Liberal Studies Commons^™

Volume Cxliv, Number 3, October 11, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

The Grizzly, October 10, 2024, Kate Horan, Zach Cosme, Caitlin Cunnane, Caroline Bennett, Sidney Belleroche, Hadley Whitman, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

My Big Fat Greek Cleanup • Bear Necessities Draws Big Brother Concern • Free Speech Lecture by Samantha Harris • A Bit About the B'Naturals • IIE Launches Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration • Opinions: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Clamer Hall • Men's Soccer Out to Triumphant Start • Cross Country Gears Up for Strong Finish!

Volume Cxliv, Number 2, October 4, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

The Grizzly, October 3, 2024, Kate Horan, Renee Washart, Ashley Adam, Estella Bower, Caitlin Cunnane, Hannah Teitelman, Sophia Kumar, Hadley Whitman, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Upcoming Performance by Mina Choi • Swing Into This Club • Latin Jazz Social at the Berman • Dungeons & Dragons and Denn, Oh My! • Women in Technology and Science Club • Opinions: Give Me My Money! • "Moneyball" Comes to Collegeville: New Sports Analytics Club • Patterson Field Gets Massive Upgrade

Volume Cxliv, Number 1, September 27, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

The Grizzly, September 26, 2024, Kate Horan, Caitlin Cunnane, Sidney Belleroche, Ella Schneider, Henry Probolus, Estella Bower, Adam Denn, Grace Lynch

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

New Member Education Begins • October is Lantern Submission Month • Yik Yak Culture • Madeline Hepburn is Missing: A Short Story by Ze'ev Shaheen • Love of the Craft • Opinions: PSA: Flush the Toilet! • Women's Soccer Soars to Great Start! • Men's Soccer Kicks Off With Success! • Performance of the Week

The Grizzly, September 19, 2024, Kate Horan, Sophia Kumar, Ashley Adam, Katie Cressman, Xazlee Carroll-Smith, Adam Denn, Hadley Whitman

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Into the Breeches! • New AAPI House • Editor List • Confidence: Ursinus Graduate Katie Cressman's Journey and Advice • Opinions: Ritter Hall Needs Work • Ursinus Football Roars to a Strong Start! • Field Hockey Stuns #10 Rowan!

Thinking Blue / Writing Red: Marxism And The (Post)Human, Stephen C. Tumino

Publications and Research

Thinking Blue/Writing Red interrogates contemporary culture across a range of texts, from the pandemic (‘Covid’ and ‘Trump Speak’) to high theory (Melville's narratives) and popular culture (Beyoncé's ‘Formation’ and Super Bowl performance, Twin Peaks , metamodern ‘cli-fi’ films). Inspired by Derrida’s idea of the secret, Tumino examines the significance of social movements (Black Lives Matter, Occupy, alter-globalization) and naïve art (Darger, Ryden) to argue that these texts speak of the secrets that capitalism cannot speak. Contending that the cultural surfaces narrate only the ‘nonsecret,’ that to see the social logic of the culture one must dig into what Bruno Latour …

The Perspective Of An Alumnus, Rifah Tasnim

Early College Folio

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Note, Amanda Landi

Early College Folio

No abstract provided.

Contributors

Early College Folio

Contributors, Early College Folio, Volume 3, Issue 1 (2024).

Critical Media Literacy: Taking Steps To Understand And Implement (In First-Year Composition Courses), Kevin Shank, Lara Searcy

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article considers ways to advance critical media literacy (CML) in English language arts spaces, particularly first-year composition. Due to the growing need for critical media literacy, authors outline two steps — first, taking steps toward understanding CML and second, sharing resources to help educators integrate more critical media literacy into the field of English language arts. The authors created and share a Media Text Complexity Rationale (https://bit.ly/MediaTextComplexityRationale) that can guide educators in text selection, along with three other related resources to help teachers understand and implement CML during instructional design.

The Embedded Scaffolded Writing Mini-Course (Teswmc): An Approach To Improve Teacher Candidates’ Writing Skills And Attitudes, Vicky Giouroukakis Ph.D., Laurie Bocca

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

High-quality academic writing is critical to student success in graduate-level education courses and professional advancement in our field. The Embedded Scaffolded Writing Mini-Course (TESWMC) was designed to both improve teacher candidates’ skills in writing critically and effectively and to positively influence teacher candidates’ attitudes towards writing. The 7-week mini-course was taught by the teacher educator/researcher as a “push-in” into a semester-long graduate Education course. The mini-course also served as a pilot study to determine its efficacy. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Data revealed that teacher candidates reported that their writing skills and attitudes towards writing improved. …

Full Issue 2024 (Volume 2), Taylor University

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

This open-access journal endeavors to showcase the excellent academic inquiry of Taylor University students. The content within this issue represents multiple academic disciplines within the humanities, natural and applied sciences, and social sciences, and demonstrates the “Light and Faith” mentality that is so central Taylor University’s educational philosophy. We are grateful to all who submitted articles, our faculty reviewers, and the editorial board.

For the first time, Lux et Fides contains both Research Briefs and articles. Research Briefs are abstract-length summaries of grant-funded faculty-mentored student research projects conducted during the summer of 2023 and allow students to articulate to our …

Kantian Reason & Epistemic Humility, Elias Seeman

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

Immanuel Kant continues to be one of the most influential thinkers in the history of philosophy. His thought shapes much of contemporary culture and has dramatically influenced Christian philosophy and theology. While some of this influence is beneficial, there are components of Kantian thought – especially as it pertains to the capabilities of human reason to arrive at true knowledge of God – that are decidedly problematic. In this paper, two different readings on Kant’s work on this subject are presented, followed by a brief overview of key insights and shortcomings. The final section charts a positive way forward for …

Hymns Of Babel: A Song Cycle Fmus Composition Project, Reed Spencer, Steven Day

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

Hymns of Babel Research Brief

Over the course of the eight-week faculty mentorship undergraduate scholarship period, Dr. Reed Spencer and senior Steven Day composed a twelve-song cycle on the theme of Generation Z’s interaction with social media. This piece sought to articulate the thoughts, emotions, responses, and impulses that accompany the virtual world. Many of the songs explored where we find God in our social media age, as well as how we create gods, try to act as a god, and pretend there is no God. The collaborative process began by creating a rough lyrical structure and purpose, followed by …

Monstrosity In Mary Shelley’S Frankenstein And Leigh Bardugo’S Six Of Crows, Jordyn Fortuna

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

The main characters in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows reveal the potential within everyone for Monstrosity. This disregard for humanity can stem from many things, but it can also be prevented through community and sympathy. Monstrosity is often misconstrued due to a false perception guided by a sighted bias. In reality, however, characters’ humanity can be shown to the reader through a greater insight into their traumas and intentions. This paper highlights the idea that reputation cannot be trusted, but instead must be further examined to reveal the Monster within.

Examining The Aggregate Economic Impacts Of Criminal Record Expungement In Marion County, Indiana, Zane Callison

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

This article investigates the individual economic effects of criminal record expungement identified in a previous article as they appear in the aggregate, particularly rates of unemployment and wages. As interest around the effects of overincarceration increases, criminal record expungement offers a possible solution to the economic woes faced by justice-involved individuals. To that end, this article examines unemployment rates and per capita personal income in Marion County, Indiana, where implementation of the state of Indiana’s criminal record expungement statute has been exceptionally effective. After an analysis, we find that criminal record expungement bears only a light or unclear causal relationship …

Computational Analysis Of O6-Methylated Guanine And Thioguanine Complexes, Kirsten Stinson, Michael Bowman

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

DNA methylation occurring on the O⁶ position of guanine has been linked to the formation of cancer. DNA complexes with O⁶-methylated guanine have been studied experimentally, yet questions remain concerning the carcinogenic properties of O⁶-methylguanine. This present research explored the interaction between O⁶-methylguanine and its potential nucleobase pairs of cytosine and adenine in hopes of elucidating the mutagenic characteristics of O⁶-methylguanine. A variety of computational methods including Density Functional Theory (DFT), Symmetry Adapted Perturbation Theory (SAPT), Noncovalent Interaction (NCI) analysis, and Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis were employed to comprehensively probe …

A Study And Critique Of Sexual Violence Against Disabled Individuals In Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications For Policy And Practice Of Trauma-Informed Care, Kaeley Sells

Lux et Fides: A Journal for Undergraduate Christian Scholars

This paper examines and critiques current sexual violence against disabled individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa by evaluating the social and cultural stigma present that perpetuates cycles of vulnerabilities. Currently, women and girls with disabilities are disproportionally at risk for sexual violence as economic, cultural, and political structures in many Sub-Saharan African countries fail to recognize and adequately protect those with disabilities. Incorporating evidence from journals, books, reviews, and studies, this paper demonstrates the need for non-government and government actors to recognize the need to provide protection and trauma-informed care for disabled individuals.

Me And Mathematics: “Doing What You’Re Talking About”: In Dialogue With My Family, Eden Morris

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This paper is a philosophically oriented accompaniment to my audio project (accessible through the following link: https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/projects/me-and-mathematics). Working together, the paper and audio collages form a call to action and a resource. My primary finding is the importance of doing what you’re talking about or exploring and implementing your ideas experientially. Doing what you’re talking about is important for effective teaching/learning and feeling in line with oneself. This working concept came to my attention during my research conversation with my oldest living relative, and then, again, with my youngest (non-baby) relative. This doing what you’re talking about is a way …

The Migration Of South Asians From India To Guyana: The Journey, Struggles In A New Land, Reasons For Changes Over Time And Their Cultivation Of A New Culture., Cynthia C. Harry

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Indians from different regions of India arrived in Guyana through indentureship in 1838. They were under a five-year contract and had to work on the sugar plantations for the duration of their indentureship. While they tried to persist their Indian culture, assimilation in their new environments and interaction with people of different cultures, allowed them to develop a culture unique to Indo Guyanese heritage.

This thesis focuses on the history of Indian diaspora in Guyana. It evokes the struggles they faced on the ships, and during and after indentureship. It also touches on the political and racial issues they had …

Volume Cxliii, Number 24, May 24, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Volume Cxliii, Number 23, May 17, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Volume Cxliii, Number 22, May 10, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Unruly Play In Picture Books, Danielle Groak

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay defines unruly and imaginative play based on a variety of interdisciplinary sources. The study examines a selection of children’s picture books that showcase a kind of play that defies normative narrative pacing, power dynamics, and narrative sequence. Future research is recommended to further interdisciplinary discourse on the complexity of imaginative play in children’s literature in a way that honors children’s agency as storytellers.

Volume Cxliii, Number 21, May 3, 2024, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Aguaaaa!!!, Cory Villegas

Theses and Dissertations

“AGUA” is a call for new models of learning and sharing, celebrating the diasporic as a place of global revolution. Salsa, rooted in Latin American and Afro-Caribbean histories, is choreographer Cory Villegas’s expression of cultural legacy. As an Afro-diasporic dance, Salsa carries the wealth and variety of African and Indigenous roots. Villegas contextualizes her thesis event “Las Leyendas: An Afro Cuban Suite,” presenting herself and her troupe Soul Dance Co. as evidence that contradicts the erasure of Latin & Caribbean Culture in US dance history. The paper uses English and Spanish, written, visual, and oral materials with an accompanying webpage.

Bedeviled Beauty: My Journey Through White American Theater Institutions, J'Aila C. Price

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Game console: Oculus Quest

World: American Theater Institutions

Player: Minority

Place: United States

Level: “Ain’t no way.”

This thesis explores the contrast between the Westernized philosophies ingrained in my education and my identity as a Black female artist. It sheds light on the difficulties of pursuing higher education in the arts and the gaps that arise from limited exposure to culturally diverse Black resources, revealing the systemic issues in Western performance education. The paper also discusses the insights gained from my journey as a Black female artist, focusing on my thesis performance of Blood at the Root, which is …

My Little Poetic/Prose Book Of Words, Sayings, And Stories In Broken Spanish And A Little Bit Of German / Mi Libro Chiquito De Poética / Prosa De Palabras, Dichos, Y Historias Español Fracturado Y Un Poquetito Alemán, Sharon Ann Lucero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank Jonathan Taylor and Sarah Thompson for the wonderful job they did in providing me with feedback. I took into consideration all their comments. Their comments aligned with Dr. Powers, and I really took a deeper look into my Spanish/English translations on whether I should have them or not. I found a happy medium for all of it. I also went back and looked at the rest of the class’s comments and made sure that I did not miss any of the details that were pointed out to me the first time …