“We become better researchers the more we care about what we are researching”

University College Utrecht students Esther Greutink and Marco Quille have been placed on the Highly Commended List of The Undergraduate Awards 2020. Esther is nominated in the category Music, Film and Theatre and Marco is nominated in two categories: Politics & International Relations and Law.

We asked them what their essays are about, how the University College contributed to this achievement and what they have planned for their futures.

Can you tell us something about your essay(s) and why you submitted them?

Esther: “I had a very clear favorite paper I’d written while at the College, so that was the one I chose. I wrote it for the course ‘Humour and the Classical Tradition’. I think the question of how humour functions in portrayals of gender is a particularly interesting one. Humour can serve to perpetuate gender stereotypes (we’ve all heard one too many ‘go make me a sandwich, woman’ type of jokes), but it can also have a powerful function in subverting stereotypes and confronting us with our own biases.”

Marco: "My essays covered pressing issues that I felt should earn wider attention and I thought that the Global Undergraduate Awards offered me a platform to do so. I submitted a paper in the category of Law that addresses the various loopholes in international law regarding the protection of women against sexual abuse and exploitation from peacekeepers and the resulting accountability gap it generates. The paper that got nominated in the category of Politics focuses instead  on the issue of money laundering and addresses the  problems with the current international anti-money laundering regime.”

How did your studies at the University College contribute to the nomination?

Esther: “Throughout my time at the College, I was always encouraged to explore the topics that interested me most, and I believe that we become better researchers the more we care about what we are researching. In this paper, I combined an analytic approach to media with feminist theories and research on the psychological impact of television, which was made possible by the interdisciplinarity that is second nature at the College.”

Marco: “I find that the cross-disciplinary modus operandi encouraged at the College allowed me to explore very different topics and question the usefulness of theoretical frameworks for problem-solving with real policy dilemma.”

What are your future plans after your graduation?

Esther: “I just graduated this summer! I am currently doing an Master’s programme in English Literature at Queen’s University in Canada, with a focus in Gender Studies. I am not sure what I’m going to do afterwards. One way or another, my hope is that I will be able to stay involved with questions of media and representation, whether from within the world of academics or the publishing industry.”

Marco: “I am currently taking part in an internship with the United Nations Liaison Office for Peace and Security in Brussels and collaborating with the UN Department of Peace operations in New York. At the same time, I am taking acting classes. In the near future I plan to continue my academic training with a master’s in international relations.”

“Studying at University College Utrecht has been sometimes a struggle. It has required a lot of effort, but I feel that I have come out at the end of it with confidence in what I have learned and what I can offer. I wish the same to all future fellow students.”