Washington and Lee Student Christian Roden of Delaware, Ohio Wins Fulbright Grant

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Christian Roden

LEXINGTON, VA (05/27/2011)(readMedia)-- Christian Roden, a senior at Washington and Lee University from Delaware, Ohio, has received a research grant for postgraduate study in France from the prestigious Fulbright Program.

Roden is a double major in English and art history. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Eta Sigma national honor societies. Roden will be conducting research under the sponsorship of Professor John Barzman at the Universite du Havre.

"My research will be on the French ocean liner S.S. Ile-de-France, which sailed from 1927 until 1959," said Roden. "I will be focusing primarily on how the ship was used politically by the French government both in peacetime, as a method of promoting national prestige and encouraging a growing influx of foreign tourists, and as a troop transport during World War II. I'll primarily be working with the French Line archives in Le Havre."

Roden has studied at St. Anne's College, Oxford, and at the École France Langue. At W&L, he has served as a writing tutor, an intern at the Reeves Center and a tour guide for the Lee House, the University president's residence. He served as a research assistant to Genelle Gertz, a W&L English professor, during the summer of 2010. Roden has presented research papers at both the Association of American Colleges and Universities conference in Durham, N.C., and at the Medieval and Renaissance Conference at the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

George Bent, professor of art at Washington and Lee and advisor to the Fulbright Program, called Roden's Fulbright award "a delightful surprise, not because we didn't feel his project warranted the recognition, but rather because it is rare for an undergraduate to receive a research Fulbright to that country. Most are given to more advanced graduate students pursuing Ph.D. projects in France.

"The fact that Christian was selected by the Fulbright Commission indicates the high quality of his project, the importance attached to the issues and problems he wishes to address, and the hard work that he and his advisors on the W&L faculty did to prepare his proposal," Bent added.

Sponsored by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international exchange program.

Washington and Lee University, the nation¹s ninth oldest institution of higher education, is among the nation¹s premier liberal arts colleges and universities. Washington and Lee University provides a liberal arts education that develops students' capacity to think freely, critically, and humanely and to conduct themselves with honor, integrity, and civility. Graduates are prepared for life-long learning, personal achievement, responsible leadership, service to others, and engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society.