Today I begin my journey to Greencastle, Ind., to present my research paper at DePauw University’s undergraduate communication and theatre honors conference. I will be presenting my research paper that I wrote last spring in my media law and ethics course. In a nutshell, my paper focuses on the issue of overtly sexualized women in advertisements and how the First Amendment protects this style of publishing. Within my research, I pick apart past precedent and the sociological side of this predicament, so as to have a balance between both perspectives.

At the beginning of this whole process, I submitted my paper to three conferences. I was lucky enough for my research to be accepted at two out of the three. I think it is important for me to share with Augustana students why I finally chose to attend DePauw’s conference over the one at Oklahoma University.  I chose DePauw because it is considered to be “a working conference,” as explained by program coordinator, Janet Whitman.
A working conference is not where one is subjected to stand up in front of a large crowd of professors and peers to defend, explain, or regurgitate information about your topic area or paper in general. DePauw’s conference is slightly different. I will be put in a group with eight of my peers and a visiting professor. I will then give a short 10 to 15 minute oral summary of my paper. In my mind, I see this conference as more of a round table discussion where each paper will receive the attention it deserves; yet, there is no stress for students who may fear public speaking.
I don’t hate public speaking, but I know many students that do. DePauw’s conference gives individuals who are somewhat stage fright the opportunity to share and obtain valuable feedback on their research, which is something that makes this conference unique and worth a second look for students applying next year.
If one wants to read more about the central mission or basically an overall on how this conference all got started, the link below is a great resource.
http://www.depauw.edu/academics/departments-programs/communication-theatre/undergraduate-honors-conferenc/the-story-of-the-conference/
As of right now, I am currently in the car, making stops at local towns along the way. To make use of my time traveling, I have decided to read some of my small group’s research papers that I was sent by email a few days ago. Some of the paper topics include: media vs. higher education, comedy and satire’s effects on ideology, Tinder, and Instagram.
After looking online, the campus seems fairly similar to Augustana. It also looks very beautiful in pictures; so, I hope to post a campus shot in later blogs.
The conference officially kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. There will be a keynote address by professor of English and Director of the Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies at Princeton University, Jill Dolan.
 
This is a written account by Augustana junior multimedia journalism and communication studies major Katie Canning as she takes us on her journey of navigating an undergraduate honors conference at DePauw University.