American Studies Commons^™

Super Soapbox

Emerging Writers

American superhero comics have always had some sort of political/socio-political spin to them. During the Golden Age of the 1930's to 50's, characters such as Superman and Captain America appeared in World War II propaganda fighting the Axis Powers. The following Silver Age from the 50's to 70's became infamous for its self-censorship under The Comics Code Authority, which in practice banned LGBTQ+ representation. However, the gradual retirement of the CCA's regulations allowed titles such as Uncanny X-Men and The Dark Knight Returns to cover heavier topics such as racism and political corruption during the Bronze Age of the 70's …

Where Did Her Torch Glow Go?, Josephine Smith

FUSION

This project is a short video presentation with accompanying written reflection connecting the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, a poem about immigration to the United States, to modern events regarding immigration in the country.

The Ghosts Of Times Square: A Zine Exploring Representations Of Times Square Through Film, Kel R. Karpinski

Publications and Research

My zines are often an extension of my research—either a jumping off point or a way to create a more visual project (or both). They are in their own way a form of excess - they are often too scandalous, too smutty, too much — everything that is spilling out of the margins.

My zines and research focus on lesser known queer histories, trying to highlight them and bring them to a new audience and new generations.

Using zines as a creative form of research, I am able to reach a broader audience both inside and outside of academia. I …

Review Of Falling Into God: My Lay Catholic Journey In Spirituality And Ministry From Family And Home To Vatican Ii And The Holy Spirit To Prophetic Work For Justice And Peace, Rosemarie Pace

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of The Black Practice Of Disbelief, Walter W. Hill Jr.

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

J.K. Rowling’S Loss Of Control: Authorial Anxieties Within The Actor Network, Casey Sausville

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how traditional ideas of authorship are contradicted in the 21st century as authorial power is distributed through an actor network. In this case study, I apply Bruno Latour’s Actor Network Theory (ANT) to the authorship of the fantasy series Harry Potter, in which J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros, and the fandom are all among the co-creators. In doing so, I find that when power has been exercised by other actors in the network, this has in multiple cases been experienced by Rowling as a threat to her security as an author, a woman, and a mother. This is …

Fabricating Decolonial Futures: The Power Of Afrofuturism And Indigenous Futurism, Albert Stabler

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Inspired by important works of speculative fiction, the movements of Afrofuturism and Indigenous Futurism have come to encompass a wide range of works by Black and Indigenous creators, including but not limited to visual artists. In this article I describe my own work as a white high school art teacher in a BIPOC classroom, leading class projects motivated by the fascinating overlaps of traditional practices, social critique, and futuristic fantasy in Afrofuturist art. I then go on to describe speculative creative works by Indigenous and Black artists that have continued to follow this path, particularly using digital tools and new …

Review Of Scattered And Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives And Remade History, Kai H. Uchida

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

In Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History, historian and archivist Laura E. Helton tells the story of six individuals – Arturo Schomburg, Alexander Gumby, Virginia Lee, Dorothy Porter, Vivian Harsh, and Lawrence Reddick – whose practices of radical collecting revalued and recast the importance of Black history. Helton combines innovative methodological readings of previously undervalued archival sources with a keen understanding of archival practice to illuminate Black archives as a site of radical collecting, intellectual inquiry, and community empowerment. Compellingly written with insights about the theory of their curation and the story of …

Charity Simone, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado

Oral Histories

Simone’s path to leadership was inspired by her late mentor, Charles Foster, who encouraged her to be an active voice in their community. After seeing issues with building maintenance and a lack of clear communication, Simone ran for office and was elected Treasurer of her Building Association in 2023. Through this role, she noticed that community work is complex and needs navigating different opinions, yet the experience ultimately reinforced her belief that community is a “verb.” To her, it is an intentional, ongoing action that requires showing up every day to hold the system accountable.

A significant aspect of Simone's …

Review Of Digital Literary Redlining: African American Anthologies, Digital Humanities, And The Canon, Tracy A. Fernandez Rysavy

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

How Questions Of Editing Shape Our Learning: Introducing Students To Digital Manuscripts, Marlowe Daly-Galeano

Feminist Pedagogy

This article presents a pedagogical approach for introducing literature students to digital manuscripts and editorial processes through hands-on engagement with archival materials. The teaching activity centers on May Alcott Nieriker's essay "London Bridges," using four different versions of the text—two handwritten manuscripts, one nineteenth-century periodical publication, and one contemporary republication—to illuminate how editorial decisions shape literary canons and student learning. The four-part assignment integrates literary analysis, manuscript transcription, variant identification, and editorial decision-making to help students understand the material conditions that determine which texts survive and become part of academic curricula. Through this assignment, students gain critical insights into the …

(Introduction To The Special Issue) Restoring Women’S Literary Past: Exploring Digital Recovery Pedagogy Through An Intersectional Feminist Lens, Alice Martin, Tracy A. Fernandez Rysavy

Feminist Pedagogy

In Roopika Risam (New Digital Worlds, 2018) and Lauren Klein and Catherine D’Ignazio’s (Data Feminisms, 2020) recent work, they call for more attention to the intersecting relationships between feminist practice, content, and technical specifications through an awareness of the ways the design and implementation of technology can exclude and objectify people. In response to this, we introduce a special issue on teaching digital recovery in the classroom, with a focus on recovering women writers of America through digital projects.

Figures Of Truth And Justice: Superman & Rock Music, Kelan Vitali

CAFE Symposium 2026

The American comic superstar Superman and rock music are completely different forms of media. One performs acts of heroism, and one is performed on stage. Despite their differences, however, both are prominent symbols of inspiration and moral courage.

Mamma Mia! What Nostalgia!, Asher Leuzzi

CAFE Symposium 2026

An analysis of Phyllida Lloyd's Mamma Mia!, and how it relates to Authentic Rock Culture. Discusses the power of nostalgia, demonstrating that it can be either a positive or negative force. Generally, sound used within this film helps display energy and emotional truth, which allows for complex themes to be revealed.

Faster Than Light, Slower Than Morality, Celena Glaghassi

CAFE Symposium 2026

A philosophical analysis of how Necropolitics by Achille Mbembe and Black Reconstruction in America by W.E.B. DuBois relate to the Reverse Flash and his overall message.

Music As Memory And Narrative In American Graffiti And Dazed And Confused, Jacob Tone

CAFE Symposium 2026

This poster explores how George Lucas’s American Graffiti (1973) and Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993) utilize popular music as a narrative tool to define the evolution of American youth culture. By examining the shift from the unified, diegetic radio culture of 1962 to the fragmented, ironic rock pastiche of 1976, the research highlights how Lucas creates a "communal identity" rooted in sincerity while Linklater captures the "disillusionment" of a generation adrift. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that these soundtracks are not mere background elements but serve as vital cultural archives that mediate between history and cinematic memory, shaping the way …

Instilling Patriotism And Prejudice Through Game Of Battles Or Fun For Boys, Gabby Gavaghan

CAFE Symposium 2026

For my Poster Project, I dove into the underlying socialization and indoctrination embedded within a board game from 1899 called "Game of Battles or Fun For Boys." I explored the overwhelming messages of toxic masculinity, the encouragement of enlisting in the military, and the lack of representation of women and African Americans.

What Is Happening In The World Today And Why: Humanity’S Evolving Consciousness And The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

What is happening in the world today and why? Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels. Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say. However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born--to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be. That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an …

Book Review: More Than A President: Sundays With Jimmy Carter, Harikleia Sirmans

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

The Constant Cause Of Friction: Maud Mosher And Gendered Authority In The Indian Service And At Ellis Island, Ella Morton

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis focuses on the federal career of Maud Mosher, who, from 1893 to 1907, worked as an Indian Service boarding-school teacher, then a matron at Ellis Island. By analyzing Mosher’s extensive, complaint-driven correspondence and personnel files, as well as an unpublished memoir, I claim that her grievances represent a rare form of agency available to women in maternalist roles at Progressive Era federal agencies. Though Mosher’s superiors branded her complaints trivial, the substance of them reveals gendered hypocrisy and institutional contradictions inside two federal institutions dealing with racialized populations.

In both the Indian Service and the Immigration Service, Mosher …