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When Marquis Scholar Laura Sims ’07 (North Haven, Conn.) arrived in Dijon, France this fall for a semester abroad, she had a head start on her fellow students, thanks to extensive research she conducted with an expert on the city’s Jewish community.
The task of translating interviews and articles introduced Sims to the city and gave her a global perspective. The double major in French and international affairs worked with Robert Weiner, Jones Professor of History, to create an oral history of the diverse Jewish community.
“I hope I will be able to meet some of the people of Dijon I’ve encountered through my translation work and talk to them,” she says. “I’m excited that I already know some of the people through Professor Weiner. I also want to do my senior thesis on something related to French immigration, so hopefully the study abroad will give me an opportunity to think about what I want to write about and give me some sources.”
Sims and Weiner collaborated as part of the EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations
Weiner has researched the people of Dijon for 12 years. He has visited the region with study-abroad groups and established friendships with many members of the community.
An award-winning teacher, he has presented his research in journal articles and at conferences such as the annual meeting of Western Society for French History, which included his paper in its selective proceedings. His excellence also has been recognized by The Teaching Company, which videotaped 36 of Weiner’s lectures in August 2004 and made them available in a series titled “The Long 19th Century: A History of Europe, 1789-1917.”
The articles and interviews that Sims read focused on the experiences of the 50,000 Jewish residents of Dijon, a city of 150,000 people. The project expanded her knowledge of how Dijon affects and is affected by the global community.
“The aspects we studied, although we focused only on this one community, were insightful about the other kinds of changes that are going on in France,” says Sims. “Understanding how one community is affected by problems with immigration and assimilation could be helpful in figuring out what could be done about it on a larger scale throughout French society.
“The issue of immigration in France is actually a big one right now,” she continues. “Even the high courts and politicians are at a loss as to what to do about it. I’m glad to be a part of that conversation because it concerns me. I obviously love France, which is why I’m studying abroad in Dijon this semester, and I want to help come up with solutions.”
According to Weiner, this type of research is the perfect way to begin looking for solutions.
“The work enables me, as I teach in general and as I study French, European, and Jewish history in particular, to have a more immediate sense of what’s really going on,” he says. “In particular, it sometimes helps me anticipate things that haven’t happened.
“For example, with the emphasis and great awareness of lingering anti-Semitism in France, as well as new forms of Muslim anti-Semitism, I was aware of this much earlier from the oral history I had done,” he continues. “Even when most of the general sources were saying that that was over, my people were telling me that it was not yet over, and it was still affecting their lives.
“It gives me a kind of awareness and vision that helps in understanding ways in which most countries in Europe still have a different reference with respect to multiculturalism than we have in the United States.”
The project gives Weiner an insider’s perspective of the community and the issues facing it.
“The amount of learning I get looking at human nature up close through a different cultural lens is fascinating,” he explains.
The knowledge Sims gained will help her pursue her goal of becoming a French history professor.
“As an instructor, I want to be able to focus more on current issues, as opposed to events like the French Revolution,” she says. “Seeing how the country is changing, reading these up-to-date articles and interviews, and having full access to Professor Weiner’s library so I can read about the French topics I’m interested in are of great value to me.”
Weiner expects that Sims will have no problem accomplishing her career goals.
“Because she has a very broad historical background and a fine sense of what makes up history, she is able to learn from this material in the same way I do,” he says. “That is, whatever she learns elsewhere adds layers of both historic and human understanding because it is a story that is not well known. This puts an additional layer of meat on that skin and gives her a way of understanding France better because it’s through the eyes of a different group of people. It sensitizes her to issues of multiculturalism and the like.
“She’s an extraordinary student,” he continues. “She took my 20th Century French History course as a sophomore, even though it’s designed for seniors. She’s very serious about her work and wants to teach many of the same things I teach on the college level. I expect she has the capacity to do that.”
Sims is a member of Le Cercle Francais (French Club) and Alpha Phi sorority and plays intramural flag football. She has volunteered with ProJeCT for People’s Adopt-a-Class program, in which college students teach middle school students conflict resolution and problem-solving skills. She graduated from North Haven High School.
Chosen from among Lafayette’s most promising applicants, Marquis Scholars like Sims receive a special academic scholarship and distinctive educational experiences and benefits, including a three-week, Lafayette-funded course abroad or in the United States during January’s interim session between semesters or the summer break. Marquis Scholars also participate in mentoring programs with Lafayette faculty and cultural activities in major cities and on campus.
As a national leader in undergraduate research, Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Thirty-nine students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.