b'The Role of Women in Marriage and SocietyVictoria MerrittSponsor: Dr. ParraRosario Castellanos analyzes the traditions of marriage in Mexico and the roles of women in a marriage in the story Costumbres mexicanas, published in 1964. This story presents the ideas of the inequality of women in marriage with the use of irony. Even though Castellanos uses irony, throughout history women have experienced inequality and have been oppressed. Women have been under the control of the culture and society standards and now are trying to obtain equality. The use of literature to tell the stories about marriage and the experiences of inequality of women demonstrates the length of womens journey to equality.The Resilience and Strengthof the Indigenous and Latin American PeoplesAbigail E. VincentSponsor: Dr. WehlingOctober 12, 1492, A.D. is truly a memorable date. On this day, Christopher Columbus found the New World (even though he was not the first person to find it). This discovery of the New World led to radical changes that were felt all over the world. Even now, nearly five hundred fifty years later, we still celebrate the day that Columbus landed in the New World for the first time. However, when we read the history textbooks, we do not find much information about the indigenous peoples who lived on this land before the Europeans found itwe only read about the lives and actions of the Europeansand we find even less about Latin American women. Time and time again, Europeans and their descendants have tried to downplay indigenous and Latin American women and their impact on the world; and time and time again the indigenous and Latin American women have shown that they will not be overlooked. This project will cover the strength of the Latin American and indigenous women and their refusal to conform to the European standard.Does it Take a Democracy to Preserve Ancient Languages?Sarah J. Burbank, Department of Modern and Classical LanguagesSponsor: Dr. WalczakThe preservation of ancient minority languages creates stronger cultural identity for future generations. Although the use of regional languages in Spain were forbidden during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975), ethnic groups continued to protect and preserve their native tongue, simultaneously safeguarding their cultural and historical identity. Following Francos death, minority languages were reintroduced, permitting their use and teaching in mainstream society. Fast forward to present day, Spain is promoting multilingualism in the educational system by giving parents the option for either the language of their autonomous community, Spanish, or both for in-class instruction, having a mandatory foreign language and incorporating pedagogical translanguaging into written and oral instruction. Some see such practice as endangering the national unity, yet the government is adamant about keeping this trend. So, why is the preservation of minority languages important? Through the comparison of studies, practices and interviews of how various minority languages have been preserved, this presentation answers the questions of why and how the Spanish government accomplishes this aim and what the rest of the world can learn by its example.42'