First Year Students Explore U.S. Constitution
Elmira, NY (09/18/2020) — On September 17, 1787, the Founding Fathers signed one of the most influential documents in American history, the U.S. Constitution. Recently, Elmira College students in a section of a First Year Seminar course celebrated this momentous event and Constitution Day by exhibiting artworks in the Gannett-Tripp Library lobby showcases, depicting their interpretations of the Amendments to the Constitution.
Additionally, students in the class created a collaborative video of their reading of the Preamble of the Constitution. To avoid speaking through masks, each student was asked to record one line or phrase of the Preamble in their residence hall rooms or homes. Each recording (made with a smartphone) has unique tonal qualities that reflect the diversity of voices, a metaphor for the many people who make up America today.
Participating students include Kaitlyn Belmont '24, Talia Burris '24, Breeona Case '24, Daniel Dimon '24, Lindsey Mount '24, Blake O'Brien '24, Jordan Peiser '24, Cassidy Ryan '24, Chante Scott '24, Jordan Shumway '24, Caroline Stainton '24, William Tawamba '24, and Elrod Taylor '24.
The FYS 1010 class, "Mashups and Other Collisions in Art and Literature," provides opportunities for students to creatively respond to readings, such as the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Assignments vary, so sometimes students will write poetry or create collages or drawings. The reading of the Preamble was the first collaborative project. At the end of the course, students will collaborate again by contributing artwork, poetry, essays and other projects to form a class book.
Constitution Day is held annually on September 17 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.
Artwork shown by Jordan Peiser '24.
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Recently, Elmira College students in a section of a First Year Seminar course celebrated Constitution Day by exhibiting artworks in the Gannett-Tripp Library lobby showcases, depicting their interpretations of the Amendments to the Constitution. Artwork shown by Jordan Peiser '24.