Three Minute Thesis: can nineteenth-century novels prevent financial crises?
It鈥檚 a counter-intuitive argument: present-day policy-makers responding to global financial crises could learn a lot from the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, or the memoirs of Henry David Thoreau.
But Cristina D鈥橝mico of the department of English used it to win this year's competition at the University of Toronto.
In just under three minutes, D鈥檃mico successfully persuaded a panel of six judges that careful attention to nineteenth-century writing can shed new light on the way North American society understands the relationship between property ownership and civic engagement.
In doing so, she won both the thousand-dollar prize, and the chance to represent U of T with what Hugh Segal, master of Massey College, described as 鈥渁 masterful piece of insight, masterfully presented.鈥
D鈥橝mico鈥檚 win represents the first time in the competition鈥檚 four-year history that a humanities student has won 鈥 all of the previous winners were from medical fields.
鈥淚 felt very sure that as a researcher in the humanities I would have a difficult time demonstrating the concrete value of my work,鈥 says D鈥橝mico. 鈥淢uch of the work we do in the humanities simply can鈥檛 be quantified or measured.鈥
Judges praised her ability to translate research into terms that are accessible to scholars outside her field. Professor Locke Rowe, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, explains:
鈥淲hat really set Cristina鈥檚 presentation apart was her ability to speak to researchers from other disciplines, and show them the value added by the humanities,鈥 Rowe said.
鈥淟iterary studies give insights into the big questions 鈥 How should we organize our society? How do we build a strong community? How do we help the have-nots? 鈥 that supplement the work of economists, or historians, or political philosophers.鈥
Rowe was quick to emphasize the range of disciplines represented in the finals, including PhD candidates from departments as diverse as biochemistry, civil engineering, and philosophy. 鈥淚 hope that the competition showcases the diversity and vitality of the research undertaken by our students.鈥
Runner-up Senjuti Saha (department of molecular genetics) called the event a 鈥済reat opportunity to mingle with fellow students from other departments, a lot of absolutely amazing people, who I wouldn鈥檛 have met otherwise.鈥 Saha singled out Gregory Wentworth鈥檚 (department of chemistry) work on the effects of sea birds on arctic climate change for praise.
D鈥橝mico praised Saha鈥檚 work on antibiotic-resistant bacteria: 鈥淚 absolutely loved Senjuti Saha鈥檚 energy and delivery style 鈥 her passion for her work came across loud and clear.鈥
The provincial title proved out of reach for U of T this year 鈥 Waterloo took first place 鈥 but the rankings matter less than the fact of the contest itself, Rowe said.
鈥淭he Three Minute Thesis Competition highlights the importance of being able to communicate research to researchers in other fields, to funding agencies, and to policy-makers.鈥