Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Sex Toys In The City- The Sex Toy Market Vs. Profit, Culture And Education, Abigail M. Jobe

Student Research Symposium

Since the development of sex stores, the product appeal has been directed toward cisgender men and excluded other groups, creating an experience exclusive to the male gaze. With this, products sold at early sex stores often did not appeal to the female population and excluded queer and gender non-conforming individuals altogether. These original sex stores objectified the female body and many of these traditional stores still exist now. However, in the 1970s, feminists began to create sex stores directed toward women and they in turn became hubs for information as opposed to just sex stores where women could shop comfortably …

Beyond Craigslist Personal Ads: Contemporary Usage Of The Label T4t, Madi Lou Alexander

Student Research Symposium

Trans for trans relationships (t4t) are a special type of connection specific to transgender individuals, whether in the process of [re]affirming one’s gender identity and/or finding and building community. Originating from Craigslist personal ads, t4t indicates a trans person seeking out another trans person. What are these t4t relationships like for the trans people involved in them? With this research, I hope to evaluate and define the range of what t4t relationships are, hypothesize how t4t relations foster a sense of connection for the transgender individuals in said relationships, and explain why community amongst those who identify as transgender is …

Effects Of Language Status, Community Advice, And Parent Beliefs On Heritage Language Maintenance In The U.S.: A Scoping Review, Isabelle Trujillo, Jasmine Loeung, Carolyn Quam

Student Research Symposium

This scoping review of qualitative research examines effects of language status, community advice to parents, and parents' beliefs on heritage language maintenance within a U.S. context. The review was guided by three research questions: 1. What is the nature of the relationship between a heritage language’s (HL) status in society and language maintenance across generations? 2. How does information parents receive from community members (e.g., health professionals, teachers, friends/family) influence their beliefs about the HL? 3. How do parents’ beliefs about the impact of a HL on academic/career success influence HL transmission? Thirty-four articles met inclusion criteria. Three themes were …

Mindspace: A Multi-Media Art Exhibition On C-Ptsd Awareness, Emma Wallace

Student Research Symposium

"Mindspace" is an autobiographical art exhibition aimed at raising awareness about Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) through a multi-sensory experience. The exhibition combines sculpture, lights, sound, and video projection to immerse viewers in the intricate emotional landscape of C-PTSD. Through a series of sculptural installations and carefully curated lighting and audio, visitors are invited to explore the internal world of an artist affected by C-PTSD and learn how it differs from PTSD and other types of mental health issues.

“Mindspace" incorporates specially composed soundscapes that offer an intimate look into the artist’s thoughts and memories, which range from spoken word …

Gangism: An 'Elementary Form Of Religious Life', Robert Northman

Student Research Symposium

This study is intended to examine the question: could gangs be a form of religion? The study will examine Steven Cureton's ethnographic case study of a street gang as found in his work titled Hoover Crips (2008), where I will then analyze the findings within the sociological framework of Emile Durkheim’s theory of religion as set forth in his classic book titled Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912).

This exploration faces challenges as the terms “gang” and “religion” are both hotly contested, and discussions on each have largely occurred independently, leaving a significant gap for this research to address. This …

How Does Protein Content Of Flour Affect Sourdough Bread?, Julie Eggett, Callie Goble, Whitney Nelson

Student Research Symposium

The goal of this experiment was to evaluate if the micro-differences in protein content of bread flour made a difference in volume, air cell size, appearance, texture and flavor of sourdough bread. The flour used in this experiment included Bob’s Red Mill Artisan Bread Flour, Big J Mill Golden Loaf Bread Flour, Gold Medal Bread Flour. The protein contents were 13%, 12.7%, and 10.5%, respectively. The bread was baked using a standard recipe with only the brand of bread flour varying from sample to sample. The samples were then objectively and subjectively measured. Volume of bread samples of equal weight …

Reason And Rationality In The Post-Pandemic Era, Jordan Schwanke

Student Research Symposium

My research investigates human reason and rationality's proper function and role in the Post-Pandemic Era. First, humans can intuit reasons for their beliefs and intuitions. But more importantly, reason is the metarepresentational ability to evaluate the strengths or weaknesses of reasons and arguments. Reason, through the process of evolution, is fundamentally used for justification and argumentation. Second, individuals can summon reason to justify an established moral intuition. Argumentation helps interlocutors self-reflect on political and moral beliefs, opinions, and intuitions, influencing people to change their minds. Third, human reason and rationality are accompanied by internal cognitive limitations: confirmation bias influences the …

The Zionist Mindset: How The Perception Of Israel Pushed Mormonism Toward Apocalypticism, Andrew Barber

Student Research Symposium

Since its very inception, and regardless of sect, the Mormon religious movement has always shared a similar ideology of Millennialism, the belief that Christ is preparing the world and especially Israel, for his imminent return. But especially, the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has felt a parallel between their religious persecution and exodus to the Salt Lake Valley, and the similar Jewish Exodus and religious persecution both in the Old Testament and during the Holocaust.

Sunrise Mental Health Clinic, Kassie Kunzler

Student Research Symposium

How color affects our mental health and how we can apply it in interiors to help in the healing process.

Re-Imagining Labor And Delivery Facilities In Hospitals, Kenley Roberts

Student Research Symposium

This labor and delivery hospital wing has been redesigned with the woman’s needs in mind. Modern mothers want more natural birth experiences. There is many popular fads going around where women are having at home and underwater births. This is unsafe especially if complications arise and cannot get to the hospital fast enough. These re-imagined labor and delivery rooms create a safe environment that feels less like a sterile hospital and more like a home. These hospital rooms provide better comfort for the mother when laboring and delivering as well as the family.

Analyzing State Reactions To Panserbjørne Coup: A Case Study In Realism, Athena Dupont, Lyra Belacqua Silvertongue

Student Research Symposium

In a global climate of instability and increasingly volatile political shifts in both election-based and non-election-based governments, it is critical to understand how states react to sudden changes in leadership in other nations. While there are numerous theories that try to account for the decision-making processes on an international scale, few of them withstand application to historical case studies. One such study, the 1990s overthrow of Svalbard's King Iofur Raknison by the disgraced former king Iorek Byrnison, offers unique insight into the reactions of other nations. While the Panserbjørne nation is not generally considered a world power, its regional hegemony …

Film History Digests, Nathan A. Varner

Student Research Symposium

Film History Digests is a web series created by Nathan Varner and chronicled popular culture's smaller and underrepresented parts. This project showcased collaboration, innovation, consistency, and determination for a small team. In return, we uncovered the decades-long mystery, shined a light on mental health, and provided a subtext of non-partisan political discourse all over a year.

Dual Colonization Of Okinawa: Gendered And Militarized Violence, Katie Y. Hashimoto

Student Research Symposium

Off the southern part of Japan is the small archipelago of Okinawa. Making up only 0.6% of Japan’s total land mass, Okinawa hosts 74% of the nation’s U.S. military bases. Since World War II, the U.S. military has grown a dominating presence on the islands, inevitably influencing the lives of the locals. A portion of Okinawans have since been protesting for the removal/reduction of these bases through what is known as the Anti-Base Movement but have been largely ignored by the governments of Japan and the U.S. At first glance, these protests seem to be centered around environmental issues, land …

Disentangling The Nazis And The Vikings, Arden Goldberg

Student Research Symposium

In the development of nationalism, and specifically white ethnonationalism, the Norse have played an unfortunate role, and one that deserves a closer interrogation. In the larger scheme of white nationalism, those who seek to directly appropriate Norse symbology and a reconstruction of their own ideal of Norse culture are a relative minority, but they remain a minority which taints the study of Norse history. In this talk, I will examine how Norse symbology and identity has come to be appropriated by white nationalists, compare the racist perceptions of the Norse with knowable historical realities, explain the usefulness of Norse symbology …

Community Resource Center, Molly Hercules

Student Research Symposium

This project highlights the importance of a safe space and intentional design- specifically when working with refugees in mind. The presentation will touch on the current global refugee crisis and propose a design plan for a refugee center; focused on alleviating these problems.

Personality Based Career Exposure: A Poster Series, Abigail Evans

Student Research Symposium

The idea behind this project is to create a poster series that challenges students to begin thinking and exploring their future in a low pressure way. If the educational system begins introducing ideas of different career paths earlier on, will the transition from late-high school to higher level education and real life be more empowering for students? While this may seem simple, many curriculums deflect different ideas of career decisions until students reach approximately 17-18 years of age or older. This issue could be resolved by posters included in this series passively hanging on a wall for students to contemplate. …

Historic Buildings: The Impact On Sustainability And Design, Sierra Stuart

Student Research Symposium

Historic districts or buildings are commonly found in many cities or towns and are often associated with a charming feel, but there is so much more. They hold hidden values and stories that play a role in each space. Historic buildings greatly impact sustainability by reducing material consumption and energy that could have been used to tear down a building and build a new one. Creating a sustainable space may look like restoring windows, adding insulation, and specifying durable furniture and furnishings with the space. When historic buildings are designed with a careful and knowledgeable mind, they can add to …

Memento Mori Photography Exhibition, Hailey Larson

Student Research Symposium

Artists Statement: I am an artist because art and photography allow me to escape the reality of life and imagine something new. It allows me to see past my own life and into someone else's, whether it be past, present, or future. As a deaf person, I grew up only experiencing half of the world's sound, forcing me to rely heavily on my vision and piece together life around me through visual storytelling. It’s why I think photography piqued my curiosity from such a young age. Because to take a picture is to capture a piece of reality. As I …

Why Write The Ride? Exploring Writing In The Bikepacking Community, Zackary Gregory

Student Research Symposium

While bicycle touring generally denotes multi-day trips ridden on paved routes, bikepacking emphasizes riding unpaved roads and narrow single track to out-of-the-way destinations. Bikepackers will often spend all day scrambling up and down rocky mountain trails and desert roads. Many Bikepackers recount their trips on social media, in personal journals and in publications like The Bikepacking Journal. This study investigates the relationship between writing and bikepacking, and considers what bikepackers gain by putting their experiences into words.

Creating Safe Spaces For Women Through Architecture And Interior Design - Expressed Through The Design Of A Queer Women's Bar, Riley Robbins

Student Research Symposium

Safe Spaces are so important to marginalized communities​. These spaces have been severely lacking for queer women. There are currently around 1,000 bars for cisgender gay men and 15 for queer women across the entirety of the United States of America. This research explores the design of a Queer Women’s Bar and how it can become a safe space.​There is currently a movement called the Lesbian Bar Project that ​seeks to increase these safe spaces and keep them in place. A big problem they have is getting people to keep coming back. This research explores that and how a bar …

Dynamics Of Difference: Creating A Translingual Class At Utah State University, Rebecca Elle Smith

Student Research Symposium

With social justice topics like racial inequality on the rise, some universities are creating curriculum that emphasizes how language standardization privileges some while disadvantaging others. I propose that USU should create an English class that emphasizes linguistic justice topics like the power dynamics and consequences of utilizing languages outside of English in essays and writing projects. My research project investigates what it would take to create a linguistic justice based English class at USU through the lens of translingualism. I created a mixed methods study where I analyzed translingual syllabi and interviewed lecturers in the USU English department about creating …

Waterwise Landscaping In The Intermountain West, Brynne Larsen

Student Research Symposium

Utah is the second driest state in the United States of America. Yet, the average Utahn uses more water to keep their lawn green than they do on anything else, including indoor use such as bathing, cleaning dishes, and washing laundry. To use our water wisely and most effectively, Utah residents need to rethink their yards. This means cutting out as much grass as possible and replacing it with a more water efficient landscape. However, a yard without grass can still be appealing. The Utah landscape is full of beautiful and diverse drought tolerant plants. This project focuses on how …

Creating A Fresh Start, Brooklyn Hawes

Student Research Symposium

This 3,200 square feet office space has been refreshed for a new purpose of giving a fresh start to the unhoused residents in New York City. This space was once an economic hub for small businesses where deals were made and money was exchanged. Some New York residents have been on the other side of the coin where money is harder to come across, resulting in becoming unhoused. The main factors that lead to unhousing are the lack of affordable housing, unemployment, substance abuse, or mental illness. This space is now home to assisting less fortunate people to a new …

The Fabric Of Genius: Examining The Material Choices Of Creative Writing Graduate Students, Kylie Smith

Student Research Symposium

In recent years, the material culture of writing has been an important topic of study for composition scholars. Though many studies examine the material choices of many types of writers, including creative writers, researchers have yet to examine whether or not individuals use different implements to perform different writerly identities. This case study, examining three graduate students in Utah State University’s department of English, asks which writing implements individuals choose to complete creative writing tasks, and whether those differ from implements chosen to complete critical or academic writing tasks.

Workplace Design After Covid-19, Mikaela Simmons

Student Research Symposium

There is going to be a dramatic change in office design as COVID-19 is on a downfall. The ‘new workplace’ is the future of design and is something that designers are trying to figure out right now. Through industry research, one-on-one interviews, and tours of different offices I found answers to how the future of our offices is going to work.

The Buried Giant: Unearthing The Corruption Of Organized Religion, Maryn Van Tassell

Student Research Symposium

The Buried Giant is a fantasy novel that has resurrected many of the characteristics of the medieval romance genre. Noble warriors and knights embark on a quest to slay a dragon and face other supernatural antagonists. In this resurrection of genre, what tropes and themes have been re-imagined or subverted for a modern audience? In this presentation, I will illustrate how Kazuo has taken traditional tropes of the medieval romance genre and manipulated them to send a new message about organized Christian religion. I will examine how Kazuo has swapped traditional character roles, called in biblical parallels, and used beautiful …

Social Media's Impact On Mental Health In Teenagers: Evaluating How Different Groups Are Affected, Maren Jacobsen

Student Research Symposium

There are patterns of discrimination and comparison on social media that contribute to minority groups and females having worse mental health. These teenagers are experiencing depressive symptoms and anxiety as well as body image issues and decreased self-worth. This project aims to evaluate which groups of teenagers have more severe mental health problems because of social media. Research was conducted using library and online databases and evaluating primary and secondary sources. I paid close attention to studies connecting mental health issues with social media use among different groups of teenagers. Through my research, I found that females, LGBTQ+ teens, teenagers …

The Tragic Loyalty Of Sir Gawain, Annie Heywood

Student Research Symposium

Sir Gawain was one of the most popular figures from Arthurian legend in medieval England. His absolute loyalty to Arthur, no matter the circumstances, was greatly admired. In every story, Sir Gawain is completely loyal to Arthur, even when Arthur is in the wrong. He is willing to make any sacrifice, whether it be his life or his honor, to protect Arthur and his legacy. However, modern critics have found a darker side to his total loyalty, ideas that Kazuo Ishiguro examines in his novel The Buried Giant. Ishiguro explores the darkness that war can bring out in even the …

Say Gay, Miranda Wiener

Student Research Symposium

On February 8th, 2022, Republican Representative Joe Harding of Florida proposed the “Parental Rights in Education Bill''. Under this Bill, classroom discussion from grades k-3rd grade will be exclusively heterosexual and will limit how much teacher’s can say in regards to the LGBTQ community in those grades. The bill states that a school “may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate”. Within the LGBTQ community, mental health is at a staggering low. Thoughts of guilt, self-hatred and fear lead to thoughts or acts of suicide …

Recidivism And Interventions: A Measure Of The Effectiveness Of The Criminal Justice System, Andelin Hutchings

Student Research Symposium

Looking at the rates of recidivism in the United States is a valuable piece of information that we can use to determine the effectiveness of our criminal justice system. When I evaluated the information we currently have, I found that our rate of recidivism is among the highest in developed nations, at around 76.6%. My objective was to investigate the current programs and interventions already in place in order to determine the efficacy of those interventions in reducing recidivism. In order to do this, I read many different peer-reviewed articles, making sure to pull from Marginalized and Underrepresented Scholars. After …