Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Exploring The Stereotypes Of Gender And Sexuality In Ballet And Its Impact On The Dance Community, Ava Jackson

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

Ballet has been deemed a feminine sport for hundreds of years. The famous words of choreographer George Balanchine, “Ballet is Woman,” remind us of this. While some may see classical ballet as a feminized birthplace of dance for queer men and women, the art form as a whole denies more flexible roles of masculinity. For men, the majority of roles are limited to strong princes, played by cis-gender men who fit the model of hegemonic masculinity. Dance is not exempt from oppression with intersectionality between dancers. An intersectional approach is imperative for understanding the exclusion dancers face, by challenging these …

Gender As An Environmental Stressor In Individuals Genetically Predisposed To Mood Disorders: A Preliminary Analysis, Kara West

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

Given the recent ‘epidemic’ of mental health disorders, we urgently need to better understand who is suffering and how. One aspect of this that research has come closer to identifying is where symptoms and diagnoses are missed in certain individuals, especially based on gender. However, if certain genders are actually more likely to deal with certain disorders we need to understand why and where that comes from. There is a general consensus in the medical field that some individuals are simply genetically predisposed to various disorders based on sex, but there is limited evidence that sex actually determines genetic predisposition. …

Hooking-Up And Technology: The Power In Sex On College Campuses, Ava Jackson

Sexual Ethics

Hook-up culture, while evident throughout our society, plays a heavy role in how we view gender and sexuality on college campuses. In this paper, sexuality is examined through a technological lens, providing insight into the argument that sexuality and eroticism are power.

The Challenges Of Making French Gender-Inclusive: How To Stop Leaving The Non-Binary And Genderfluid Community Out Of The Conversation, Nicole W. Grafon

Women's and Gender Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Gender-inclusivity in the French language is being made mainstream at an extraordinarily slow pace because there is a lack of education for francophone citizens regarding the clear definition of inclusive language due to little to no support from politicians in France. The solution to making the French language more gender-inclusive at a quicker pace is to incorporate non-binary grammar early on in French education worldwide.

Crooked Smile, Kaitlin Jacobson

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

As a songwriter, I love connecting my poetry to songs. There are so many similarities between life and music, and that is just beautiful to me. I wrote this poem about very real experiences I have had, about the idea of sugarcoating reality for the sake of what life really looks like under the surface. This is similar to my songs, when my melodies are seen as catchy but the lyrics are overlooked. As a queer woman, there have been many times where I have felt silenced, or where my pain has been overlooked and my lyrics haven't been taken …

Embracing Écriture Inclusive Students Respond To Gender Inclusivity In The French Language Classroom, Rebecca Lynn Garbe

Honors Program: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In 2017, the French Academy published a declaration opposing the official integration of écriture inclusive into the French language for fear that it would put it in “péril mortel.” Specifically, the Academy targeted a newly proposed punctuation, le point milieu, or the middot, that would allow those writing in French to express both the masculine and feminine endings of words with a dot between the two. This addition would disrupt traditional gendered interpretations within the language and make space, not only for the goals of French feminists, but also for visibility of non-binary French-speaking people. The Academy argued, however, …

Embracing Écriture Inclusive Students Respond To Gender Inclusivity In The French Language Classroom, Rebecca Lynn Garbe

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

In 2017, the French Academy published a declaration opposing the official integration of écriture inclusive into the French language for fear that it would put it in “péril mortel.” Specifically, the Academy targeted a newly proposed punctuation, le point milieu, or the middot, that would allow those writing in French to express both the masculine and feminine endings of words with a dot between the two. This addition would disrupt traditional gendered interpretations within the language and make space, not only for the goals of French feminists, but also for visibility of non-binary French-speaking people. The Academy argued, however, …

Creating Genderless God-Language Through Lutheran Liturgy, Eileen A. Ruppel

Celebration of Learning

Drawing on the work of feminist and queer theologies, this paper examines and challenges traditional God-language, proposing the implementation of genderless language in Christian worship liturgies. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is used as a model for potential methods of shifting God-language. This work focuses on God-language in Lutheran liturgy, focusing on Scripture, hymns, doctrine, and prayer. This work seeks to prove that implementing genderless God-language throughout the liturgy will provide ELCA leaders the opportunity to be more inclusive, while representing God’s transcendence beyond human conceptions such as gender.

Sex Robots: Negative Impact Towards Society, Jeraldine Hernandez

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

This paper attempts to discuss how sex robots will negatively impact society by questioning how feminism, pedophilia, and human-robot interactions are involved.

Asexuality: To Include Or Not To Include A Slice Of Cake In The Lgbtq+ Community, Devin Oliva-Farrell

Tredway Library Prize for First-Year Research

Due to the growing number of sexual orientations and genders that have joined the LGBTQ+ community, a debate has sparked on whether all of these should be included. Specifically, this paper analyzes the debate on whether asexuality should be included or excluded from the group. The results from including or excluding asexuality will have drastic effects on the LGBTQ+ community, self-identified asexuals, and society as a whole when it comes to examining sexualities and genders.

This is illustrated in the following ways: 1) examining the definition of asexuality; 2) exploring the debates surrounding its inclusion or exclusion; 3) highlighting the …

“Man, Don’T Feel Like A Woman”: Christian Scriptural Interpretations, The Binary Gender System, And How They Can Lead To Misogyny And Homophobia, Alyssa Froehling

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

This paper utilizes different analyses of scripture to argue that a binary gender system is not inherent in Christianity. Contemporary societal norms placed onto Christianity contribute to the oppression of women and those in LGBTQ+ communities.

Where Do Women Stand? Attitudes Towards Female Political Participation In India And The Us, Grace Anne Carlson

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

This paper aimed to study attitudes towards gender inequalities in politics, both in the United States and India. Using original survey research and World Values Survey data, American and Indian attitudes towards women in politics were analyzed and compared. Ultimately, the project found that respondents in both countries still hold distinctly unequal views on women in the political sphere.

'They Make It So Difficult To Love Ourselves', Elise "Alice" G. Roberson

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

No abstract provided.

Inspiration, Interpretation, And Authority: Laying Down The Law, Leah Jo M. Shelton

Religion: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

This paper examines the relationships between and the complexities within biblical inspiration, interpretation, and authority and how they might contribute to liberating and oppressive uses of the Bible. For an example of an oppressive interpretation, the introduction includes a brief case study concerning the interpretive history of 1 Corinthians 11:10 and 1 Timothy 2:12. Continuing, David Law’s book, Inspiration, serves as the main source for theories of inspiration. He discusses two categories of theories—word-centered and non-verbal—and provides his own theory which locates inspiration in relationship between the text and the reader. In response to Law, this paper centralizes around …

Thecla Penetrates The Popular Perception, Leah Jo M. Shelton

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

This paper analyzes The Acts of Paul and Thecla, an early Christian writing, within the framework of gender in antique Rome. Roman gender was based on performance, which is the basis of each character's gender construction in this story. Thecla undergoes a radical transformation from a passive female, preparing to be wed, to an active, ideal male who controls her independence and performs public oratory. In contrast, Paul, who appears as an ideal male at the beginning of the story, is "unmanned" by Thecla when she ultimately defies her female categorization. The Acts of Paul and Thecla exhibits the …

The Public Vs. The Private, Elise "Alice" G. Roberson

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

No abstract provided.

'They Make It So Difficult To Love Ourselves', Elise "Alice" G. Roberson

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

No abstract provided.

The Hidden "Homo" In "Rip Van Winkle:" A Queer Theory Reading, Rebecca Knapper

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

No abstract provided.

The Neglected Heavens: Gender And The Cults Of Helios, Selene, And Eos In Bronze Age And Historical Greece, Katherine A. Rea

Classics: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Why is it that the sun and moon held such a small place in cults of the Greeks, and is it that the sun is male and the moon is female in Greek myth? Aristophanes in Peace 406-413 claims that “we sacrifice to you [the Olympians], the barbarians sacrifice to them [the sun and moon]”. But if we look at nearby or related civilizations, the situation is quite different. In Ugaritic, Minoan, and Hittite religion (as well as among other Indo-European speaking people), the sun and other celestial deities have much more prominence. However, while the Greeks acknowledged the divinity …