In AY2025, we implemented the Research Promotion Project with the aim of promoting research activities, improving the quality of education at Eikei University of Hiroshima, and contributing to the resolution of social issues. Research findings will be published in academic papers or other formats within one year of the program’s conclusion.
Proposals Adopted in AY2025
| Principal Investigator | Professor UESUGI Yuko |
| Research Theme | Advancing Research on Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf through Archival Work at Smith College: Exploring Gender, Death, Rebirth, and Transformation across Cultural Boundaries |
| Research Result | This project aimed to advance the study of Anglo-American literature with a particular focus on Sylvia Plath. To this end, I conducted extensive archival research, engaged in scholarly exchange, presented research findings at academic conferences, and offered a public lecture. At the Smith College Special Collections, I examined a wide range of primary materials related to Plath, including unpublished documents and annotated volumes. With permission, I photographed several thousand items. These materials are currently being preserved and organized as part of an ongoing effort to establish a foundation for future archival development. With the support of the librarians at the Nelson Library, I also met leading Plath scholars Karen V. Kukil and Amanda Golden. These conversations have continued beyond the initial meetings and have provided valuable opportunities to deepen scholarly dialogue and strengthen international research networks. In addition, I disseminated my research through the following three conference presentations: Conference Presentations “Women in the Works of Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf: Escape from Social Structures, Transformation, and Rebirth” The 64th Annual Convention of the American Literature Society of Japan (Matsuyama University, September 27, 2025) “Rebirth or Escape? Inner Journeys as Acts of Transcendence in the Works of Sylvia Plath” Chugoku–Shikoku Regional Conference of the Japan Association of Comparative Culture (Online, November 15, 2025) “Worldviews and Dialogic Competence Fostered through Literature: Visualizing Global Adaptability with BEVI in Literary Education” Annual Conference of the Japan Association for Global Competency Education (Toita Women’s Junior College, December 14, 2025) Public Lecture at Eikei University (November 22, 2025) On November 22, 2025, I delivered a public lecture titled “The Language of Anglo-American Literature and the Heart of Poetry: Exploring Works in English with Dickinson and Plath.” The session invited community members to deepen their appreciation of English poetry through structural analysis and guided reading aloud. Participants reflected on the meanings and emotions embedded in the poems, shared impressions and insights, and experienced the multilayered richness of poetic expression. The lecture not only enhanced understanding of English poetry but also provided a meaningful space for embodied and affective engagement with literature, contributing to the cultural enrichment of the local community. |
Research Proposals for which the research project period has ended
You can view the research projects that were completed by the FY2024 in the following PDF.