FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 21, 2007
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124

MUW honors students participate in undergraduate research

COLUMBUS, Miss. – The Ina E. Gordy Honors College at Mississippi
University for Women awarded four grants to fund undergraduate student
research.

Proposals that were fully or partially funded this past year covered a range of subjects including music used in video games, leadership, English literature and pop culture.

Rachel Delk’s grant funded her trip to a conference, where she presented her research titled “A Video Gamer’s Use of Music in the Process of Self-Identification and Character Development.” Delk, who is a senior general music major from Vernon, Ala., said her research is the result of an honors seminar titled “Media Effects.”

“The class really interested me in the media, and I was particularly  interested in the area of video games. I’ve been playing them my whole life.” Delk wrote a seven-page research paper about music in video games and after doing some additional research decided to develop the theory.

She said game space immersion is one hook that video game companies use to draw people into playing more games. One tactic of immersion that
video game companies use deals with the relationship that a gamer may
have with a character.

“According to a study conducted by Kim and McDonald (2001), children
identify strongly with characters inside a video game to the point that they advance their social self,” she said. “This identification may come about by different means. Two theories that may explain these processes are self –verification and mood management. Both of these theories can be related in some way to music.

Delk said she was trying to find out if the music inside a video game had a direct effect on a gamer’s identification with a video game character.

“I’ve been working on this project since fall of 2005. I’m still not really done with it. I want to keep working on it because it was only a pilot study. I had limited resources and limited participants. The results showed a lot of promise and with a full fledged study, I think would have more support for all of my hypotheses.”

The grants also funded Irene Miller’s trip to Washington, D.C., and Megan Stoner’s research trip to London.

Miller, a senior political science major from Tupelo, was in D.C. for seven days in May for a seminar titled “Leaders on Leadership ’07: Critical Issues in the Age of Globalization.”

The seminar immersed participants in the culture of D.C. from the historic monuments to current offices and organizations.

As part of the seminar’s curriculum, participants were encouraged to  navigate the city on their own and schedule an appointment to meet with
someone or some organization that interested them. Miller accompanied a
friend she made in D.C. on her meeting with Jackie Payne, director of
Governmental Relations for Planned Parenthood.

The experience was amazing. We were instructed to only consume fifteen minutes of the professional’s time, but Mrs. Payne allowed us an hour,” she said. “I was so inspired and had already learned much about lobbying and grassroots mobilization.”

She also met with Latoia Jones from College Democrats of America, White
House Fellows and staff of the Organization of American States.

“Leadership was constantly discussed throughout the week. I learned what kind of a leader I am and how to groom others for leadership, which is important since I’ll be leaving two posts after I graduate this May.”

Stoner’s independent study senior project is titled “The Femme Fatale vs. The New Woman: Anti-feminism in Victorian Art and Poetry.” It is an expansion of work she did a few years ago while in London on a study abroad course.

This summer Stoner conducted research on a 10-day trip to London at the
Tate’s Hyman Kreitman Research Centre, the British Library, the UK
Women’s Library and the Royal Academy of Arts.

“I chose this subject because I have a strong interest in how English  literature is entwined with popular culture, and I also really love Keats, who wrote one of the poems I discuss in my work.” 

The senior English major from Columbus applied for two grants, the first was an opportunity for her to deliver a paper at the SW/TX Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference in Albuquerque, N.M., spring of 2007.

While their focuses were different, the honors students agreed that  undergraduate research is becoming increasingly important and has  boosted their confidence.

“I am finding in my grad school applications that having some solid research and publication on my resume is a great benefit and really helps me stand out from the rest of the applicants,” Stoner said. “Having the opportunities to conduct professional research and present at conferences has given me a great sense of confidence in my academic work.”

Delk added, “The most important item or lesson I have gained during my research is confidence…

“When my paper was selected for presentation at the Southern States  Communication Association, I was brimming over with excitement. It may
seem corny, but I really felt smart for the first time in my life. This confidence has made me do better in other classes, as well as preparing me for  graduate school.”

Miller said, “I really enjoyed my time in D.C. because it is like a mecca for political science majors, the epicenter for American politics. Getting acquainted with the city also alleviated some of my fears about going to a big city for graduate school. Now, my number one choice is political management at George Washington University.”

Dr. Eric Daffron, director of the Ina E. Gordy Honors College, said, “I hope more honor students will participate in research activities. The fact that the Honors College awards research grants shows that we value their intellectual development and sets the stage for more students to engage in scholarly activity.”

All students who graduate with departmental honors at MUW complete a
senior honors project. The Honors College supports this endeavor and
related activity not only through faculty mentorship but also through student research grants.

The Ina E. Gordy Honors College at MUW supports the intellectual development of highly motivated, high-performing undergraduate students.
With nearly 100 participants, The Ina E. Gordy Honors College offers  courses and field trips as well as an honors residence hall, a study abroad program and opportunities for student research. Over a year ago, the late Ina E. Gordy endowed the Honors College.