Students Learn to Become Scholars Through
Sophomore Research Program

Proving that research can be fun, Ainsley Whitehead (left) and Susan Tipton share a lighter moment during their study of Maria Graham's “A Journal of a Voyage to Brazil” this summer.

Susan Tipton and Ainsley Whitehead embarked upon a fascinating journey this summer, and they did so with a very small travel budget. Tipton, a religious studies and sociology double major whose family lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and Whitehead, an English major from Granville, Ohio, took a virtual trip through the pages of Maria Graham’s “A Journal of a Voyage to Brazil,” as participants in The College of Wooster’s Sophomore Research program.

With guidance from Jenna Hayward, associate professor of English at Wooster, the two students were responsible for providing background information about the central figures in the journal - specifically who they were and what they did. “The author refers to writers, musicians, and kings,” says Whitehead, who visited libraries at Denison and Ohio State to conduct her research. “Our objective was to find out more about as many people in the book as we could so that we could publish an annotated journal that would give readers more insight into those mentioned.”

Tipton and Whitehead began by reviewing a list compiled by Hayward of everyone in the journal. They then tried to determine who was important enough to warrant a footnote. The two were also responsible for proofreading and editing the publication after it had been scanned through a text-recognition program. “A lot of times errors can occur in the process of scanning,” says Tipton, “so the two of us pored over the text character by character and read aloud to each other to be sure that we caught everything.”

The most intriguing part of the journey, however, came through Graham’s accounts of political events involved in Brazilian independence, as well as the British abolitionist movement and Brazilian slavery. “There were numerous entries about the slave trade,” says Tipton. “It was obvious that Graham disapproved of the process of buying and selling human lives. She made it clear that the dehumanizing practice should not continue.”

Tipton also appreciated Graham’s meticulous approach to her writing. “She was an incredibly observant person,” says Tipton. “The attention to detail in her writing is remarkable.”

Not only did Tipton and Whitehead enjoy Graham’s accounts of 19th century Brazil, but they also benefited from their first exposure to undergraduate research. “I’m interested in going into the publishing industry, and this experience will really help me,” says Whitehead. “It taught me a lot about how to effectively check facts and to be sure that the information is coming from a reliable source. I would not have had this type of research opportunity at a larger school.”

Tipton agreed, saying, “I was glad to have the chance to be a summer research assistant in the English Department because I love to read, and I enjoy writing. Now, I’m confident in my abilities with reference resources, and I’m sure I will use some of those skills while working on Senior I.S.” (Wooster’s nationally acclaimed senior capstone experience in which students research a topic of their choice with guidance from a faculty advisor to produce a written thesis).

“Susan and Ainsley have been more than research assistants; they have become real collaborators in my research this summer,” says Hayward. “Their most valuable contribution, in addition to visiting research libraries to track down obscure 19th century Brazilians, has come in helping me make key decisions about the best way to shape this edition to serve its target readers effectively. Because these target readers include college students, Susan and Ainsley were able to provide authoritative advice about the type of editorial apparatus that would serve them best. Through hard work and intellectual curiosity, they have honed their research skills over the summer, and this new edition of Maria Graham’s ’Journal of a Voyage to Brazil’ will be a stronger book as a result. I also hope that their virtual travels this summer will enhance their enjoyment of upcoming study abroad experiences in Thailand and Scotland.”