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Journal of Undergraduate Research Journal of Undergraduate IN THIS JOURNAL JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 2013–2014 Jacqueline Patz Mind vs. Body: The Composition of Consciousness in Contemporary Narrative Michael Fronk Beowulf v. Grendel: The Legal Customs of Hroðgar’s Kingdom Michael Mercurio JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Tertullian and Christian Military Service UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME AVAILABLE ONLINE COLLEGE OF ARTS & LETTERS Allison Whitlock Scallen 2013–2014 The Archaeology of a Medieval Village: Willingham, Cambridgeshire VOLUME 1 ISSUE 9 JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME COLLEGE OF ARTS & LETTERS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Journal of Undergraduate Research Editorial Board extends its thanks to Nicholas Russo, Assistant Dean in the College of Arts and Letters, for his generous and sage guidance this year. The Office of the Dean in the College of Arts and Letters continues to guarantee its support of the Journal, which enables the members of our student board to produce a thoroughly professional publica- tion each year and to strengthen their own research and writing by reviewing the college’s best undergraduate projects. We also thank John McGreevy, Dean of the College, and James Brock- mole, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, who continue to enliven the thesis culture among Notre Dame’s liberal arts students and strive to make the Journal an integral part of that culture. Their leadership makes us confident for the future of the Journal’s quality of content. We thank Ray Mann and Kelly Luna of Service Printers, Inc. of Elkhart, Indiana, who have provided the layout and print production services necessary for a timely publication. Finally, we would like to thank Assistant Deans Joseph Stanfiel and Collin Meissner for their continued encouragement of and involve- ment with the Journal. The Journal draws its material exclusively from undergraduate research in the College of Arts and Letters, and we owe our quality content to the students who submitted their work for consideration. The number of papers we reviewed and the quality of submissions we received demonstrates the academic seriousness and passion of the Arts and Letters undergraduates and their professors. Perhaps most importantly, it is the Journal’s readership that makes this publication possible and meaningful. Thus, we also thank you for picking up our 2013-2014 issue. We hope you take pleasure in the diversity of this year’s publica- tion and pass the Journal along to others. III Journal of Undergraduate Research EDITORIAL BOARD 2013–2014 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Aubrey Butts ‘14 American Studies, English Meghan Thomassen ‘14 English, Philosophy, Literature EDITORIAL BOARD Bianca Almada ‘16 English, Spanish, Journalism Marissa Bowman ‘16 Psychology, International Economics, German Meg Cahill ‘14 Political Science, Public Service Maria Do ‘16 American Studies, History Bridget Doyle ‘16 American Studies, Business- Economics, Irish Kaitlyn Egan ‘14 Psychology, Italian Elise Gruneisen ‘16 English, Business, Economics Kimberly Halstead ‘14 English, Anthropology, Creative Writing Theodora Hannan ‘14 History Sian Kresse ‘14 English, Anthropology Brian Lach ‘16 Business, Film Erin Portman ‘15 Program of Liberal Studies, French, Irish Daniel Sehlhorst ‘16 Political Science, Economics Justin Sena ‘14 Political Science, Theology, Medieval Studies Andrew Spas ‘15 Political Science, Economics John Stallings ‘14 Economics iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Jacqueline Patz. 2 “Mind vs. Body: The Composition of Consciousness in Contemporary Narrative” Michael Fronk ............................................... 32 “Beowulf v. Grendel: The Legal Customs of Hroðgar’s Kingdom” Michael Mercurio ............................................ 58 “Tertullian and Christian Military Service” ONLINE FEATURE Allison Whitlock Scallen ....................................... 92 “The Archaeology of a Medieval Village: Willingham, Cambridgeshire” V Journal of Undergraduate Research FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF The Journal this year was blessed with a bounty of great editors who expedited our selection process with alacrity and ease. The evenings spent debat- ing the virtues of submissions over Chinese food seemed less like work and more like a group of intellectually curious friends having a dinner party — in O’Shaughnessy Hall. This spring we learned much about Old English law and medieval villages, heard the story of Tertullian and his writings on the role of Christians in the military, and discussed the divide (if any) between the mind and the body. Monday nights became nights of engagement, fellowship, good food, and hard work. We hope that you will also be able to share in the passion we have for these outstanding papers. Each member contributed their knowledge and critical eye to select the best papers submitted to our Journal. In an effort to involve everyone meaning- fully, we deferred to the choices of the board for paper selection. They then took on the task of editing the chosen papers for publication. The papers featured here represent a diverse set of research topics and research methods from the College of Arts and Letters. We believe that they are informative, well-composed, and meaningful contributions to their different academic areas. However, we, the editors-in-chief, admit that we deferred to our own formatting preferences when preparing the papers for publication. We hope this year’s Journal represents the range of academic minds and passions emerging from Notre Dame. The Journal means to support the thesis culture of the College of Arts and Letters, and we invite you, our readers, to lend your continued support as well by engaging with these papers and perhaps writ- ing and submitting a thesis of your own. Thank you, Aubrey Butts and Meghan Thomassen 1 Journal of Undergraduate Research JACQUELINE PATZ graduated in 2013 with a degree in the Program of Liberal Studies and Honors English. Her PLS-nurtured love of philosophy and literature fused in Professor Kate Marshall’s “Novels By Aliens” course where she became interested in the literary representation of consciousness. Jacqueline currently works at Penguin Random House in New York City. 2 Mind vs. Body: The Composition of Consciousness in Contemporary Narrative Mind vs. Body: The Composition of Consciousness in Contemporary Narrative BY JACQUELINE PATZ INTRODUCTION For many centuries, thinkers have grappled with the question of con- sciousness: from where does it arise, how can it be defined, and are both the mind and the body necessary to generate consciousness? From Plato to Descartes to Wil- liam James, many have engaged in philosophical dialogue in attempts to explain the self, the soul, and the relationship between the mind and the body. Today, modern neurology lays claim to scientific attempts to define consciousness. Even so, something mysterious remains about consciousness that transcends the firing of neurons and the division of brain lobes. There is an intangible element of con- sciousness, and many people still question the relationship between the mind and the body. Is it one’s mind that makes a person a conscious “self”? Or does the mate- rial body contribute to consciousness as well? I argue that contemporary literature may be understood as entering into the philosophical dialogue on consciousness. Many critics read contemporary lit- erature either as responding to or through the lens of modern science. Such an interpretation, however, risks reducing contemporary literature to commenting only on science and the successes and failings of the brain. Equating the self and consciousness with the brain risks discounting philosophical and social influences on the construction of narrative. Conversely, analyzing contemporary literature within the context of philosophical views of consciousness can produce an impres- sion of how modern writers conceptualize the relationship between the mind and the body. Regardless of neurology’s claims, literature also provides insight into the pragmatic views society constructs of consciousness. I argue that contemporary 3 Journal of Undergraduate Research narrative requires interplay between the mind and the body, thus commenting on the composition of consciousness. It does so through intentionally constructing narrators whose consciousnesses are somehow “wrong” due to an imbalance of the mind and the body. Literature thus asks what elements are necessary to create a character that is believably human, and how far can those elements be stretched and distorted before humanity is lost? Before undertaking my examination of consciousness in contemporary literature, it is necessary first to ground my discussion within the broader arc of literary representations of consciousness. Specifically, I look to realism as setting a precedent for the examination of consciousness through narrative. I draw a con- trast between realism’s attempt to create an accurate portrayal of consciousness and contemporary literature’s tactic of presenting fractured forms of consciousness to highlight what key elements must not be absent from a healthily formed conscious- ness. Having oriented the representation of consciousness within literary tradition, I then similarly seek to situate the literary discussion in relation to philosophical and scientific treatments of consciousness. I argue that all three disciplines offer interwoven insights into the shared topic of discussion. Having laid the groundwork for my literary analysis, I finally look to two different groupings of contemporary literature for their contributions to the philo-
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