Arts and Humanities Commons^™

How Space Affects Perception In St. Louis, Alexis Cushshon

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Space: the distance from other people or things that a person needs in order to remain comfortable (Merriam-Webster "Space" 2018). When looking at space, especially in a neighborhood; it is important to have safe and habitable spaces to create positive social interaction and dialogue. “Our moods and emotions color the lenses—including “moral lenses”—through which we see the world … and by extension also architecture, can have a non-negligible influence on mood and emotion and…this is true not only with individual structures but with, for instance, entire layouts of a community or with landscapes” (Haji, Cuypers, & Joye 2013). In a …

What Will Happen To Black Transgender People?, Derrius Washington

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

In this project, I asked what was likely to happen to black transgender people if federal civil rights law no longer formally protected transgender people from discrimination. To answer this question I explored what the potential ramifications might be for black transgender Kansans and black transgender folks nationally if the Supreme Court were to reverse the U.S Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in Harris Funeral Homes v. EEOC (a case that held anti-transgender discrimination was against the law because of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, a law that bans discrimination based on sex).1 I studied the …

Argument For The Absurd, John Dotterweich

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Feed, The Society of the Spectacle, and The Myth of Sisyphus help answer the question: how do you live authentically in an inauthentic world? As modernity and trends occupy us in different ways, we must decide how to use our time fruitfully. Keeping up with latest trends, news, and social media not only is exhausting but disjointing from meaningful experience. Total rejection of technology and norms can lead to isolation from those who do keep up with them. In other words, alienating your self from others leads to a lack of socialization, something that makes us happy members of society. …

The Decline Of Tradition & Civilization: Mishima And The West, Suan Sonna

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

On November 25, 1970, the prolific Japanese author and right-wing nationalist Yukio Mishima performed ritual suicide. His demonstration disturbed the literary, political, and intellectual world of Japan and has had far-reaching implications for the world. In this analysis, I offer a brief biographical sketch of Mishima’s life and how he became one with his philosophy, politics, and literature. My ultimate aim is to show how the hyper-“modernization” and westernization of Japan parallels many of the same conflicts Western Civilization is currently facing with the collapse of both modernity and tradition. To do this, I examine five themes of Mishima’s work …

The Battle Of Trenton, Jacob Mikuls

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The paper considers the elements that were necessary for the Battle of Trenton to be successful and also the impact that the battle had on the remainder of the war. There is little doubt in my mind that without the Battle of Trenton the British would have won the Revolutionary War. It is George Washington’s skill as a leader and elaborate use of strategy and even spying that helped the Continental Army to secure victory at Trenton. The paper discloses the way that Colonials perceived Washington and also delves into the aspect of Nathanael Greene’s impact at the battle and …

Lesser-Known Virtues: How The Ordo Virtutum Reflects Hildegard Of Bingen’S Monastic Worldview, Nathan Dowell

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

The Ordo Virtutum, a twelfth-century musical drama by abbess Hildegard of Bingen, details a now-familiar theme: the spiritual battle between personified Virtues and the Devil over a human soul. Because this theme formed the basis for the later morality play genre, Hildegard is now considered to have written the first morality play—even though she lived three centuries before the genre became popular.

Like her work, Hildegard is also experiencing newfound prominence for predicting future trends. As a medieval musician, scientist, and abbess, Hildegard’s contributions to numerous fields are gaining increased attention. However, one consequence of this attention is that Hildegard’s …

Clyde Cessna's 40, Ethan Levin

Kansas State University Undergraduate Research Conference

Just outside of the rural town of Rago, Kansas is a 40-acre farm that belonged to Clyde Cessna: aviator, inventor, and founder of Cessna Aircraft Co. Cessna had an impressive aviation career that placed him as the Henry Ford of aviation, spanning decades into the early 20th century. He was an innovator in the new field of aeronautics. Today his legacy is seen in the air with the name Cessna printed on the sides of countless airplanes. The untold part of the story is that without his 40-acre farm for support, Cessna would have been grounded. Clyde Cessna put his …