Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Disinfected Time, Charles Smith '28

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Charles Smith is a Sophomore Creative Writing major at DePauw University and is from Indianapolis, Indiana. He enjoys writing poems and songs and is inspired by many artists, including Zach Bryan and Ted Kooser. He enjoys playing guitar and spending time with friends.

Flying Fish, Chelsea Parsley '28

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Chelsea Parsley is a sophomore Creative Writing major at DePauw University. She enjoys drawing, writing, singing, and accumulating obscure pieces of trivia.

How To Spend A Year Of Your Twenties Without A Car, Jane Duffy '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Jane Duffy is an English Writing and Studio Art double major at DePauw University. She is a painter, a creative writer, and the Editor-in-chief of A Midwestern Review for her fourth year of involvement. She enjoys hiking, drinking coffee, travelling, and creating things inspired by observation of the world around her.

I Never Saw My Grandpa Run, Cole Jacob '27

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Cole is a junior Economics student and Management Fellow at DePauw University. He draws inspiration from his family, the natural world, and stories passed down through generations. His favorite poet is Robert Wrigley. Cole enjoys hiking, camping, and everything outdoors.

Independence Bleeds, Cole Jacob '27

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Cole is a junior Economics student and Management Fellow at DePauw University. He draws inspiration from his family, the natural world, and stories passed down through generations. His favorite poet is Robert Wrigley. Cole enjoys hiking, camping, and everything outdoors.

Lion, Ruby Tugeau '28

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ruby Tugeau is a sophomore at DePauw University majoring in Global Health and Women's & Gender Studies! She enjoys long hikes in the nature park, oldies music, and warm soup. Ruby's been writing all her life and wants to thank AMWR for allowing her to share her work!

Madness Madness, Ira Satpathy '28

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ira is a rising junior majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. They work at The DePauw, and also host a podcast on feminist philosophy. Ira loves to draw portraits, play badminton, and scroll their Substack feed endlessly.

Monster, Melissa Butler '29

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Melissa (Mel) Butler is a rising sophomore Pre-med Biochem major from Chicago, IL. She is also a spoken word artist working in mental health and social justice activism. She hopes that her poetry will remind people that they are never alone and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.

On Mild Weather, Morgan Tharp '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Morgan Tharp is a Senior English-Writing and Political Science double major. In her free time, she enjoys running for DePauw's cross country and track teams and reading.

River House, Jane Duffy '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Jane Duffy is an English Writing and Studio Art double major at DePauw University. She is a painter, a creative writer, and the Editor-in-chief of A Midwestern Review for her fourth year of involvement. She enjoys hiking, drinking coffee, travelling, and creating things inspired by observation of the world around her.

Sensory Garden, Rori Mullen '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Rori Mullen is a senior in studio art and psychology at DePauw University. Working with ceramics and textiles, she makes multisensory works that depict nature imagery and is inspired by her studies in psychology.

Tiger Stripes, Ruby Tugeau '28

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ruby Tugeau is a sophomore at DePauw University majoring in Global Health and Women's & Gender Studies! She enjoys long hikes in the nature park, oldies music, and warm soup. Ruby's been writing all her life and wants to thank AMWR for allowing her to share her work!

Tuesday Evenings In Your Mother's Bathroom, Lexi Simpson '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Lexi Simpson is a senior Psychology and English Writing double major, and a Malpas Scholar at DePauw University. She loves ceramics, writing, and road trips. Lexi is inspired by the stars, the ocean, and being outside. She enjoys reading and being with family and friends.

Unknowing Connections, Samaira Snow '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Samaira Snow is a senior at DePauw University where she will graduate in May 2026 with double majors in Studio Art and Art History and a minor in Education Studies. Her work is often inspired by procedural efforts and plays with the relationship of layering and texture. She has started to participate in exhibitions.

Untitled, Lindsay Hontz '26

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Lindsay Hontz is a Senior Creative Writing Major and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Minor. After graduation she plans to seek her graduate degree in Archival Studies. She enjoys photography and typically shoots film. She loves to cook and bake in her free time.

Weeping, Roee Sela '27

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Roee is a Junior Biochemistry major and Creative Writing minor at DePauw University. He plays Men's Tennis and plans to attend medical school after graduating. He enjoys cooking, reading, and the outdoors.

Would You Listen, If I Could Speak?, Jordan Heaviland '29

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Jordan Heaviland is a first-year Creative Writing major and Prindle Scholar, with a keen interest in Philosophy. He primarily writes poetry and short-fiction. His favorite books are House of Leaves and Oryx and Crake. Jordan has previous publications in Muncie Voice, Perspicacity Magazine, and The Lavender Journal.

You Are Very Easy To Love, Ruby Tugeau '28

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ruby Tugeau is a sophomore at DePauw University majoring in Global Health and Women's & Gender Studies! She enjoys long hikes in the nature park, oldies music, and warm soup. Ruby's been writing all her life and wants to thank AMWR for allowing her to share her work!

The "Confidential Whispers" Of Charles Francis Adams From His Teens Through Marriage At Age 22, Mitchell Jay Freedman

History ETDs

The early diaries and letters of Charles Francis Adams (1807-1886) reveal, contrary to previous scholarship, a passionate and sensitive young man engaged in multiple social activities with male and female friends and family, as well as enjoying licentious and respectful personal relationships with women. CFA was strategic with whom he was friendly or reserved, rooted in his hostility towards “hangers-on” and “hypocrites.” CFA also read widely both fiction and non-fiction with an affected sensitivity consistent with his desire for a literary-oriented life, the latter most reflected in his later curating his forebears’ papers. CFA’s early life experiences led CFA to …

The Queer South, Brylan Cole

School of Art Undergraduate Honors Theses

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people in the Southern United States are systematically and culturally made invisible, both in historical and contemporary contexts. I founded The Queer South magazine alongside Reid Pinckard, organized the exhibition Prioritizing Pleasure in the Queer South, and created a body of work to amplify LGBTQ+ Southern voices. Through community organizing, writing, and the making of objects, my practice provides representation to an underserved and overlooked community in the region I call home.

Self-Fashioning In Contemporary Figurative Painting, Hal Hardin

School of Art Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper positions my painting practice as a form of resistance to historical constructions of gender, identity, and visibility, shaped by my experience as a queer, nonbinary person navigating womanhood in the American South. Drawing on Stephen Greenblatt’s concept of self-fashioning and Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, I argue that Western figurative painting has long disciplined the feminine body, exploiting it and commodifying it into an easily consumable object.

In response, I appropriate and distort these visual conventions. My figures refuse to behave: they stretch, slouch, and linger in ambiguity, resisting fixed interpretation. Placed in spaces of visibility and …

A Modern Cabinet Of Curiosities: Patronage, Narrative, And The Foundations Of American Art At Crystal Bridges Museum Of American Art, Amelia Quinlen

School of Art Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the 2025 reinstallation of the “Foundations of American Art” galleries at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas as a case study through which to analyze how museum narratives are constructed, negotiated, and presented in the twenty-first century. Drawing on the historiography of museum display, from early modern cabinets of curiosity to nineteenth-century salon-style exhibitions, it argues that galleries function not as neutral containers for objects, but as interpretive frameworks shaped by curatorial decisions, spatial organization, and institutional context. While the reinstallation positions itself as a reconsideration of the “foundations” of American art through thematic …

Compositional Techniques For Horror Film Soundtracks, Malia L. Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

With this paper, I aim to explore the history of horror film soundtracks and discover the various compositional techniques that are used to trigger physical responses from a viewer. I also intend to describe how horror scores have adapted and changed over time as our social and political climate continues to evolve by examining several different kinds of sources including academic studies, articles, and film reviews. While every viewer is different, a film scorer can properly build suspense by using specific compositional methodologies to briefly alter responses of the human mind and body.  This type of research would provide useful …

The Role Of Music In Storytelling, Eliot Z. Tenberg

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Music is often thought of as a background element in storytelling, something that enhances a scene but is not essential to its meaning. However, this perspective overlooks the powerful role music plays in shaping how stories are understood and experienced. Across film, theater, and even interactive media, music does far more than accompany images or dialogue. It actively guides emotional response, constructs narrative meaning, and connects audiences to stories on a deeper psychological level. Unlike visual or verbal storytelling alone, music has the unique ability to communicate emotion without explicit explanation. A shift in melody, harmony, or rhythm can signal …

The History And Legacy Of The Monterey Jazz Festival, Ana Mendez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Monterey Jazz Festival holds a strong legacy in the world of jazz. Nestled in the Monterey Bay area, the festival's musical lineups entertain locals and travelers from around the world each year. Topics that are discussed within this paper are the inception of the festival, Monterey before the festival, Monterey Jazz Festival co-founders, Jimmy Lyons and Ralph Gleason, major works of art debuts at the festival including The Real Ambassadors, the international influence at the festival, the educational endeavors of the Monterey Jazz Education Team, and the 2025 rebranding of "Monterey Jazz".

Designing Voice Tracks As Pedagogy: Recording Technology, Musicianship, And Rehearsal Practice In Choral Education, Brandon J. Damiani

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This study examines the pedagogical role of part-dominant Voice Tracks in choral education, with particular attention to how recording design influences rehearsal efficiency, musicianship development, and student independence. As recording technology becomes increasingly integrated into classroom and ensemble practice, Voice Tracks are often used to support learning outside of rehearsal. While these tools can improve preparedness and reduce time spent on note acquisition, questions remain regarding their impact on foundational skills such as audiation, sight-reading, and ensemble awareness.

Drawing on existing scholarship in music education and a practitioner-led case study, this project documents the creation of Voice Tracks for Look …

Scrolling Critically: Momfluencers As Sites Of Composition, Rhetoric, And Pedagogical Insight, Sarah A. O'Neill

All NMU Master's Theses

This thesis critically examines the practices of Momfluencers–social media influencers who blend maternal identity with lifestyle branding–to inform pedagogy for aspiring digital professionals, particularly college students preparing for careers in social media.

Chapter 1 establishes a theoretical framework, drawing on multimodal literacy and Mikhail Bahktin’s concept of heteroglossia to analyze how meaning is constructed across platforms. Chapter 2 investigates the rhetorical and compositional strategies Momfluencers use on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, highlighting how authenticity, professional obligations, and audience expectations intersect with platform-specific features and algorithmic mediation. Chapter 3 presents findings from a classroom study, emphasizing the literacies required …

Inter-Government Communication– Transportation Options For Utahns, Andrew Nicholas Barber

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As a growing Western state, Utah has ambitions for building more infrastructure, especially public transportation. The way it organizes its communication strategy for public transportation, however, represents a microcosm in a larger debate between political scientists and economists. Professionals have backed one of two models for inter-government communication: the decentralized or “fiscal federalism” model and the centralized model, and pros and cons have been theorized for both. Decentralization, on paper, is more democratic, can better represent the needs of its constituents, and can better navigate pesky bureaucratic red tape, but is less efficient. Centralization, on the other hand, is more …

A Curriculum Development Study: Crafting And Teaching Curricula For Ell Students In China, Kayleigh Kearsley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

When teaching English Language Learners (ELL), it is important to understand the best practices and tools available to teach these students effectively and engagingly. In this curriculum development study, I examine and utilize effective and engaging practices for teaching ELL students and offer eleven lesson plans taught to a native Chinese speaker that reflect the implementation and development of these practices. Research consisted of both practical and theoretical sources concerning critical pedagogy for teaching ELL students. An understanding of students’ background shapes an understanding of language transfer, thus providing a more tailored teaching approach (Swan & Smith, 2001). The scaffolding …

A Look Through The Bluest Eye: Intersectionality, Identity & The Role Of Fiction, Sydney Foster

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Since its coinage in 1989, the idea of intersectionality has persisted academic research in understanding how a person is treated and what experiences they are subjected to, specifically those belonging to marginalized groups. My theory is that a person’s intersectionality is the vehicle which leads to their experiences, which when totaled, comprise a person’s identity. This project focuses specifically on the treatment of Black women and girls, the academic research and first-hand accounts that support the existence of the perpetual adultification, dehumanization, and sexualization of these individuals, and how these phenomena increase Black women and girls’ risk for maltreatment, specifically …