Ariel Amaru receives 2015-16 Carper Prize

The Carper Prize is given every year for the best research paper in the senior research seminar. The papers this year were fantastic, and awarding the Carper Prize was a challenge, given the well-researched and erudite work of our students. The winner was Ariel Amaru for her thesis, “From Legal to Social Authority: Black Women's Reporting of Domestic Violence.” Amaru's excellent paper examines how social media becomes an unofficial site for black women to "report" domestic violence and find emotional support outside of legal authority. Amaru reports: "This past year I worked extensively on my research project to investigate the uniquely marginalized position that Black survivors of domestic violence often find themselves. Though I found the subject matter emotionally difficult, it was rewarding to focus on a population that is too commonly understudied. My research wouldn’t have been possible without the American Studies Department and I feel extremely proud to call myself an American Studies major."