English Language and Literature Commons^™

Extracurricular Video Game Use And Academic Achievement: A Systematic Literature Review, Christina Hartman, Theo Makanoa, Lucas Thoms, Aidan Lowry, Kaleb Chandler

English Student Research

A good deal of research exists on the relationship between student use of video games outside the classroom and academic achievement. Our systematic review aims to identify what patterns exist across research conducted in the last 20 years. We examined 62 research studies that dealt with academic achievement and extracurricular video game use and found that most studies identify a negative association between the two. However, this isn’t the case for all students. We identified three important variables (the amount of time spent playing video games, the time of day or week spent playing, and the age of the students) …

Uncanniness In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Seth L. Callor

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis explores how Toni Morrison’s 1970 novel The Bluest Eye has a feature called the uncanny. Uncanniness, as originally explained by Sigmund Freud, is when something that was familiar becomes unsettlingly unfamiliar in a way that was likely once repressed. Other thinkers have since talked about how the uncanny is used in stories to question how their demographics are oppressed. Following their example, this thesis explains how The Bluest Eye is an example of using the uncanny to question harmful ways of seeing. Through demonstrating how The Bluest Eye uses obviously uncanny things like dolls and moves to more …

“The Revolution Begins At Home”: Ambivalent Sexism In The Color Purple And The Help, Berit P. Gibson

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Ambivalent sexism theory, proposed by Glick and Fiske in 1996, argues that sexism is comprised of both negative and “positive” images of women. The theory has become a staple in research on sexism as it theorizes the Madonna/whore dichotomy as sexist on both sides of the binary, and how attitudes switch from “positive” to negative. But, so far, literature scholars have not used the theory to read literature. As the theory is based in ideals of white womanhood, how do we do so in an intersectional way?

In order to work through this question, I bring in The Color Purple …

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 …

Longing For Home, Ryker Eggenberger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis is a collection of creative nonfiction essays examining what it means to belong. Multiple factors of belonging are explored, including belonging in human relationships, belonging to oneself, and feeling a sense of belonging to a physical place. Each essay contains three cohesive narratives—called “strands”—which are woven together to form a single essay. These strands include the author’s personal experiences, site visits conducted by the author, and various research topics. The personal experiences explore the author’s relationship to belonging contextualized by his pure obsessive-compulsive disorder. The site visits recount the author’s experiences in natural and community-oriented places. The research …

Specimen, Basil Payne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

“Specimen” is a collection of my original poetry drawn from my thesis that explores identity and experience through the lens of nature. Specimens are dead, preserved individuals of nature who are used for scientific study. They help us humans understand the world better, help us make scientific advancements, but can they do more than that? In my poetry, I see myself and all the other individuals as specimens, singularities with lessons to teach and things to learn. Listening to the more-than-human world, acknowledging their differences can help us understand the aspects of ourselves that feel out of place, be those …

From Stuckness To Sustainability: Tailoring A Conflict Management Framework To Support Emotional Processing In English Teaching, Isabelle Scott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Nationally, teachers are struggling to simply stay in the career, let alone thrive in it, and many education researchers are recognizing that teaching has become a largely unsustainable career for an increasing number of educators. There are many complex challenges that English Language Arts (ELA) teachers face that contribute to this dissatisfaction and the unsustainability of the career, including the demanding human and relationship-focus of the work, the emotional intensity in this type of caring, intense debates and controversies occurring in national politics that then play into the classroom, and an overarching disillusionment with teaching. This thesis explores such problems …

Reading Cache Valley Rhetorics: Towards A Composition Pedagogy Of Place, Dax Gove

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

“Reading Cache Valley Rhetorics: Towards a Composition Pedagogy of Place” proposes that place—one’s immediate locale—is an essential element of ecocritical writing pedagogy. There are constant interacting rhetorical constructions of meaning within any given place across texts from the different groups who have lived there. In these local texts, the evidence of a rhetorically mediated reality is evident in the stark differences between natures and cultures—meaning is rhetorically constructed, down to the meaning of place and people. This project reads texts local to the author’s immediate locale, Cache Valley, Utah, from white LDS settler and Indigenous Shoshone rhetors in order to …

Faith And Doubt: Exploring How We Interpret The World, Amber Mccuen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This collection of four fictional short stories explores questions of belief—and practice of belief—in four separate contexts. The first story, “Little Marie,” follows a young girl who’s made her own system of belief created by correlation. The second story, “Last Days,” sees a woman return to her childhood home which has been overcome by the hoarding habits of her paranoid, fundamentalist Christian mother. The third story, “Graduation,” takes place at a divinity school graduation and explores the strength of both social influence and unspoken rules within closed groups. The final story, “Away From the Ninety and Nine,” follows a cult …

Rewarding Disruptions In Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb, Elijah Moss

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Tamsyn Muir, author of The Locked Tomb, says she thinks of Biblical allusions in the same way she thinks of alluding to digital folklore. This research paper investigates the veracity of this claim, using the dual lenses of literary analysis and digital folklore studies to ultimately conclude that the broad range of intertextual references in The Locked Tomb exemplifies a broader strategy of ambivalence (e.g., in her tone) that disrupts the readerly experience. With these ruptures, Muir creates space away from the typical expectations that may limit the range of themes historically found in genre fiction. Therefore, her tonal …

Alevi-Bektashi Ballads: Malady, Melody And Remedy, Mustafa Cingoz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This research focuses on how ballads play a central role in the cultural and spiritual life of the Alevi-Bektashi community in Türkiye. These ballads, performed by folk poets known as aşık (minstrel) with the stringed instrument bağlama are the inseparable elements of their daily life and sacred rituals. As rooted in the path of Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam, and the teachings of 13th-century Sufi saint Haji Bektash Veli, Alevi-Bektashi ballads express shared emotions, struggles, and hopes. Therefore, my point of view argues that these ballads do more than preserve the Anatolian ballad tradition. They create a sense of …

Operation: Twisted Arm, Paul Burdiss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This science fiction novella explores the postcolonial tensions that can exist between a settler population and the native population of the land they have colonized. It uses the science fiction genre to translate modern issues into a fully fictionalized setting and is written in novella form to best fit the form of the story. This novella is accompanied by a Critical Introduction which explains the methodology and rationale for many of the choices made in its construction, and references both literary works read in preparation for this project as well as works by other writers regarding fiction writing techniques. The …

"Death Is The Fifth [Season], And Master Of All": Necropolitical Violence And/As Environmental Violence In The Fifth Season, Mason T. Goodrich

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

While many scholars have already described N.K. Jemisin’s Hugo Award-winning speculative novel The Fifth Season as one that highlights intersections between race, settler-colonialism, neoliberalism, and, most frequently, climate change, I apply a necropolitical lens to The Fifth Season in order evaluate a relationship that exists between systemic violence and environmental degradation. The Fifth Season depicts a socially inscribed relationship between an othered race of humans, called orogenes, and the land, anthropomorphized as “Father” Earth. Orogenes have a paradoxical social status: they are simultaneously feared and revered for their ability to control the Earth. This paradox is the impetus for many …

Motherhood Within The Patriarchal Family: An Analysis Of “Frankenstein” And “The Scarlet Letter”, Yasamin Osqueezadeh

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Being a pivotal period in Western feminist history, the literary community in the 18^th century introduced pioneering feminists, the most famous of which is Mary Wollstonecraft, who called for a feminist revolution with A Vindication of the Rights of Women. Following the publication of A Vindication of the Rights of Women and other subsequent feminist papers, are Mary Shelley’s 1818 Frankenstein and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 The Scarlet Letter, two renowned pieces of Gothic literature. Although the two novels may seem disconnected, both Frankenstein and The Scarlet Letter engage in feminist arguments and critiques of the patriarchy in …

Women’S Evolving Roles: Gender, Authority, And The History Of Latter-Day Saint Patriarchy, Zachary Brady

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This project aims to further understand contemporary women’s issues within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by answering three questions. 1) What social and doctrinal factors have influenced the development of patriarchal structures within the LDS Church, and how have these factors evolved? 2) What are the current leadership and decision-making roles available to LDS women, and how does church membership feel about them? 3) What ideas exist for progress in gender equality and women’s leadership? This discussion provides relevant historical context, outlines current issues regarding LDS women’s authority challenges and theological interpretations, and numerous proposed solutions from …

Desert Drowning: A Short Story Collection, Steve Shumway

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As many young men born in Utah, I grew up Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While this is not out of the ordinary in this state, my connections within the history of the church were. My grandfather's great grandfather Charles Shumway was one of the first Mormon settlers to cross the plains and settle in what would become the state of Utah. Not only that, he was one of Brigham Young's most trusted lieutenants, instructed to scout ahead of the main wagon trains, and later settle parts of Northern Arizona, where the town …

Motherhood Within The Patriarchal Family: An Analysis Of Frankenstein And The Scarlet Letter, Yasamin Osqueezadeh

Student Research Symposium

Frankenstein and The Scarlet Letter critique the typical patriarchal family mold. • Frankenstein critiques the gender inequalities within motherhood and creation, reimagining the family by removing the mother figure.

• Hawthorne critiques the patriarchal treatment of women by creating an all- women family structure, arguing that households can survive with a sole mother figure.

• Although he does not offer an alternative family model like Shelley, Hawthorne attempts to recreate the female role.

• Both of their arguments are informed by biographical aspects, as Shelley and Hawthorne had—according to patriarchal society—atypical mothers.

• Their alternative family models are highly …

Asian American Reproductive Rhetorics: A Rhetorical Analysis Of "The Farm" By Joanne Ramos, Mckinlee Armstrong

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Rhetorical scholars have long analyzed the idea of choice in the context of reproductive rights and have concluded that individual choice does not override the systematic barriers women of color face in accessing reproductive healthcare. Most Asian American rhetorical artifacts that have reached this same conclusion are case studies. I propose that analyzing Asian American fiction, specifically The Farm by Joanne Ramos, is just as necessary because fiction demonstrates the barriers that might exist in the future and how to prevent them from happening. The framework I use to analyze this text is the Asian American rhetorical concept of restiveness, …

Reinvigorating The Post-Covid Gen Z English Major, Gaby Bedetti

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

The decline in English majors has energized instructors to upskill for the post-COVID Gen Z student. Toward that end, this small-scale (n=20), one-semester study of an upper-division literature class identifies the preferred learning styles of English majors at a public comprehensive regional university in Kentucky. The participants represent national English major demographics. The research methods are quantitative and qualitative. Eight figures and an appendix are included. Three guidelines emerge for responding to the needs of Gen Z students: 1) keep communication brief, 2) co-create, and 3) interact in-person. The findings about …

The Function Of Humility In St. Teresa Of Avila's Autobiography: A Literature Review, Jennifer Sanchez

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In the Carmelite nun St. Teresa of Ávila’s (1515-1582) autobiography, The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by Herself (1588), the author repeatedly asserts her unworthiness. Contemporary scholarship has explored the function of Teresa’s rhetoric of humility in this text. Scholars from the 1990s have largely argued that Teresa’s humility is a carefully crafted, defensive method to meet the demands of the patriarchal culture in which she wrote. Twenty-first-century scholars take a (slightly) different approach. To them, Teresa’s humility is not solely rhetorical; they suggest that Teresa’s humility is also a consequence and tool of her spiritual journey. In this …

Travels In Ireland, Melissa Evelyn Cook

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

“Travels In Ireland” is a creative non-fiction essay with elements of travel writing. It follows my journey around Ireland, including Killarney, Dingle, Kell’s Bay, Castle Desmond, Galway, the Aran Islands and Coole Park. This essay is in communication with other travel writing pieces as I experiment with the genre. In preparation I read many different examples of travel writing including Travels with Charley, Stones of Aran, and On the Shoreline of Knowledge. My initial plan for this project involved studying cultural differences and experimenting with the genre of travel writing. While I began this project without a …

Dismantling Barriers To Publishing: Identifying Types Of Negative Review Experiences And Strategies For Mitigating Them, Hannah L. Stevens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation research focuses on academic publishing, particularly the peer review process, investigating gaps between journal guidelines and guidelines of inclusive publishing policy and processes. This project investigates the potential for supplementation of policy documents to cultivate a positive publishing experience. Moreover, this research continues the work of cultivating connections among authors, reviewers, editors, etc., in the drive to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of the publication process.

Radical Antiracism And Anti-Queerphobia In Politicised Education Environments Through Critical Race Theory And Queer Theory, Mina Aubrey Weeks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In 2023, the Utah legislature passed bills that alter how secondary education teachers can talk about “divisive topics,” usually referring to topics of race, LGBTQ, or other systemic topics like classism and nationalism. Many teachers committed to anti-racism and anti-queerphobia do not want to water down topics of race and LGBTQ, but they also do not want to lose their jobs for teaching race and LGBTQ in a way that the law restricts. Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory have typically been framed as anti-White, anti-cishet, or overall divisive by State critics due to their radical ideologies, but this comes …

Special Study: Vulnerability, Jacob Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Special Study: Vulnerability is a collection of creative nonfiction essays engaged in recovering the stories of homeless individuals living in Salt Lake City, Utah. The recovery project is focused on the years 2017-2023, with special attention to the events of Operation Rio Grande (2017-2020). The essays seek to, among other things, provide a critique of public policy, increase public awareness of the issues facing the homeless population, and elicit empathy from readers.

Variations On Leitmotif: Firebird Rises, Virginia Beikmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis begins with an introduction that discusses the various influences on the development of the creative novella portion. These influences include Russia literature and folklore, as well as the genres of alternative history and speculative fiction. The novella takes place in a re-imagining of Moscow, Russia during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The novella portion is driven by a close focus on character, with emphasis on reactions to wartime pressures and interpersonal relationships forming the central conflict.

Place-Based Fiction: Tourist Town Stories, Keegan Waller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

I first conceived of the idea for this short story collection in my early 20's while working as a ski lift operator, bartender, construction worker, and window cleaner in Park City, Utah. At the same time, I was becoming interested in short fiction through the works of authors like Raymond Carver, Chuck Palahniuk, and Charles Bukowski, whose dirty realism has played a large role in the formulation of my thesis. I intend to write a story collection that moves their genre into a more modern setting. While this collection will not fit perfectly into the dirty realist box, the themes …

The Last Days Of Elder Mitchell, Jack Bylund

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Last Days of Elder Mitchell is a novella following the eponymous Latter-Day Saint missionary as he narrates the miracles performed by his colleague, Elder Gibson, as well as his personal grappling with his queer identity as he serves a high-demand religion that condemns people like him. The narrative explores the intersection of queerness and faith, the form of the novella, and the healing nature of autobiographical fiction.

Creating Sensory Poetry: An Accessible Exhibit And Workshops, Basil Payne

Student Research Symposium

This is an 2023-2024 URCO project that originally began as a 2023 summer Peak Fellowship project. In summer 2023, I researched 19th-century Utah herbaria specimens to create my own botanically-influenced poetry and art. In fall, I received an URCO grant with the Impact Initiative to create a sensory-friendly art exhibit that would be accessible to people with sensory sensitivities. In addition, I planned to offer two workshops to members of the community with disabilities. From February 12-16, 2024, I displayed my sensory-friendly poetry and art in USU’s Projects Gallery and hosted two accessible workshops for people of all abilities.

Desert Body, Lauren Mckinnon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is a collection of poems examining certain paradoxes of my body. As a survivor of sexual violence, my body relives trauma which makes it feel uninhabitable. I compare my experiences with the Southern Utah desert. The physical beauty, destruction and inhabitability of the desert teaches me to accept my body as both beautiful and full of grief. The poems move chronologically through my life, beginning with an abusive relationship at the age of sixteen, a move to Moab at nineteen, and becoming a mother at twenty-five. Ultimately, with the desert as my guide, I learn to accept my …