Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Invisibles: Becoming And Being A Reader In A Fan-Dominated Community, Lucia Cedeira Serantes

Publications and Research

The study of comics consumption has regularly focused on the study of teens and young people. However, the association between the fan experience and comics has colonized the experience of reading comics, especially in mainstream culture, leaving almost no room for the possibility of other recognizable experiences: if you are committed to reading comics, inevitably you are, will become, or are expected to be, a fan. However, Gabilliet (2010), Pustz (1999), Parsons (1991), and Barker (1989) point at the presence and need for more research about what they labelled as “casual readers,” or the bulk of the comics readership.

This …

“Straight” Acting: Changing Image Of Queer-Masculinity In Media Representation, Zheng Zhu

Publications and Research

In this essay, I critically examine media representation of Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas, with a specific focus on the construction of his masculinity as an outing gay celebrity. The existing critical scholarship has studied various forms of media representation of queer images. But they did not examine how unconventional queer representation interacts with the normative gender performance. This paper investigates mainstream media’s discursive construction of masculine gay male. The findings call our attention to the emergence of macho gay characterization, which supports the hegemonic domination of heterosexual normativity. The stigmatization of gay-ness as the deviated other is rationalized through …

Urban Chinatowns In Europe: With Cases In London And Paris, Wendy W. Tan

Publications and Research

The author examines, based on personal perspectives, London Chinatown and Paris Chinatowns from aspects in historical origin, status quo, boundary, public transportation, Chinese population, satellite Chinatown, Chinatown arch, business, and social pathology

Conflicto Y Guerra En El Siglo Bélico De Latinoamerica, Frank Jacob, Gilmar Visoni-Alonzo

Publications and Research

Proceedings of a conference presentation at the meeting of Anthropologists and Historians at Panama City, Sept. 7-9, 2016

Mind-Dependent Kinds, Muhammad Ali Khalidi

Publications and Research

Many philosophers take mind-independence to be criterial for realism about kinds. This is problematic when it comes to psychological and social kinds, which are unavoidably mind-dependent. But reflection on the case of artificial or synthetic kinds (e.g. synthetic chemicals, genetically modified organisms) shows that the criterion of mind-independence needs to be qualified in certain ways. However, I argue that none of the usual variants on the criterion of mind-dependence is capable of distinguishing real or natural kinds from non-real kinds. Although there is a way of modifying the criterion of mind-independence in such a way as to rule in artificial …

A Study Of Integration: The Role Of Sensus Communis In Integrating Disciplinary Knowledge, Laureen Park

Publications and Research

Integration is an important notion for interdisciplinary studies. Achieving this shows that the interdisciplinary learner has successfully understood the commonalities among disciplines, as well as exercised crucial cognitive skills. This chapter attempts to elucidate how students integrated various disciplinary perspectives in the interdisciplinary course, Weird Science: Interpreting and Redefining Humanity. The study uses Hans-Georg Gadamer’s notion of the sensus communis to clarify how it was that students were processing and accomplishing the goal of integrating different disciplinary perspectives as evidenced in class observation, discussion, and especially student papers. The study demonstrates the ways in which common sense knowledge conditions and …

Food For Thought: Books About Cooking And Eating, Christina Miller

Publications and Research

Annotated bibliography of food-themed books for young adults.

Counterfeit Letters And Fictional Trials: Thomas More’S Utopia As Cultural Brand, Andie Silva

Publications and Research

Utilizing marketing theory on iconic brands, this article provides a focused study of surviving English editions of Thomas More's Utopia (1551) and the different ways in which the publication was adapted by its print agents, who eventually turned it into an iconic, English brand-name. By drawing a connection between the popularity and versatility of More’s text and the rapidly developing genre of utopian fiction, this article sheds light on the speed with which the press both reacted to and played a role in creating popular taste.

Rethinking Greece: Despina Lalaki On Hellenism, State-Building, Archaeology And The "Democratic West", Despina Lalaki

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Pilgrim Through Space And Time, Marleen S. Barr

Publications and Research

This is a short story which describes what happened when Marleen S. Barr received the Science Fiction Research Association Pilgrim Award for lifetime achievement in science fiction studies.

Beyond Academic Twitter: Social Media And The Evolution Of Scholarly Publication, Leila Walker

Publications and Research

This articles examines how ongoing developments in social media have intersect with academic publishing practices. It is part of a series addressing the issue of scholarly and academic recognition of digital work. The goal is to investigate how digital work is regarded and produced in today’s academy.

Western Classics In Modern Japan (German), Frank Jacob

Publications and Research

A presentation paper (invited guest lecture) delivered at the Institute of Ancient History at Marburg University, Germany, July 12, 2016.

Unfolding: An Academic Autobiography, Aaron Barlow

Publications and Research

An academic autobiography of one who came to academia later in life than most, Unfolding uses blog post from the past decade stitched together by a narrative of what brought one person to teaching.

George Kennan (1845-1924), The Spanish-American War, And U.S. Public Opinion (German), Frank Jacob

Publications and Research

The article analyzes George Kennan's role during the Spanish American War of 1898 and how he influenced the Cuban image of the U.S. public opinion.

In Vivid Colors: The Impact And Relevance Of The Browne Popular Culture Library At Bowling Green State University, William Blick

Publications and Research

“Popular Culture,” as a field of study, has often been met with skepticism. However, it has now been acknowledged by academics that the study of popular culture is an important component for the understanding of social theory and criticism, as well as many other areas of research. The United States has a vibrant background of cultural history due to the diversity of world influences on its music, literature, film, and artwork. The Browne Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green offers a varied selection of American pulp, music, film, literature, memorabilia and ephemera. In fact it is so comprehensive, that it …

The Revenge Of The Idyllic, Margaret Carson

Publications and Research

English translation of an essay by the contemporary Argentine author Sergio Chejfec on his encounter with 1950s Caracas, Venezuela through a set of vintage postcards.

The Challenge Of Teaching Chinese Philosophy: Some Thoughts On Method, Andrew Lambert

Publications and Research

In this essay I offer an alternative perspective on how to organize class material for courses in Chinese philosophy for predominately American students. Instead of selecting topics taken from common themes in Western discourses, I suggest a variety of organizational strategies based on themes from the Chinese texts themselves, such as tradition, ritual, family, and guanxi (關係), which are rooted in the Chinese tradition but flexible enough to organize a broad range of philosophical material.

Anonymity And Authenticity: Writing In College Classrooms, Stephen W. Fried

Publications and Research

Anonymity is presented as an approach in freshman writing workshops that can broaden participation, improve student writing, and provide benefits to classroom culture. The anonymous format circumvents persona and entrains universal participation and its no-stakes approach elicits authentic responses, especially around difficult and uncomfortable topics. The technique provides a democratic alternative to "class discussion' and gives students license to let their attention wander or focus critically. Activities based on anonymous responses change how students engage with instructors and with one another, as well as how they approach traditional writing assignments, and evoke spontaneity and fluidity of style that accelerate their …

Performing Ourselves At The Center, Shawn(Ta) Smith-Cruz

Publications and Research

This interview sits alongside an extended version edited for Amanda Curreri’s solo exhibition, The Calmest of Us Would be lunatics, which took place from January 21–May 8, 2016, at Rochester Art Center, in Rochester, Minnesota. Curreri dug through the archival collection of the Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian organization in the country, and their journal, The ladder, at the Tretter Collection in LGBT Studies at the University of Minnesota. The exhibition is titled after a line in Emily Dickinson’s 1877 letter to Elizabeth Holland which reads, “Had we the first intimation of the Definition of Life, the calmest of …

Jam On The Vine By Lashonda Barnett, Shawn(Ta) Smith-Cruz

Publications and Research

Book review of Jam on the Vine by LaShonda Barnett from the perspective of a lesbian and lesbian of color audience of readers.

The Cradle Of Democracy And The Longue Durée Of A Crisis: Some Thoughts From The Perspective Of Historical Sociology, Despina Lalaki

Publications and Research

The relationship between Modern Greece and the West has always been a complex and tortuous one. Greece as “the cradle of democracy” – a construct at the intersection of western modernity’s political imaginary and Greek national identity – a terribly familiar and powerful cliché which to a great extent, still today, informs our imagination and politics has been at the heart of this relationship. It is rather a truism to suggest that democracy lies at the political core of the civilization that the West insists offering to the rest of the world, yet we tend to forget that this is …

Oy, It's Super Yenta, Or Kvetch Me If You Can, Marleen S. Barr

Publications and Research

This is a humorous short story by Marleen S. Barr.

Career Opportunities: Connecting Design Students With Industry, M. Genevieve Hitchings

Publications and Research

Given an era of rapid advances in communications and graphic techniques, students of design need exposure to the hectic, highly competitive world of design – well before their student days are over. Is the design hub of New York a closed circuit among industries led by alumni from private colleges and universities? Are student opportunities and career outcomes significantly different depending on the type of institution they attend, rather than the type of degree they earn? In looking at five design institutions in New York City (New York City College of Technology (CUNY), Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY), Pratt Institute, …

Disability As Diversity: A New Biopolitics, Michele Friedner, Karen Weingarten

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Female Role Models In Bukusu Folktales: Education At The Mother’S Hearth, Namulundah Florence

Publications and Research

Folktales serve a descriptive, as well as prescriptive role, by consistently depicting societal and cultural norms. Sexist portrayals sanction the marginality of Bukusu women, particularly when these reflect prevailing gender roles and expectations. However, contests over identity and representation are as ancient as (unwritten) history. The analysis of tales From Our Mothers’ Hearths: Bukusu Folktales and Proverbs, offers a wide range of role models for women; some of which depict female agency in exacting circumstances (Florence, N., 2005. From our Mothers’ Hearths: Bukusu Folktales and Proverbs. NJ: Africa World Pres/The Red Sea Press). Further, females as narrators, protagonists, and the …

Religious Involvement And Psychological Stress As Predictors Of Dental Health, Yung Y. Chen, Anty Lam

Publications and Research

Religious involvement has been linked to many indicators of health, including longevity. Previous research has identified psychological stress as a possible mediator for the positive effects of religion on health. Fewer studies have investigated the potential relationship between these psychosocial factors and dental health. This study examined religious involvement, stress, and dental health in a community sample. Participants included 150 community residents who received dental care as part of the study. Results indicated a significant positive association between religiousness and dental health, and a negative association between stress and dental health. These findings encourage further research on religion, stress, and …

Mediated Technologies: Locating Non-Authorial Agency In Printed And Digital Texts, Andie Silva

Publications and Research

Early modern printers, publishers and booksellers not only influenced readers to purchase particular books but continue to shape our reception of printed books today. Through title-page advertisements, prefaces and indexes, these ‘print agents’ forged unique relationships with new and returning readers. Paying attention to paratextual structures can uncover strategies for marketing new books, corralling readers and outlining new genres. A consideration of framing devices can also further our understanding of digital resources: much as print agents mediated printed books, digital humanists help reinforce the value of new technologies for the study of early modern texts, guiding users to apply new …

Feral And Isolated Children From Herodotus To Akbar To Hesse: Heroes, Thinkers, And Friends Of Wolves, Karl Steel

Publications and Research

"In 1304, a small child of Hesse was taken by wolves, and lived with them for a while, eating well, learning to run on all fours, perhaps joining them in their raids on sheep and humans, until he was taken by hunters and forced to live, unhappily, in human society, compelled to learn to walk upright, and exhibited as a spectacle. This account, almost certainly legendary, belongs to a small set of similar stories of feral children from roughly the same time, which, unlike so many modern accounts of wild children, are not about isolation, deprivation, or a catastrophic separation …

Shakespeare's Blush, Or "The Animal" In Othello, Steven Swarbrick

Publications and Research

This essay examines how the rhetoric of animalization in Shakespeare’s Othello compels us to think early modern categories of race in connection with early modern discourses of “human” versus “animal.” Beginning with Shakespeare’s representation of Iago, I suggest that it is the potential for sameness conditioned by Iago’s counterfactual statement (“Were I the Moor, I would not by Iago”) that is most significant about his relation to Othello. From there I consider the overlap between the play’s representations of animality and black skin. Read in the context of Jacques Derrida’s reflections on animals, I consider the deconstructive value of linking …

Wsq: Survival Editor's Note, Cynthia Chris, Matt Brim

Publications and Research

This Editor's Note introduces the WSQ issue "Survival," co-edited by Taylor Black, Elena Glasberg, and Frances Bartkowski, which explores affirmative acts of survival in the face of illness, occupation, violence, and environmental crises.