Corrinne Carlson, Program of Liberal Studies, won second prize in the first year student category for her paper, “Talking Vegetables and Family Conflict: How VeggieTales Adapts the Joseph Story.”
Carlson’s adviser, Katie Bugyis, assistant professor in the Program of Liberal Studies and fellow of the Medieval Institute, assigned her theology class a research paper on any adaptation of a biblical story. “Having grown up watching VeggieTales, I chose to explore the series’ interpretation of the Joseph story from Genesis,” said Carlson.
During a class visit to the Medieval Institute Library, Carlson was introduced to Julia Schneider, scholarly resource assessment libraria, subject specialist for Medieval Studies, and fellow of the Medieval Institute. Schneider showed the class the immense amount of resources provided by the Hesburgh Libraries. She offered guidance on narrowing down search terms and tips for enhancing their search process. “Especially helpful to me was Dr. Schneider’s introduction to the library’s databases, which make it significantly easier to find relevant but reliable sources,” said Carlson.
Carlson was initially concerned that she would not find enough rich scholarly material to support her argument due to the subject matter. However, using OneSearch and exploring the library’s databases, Carlson was able to find numerous books and articles related to her topic. “Allowing my sources to guide my future research on the topic led me to other sources that significantly enriched my project.”