Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Primary Prevention And The Socioecological Model: An Integrated, Preventative Approach To Combat Sexual Violence, Emma G. Padrick

Student Publications

A growing body of research suggests that sex offense registries, though popular with politicians and the public, are ineffective at reducing victimization. Registries only address the individual who perpetrates after victimization occurs in an effort to prevent recidivism. They do not address the other, broader reasons that victimization transpires; they do not prevent sexual violence, and they do not improve communities’ safety. Using the socioecological framework to design primary prevention practices accounts for the interplay between the individual, relationship, community, and societal factors that lead to perpetration and should be used in place of reactive measures that fail to effectively …

Synthesizing The Sublime And Beautiful: Aesthetics In Shelley's "Hymn To Intellectual Beauty", Christopher T. Lough

Student Publications

As a Romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley bristled at rationalistic attempts to definitively categorize the human condition. Taking Edmund Burke’s treatise “On the Sublime and Beautiful” as his chief foil, Shelley explored aesthetic categories that certain strains of Enlightenment thought had held apart from one another. In my brief exegesis of his “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” from 1816, I build on Rudolf Otto’s concept of the numinous and the work of intellectual historian Frank Ankersmit to argue that Shelley presents a holistic account of experience with the ineffable.

Distinction Between Indigenous And Western Cultural Conceptions Of The Earth And Its Relation To The Environment, John M. Zak

Student Publications

The differences between Indigenous and Western cultural conceptions of the Earth is a major cleavage between both communities and a source of tension and misunderstanding. Native American religious beliefs in communal ethics, the belief in the Earth and nature more broadly being a source of spiritual fulfillment and enlightenment, has encouraged Native Americans to work to safeguard the environment they feel a spiritual connection to. This is contrasted in Western notions of human centrality that encourages Western consumer economies to exploit resources for commercial profit that has led to the dispossession of Native lands and desecration of its sacredness in …

Understanding Women’S Political Empowerment In A Globalized World, Jenna M. Thoretz

Student Publications

Although women comprise over half of the world’s population, there is still a considerable gap in the scholarly literature, as well as in policymaking communities, regarding the impact globalization has had on women. While scholars have attempted to examine the relationship between globalization and women’s rights and empowerment, there is little consensus on whether globalization harms or benefits women. Through my research, I seek to clarify the relationship between globalization and women’s empowerment, specifically women’s political empowerment. I divide this paper into six sections. I first evaluate the existing literature on the relationship between globalization and women’s empowerment, identifying arguments …

Feminism, Religion, And Work In The United States, Margaret R. Halpin

Student Publications

Feminism in the contemporary United States is a diverse field of thought with several strains of ideological leanings, including liberal, neoliberal, and the contested conservative feminism. Each is uniquely situated in the American context due to the heavy influence of American values and culture-specific definitions of justice, success, and progress. Entrenched in the Western conceptions of secularism and advancement, “modern” feminism in the United States prides itself as the example of peak progressivism, yet does so without critically engaging with its definition of modernity or secularism. In particular, the relationship between religion and feminism is complicated in the U.S., with …

The Role And Impact Of The Environment In Saving Private Ryan, Bailey M. Ytterdahl, Paul C. Krakoviak

Student Publications

Although certain films may not be explicitly labeled as environmental film, we approach Saving Private Ryan through an ecocritical analysis. We evaluate how the film not only displays the physical and mental tolls of war in several bloody battles, but we also explore the environmental costs. By examining the genre of historical realism, we demonstrate how the film outlines the unique role of the environment in war but also enables the viewers to consider the impacts of war on the surrounding environment. To understand the environmental message in Saving Private Ryan, we used a concept called the “Three Ecologies” by …

Along Ideological Lines: Examining Support For Black Lives Matter, Caden E. Giordano

Student Publications

In this paper, support for the Black Lives Matter is examined through different identity frames: feminism, support for the LGBTQ+ community, and who the respondent voted for in 2016. An interaction variable was created to see how race influenced these categories. For example, whether a white feminist might support Black Lives Matter more or less than a Black feminist or a white non-feminist. Race is the main determinant of support for Black Lives Matter.

African Americans Accused Of “Acting White”: The Impacts On Their Selves And Identities, Brett S. Anderson

Student Publications

A majority of the research on the accusation of acting white focuses on whether it is responsible for creating the wide achievement gap between white and Black people in America (Tyson, Darity, and Castellino 2005). However, there is little research that has looked into the potentially damaging effects that this accusation can have on the selves and identities of Black students. Through the analysis of classical and contemporary sociological theories and studies, it is determined that African Americans’ selves and identities are negatively impacted when they are accused of “acting white.” The suggested impacts are negative social reflection and the …

Before Barbarossa: The Nazi Occupation Of Western Poland, September 1,1939-June 22, 1941, Lauren R. Letizia

Student Publications

The Nazi invasion and occupation of Western Poland was a vital first step to the development and fulfillment of the genocidal processes of the Holocaust. The utilization of mass arrests, executions, and shootings led to the persecution and death of hundreds of thousands of Poles and Polish Jews prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union and inception of the Final Solution in the summer of 1941.

The Contradictions Of Freedom: Depictions Of Freedwomen In Illustrated Newspapers, 1865-1867, Carolyn Hauk

Student Publications

Between 1865 and 1867, artists working for Northern illustrated newspapers travelled throughout the South to document its transition from slavery to a wage labor society. Perceiving themselves as the rightful reporters of Southern Reconstruction, these illustrators observed communities of newly freed African American men and women defining their vision of freedom. Northern artists often viewed the lives of African Americans through the cultural lens of free labor ideology in their efforts to provide documentary coverage of the South as objective observers. This paper will examine how illustrations of Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper reveal the contradictions between free …

Girl Talk: How Friendships Between Moravian And Native Women Sustained The Moravian Mission At Shamokin Pennsylvania, 1742–1749, Lindsay R. Richwine

Student Publications

From 1742 to 1755, Moravian missionaries attempted to establish a mission at the Indian town of Shamokin. While the Moravians failed to convert any native peoples, they succeeded where other missionaries failed by maintaining a continued presence. By using evidence from sources such as the Shamokin mission diary, this project asserts that it was the friendships forged between Native and Moravian women in the early years of the mission that integrated the Moravians into the community at Shamokin. Through an examination of the lives of the women present at Shamokin in this period, this project situates itself within existing research …

Our Monuments, Our History, Temma F. Berg

English Faculty Publications

Beginning with Toni Morrison's concept of "rememory" and the recent completion of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers on the University of Virginia campus, this essay explores the current monuments controversy by focusing on four Viennese monuments which have much to tell us about how new memorials might contextualize and reframe history. The first Viennese monument, a celebration of a series of fifteenth-century pogroms, was built into the wall of a house opposite the Judenplatz, a square in the center of what was once a thriving Jewish community. Four hundred years later, from 1998 to 2008, three additional memorials were built …

Women Against "Women's Rights": Pro-Life Women, Jenna L. Vadinsky

Student Publications

The issue of abortion in the political arena became escapable after the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade. Nearly 50 years later, the issue of abortion continues to influence voting in all levels of government elections - from President to state governor. Although the restriction of legal abortion access disproportionally affects women, women are generally just as likely to support abortion as men. To research the phenomena of women voting and advocating against their own rights, I turned to religion - measured by how often a female attends religious ceremonies - as a possible explanation. In this paper, I delve …

Homosexuality During The Transition From Weimar Republic To Third Reich, Abigail Minzer

Student Publications

Homosexual communities successfully formed prominent subcultures during the Weimar Republic for a multitude of reasons: scientific research and educational outreach to the public about the inborn nature of homosexuality, less strict media censorship laws, and a vague anti-sodomy law that was difficult to enforce led police to often prefer tolerance over prosecution. The Third Reich brought about a deep cultural shift that would prove incredibly harmful to the homosexual communities. While at first, homosexuals had not been a targeted group largely thanks to Hitler’s personal friendship with a gay Nazi named Ernst Röhm, the latter’s sexuality became the center of …

For Life Or Choice: Abortion Views In America, Alyssa C. Ritchie

Student Publications

Abortion is one of the most controversial political topics in the United States of America at any point in time. In an election year, it is even more so. Countless Americans choose who to vote for based on whether or not the politician is pro-life or pro-choice. But why do some Americans vote pro-choice or pro-life? What variables affect their beliefs on abortion and how strong are those variables in relation to others? This paper dives into the ways in which education and religion affect abortion opinions and researches the strength of those variables in relation to one another. In …

Music Terminology And Context In Robert Browning’S “A Toccata Of Galuppi’S”, Natalie M. Dolan

Student Publications

In his poem describing a performance of a Baldassare Galuppi toccata, Robert Browning uses music theory terminology and historical context to explain the emotions inspired by the piece. Browning’s 19th-century narrator reflects on the lives of past audiences and on his own mortality as he addresses the deceased composer. This paper analyzes the use of musical references in explaining the narrator’s response to the performance. The analysis includes an examination of Galuppi’s compositional period and a discussion of the specific terminology that Browning uses to convey his narrator’s wariness of death.

Close, But No Cigar: Tobacco Usage During The Civil War Era, Benjamin M. Roy

Student Publications

Tobacco carried a range of gendered, social, regional, and racial meanings in America during the nineteenth century, and these disparate meanings were symbolized through different forms of consumption. The cultural meaning inherent within chewing tobacco, cigars, pipes, and cigarettes, are the object of this research. I will examine the class associations linked to chewing tobacco, the manly identities symbolized through cigars and pipes, and explore cultural movement and racial meaning through the cigarette. Through tobacco, I will explain how nineteenth century Americans comprehended addiction, and establish the organic agency of consumable commodities to influence the consciousness of their users.

Military Occupation, Sexual Violence, And The Struggle Over Masculinity In The Early Reconstruction South, Cameron T. Sauers

Student Publications

This inquiry centers on the way that sexual violence became the terrain upon which the struggles of the postemancipation and early Reconstruction South were waged. At the start of the Civil War, Confederate discourse played upon the fears of sexual violence engulfing the South with the invasion of Union armies. The nightmare never came to Southern households; rape was infrequently reported. However, Southern women, especially if they were African American, were subjected to sexual violence, which likely increased as the war dragged on. Sexual violence includes, but is not limited to, rape. Destruction of clothing, invasion of domestic spaces, and …

John B. Bachelder’S Artistic Vision For The Gettysburg Battlefield, Shannon R. Zeltmann

Student Publications

John Bachelder was an important artist and historian to Gettysburg, shaping the early interpretation of the battle during the Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association period (1863-1895). While he is mainly discussed as the first park historian, it is important to look at his career as an artist and how it influenced his career at Gettysburg. Looking at Bachelder’s entire career, one can see how Bachelder’s vision for the battlefield changed over time. Bachelder wanted to create a grand history painting of the battle, which ultimately became his Isometric Map of Gettysburg. He corresponded with veterans to get their accounts, leading Bachelder …

Breonna’S Law: The Genesis, Not The Culmination, For Policy Response To Violent Confrontation During No-Knock Search Warrants, Ethan S. Wilt

Student Publications

First, this paper constructs the background on search warrants, including the legal precedent, policy environment, and stakeholders involved. Second, and most importantly, it will analyze the outcomes, impacts, and, particularly, the disproportionate minority impact of each section of Breonna’s Law. Lastly, this paper will contribute an informed assessment of the policy and further policy recommendations that can be taken into account to address the issue of violent confrontations and casualties, especially against people of color, during the execution of search warrants.

Canopy Cover, Impermeability, And Green Space In Pennsylvania Redlined Neighborhoods, Alyssa A. Cassini

Student Publications

Previous studies have explored the relationship between redlining and canopy cover by using percent canopy cover. This data type can miss low-density trees that are common in urban areas, differences between parks and street trees, and differences in the size of the green space. With a distinction between parks and street trees, we are able to determine what types of green space redlined communities have access to, since different types of green space have different kinds of impacts on the community. This study aims to analyze the relationship between previously redlined Pennsylvania neighborhoods and their current canopy impermeability, using high …

Exposing Racism Part Ii: Individual Racism, Jessica Baltazar, Tikvah Nadia Womach, Office Of Multicultural Engagement

Office of Multicultural Engagement Events

A discussion of conscious or unconscious attitudes and acts based on the belief in white superiority. Panelists include Gettysburg College alumni Tikvah Nadia Womach ’08 and Jessica Baltazar ’08.

Jessica is a mother of three. She graduated from Gettysburg in 2007 and from Columbia University School of Social Work in 2013. Jessica is currently a Clinician for a non-profit organization where providing therapy to unaccompanied minors. She has been working in this specific area for six years and passionate about aiding children.

Tikvah (Nadia) Womack is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and an Expressive Arts Therapist. She received her …

Public Support For Black Lives Matter, Lilian A. Morrell

Student Publications

I hypothesize that in a comparison of individuals, those who have believe in, or have been subject to discrimination, are more likely to support BLM. I am doing research regarding American politics and social structure; I want to take into account the whole nation, and I'm not concerned about data from outside the U.S. This data set includes information about respondents, race, gender, and sexuality, all of which I need to know if I want to take into account the effects of oppression on support of Black Lives Matter. I am only going to use the nes2016 dataset because no …

Women’S Participation And Globalization, Madeline R. Buerle

Student Publications

What effect does women’s participation in national legislatures have on the levels of globalization, specifically economic and social globalization? I contend that women’s participation in national legislatures will have differing effects on economic and social globalization. I expect that higher levels of women’s participation in national legislatures will have a negative effect on levels of economic globalization and a positive effect on levels of social globalization. I demonstrate the plausibility of these relationships through an analysis of 194 countries between the years 1990 and 2017. Interestingly, my findings suggest that women’s participation in national legislatures has a positive and statistically …

'Shut Up And Take The Mellon Money!': Adapting A Library-Led Digital Humanities Program To Accommodate Grant Funding., R.C. Miessler, Kevin Moore

All Musselman Library Staff Works

This presentation discusses how the team of librarians who facilitate Musselman Library's Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship program have negotiated the shift from local to grant funding, focusing on how we have organized our team and adapted program outcomes, assessment, and reporting to fit the requirements of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Presidential Leadership Grant. We review some unexpected challenges when working with grant funding and how we have successfully worked within the parameters of the grant to fit our needs locally.

Exposing Racism Part I: Environmental Racism, Megan L. Benka-Coker, Office Of Multicultural Engagement

Office of Multicultural Engagement Events

This is the first in a four-part series on Exposing Racism sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Engagement. Health Sciences Prof. Megan Benka-Coker '09 discusses how environmental racism occurs through rules, regulations, and policies that target Black communities.

Examining The Impact Of Climate Change Film As An Educational Tool, Brittany Bondi, Salma Monani, Sarah M. Principato, Christopher P. Barlett

Student Publications

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of film in communicating issues related to climate change. While previous studies demonstrate an immediate effect of a film post-screening, this study also considered if a film can inspire long-term effects, and if supplemental educational information plays a role on participant understanding.

Design/methodology/approach: Using surveys, we assessed undergraduate students’ climate change responses pre-, immediately-post, and 9-weeks post watching the climate change documentary The Human Element (Prod. Earth Vision Institute, 2018). In the 9-week interim before the final survey, half of the participants received weekly information on climate change via …

Redesign Your Writing & Research Assignments, Melissa Forbes, Kerri Odess-Harnish, Meggan D. Smith

All Musselman Library Staff Works

With so many variables to account for in the fall, the writing and research assignments we designed for a 14-week semester with regular in-person access to campus resources may no longer be realistic or effective. Join Melissa Forbes, Director of the Writing Center and First-Year Writing, and Research & Instruction Librarians Kerri Odess-Harnish and Meggan Smith for tips on redesigning writing and research assignments to help students succeed whatever the semester looks like. A short 10-minute presentation will be followed by Q&A and open discussion.

Designing Digital Projects For Your Courses, R.C. Miessler, John Dettinger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

R.C. Miessler (Systems Librarian) and John Dettinger (Assistant Director of User Services) deliver a 30-minute workshop on how to design digital projects for your courses. They provide a model for digital project assignment design, including planning, instruction, and assessment strategies, as well as address how to successfully negotiate copyright concerns.

The Boardwalk, Mirabelle R. Cohen

Student Publications

From their stakeouts below,

Kids are careful not to look directly up,

The way you avoid looking at the sun when you step outside,

Because the sun streams fire and

painted planks spit sand at the little gods of mischief. [excerpt]