Recently, three Flagler College seniors presented research on early American literature at the Butler Undergraduate Research Conference, the largest of its kind in North America.

Elizabeth Doolittle, William Arbogast and James Hastings delivered a panel entitled “The Construction of Pre-National Identity through Early American Literature” which discussed various ways that early authors used things such as race, gender and religion to define themselves in the new world.

The panel featured each student presenting a paper written for their Intro to American Literature class.

The conference, which was held in Indianapolis on April 11, featured students from more than 45 colleges and universities presenting more than 500 presentations on topics from anthropology and art to chemistry and literature.

“The chance to share our research at a larger level was wonderful,” said Doolittle. “Not only did we enjoy presenting our work, but the opportunity to meet and hear the research of our peers from across the country opened our eyes to the importance of undergraduate scholarship.”

Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Source: Flagler College