2018 Rushton Conference in Language, Literature, and Culture Award Winners

Wayne State congratulates all the participants in this year's Rushton Conference in Language, Literature and Culture.

The following are the 2018 award winners.

Best Essay

Leena Ghannam, "Hyena Laughs Back: Mambéty and His Use of the Trickster" (ENG 3090: Introduction to Cultural Studies with Professor Chandra).

Best Use of Archives and Special Collections

Sponsored by the Wayne State University Library System and School of Information Sciences.

Fatima Dakroub, "Reactions to Civil Disturbances by National Guardsmen in the Detroit Riots of 1967" (PS 3250: Detroit Politics with Professor Brown)

Best Poster

Cara Mitrano, "Voluntourism Conceptualized as Neocolonialism: The Importance of Cultural Competency and Equitable Exchanges in Medical Relief Trips" (LAS 2100: Chicano/a Literature & Culture with Professor Zuniga).

This year's conference, supported by the Edmund and Norma Rushton Endowment, was held on March 2 in WSU's Student Center Building. Undergraduate students presented their own scholarly research in papers, poster projects, and other creative work. Participants came from a wide field of disciplines, including Anthropology, Arabic, Chinese, English, German, Global Studies, History, Latino/Latina American Studies, Linguistics, Peace and Conflict Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Public Health, Russian, Theater, and University Honors (Honors 1000).

All in all, there were 15 interdisciplinary panels, a poster judging contest, and several student readings of poetry and short stories. The conference also featured a speech by guest speaker Thomas Rogers, the program manager of Freedom House Detroit, a local organization that has helped assist and house asylum-seekers for the past 35 years.