Browsing by Author "Harrah, Peter"

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    The Legacy of Frederick Douglass’s Words
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Hunt, Cory A.; Harrah, Peter; Koenn, Emily; Taylor, Lynette A.
    More than a century after his death, Frederick Douglass remains an iconic figure widely referenced by politicians, educators, editorialists, community activists, poets, hip hop artists, comedians, and more, both domestically and abroad as a legitimizing and representative historical figure. This fact raises a number of questions— why have Douglass’s rhetorical contributions remained significant to so many persons in the 21st century? What types of individuals and organizations continue to find the legacy of Douglass’s words relevant and what is the underlying significance therein? How well have Douglass’s 19th century words and ideas been adapted to more modern forms of media and audience expectations that have arisen in the subsequent centuries since his 1895 death?—that this exploration into Douglass’s enduring legacy helps to identify. In order to address these issues, we employed techniques from two disciplines, History and Communication Studies, to identify and analyze the impact of the large body of speeches, editorials, and autobiographical writings left by the runaway Maryland slave who rose to become the most influential African American of the nineteenth century. This research was conducted through careful examination of both print and online sources from the 19th through the 20th centuries as we located and then verified the accuracy of quotations purporting to be from Douglass’s works. Finally we assessed the usage of Douglass’s words by modern commentators through the employment of current scholarly lenses such as rhetorical criticism, cultural studies, and Critical Race Theory in order to judge whether this usage was consistent with the values of Douglass’s long public career as a reformer in areas of social justice and politics. This study further demonstrates the need for continued analysis and dissemination of his thinking considering the modern-day relevancy that is still found in Douglass’s commentary and opinions.
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    Reimagining the River: An Outdoor Vision of the Anthropocene and the White River through the Lens of Place
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2016-04-08) Boyle, Elliot; Catt, Braden; Goss, Sarah; Harrah, Peter; Smith, Rebekah; Walker, Whitney
    In 2016, the International Union of Geological Sciences will decide whether or not human impact on the Earth constitutes a new geologic epoch – the Anthropocene. If agreed upon, this epoch will acknowledge the effects human agency has upon the stratigraphic record, and the implications of a human-driven world. Reimagining the River takes the global Anthropocene to the City of Indianapolis by creating an outdoor museum of the White River. This museum exhibit will display the past, present, and future of the White River, showcasing the historical narrative of the human-river relationship. Exploring the Anthropocene through the story of the White River will engage the citizens of Indianapolis to develop a sense of ownership for the intertwined state of the River and Indianapolis. The intention of this engagement is to build a community that reimagines what the river was, is, and can become. Reimagining the River will be located on the White River State Park Bridge, and will feature audiovisual elements that relate current scenes surrounding the River to the past. Historical photographs complemented with a brief historical narrative will be juxtaposed with the areas surrounding the installation, framing Indianapolis’ urban environment as the exhibit. The installation will be accessible to all demographics, including children and individuals with disability. The exhibit will also include resources to encourage further audience participation, including podcasts, geocaching, and a website. Ongoing research pathways will be created to encourage the tracking and measurement of audience engagement and understanding of how human agency has affected the White River, its tributaries, and the City of Indianapolis.