The latest brand of young adult romance seems to revel in the bittersweet tragedy of chronically ill teens falling passionately in love. Five years ago, the adaptation of John Green’s “The Fault...

Quirky, obnoxious and unique. These traits create the “manic pixie dream girl” trope that Ithaca College senior Alyssa Rodriguez explored this summer in collaboration with Katharine Kittredge, professor in the Department of English. Rodriguez’s project is funded by her Emerson Humanities Collaboration Award, an annual IC award that provides students with financial support for scholarly projects.