Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Goddess Of Morgantina: Aprhodite Or Demeter?, Martina Ciriesi

Undergraduate Research Symposium

"The Goddess of Morgantina" is considered one of the most controversial finds in the history of recent archeology in Sicily. The figure formerly known as "Getty Aphrodite," dated around 400 BCE, had been stolen by looters in Sicily, subsequently purchased by the Getty Museum in 1987, and returned to the Italian state only in September 2007. Unfortunately, illicit excavations have increased unresolved questions about the depiction of the goddess. The various hypotheses for identification of the female divinity represented in Morgantina's sculpture have sparked a lively and wide-ranging scientific debate among scholars. The archaeologist and art historian Antonio …

The Knidian Aphrodite: Praxiteles As Voyeur And Feminist, Andrew Marlowe-Cremedas

Undergraduate Research Symposium

One of the most famous sculptures from the fourth century BCE is the Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxiteles. The Aphrodite was the first large scale nude depicting a goddess in Greek culture, despite frequent depictions of the clothed female form and the nude male. Scholars such as Robin Osbourne have explored the male reaction to Knidian Aphrodite through the lens of male viewers and its implications. The male gaze has described the gendered limitations of male viewership on female nudes such as Aphrodite. Other scholars such as Mereille M. Lee argue that Praxiteles’ Aphrodite of Knidos was enjoyed by a …

Dreaming Of Empire: Visions Of Rome And Imperialist Ideology In Twenty-First Century Cinema, Nathan Keckley

Undergraduate Research Symposium

The blockbuster film Gladiator kickstarted a new wave of ancient historical epics. Some of these, following Gladiator’s lead, drew explicit parallels between ancient Rome and contemporary America – notably Centurion (2010) and The Eagle (2011). The Rome-America analogy allowed Gladiator and its progeny to critique American society, and these critiques have received substantial scholarly attention. Given that these films were produced while America was waging controversial wars, it is unsurprising that one of the critiques they chiefly employ – and one of those scholars have most readily seized upon – is that of American imperialism. Gladiator, Centurion, and The Eagle …

Unheard Melodies: The Songs And Sorrows Of German Female Composers, 1700-1900, Brittany Weinstock

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

German classical music is known for its prolific composers who changed Western music as we know it, such as J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann. However, music history does not place as great an emphasis on their sisters and wives who were also incredibly gifted musicians. The goal of this study is to create a paper that elaborates on their lives and music while emphasizing their struggles when it comes to gender limitations.

For my research, I chose to focus on Anna Magdalena Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Clara Schumann. I compiled a biography of each woman, with particular emphasis …

Peripheral Minds: An Abridged Phenomenological Analysis Of Dyslexia, John Henry Reilly

Graduate Student Research Symposium

This paper endeavors to provide a novel way of understanding Dyslexia through the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl. Dyslexia is currently defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder. It is “a specific and persistent learning disability affecting the acquisition and development of the written language code (reading and spelling) and causing significant handicap to academic achievement and/or activities of daily life.” This medicalized definition has several conceptual problems and does not commensurate with the lived experience of Dyslexic people.

Dyslexia is therefore defined by negation—it is defined through what it is not. This paper utilizes Husserlian phenomenology to work toward a definition …

A Peculiar Home: A Phenomenology Of Place, Gabriela Sanchez

Graduate Student Research Symposium

There are places where individuals may feel more ‘at home’ in than others. Home is often this place for people; both meaningful and familiar, with a sense of belonging. Often, there are other places that make, or have made, one feel uncomfortable or alienated: like a turn down an unfamiliar dark street or waiting in an airport terminal line. Then, there are places that may just feel indifferent; neither comfortable nor alienating, somewhat unimportant: like driving down the road to a frequent grocer. A subject experiences places and objects in context: in relation to meaning, familiarity, or alienation and in …

The Hermeneutics Of Nudging: The Reciprocity Between Transhumanism And Nudging, Ian Doherty

Graduate Student Research Symposium

This paper investigates and evaluates the implications of nudging someone toward transhumanism. Transhumanism offers a path to alleviate suffering and transcend our physical and mental limitations. Transhumanist technologies consist of alterations like genetic modification, neural implants, and molecular nanotechnology. These technologies are meant to give people full morphological freedom over their bodies. Although transhumanism remains a largely unknown movement, this is where nudge theory can help raise its prominence. Nudge theory aims to help people make better choices, and aid them in making better decisions related to their health and lifestyle. If paired correctly, transhumanism seems to be a perfect …

J.S. Bach As A Religious Storyteller – The Second Brandenburg Concerto, Emma Locarnini

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The sacred music of Johann Sebastian Bach, written during the composer’s employments at churches in Weimar (1708-17) and Leipzig (1724-50), clearly demonstrates his strong Lutheran faith. However, until relatively recently, Bach’s instrumental works have been considered devoid of religious inspiration, especially those published during his time at the Calvinist court of Prince Leopold in Cöthen (1717-23). With the discovery of Bach’s personal Bible and other Lutheran theological texts that contained annotations underscoring the role of music in bringing glory and praise to God, some contemporary scholars have pushed against the notion of Bach’s instrumental works being purely secular. For example, …

Theological Perspectives Of The Mass In B Minor, Bwv 232, Maria Jimena Picado Sandi

Graduate Student Research Symposium

In 1733, the great German Lutheran composer Johann Sebastian Bach presented the beginnings of what would become his only Catholic work, the Mass in B minor, to the newly elected King of Poland, August III. This first draft was a compilation of extracts from five different Lutheran Masses that he had already composed, including a Kyrie and a Gloria.

Over the years, musicologists have put forth various theories as to why such a devoted Lutheran such as Bach wrote a Catholic mass (e.g. Wolff 2001). My research clarifies how specific sections of the Mass express both Catholic and …

Program: 2023 Featured Lecture "Learning To Be Human In The School Of Christ", Daniel Lee Hill

Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Scholar Lecture Program

Program for the Eighteenth Annual Frank Pack Distinguished Christian Lecture Program with featured lecturer Dr. Daniel Lee Hill, Assistant Professor of Christian Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University.

Teaching With And For Gender Equity, Katie Dineen

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In this workshop, humanities educators will learn how to integrate primary sources, life stories, essays, and learning activities that center women’s voices, contributions, and experiences in their curricula and classrooms. Educators will pair provided resources to be meaningfully incorporated into existing humanities curricula, aiming to support students in recognizing their own agency, valuing diversity, and appreciating difference.

Radical Youth Work: A Community Based Approach To Working With Youth, Young Adults And Families, Weston J. Robins

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Eternal Strength Center for Radical Youth Work is a blended community center with customizable mental health therapeutic support for youth, young adults and families. Providing humanistic and person centered psychotherapy and counseling, alongside experiential therapies and community engagement we support families and youth struggling with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self harm, suicidality and other challenges on their developmental growth journey.

Finding Equity In Education, Isara Krieger, Carlos Hoyt, Change Cadet, Innopsych Organization

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In our program, Isara seeks to use The Highest Standard documentary film as a conversation starter with educators, educational activists, mental health professionals and students that are part of the film to discuss what tools are available and what tools that should to be created to support students of greater need in the classroom and beyond.

Underground Iowans, Cyrus Emmet Cummings

Research in the Capitol

Underground Iowans is a project undertaken by myself and two other undergraduate students (under Prof. Thomas Connors's guidance) to catalog the graves of notable people buried around the state. This geodatabase will be developed as an app allowing Iowans and tourists to locate the graves and learn more about those who contributed to Iowa's history. Individuals cataloged include political leaders, writers, actors, musicians, Medal of Honor recipients, and Tuskegee airmen, among many others. This free app identifies hundreds of mainly unknown historic sites found in every part of the state.

Her Story, Her Right: Narrative As A Basic Human Right, Karlee Colby

Research in the Capitol

This research is an investigation of narrative as a basic human right. Specifically, it looks into what exactly it means for a person to be able to have an accurate life story or account of an event without fear of manipulation and non-consensual distortion. The narratives being analyzed are narratives of violence against women. In this analysis, multiple factors are examined. The first is the idea of narrative as a whole, and the specific uniqueness that surrounds narratives of violence against women. The second is a dive into the legal system and its impact on both the definition of what …

Healing Childhood Trauma Through Improvisation & Theater, Vira Salzburn, Garrett Zajac

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will discuss the development, implementation, and techniques of the unique Savannah-based Front Porch ACTS program that uses empirically-supported, theater-based, and trauma-responsive Trauma Drama intervention providing an effective therapeutic alternative to serving children and adolescents affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and complex trauma.

Session Iiia: Religious Studies Presentation 4 - Reading Rahab Through The Lens Of Colonization, Rebecca Majorel

Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference

In the biblical narrative of Rahab, Rahab is colonized by the existing imperial powers, the patriarchal values of Israel, and the army of Joshua. In this assessment colonization is evaluated on four criteria: the control the colonizer exerts over material, cultural, symbolic, and religious resources of the colonized. Under these qualification, Rahab is a victim of colonization, and therefore, the decisions made by Rahab in the narrative may be read as acts of self-preservation.

Session Iiic: Political Science/History Presentation 3 - Helping Women On The Homefront And At Home: The Charlotte Ywca’S Impact On Women During The World War Periods, Bethany Mace

Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference

This presentation follows the parallel paths of the Central Branch and the Phyllis Wheatley Branch as they help women and young girls during the World War period.

Session Iiid: Literature Presentation 1 - Public Libraries As Rural Infrastructure, Ashley Rich

Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference

My presentation will include the reading of a research paper discussing the infrastructural impacts of public libraries on rural communities, accompanied by a slideshow visual aid.

Session Ib: Literature Presentation 3 - Casa Tomada Y Peronismo (House Taken And Peronism), Paula Harvie

Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference

With my PowerPoint presentation, I plan to argue that the short story, Casa tomada by Julio Cortázar, is in fact of a metaphor of Peronism. I will discuss the story, who was Juan Perón, what was Peronism, and finally establish the connection of these Peronism and Casa tomada.

Session Ib: Literature Presentation 2 - From Folklore To Fantasy: Chronotopic Evolution In The Witcher Novels, Benjamin Flournoy

Life of the Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference

A brief look at the appropriation of folkloric stories/imagery in The Witcher and how chronotopes (or time-space representations) produce meaning & point toward a change in cultural discourse.

The Use Of Art History In The Study Of Histology Images By Medical Students, Madeleine Karpiuk

Annual Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

International Intrigue In The American Colonies, Arianna Vicinanza

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

Spies have always been a subject of intrigue, nowadays we are surrounded by films, tv series, and books based on undercover business. Usually espionage is associated with WW2 or the Cold War, two periods of times in which espionage and secret agencies were essential in order to gather critical information about the enemy. Despite common belief that secret services developed one century ago, espionage and Spy Rings are as old as time. Espionage is the oldest profession in the world, kings used spies to monitor the enemy or to discover plots going around the royal court. In the American Revolution, …

Tunisia: The Colonized Road To A Democratic Identity, Kara Broene

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

The death of one Tunisian man by self-immolation in 2010 created uprisings in 18 other Arab countries in what is known as the 2011 Arab Spring. As a result, Tunisia managed to overthrow its long-standing autocratic government and establish a democracy; it is the only nation who has managed to maintain those changes since 2011. As the first point of protest and the only success story, what makes Tunisia different from the other 18 nations? While there has been research on why Tunisia has succeeded, there is little on how Tunisia’s colonial history under France for 75 years might have …

The End Of Amnesia? Transnational Collective Memory And Memory Practices And European Colonialism, Kate Cross

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

Normative approaches to both the atrocities of World War II and Stalinist communism have been established transnationally in European memory, yet decisive measures to normalize responses to the atrocities colonialism remain elusive. It is unquestionable that the process lags far behind, yet incremental steps have and are being taken. To evaluate attempts at establishing norms regarding colonialism transnationally in Europe, the particularly complex case study of France and Algeria is considered. Analysis of postings from both the French embassy in the Algiers and the Algerian embassy in Paris are utilized assess the potential for transnational colonial memory practices to emerge …

The Colonial Origins Of Institutions In Mauritanina, Mahfoudha Sidelemine

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

This paper examines and evaluates the state of development in Mauritania, a former French colony in West Africa. The drivers of (under)development that the paper focuses on are institutions. By focusing on institutions as the main factors that determine the development process of the country, I also focus on the colonial origins of institutions. Hence, in this paper, I draw on Acemoglu and colleagues’ argument on the origin of colonial origins of institutions as they identify two types of colonial institutions—Inclusive and Exclusive (Acemoglu et.al.2001). However, in this research, I argue that there is a third type of institution the …

Microcontrollers To Teach Automation Basics, Jonathan Shimon

Symposium on Education in Entertainment and Engineering

Microcontrollers to Teach Automation Basics Introducing students to the fundamentals of automation can be a massive undertaking for faculty. Scenic automation systems can be very complex in order to prepare students for this emerging area of technical theatre it behooves faculty to find innovative ways to fit the foundations and concepts into curriculum. Many automation solutions exist on the market, from plug and play to component level they are all in the thousands of dollar and take up significant space. It would be impractical for each student in an undergraduate program to have their own system. Arduino microcontrollers that incorporate …

Virtual Master Class With Kim Kashkashian, Kim Kashkashian, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Jessi Kaufman, Miayicong Zhang, Natalie Brennecke, Margot Elder, Daniel Guevara

Karen Tuttle Viola Workshop

No abstract provided.

Faculty Concert, Sheila Browne, Stephen Wyrczynski, Sheng Yuan Kuan

Karen Tuttle Viola Workshop

No abstract provided.

Pathways To Educational Attainment For Latinx Students, Elizabeth Guadarrama, Socorro Zaragoza, Abbey Poffenberger, Jose Juan Gomez-Becerra Jr

Posters-at-the-Capitol

The achievement gap for the educational attainment of underrepresented populations has been the subject of study for decades. According to the Kentucky School Report Card data for school year 2018-2019, the Latinx community has an achievement gap rate of 42.0% with differences of -19.1% compared to White (non-Hispanic) students. Therefore, it is essential to find pathways to close the educational attainment gap and achieve equity. In this poster, I will research best practices for improving diverse student performance and educational opportunities, including the recruitment and retention of diverse educators and staff. A research report by the Learning Policy Institute states …