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Marquis Scholar Jennifer Ziznewski ’06 (Metuchen, N.J.) is delving into the world of witchcraft and wizardry for her senior honors thesis. The double major in English and philosophy is taking her interest in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series to the next level by examining the moral and ethical debates surrounding the children’s books.
After viewing the first two movies, then reading the books, which now total six, Ziznewski became an avid Harry Potter fan and thought the thesis was a great opportunity to critically examine Rowling’s work while receiving credit for it.
Bianca Falbo, assistant professor of English, who shares Ziznewski’s interest in Harry Potter, has been guiding the scholar in her research.
“We meet frequently, and she has been highly involved in both my research and my writing,” says Ziznewski. “She has been extremely helpful.”
Since the fall, Ziznewski has been reading reviews to gain a better understanding of the controversies surrounding the series. Her main goal was to answer the question: Is Hogwarts (the fictional school of magic in the stories) “breeding heathens”?
As her senior year comes to a close, Ziznewski continues to evaluate literary and religious debates, among others. She has established that the books are not a bad influence on children, contrary to the views some groups have held. In her final paper, she will present the messages that children and adults can take away from reading The Adventures of Harry Potter.
“Any type of large exploratory project like this is useful in thinking through a problem, reading widely, and articulating your results,” says Falbo. “Any time you do that, you’re practicing your critical thinking skills and for a career in law, like Jenny’s planning, those are good things to have a lot of practice in.”
Ziznewski feels her ability to research and comprehend work, like that of her thesis, will benefit her as she moves on to law school after graduation.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more ideal situation than working on my project at Lafayette,” says Ziznewski. “Because so many members of the departments work so closely with one another, I have been able to seek help from many professors who are already familiar with the work I’m undertaking.”
Ziznewski serves as a resident advisor and a writing associate. As a member of Alpha Phi, she previously was director of marketing, director of social events, and co-chair of recruitment for the Panhellenic Council. She has volunteered at Safe Harbor homeless shelter and with the Landis Community Center’s Kids in the Community program. In addition, she has been appointed to the Presidential Oversight Committee as part of the College’s sexual assault education and protection programs.
Honors theses are among several major programs that have made Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. The College sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year; 40 students were accepted to present their research at this year’s conference.