The Scarlet Phi

Rising senior Jordan Dulaney starts his summer break with an immersion trip to Paris.

According to Howard Hewitt, “BKT Assistant Professor of English Eric Freeze will lead his spring class to historic and literary sites in Paris and Nice, France.  ’Among the sites we will visit will be the haunts of expatriate writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and Djuna Barnes,’ Freeze said. ‘Our visits will include literary walks and visits to museums of artists who influenced various writers.’ Two highlights of that trip will be special  guest lectures. ‘Dr. Carine Marret, author of Promenades Littéraires, has agreed to lecture about Fitzgerald’s time in the area and Dr. Michel Rémy, a professor at the University of Nice and author of several books on modernist painting and surrealism, will lecture about the work of Matisse, Picasso, and Cézanne,’ Freeze said.”

Here’s Jordan’s entry on the College’s Immersion Learning blog:

Dulaney ’13 Sees Painters’ Influence on Author

Jordan Dulaney ’13, May 9 – My time in Paris has been amazing. The experiences my group members and I have been able to be a part of are memories that will last forever. We have spent our days traveling to different museums and former places of residence of the expatriates we are studying. The Pompidou (an art museum) was very insightful in furthering my claims made in my final paper of the course. It is here that I was introduced to some of Picasso and Matisse’s work. That was important to me due to the fact that they had such a huge influence on Gertrude Stein’s writing style. From Picasso’s paintings, I noticed the shading and abstraction in his dreamlike work. His abstract style is comparable to Stein’s Tender Buttons, where she appears to randomly spat out thoughts. What seems to be a random appearance of the words on the page relates to a method of subconscious writing which Stein produces in her work. The abstraction in her literature, just as in Picasso’s painting, is she never attempts to find a true meaning in the words she is “defining” as she writes about them. She is trying to strip them of their meaning and value by showing the differences in the way the words may be used. This is the same thing Picasso tries to do with his shading and representation of his thoughts.

Henri Matisse was the second painter which had an influence on Stein. In particular, I found the actual Matisse exhibit to be very helpful with discovering more of those influences. Here I saw Matisse’s recreations of other artist’s paintings and saw how he repainted them with slight variations. Matisse would take a painting done by another artist, and re-paint it with slight variations. He would replicate the works almost exactly, the shading, definition, or even objects on the canvas. By doing so, he is attempted to portray emotions felt and the way he was affected by the work he doubled. This is similar to the concept of Stein writing down her thoughts or emotions she felt when thinking of those certain words she describes. Matisse’s method here is definitely an unorthodox one that relates to Stein’s unusual writing style. This can be seen in the Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas where she chooses to write an autobiography through the eyes of her lover, Alice.

All in all, the trip has been very educational and enjoyable. It is something I could never fully prepare myself for. Immersing myself in the culture by writing at a small table under the awning of a café, just as many of the expatriates did, is only part of the picture of the overall experience. It was more than helpful to be a part of the culture which we have read about all semester. It’s one thing to read about it, but it’s another to live it. This allowed a much better understanding of the descriptions and context of Paris I’ve learned through class. Along with furthering my knowledge of the city and experiences of the expatriates, I feel I now have a closer bond with some of my fellow students in class and also Dr. Freeze.

Rising junior Ramsey Bradke started his summer vacation with an immersion trip with his class to Alaska.

According to Howard Hewitt, “BKT Associate Professor of Economics Christie Byun will be leading a group to Alaska on a new immersion experience. The students will spend three days in Anchorage. ‘Alaska is a state rich in natural resources (oil, minerals, timber, fish), and is also dependent on the tourism industry as a part of its economy,’ Byun said. ‘These sectors form the basis of its economy.  I will arrange events for students, giving them exposure to business groups, groups representing native Alaskan interests, and conservation organizations.’ The group will also spend two days in Valdez, the terminus point for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The students will then travel to Seward for a boat tour of the glaciers and wildlife in Kenai Fjords National Park.”

Here’s his post from the College’s Immersion Learning blog:

The First Peek of Alaska’s Mountains

Ramsey I. Bradke ’14, May 6 –  After we finished our learning experience at the Anchorage Museum, our group rallied back at the homey Susitna Bed and Breakfast before our first expedition of the many mountain ranges in Alaska. About 15 minutes away from the Bed and Breakfast was our group challenge for the day, Flat Top Mountain Range. On the way to the base of the mountain we were all curious as to how much snow there would be on the mountain and how far up we would have to climb before we reached the snow. It is presently spring, almost summer; in Alaska so many of us figured that the snow would be melted for the most part until we reached the higher parts of the mountain. Needless to say, we were wrong! The beginning of the trail at the base of the mountain was covered in snow and the sign that read “Flat Top Mountain Trail” was submerged in snow. As we began our hike up the slippery slope it became evident that those who neglected their boots at the B&B, and instead chose their sneakers, were going to struggle in the deep snow. Luckily we have a tough group of Wabash Men who toughed it out at least half way up the mountain and got to see a great view of the landscape. The majority of the group who were well equipped with hiking gear made it about ¾ of the way up the mountain and three brave souls made it to the 3150 peak.

One of the main concepts I thought about a lot once myself and two others reached the peak was the importance of aesthetic beauty. One of the main concepts we learned about in our class was that harming the aesthetic beauty of the environment can impose real costs and effect behavioral attitudes toward the environment. For example, in my research paper for the class I explored the current economics and implementation of wind energy and how it relates to environmental economics. During my research I read an article that talked about lowered housing costs that had beautiful mountain range views because of these “ugly” onshore wind  turbine structures. When I was on that mountain I realized that a lot of the people that bought nice houses alongside the mountain and those people who came to hike the mountain are there for the quiet, peaceful, and beautiful scenery these mountains provide. I thought about what kinds of effects on behavior and housing prices large 9MW wind turbines would impose if they were stationed on Flat Top Mountain. Although this may be an area with high-class speeds that would produce electricity, I think that the negative effects of lost aesthetic beauty would be paramount. This class was great for myself, and those in the class, because it gave us an appreciation of economics in an abstract manner. It is pretty cool to be able to go on a hike and not only get in great exercise and see some great views but also be able to draw some economical insight from the environment we’re looking at.

Students hiked the The Matanuska Glacier in Alaska.

UPDATE: Check out some video from Brother Bradke’s trip.