Undergraduate Studies

This project won first place in the 2022 Signature Course Information Literacy Award. The award recognizes exemplary student work that achieves the learning outcomes of the Signature Course information literacy requirement, that students will be able to create and execute a research strategy, critically evaluate information, and navigate the scholarly conversation. Jaiden Walker self-nominated her paper “His Final Words: A Wild Plaint Calls Attention to Black Male Mental Health” in from Arturo De Lozanne’s UGS 303 course - Originality in the Arts and Sciences. Her TA Olivia Spiers said of her paper “Ms. Walker brings in an abundance of outside evidence to back up her claims that Johnson’s poem paints a bleak, systematic picture of Black men’s poor mental health in America. She also includes direct quotes to further drive her points that Johnson’s turbulent feelings and emotions within the poem mirror many of the struggles Black men still face today. ...Ms. Walker brought an empathetic touch to her methodical study.” The Judges were impressed by the sources she brought together to help her connect an early 20th century work to a modern systemic issue.