Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Wailing Spirits: How Banshees Reflect An Ever-Changing View Of Women In Society, Brianna Leonard

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

A banshee, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die.” This definition, while correct, barely scratches the surface of banshees in Celtic mythology. These lamenting spirits were once known as “keeners,” or women who sang sad songs at funerals in medieval tradition. Keeners were paid remarkably well, and some were so talented that powerful families claimed they were “bean sidhe,” or fairy women. Over time, banshees have been interpreted in many ways, and the women who were once paid to sing at …

Loki: God Of Mischief, Tori Blas

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Loki is commonly recognized as one of the many characters inhabiting the cinematic universe of Marvel. There, he is the son of Odin, brother of Thor, and the god of mischief. In the original context of Norse mythology, all but one of those descriptors are incorrect. Besides being an antagonist that often opposes Thor in the Marvel franchise, he has significance in Norse mythology from being the only god living in Asgard despite descending from giants of Jotunheim to his role in the end of Asgard and the world, better known as Ragnarok. He is seen as a god despite …

Images, Art, And Paraphernalia: Analyzing Tactics Of The United Farm Workers And The Coalition Of Immokalee Workers, Felicia Viano

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

What do grapes and tomatoes have in common? Both of these foods have been or are major points of contention for influential farm worker movements. The United Farm Workers formed by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Gilbert Padilla in 1962 has become a hallmark of success in labor history. This movement used traditional yet innovative methods of social movement strategy, eventually branding themselves as a household name. The images and paraphernalia such as buttons, bumper stickers, and posters distributed during the Delano Grape Strike seemed like a simple concept at the time, but there were strategic decisions made to incorporate …

The Lack Of Female Directors And Artistic Leaders: Discrepancy In The Number Of Women From Theatre Education To Career, Madeline Lang-Ree

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Recently, society has slowly started to take initiative against the large gender gap that exists in positions of leadership. Though this gender gap stretches across all work fields, the theatre industry is extremely guilty of a lack of female representation in many of its career paths. In both studies and personal experiences, it is repeatedly reported that there are considerably more girls than boys participating in theatre during educational and formative years. Despite this, the number of female directors and artistic leaders in the theatre industry is significantly lower than males. Why is there such a large amount of young …

Light Eaters: A Study On The Affect Of Light Depicted Through Different Art Mediums, Samuel Dyck

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Humankind has spent its entire history defining and creating the things that make up our physical world. Everyday, humanity continues to discover and create, furthering society’s knowledge and understanding of existence. However, there are facets of nature that have never been entirely understood by mankind, because they have a unique affect on each individual. It is known how a tree manifests and grows but no one can explain the feeling of relief that comes in the shade of a long limbed oak on a cloudless day. Nature is unique in its simplicity and mystery. Artists often use aspects of nature …

Zombie Culture In Past And Modern Mythologies, Lehua Johnson

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

In modern media the notion of a zombie brings to mind the images of rotting flesh, a desire for flesh, and surviving in a desolate post-apocalyptic world. While zombies have certainly evolved into a niche genre separate from horror and science fiction, it is imperative that the origins of this modern-day phenomenon are explored and analyzed in an academic context. From the empty threats of the goddess Ishtar in ancient Mesopotamia to urban legends of former Haitian slaves, the foundation of zombie culture provides strong insight to humanity’s fear of losing itself to mere corporeal forms. Zombie culture is the …

Thoughts And Prayers, Chloe Kardasopoulos

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Examining the symbolic Gun against its tangible counterpart illuminates abstract attachments of power and superiority this nation associates with the weapon. These elements loaded in the Gun transform the weapon into an object representative of American identity. Analyzing ideological commitments within the Gun guides a critical response to examine disproportionately increasing national gun violence against stagnant federal gun control. The ongoing gun debate must be analyzed in its entirety, beginning at its source - the Second Amendment. Scholars such as Gary Wills dissect the Second Amendment to extract its contextualized intent from modern writers’ manipulated interpretations. It is not the …

Yellow Fever: Asian Representation In Western Pornography, Chye Shoong Chin

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

This research project seeks to explore the various implications porn films make on Asians Orientalism. Generally, Asians in pornography are composed of multiple negative archetypes, all based on the underlining purpose of servitude. Characters are portrayed through stereotypes including the use of colonial language to misrepresent Asian men and women in both straight and gay porn videos. Referred to as Orientalism, this ideology exploits Asian characters to privilege the White, male viewer. My research project investigates the following question: How are Asians represented in gay and straight pornographic films and pornographic scenes?

I will be applying scholarly arguments to various …