Wartburg College will host students from seven other schools at the third annual Midwest Undergraduate Conference in the Humanities Saturday, Nov. 2.

Fourteen Wartburg students will be among the 38 presenting papers, giving readings and recitals, and offering displays on such topics as politics, religion, culture, crime and women’s issues. The conference runs from 9:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. in Whitehouse Business Center 116.

MUCH was founded by Dr. Zak Montgomery, Wartburg assistant professor of Spanish, and Dr. JJ Butts, formerly on the Wartburg faculty and now an assistant professor of English at Simpson College, to provide humanities students with an opportunity to present research papers.

In addition to Wartburg and Simpson, the other schools represented at the conference are Buena Vista University, Central College, Ashford University, Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) College, Augustana (Ill.) College, and Capital (Ohio) University. Fifteen faculty sponsors will attend.

The conference also will include a faculty roundtable discussion at noon on “Current and Future Trends in Humanities Research and Practice” in the Heritage Ballroom of Saemann Student Center. The panelists will be:

• Dr. Sean Cobb, Gustavus Adolphus, assistant professor of Film and American literature.
• Dr. Maeve Callan, Simpson, assistant professor of religion and women’s and gender studies.
• Dr. Paula Survilla, Wartburg, professor of music and Slife Professor in the Humanities.

The Wartburg presenters will include:

• Courtney Bebensee, “A Divided Community”: A Marxist critique of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
• Katherine Hoobler, “Deducing Sherlock: Investigating the Theories of Sherlock Holmes.”
• Julia Evans, “Hearts True and Hands Strong: Respecting Western Iowa as a Vibrant Region During the Time of the Civil War.”
• Morgan Sederburg, “Building Iowa’s State Capitol.”
• John Valem, selection from “Lord Malvat of the Dead Outlands.”
• Allison Milner, poetry, “Through Argentine Eyes.”
• Jessica Behrer, poetry selection.
• Emily Hogan, “I Want to See Some Leg: An Enthnographic Study of Burlesque in Terms of Empowerment Versus Objectification.”
• Serena Ugoretz, “Falling into the Arms of the Awaiting Suitor: Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ from a Marxist-Feminist Approach.”
• Alexander Amo, “La Vie d’un Arabe en France et aux Etats-Unis.”
• Rebekah Peters, “A Woman’s Liberation from Sexist Oppression,” a reading of Marge Piercy’s “Woman on the Edge of Time.”
• Andrea Lohf, “Oz, the Opiate Fantasyland”: A Marxist critique of religion in “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
• Ashley Haines, “Romance Novels and Their Reception History.”
• Eric Crow, “Education for the Future: Employment and Education Recovery in Post-War West Germany.”