Girard is finishing a Ph.D. in science fiction and feminist theory. She received her Master's degree by completing her essay on Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End. In the following essay she discusses the religious beliefs that are central to "The Star" and many of Clarke's stories.

At the age of eighty, Arthur C. Clarke has received every honor possible for his science fiction writing, including numerous Hugo Awards, Nebula Awards, John W. Campbell Awards, and Jupiter Awards. In addition, he has also received awards for his nonfiction writing, inventions, innovations, and service to humanity. Clarke received the 1982 Marconi Fellowship Award, which is "granted to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the technology of communications through discoveries, inventions or innovations in the physical or information sciences or engineering." In 1986, Clarke was awarded the Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Award for...