Student Scholar Spotlight – Konrad Szymanowski
Student Scholar Spotlight – Konrad Szymanowski
Featured student work during their time as a college scholar in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Konrad Szymanowski
I am a junior in the College Scholars program, and I focus on international and cross-cultural sociolinguistics. This past April, I participated in the 25th annual EURēCA event hosted at UT, submitting a research project titled: “What’s the Price of Nuclear Energy? Negotiations of the Chernobyl Disaster in German Literature and Culture in the Late 1980s.” Under the guidance of my German mentor, Professor Stefanie Ohnesorg, I submitted my project to the College of Arts and Sciences, Humanities category, creating a detailed poster and presenting my research to several faculty mentors (over Zoom, of course). My research entailed literary and cultural analysis of two German narrative texts written in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster of 1986, in which I discussed the main themes relating to: the consequences of uncontrolled nuclear energy, government mismanagement and irresponsibility, and collective public culpability for disasters. I argued about the importance of situating the German sociopolitical context of the Cold War by focusing on German texts; why Chernobyl in particular aroused intense public debate in Germany about nuclear energy and responsibility; and the striking ability of literature and media to provoke important discussions about moral and ethical dilemmas and issues. Ultimately, I was awarded for my research and presentation, receiving an Award of Excellence in the Humanities category, as well as an OURF Gold award.
While this particular subject of research lies outside the direct scope of my academic interest, studying firsthand the power of situatedness, the influence of literature and popular media, and the specific German context of these narratives provided me with a deeper insight into how I will approach my final senior undergraduate thesis. I intend to research the sociopolitical situation of linguistic minorities in Europe, in particular Germany, and the relevance of historical literature surrounding this topic will play a fundamental role in my thesis. My experience at EURēCA has provided me with a more dedicated, focused sense of what I can accomplish through motivation and attention to detail, and I look forward to stepping into the more professional world of research in my near future!