Announcements

February 23, 2016 at 10:16 am

Figueroa Seeks Undergraduate Apprentice for Work on Spanish Play

Melissa Figueroa, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages, is seeking an undergraduate research apprentice for a project on “Juan Ruiz de Alarcon’s Quien mal anda mal acaba: An Annotated Edition.”

Currently enrolled Ohio University undergraduates from all colleges are invited to apply for the Research Apprenticeship Program. Administered by the Honors Tutorial College and sponsored by several other units across campus, the program enables students to build skills in research and creative activity by supporting faculty projects. Selected students are paid $10 an hour and agree to work during the time period specified in the description.

This apprenticeship is for 10 hours a week for the Fall 2016 academic year.

How to Apply

Applications are due by March 18, 2016. To apply for apprenticeship(s), a student must e-mail Melissa Figueroa. Contact information is listed in the apprenticeship description. The email should explain the student’s qualifications and interest in the project (no more than three paragraphs) and have an attached resume. It is strongly recommended that students meet with an adviser in the Career and Leadership Development Center in Baker Center 533 to help them compose their letter and resume before applying. Late applications will not be accepted. Notification will occur by April 15, 2016. For more information about the application process, contact Laura Schaeffer, Director of Honors Enrichment Programs at schaeffe@ohio.edu or 593-2725. Students may apply for as many apprenticeships as they wish.

Project Description

Recent translations, performances, and critical studies have increased interest in Spanish plays from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the English-speaking world.  As part of this trend, Juan Ruiz de Alarcon’s play Quien mal anda mal acaba (1617?) deserves to be studied more systematically because it shows the development of dramatic works under a repressive period, and at the same time introduces complex issues related to race and religion in early modern Spain. Thus, this project seeks to complete an annotated edition of Juan Ruiz de Alarcon’s Quien mal anda mal acaba to be published by Cervantes & Co. This company specializes in presenting the most influential classics of Spanish literature for the “English speaking student in a user-friendly way that makes the reading and study of these influential works in their native languages a joy.” Notes are included in the margin to give an instant translation of terms, footnotes are offered to clarify terms, and a final glossary is compiled in order to define more words.

The play stages the story of Roman Ramirez, one of the descendants of Muslims forced to convert to Christianity in Spain at the end of the fifteenth century, who was accused of making a pact with the Devil, having a flying horse, and memorizing chivalry books. Based on an inquisitorial case, this play is a great text to introduce students to the political, social, economic, and religious turmoil of Early Modem Spain, especially the role of the Inquisition, the popularity of magic, and the representation of the supernatural on stage.

Besides being beneficial to students enrolled at Ohio University, an annotated edition will be a valuable resource to students and researchers throughout the United States. Since the modern edition of the play was published in Spain and it is addressed only to specialists, this version provides an easy­ to-use, low-cost and accessible version of the text.

Desired Qualifications for Apprentice

It is highly recommended that the student have completed SPAN 3110 or a higher-level course.

However, students with a second year of Spanish can be considered.

The apprentice should have basic computer knowledge, such as typing and doing searches on the Internet. He or she should be familiar with Microsoft Word or Google Documents.

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