Smith, sociology.

• Samantha Gates of Gibsonville, “An Analysis of Appalachian Women in Lee Smith’s ‘Fair and Tender Ladies.’” Faculty mentor: Maria Vandergriff-Avery, sociology.

Salvatore Musumeci, chairman and associate professor of history and classics and associate director of the College Honors Program, led a roundtable discussion titled “Best Practices in Implementing City as Text Pedagogy” at the conference.

Also attending the conference was sociology Professor Maria Vandergriff-Avery, director of Catawba’s College Honors Program.