Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Critically Annotated Collected Works Of Elisa Von Der Recke And The Missionary Imagination, Michelle S. James, Cindy Patey Brewer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Without funding there would be no Sophie project, which is why the first item in this report on the Sophie activities during 2014 must again be an expression of our gratitude to both the ORCA office and to the College of Humanities, on behalf of the faculty members involved, and particularly, on behalf of the many students whose lives have been enriched in numerous ways by their Sophie work. We are aware of the many projects vying for your attention and funding, and are particularly grateful for the support you have given this project over the years. Your grants have …

The Papers Of Jay Jensen And The Japan First Mission

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Academic objectives of our research project have been extremely successful. Several of our students produced papers from our research and presented them at a regional conference of the Association for Asian Studies. One of our students published her essay in the Religious Education student journal and won an award for her contribution.
We have produced a whole transcript of the journal of Jay Clair Jensen, including translations and reproduction of thousands photographs. We also produced annotation of the whole journal, which will be submitted for publication at the Religious Studies Center, to add to literature about the worldwide church.

Meg Grant Final Report 2014-2015, Robert P. Minert

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 2013, I was awarded a mentoring grant under the MEG program for calendar years 2014-2015. The grant was for $20,000, all money stipulated for use as student wages. Advanced students of Germanic family history and German language were hired to extract data on German immigrants from old handwritten church records in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The plan was to compile the data and have it published as a service to a very large number of Americans attempting to identify the home towns of German ancestors in the United States.

Utah Territory In Official Civil War Records, Kenneth L. Alford

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Evaluation of how well the academic objectives of the proposal were met

The purpose of this project was to find, transcribe, assemble, categorize, organize, edit, and publish (both a printed version and an electronic database version) the official records relating to Utah Territory’s involvement in the Civil War.

Social Stratification And Inequality In Premodern Korean Literature: A Qualitative Research On Slavery And Its Impact On Korean Society, Moeun Jeong, Mark Peterson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction This project seeks to explore the social stratification and inequality by examining the premodern Korean literature, in order to determine the meaning and significance of the cultural and social roles the slaves played in the premodern era (i.e. before 1900s) in Korea.

Through preliminary research, the research team has found that slaves play a vital role (such as an important communication mode between characters) in premodern Korean literature. The research team examined the works in order to find specific examples and recognize how significant the slaves were.

There is a big hole to fill to educate the students in …

Study Of Dialect Contact And Formation: A Case Study Of Glottal-Initial Verbs In Amman, Jordan, Chase Adams, Kirk Belnap

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In tandem with Al-Wer’s ongoing Amman Project which discusses the dialect contact and potential for dialect formation in Amman, Jordan, this study seeks to understand the variance of conjugation patterns of the glottal-initial verbs ‘akal ‘to eat’ and ‘axad ‘to take’ based on the ethnic background and generational identity of the individual speaker. This study seeks to isolate a pattern of linguistic focusing and identity formation in third-generation Ammani youth vis-à-vis the phonetic shape (±Yod; /a:/, /o:/) in glottal-initial verbs which could corroborate Al-Wehr’s assertion that there is a new emerging vernacular as opposed to stable variation.

Ali: A Novel, Joshua Sabey, Stephen Tuttle

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When I was in high school, my family hosted an Iraqi student named Ali. He eventually went AWOL (absent without leave) and we were able to help him get political asylum. Since then I have built friendships and collected stories from several other Iraqi students that I have now compiled into a book.

Book Of Mormon Kingship And The Deuteronomistic History, Justin Moses, Dana M. Pike

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My academic inquiry is a bipartite construction and demands a thorough, but succinct, introduction. The first and primary element of my study concerns kingship in the Book of Mormon. The main purpose of this study is, first, to outline Nephite kingship ideology as it is portrayed in the Book of Mormon and, second, to find possible origins for that ideology. While kingship ideology in the Book of Mormon has demonstrated unique properties, it has also shown a propensity to be similar to, and potentially influenced by, the ideology of other cultures. Depending on whether one believes the Book of Mormon …

Patient-Provider Interactions In Health Care: Use Of And Attitudes Towards Multilingual Communications, Kyle Baird, Laura Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Previous research has examined the provider-patient relationship and the effect of different first languages and culture on such relationship (1,2,3). Most studies conducted in the United States have focused primarily on the interactions between English-speaking health care providers and Spanish-speaking patients. Such studies found a relationship between quality of communication and quality of care received by patients, (2,3). When the patient is minimally proficient in English the divide increases and patients receive less information. Similarly, the provider’s proficiency in the patient’s language correlates with the quality of communication and care. The purpose of this study was to investigate a broader …

A Voice For Women: Translation Of Domestic Violence Research In Senegal, Taylor Madsen, Daryl Lee

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the fall of 2010, I spent three months working with Senegalese children both in schools and in daaras. While I taught English and administered basic first aid, I met some of the most incredible people who became my friends. Through their friendships, I gained an inside perspective into the homes, schools, and work places of those friends. In many ways, I felt very enriched by those experiences. However, I sensed occasionally undertones of sexual discrimination that saddened and frustrated me. Upon my return to BYU, Daryl Lee informed me that Fatou Diop, a professor at L’Université de Gaston Berger(St. …

Mormon Insights, Shane Peterson, Marvin Gardner

Journal of Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Reexamining Creation: Understanding The Relationship Between The Qal And Piel Uses Of ברא, Juan Pinto, David Seely

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The first chapter of Genesis begins with two Hebrew words that have been the focus of much debate among biblical scholars. The second word, ברא , most often translated as created, has a history and nuanced meaning that has proven particularly difficult to pin down. Though it is clear that this verb refers to the act of creation, other places where the same root shows up—and the different meanings given to those other attestations— indicate a subtle connotation in Genesis with a complicated history. A clear, allencompassing etymology for the root has proven elusive.

Selma Lagerlöf And Early Ecological Thought, Chelsea Francis, Christopher Oscarson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While it is not difficult to isolate the first uses of the word “ecology,” it is far more elusive to trace the origins of the idea before the term became commonplace. In this project, Dr. Oscarson and I attempted to map the changing concept of nature in turn-of-the-century Sweden in literary and scientific sources to clarify and define this important paradigm shift, particularly through the works of Nobel prizing winning Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940). Lagerlöf is a popular figure in Swedish literary history, and this project proposes to study her in a new light. Although she has not historically …

“See, You Are A Reader”: Using Graphic Novels To Help Struggling Readers, Stephen Nothum, Dawan Coombs

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I set out on this project to evaluate how the emerging genre of graphic novels could be used in the junior high English classroom to help struggling students develop the skills they need to not only enjoy reading but engage with literature in a meaningful way. By getting into classrooms and watching struggling students engage with comics and graphic novels, I have come to the conclusion that this genre is perfectly suited for helping students develop reading and analysis skills.

“‘All That Glisters Is Not Gold’: Gender Representation And Theatrical Performances Of The Merchant Of Venice From 1998 To 2015”, Catherine Hollingsworth, Rick Duerden

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Merchant of Venice poses problems concerning the representation—a social and cultural construction—of gender and Judaism. Some critics wonder whether or not this play should be performed now: could and should modern audiences experience The Merchant of Venice? This study argues that this play should be performed today and has merit, not only for aesthetic but also for social reasons. The play forces audiences to confront how gender is represented in theatrical productions and question our own perspectives. What we gain from this experience is the following: by addressing these concerns in the play, the audience recognizes the unjust …

Sharing Domestic Violence Research From Senegal With A Global Audience, Charlotte Coleman, Daryl Lee

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The United States Department of Justice defines domestic violence as, “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner,” and goes on to say that it affects “people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.” Those affected include but are not limited to, “family members, friends, co-workers, other witnesses and the community at large1.” The purpose of our project was to translate a 2013 study entitled Gender-based violence in Senegal: Prevention as an alternative to the perils of justice and security. It was originally …

The Role Of First Language Accent On German Vowel Perception, Erik Arnold, Laura Catharine Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The role of accent in second language (L2) production and perception has been acknowledged by researchers, but generally only in the sense of limiting their subjects to a specific dialect region to avoid any dialect influence on their results. Some studies have, however, investigated the role of first language accent in L2 production, i.e., pronunciation (Smith & Baker, 2010; Baker & Smith, 2010; O’Brien & Smith, 2010). These studies demonstrate that first language (L1) accent can indeed affect L2 production. The role of the accent to which learners are exposed has also been shown to impact L2 production (Smith, 2010; …

Digital Archive Of Mental Health Narratives, Elisabeth Anna Muldowney, Jon Balzotti

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Narratives have the power to help people understand experiences that are foreign to them. But narratives focusing only on a single dimension of a story have the potential to cause harm, as many popular depictions of eating disorders demonstrate. Common eating disorder narratives often correctly acknowledge that mental health challenges occur in result-driven communities. The category “result-driven” refers to environments that associate value and success with physically measurable achievements or unrealistic aesthetics. Some of these communities include dance, sports, acting, and modeling. Recent research has suggested categorizing religious groups with communities that potentially contribute to eating disorders.¹

Using Reading Strategies To Teach Students Close Reading, Colleen Mcquay, Dawan Coombs

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Common Core State Standards call for students to be better able to comprehend and close read literature when it states that students will be able to “read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.”¹ However, even though this is what the standards are calling for, the concern is how educators can better teach and aid students in gaining skills that will contribute to increased close reading and comprehension. While research upholds the importance of these skills for academic and career success,² it lacks in discussing the implementation of strategies …

A Mormon Theology Of Immigration: Liberation Theology In The Restored Church Of Christ, Jenna Carson, Jason Kerr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I wrote an academic paper arguing that Latter-day Saint doctrine, especially the Law of Consecration, provides the foundation for a specific theology of liberation that can be placed in conversation with traditional liberation theology put forth by Gustavo Gutierrez. I then put the theology to work by presenting the contemporary Mexico-U.S. immigration phenomenon as a case study. I argued that liberation theology helps members of the Church better understand current LDS Church policy regarding the treatment of individuals living without documentation in the United States.

Viennese Kineticism And Beyond: A Bibliography Of Austrian Women Artists, Dianne Isom, Dr. Rob Mcfarland

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While the advent of digital archives have revolutionized the discipline of Women’s Studies, the current online offerings of visual and textual works by German-speaking women artists, especially Austrian artists, lag far behind the digital collections of their English-, French-, and Spanish-language contemporaries. Brigham Young University’s Sophie Digital Library project is the largest and most-used online archive of works by German-speaking women, but its collections focus only on literature, music and science. Using the successful and widely-used platform of the Sophie archive, my mentor and I attempted to help round out the archive’s collection with an extensive digital archive of visual …

The Birth Of The Abolitionist Movement In 19th-Century Romania, Under The Influence Of French Revolutionary Discourse, Mihai Scobotovici, Dr. Anca Sprenger

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Fragmented into multiple vassal principalities, Romanians had no country of their own until the 20^th century. In the 19^th century, French revolutionary ideas catalyzed Romanians’ aspirations for political unity and independence, producing the Revolution of 1848 in the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Unfortunately, the revolution’s nationalist characteristic has long overshadowed another significant revolutionary goal, namely the abolition of slavery. My study aimed to shed light on Romanian abolitionism by understanding to what extent it was a direct echo of French revolutionary discourse. Thanks to its diaspora of young intellectuals educated and living in France, 19^th-century …

Barbara D’Austria: Women And Religious Upheaval In 16th-Century Europe, Victoria Fox, Brandie Siegfried

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this project was to recover source documents regarding the life of a significant 16th-century woman who has been otherwise largely left out of history. Barbara d’Austria, daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, was an intensely religious and ambitious woman who was said to have used her own funds to provide shelter for women who had been displaced by an earthquake. But other than this general knowledge, and a few poems written at her marriage celebration by Torquato Tasso, little else has been developed regarding her life and influence. After scouring …

Women And Early Twentieth-Century Lds Missiology, Louisa Greear, Michael Mackay

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a research assistant for Dr. Michael MacKay and Dr. Gregory Wilkinson, I transcribed journals from missionaries in the Frist Japan Mission. As I transcribed these journals, a particular person really jumped out at me: Edna Harker Thomas. Sister Thomas was not only the wife of the mission president, Elbert Thomas (later a United States Senator), she was also a college educated woman who was involved in the goings on of the mission. Through researching about her life, I was able to gain a greater understanding of her role and the role of women in general in early twentieth-century missiology.

Their Hispanic Heritage: The Preservation Of Different Cultures In Lds Spanish-Speaking Congregations, Jeremy Ingersoll, Gerrit Van Dyk

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the early ‘90s, ninety-four Hispanic members of the LDS church were interviewed by the BYU Redd Center for Western Studies and provided oral histories. All interviewees were from a Spanish-speaking country or were the children of parents who came to the United States from a Spanish-speaking country, and all but a few were living in Utah or California. This gave us the opportunity to look into the past of Hispanic Latter-day Saints in Utah, and compare it to those living in a different environment in California. We looked at these oral histories with the hope to determine to what …

Lord Bute And Conservative Scottish Nationalism: British Home Rule Movements In The 1890s And 90s, Ryan Blank, Paul Kerry

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the 1880s and 90s, the individual kingdoms and principalities that make up the United Kingdom experienced a revival of nationalistic sentiment. For the English, their national identity was tied to the Empire. The Celtic peoples re-invented nationalistic traditions, costume, and revived national languages. Building on the Romantic Movement, Celtic nationalists promoted strong national identities and legendary histories; however, the nationalism of the 1890s in Wales and Scotland was not anti-Empire even though it was anti-United Kingdom. This project will investigate Welsh and Scottish nationalism, particularly the Home Rule movements, through the lens of the writings and activities of a …

Women In Engineering And Technology Barriers Project, Carrie Etherington, David Morgan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With women making up less than 18% of positions in engineering and technology fields, I feel there are many doors that still can be opened. My intention with this project was to identify what was acting as a barrier keeping women from these fields and to use euthenics (a science concerned with improving the human experience through the improvement of its environment) to make project development spaces often used by individuals in these fields places where more people are welcomed and comfortable. I specifically wanted to see if there were any physical factors that were keeping women from these fields.

My Original Musical Project In The Arts, Kira Stone, George Nelson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Hello! My name is Kira Stone. For my ORCA project, I wrote an original musical, and because of the grant, I have been able to begin the production of this musical. I have dealt with having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in my life, and it tends to come and go in waves. I have family members and friends who have experienced different kinds of anxiety disorders, depression, and bipolar disorders. Because I feel as though I know about the topic of mental disorders, I wrote a musical focused on two people who fall in love, despite their combative minds. I am …

Communication A Collaboration Between Theatre And Visual Artists, Kristin Perkins, Lindsay Livinston

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With my collaborators, Pearl Corry and Aloe Corry, I constructed installation, video, and visual art pieces and presented this art as part of an exhibit entitled Striking the Set. Our initial objective was to use collaboration between theatre and visual artists in order to encourage healthy communication within our community. As our project evolved we encountered many problems. While our final product was something we could all be proud of, the setbacks in our process proved to be the greatest learning experience. The final exhibit was attended by more than sixty people and explored the theatrical elements present in visual …

2015 Japanese Field Project, Bradley Duke, Justin Kunz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Alongside my mentor, I have been working to create an illustrated collection of Japanese stories. Originally, I had a team of 5 BYU students, that were to select a story, research it, and develop it into a cohesive and beautiful volume; we were also working with the Japanese Department so we could collaborate with the Kyoto University of Art and Design. Unfortunately, we were unable to collaborate with the Japanese University, and we had to narrow the project scope.