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With three trips to Russia and another to Africa under her belt, Stephanie Stawicki ’04 (Voorhees, N.J.) is studying the Soviet threat and influence in South Africa during the Apartheid era as part of a yearlong independent research project. She will present her research next month at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
“I’m so excited about this project because it allows me to combine one passion, Russia, with another part of the world that has become a fascination for me, Africa,” she says.
A double major in international affairs and Russian and Eastern European studies, Stawicki is being guided by Joshua Sanborn, assistant professor of history, in her honors thesis.
“Stephanie and I have worked together for a while, and we talked about her doing a thesis,” Sanborn says. “The project changed when she was affected by studying abroad in Australia, where she took a class that made her interested in South Africa.”
Sanborn is working on a book about the interrelationship between civilians and military men on the Eastern Front of World War I. He is author of Drafting the Russian Nation, a groundbreaking book on modern Russian and military-social history. He often involves Lafayette students in his research and has mentored students who went on to receive a Fulbright grant and James Madison Fellowship. Sanborn has received many fellowships, including ones from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Social Science Research Council, the Council for Advanced Studies in Peace and International Cooperation Fellowship, and the Mellon Foundation.
“Stephanie has a lot of curiosity and was precocious about choosing an interesting topic for her thesis,” he says. “She is a diligent worker, and this will carry her through the project.”
“Working on a senior honors thesis allows me to demonstrate and bring together all the material I’ve learned throughout my last three years here and abroad,” Stawicki says. “I’ve always had an interest in Russia and the Soviet Union because the region is my heritage. And I vaguely remember the release of Nelson Mandela in South Africa when I was younger, so I’ve always had a desire to learn more about that country.”
Stawicki’s travels include a January trip in 2002 with Sanborn to take a Lafayette interim session course, Russia and Poland: Past and Present. She also has traveled to Kenya and Tanzania. “[These trips] proved to me that I could have a devoted interest in both Russia and Africa,” she says. “To make the connection between the two was a worthwhile challenge.”
She studied abroad at University of Melbourne during the spring 2003 semester, where she took the class South Africa Under Apartheid. “This course enabled me to develop a clearer picture of the apartheid regime,” she says. “I recognized the influence of the Soviet Union in the country was quite significant.”
“World issues of regime change and how people deal with international issues are enormous questions,” Sanborn says. “Those days are clearly not past us. Seeing how change occurs is crucial for Stephanie and the world as a whole.”
“Stephanie will be better equipped to understand many places internationally than she was before,” he adds.
“I’m delighted to have Professor Sanborn as my adviser because he is encouraging, honest, and truly enthusiastic about my ideas. It’s great to know that a professor is excited about a project I’ve created,” Stawicki says.
She notes that Lafayette provides an excellent environment for student research projects.
“Whether it be encouraging professors or being encouraged to study abroad to obtain a better view of the world, Lafayette has helped foster a unique learning experience for me.”
Stawicki gathered research materials for Sanborn’s upcoming book through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students assist faculty with research while earning a stipend. Lafayette is a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate in EXCEL each year go on to publish papers in scholarly journals and/or present their research at conferences.
With an eye towards graduate school and hopes for a career in the Foreign Service, Stawicki believes this work will benefit her in the future.
“I’m pleased with all that I’ve learned here in my program of international affairs,” she says. “The discipline has allowed me to gain a well-rounded view of the world. My Russian & Eastern European studies major has allowed me to become slightly more specialized in one part of the world. I feel I’ve made the most of my academic experience here.”
A graduate of Eastern High School, Stawicki is vice president of the Keefe Volunteer Floor, in which residents share an interest in community service. She is an Adopt-a-Grandparent and Kids in the Community volunteer through Lafayette’s Landis Community Outreach Center, and a member of Lafayette Leadership Committee and Lafayette Christian Fellowship. She has also served as a writing associate for the College Writing program. With the International Affairs Club, Stawicki participated in the European Union Simulation in Washington, D.C. in 2000. She is a tour guide for the admissions office and was student program coordinator of Open House 2001 and Prologue 2002.
Honors thesis projects are among several major opportunities at Lafayette that make the College a national leader in undergraduate research. Lafayette sends one of the largest contingents to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research each year. Over the past decade, an average of 34 Lafayette students each year have presented results from research conducted with faculty mentors, or under their guidance, at the conference. Forty-two Lafayette students have had their proposals accepted for presentation at the next annual conference in April.