By Lori Tarbett

When humanities and film studies student Paul Anderson isn’t watching movies at the ByTowne or Mayfair theatres, as part of film studies research the student protests, he is either blogging for Admissions or working for the House of Commons.

Anderson is one of ten students who write regular blogs which are posted on Carleton’s Admission’s website. The blogs are intended to give potential students a glimpse into Carleton life and aid them with post-secondary decisions as our students discuss their experiences online.

The second year student also serves as a Proceedings and Verification Officer for Hansard, the publication which records the House of Commons daily debates. Anderson sits in the middle of the chamber and tracks the different bills being debated as well as the speakers. “I have to keep my ears open and catch any comments members yell out,” explains Anderson. He also works in the Hansard Satellite Office just above the House of Commons where he collects MPs’ notes and faxes them to editors.

This position and his past position as a Parliamentary Page led him to be recruited to speak to Carleton students who are currently working as Pages. At the beginning of the year he spoke to them about what to expect as a first year Carleton student and how to balance their studies with work in the House. Anderson answered their questions, kept in touch with most of the Pages throughout the semester and met with all of them during exams to see how their year was going.

When he’s not advising potential or current students, Anderson is focussing on his studies. He says he loves the atmosphere of the Humanities program. “I feel that the subjects we are studying are extremely important and the professors encourage us not to just do assignments for the sake of doing them, but to really further our knowledge, to understand ideas, and ultimately become better people,” says Anderson.

Meredith Inksetter obtained her BA Honours in art history. Inksetter entered the program to gain a comprehensive view of history through an examination of the “visual culture of the past.” During the course of her studies, Inksetter gained a perspective on the political, social, religious and cultural themes humans, throughout history, have rendered through visual mediums.

“The Bachelor of Arts degree in art history provided me with the ability to think about the world in a different way, to understand the important role played by art within the history of humanity, to understand history as a dynamic and ever-changing area and to develop ways of seeing and interpreting that can be applied not only with academic settings, but within the everyday world in which we live,” said Inksetter.

Inksetter will pursue her Masters in art history at Carleton. She will examine nineteenth century art and its depictions of the body to gain insight on the “medical and cultural understanding of disease, sexuality and abnormality.”

Catherine Marshall completes her BA Honours in art history and discovers a love of scholarship. Marshall initially returned to her studies with the intention of bolstering her career. Although she had studied art at the Ontario College of Art and Design in the ’80s and has maintained an interest in painting, she never intended to become a scholar.

Assisted by funding from Carleton and SSHRC, Marshall will continue her studies through the art history MA program. She is particularly interested in religious art produced in the medieval period.

“My BA experience – excellent professors, lots of hard work, and Carleton’s resulting recognition – has instilled confidence in me that I have the ability to pursue a future in scholarship,” said Marshall.

Chelsea Omel has taken her BA Honours in art history on the road. The recent alumna is currently traveling in Europe and North Africa.

During her undergrad years in art history, Omel developed an interest in the history of photography, multimedia art and performance art. Although she maintains that these areas might not fall within traditional art history definitions, it was the freedom to explore these mediums that attracted her to the program.

“My long-term plan is to pursue a career in the arts, perhaps something related to dance, photography or new media,” said Omel.

David Shea completed his BA in film studies with a minor in history. An emerging filmmaker, Shea was interested in both the theoretical and practical aspects of filmmaking. While he continued to work on his film career throughout his time at Carleton, he found the film studies program supplemented his technical abilties with an appreciation for the history of film, the industry and the “construction of film culture.” Shea credits the program with providing him a broader cultural and financial perspective of Canadian film and television production -knowledge that proved instrument in his work at the department of Canadian Heritage at the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO).

Although he is planning a hiatus from the academic world he anticipates he will return to further study historical representations in film and the challenges associated with this.

“I am currently putting the final touches on a short 16mm film that I wrote, produced and directed that will be screened in early August, and I am also working on a couple of articles on film for local publications.”

Other Senate Medalists Include:

Jessica Aylsworth, BA, Art History