Day 2, Breakout Room 1
- Income Inequality: The Effect Of Religiously Motivated Politics In India
Through the core beliefs underlying their Hindu nationalist ideology, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) precipitated profound changes in the nature and functioning of India’s domestic politics. The emergence of religion-based politics can have a significant impact on inter-religion differences in earnings. The presentation analyses the impact of political agendas rooted in Hindu nationalism on the wage gap between Muslims and Hindus in India by examining whether and how inter-religion differences in earnings vary between states won by BJP and states won by other political parties during the Indian general elections.
Presentation deriving from seminar course on the economic development of India with Vis Taraz, assistant professor of economics.
Nashshaba Nawaz ‘21
- The effect of cryptocurrency on developing countries: A case study on Nigeria
This presentation will focus on how Nigerian citizens are able to benefit from cryptocurrency (specifically Bitcoin) and how the ban of Bitcoin in the country is affecting the citizens. The reasons for the government banning all types of virtual currencies will be explored and a decision will be made on if the Nigerian government was right in banning the currency.
Presentation deriving from seminar on the economics of future technology with Mahnaz Mahdavi, professor of economics.
Felicia Haffar ‘21
- Future of Fintech – Mobile Money
This research paper focuses on the development and future of fin-tech in Sub-Saharan Africa by delving into one of the nascent influential technologies known as Mobile Money. Mobile banking is an innovation that has expedited the growth of financial intermediation and inclusion for developing countries specifically in the East African region. Kenya’s pioneer mobile money system, M-Pesa, pre-dates others like it and offers substantive data from which to analyse the extent of the economic contributions telecom based mobile money systems have made. A simple Solow Growth Model is the math model from which economic growth will be calculated by focusing on total factor productivity amongst factor inputs like labor and capital. Is mobile money feeding the “catch-up” growth of developing economies? What are future implications of this innovation and others like it for the African continent?
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar class on the economics of future technologies with James Miller, professor of economics.
Audrey Massimbi ‘22
- Central Bank Transparency Index & Macroeconomic Indicators
Central bank transparency has become a key feature of monetary policy. The goal of my research was to provide a deeper look into central bank transparency to determine if there is any correlation to macroeconomic indicators which could provide economists with conclusive evidence regarding the health of a country’s economy. Central bank independence is known to be correlated with macroeconomic indicators and it is strongly believed that without transparency a central bank could not be independent. The project was formed after looking at the research of economists Efjiffinger, Eichengreen, and Dincer. A new index, based on five different macroeconomic indicators, was created and data was analyzed to determine the correlation to central bank transparency (38 banks considered).
Presentation deriving from economics seminar on the theory and practice of central
banking with Roisin O’Sullivan, professor of economics.
Catherine Caleigh Johnson ‘21
- Economics of European Soccer
European soccer leagues are open leagues, where the teams change each season through promotion and relegation, different from major North American sports leagues that are closed. As a result, the economic strategies and opportunities between the two types of leagues are very different. Recently, the European Super League, a hybrid between an open and a closed league, threatened to “Americanize” European soccer resulting in out cry from fans around the world. The 12 richest team owners came together to create a new league, with the main purpose to increase their profits. Although the Super League failed, and the Champions League is set to be reformed, major changes are coming to the way European soccer is played.
Presentation deriving from economics seminar on the economics of sports with Andrew Zimbalist, Robert A. Woods professor of economics.
Kate Bernhardt ‘21
- How well does a Taylor rule implied exchange rate describe how the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will behave?
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is Singapore’s central bank and conducts monetary policy to maintain price stability conducive to economic growth. The MAS uses its nominal exchange rate (S$NEER) as its intermediate target of monetary policy, unlike most central banks who use the interest rate in its framework to conduct monetary policy. This is mainly due to the country’s open economy nature. The S$NEER fluctuates within a policy band that is calibrated to ensure medium-term price stability. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) undertakes foreign exchange intervention operations to ensure that the S$NEER stays within the policy band. Central banks around the world, such as the FED use the Taylor rule to guide themselves how interest rates (i.e. a tool of monetary policy) should be altered due to changes in the economy. The model takes into account changes in inflation and output as factors which influence the interest rates adjustment. However, in the case of Singapore, the nominal exchange rate is used instead of interest rates as a monetary policy tool by the MAS. Thus, this presentation aims to look at whether substituting exchange rate in place of interest rate in the Taylor model could describe the conduct of monetary policy by the MAS. Ultimately, these results attempt to contribute to a simplified understanding of Singapore’s unique monetary policy. Greater clarity on the impact of economic fundamentals (inflation and output) on the policy stance would result in a clearer policy framework that would enrich public understanding of how the MAS’s policy works.
Presentation deriving from economics seminar on the theory and practice of central
banking with Roisin O’Sullivan, professor of economics.
Wamia Walid ‘21
- A Continued Connection : The European Central Bank & The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)
The Banque Central des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO) or its English translation The Central Bank of West African States is the central bank of the West African Monetary Union, which consists of 8 francophone West African countries including: Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, Cote Ivoire, and Senegal. These countries were priorly colonized by France, and all use the African Financial Community Franc best known as the CFA Franc. Considering that the BCEAO is comprised of countries who less than 70-years ago were colonized by the French and are presently joined under the colonial currency CFA Franc, which is printed and manage by the French treasury, and is pegged to the Euro. It’s clear that there is a relationship between the BCEAO and the ECB. What needs to be explored is, if and how is this relationship between the BCEAO and the ECB continuous today? As well as how does this connection influence the BCEAO’s monetary policy transmission?
To answer this question, we’ll be taking a closer look into these three areas:
- Structural Similarities of the EU and the BCEAO
- Short Term Policy Rates
- Long Term Interest Rates
Presentation deriving from economics seminar on the theory and practice of central
banking with Roisin O’Sullivan, professor of economics.
Cowiya Arouna ‘21
Day 2, Breakout Room 2
- Mudancas: Translating Mexican author Valeria Luiselli
“Mudanças: voltar aos livros” is a Portuguese translation of the Spanish essay “Mudanzas: volver a los libros” by Mexican author Valeria Luiselli from her essay collection Papeles falsos. In “Mudanças: voltar aos livros”, Luiselli reflects upon her recent move to a new apartment, the physical and emotional changes she has experienced, and physical familial resemblances. Among her many awards and prizes, Luiselli is the recipient of a 2019 MacArthur Fellowship, and her work has been published in The New York Times, Granta, and McSweeney’s. In 2017, she was the Writer in Residence at The Park School of Baltimore, where I read her essay “Alternative Routes” about the Portuguese concept of saudade. My conversation with her at that time was influential in my decision to pursue Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, in addition to Spanish. The advisor for this translation is Sherrerd teaching award-winning Associate Professor Marguerite Harrison, Spanish and Portuguese department at Smith College.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration, and Marguerite Harrison, associate professor Spanish and Portuguese department.
Thao Kahn ‘21
- “Lucía’s Letters to Mercedes”, the english translation of two letters from Soledad Acosta de Samper’s novel, “Una holandesa en América”
One common theme seen throughout history classes and textbooks in the U.S is the attempt to paint the U.S and Europe as great nations by means of limited narratives from oppressors. The voices of the oppressed within these colonizer societies are often silenced, as most perspectives come from those in power. One specific group of people whose voices have been silenced throughout history is women. Because of this, women in the 19th century would often adopt disguises in order to talk about their experiences. In my capstone project I will be working on translating into English, two letters from the novel “Una holandesa en América”, written in Spanish by Colombian author Soledad Acosta de Samper [1833-1913]. In this novel, the main character is Lucía, a Dutch woman who embarks on a journey to América, recounting her perspective on the roles of women in society and her opinions about Europe’s modernity and America’s lack thereof. These letters are included in the novel as a way for Lucia to express her initial feelings and experiences to her friend, Mercedes, about leaving her independent life in her homeland for Colombia, to take on the role as the head of her expatriated family’s household. The novel’s narrator states that these two letters are originally in English and then translated to Spanish. The novel is therefore written in Spanish by a Colombian writer writing in the voice of a Dutch woman who writes these letters in English. Why does the author do this? Is it because the disguise gives her more authority? Is it because she has the ability and resources to write about her experiences and opinions? Throughout history, women have played major roles in movements, wars, and society in general but there is a lack of visibility for works containing the voices of women. In order to have their voices heard they often utilized some form of disguise and to an extent have some form of privilege. My goal for this project is to look at Samper’s text and try to answer the lingering questions: Why did Samper use translation as a disguise? How does the experiences of Samper’s character (Lucia) make her oppressed and help us understand oppression during this time? How does it compare to what oppression is for women today? Hidden in the silenced voices are the truths of history that are not taught to us.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration.
Amairany Vega ‘22
- Translating Timothy Conigrave’s “Holding the Man”
Timothy Conigrave’s memoir “Holding the Man”, about his experiences growing up gay, his long-term relationship with the captain of this high school football team, and their eventual encounter with HIV/AIDS. I will translate a section of chapter one, totalling about ten pages, from the original Australian English into Castilian Spanish. Timothy Conigrave is an Australian author and actor who was part of the original creative team devising the piece Soft Targets (1982), a groundbreaking theatrical work comprising interviews with people experiencing HIV/AIDS and related illnesses. Holding the Man won the 1995 UN Human Rights Award for non-fiction, and it has been adapted for the stage and screen.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration.
Deborah Kreithen ‘22J
- Class and Gender in Pre-WWII Paris, According to Yiddish Short Stories
For my translation studies capstone project, I will translate two short stories from the journalist, writer, and restaurant owner Wolf Wieviorka from his 1936 Yiddish book East and West. Working-class Eastern European Jewish immigrants in Paris inhabit Wieviorka’s stories, as they try to survive desperation, hunger, and high-stakes conflicts. His characters clash within their expected gender and class roles, and every story ends with a shocking, ironic twist. These two short stories both feature larger-than-life characters, sharp dialogue, and, above all, dark humor. Reading Wieviroka’s work brings to life the dynamic, pre-WWII period of Parisian and Yiddish history.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration.
Sarah Biskowitz ‘21
- Radiology and World War 1: Marie Curie’s Legacy in her Own Words
I am translating a scientific treatise written by Marie Curie in 1921 called La Radiologie et la Guerre (Radiology and War). This treatise provides an inside look at how Curie applied her scientific discoveries to treat soldiers in the field and in hospitals during World War I. Marie Curie was a French chemist and physicist who is considered a pioneer in her field – achieving several Nobel prize firsts. This treatise has no previous English translations, and offers fascinating insights into the mind and work of such a prominent female figure whose legacy is still regarded highly today. The section I propose to translate is called Voitures Radiologiques (Radiological Cars) (pg. 31 – 41) because it highlights the ingenuity displayed in the creation of her fleet of “little Curies,” as they were nicknamed, and Curie’s personal involvement in the construction of 200 radiological rooms at various hospitals behind battle lines. Not only is this a fascinating snippet of history to uncover, but also a very important milestone for women in the medical and professional field in the 20th century, as the project was funded by wealthy Parisian women and performed by 150 women volunteers who were x-ray trained by Curie herself. Project advised by Professor Maureen DeNino from the French Department.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration.
Lilia Pronin ‘22
- HomeLAND: Romanticism and Brazilian Nationhood
I am translating 19th century Brazilian environmental poetry from Portuguese to English. The translation project is an amalgamation of the works of two Brazilian poets symbolic of the Romantic movement in Brazil: Casimiro de Abreu, “Minha terra” and “Juriti” and Antônio Gonçalves Dias, “Canção do Exílio” and “Deprecação”. The poems are reflective of deep nostalgia or saudade for the homeland and have an environmental focus. The four poems together total to about 10 pages.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration.
Glenda Perez ‘21
- Delirio Habanero/Havana Delirium- Translation for the Theater
Havana Delirium (Delirio Habanero) is a play by Alberto Pedro, an accomplished Cuban playwright who died in 2005. This play, in which “delirantes” (delirious ones) that believe themselves to be legendary Cuban musicians Beny Moré and Celia Cruz meet with a mystical barman in an abandoned bar, is intensely physical, tragically funny, and beautifully surreal. The fraught relationship between the United States and Cuba surfaces here, as the play moves between the pre-Castro era and the Special Period, and deals with painful questions about exile. I will translate several scenes of the play into English.
Presentation deriving from capstone seminar with Rayes Lázaro, director of the translation studies concentration.
Hannah Simms ‘22J
Day 2, Breakout Room 3
- Christine Qian ‘21, Solyana Hailu ‘21, Storm Lewis ‘21, Isabel Ruiz ‘21, Jeanne Cho ‘21, Sadie Buerker ‘22, Diamond Mark ‘22, Rose Poku ‘22, Nadeen Jumai’an ‘22, and Fiona Wu ‘22