Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Wordsworth’S Guide To The Lakes, Dr. Nicholas Mason

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As I worked with Shannon Stimpson on her 2010 honors thesis on William Wordsworth’s Guide to the Lakes, she and I regularly lamented that no one had produced a widely accessible, modern scholarly edition of this major work. With this in mind, after Shannon’s thesis defense I proposed that she, my colleague Paul Westover, and I collaboratively produce a new edition of the Guide. In the months that followed, we received a MEG grant from the university, recruited two undergraduate students (Rachel Wise and Emily Young) to help with the project, and used most of the grant money to travel …

Emotional Response To Late Medieval Plague, John D. Young, Larry Bolick

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Black Death and subsequent outbreaks of bubonic and pneumonic plague in late medieval Europe violently jarred the European mind-set. Particularly damaging were the intense emotions fostered in the hearts and minds of common Europeans during this pivotal period. By studying the emotional responses to these plague episodes, we may gain a deeper understanding of the medieval European weltanschauung, for the emotionally-charged documents of the plague period reveal much about the values and conventions of medieval society. From these documents we may reconstruct, to an extent, the collective and individual mind-set of plague-stricken Europe.

Emotional Response To Late Medieval Plague, John D. Young, Larry Bolick

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Black Death and subsequent outbreaks of bubonic and pneumonic plague in late medieval Europe violently jarred the European mind-set. Particularly damaging were the intense emotions fostered in the hearts and minds of common Europeans during this pivotal period. By studying the emotional responses to these plague episodes, we may gain a deeper understanding of the medieval European weltanschauung, for the emotionally-charged documents of the plague period reveal much about the values and conventions of medieval society. From these documents we may reconstruct, to an extent, the collective and individual mind-set of plague-stricken Europe.

Summary Of Research On The Narcissus Myth And Its Variant In Turn- Of-The-Century French Literature, Stephen B. Vaisey, Dr. Scott M. Sprenger

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of my research was to identify the origin of a deviation from the classic Ovidian myth of Narcissus that Professor Sprenger noticed in the Traité du Narcisse of Andre Gide. Gide’s Narcissus dies by drowning while trying to embrace his own image in the river, while Ovid’s traditional account has Narcissus die by the side of water and turn into a flower. In addition to searching out the origins of this variant, I also made it my goal to discover the reasons for its appearance or reappearance in Gide’s work.

Implementing A Woodwind Maintenance Program, P. J. Woolston, Dr. Christian Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Because of the emphasis on performance in the BYU School of Music, a student’s most important tool, the instrument itself, is often grossly neglected. Woodwind instruments are particularly susceptible to deterioration. As keys are repeatedly pressed and manipulated, instrumental noise (the clicks and squeaks of keys interacting and pads closing) worsens and detracts from a performance. Dust accumulates between the pads and the wood, compromising the seal made by closed keys. Thus the quality of music depends largely on the condition of the instrument. Generally, and especially for instruments lent out by the school, this problem is not addressed until …

Isaiah’S Use Of The Second Person Feminine Pronoun And Verb Form In The Hebrew Text, Lisa Steinmetz, Dr. Donald W. Parry

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research on Isaiah is still an ongoing project that I have been working on since January 1999. As of August 1999, I have identified all Hebrew passages in the Masoretic text of Isaiah in which the second person pronoun or verb form varies in gender from the simple English “you” that one reads in the Holy Bible. I accomplished this by systematically reviewing the Hebrew text of Isaiah and documenting any gender changes in the second person pronoun or verb form. I plan to compile my work into a simple, organized format that is easy to read so that …

Three Art Installations At Sundance Resort, Utah, Michael Whiting, Brian Christensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This creative grant resulted in three sites of sculpture that were displayed at Sundance resort, April 1 through April 30, 1999. These three sites were intended to create a dialogue between the man made objects themselves and their surroundings. The project explored the ability to transform the meaning of a specific site, through the manipulation of sculptural space, at the same time exploring the relationship between man and nature.

Summary Of Creative Research Grant Results And Artistic Statement, Marguerite Mcquarrie Whitley, Bruce Hixon Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The outcome of my final show was different than what I had originally proposed when I applied for an ORCA grant. I began as I had planned, studying the figure in sessions at the Springville art museum, and I had started and nearly completed 15 smaller paintings with the largest dimension being 15 inches. In these paintings I used images from magazines and sketches in a collage approach. With these paintings I made the mistake of wanting to include everything: environment, objects, and people. Upon showing these images to a couple of professors working with me on my final show …

A Testimony In Art And Artifacts: The Paul Chesman Exhibit, Nathan Whetten, Dr. Marti Allen, Dr. Alan Parrish

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The subject of my project was former BYU professor Dr. Paul Cheesman and his collection of Pre-Columbian artifacts. During Dr. Cheesman’s collecting years there was significant numbers of collectors, with many different goals. Many collections were made for museums, or by archaeologists, or by people just seeking interesting objects. My goal was to examine Dr. Cheesman’s purpose in collecting and to mount an exhibition of his artifacts in the JSB.

Samuel Harrison Smith, A Prophet’S Brother, Don B. Taylor, Dr. Richard Bennett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Latter Day Saint history is full of records concerning our founder and first prophet of this dispensation, Joseph Smith, Jr., including extensive works on his personal history, teachings and ministry. For all that we do know about him however, there exists a lack of detailed history of his siblings. The focus of this project is to look into the great life of one of them, Samuel Harrison Smith, Joseph’s younger brother.

The Effects Of Live Harp Music On Caloric Intake, Weight Gain, And Length Of Stay Of Infants In The Newborn Intensive Care Unit, John Wallace Gardner, Dr. Rosalie R. Pratt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Prematurely born infants begin life with underdeveloped systems and organs and lack the stability to live optimally outside the womb without significant support from technology and trained professional staff. Preterm infants may suffer from low weight, difficulties with consumption and digestion, exposure to high stress, uncontrolled motor movement, and numerous other difficulties. Most of these infants spend their first weeks and even months of life as high-risk patients in a newborn intensive care unit (NBICU or NICU).

Who Am I? Identification And Ideology Within Multimedia Games, Brian Hochhalter, April Haws

Journal of Undergraduate Research

John Steinbeck noted in Travels With Charley that “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

So I have found in my research efforts. I originally embarked on a journey to investigate narrative cinema techniques that have been adopted by multimedia games, determine which of these techniques effectively engaged players, which don’t, and report my findings. Specifically, given the use of cinematic techniques in recent games, I sought to use theories of how films affect spectators to guide my investigation. As I have come to know the subject more deeply I …

Developing Film Processes, Ryan Little, Tom Lefler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a student of cinematography I have focused most of my studies on “Sensitometry,” the science of measuring the response of photographic emulsions to light. The way in which a film is exposed, processed and viewed can affect the degree to which the film=s sensito-metric and image structure potential is realized. Knowing what a film is designed to do is an absolute necessity for any serious cinematographer.

Women’S Needlework In Eighteenth-Century England And America: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, Hilary Pothier, Dr. Martha Peacock

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the past eight months, I have completed a great deal of research in a cross-cultural comparison of women’s needlework in England and America during the eighteenth century. The majority of my research focused on women’s embroidery in England during the time period, because I had already spent considerable time researching the American portion of my project. My research revealed that on both continents, the religious subjects of embroidered wall hangings were quite similar. However, a greater amount of England’s population had leisure time to complete such activities. The more vigorous frontier lifestyle of the settlers in New England did …

Intervention, Mormons, And The Orozco Revolution, Douglas P. Larsen, Dr. Shawn W. Miller

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the summer of 1912 several hundred Mormon colonists fled their homes in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. They feared for their lives as retreating Orozquista bands moved through the region. Despite revolutionary activities since 1910, the Mormon colonies had enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence until the defeated troops of Pascual Orozco began returning to their homelands. This sudden change in circumstances raises the question of why the Mormons were forced to leave. A stream of Americans had left Mexico since the beginning of the Revolution. However, such a large body of people had not left en masse before. …

Orientación Prenatal En Acapulco, Guerrero: Las Señales De Alarma Durante El Embarazo Y Las Fuentes De Información Relacionadas Con Ellas, Douglas J. Fife, Benjamin D. Fox, Graciela Agnela Javier, Don Bloxham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The preliminary report of the findings of this study were written in Spanish so that the data could be of use to the local health organizations and the University of Acapulco Medical School in Guerrero, Mexico. Although the findings were written in Spanish, we do not want to limit the findings of our project to the Spanish literate population and for this reason we have written this brief summary in English.

Lds Vernacular: English-Samoan Glossary, E. Paia Su'a Palmer, Dr. Eric Eliason

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My lexicographic project involving the production of a Samoan-English glossary for LDS vernacular had a strategy flaw which was not evident until I was into the project. Accordingly, I have made necessary design modification. The first two of the four phases which I originally proposed consisted of distilling from available translated Church literature and scriptural texts a reasonably comprehensive English list with Samoan translations. I augmented the literature research with ethnographic observation and survey of the LDS Samoan speech community in Utah, specifically members of the Heritage, Sauniatu, Mapusaga, and Vaiola Wards in Salt Lake City. The aim for a …

Transcribing And Editing Oral Histories Of Teton Valley, Idaho Residents, Tyler Mckellar, Don Norton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Teton Valley is located in Eastern Idaho, bordering Wyoming. Dominating the valley landscape is the Grand Teton mountain range. Blackfeet, Shoshone, and other Indian tribes frequented the area in their search for food. Fur trappers and mountain men followed, using the Teton basin as the location of their annual rendezvous. Mormon settlers began arriving in the 1880’s.

Text And Context: Creating And Developing Resources For Students’ Stud Of Literature And Culture, Jarom L. Mcdonald, Dr. Ed Cutler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the most beneficial tools for the study of literature is a working knowledge of the culture that influenced the authors of that literature and helped give rise to the social attitudes, feelings, and movements which that literature is trying to reflect. Having first-hand recognized the difficulty of trying to study literature in a “vacuum,” so to speak, my goal was to collect research and develop resources to help future students understand certain aspects of specific cultures and their relation to the literature that they are studying.

Irrigating Deserts With Just Sentiments: C.S. Lewis On Education, Jennifer L. King, Dr. O. Glade Hunsaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst” (C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, p. 37).

In his The Abolition of Man, C.S. Lewis lays out the foundations of his philosophy on education. While many of Lewis’s writings on Christianity are well read and accepted by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his writings on education are not as often explored both in and out of the Church, probably because they are generally less accessible to the …

Cultural Regulation: The Disparity Between Crtc Regulation And Public Demand In Quebec, Chantelle Komm, Dr. Harrison Powley

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As proposed, I spent this summer in Quebec listening to the radio and making comparisons between the amount of French I heard on the radio, the amount of French mandated by the CRTC, and the amount of French in non-regulated spheres. The two areas I looked at for comparison were Quebec City which is the largest completely francophone area of Quebec and Hull, which situated right across the river from Ottawa, finds itself immersed in English and anglophone culture.

Creating A Pre-Inventive Film, David Paul Graham, Tom Lefler

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Traditionally, narrative films begin with a story to be told and every decision made in the film making process should take into account what would best in order to tell that story. I proposed to create a narrative film a very different way. I thought it should be possible to create a pre-inventive film where the pieces of the film exist before inventing the story.

Newspaper Readership And Education Level In Egypt, Colin Harlow, Dr. R. Kirk Belnap

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Egypt has produced some of the greatest literature in the world and is quite known for its magnificent language, Arabic. Arabic is a symbol itself of the Arab’s society and has always been considered more than a form of communication, that is the writing itself is a form of art and Arabs learn from the beginning to write this language in a celebrated prose form that can be seen in the Qur’an and most serious works of literature. This form of writing, called Classical Arabic, or fuSHa, is, in itself, different than the colloquial spoken Arabic that differs according to …

On Creating Demand, Molding Paradigms, And Satisfying The Soul, Gregory Wells, Adrian Pulfer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Introduction Graphic Design is a practical art. It is a vehicle for communication. Or, more precisely, it is the creation of the vehicle of ultimate impact for a specific purpose. Unfortunately, this fact tends to relegate design to a relatively late stage in the development process. Designers are commonly consulted only after executives have conceptualized the product, identified the target market segment, and made feasibility decisions. My goal for this project was to make graphics an integral part of the research and development process from the beginning; to make informed business decisions regarding the launch of a new concept restaurant …

Where We Seek The Light, Tami Foulger, Peggy Honey

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As proposed, the research portion of my project included both the investigations into the physical benefits of light as well as the spiritual needs of light. We also refer to this light as “His” light or the light of Christ. The creative portion of the project was carried out with a set of watercolors.

(Con)Text, Christopher Lynn, Gary Barton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Within the field of semiotics, methods of communication (languages) are separated into three distinct categories: signifier, signified, and sign. The signifier is a thing, like a ball. The signified is a definition or concept of the thing: a ball is a spherical object. When the signifier and signified are combined, the result is the sign. The French semiotician Roland Barthes in his essay, “Myth Today,” stated that “the signifier is empty, the sign is full, it is a meaning.” He goes on to equate the “sign” with the “word,” or in other words, the symbol which acts as proxy for …

Gethsemane Series, Sarah Ludlow, Robert Barrett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

From my Fall 1998 submission of an ORCA proposal, I have since been extremely involved in the completion of my proposed project. As an Illustration major seeking a religious emphasis, I feel that the worth of a picture is to develop and motivate the mind to a better understanding of the truths of this eternal world. I proposed to paint a series of five large narrative paintings depicting the last three hours of Christ’s life in the Garden of Gethsemane. Because of the sacred nature of this project I felt like it was very important to increase my own knowledge …

Cultural Paintings, Wendy Balderson Keller, Robert T. Barrett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Illustration has the ability to create awareness of different cultures in a way that can educate and inspire. As the church continues to expand globally, the leaders of the church have recognized the need for increased understanding and appreciation of the rich ethnic diversity which exists. President Hinckley stated, “We must resolve to live together in a society of men and women of diverse backgrounds, interests, and cultures. We must live with respect and tolerance and understanding one for another. We can and should retain our individuality, and respect that of others, while nurturing together a great society dedicated to …

Indian Illnesses Due To Mercury Poisoning At The Colonial Spanish Mining Community At Huancavelica, Peru In The Sixteenth And Seventeenth Centuries, James D. Harrop, Dr. Kendall Brown

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Spanish mining operations in the Americas during Colonial times were operated by the only supply of manpower available to the Spanish; the indigenous peoples. Huancavelica was a mercury mine essential to the continued production of the silver mines. Mercury was necessary to extract silver from ore and was rarely found in such high deposits as at Huancavelica.

Summary Of Creative Research – Furniture Design, Virgil Loggins Merrill, David Taylor

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objective of this research project was to design and create two original pieces of furniture. The conclusion was much more. There were initially two developments to this project, the first being the design process, and the second being the manufacturing process. Through the design process I was able to deal mainly with the aesthetics of the two pieces of furniture. As I tread through the stairway of my imagination, I produced drawing after drawing until I had decided upon the two pieces of furniture. The one being a table, and the other, being a chair. The design process is …