Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Deaf Inclusion And Accessibility In The Dance Field, Samantha M. Doyle, Caroline S. Clark

Symposium of Student Scholars

Over the past ten years, the dance field in the United States has shifted towards practicing diversity and inclusion. However, there are still underrepresented groups in dance, such as the Deaf community. There is a current lack of pedagogical content to help dance teachers and choreographers be inclusive to Deaf dancers. This research addresses the gap by discussing issues and access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing (HOH) dancers in the dance classroom and on stage. To do so, I present a literature review and analysis of current scholarship with a goal of bringing awareness to the current lack of accessibility to …

Whose Protagonist Is It Anyway?, Ori Mckinney

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Favourite (2018), written by Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, transcends the traditional tropes associated with genre period pictures in its unique telling of the tale of two cousins vying to be in Queen Anne's favour during her monarchy. In this presentation I study the unique story structure of this film, which centers on three equally weighted characters. In contrast to the traditional single protagonist story structure, this film shifts the point of view making each lead character either the protagonist or antagonist depending on whose perspective you watch it from. The story is written …

Authenticity And Humanity: Women In Ming Dynasty Theatre, Sarah Rogers

Symposium of Student Scholars

Since the dawn of theatrical performances, women had very limited opportunities for participation and presence in productions, often being portrayed onstage by male actors in untruthful, borderline degrading drag, which fortunately was not the case for the Ming Dynasty. My research investigates the societal roles and customs that women in the Ming Dynasty were initially assigned to and the shift they experienced in these roles; this shift empowered women to have more agency in every aspect of their everyday lives, especially in participating in performances. Methodologically, I consider the feminist/gender lens of Karl Marx’s Critical Theory and the opera The …

The Hero's Journey Beyond The Physical, Jasmine Jones

Symposium of Student Scholars

How would one go about integrating a theme of acceptance of self and others into an adventure, comedy, fantasy, and family friendly film? In the film Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the invisible hand of the screenwriters does just that. The importance of this story is in the story structure. The four main characters are used to exemplify how there is an important relationship between plot and structure. Through this, character transformation takes place both physically and emotionally. The characters are presented as four normal people who were sucked into a game and sent on a quest to solve mysteries …

Screenplay Analysis Mean Girls, Zora Evans

Symposium of Student Scholars

Screenplay Analysis: An Evaluation of Strategy of Mean Girls

Author: Zora Evans

This presentation explores the hardships and drama-filled journey of adjusting to high school. Protagonist Cady Heron has just moved all the way from Africa to the United States in the 2004 comedy film Mean Girls. Heron’s main objective in the film is to adjust to public school, find a group of friends, and fit in. Tina Fey writes this script in a very precise and unique way. This study addresses how Tina Fey’s script creates side characters that are more memorable and active than the protagonist while keeping …

Pirates Of The Caribbean: An Analysis Of The Curse Of The Black Pearl And The Adventure Genre On-Screen, Mezi Mulugeta

Symposium of Student Scholars

In Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting, Robert McKee maintains that while action-adventure is “often dismissed as mindless fare, it is in fact the single most difficult genre in which to write today…simply because it’s been done to death.” Said death came swiftly for Cutthroat Island, the 1995 flop that sank the pirate subgenre—until Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl premiered in 2003. The film was a risk that paid off massively for Disney, the pirate subgenre, and arguably the adventure genre as a whole in the modern age. This article …

Analysis Of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, John Hunter Ray

Symposium of Student Scholars

In this study, I examine the ways in which Christopher Nolan developed the protagonist in Interstellar (2014). The protagonist, Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, is the audience’s window into the world Nolan creates in the film. Though typical Christopher Nolan screenplay structure is more complicated than the average feature film, I argue that it is the character development of the protagonist that engages viewers and ultimately allows us to connect with the story. The central conflict that cooper desires to be the best dad he can be he is forced to abandon his family to save the world. That is …

Godzilla (1954) Research Analysis, Cyrus Aldridge

Symposium of Student Scholars

Cyrus Aldridge

FILM 3105

Prof. Anna Weinstein

10/20/2021

Abstract Research Analysis: Godzilla (1954)

According to Michael Maher, two years after World War 2 the United States’ military presence attempted to control Japanese media including its cinema. Despite this fact, Japanese filmmaker Tomoyuki Tanaka was able to produce Godzilla (1954), symbolizing the horror of nuclear holocaust. In this presentation, I argue that Godzilla is one of the greatest monster movies of all time due to its cultural relevance and its use of musical scoring, set design and costume design. In this study I demonstrate how Tanaka implements its score, set …

Implementing A Deliberate Neologism About The Filipino-American Identity Crisis, Gabrielle Sarah Punzalan, Rochelle Harris Cox Dr., Angela Brill

Symposium of Student Scholars

Neologisms are words that have recently entered our language but are only just beginning to be accepted as part of daily usage. As the English language evolves, new neologisms are formed while the usage of certain words may fade into relative obscurity. New words are coined to reflect the changing moods and cultural needs of the time. When it comes to critical race theory, neologisms can be used as a method of spreading awareness and addressing a problem. The Filipino American community is a marginalized group that experiences identity disturbance from the duality of both their nationality and ethnicity. Furthermore, …

The Impact Of Endings, Carolina Solis

Symposium of Student Scholars

This presentation explores the importance of movie endings, and how an ending can impact the audiences’ opinion of a movie. I look at Ronald Bass’ Sleeping with the Enemy, and how he developed Julia Roberts’ character in a way that made the audience believe that not only was she capable of killing her abusive husband, but that she should kill him. I also look at Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption and discuss how Andy’s eventual escape from prison was too much of a surprise to the audience, and how the movie should have ended with Norton’s suicide. Finally, I …

Marriage Story Screenplay Analysis, Kaitlyn Bauer

Symposium of Student Scholars

This presentation examines the story structure of the Oscar-nominated film, Marriage Story (2019), written and directed by Noah Baumbach. The film captures the dissolution of a marriage, following a couple as they navigate life with their son as their marriage unravels. In this analysis, I study how Baumbach crafts the screenplay to explore both subjective viewpoints in the story so the audience does not pick sides in the divorce. This differs from most single-protagonist divorce stories, where the writer tackles the narrative from one character's point of view, favoring one parent over the other. Marriage Story is a dual-protagonist film, …

Gifted Screenplay Analysis, Chloe Ford

Symposium of Student Scholars

Gifted, the film directed by Marc Webb released in 2017, details the story of a single man named Frank (Chris Evans) raising his young niece Mary (McKenna Grace), who just so happens to be a 7-year-old genius. He plans for her to live a normal life; go to public school, make friends, play sports, truly be a kid, but his mother has something else in mind. Mckenna’s grandmother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan) threatens to rip Mary away from her little life in the suburbs, as well as her beloved Uncle Frank. This study analyzes the complexity of the characters in …

Analyzing The Symbolism Of Modern Racial Tension In Jordan Peele's Get Out, Kyra Hammond

Symposium of Student Scholars

In award-winning films, themes surrounding race and ethnicity are typically avoided unless regarded in a historical context. Though, Jordan Peele’s Get Out(2017) breaks these barriers by taking a satirical approach to comment on modern racial issues and stigmas that are prevalent in American society. Furthermore, the film pushes society to finally see and understand the anxiety and racial trauma that African Americans continue to experience. The hidden symbols and messages throughout the screenplay further add to the film’s theme by metaphorically expressing that racism can be covert. With the intention to analyze these symbolic elements, I will break down …

Did Ishmael Know The Raven?: Publisher Evert Duyckinck And The Connection Between Edgar Allan Poe And Herman Melville, Danny Wilson

Symposium of Student Scholars

Although Poe was a social introvert, he knew and was connected to other early American Romantic writers, including Herman Melville. Examining first editions of works by both authors in the Bentley Rare Book Museum at Kennesaw State University, I discovered a common link between them – the publisher and literary critic Evert Duyckinck. In this presentation, I will use evidence from the first editions and the Poe & Melville Archives at the New York Public Library to investigate the nature of the relationship between Poe, Duyckinck and Melville. I found that Duyckinck was Melville’s close friend, however, he was Poe’s …

Using Art To Express Life Stories Of Those With Disabilities, Emily Belinski

Symposium of Student Scholars

Using Art to Express Life Stories of Those With Disabilities

Poster Presentation/Power Point

Undergraduate Student(s): Emily Belinski

Research Mentor(s): Ricky Garner

For many people struggling with disabilities, communicating their thoughts, feelings, or emotions can be quite difficult. Because of this, these individuals often have problems socializing and communicating with others. Although this obstacle makes it harder for individuals with disabilities to convey what they want to, programs, such as online websites and apps, provide these individuals with an outlet to express themselves.

The purpose of this research is to gain knowledge about the usability of various art apps and websites …

Empire, Autochthony, And Identity In Fifth-Century Athens

Symposium of Student Scholars

The fifth-century BCE is a period of Athenian history that is bookended by conflict. It began with the Persian Wars, which established Athens as a major power and gave them claim to their empire. The period ended with the Peloponnesian War, which resulted in the defeat of Athens and the end of their imperial reign. The fifth-century was a period of unprecedented cultural, political, and ideological development, and is one of the most important periods in all of Greek history. Despite the various developments that occurred in the fifth-century, most of the scholarship on fifth-century Athens is concerned with the …

Fruits Of Forced Desire: A Marxist Reading Of Christina Rossetti’S “Goblin Market”, James Greer

Symposium of Student Scholars

Christina Rossetti’s 1859 poem, “Goblin Market,” is a tale of two maidens fearful of goblin merchants who canter about the glen selling an array of tempting fruits. Outside traditional feminist interpretations, the poem demonstrates the Marxist theory concerning commodification and reification. The maidens reveal the process in which human beings become commodities, solidifying Marx’s statement that: “the increasing value of the world of things proceed in direct proportion the devaluation of the world of men.”

Using specific aesthetic features common in the works of art during the Pre-Raphaelite movement, the poem further underscores the overall effects of laborer alienation and …

Native American Representation In Film, Matthew Mccadden

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract: This paper looks at the history of indigenous portrayals in popular culture and how it influenced future film makers to create the Native stereotype in film. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the representation of Native Americans in film and how it affects people’s perception of Native Americans. It looks at the negative associations with Native Americans that viewers tend to think of when viewing cinema, and it discusses the help and harm it has done to the Native American community. I used evidence from classic and contemporary films, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, older genre …

The Musical Application Of Historical Literature, Yazmeen Mayes

Symposium of Student Scholars

This project combines history, literature, and newly composed music. The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, documents the age of “female hysteria,'' a catch-all “disease” for upper-class women acting outside of the social standard. The cure: solitary confinement. Any woman that showed signs of anxiety, creative passion, lack or abundance of sexual desire, or depression was sent to a remote, empty house for months at a time. Gilman describes these houses as exuberantly plain; thus, in confinement, the main character becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper. At the time, these women were considered insane, but the “treatment” …

The Material Wealth Of Slaves In The South, India Daniel

Symposium of Student Scholars

Since its beginning, enslavement of African peoples in the New World has been a topic of great interest. There are many different routes to go, in terms of researching that era and what went along with it. However, because of its extent and variation in different places, there is a great amount of information and stories that have gone untold. This research will help to unpack some of those stories, particularly as it relates to the slaves of the Conner-Field house in Cartersville, Georgia, whose possessions were not typical “slave possessions”. Their possessions help to shed a light on their …

Taste Of Community: A Local Look At Latinx Cuisine

Symposium of Student Scholars

Our research group did a study concentrating on the food culture of the Latinx community in Cobb County, Georgia. Research of three different food sources such as supermercados, food establishments, and different cultural festivals, revealed that food portrays a sense of community, safety, and family within the local Latinx community. The first phase of our research began with questions we had about the Latinx community in general, categorizing them based on topics into framing questions, and deciding to narrow our research into the food category. We asked questions such as, “What are key cultural foods? Where can they be found? …

How Theatre Produced By Autistic People Dismantles The Medical Model Of Disability, Ira Eidle

Symposium of Student Scholars

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability that has a long history of being misunderstood. Said misunderstandings have led to falsehoods about autism and autistic people. The stigma surrounding autism encourages non-autistic people to see themselves as the best advocates for autism, leading to non-autistic people speaking over autistic people constantly. This has come to be known as the medical model of disability. Most autistic people do not consider autism to be a mental illness or disorder. (Kupferstein 2019) That is why when autistic people become informed on these aspects and band together, those misunderstandings can be mitigated. One such way is …

The Latinx Esl Crisis In Cobb County

Symposium of Student Scholars

During our research for the Marietta Museum of History Project, we have found that ESL (English as a Second Language) programs in Cobb County lack funding, mobilization, and awareness. The growing language barrier caused by poorly implemented ESL programs hurts the academic performance of Latinx students. For this reason, it is imperative that ESL programs in Cobb receive more attention. We recommend prevalent community leaders use their influence and take initiative in advocating for this cause. We have already seen strong community involvement among local leaders, such as restaurant owner Juan Violantes, who runs Giovanni’s Children Foundation, a nonprofit organization. …

The Artistry Of Leadership, Ty Lawrence

Symposium of Student Scholars

The Artistry in Leadership

Almost all community organizations and businesses have a mission. In Cobb County, there are several groups that take their mission statements to heart and are able to make a real difference in the community. Latinx-owned or operated groups are exemplary examples of having these powerful statements and executing them, especially the Marietta Georgia’s Theatre in The Square, as well as non-profits like Ser Familia and LCF Georgia. After digging into the mission statements from these Latinx-based groups, we discovered that despite the different outreach objectives these organizations have, they impact the community in the same way-- …

La Situación De La Mujer En El Mundo Hispano, Monica Harris, Samantha Matthews, Jacob Boylan, Malachi Aldridge

Symposium of Student Scholars

No abstract provided.

Native American Representation In Film, Matthew Mccadden

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract: This paper looks at the history of indigenous portrayals in popular culture and how it influenced future film makers to create the Native stereotype in film. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the representation of Native Americans in film and how it affects people’s perception of Native Americans. It looks at the negative associations with Native Americans that viewers tend to think of when viewing cinema, and it discusses the help and harm it has done to the Native American community. I used evidence from classic and contemporary films, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, older genre …

A Synchronic Comparison Of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia From Byzantine Crete, Morgan Bendzinski

Symposium of Student Scholars

Analyzing human dentition is useful in reconstructing past health patterns. Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) is a dental trait that tells biological anthropologists about patterns of stress in individuals. LEH are visible horizontal lines on teeth where the enamel stopped growing during a period of stress such as malnutrition or disease. Comparing frequencies of LEH between sites can demonstrate variation in stress episodes. In this study compared dentition from Chryssi to five other Cretan sites all which date to the Byzantine period (6-12th centuries AD). Chryssi had a significantly higher frequency of LEH than four out of the five sites it …

Narrative Ambiguity In Brahms Op. 38: An Argument For Multi-Movement Analysis, Joseph Grunkemeyer

Symposium of Student Scholars

In this presentation, I will show how the ambiguous ending of the first movement of Brahms Op. 38 is part of a single, multi-movement narrative in which persistent tragic signifiers, metric dissonance, and formal degradation will confirm an overall tragic archetype. Using literature on musical narrative from Cone (1974), Hatten (1994), and Almén (2008), this presentation will analyze the first movement in-depth and show that the movement contains a number of tragic signifiers, including pianto motifs, metric dissonance, and tragic key areas, that suggest a tragic archetype between two characters in a contentious relationship. However, this tragic reading is subverted …

Cota Collaborations: Towards Interdisciplinary Projects In The College Of The Arts, Sarah Joseph

Symposium of Student Scholars

The College of the Arts at KSU is comprised of four departments that offer unparalleled education, artistry, and production. However, they are often function separately from each other. This paper outlines a vision of future collaborations for the college, recommending possible projects to collectively strengthen each of the departments. My research was conducted in a Senior Seminar course, including interviews and survey work within the college. It also stems from my own cross-disciplinary experience as Theatre major and Music minor. Ultimately, the paper will argue that both smaller level (student-lead) and larger level (COTA-lead) are desired and would benefit students …

Stepping Back In Time: Dance In 45 Plays For 45 Presidents, Antwanera Braxton

Symposium of Student Scholars

Stepping Back in Time: Dance in 45 Plays for 45 Presidents

Dances that are specific to their time period, like the minuet, which appears in the play 45 Plays for 45 Presidents, need to be supported with extensive research to ensure that their authenticity is preserved in performance. The play, as a whole, is constructed of forty-five mini plays, one for each of the presidents in America’s history. A few of the plays were musicals, ballets, or just plain dance breaks. Being that the production was done in 2019, and the dances were set in centuries prior, how does …