Arts and Humanities Commons^™

A World Between Worlds: The Hidden Disconnect Of Chinese Autistic Individuals, Joy Lu

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper examines the complex challenges faced by Chinese autistic individuals navigating both Western autism communities and broader Chinese cultural contexts. Drawing on personal experience, community observation, and cultural analysis, it explores how language barriers, cultural stigma, and differing values create a unique form of disconnection for the Chinese autistic community. This paper argues that current neurodiversity discourse is dominated by Western frameworks that often fail to account for this disconnect, resulting in the exclusion of entire groups. By centring Chinese perspectives, it calls for a more culturally responsive approach to autism advocacy: one that bridges linguistic, cultural, and historical …

Parking Lot Lights, Rachel Furey

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Infinite Loops, Betsy Selvam

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Artist’s Statement: In this composition, blue arms and hands loop through one another, their curved pathways forming an infinity symbol, representing autism and neurodiversity. The intertwining arms create loops that depend on one another for completion, and no single form stands alone, but rather each contributes to the pattern of the whole. This signifies interdependence and how the individual is part of a larger collective. As with Infinite Links, I used a palette of blues, the overlapping colors and curves creating depth and fluid movement while maintaining chromatic unity. The spectrum of blues also suggests the heterogeneity within the …

Neurodivergent Kintsugi, Jenée Stanfield

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Jenée Stanfield is a late-realized, neuroqueer woman living in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse and her dog. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and is currently working towards a MS in Restorative Practices at the International Institute for Restorative Practices.

She has presented professional development workshops and conference sessions on topics related to neurodivergent community and neurodivergent-affirming restorative practices in higher education. She co-founded a neurodivergent staff and faculty community at the college where she works as an advisor.

Overflowing: A Visual Memoir, Margaret Gonzalez

Honors Projects

My collection, Overflowing: A Visual Memoir, is a series of mixed-media collages bound into a book, depicting formative experiences that have shaped who I am during my time at Grand Valley State University. They are an autobiographical exploration of self-discovery, expression, gratitude, and turbulence. I fell in love with the art of collage after creating a piece inspired by Hanna Höch for my History of Photography class. Since then, I have continued making collages. I haven’t gotten to take many art classes at Grand Valley, but creating has always been a constant in my life. So, I wanted to culminate …

The Gravedigger, Arielle Soukal

Honors Projects

A city of old brick buildings, rich history, and winding waterways.

Welcome to Soli.

In the city center lies a crescent-shaped island that houses a park hiding more than just a body. When a pregnant Dryad is found on the forest floor looking as though she belonged on an autopsy table, Sentinel Ashwyn Nyx is called onto the scene by the local Warden. Piecing together her death with the assistance of the Warden's team of young Officers, Ashwyn vows to see the end of the case and bring peace to the woman's family. But things aren't as they seem, as …

Day In The Life Of A Labor And Delivery Nurse, Jordyn Roel

Honors Projects

"Day in the Life: Labor & Delivery Nurse," explores the profound duality of labor and delivery from a nurse’s perspective. It will honor the sacred role of the labor and delivery (L&D) nurse, whose hands both welcome new life into the world and comfort those facing the unimaginable pain of loss. This piece aims to offer a deeply human and empathetic portrayal of the realities of this field, showcasing both the breathtaking beauty of birth and the profound grief of natal loss.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 08, December 1, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 07, November 10, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 06, October 27, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 05, October 6, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 25, No. 1, Fall 2025, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 04, September 22, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 03, September 8, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 02, August 25, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 01, August 4, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Interdisciplinary Studies At Grand Valley State: Brooks College At Twenty, Eric Covey

Grand Valley Reports and Histories

This study, focused chiefly on academic programs, begins with a brief outline of the history of the Cluster Colleges at Grand Valley State University and then goes on to detail how the arrival of a new provost in 2002 revived and reshaped the idea of an independent college dedicated to interdisciplinary experiments. It was written partially to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Pedagogical Empathy As Instructor Self-Care: Struggles, Structures, And Support, Colleen J. Hart

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Building from interviews with writing instructors at an urban R1 institution, this article identifies the struggles between balancing empathetic teaching practice—a practice that seeks to understand and address another’s needs in the classroom—with practicing self-care. In proposing a feminist pedagogical empathy, this article investigates how empathetic teaching practices, such as flexibility and transparency, and empathetic course policies can offer benefits to both instructors and students. Ultimately, I argue that empathetic teaching practice can function as self-care for instructors, rather than be considered additional labor or diminished as lenient or unrigorous, upholds rigor by clearly defining expectations for students while also …

Clarifying Issues Surrounding The “First” Jazz Recording, Mark C. Gridley

The IASJ Journal of Applied Jazz Research

Ten questions are answered regarding the first jazz recording, whether it was really the first, and if so, how it qualifies as jazz. They touch on the nature of swing feeling, the extent of improvisation in the recordings, the primacy of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the recordings of Wilbur Sweatman, and the comedy team of Harlan and Collins, and why the Original Creole Orchestra of Bill Johnson, featuring Freddie Keppard, did not record.

I Remember: Stories In Our Time We Don't Have Time To Tell. Thoughts That Go Too Fast. And Then We Die, Kajsa Isakson

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

As an AuDHDer and a writer, I approach storytelling from a neurodivergent perspective. My novella is titled I Remember: Stories From Our Time We Don’t Have Time to Tell. Thoughts That Go Too Fast. And Then We Die.

I Remember: Stories From Our Time We Don’t Have Time to Tell. Thoughts That Go Too Fast. And Then We Die. captures fleeting moments of being: of falling, the solitude of a crowded station, the vastness of the forest, the ocean, and the words by as Zora Neale Hurston and Claudia Rankine.The inevitability of death and the intensity of life.

The Significance Of Labels: From Shy And Lazy To Autistic And Adhd, Katrine K. Bechsgaard

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article examines the ways in which language and conceptions of neurodivergent conditions, autism and ADHD, are connected in a Danish context. As in other Western countries, there are significant increases in diagnoses, and particularly women are being diagnosed in adulthood. The article focuses on how these conditions are perceived and talked about, utilizing concepts such as othering, labeling, and performativity. The analysis suggests that when individuals feel othered and stigmatized by diagnostic labels, it has less to do with the labels themselves and more to do with the connotations and pathologization connected with the labels. Furthermore, the analysis shows …

My Mind In Middlemarch, Margaret A. Fisher

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

“My Mind in Middlemarch” is a creative-critical essay and personal narrative of self-diagnosis. It was modeled in length and (somewhat) in style on Rebecca Mead’s essay, “Middlemarch and Me,” which appeared in The New Yorker in 2011 and was later expanded into her book, My Life in Middlemarch (2014). This personal essay narrates my journey to self-diagnosis and the initial discovery of my autism— a realization sparked by the resonance I found between my life and that of Dorothea Brooke, the central heroine of George Eliot’s classic British novel.

To The Person Who Will Assess Me For Autism: On Self-Diagnosis And The Longing To Be Seen, Torri Blue

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Artist Statement (Creative Nonfiction):

I was self-diagnosed autistic before I went in for my so-called professional assessment. The months leading up to my assessment brought a good deal of stress. Would I be believed? Seen? How could I be? How, when I had spent a lifetime feeling misunderstood? "To the Person Who Will Assess Me for Autism" is exactly what it sounds like: a letter to my assessing psychologist. It was written in real-time, processing my self-diagnosis, yearning for proof, and working toward the belief that my identity as an autist would not be diminished by someone else's disbelief. I …

Black And Autistic In Neo-Nationalist America, Timotheus Gordon Jr

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

In "Black and Autistic in a Neo-Nationalist America," Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr. explores the intersectional challenges faced by Black autistic individuals in a socio-political climate marked by rising neo-nationalism. Drawing on personal experiences and historical contexts, Gordon navigates the metaphorical tightrope of double consciousness, as articulated by W.E.B. DuBois, to highlight the precarious existence of those who do not conform to monolithic identities. The essay critiques the melting pot analogy of American culture, advocating instead for a pluralistic society that recognizes and values diverse identities. Through a blend of autobiographical narrative and scholarly analysis, Gordon underscores the systemic marginalization of …

Etchings Of The Exiled, Jan A. Wozniak

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Annotated Bib: Summer Playlist Worksheet, Mary Ruge

Handouts

This worksheet is meant to help students better understand the purpose of an annotated bibliography. The student is tasked with listing three songs they would include on a summer playlist, and provide their reasoning for including each song. The worksheet states that students can’t use a reason for more than one song (for example, if they include a song because the word “summer” is in the title, they can’t use that same reason for including another song). The songs can be from any genre, any time period, and they can interpret “Summer Songs” however they wish. This worksheet was created …

Lanthorn, Vol. 59, No. 15, April 14, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 59, August 5, 2024 – April 14, 2025

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

On The Motivations Of German Infantry During The World Wars, Charles J. Calcaterra

Grand Valley Journal of History

This article analyzes the experiences of standard German infantry between the First and Second World Wars. Particularly, it compares and contrasts the motivations of ordinary German civilians who entered into the German Army as well as their justifications, or means, for enduring such strenuous fighting. Notably, a sense of nationalistic duty toward the protection of Germany and adherence to the nation's cultural standards for masculinity urged many young men to join the military in both 1914 and 1939. This article also addresses how the devastating effects of the First World War led to a desensitization towards excessive violence in later …

Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 2, Spring 2025, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

Stari Most, Lajla Hadžimujić

Honors Projects

This project aims to highlight Bosnian culture and history, specifically to examine the historical and cultural significance of the Stari Most in Bosnia during the Bosnian War and its aftereffects. To discuss the “othering” that Bosnian Muslims faced during the war and how that correlated with the destruction of the Stari Most. This project includes an acrylic painting of the Stari Most as both a symbol of cultural resilience and architectural grace.