The Eugene Lang Dean’s Honor Symposium Celebrates Undergraduate Research and Creative Practice
Eugene Lang College’s annual Dean’s Honor Symposium carries forward the tradition of celebrating the liberal arts while teaching students how to present their scholarly research. Now in its tenth year, the symposium draws students from all sectors of Lang and challenges them to present their work effectively and bring their projects together with the work of others from different disciplines under a single theme.
“I’m always inspired by our extraordinary students, who are excellent scholars, talented creative practitioners, and deeply committed citizens,” said Lang Dean Christoph Cox. “The posters and panel presentations showcase the fantastic work Lang students are doing every day. It’s so exciting to witness their growth through the work they put into these amazing projects.”
More than 30 students participated in this year’s program, which consisted of projects presented in a poster session and panel sessions. Students applied to the symposium during the fall semester; those selected were matched with faculty advisors, who guided them in mastering academic discourse and scholarly presentation.
Brennan Connell, BA Contemporary Music ’25, who has participated in the symposium three times, presented his project “Investigation of Anti-Asian American and Pacific Islander Racial Microaggression in U.S. Pop Music.” In addition to broadening his research and presentation skills, Connell benefited from the opportunity to engage with other students. “It’s fascinating to get to connect with students and the Lang community to talk about the things that drive us at Lang and why we are here and the work we do,” says Connell. “It’s great because you get to see a variety of perspectives and you get to bring an interdisciplinary and intersectional approach, because it’s not just people from different majors but people from different backgrounds. It’s fascinating to see the different lenses and ways people look at the world.”
Participating in the symposium helps students hone their presentation skills by learning how to discuss their research with people unfamiliar with their subject matter. Nina Evans, BA Literary Studies and Contemporary Music ’25, worked with a tutor at the University Learning Center who helped her refine the presentation of her project, “Art Everywhere: Fiction, Found Objects, Nonsense & Collage.” “I’m a Literary Studies student, so I wasn’t sure if I needed the help, since I would not need assistance with grammar or anything like that. However, the tutor was extremely helpful in working with me to pinpoint what I wanted to say and making sure it came across in the most effective way possible. He was in the MFA program, so he knew how to write about art in a way that I wasn’t well versed in,” says Evans.
The symposium provided Yesenia Pena Paredes, BA Psychology ’27, with an opportunity to expand on her paper, “How Homies Became International: The Debate Between Appropriating and Appreciating Chicanismo.” “This project was my final essay for the Writing the Essay: Undressing Fashion course. My instructor told me about the Dean’s Honor Symposium and let me know this was a way I could expand on this topic. The experience was very fun. Although the topics are serious—we’re talking about real things that are happening in the world—it’s important to also be creative with your project, understand other people’s point of view, and have an open mind, not only to yourself but to others as well. You’re meeting new people and learning about their backgrounds, and it’s very much a privilege to be in a space where you’re able to do that,” says Paredes.
Christine Gentile, BAFA Literary Studies and Illustration ’26, used the symposium to share their literary magazine, Score*, which features articles about sports written by New School students. “I started writing about ice hockey last year and how I was finding friendship and community within that. I talked with friends and discovered they were also writing about watching sports with their families and friends. I wanted to showcase the art and writing from my peers in a collection, which led to the birth of the literary magazine.” Having received funding for the project through a Lang Civic Engagement and Social Justice grant, Christine decided to participate in the symposium, as “I thought this was a great way to showcase the piece and say thank you to Lang.”
