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- Children's stories (American) -- History and criticism (1)
- Comic books -- United States -- History and criticism (1)
- Cultural pluralism in literature (1)
- Families -- Comic books (1)
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- Graphic novels -- History and criticism (1)
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- Indic authors -- 20th century (1)
- Marina Carr (1964- ). Low in the Dark -- Criticism and interpretation (1)
- Marxist criticism (1)
- May Swenson (1)
- Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) -- Criticism and interpretation (1)
- Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004) -- Political and social views (1)
- Mulk Raj Anand (1905-2004). Untouchable (1)
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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
Full-Text Articles in English Language and Literature
Why Write The Ride? Exploring Writing In The Bikepacking Community, Zackary Gregory
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.
Desdemona's Responsibility For Pain In Shakespeare's Othello, Anna Holmes
Desdemona's Responsibility For Pain In Shakespeare's Othello, Anna Holmes
Student Research Symposium
Shakespeare’s portrayal of women has been heavily debated amongst critics from the very beginning. Was he a feminist for his time, subtly pointing out the failings in Elizabethan society’s treatment of women? Or was he instead simply portraying the role of women at the time? I argue that Shakespeare’s nuanced portrayal of women speaks more of the feminist argument, as he writes complex female protagonists in a time when no one believed in these complexities. While some argue that his view of women was sexist from his brutalization and violence against women, I argue that it’s within these confines he …
Caring, Investing, Empowering: Undergraduate Research Mentoring Practices By English Faculty, Emily Powell, Taylor Wyatt, Lauren Mckinnon, Taylor Franson, Kylie Smith, Zackary Gregory, R. Elle Smith
Caring, Investing, Empowering: Undergraduate Research Mentoring Practices By English Faculty, Emily Powell, Taylor Wyatt, Lauren Mckinnon, Taylor Franson, Kylie Smith, Zackary Gregory, R. Elle Smith
Student Research Symposium
Mentoring undergraduate research has received attention in scholarly publications, particularly in STEM areas (Pierszalowski & Buser, 2021; National Academies; Pathways to Science). More general advice on mentoring appears in Temple et al (2010) and Vandermaas-Peeler et al, 2018). Attention to mentoring undergraduate researchers in the humanities has been addressed by Behling (2009), Klos, et al (2011), Crawford et al (2014). Grobman and Kinkead (2010) include a section on mentoring in their Undergraduate Research in English Studies. What are the characteristics of faculty mentors in a department of English? This study seeks to determine a profile of effective mentoring in this …
Becoming A Poet: The Moment Of Metamorphosis, Lauren Mckinnon
Becoming A Poet: The Moment Of Metamorphosis, Lauren Mckinnon
Student Research Symposium
The moment a writer qualifies for the title of poet is undetermined. To gauge if such a moment exists, I launched a mixed method study comparing the perspectives of different published poets. During my study, I interviewed three Cache Valley poets who have their own published books of poetry. In addition, sixteen Utah State University creative writing contest winners were surveyed. My study aims to i) determine the extent to which we can say that there is a decisive moment of change when an individual becomes a poet; and ii) identify the key factors which constitute this shift in identity—sudden …
Not Your Grandma's Kitchen: Recipe Cards In The Digital Age, Emily Powell
Not Your Grandma's Kitchen: Recipe Cards In The Digital Age, Emily Powell
Student Research Symposium
With the rise in popularity of food bloggers and social media chefs, how do recipe cards function in a digital age? Although scholarly literature addresses the history of cooking, little research focuses on the recipe card, its history, and its use. Originally, recipe cards were not intended to be kept or treasured as family heirlooms. They served purely functional purposes, acting as prompts to housewives when cooking meals and later to promote new technology and foods in the culinary industry. Even with the rise of the internet, many hold onto old recipe cards. This study looks at the history and …
Dynamics Of Difference: Creating A Translingual Class At Utah State University, Rebecca Elle Smith
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 …
The Fabric Of Genius: Examining The Material Choices Of Creative Writing Graduate Students, Kylie Smith
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.
The Buried Giant: Unearthing The Corruption Of Organized Religion, Maryn Van Tassell
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 …
The Tragic Loyalty Of Sir Gawain, Annie Heywood
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 …
Beaver Mountain Oral History Project, Hannah Tullis, Gillian Coldesina, Sadie Nellis
Beaver Mountain Oral History Project, Hannah Tullis, Gillian Coldesina, Sadie Nellis
Student Research Symposium
This research is being conducted by the students of ENGL/HIST 6720, a skills-based course in ethnographic fieldwork and oral histories. The class project is focused on gathering oral histories about Beaver Mountain’s history and community by conducting interviews, transcribing these interviews, and taking photographs. The resulting interviews, transcripts, and images will be deposited in the USU archives as a digital exhibit. These oral histories will be accessible not only to future researchers.
A Tale Of Two Textbooks: 1960s And 2020s, Taylor Wyatt
A Tale Of Two Textbooks: 1960s And 2020s, Taylor Wyatt
Student Research Symposium
Composition and Writing studies courses have changed significantly in the wake of the Dartmouth Seminar in 1966. The Dartmouth Seminar was a meeting of English and American scholars, shifting from a product orientation to teaching writing to one based on process. Textbooks are an often-forgotten aspect of composition/writing studies classrooms. This research is a mixed method approach that considers the pedagogical and wider discipline implications of two distinct textbooks used in different times: one from before the Dartmouth Seminar, Communication Skills: The Basic Course, and the second a contemporary example, Focus on Writing: What College Students Want to Know.
In Service To The Narrative: The Buried Giant Through A Folklore Lens, Vinn Mcbride
In Service To The Narrative: The Buried Giant Through A Folklore Lens, Vinn Mcbride
Student Research Symposium
Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2016 novel The Buried Giant has a history of causing contention over how it should be read. Literature, fiction, fantasy, historical fantasy, and other forms have all be the jumping off point for many analysts, but this paper argues that perhaps the best way to read this work is as an analysis of Western literary canon and violence through the lens of oral folklore. Using Axel Olrik’s Epic Laws of Folk Narrative or sagenwelt offers insights into how the novel functions as an examination of characters bound up in predestined narratives due to the nature of their original …
Vital Change Needed In Shift Of Focus In Mental Institutions, Emma Carver
Vital Change Needed In Shift Of Focus In Mental Institutions, Emma Carver
Student Research Symposium
Mental Illnesses and disorders are at an all time high in American history with little being done to try and aid such an epidemic. Mental Institutions that focus solely on the short term solution need to shift their focus to long term care to prevent issues such as; mental, emotional and financial stresses on the family or individual felt from caring for struggling individuals. To conduct my research, I used library and internet resources to gather primary and secondary sources all focused on mental illness and mental institutions. I used sources by underrepresented scholars concerning different first hand experiences with …
Pest Houses, Quarantine, And Smallpox: Utah Newspapers Reporting On Quarantine In The Early 1900s, Ericka Stone
Pest Houses, Quarantine, And Smallpox: Utah Newspapers Reporting On Quarantine In The Early 1900s, Ericka Stone
Student Research Symposium
This presentation focuses on the methods and rhetoric newspapers used to report on smallpox quarantines in the early 1900s. Newspapers from throughout Utah are examined, with special attention given to articles published within or written about the Cache Valley area. The goal of this presentation is to highlight the ways in which newspapers established quarantine regulations, reported on smallpox cases and negligence, and dealt with rumors and misinformation. Overall, it is concluded that newspapers were a valuable source of information and mass communication during the smallpox epidemic in the early 20th century.
Making The Old New: The Recontextualization Of Tree Spirits In Video Games, Alexandria Ziegler
Making The Old New: The Recontextualization Of Tree Spirits In Video Games, Alexandria Ziegler
Student Research Symposium
Folklorists study the active rituals between humans and deities, as well as the inactive participation between them in narrative. However, they do not study the active participation that comes in the form of video games between them, though with shifts in society, this new way of engaging through digital forms is widespread and accessible. In my research, I studied Russian and Japanese tree spirits in a variety of video games to understand this new form of engagement with ancient deities. Through the lens of hypermodern and folkloresque folklore, I use the concepts of recontextualization and traditionalization to explain why video …
The Failed Promise Of Private School Voucher Systems: How We Can Learn From Previous Systems In Future Endeavors, Sarah Curtis
The Failed Promise Of Private School Voucher Systems: How We Can Learn From Previous Systems In Future Endeavors, Sarah Curtis
Student Research Symposium
Voucher systems have been enacted in a number of states, giving government grants to students in order to attend private school institutions where they may not have had the financial ability to before. Voucher systems have claimed to ensure the prosperity of students as they aim to provide religious freedom, special needs education, and opportunities for academic excellence. This promise has held popularity among its supporters, but looking at decade old systems now reveal that this simply isn’t true and has stirred controversy around vouchers. While school vouchers promised higher test scores, they have failed to provide such results when …
Say Gay, Miranda Wiener
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 …
Diversity Within Literature, Amrutha Obulasetty
Diversity Within Literature, Amrutha Obulasetty
Student Research Symposium
While our secondary classrooms grow more and more racially/ethnically diverse, common sense would tell us that our literature needs to reflect that, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of books that include diverse racial and ethnic representation. The issue is not the lack of literature but rather the lack of exposure to students in secondary schools in the US. Through my research, I question the dichotomy between the racially and ethnically diverse literature that exists and the racially and ethnically diverse literature that is in the hands of our students. After placing published scholarship in conversation with one another, …
Say Gay, Miranda Wiener
Say Gay, Miranda Wiener
Student Research Symposium
The HB-1557 bill, deemed the 'Don't Say Gay' Bill by critics, has officially passed in the Florida Senate and will be enacted into law. The law targets discussion in the classroom towards LGBTQ issues and dynamics, eliminating these discussions all together. This bill will eliminate a potential safe space for LGBTQ students and will reinforce the idea that LGBTQ issues are a 'taboo' subject. By only eliminating LGBTQ discussions, the mental and physical health of youth apart of the LGBTQ community will decrease and students who are not apart of the LGBTQ community will lose the opportunity to create an …
Social Students, Social Scholars: How Usu English Graduate Students Use Social Media, Taylor Franson
Social Students, Social Scholars: How Usu English Graduate Students Use Social Media, Taylor Franson
Student Research Symposium
This research study focused on social media usage of USU English graduate students within the Utah State University English Department. The case study and interview results showed that few English graduate students have received advice on how to use social media, despite believing social media could be used to advance their careers. Many believe networking could be crucial to being published, creating contacts within the English world, and furthering their academic career, but few know how to go about this. This study suggests that there is room within the English department to create opportunities for English graduate students to learn …
May Swenson's Exploration Of Existence And Purpose Through Poetry, Lauren Cunningham
May Swenson's Exploration Of Existence And Purpose Through Poetry, Lauren Cunningham
Student Research Symposium
May Swenson explores the idea of belonging, purpose and life by exemplifying that these topics are affected by nature, upbringing, and the environment surrounding an individual, as well as exploring if we experience life or if we are life. Through her writing, Swenson argues that all life is equally valuable, and a being’s purpose is dependent upon belief and circumstance. Presentation Time: Wednesday, 9-10 a.m. Zoom link: https://usu-edu.zoom.us/j/81298203941?pwd=WXZkRjhqdlZNTVlidXk3UnB1K2VtUT09
“It Lurks In The Saying, Not What’S Being Said”: Possible Worlds Theory And Gender Performativity In Marina Carr’S Low In The Dark, Andie Madsen, Susan Reese
“It Lurks In The Saying, Not What’S Being Said”: Possible Worlds Theory And Gender Performativity In Marina Carr’S Low In The Dark, Andie Madsen, Susan Reese
Student Research Symposium
Low in the Dark by Irish playwright Marina Carr is an absurdist play that focuses heavily on concepts of gender as performance. It does so mainly through role-playing scenes in which two same-gender characters reenact a heterosexual relationship. These scenes can be tied to Marie-Laure Ryan’s conceptions of the four kinds of textual alternative possible worlds (TAPWs) within possible worlds theory: fantasy, wish, obligation, and knowledge. An analysis of the play’s role-playing scenes in conjunction with gender performativity and these four types of TAPW reveals the constructed-ness of gender norms within the work, which further calls into question a strictly …
How Lust Was Lost: Genre, Identity And The Neglect Of A Pioneering Comics Publication, Robert Hulshof-Schmidt
How Lust Was Lost: Genre, Identity And The Neglect Of A Pioneering Comics Publication, Robert Hulshof-Schmidt
Student Research Symposium
In 1950, St. John Publications published what is arguably the first graphic novel. It Rhymes With Lust was illustrated by Matt Baker, one of the first and most prolific African Americans in the comics industry. It was written by Arnold Drake – a long-time comics creator – and Leslie Waller – a respected novelist. Despite the talent arrayed and the historical significance of its timing, the novel has been largely ignored by comics scholars, historians, fans, and collectors. This paper carefully lays out the historical context for the publication of this “picture novel,” reviewing the state of the comics industry, …
Representation Of The Mother’S Body As A Narrative Conduit For Wartime Themes In Saga, Bess Pallares
Representation Of The Mother’S Body As A Narrative Conduit For Wartime Themes In Saga, Bess Pallares
Student Research Symposium
“Representation of the Mother’s Body as a Narrative Conduit for Wartime Themes in Saga” examines how both diagetic and extradiagetic art creates a visual syuzhet to convey themes of interdependence and transgenerational memory in the comic book series Saga. My method of research was a narrative analysis of volumes 1-4 of Saga, particularly focusing on the artistic representation of two mothers’ bodies within the narrative and on covers of the books, as related to the themes and story. As a result, I found in the artistic syuzhet that the representation of two characters’ bodies as they interact …
Family And Social Roles In Queer Children's Literature, Nicolas Toscana Brouhard
Family And Social Roles In Queer Children's Literature, Nicolas Toscana Brouhard
Student Research Symposium
This research investigates family and social roles in queer children's literature. It provides a thematic analysis of popular titles published during the last decade. It argues that heteronormative and queer-identified protagonists in these stories have identical values concerning family and society. The analysis includes "In Our Mother's House" by Patricia Polacco, "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, "King & King" by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland, and "Donovan’s Big Day" by Leslea Newman. The analysis focuses on how characters relationships and their commitments to each other such as weddings. It also explores how they take …
The Marxist Stream Of Untouchable, Daniel Blanchard
The Marxist Stream Of Untouchable, Daniel Blanchard
Student Research Symposium
This presentation was given as part of the Panel Presentation Studies in Postcolonial Modernism at Portland State University's Research Symposium. The study investigates Mulk Raj Anand's 1935 novel, Untouchable, through a Marxist lens, following its main character, Bakha, through his trials and tribulations. It argues that through Bakha's religious inquisitions, and frustrations with his experiences as a Hindu outcaste, he comes to realize himself as a class entity, part of the Marxist process of the proletariat's rise to power. Bakha evolves throughout the novel, from being uncritical of his own materialism and egoism, to recognizing his ethics as unrepresentative of …