English Language and Literature Commons^™

Voices Of Usu: An Anthology Of Student Writing, Vol. 16, Utah State University Department Of English

Voices of USU

This collection of student writing represents the voices of over 2,000 students who enroll each academic year in Utah State University’s second-year composition course, Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode. Voices of USU celebrates excellence in writing by providing undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines the opportunity to have their work published.

Voices Of Usu: An Anthology Of Student Writing, Vol. 15, Utah State University Department Of English

Voices of USU

This collection of student writing represents the voices of over 2,000 students who enroll each academic year in Utah State University’s second-year composition course, Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode. Voices of USU celebrates excellence in writing by providing undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines the opportunity to have their work published.

A Hot Wheeler's Heaven Or Hell? A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Hot Wheels Red Line Club Online Forums And How They Compare To Other Online Mediums, Samuel Richens

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

This research project aims to shed light on the unique phenomenon of the Hot Wheels Red Line Club online forums and how the rhetorical interactions that take place there compare to other mainstream forums. To the uninitiated, Hot Wheels by Mattel, introduced in 1968, is the best-selling toy, even outperforming Barbie, who debuted a decade earlier. To begin, a rhetorical analysis of conversations on the online discussion forum was conducted. In addition, a survey was distributed to students asking about their online forum experiences, and an interview was conducted with an expert on online forums to gain their knowledge and …

These Are The Droids You're Looking For: Tagging And Content In Fanfiction, Virginia Beikmann

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

What do fanfiction readers look for when given the ability to specifically seek certain content through tagging? Fanfiction is often broadly defined by a variety of definitions, but the easiest way to understand it is simply by the name: It is fiction of existing works/media of any sort, expounded upon by fans of the content to create something original, while still using characters, plots, themes and so on of the original work. For instance, a fanfiction may take characters and write them out in new scenarios but having the original content having still happened in that character’s background, or fanfiction …

The Power Of Booktok: An Analysis Of The Influence Of Tiktok On College Students' Leisurely Reading, Mya Bethers

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Social media is an ever-growing and present tool in the lives of college students. One of the most popular social media apps among young adults is TikTok. Its short video gratification keeps viewers scrolling well beyond their expected app use, and in consequence, exposes them to a variety of brands, commercials, and products (purposefully marketed or not). Over the pandemic, thousands of TikTok users have shared their book recommendations on the app, which created the side of TikTok known as BookTok. This study analyzes the power and influence BookTok has had on college students’ leisurely reading choices. The methods used …

Working With Your Brain: A Case Study Of The Writing Processes Of Women Writers With Adhd, Claire Atwood

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Adult women with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are diagnosed at a significantly lower rate than adult men and children. As children, ADHD presents itself in classroom behaviors, like a difficulty in concentrating, staying on task, and interrupting the lesson. For girls and especially adult women, these symptoms are not as obvious as they are in men, which results in a significant lack of research about women with ADHD. In Women with ADHD, Roberta Sanders notes that “there is a tendency for girls to be diagnosed with [the ADHD Inattentive type] more than boys and it prevails in older children …

Beloved: Born Of Sethe's Slavery And Trauma, Sariah Dutkiewicz

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Toni Morrison’s Beloved introduces many characters who exhibit clear signs of trauma due to their past as African American slaves, however, one character in particular stands out: Sethe. Sethe’s life as a slave led her to experience and do horrendous things. The worst being the difficult and violent decision to murder her own child, Beloved, in an effort to prevent her child from being forced into slavery. Though Sethe survived her life as a slave, she was unable to focus on her future because of her past that consistently haunts her. Her trauma is portrayed in many different forms throughout …

Results Of Lexile Level Reading Practices On Rural Middle School Students, Tiffany Sanderson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Many students have experienced, and remember, reading comprehension exams from their time in grade school. These tests examined student ability to comprehend different levels of reading so that educators could ensure a student was reading within grade level targets. ATOS and A-Z along with the Fountas and Pinnell reading programs are all previous methods used in ELA classrooms across the nation. Some of these are still used widely today. ATOS is a program which closely resembles Lexile as it also determines book and student scores with a method that correlates back to grade level. For example, sixth-grade would be 6.0. …

The Language Of Classroom Design: How Aesthetic Impacts Learning, Josie Rivera

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

Secondary classrooms are the settings where crucial learning experiences occur, yet much of the existing research on classroom design pertains to elementary schools. The general lack of importance placed on the physical layout of secondary classrooms insinuates that while younger students benefit from an attractive, visually pleasing classroom, teenage students do not. Despite this, educators seek to make their classrooms places of refuge and learning. For example, Utah’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, Lauren Merkley, decorates her room with thrifted lamps which emit a warm glow in her classroom. Martin Reeder of Sky View High School curated a ‘book nook’ …

Known And Unknown: Women's Voices Of The Hole-In-The-Rock Expedition, Bonnie Swenson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

In 2020, Utah focused on a significant benchmark in voting rights: the celebration of 150 years of Utah women voting, the first in the modern nation to do so. Over the course of the celebration stories about women were uncovered, recovered, and publicized. Too often, women’s stories in history have been overlooked. This project seeks to recover some of those women’s voices. The Hole-in-the-Rock expedition was an arduous trek in 1879-80 across an uncharted, barren landscape in southeastern Utah by novice pioneers. History has focused primarily on the extraordinary feat building of the 290-mile road. The clever engineering allowed wagons …

Book Worms? A Profile Of The Reading Lives Of English Majors, Ryan Collins, Claire Atwood, Virginia Beikmann, Josephine Rivera, Mya Bethers, Kerrin Mountcastle, Sam Richens, Cayla Cappel

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

What are the reading lives of a group of upper-division English majors in terms of their autobiographies, their processes of reading, and their preferred texts? How do they manage required reading and reading for pleasure? Although university students who major in English Studies read consistently, often reading behaviors are taken for granted, particularly the long-term reading lives of these students. How did they develop as readers? What strategies have they developed to be successful? What are preferred tools and technology? How has their various cultures influenced their reading? By using an autoethnographic approach that describes and interrogates their processes and …

Not All Lawyers Read John Grisham: An Exploration Of The Reading Habits Of Pre-Law Students And Attorneys, Ryan Collins

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

This project aims to explore the reading habits of a small group of pre-law students at Utah State University and three attorneys. The first goal of this project was to understand how USU students required academic reading has influenced the way they read for pleasure. The second goal of this project was to explore the reading lives of three attorneys, including a self-evaluation of their past academic reading, their current professional reading, and how their professional reading has influenced the way they read for pleasure today. A mixed methodology consisting of online surveys and interviews was used to approach these …

Insights On The Effectiveness Of The Hamburger Method, K. Kerrin Mountcastle

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

This empirical research study examined the use and effectiveness of the Hamburger Method, a writing strategy to teach organization and development similar to the famous, or perhaps infamous, Five-Paragraph Theme. This method of writing teaches students to write an introduction that includes their thesis (the top bun); three body paragraphs containing evidence (the meat and condiments); and then a conclusion that reverses the introduction and ends the essay (the bottom bun). Notably, the approach is generally introduced during elementary school as it has obvious appeal to children. The research reveals, though, in more advanced settings, secondary school English classrooms and …

Dramaturgy For Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley, Samantha Stringham

Fall Student Research Symposium 2021

The aim of this dramaturgical research was to explore and understand Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon within the context of Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice, the sociohistorical and contextual norms of Regency England, and within the world of the play itself. The goal was for this research to be utilized by the cast and production team of Utah State University’s production of Miss Bennet (directed by Tarah Flanagan) as a resource to inform production, performance, and design. This was achieved through strictly textual, and performance-focused analysis of the play. The research was compiled …

Voices Of Usu: An Anthology Of Student Writing, Vol. 14, Utah State University Department Of English

Voices of USU

This collection of student writing represents the voices of over 2,000 students who enroll each academic year in Utah State University’s second-year composition course, Intermediate Writing: Research Writing in a Persuasive Mode. Voices of USU celebrates excellence in writing by providing undergraduate students of diverse backgrounds and disciplines the opportunity to have their work published.

How English Teachers Use Instagram And Other Social Media Platforms As Professional Development And Emotional Encouragement, Katharine Jenkins

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

How are high school English teachers using Instagram and other social media platforms as professional development and encouragement? This question is essential because the amount of information about education and teaching is constantly expanding, and through the use of social media platforms, teachers are now more readily able to communicate with each other. The widespread nature of social media has also created a new type of professional development through the past decade. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Teachers Pay Teachers, Twitter, and personal blogs offer professional development through the sharing of classroom materials, advice, and the collaboration …

What Experiences Influence Individuals To Become An English Teacher?, Amanda Horning

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

How do past literacy experiences influence an individual to choose an English teaching major? There is a teacher shortage across the nation that shows that not many individuals choose to become teachers. People's career choices are often influenced by experiences and this study is to find out what experiences influence those few individuals to choose the pathway to becoming an educator, specifically in English. English teaching students at Utah State University were asked to participate in a survey inquiring about their past literacy experiences in order to find which ones had the most impact on their decision to become an …

Something To Believe In, Carter Macdonald, Amma Christiansen, Robin Curry, Sabrina Owens

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

When interpreted as a whole, Emily Dickinson's manuscript booklets of writing, or fascicles, offer insight into individual poems. As many scholars have speculated, Dickinson expresses religious ideas with experimental instability. The collection of poems on fascicle five, sheet three, demonstrate an anticipation of life exalted after death. For example, "As Watchers hang upon the East -" changes from a hopeful poem about the afterlife, to a questioning one that encourages the reader to remain critical of religion. In this poem, there is mention of a beggar who, while pondering death, looks forward to the prospect of a heavenly 'feast' promised …

Motivations To Choose English Teaching At Utah State University, Aaron Piscione

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

One of the most important careers is that of teaching—but why do students at Utah State choose the English Teaching major? Understanding the answer to this question will help prospective English teaching majors to know if the major is right for them, advising and advising services at USU to direct students to the major if it is correct for them, and the English department at USU to understand why it is that those students have chosen to be there. The methods used to obtain the results of this study are simple—a combination of surveys and interviews given to current students …

War And Death In The Works Of Emily Dickinson, Alexis Roberts, Kenley Kofford, Lexi Melmoth

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

In analyzing Emily Dickinson's work within Fascicle 23, her relationship with death and dying is highlighted through her ways of writing about it in peaceful, hopeful, and solemn ways. Death, through Dickinson, is not a macabre subject, or one of disturbing lonely fascination. Though one of Dickinson's most renown reputations is for being a gothic and dark writer, her poems about death represent emotions that were not usually felt when writing about death. These poems were not meant to scare her readers, but to provide hope, and mystery around the ambiguity of death. "Because I could not stop for Death …

Formalized Curiosity: Outcomes Of An Empirically-Based Research Methods Course For English Majors, Samantha Stringham

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

What are the outcomes of a course designed for English majors that teaches empirical research methods and uses quantitative and qualitative data collection? This question is of particular importance as students majoring in English typically do not engage in empirical research but are accustomed to humanistic inquiry or creative activity. Although there has been considerable research on assessment of outcomes of undergraduate research on STEM students (Lopatto; Seymour, et al), to date, no assessment of outcomes has been done on this population. We--all enrolled in just such a course--approached this research question through mixed methods:

• Content analysis of the syllabus; …

The Body And The City: Re-Envisioning Hong Kong Through Protest Poetry, Kimberlie Young

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

In a time of civil unrest in Hong Kong starting summer of 2019, Hong Kong citizens have navigated a shift in identity and their political social climate. Beginning in early summer of 2019, protests broke out around Hong Kong in response to the Hong Kong government's proposal of an Extradition Bill, which ultimately would allow Hong Kong legal power to "extradite fugitives to territories where it doesn't have formal extradition deals, including mainland China, Taiwan and Macau" (Hollingsworth, 2019). The poems examined in this essay convey what it means to be a citizen of Hong Kong during a time of …

Power And Pain: Dickinson's Approach To The Sublime, Isabelle Quigley, Westin Smith, Sariah Dutkiewicz

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Dickinson's poetry remains an enigma for contemporary readers and scholars because she maintained such a reclusive life as a poet. The ambiguity of her personal and professional life reflects the uncertainty in her poetry, and her refusal to publish much of her work in her lifetime further obscures concrete readings of her poems. However, she did prepare her poetry in the form of manuscript books for future readers. Unlike other authors, Dickinson offered no guidelines on how to approach her work. This lack of guidance has created a constant struggle of interpreting Dickinson's poetry, and to try a resolve this …

A Profile On The Effects Of A Worldwide Pandemic On Writing In The Workplace, Maigan Sorensen

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, many social norms in society have changed. Social norms have changed as well as how businesses function. Many people spend more time at home than outside, and infection is still on the rise. Workers and their employers have turned to remote or tele-commuting solutions to avoid spread of COVID-19. Businesses and other establishments that employ considerable numbers of people had to develop communication plans or draw on existing emergency procedures to ensure that processes continued as normally as possible. This research project was designed to examine the changes that have been implemented in …

From The Mouth Of The Tunnel: How The Shape Of Place Molds The Shape Of Art, Jordan Forest

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Creative Nonfiction writer Philip Gerard, in researching for an essay on the Gettysburg Address, decided to personally walk the path of Pickett's charge. He said that only in feeling the route for himself, in losing his breath and trudging through mud, did he realize the trek was uphill. Gerard said, "You have to see the thing itself, not merely a representation of the thing." For the creative nonfiction writer, site visit serves to imbue art with nuance and complexities of meaning. While writing a research-based creative nonfiction essay focused on Nancy Holt, I visited her land art installation Sun Tunnels …

"God Would Certainly Scold!": Understanding Religion, Sex, And Nonconformity Through An Analysis Of Dickinson's "Over The Fence–" And Surrounding Poems, Hala Louviere, Jordan Forest, Talia Roundy

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

While a single poem of Dickinson's is full of meaning, analyzing the pieces that she placed before it thickens an initial understanding with additional perspective and nuance. To receive a fuller sense of Dickinson's interpretations of her final poem of one of her handbound collections, Fascicle 11, "Over the fence—" we analyze select poems of the eight sheets that proceed it. In nine lines, "Over the fence—" encapsulates the scope of Fascicle 11, depicting the ways in which women are both judged and limited within the social climate of 19th century America and within Christian religious communities. In this fascicle, …

How Do The Mental Health Services Offered By Usu Pre-Covid19 Compare To The Present?, Casey Mack

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

How do the mental health services offered by USU pre-COVID19 compare to the present? COVID19 has essentially taken the world and changed it. People are required to stay inside more, there is a decrease in social interaction and there is a political aspect most weren't expecting. This question is important because in such tumultuous time, mental health and mental health services are of utmost importance. Isolation and a change in most every aspect of life can take a toll on someone's mental health. The approach to this project is done with mixed methods. Students majoring in English at Utah State …

How Communication Between Secondary English Teachers And Their Students During A Pandemic Has Changed, Allison Mcmurry

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

How has online learning affected teachers' communication with students, particularly regarding feedback for writing assignments? The increase in technology as well as current unexpected events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic have led to an increase in online learning at all education levels. This being said, online learning comes with many challenges that aren't present in a face-to-face setting. Through a case study of teachers' experiences with communicating online as well as surveys of current English teaching majors that have experienced the student side of online learning, these challenges and opportunities are described. The results may suggest best practices drawn from …

No Nearer Neighbor Have They: How Emily Dickinson's Fascicle 37 Explores Nature As A Link Between Man And God, Evan Rasmussen, Mckay Brezenski, Xiomara Castro

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

It is typically the practice to examine poems individually to grasp their meaning, but examining Emily Dickinson's poems in the context of their fascicle sheets, and the fascicles, themselves, can be an illuminating and worthwhile endeavor. When Emily Dickinson's poem "Four Trees - upon a solitary Acre - " is interpreted in isolation from the other poems Dickinson placed on the same manuscript sheet, it emerges as a beautiful commentary on the natural world and its relationship with humanity. The poem separates its speaker from nature, concluding that nature is something mankind may never fully comprehend. However, when this poem's …

Teaching Through A Screen: How Usu English Instructors Approached Online Course Accessibility During Covid-19, Sabrina Satterthwaite

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Although academia has been transitioning to more virtual instructional methods for some time, the COVID-19 pandemic has made switching to remote classrooms a necessity. As a result, many instructors have been required to convert their traditionally face-to-face courses into online courses for the Fall 2020 semester. This online instructional mode presents opportunities and challenges alike for creating class content that is accessible both to students with disabilities and students with situational barriers, such as stress, money, or technology resources. This study explores how Utah State University English instructors implemented accessibility strategies in the transition to more remote learning during the …