President's Showcase
Kelsie Fernandez She/Her
Supervising Professor: Irene Zanini-Cordi
Kelsie Fernandez is a Junior from Tampa, Florida double majoring in Humanities and English with a minor in Communication. In fall 2023 she joined Prof. Zanini-Cordi's UROP research team. The group studied 18th-century Italian culture and Social Network Theory and co-authored a peer-reviewed pedagogical article for the journal Eighteenth-Century Studies, slated for publication in spring 2025. Kelsie and her research team won an IDEA grant for Summer 2024. As part of the IDEA grant group project, Kelsie researched, wrote, and produced 3 podcasts of a series on 18th-century Italian culture. In the summer of 2023, Kelsie studied abroad in Florence through FSU International Programs. Throughout her time at FSU, she aims to hone her research and communication skills which will help her during law school. After graduating Kelsie will attend law school and plans to become a lawyer.
Abstract
A grand tour into the intricate networks of 18th-century sociability reveals the social connections that shaped the modern intellectual and cultural fabric of European society. This IDEA Grant project expands our UROP research and podcast experience, which focused on how Italian Salonnières contributed to the Enlightenment. By developing the podcast series Sip and Connect: Social Networking Italian Style, we examine cultural components that shaped Italian Sociability during the eighteenth century and consider how they embodied Enlightenment Ideas. Our episodes explore the origins and growth of these innovative technological and cultural developments facilitated by social connections. We discuss topics like coffee culture, journalism, politics, early science, religion, fashion, social etiquette, art, and opera. We researched these themes, interviewed experts, and drafted and edited scripts, culminating in our production of twelve podcasts over the summer. This series will be an integral part of an undergraduate course on 18th-century Italian Enlightenment and Sociability. In addition to our primary goal of helping students explore Enlightenment culture, we learned how to engage a broad public in scholarly topics in a conversational way and to utilize modern media to disseminate knowledge. Our peer-reviewed article "Conversations That Shape Identity," slated for publication in Eighteenth-Century Studies, reflects on the overall meaning of our pedagogical experience and these learning outcomes, concluding with the IDEA Grant. By considering the efforts of women artists, writers, and scientists in our research, our contribution aims to reshape the androcentric conversation on Italy's cultural and scientific development during the Enlightenment.
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