Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Leapfrog & How To Half-Bake, Zachary Bajuyo

Scholars Week

The first piece recounts an early experience with frustration and the feeling of breakthrough when learning.

The second piece recounts an early experience of giving up.

James Baldwin's Classroom And What He Can Teach Us About Queer Representation, Matthew Callahan

Scholars Week

James Baldwin writes about the importance of the representation of race in school classrooms in his essay A Talk to Teachers. Baldwin's discourse surrounding the representation of race in schools can be extended to the queer community and the importance of representation in the classroom of these marginalized communities. Combining Baldwin's essays and fiction with educational research, I plan on highlighting the importance of representation of marginalized communities in the classroom and the role that educators play in ensuring that all students feel seen in the classroom.

Caring For Those That Care For Us: Impact Of The Mexican Social Security Law Reforms On Pregnant Domestic Workers, Kaitlyn Sutton

Scholars Week

Kaitlyn Sutton

Kaitlyn Sutton is a senior Human Resources Management and Spanish double major from Louisville, Kentucky. She developed a passion for foreign language during her first semester at Murray State University and was able to further her interest by studying abroad on the Maya Mexico KIIS trip in 2023. It was during this program that she first learned about the importance of domestic workers in Mexico and was inspired to explore their workplace rights from the perspective of her other undergraduate degree in Human Resources. After graduation, Kaitlyn plans to attend Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee in order to …

Fallen Kingdom: A Novella, Sarah Black

Scholars Week

Fallen Kingdom is a work of fiction that falls into the category of fantasy/romance. Exploring themes of PTSD and loss of self, we begin in a world on the brink of ruin. After The Fall, Scarlett finds herself in an unknown land, hunted, injured, and alone. She has few memories of her arrival or the time before--memories that become ever more frequent as a world of magic takes shape around her. Fallen Kingdom is a fast-paced, striking adventure that documents her struggle with responsibility, friendship, and love.

Effective Imagery In Scientific Etextbooks, Jordan Moore

Scholars Week

This presentation overviews the benefits of eTextbook images in the fields of science.

In With A Runny Nose, Out In A Body Bag: Why Is It So Difficult For Black Women To Leave The Hospital Alive?, Chelsea Carter

Scholars Week

In the Black community, there is an unspoken understanding about Black people going to the doctor with a runny nose, and leaving in a body bag. A recent article published by The Oprah Magazine demonstrates that racism is rampant in the United States healthcare system, and it is taking the lives of Black women at an alarmingly disproportionate rate (Stallings, 2018). When seeking medical treatment, many Black women are at the mercy of doctors who possess an implicit bias against Black women. Simply put, implicit bias describes the phenomenon in which people behave and treat others based on negative preconceptions …

Entertainment Media Perceptions Of Minorities In Young Adult Adaptations, Kynnadie Bennett

Scholars Week

This is an exploration of stereotypical and racist portrayals of minorities, specifically African-American, Latinx, and Native American communities, in film and television in the past and how that has affected representation in film adaptations of young adult literature. Young adult literature is one of the highest-selling genres in literature, purchased by both young adults and actual adults. In recent years, young adult literature has been adapted into film and television series and while representation has improved since the early years of entertainment history, there are still problems in the industry: many of the stereotypes remain, some minorities lack representation, and …

A Virtual Life: The Nijisanji Project And The Risks Of Online Content Creation, Cayden Hernandez

Scholars Week

There are several security and privacy risks within the realm of social media and the lifestyles of social media influencers. Some YouTubers and other content creators, however, are under contract with certain agencies and sponsors, giving access to assistance in case of privacy breaches, such as information doxing. However, Virtual YouTubers (VTubers) and content creators are in a different category, as they are typically represented by a virtual avatar, which suggests that they are more protected; similar to typical content creators, though, VTubers are also at risk. If their information were leaked, the outcome could be more severe than that …

The Music Of Japanese Animation, Danielle Toney

Scholars Week

Danielle Toney

Graduating in May, Danielle is a Japanese major with a minor in Music. Danielle has been studying Japanese for 6 years, and went to Doshisha University in Kyoto for two semesters in 2019 for an intensive study abroad program. Danielle has been active in Murray State’s Japanese Club for 4 years, which includes being Vice President in Fall of 2020. Danielle is also active in Murray State’s Japanese Language Table and practices speaking Japanese weekly with colleagues and friends. After graduation, Danielle will return to Kyoto to study Music Composition at Kyoto City University of Arts.

The Music …

Artist Talk: Malcolm Fife, Malcolm Fife

Scholars Week

MALCOLM FIFE

RECENT WORK

Artist Talk

Art 399

The Repeated Bout Effect For Prevention Of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness In Dancers, Gabriella Ross

Scholars Week

Dancers use the act of changing their body position in relationship to space to create art. Without muscles, dancing, creating, and expressing themselves would be impossible. Which is why taking care of their muscles is extremely important to dancers. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is one of the most common muscular injuries for dancers but can threaten a dancer’s career. Determining methods that can minimize DOMS can help dancers avoid further serious injury. This study will look at implementing the Repeated Bout Effect (RBE) to a dancer specific environment.

Oulipian Codes, Wittgensteinian Games, Borgesian Labyrinths: The Potential Literature Of Gravity’S Rainbow, Stephen Haines

Scholars Week

This intertextual analysis discusses the multimodal links between Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Borgesian metaphorical imagery and story structure, Oulipian mathematic and textual experiments, and Wittgensteinian linguistic philosophy. This analysis also draws on the work of Katherine Hayles in Writing Machines in that it seeks to identify the ways in which a work such as Gravity’s Rainbow requires non-trivial engagement from readers, what Hayles calls “ergodic” engagement, thereby transcending many of the traditional conceptions and functional limitations of texts. The goal of this analysis is to attempt to demarcate Gravity’s Rainbow as a unique form of textual experiment, one both …

Crochet Cuties: 3d Soft Sculpture, Michelle Hughes

Scholars Week

“Crochet Cuties” is a collection of 3D soft sculpture. All works are created through the process of crochet. This project sparked through a class assignment in my 3D Forms in Fibers course. The assignment was to create crochet sculptures. I decided to create a fruit basket full an assortment of fruits and one citrus. Overtime this practice has turned into a small business of sorts where I have converted my life size crochet fruits into earrings and keychains. I find a lot of love in handmade art especially ones that can be shared, gifted and purchased. I also find great …

Imprisoned: Rehabilitate Society, Bailey Bennett

Scholars Week

As an African American woman who has witnessed family members incarcerated in addition to my father’s employment with the Department of Corrections, I have always been fascinated with the prison system. My passion for this complex subject has inspired my art and writing, urging my audience to interpret a different point of view. Through investigating the modern prison systems, in my writing, Imprisoned: Rehabilitate Society, I shed to light the true horrors lying beyond cold prison walls. By incorporating a renowned African American poet, Etheridge Knight’s poem, I cracked the surface in regards to the racial stigmas of incarceration. I …

This Is For You. Investigating Memory Development In Modern Dance, Cierra Johnson

Scholars Week

The purpose of this project is to explore memory development and connection through multiple facets of human interaction. “This is for you.” is a solo dance project that explores connection and intimacy through one on one performance sessions across a virtual platform. The piece focuses on what it means to be completely present in the current moment. As each one on one session is explored, there is opportunity for both performer and viewer to embrace a new way of seeing and being together through the channel of technology. The pictures and attached video represent some of the content explored during …

"Infinitely Reorienting" Three Dance Bfa Candidates Wwu Dance Program Department Of Theater And Dance Choreography In Collaboration With Wesley Ensminger, Hannah Goebel

Scholars Week

This project is titled, “infinitely reorienting” and consists of a series of video clips posted to social media via Instagram and Facebook each week for 8 weeks (Week 1 was posted on April 24th and Week 8 will be posted on June 19th.) These clips consist of sections of what was supposed to be a full length dance BFA solo but due to COVID-19, was forced to be a virtual screendance. On June 19th (the 8th and final clip), we will post a final edited video of all the previous week’s clips. In the clips, the songs, “Put Your Head …

"Family Portrait: Insert Here"An Artistic Multi-Media Manipulation Of Familial Cultural And Racial Identity Exploration As A Multiracial Student., Josie Szankiewicz

Scholars Week

"Family Portrait: Insert Here" by Josie Szankiewicz (Photograph printed with graphite pencil drawings, white pencil, acrylic paint on watercolor paper) I have gazed deeply into every face of the individuals photographed in this family portrait of the Szankiewicz family. This photograph was most likely taken in 1923 in New York, shortly after the family’s immigration from Poland. Though I will never know much of the stories of each of these individuals, I have constantly felt the pull to delve into the mystery of my family’s history. Although I feel a clashing of cultural identities, due to my Japanese-American identity and …

Simon Mcneil, A Bfa Pecha Kucha, Simon Mcneil

Scholars Week

An assigned Pecha Kucha of my BFA work while under the Covid 19 pandemic

Karli Steinbruegge, Karli Steinbruegge

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind: Edgar Allan Poe's Use Of Concealment, Alyssa Hubbard

Scholars Week

In his short stories “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe uses the act and outcomes of concealment as a way to deal with guilt and introduce consequence. By examining each of these examples, we can see that how and where Poe's narrators hide the bodies of their victims directly impacts their mental health and how quickly their crimes are discovered.

Hawthorne’S Beautiful Women And Hideous Men: Ecofeminism In “The Birthmark” And “Rappaccini’S Daughter”, Olivia Shelton

Scholars Week

This paper aims to compare Georgiana and Beatrice’s beauty through an Eco-feminist lens. It examines how the men in each story set unrealistic beauty standards for women in order to be dominant. The men use science to create these standards and destroy nature or the women’s natural beauty and they kill them in the process. This paper argues that Hawthorne addresses Eco-feminist ideas within “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter” through the destruction of Georgiana and Beatrice. The paper includes background information, a definition, and other key ideas involved with Ecofeminism. The paper focuses on the association of men with society …

Die Hard: A Case Study Of Masculine Romance, Elizabeth Tretter

Scholars Week

Works of the Romance genre have long been regarded as “chick flicks” or “chick lit,” leaving scholars to question the long-standing, gendering stereotypes of romances as feminine and action/adventure works as masculine. This paper explores the connection between romances and action/adventure films by applying Northrop Frye’s six phases of romance outlined in his Anatomy of Criticism to the traditional masculine adventure film Die Hard. Not only does this application highlight strong evidence of romantic elements in Die Hard, but also, the analysis reveals a major gender disparity when it comes to feminizing the Romance genre. Why this disparity …

Syncretic Diabetes Management In Mexico: Towards Equitable Health Outcomes, Halley Egnew

Scholars Week

Starting in 2000, Mexico’s healthcare system has undergone a huge redesign. This specifically increases access treatment for diabetes, which is one of the fastest growing chronic diseases in Mexico. Modernization of the health system has had unequal effects on diabetes treatment in the north versus the south of Mexico, as the more urbanized north has a larger access to treatment centers and hospitals. In the south, many patients don’t have access to biomedicine and rely on traditional medicines to treat diabetes. These traditional medicines do have efficacy in lowering blood glucose, along with addressing other symptoms of diabetes. Additionally, southern …

Analysis Of Motor Learning For Optimal Success In Dance Choreography, Caroline Schmidt

Scholars Week

The objective in this research proposal is to explore the process of motor learning in a real world dance experience. Through working with choreographer Lillian Barbeito of Bodytraffic Dance Company for the Dance BFA Capstone, I will be able to answer the question to what extent does one succeed in a dance rehearsal setting through the process of motor learning. This research is important for breaking down movement and analyzing it for optimal success and injury prevention. With this in depth analysis, a stronger understanding of motor learning and movement will be obtained.

Study Drugs For Underprivileged Children, Joshua Watkins

Scholars Week

Abstract

The effects of stimulant medication have been beneficial for individuals with Narcolepsy and especially individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Keisha Ray has offered a solution in her academic work that could help also help underprivileged children. The solution she is proposing is to offer stimulant medication to them. In this paper, I assert my thesis, offering stimulant medication to underprivileged children would not be a good, right, and practical solution to helping their social inequalities. The treatment/enhancement distinction in medicine is elaborated between Ray and me. The definition of what is a healthy normal functioning body and a …

American Bolsheviki: The Beginnings Of The First Red Scare, 1917 To 1918, Jonathan Dunning

Scholars Week

A consensus has developed among historians that in the early months of 1919, widespread panic consumed the American public and government as many came to fear a Bolshevik coup of the United States government and the undermining of the American way of life, and this fear persisted until 1920. Known as the First Red Scare, this period became one of the most well-known episodes of American fear of Communism in US history. With this focus on the events of 1919 to 1920, however, historians of the First Red Scare have often ignored the initial American reaction to the October Revolution …

Exalted And Debased: Psychological/Sexual Conflict As Bildungsroman In Half Of A Yellow Sun, Anne Lance

Scholars Week

While many still view the Bildungsroman, novels of formation or coming of age stories, as the purview of stuffy formation novels like Dickens’ Great Expectations or Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, there is significant scholarship that suggests a recent revolution in the genre that centers women, people of color, and males in post-colonial or war-torn spaces.

My paper examines Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2006 novel Half of a Yellow Sun as an example of a Bildungsroman through the focalization of one of the main characters, Ugwu, as he endures two psychologically conflicting sexual experiences, one …

Multilingual Nahuatl Children’S Literature: Giving Nahuatl A Voice In The Literary World, Tyler Covington

Scholars Week

No abstract provided.

Victor Frankenstein, Mary Shelley And Prometheus In The Role Of Creator., Victoria Walker

Scholars Week

This paper tries to compare and contrast the fictional characters Victor Frankenstein, Prometheus, and the writer Mary Shelley and their role of creator.

Victor’S Dual Diagnosis: An Exploration Of Mental Illness In Frankensteinian Times, Elizabeth Tretter

Scholars Week

Victor’s Dual Diagnosis: An Exploration of Mental Illness in Frankensteinian Times

Before the advances of modern psychology, treatment of the mentally insane consisted of cruel and torturous methods that involved beating, starving, or bleeding patients often until the point of death. It was not until the late eighteenth century that a revolutionary kind of moral treatment was introduced by William Tuke, an English Quaker and founder of The Friends’ Retreat. Founded in 1879, the small retreat in York set the precedent for future asylums with their meticulous record keeping that included their own standardized diagnoses and symptoms of mental illnesses. …