Jessica Slattery Presents Undergraduate Research at Beloit College Symposium Day

BELOIT, WI (04/25/2012)(readMedia)-- Jessica Slattery '12 of St. Louis, Mo., presented her research on "Gated Communities and Urban Fear in Kingston, Jamaica" at the 36th Annual Beloit College Student Symposium on Thursday, April 12. She is an anthropology major.

Symposium Day at Beloit College is an academic forum at which students publicly present their research to the college community. All classes are cancelled to allow students, faculty and staff to attend the presentations. Topics range from scientific studies to interpretations of literary works. Each of the nearly 90 students participating in the program prepare a half-hour oral presentation or make poster presentations of original research conducted during the 2011-2012 academic year. Symposium Day participants are honored at a closing reception.

In examining gating as both a landscaping practice and a social phenomenon, Slattery's study is concerned with the point when social realities become infrastructure, and how gates have become physical manifestations of urban fear and spatial segregation in Kingston, Jamaica.

Beloit College is a residential, liberal arts college offering 40 majors to its 1,250 students. Located 90 miles northwest of Chicago, Beloit is one of the nation's most international colleges, drawing students from 41 nations as well as 49 states.