NIU junior Paul McDowell has been awarded a $2,200 grant for a French research proposal by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

McDowell, a French major, received NEH funding for a proposal titled, “Comedic Elements of Moliere: 300 Years of Fresh Comedy.” He plans on examining why Moliere’s works are still funny 300 years later.

Two plays of Moliere, “Le Tartuffe” and “Le Medecin Malgre Lui,” will be the focus of McDowell’s research. He will look at the theories of laughter as applied to these works and will research the humor in specific sentences.

The project will be completed during the summer, and $400 of the grant will go to McDowell’s adviser, Susan Leger, foreign languages and literatures associate professor. McDowell says he plans to use the grant money to go to Paris for a month before he begins his research.

In addition to his French studies, McDowell has operated the NIU Office of Public Information’s “Newsline” audio advisory for Northern Illinois’ radio station since 1984.

McDowell said he plans to pursue a graduate degree in French literature.