December 12, 2012

Student conducts research abroad with grant support

Jordan Buysse ’13 recently shared reflections on overseas experiences made possible by the Dixon Award, an annual honor granted to a junior English major.

Jordan Buysse ’13 recently shared reflections on overseas experiences made possible by the Dixon Award, an annual honor granted to a junior English major.

Buysse, who conducted archival research on James Joyce in Trieste, Italy last summer, presented his findings in the Manor House on November 28.

“I’ve been fascinated with Joyce in particular for a number of years now,” Buysse said of his research topic. “I came out of the project with a more nuanced understanding of the context in which Joyce’s works were written.”

Though the trip may be over, Buysse is still reaping the benefits of what he learned while attending the 15th Annual James Joyce School in Trieste.

“The Joyce school gave me ideas and new avenues of research for my senior seminar paper on Virginia Woolf,” Buysse, a member of the Pamplin Society, said. “It gave me the chance to pursue an academic project that really felt like my own.”

The Dixon Award was established in 2002 by the Dixon Family Foundation, thanks to the generous efforts of alumni Hillary Dixon BA ’99 and Adam Dixon BA ’01. Each year a junior English major is awarded a $2,500 research and travel grant to enrich his or her current studies in preparation for senior year.

Blue Lassiter ’15 contributed to this story.

 

Department of English