Digital Commons Network^™

“There Is A Woman Concerned In This”: Female Gender Roles In The Novels And Adaptations Of Agatha Christie, Carrie Y. Hess

Waldo Library Student Exhibits

Throughout my dissertation, I analyze what Agatha Christie's 1934 Murder on the Orient Express and 1937 Death on the Nile and their 1970s and 2000s feature film adaptations suggest about the roles of mothers, female friends, and lovers. The underlying issue I speak to is how these texts, working off of a similar storyline, speak differently to these roles, especially when analyzed across time. Several key questions guiding my research and writing include: What does it mean to be a mother? Is she a savior, an avenger, or both? How does the violence associated with the one reconcile with the …

Eng 155: Introduction To Literary Studies, Joseph Donica

Open Educational Resources

An OER syllabus covering the ways humans have read and continue to read literature from a variety of critical and theoretical perspectives. An emphasis is placed on the application of critical thought to writing expository essays and responding to readings.

With Love, ; An Interdisciplinary And Intersectional Look At Why Creativity Is Essential, Theo Starr Gardner

Whittier Scholars Program

My Whittier Scholars Program self-designed major, Teaching Creativity, is a mixture of Art, Literature, and Education classes. My research and praxis classes have been focused on the ‘how?’s and 'why?’s of creativity, so it felt only right that my project should be a constructivist, generative project. The project I have been working on throughout my time at Whittier, and that has just fully come to fruition on April 11th, 2024, was a solo art gallery/open mic event entitled ‘With Love,’. With Love, was conceptually inspired by the research I’ve conducted on creativity and creative arts education over the past few …

Mixed Feelings: The Emotional Appeals Of Zitkala-Ša’S American Indian Stories, Kayla Joan Baur

Publications and Research

Zitkala-Ša (Lakota: Zitkála-Šá, meaning Red Bird) was among the first to write about the experiences of Native American children in the U.S. Indian boarding school program to an English-speaking audience. As a writer and political activist, Zitkala-Ša uses emotional appeals and cultural ideas she learned through her white education to expose the very boarding school institutions that taught her. In American Indian Studies (1921), Zitkala-Ša critiques the violence that the Indian boarding school system inflicts on young Native Americans. She presents these critiques through emotional appeals that take two forms: one, a more traditional sentimental appeal associated with middle-class white …

Fantastical Fate: Contemporary Works Depicting Enlil, Daylen Motamed, Marissa Becher

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

It is known that the creation of Gods is prevalent, and almost essential to worldbuilding in fantasy novels. Some examples are the dwarves' Durin in Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings and Djel of the Fjerdans in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse novels. However, there is one popular god present in many modern fantasy series; the God of fate. In Ancient Mesopotamia, a God of fate was named Enlil. Enlil is known as the king of all Gods, as well as the God of wind and air. He decrees the fates and his word cannot be changed, as Enlil guards the tablets …

Creative Writing Pedagogy: Building Curriculum For High School Students, Elizabeth Lengel

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis serves as a rationale for the creative writing pedagogy I use and how it serves my high school creative writing class. As my school district made the decision to overhaul our English curriculum, the English department decided to add Creative Writing as an English class elective.

The work for planning these new classes was spread around the English Department, and I was assigned to design the curriculum for the new Creative Writing class. Designing an entire class from scratch leaves a lot of room for creativity and innovation. However, as excited for this new course as I was, …

Lifelong Movie Goers, Hardworking Filmmakers, And Oscars Discourse, Haley Kamola

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This paper focuses on the discourse surrounding the Academy Awards, often referred to as the Oscars. The differences in discourse between people working in the film industry and those who watch movies are analyzed, as they represent the supplier and recipient of films and filmmaking. These two groups offer varied perspectives on the topic. The discourse of another group, a group in-between–student filmmakers–is also analyzed. To many people, what makes a film “good” is quite subjective, so the Academy Awards are often a subject of discourse. One particular focus of discourse will be the 2024 Academy Awards. There were a …

Austen's Realist Feminine Icon, Sean Mcconnell

Student Works

No abstract provided.

"My Hideous Progeny": Complicating Preconceived Notions Of Monstrous Beings In "Frankenstein" And "Jurassic Park", Megan Engstrom

English

This project examines and complicates preconceived notions of the monstrous in Frankenstein and Jurassic Park. By engaging with monster theory, I interrogate how the creators are destructive beings and their creations are only trying to fit into their made bodies. I also complicate the ideas of family when interacting with monsters or monstrous places – specifically looking at how isolation/creation of them will affect people. These ideas are questioned to confront a normalized perception of monsters as the villains. By examining the monstrous in Frankenstein and Jurassic Park, I am questioning the very idea of how a monster is created …

“Young In Deed”: Feminine Affect And Agency In Young Adult Shakespeare Adaptations, Juliana Hall

English

Approaching the cultural behemoth that is Shakespeare can be daunting, especially for young audiences; the language is antiquated and can be difficult to understand, and, due in part to the age of these works, the content is often rooted in bigoted ideologies. Young adult (YA) novel adaptations have begun reintroducing readers to Shakespeare, not only significantly enhancing the narratives, but encouraging readers to play with Shakespeare’s language in new, accessible, and exciting ways. By looking at two twenty-first century YA novel adaptations of Shakespeare’s original plays alongside the accompanying source material, I analyze how female protagonists engage with their emotions …

Inside The Glass Closet: Analyzing The Representation Of Queer Romantic Relationships In The Literature Of Virginia Woolf, Paige Meyer

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

No abstract provided.

Does Ai Ask Good Questions? A Discussion Activity, Katherine Tilghman

Generative AI Teaching Activities

Students will prompt ChatGPT to generate discussion questions about a course text or artistic work, then evaluate the questions and modify them to make them more engaging and thought-provoking.

H.D. And Women's Self-Image, Kristen Clay

Student Writing

This paper analyzes three works, “Thetis,” “Triplex,” and “Eurydice,” by modernist poet H.D. for the purpose of understanding how high-profile women characters can be used to explore the overarching similarities in female identity. This line of connection is found through the subject of each poem being figures from Greek mythology - Thetis, Helen, and Eurydice - and the themes in each poem being some variation of the formation of identity under male influence. In “Thetis,” the subject defines herself as a mother, and her role is shaped by the existence of her son, Achilles. In “Triplex,” Helen appeals to the …

Carol Ann Duffy And War Weariness, Ava Hickman

Student Writing

An analysis of Carol Ann Duffy's poems "War Photographer," "Last Post," and "Poker in the Falklands with Henry & Jim." These poems explore the effects of war on soldiers and civilians alike, detailing the psychological changes people go through during times of war.

Denise Levertov And Changing For God’S Presence, Jeremiah Veldhuyzen

Student Writing

This paper is about the struggles experienced as a person of faith and how to react to those struggles.

Appealing To Truancy: How Mary Oliver Escapes Americana, John Wise

Student Writing

How the work of Mary Oliver disagrees with the American Cultural way of thinking.

Adrienne Rich: Examining Change Through Individual Introspection, Alexandra Miller

Student Writing

Adrienne Rich, well known for writing about her sexual identity and feminist activism, has written poetry throughout her changing lifetime. Her unique path through life has led readers to analyze development across her works. Individual introspection can be the source of this evolution in her poetry, allowing many of her readers to relate. Adrienne Rich’s poems, “Origins of History and Consciousness”, “Diving into the Wreck”, and “Splittings” bring to light self-reflection and how we navigate change through introspection.

"Big Medicine, Strong Magic": Sacrament And Sacrilege In Till We Have Faces And The Wind In The Willows, Kayla Kovacs

English Senior Capstone

Magic abounds as the fantastical and ordinary collide in C.S. Lewis’s final work of fiction, Till We Have Faces, and Kenneth Grahame’s children’s classic, The Wind in the Willows. As these authors weave worlds of profound, yet wonderfully simple beauty, they tell stories that point towards the deep intersectionality between seen reality and myth. This paper aims to show the permeability of the veil separating these realms through the concept of sacrament. While sacrament is seen as a kind of gate through which characters may pass to taste and see with new senses, it is contrasted throughout with …

Escaping From Myth: Denver’S Reclamation Of Love In Toni Morrison’S Beloved, Lainey Terfruchte

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

No abstract provided.

Between Pages And Politics: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Of Book Bans, Hannah Morrison

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Across the United States, school boards are being inundated with requests to ban books. While these conversations are often localized, what the rise in censorship across the country suggests is that there is a fierce movement behind censoring young adult literature. What is frequently erased in these campaigns are stories of people of color and queer communities, alongside topics such as sexuality, drugs, or violence. The presiding conclusion within childhood studies on how we have reached a point where censorship is abundantly common in American schools is that public discourse views children as less than or not fully formed, thus …

Reeducating The Sympathizer: Refugee Aesthetics And Intertextuality Recode The Western Canon, Hilda Hue Ma

School of Liberal Arts Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast -Retrospective Of Season 2, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

Barbara and Jessie reflect on their experiences having completed season two of The Face of War podcast.

Participants

Barbara K Robins, Assistant Professor of English, UNO

Jessie Stewart, English Graduate Student

Link to Spotify …

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast -Season 2 Episode 3: Samuel Bak, Holocaust Survivor And Artist, Part 1, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

Sam shares a few of his experiences of survival during WWII and what it means to be an artist representing displacement, survival, and hope. Following a 2019 exhibition at UNO, the artist donated more …

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast -Season 2 Episode 5: A Personal Story Of Loss, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

In an interview discussion with Harley, Barbara shares her experiences living with a US Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam and his death by suicide in 2020 after a second cancer diagnosis.

Participants in this …

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast -Season 2 Episode 4: Samuel Bak, Holocaust Survivor And Artist, Part 2, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

Sam shares a few of his experiences of survival during WWII and what it means to be an artist representing displacement, survival, and hope. Following a 2019 exhibition at UNO, the artist donated more …

Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) (1741-1821) An Annotated Bibliography Of Her Published Works Together With Biography, Criticism, And Appearances In Fiction, Lisa Berglund Ph.D.

English Department Faculty Publications

There is no such field as “Piozzi Studies”—at least, not yet. For 250 years, scholarship on Hester Lynch Piozzi (Mrs. Thrale) has been desultory at best and at worst non-existent. Scholars who first undertook to analyze her life or edit her works were generally interested only in her relations with Samuel Johnson and James Boswell. Once feminist scholars began to champion the Bluestocking Circle, of which Mrs. Thrale was a peripheral member, Piozzi’s life and writings came to be taken more seriously. A significant milestone was reached in 2021 with the conference Celebrating Hester Thrale Piozzi (1741–1821). Still, while …

Antisemitism & Vampires: The Surprising Roots Of A Popular Cultural Monster, Hannah Ross

English

This essay was for Justin Shaw’s fall 2023 English major capstone class. The essay examines antisemitism and vampires, specifically Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, John Polidori’s short story The Vampyre; A Tale, and the episode “Monster Movie” from the TV show Supernatural through the lens of antisemitic stereotypes. By looking at the literary history of the vampire one can trace its physical antisemitic stereotypes and the influence of fear of the “other” with reverse-colonization by Jews. Starting with historically classic 19th century texts and ending with a modern day television show, it is evident that the antisemitic physical stereotypes …

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast -Season 2 Episode 1: From The Woman Veteran's Point Of View, Part 1, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

Part One – Michelle, Flower and Jessie describe their decision to enlist, the support of family, bootcamp, and how the events of 9/11 shaped their careers.

The Face of War is a podcast series …

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast: Introduction To Season Two, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

Barbara and Jessie reflect on the lessons learned in Season One including the many reasons why we need to tell our own and hear each other’s stories.

The Face of War is a podcast …

Face Of War: A Collective Narrative Podcast -Season 2 Episode 2: From The Woman Veteran's Point Of View, Part 2, Barbara K. Robins, Jessie Stewart

English Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This podcast series reflects how war impacts all of us by listening to the different perspectives of those that have lived it, understanding how the media shapes our views of war, understanding our own feelings, and learning life skills for managing stress, fear, and anxiety. Our goal is to educate, remind you that you aren’t alone, and give you tools to navigate living and watching war.

Part Two – Being female and navigating the perceptions of others while in the military during deployment and the return home.

The Face of War is a podcast series including interviews and discussions with …