Middle Tennessee State University Scholars Week
College of Liberal Arts Day
March 30, 2016
Abstracts
Charlotte Archer
Resource Mobilization and the Hierarchy of Rights: Rights, Attitudes and Outcomes Among LGBTQ+
Populations
This study examines the LGBTQ+ movement, including the various identity subpopulations within the
community, in the context of resource mobilization theory and the theory that a hierarchy of rights exists
within social movements. Resource mobilization theory states that, to be successful, a movement must
have a narrow and focused agenda. In conformity with this postulate, social movements often have
subordinate populations whose needs, rights and agendas are relegated to secondary status or are
completely suborned for the sake of the rights of the dominant population. Since the 1990s, two
progressive social movements, the 3rd Wave Feminist Movement and the LGBTQ+ rights movement
(formerly the “gay rights movement”) have challenged this assumption by following and advocating
policies which promote intersectionality and inclusion. This study considers whether this inclusive
approach pays off by increasing resources through solidarity and movement crossover, and thus provides
an alternative which allows broader agendas to be effective.
Charlotte Archer
Sorority Women and Hookup Culture: The More Things Change...
This study examines the attitudes of sorority women towards the cultural phenomenon known as
“hookups”, casual, relationship-free intimate encounters, often of a sexual nature, which have become
popular among college students. The study data was generated from open-ended interviews of sorority
women. The interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach focusing on the continued
presence of the sexual double standard in the expectations of behavior. This includes the informal and
often problematic communication of consent and women’s perceptions of whether hookups are beneficial.
Rachel Brooks
(Untitled)
The number of romantic relationships depicted in the media is incalculable, playing into its role in
defining what is ideal in the lair of love. Comedian Louis C.K. has provided a connection among those
forms of American entertainment, speculating upon the media’s portrayal of romantic affiliations. In his
FX series Louie, as well as in his stand-up comedy, Louis C.K. (Louis Szekely) deconstructs popular
culture’s gendered relationship norms through absurdism. In the mundane situations Louis C.K.
encounters as depicted in Louie and in his stand-up comedy, he becomes an example of absurdism in that
his character comes to terms with life’s bleakness and its simultaneous joys. Using the relationship and
media studies carried out by numerous researchers, this exploration draws from actual statistics found in
media consumption in connection with its reception, also giving a background to C.K.’s response to such
through the mode of his absurdist aspects of comedy.
Dr. Meg Brooker
Moving in Context: Duncan Contemporary Florence Fleming Noyes
Lesser-known than her contemporary Isadora Duncan, Florence Fleming Noyes created a rhythmic dance
practice inspired by ancient Greek concepts of harmony, strength, beauty, and “a synthesis between
intellect and feeling.” Drawing on imagery from nature, Greek mythology, and a kinesthetic response to
music, Noyes Rhythm is a somatic practice built on developmental movement principles. The work has
been preserved by an intergenerational group of practitioners, who live and dance in community during
the summers at Shepherd’s Nine, a hundred-acre property purchased by Noyes in 1919. This talk includes
brief historical context of Noyes, situating her in relationship to Isadora Duncan; an overview of the
movement technique she created and the early organizational structure of the Noyes School; as well as a
call for greater historical visibility of Noyes as a leading figure of early 20th century dance.
Amanda D. Brown
Feminist Analysis of Appalachian Stereotypes
This paper examines stereotypical images associated with the Appalachian region of the United States
through a critical sociological and feminist lens. Appalachia has long been deemed as apart or even
backward from the rest of the nation, largely due to images perpetuated by media outlets, primarily
endorsing the idea of the Hillbilly. Throughout this paper, I apply three different sociological explanations
of deviance, including the Learning Perspective, the Pathological Perspective, and the Demonic
Perspective, with a feminist point of view. It is my hope that by exploring the illegitimacy of these
images, readers might reevaluate their perceptions of Appalachia, and become interested in the rich
cultural heritage the region has to offer.
Melody Cook
"I'm not, like, an altar Mormon": Single LDS Women and Contemporary Gender Issues
My honors thesis, titled "Young Single Adult Mormon Women in Tennessee: A Brief Ethnography," is an
ethnographic analysis of a small congregation of young single adult Mormons in Nashville. Based on six
months of fieldwork (including five interviews with congregation members), a significant portion of my
research dealt with contemporary gender issues in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Through an examination of my interlocutors' sexual practices, official LDS literature, and scholarship of
sexual purity's relationship with religion (Moslener 2015; Sumerau & Cragun 2015), I find that single
Mormon women abide by a specific set of "standards" provided by the LDS Church in order to secure the
future of the institution.
Melina Datta, Billey Davenport, and Kathryn Rosa
American Heroism and Bravery in Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is one of America’s most enduring “folktales.” For
literary geeks and history lovers as well as academics and students, we explore the American myth in this
tale; focusing on the myth of Heroism and Bravery in early America. Utilizing the character descriptions,
localized environments, and actions of Brom Bones, Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, we
analyze the idyllic virtues of heroism and bravery pervasive in American culture. Our main arguments
consider Ichabod fleeing from Sleepy Hollow, Brom’s bravado, and the relationship between the denizens
of Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horseman. We will address this through historical research into the
thoughts, actions, and attitudes of post-revolutionary America. We posit that Ichabod’s westward
expulsion was not craven but bold; Brom Bones’ bravado hides a more cowardly character; and that the
Headless Horseman was a protector of a town full of Tories.
Billy Davenport (see Melina Datta)
American Heroism and Bravery in Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow
Alexandra K Duross
An Updated History of the Southern Literary Festival
In preparation for MTSU hosting the Southern Literary Festival's 2016 convening, I conducted research
into the festival's history. My primary aim was to uncover enough information to establish a digital
records archive for future use. This talk would be a brief overview of the festival's conception, history,
and other notable information uncovered through my research.
Kenna Day
An Axe to Grind: New Rape-Revenge Horror and Feminist Filmmaking
The rape-revenge film is perhaps one of the most controversial subgenres of horror. Carol J. Clover writes
that the typical formula of the rape-revenge horror film, in which viewers are forced to identify with the
hero-victim both during her violent violation as well as during her grotesque acts of revenge, treats the
protagonist as a vessel for both male and female viewer identities, allowing a space to experience the
“pain/pleasure” of a rape fantasy. Others have suggested that the rape-revenge horror film sexualizes rape
and allows male viewers to take sadistic pleasure from viewing the violation of a woman. However, a
recent trend in rape-revenge horror filmmaking suggests a new approach to negotiating rape and sexual
assault in horror. The increasing participation of feminist horror filmmakers and a focus on femalecentered horror narratives may be redefining the way we perceive and understand rape in contemporary
culture.
Kenna Day (Panel Organizer)
Graduate English Exploits into Popular Culture
It may be surprising to some, but research in an English department doesn’t always mean studying
classical literature. In fact, MTSU’s English department encourages students to broaden their horizons
and consider the vast potential of English studies within non-traditional cultural texts. In this panel,
English graduate students Rachel Brooks, Brandyn Whitaker, and Kenna Day describe their research in
popular culture, which explores the cultural and literary implications of both television and film within
the realms of absurdism, eco-criticism, and gender studies.
Lesley Hanlin
Hashtag Feminism and the New, Digital Wave of Feminism
The question is being asked a lot recently: what wave of mainstream feminism are we in right now? Are
we seeing the end of third wave feminism or the emergence of what some call post feminism? An answer
to this question may finally be available by analyzing the success of the “Who Needs Feminism?”
campaign and similar types of online feminist activism. I explore the historical relationship between
feminism and popular culture to understand better how social media is impacting modern, mainstream
feminism. I utilize Nahon and Hemsley’s concepts of virality and viral afterlife to examine some recent
feminist social media campaigns, with an emphasis on analyzing the “Who Needs Feminism?” campaign
as a viral event as well as the campaign’s impact on feminism in popular culture. Feminist social media
campaigns demonstrate how the Internet helps achieve feminist goals, how it functions as a space to
advocate for feminist causes, and how it connects feminists worldwide to define contemporary,
mainstream feminism. Social media sites especially are a space and context to negotiate what a more
universal, diversified approach to feminism can mean and achieve.
Dakota Hayes, Kara Stallings, and Alexis Wilson
Is the Social Construction of Femininity Really a Problem?: On Equality of the Sexes
In 1790, Judith Sargent Murray submitted an article exploring the inaccurate portrayal of women and their
lack of fundamental opportunity due to the myth of sociological construction of femininity. This
allegation was colossal given the “Pamphlet Age” in which public newsprints operated as the esteemed
form of communication. Her ideas disrupted historical traditions and probed popular mythology’s
influence on U.S. culture by offering hard evidence that supported motives for equality. We affirm
Murray’s concepts by utilizing her record of the construction of femininity by incorporating insight for
literary critics’ and historians’ into a primary source while correlating it to modern views and behaviors of
women today. We will explore how prior ideas of womanhood continue to stain females’ role in the work
field (e.g age gaps and evolution of gender-orientated careers) and expectations within politics (e.g
number of federal and state judgeships operated by females and Hillary Clinton’s campaign strategies).
Caitlin Henderson
To Control or not to Control that is the Question: An Analysis of Population Control in Asia
After participating in oppressive population control for over thirty years why has the Chinese government
recently announced revisions on the One Child Policy? I argue that this change in policy is in fact
predicable in accordance with a pattern of population control established in Asia under the East Asian
Economic model (EAE model). Many scholars have acknowledged the importance of the EAE model and
its impact within Asia attributing its success to economic tools such as foreign investment and state-led
development but many have not connected the role of population control as a tool within the EAE model.
Population control is in fact an established part of the EAE model seen in nations such as Japan, South
Korea, and China. These nations engaged in a five step pattern of population control under the EAE
model to achieve industrialization and economic success but now face many issues that endanger their
societies.
Lane-Adam Hunt, Haley Seals, and Gabriel Martin
The ‘Hasty’ Truth of America: Joel Barlow’s Mock Epic
We analyzed and contextualized the III Canto poem, “The Hasty Pudding” by Joel Barlow. We
discovered the relevancy to our culture as we addressed the mythologies exemplified in the poem. We
then combined Barlow’s purpose of the poem with modern mythologies and discovered its significance in
our society today. Barlow is writing in response to the aftermath of the revolution. He uses the recipe,
“Hasty Pudding” as a representative of American ideals. Like this distinct American dish, he writes to
express that the individualistic ways of the post-revolutionary American nation are greater than others.
The III Canto Poem is still relevant in the 21st century because of the tragedy on September 11th, 2001.
The myths, "American Exceptionalism" and the "Land of Opportunity" demonstrate that America might
not be the safe haven Barlow once thought it was.
Jacob Lax
You and Me, Baby, Ain’t Nothing but Mammals—Or Are We? Demonization, Pathologization, and
Critical Analysis of Bestiality
Evidence suggests that bestiality (i.e., sexual interaction between human and nonhuman animals) was of
interest to some of the earliest human societies in prehistory. In contemporary Western cultures, mere
mention of bestiality tends to elicit strong reactions of laughter or disgust. However, surprisingly little is
known about the construction and social control of bestiality as deviant. This research applies demonic
and pathological perspectives of deviance to explain bestiality in certain contexts throughout history.
From the demonic perspective, bestiality is an act of sin that warrants divine punishment. From the
pathological perspective, bestiality must be distinguished from zoophilia, a mental illness that warrants
psychological treatment. While bestiality has historically been demonized, the pathologization of
bestiality has in many respects become commonplace. Despite obvious differences between demonic and
pathological constructions, closer analysis reveals that the two perspectives are not as distinct as they may
seem. Furthermore, the construction and social control of bestiality may be better understood with more
critical frameworks, such as queer ecofeminism and post-colonialism.
Jade Lehman
Experiencing the Sri Ganesha Temple: Religious Institutions in Diaspora
This panel consists of recent ethnographic fieldwork by three Religious Studies students. In her paper,
“Experiencing the Sri Ganesha Temple: Religious Institutions in Diaspora,” Jade Lehman investigates the
role that diasporic religious institutions play as cultural centers in emphasizing traditional values as a shift
to ‘lived religion’. In “The New American Me: Economies, Education, and the Personalization of
Christianity,” Ethan McHugh analyzes dimensions of agency, power, and epistemology between God,
evangelists, and potential converts using a film made by Evangelical Christians as his ethnographic site.
Finally, Keven Lewis’ “Mapmaking and the Missional Self,” discusses the function of physical
representations by an Evangelical community within the construction of both congregants’ lives and
identities. Each paper attends to questions of how religious adherents categorize 'sacred' spaces. The panel
concludes with a discussion among panelists and the audience about the ways space serves to legitimize
and promote certain religious subjectivities over and against others.
Alexander Lempin
Seeing the Full Sprectrum: An Examination of Gender Normative Space
Social constructions determine the makeup of a space; the function, affiliation, and power behind it.
Spaces are often divided based upon any number of reasons, such as class, power, or affiliation. However,
the most familiar separation is based upon gender. When spaces such as residence halls and bathrooms
are divided male or female, those spaces then become gendered, and are dominated by their assigned
gender. The rhetorical power behind the gendering of space delegitimizes those who are gender nonconforming by forcing them to choose male or female, or be excluded from the space. With no space
created for people who are gender non-conforming, society is saying they do not exist.
Keven Lewis
Experiencing God: A Night of Passion
The following paper, through the use of ethnographic investigation, examines how physical actions take
on a spiritual nature and blur the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual. This investigation, in
particular, questions the ways in which writing, speaking, remembering, posture, as well as various rites
serve to create access to this eternal and invisible realm in which the Modern Evangelical experiences
God. And how this experience of God, while it may seem to be an imagined and invisible event to the
outsider, is, in the truest sense of the word, an intimate and physical encounter that is played out in, on
and through the body of the Christian.
Keven Lewis
Mapmaking and the Missional Self
This panel consists of recent ethnographic fieldwork by three Religious Studies students. In her paper,
“Experiencing the Sri Ganesha Temple: Religious Institutions in Diaspora,” Jade Lehman investigates the
role that diasporic religious institutions play as cultural centers in emphasizing traditional values as a shift
to ‘lived religion’. In “The New American Me: Economies, Education, and the Personalization of
Christianity,” Ethan McHugh analyzes dimensions of agency, power, and epistemology between God,
evangelists, and potential converts using a film made by Evangelical Christians as his ethnographic site.
Finally, Keven Lewis’ “Mapmaking and the Missional Self,” discusses the function of physical
representations by an Evangelical community within the construction of both congregants’ lives and
identities. Each paper attends to questions of how religious adherents categorize 'sacred' spaces. The panel
concludes with a discussion among panelists and the audience about the ways space serves to legitimize
and promote certain religious subjectivities over and against others.
Zachary Looney
Xanthippus: From Sparta to Carthage and Beyond
The Hellenistic Age was a time period of great chaos and movement throughout the Mediterranean Sea
region. The conquest of Alexander the Great brought a sense of international awareness to the peoples of
North Africa, the Near East, and Europe. This new era, the Hellenistic era, was marked by the movement
of ideas, goods, and people themselves. Few fit this idea of the internationally aware “Hellenistic citizen”
as well as Xanthippus of Sparta. The life and legend of this man, a mercenary general, are shrouded in
mystery. Believed to have been born in Sparta, Xanthippus would take up the stereotypical Spartan
pastime of war. He would go on to serve the Carthaginians in the first of their wars against the Romans.
After this successful endeavor, our sources vary. This work will attempt to bring to light all that is known
(and unknown) about Xanthippus.
Gabriel Martin (see Lane-Adam Hunt)
The ‘Hasty’ Truth of America: Joel Barlow’s Mock Epic
Krista Martin
Judgement and Exclusion
My research has been focused on the mentally ill and how they are treated in todays society. This topic is
near to my heart which is the reason why I chose it in the first place. People in our society tend to turn a
blind eye to mental illness and emotional disabilities. The research is intended to draw attention to the
topic and shed some light on the fact that the mentally ill are functioning members of society and deserve
to be treated as such.
Ethan McHugh
The New American Me: Economies, Education, and the Personalization of Christianity
This panel consists of recent ethnographic fieldwork by three Religious Studies students. In her paper,
“Experiencing the Sri Ganesha Temple: Religious Institutions in Diaspora,” Jade Lehman investigates the
role that diasporic religious institutions play as cultural centers in emphasizing traditional values as a shift
to ‘lived religion’. In “The New American Me: Economies, Education, and the Personalization of
Christianity,” Ethan McHugh analyzes dimensions of agency, power, and epistemology between God,
evangelists, and potential converts using a film made by Evangelical Christians as his ethnographic site.
Finally, Keven Lewis’ “Mapmaking and the Missional Self,” discusses the function of physical
representations by an Evangelical community within the construction of both congregants’ lives and
identities. Each paper attends to questions of how religious adherents categorize 'sacred' spaces. The panel
concludes with a discussion among panelists and the audience about the ways space serves to legitimize
and promote certain religious subjectivities over and against others.
Stephen McIntyre
Soviet participation and lessons learned in the Air War over North Vietnam
In Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1973, the U.S. lost over 2,400 fixed wing aircraft in combat. Over North
Vietnam, the USAF lost 342 aircraft including 67 shot down by MiGs. Since then, the U.S. has suffered
only 46 fixed wing aircraft combat losses, possibly one to enemy fighters. The lessons of Vietnam started
a revolution, transforming American air power into a relatively invincible force by the 1980s. The Soviet
designed North Vietnamese defenses limited the effectiveness of US strikes and imposed a significant
cost. The few MiGs operated by the North Vietnamese achieved parity at times with the U.S. By the
1980s, the U.S. had stolen a march on the Soviets. What was the direct participation of the Soviet Union
in the air war over North Vietnam? How did this contribute to the Soviet Union falling significantly
behind the U.S. by the time of the Soviet collapse in 1991?
Dr. Ric Morris
Someplace sunny: Chronic illness and tourism in 19th century Cuba
Drawing upon travel narratives, this paper proposes that early tourist movements within Cuba depended
on negotiated relationships between Cuban hosts and American guests, particularly invalids (acutely or
chronically sick persons) in search of places to alleviate their illness. Nance's (2007) facilitated access
model provides the theoretical framework. In this model, hosts are active players in negotiations with
guests in contact zones where tourism development is rudimentary or even nonexistent. Invalid tourists,
residing as guests on the estates of wealthy rural planters, primed local economies and helped pave the
way for general tourism. Cuban planter-hosts lavished hospitality on invalid guests as a way of
consolidating their social status with American elites, at the same time concealing from them the
obnoxious face of African slavery as a self-protective measure. (Paper to appear in Journal of Tourism
Research)
Dr. Stephen Morris
Variations on a Theme: Corruption in Mexico and the U.S.
Widely used measures drawing on expert views show Mexico to suffer much higher levels of corruption
than the U.S. Yet other measures reveal near comparable levels in the two vastly different countries.
Analysis highlights the mismatch between the way corruption is conceptualized, defined, and measured. It
also helps offer a better profile of the different patterns of corruption in the two countries.
Quinlan Odom
Reacting to the Past: Egypt Had 99 Problems and Queen Tiye's Son Was All of Them
The Reacting to the Past platform is a relatively new way of teaching historical thinking. Reacting is a
role-immersion game that allows students to become fully entrenched in whichever topic their particular
game is focused on. Dr. McCormack’s Reacting game is focused on the Amarna period of Ancient
Egyptian history, particularly at the time that Akhenaten, Queen Tiye’s son, was enacting radical religious
reforms. Each student is given a unique goal that he or she must try to achieve. The beauty of the
Reacting to the Past pedagogy is that the friendly competition it fosters among students helps influence
each student’s level of research for, and participation in, the class. This enthusiasm was evident in Dr.
McCormack’s Amarna game and resulted in many of her students greatly improving their critical analysis
skills, myself included. It is because of the positive experience I had playing the Amarna game that I have
turned my focus to implementing this method in high school history classrooms.
Victoria Ong
What’s Wrong with Mentally Ill Men?
This essay seeks to explore the deviance linked to mentally ill men in society. Foremost, this work gives
a brief background and insight into men with mental illness. The general themes then proposed are that
men with mental illness are either hyper-feminized or hyper-masculinized throughout society. Within
society, media indulgers are fed with stories of the “sick, angry, hyper-masculinized” mentally ill male;
simultaneously, men in society may be portrayed as too feminine when they possess traditionally
feminine mental disorders (e.g. eating disorders, clinical depression, etc.) or implement help-seeking
behaviors for their mental ailments. Thus, the topic of this discussion is to examine the deviance linked to
men with mental disorders, either viewing them as hyper-masculinized or hyper-feminized. These facets
are discussed throughout the essay in regards to sociological theoretical frameworks, specifically
functionalism and the pathological perspective on deviance. While functionalist theorists work to portray
mentally ill men as hyper-masculinized, deviant actors, pathological perspective theorists tend to portray
mentally ill men as hyper-feminized; it is these contrasting perspectives that illustrate the deviant,
mentally ill men. Through the works of these theories, the connection between the deviant actor and the
mentally ill men is thoroughly discussed.
Dr. Kate Pantelides
Critical Discourse Analysis of a Common Campus Genre: Timely Warnings
Increasingly recognized as an effective research methodology for advocacy, Critical Discourse Analysis
(CDA) has been described as “discourse analysis with a critical thrust” (Tracy, Inez-Guillam, Robles and
C’Astenline). Scholars have profited from CDA’s ability to reveal (and subsequently attempt to resolve)
inequities between people, genres, and organizations through careful attention to the rich features of
written data.
In this presentation, I draw on CDA to analyze university safety communication, in particular “Timely
Warnings” about crimes committed on or near campus. Ultimately, this analysis traces the discrepancy
between what the Timely Warning genre was designed to do, bring the university in compliance with the
Clery Act, with what it has adapted to try to do, make the campus community “responsible for [their] own
safety” (university correspondence) by making the campus aware of threats. This disconnect creates a
discursive problem with serious consequences for campus relations, especially as it relates to race.
Caitlyn Parris
Tales of Hardship: Issues in Relaying Stories of Suffering to a Global Audience
The argument is that Disgrace navigates the complex grounds of storytelling ethically and realistically.
Cotzee, being Caucasian, understands his limitations in representing “The Other’s” plight; he allows “The
Other” to be shown indirectly. This adaptation in the narration presents a solution to the ethical dilemma
present in many other novels. Additionally, Cotzee evokes images of The Truth and Reconciliation
Commission reminding readers that the past is not stagnant and must be reevaluated continuously to fully
understand the present. Cotzee’s novel is an example for all storytellers.
William Phillips
A Many-World's Defense of Indeterminate Tense Logic
How many deterministic worlds does it take to create an indeterministic universe? Richmond Thomason’s
seminal article, “Indeterministic Time and Truth-Value Gaps,” provides a valiant rescue effort of
ockhamist tense logic by utilizing multiple time-lines. However, Thomason’s work has not gone
uncriticized. According to Dr. Palle Yourgrau, Thomason’s model is only able to make use of its multiple
time-lines by evaluating the future from an ahistorical perspective. However, recent developments in
quantum cosmology strengthen Thomason’s position. Adopting a many-worlds cosmology would
relativize history across all possible worlds, making Thomason’s neglect of this world’s particular history
more defensible. It is in this vein that this work pursues the preservation of Thomason’s model against
Yourgrau’s critique. This thesis is demonstrated first, through a survey of Thomason’s and Yourgrau’s
original arguments, second, by briefly summarizing the many-worlds interpretation of quantum
cosmology, and lastly, by elucidating some of its implications for Thomason’s model.
Ashlee Pierce
Wine Tourism
I will present my research of Wine Tourism. It will include a brief description and introduction of Wine
tourism. The body will consist of history, types and classifications, the wine culture and significance,
wine organizations, current trends, and finally careers and professions in the field. I will conclude with
the meaning and usefulness of my research project.
Kathryn Rosa (see Melina Datta)
American Heroism and Bravery in Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow
Dr. Benjamin Sawyer
Manufacturing Germans: Singer Manufacturing Company and American Capitalism in the Russian
Imagination During World War I
Just months after the outbreak of World War I, rumors spread throughout the Russian Empire that Singer
Manufacturing Company’s wholly-owned Russian subsidiary, Kompaniia Zinger, was a German
company that was actively engaged in espionage on behalf of the German military. Though these rumors
were untrue, they unleashed a wave of actions against the company that Singer’s officials were unable to
stop, ultimately leading to tremendous losses for the firm. The central argument of this presentation is that
the power of the accusations of Singer’s German ties rested far more on the nature of the company’s
business model than on the national affiliation of its personnel or evidence of espionage. Drawing on
sources from Russian and American archives, this presentation will also show how differing approaches
to the same set of documents can yield varying results.
Haley Seals (see Lane-Adam Hunt)
The ‘Hasty’ Truth of America: Joel Barlow’s Mock Epic
Kara Stallings (see Dakota Hayes)
Is the Social Construction of Femininity Really a Problem?: On Equality of the SexesStudio Art
Rachel Vassar
Interpretation of the Female Body in Dance
Dance is a tricky subject to discuss; it is an art of the body as a form of nonverbal communication, and as
such, is subject to both interpretation and misinterpretation. Dance is also an ephemeral art form because
it is relative to a specific time and location; a slight gesture of the arm flees with the passing moment and
cannot hang on a wall similar to a painting. As observers, we rely on our eyes and our ears and forget that
there are more dimensions to the dance than what we immediately perceive. We don’t always notice the
details; for example, an audience member can be enthralled in the beauty of a ballerina dancing
vigorously en pointe and he or she is unaware that the undulation of the dancer’s torso and arms is
conveying a state of distress. These details add substantially to the experience because we cannot see
them; they are invisible to the eyes, yet in an attempt to communicate they broadcast out of the moving
body only to be lost in the air of the theater. Our bodies are not blank canvases which societal practices
can cover with their own images; they are both sculpted by culture and influential in reforming the
existing cultural norms. We can receive these small but vital details and observe the artwork in its
entirety, but only by understanding the role the body plays in representing what is both outside and inside
its boundaries. This paper discusses Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Yvonne Rainer, and Blondell
Cummings as excellent examples of women in dance history who challenged the conventional ideologies
of dance concerning identity and the dancer’s experience. It will also discuss the concept of embodied
experience and its relation to interpretation of the female body.
Ginny Whaley
The Mask and Mary Wigman: An Experiment in Transcending Self
Early modern dance pioneers extracted only aesthetic elements from “exotic” cultures in which cultural
context was lost. German Expressionist dancer Mary Wigman was different. In her pursuit of spiritual
transcendence on stage, she drew on influences from Noh theatre, an ancient Japanese drama, and in turn,
influenced the development of butoh, a contemporary Japanese dance style. Wigman used Noh style
masks to transform into otherworldly characters. Masks are associated with possession in many ancient
and contemporary cultures. Mary Wigman’s performance work with masks comments on the multiple
levels of self and the subjective qualities of identity. Furthermore, as a woman in a patriarchal society,
Wigman used the mask to represent characters outside of societal boundaries. Her approach was radical,
because men were the dominant mask wearers in performative spaces. In this paper, I examine Wigman’s
motivations behind using the mask, while also drawing connections between her work and Japanese Noh
theater. In addition to these connections to Japanese culture, I also situate Wigman’s use of the mask in a
broader cultural context to include examples of masks used as a catalyst for possession. I thus argue that
Wigman’s works utilizing the mask are akin to rituals involving possession. I conclude the paper with an
analysis of Wigman’s famous “Witch Dance” in which she skillfully uses the mask to represent a primal
power found within women.
Brandyn Whitaker
(Untitled)
My research is focused on the connection between the cabin horror subgenre and earlier American gothic
texts. More specifically, my research uses Sam Raimi’s 1981 film Evil Dead, the film which began this
subgenre, and the 2013 remake of the same film as the basis of the analysis. American Gothic texts began
with writers, who, because they did not have monasteries and historic castles to set their gothic tales
within, instead set them within the expansive American wilderness. For the early colonists, the wilderness
was not only a place of unlimited opportunity, but also of temptation and unimaginable horror. This is
most easily recognized through the Puritan’s uneasy relationship with nature, which would later be
capitalized by Nathanial Hawthorne’s tales. Ultimately these early gothic texts, and the American mindset
they worked to capture, have left a mark on popular culture, which can still be seen within the cabin
horror subgenre.
Dr. Jesse Williams, Jr. (Panel Coordinator)
A Hard Slice of Life: Mythmaking in Early US Literature
In groups of three, nine students in ENGL 2020: Themes in Literature and Culture will present a poster
exploring national mythology in the context of early US literature. Specifically, each group will identify
a particular American mythology in a pre-Civil War literary text; argue whether or not the text constructs,
affirms, and/or challenges that myth; and observe how the myth functions in American culture today.
Alexis Wilson (see Dakota Hayes)
Is the Social Construction of Femininity Really a Problem?: On Equality of the Sexes
Sana Marie K. Wilson
Everybody Gets Horny: The Juxtaposition of Social Expectations and Women's Desire
This study examines the attitudes of sorority women towards the cultural phenomenon known as
“hookups”, casual, relationship-free intimate encounters, often of a sexual nature, which have become
popular among college students. The study data was generated from open-ended interviews of sorority
women. The interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach focusing on the continued
presence of the sexual double standard in the expectations of behavior. This includes the informal and
often problematic communication of consent and women’s perceptions of whether hookups are beneficial.