Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Woman, Queer, Jewish: The Sociopolitical Importance And Impact Of Identity Labels, Megan Polun

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

In this thesis, I trace and analyze the historical, social, and political uses of three identity labels: woman, queer, and Jewish. These three identity categories are personally important to me because I identify as a queer, Jewish woman. The questions motivating this analysis are as follows: How have these words been defined and who gets to define them? What has it meant historically to move through the world with one of these labels, and what does it look like today? What qualifies someone to identify with one of these labels, and what experiences or qualities do we share? What challenges …

How Understanding History Through Historical Fiction Affects Gender Relations, Samantha Eastman

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

In supporting how understanding history through historical fiction affects gender relations, it is important to look at not only the studied value of historical teaching but also the history itself. The history of women, particularly women of color and other marginalized groups, is often neglected in the Public Education system globally. In higher-level education, educational gaps are not always addressed. Understanding what led to the core values popularly held in society today can simultaneously allow us to reevaluate them. This thesis examines three major periods in US history where women were negatively affected by the standards and beliefs of the …

The Monster Of Management, Alexandra Meise

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

This thesis aims to cross examine the philosophy, history, and psychology of power dynamics as seen in literature, teamwork case studies, and parenting styles. Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein defines what it means to be in an unequal power dynamic. This thesis develops Shelley’s story into one of interpersonal relationship philosophy. It is both counter argument and continuation of the cited works. Management case studies support the philosophical claims through comparison of fictional, hypothetical, and real-life scenarios. Over the course of research, an unexpected discovery placed trust-based conflict at the core of innovative team success. This thesis shows the long …

Breaking Bias, Building Belonging: Racism And Misogyny In Campus Communities, Kayla Batalha

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

Breaking Bias, Building Belonging: Racism and Misogyny in Campus Communities is a project that uses art as a research medium in order to first understand how the Bryant community perceives issues of race, gender, and bias, as well as using creative modes of expression to educate participants on issues that are often invisible and go undiscussed on campus. Using qualitative and ethnographic research methods, this exhibit is infused with both primary and secondary research. Data gathered from the literature review explores the theme of community, which serves as the foundation for this project that was subsequently narrowed to focus on …

Nsfw: Not So Feminist Women - A Media And Cultural Studies Analysis Of Working Women In Popular Media, Josephine Schofield

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

Even though gender diversity of characters has increased in television shows and films, this study hypothesized that female characters who are presented as feminist icons function as feminist backlash and perpetuate negative and harmful stereotypes. This was found to be especially true for career-focused women. Applying a cultural studies approach to reading television and film studies through a feminist lens identified the antifeminist factors that continue to cause the perpetual loop of independent women reverting to dated social roles. This research connects what audiences consume through popular media to how they perceive their female co-workers. The findings of this study …

Is The End Just The Beginning? The Study Of The Effect Of Reverse Culture Shock On American Students When They Return Home From A Semester Long Study Abroad Experience, Madeline Mastrianni

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

This qualitative study explores symptoms of reverse culture shock experienced by U.S college students upon returning home from a study abroad program. This qualitative study explores the relationship between the timing of when American students returned home from their study abroad program and reverse culture shock. Participants in this study include American students who participated in a semester-long study abroad program outside of the country. These students share their study abroad experience through a semi-structured survey or an interview process. This study specifically examines the time element of when these students returned home from their study abroad experience. Did the …

The Intersectionality Of Mindfulness And Art Of Marina Ambramovć, Alex Chace

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

The purpose of this creative project is to conduct a cross-content interpretive synthesis on the “Intersectionality of Mindfulness and Art of MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ”. In this context, mindfulness is indicative of the conscious awareness of the present moment. Marina Abramović’s body of work explores concepts such as power and hierarchy, art and existence, artist and audience. Its extensive nature encompasses painting, photography, film, objects, installations, and, most famously, performance art. The works are vessels for journey toward inner freedom from suffering. This is why Marina Abramović declares: Art is transformation of matter. There is no “before” and “after.” What solely exists …

London Moves East: How The Olympics Impacts Host Communities, Aaron Bonsu

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

While the Olympics desire to remake its host communities through economic and housing reform to the benefit of local people, its housing legacy does not adequately serve the intended communities. By using a case study approach, the London 2012 Olympic Games was analyzed through a provisional codebook created based off of academic research on the concept of legacy and the Olympics. In this analysis, the London 2012 Games were found as not serving the needs of the local population. While there is a strong commitment to creating a tangible, impactful legacy, a lack of government focus on delivering public goods …

Stand-Up Comedy And The Clash Of Gendered Cultural Norms, Marlee O'Keefe

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

This paper examines the use of gender roles and norms in stand-up comedy, specifically in Western culture. Western culture has constructed social norms and ideas about gender through a binary way of thinking. Culturally constructed gender norms influence stereotypes and expectations for how people should act, think, or appear. Many within this culture become uncomfortable when those expectations are not met in either of the two binaries. Comedians have plenty of material to turn into humor when they focus on the ironies created when behavior, institutions, or ideas do not fit neatly into a binary. This will be exemplified through …

Behind Valencia: A Contemporary Play, Emily Charbonneau

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

SYNOPSIS The purpose of this play is to highlight the length that modern females go to in order to maintain a desired appearance, especially across social media. These desired appearances are influenced by the glamorous and unrealistic looks and physiques that are prevalent in the media. Essentially, the primary goal of these characters is to attract the attention of their male counterparts because of the gender roles society promotes. This shallow lifestyle can be completely consuming for impressionable, young females.

Write What You Know: The Process Of Writing A Young Adult Novella, Grace Morgan

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

One tragedy, two lives changed forever. This novella follows the paths of two characters coping with the death of loved ones. It examines the themes of grief, friendship, family, self-discovery and inner strength. Specifically, how these things manifest and change after experiencing extreme loss. The dual narrative compares and contrasts the varying ways people react to grief. This project on creative writing followed the writing process from brainstorming to final draft.

Poems For My Woofie The Story Of Lt. Wilfred V. Michaud, 1st Parachute Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Allison Orr

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

My senior capstone project is the creation of a book of investigative poetry. The subject of the work is my grandfather, Wilfred V. Michaud. He was a lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. The poetry addresses the history of Michaud’s battalion and the battles it fought, as well as personal stories of Michaud’s life and experience in the service. Several secondary sources were used to gain historical context for the poetry. Additionally, primary sources were used to provide information about Michaud’s personal experiences. The combination of primary and secondary sources established the necessary background and …

The Evolution Of The Villain In American Cinema, Kelsey Mcclure

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

The villain character has evolved greatly throughout American cinema. Post World War II, the evolution is most striking by comparing films from the 1950s, 1970s, and 2000s. With a selection of four movies from each respective decade, the villains will be contrasted to identify any similarities and differences across decades to determine if the political environment has an impact on the way in which the villain character is portrayed.

Objective:

The purpose of this project was for me to determine if villains were constructed based on views of the American people at the times in which the films were created. …

My Life Examined & Tweaked, Shana-Kay Smith

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

My project is an exploration into my love of poetry. It consists of a collection of twenty-seven poems that I have written and revised over the course of a year. Over that time period, I have worked on approximately forty-five poems, but I chose only twenty seven for my final portfolio. To demonstrate what my writing process is like, I have kept a book (separate and apart from the final portfolio) of all my thoughts, inspirations, drafts and revisions for the poems I write, so that the growth of each can be seen.

The majority of my poems are in …