NOELLE STASH (Mentor: Elke Nash)
For the January Research Opportunity Program (JROP), I explored how gender shapes how women are judged within systems of justice, both in the ancient world and in modern society. My project was designed as exploratory interdisciplinary research. I approached the topic by combining close literary analysis with frameworks from psychology, gender studies, and justice studies to understand how bias becomes visible in both story and law.
One of my main focuses was analyzing Clytemnestra in Aeschylus鈥 Agamemnon as a lens for historical gender bias in criminal judgment. I examined her actions alongside the ways other characters and the broader society interpret her motives, morality, and credibility. I also worked on a comparative angle, looking at how ancient perspectives on female 鈥渃riminality鈥 mirror patterns we still see today. Through that comparison, I investigated the psychological, legal, and sociocultural forces that contribute to gendered double standards, particularly the tendency to judge women鈥檚 actions through more rigid or suspicious terms.
Over the four-week J-Term, I spent my time moving from my research to synthesis to a final presentation. First, I read and annotated Agamemnon, taking notes on Clytemnestra鈥檚 characterization and on how judgment is performed in the narrative. I also reviewed theories related to cognitive and social bias and the way bias influences moral judgment. I then compared ancient and modern case studies of female offenders to identify recurring themes about judgment and punishment. I integrated my findings and developed a thesis centered on the continuity of gendered double standards. Finally, I drafted and revised my fifteen-page research paper and created an infographic poster that visually connected Clytemnestra鈥檚 story to modern interpretations and psychological concepts.
I decided on this topic because I have a long-standing interest in how women are often judged more harshly in discussions related to criminality and justice. My conclusion reinforced that gendered assumptions do not disappear; they persist, even when legal systems claim neutrality. Clytemnestra鈥檚 story, as I studied it, highlighted the need for legal frameworks that better recognize women鈥檚 voices and experiences and support justice that accounts for complexity rather than stereotypes. Through JROP, I strengthened my research skills and, more importantly, deepened my understanding of how literature can expose implicit norms, and how psychology and justice studies can help us challenge them.
Noelle Stash is a psychology and justice studies dual major. In summer 2026, Noelle continued her research with a Research Experience and Apprenticeship Program (REAP) grant from the Hamel Center for her project titled, 鈥淣egotiating Justice and Gender: Comparative Narratives of Female Criminality from Classical Myth to Contemporary Legal Discourse.鈥
