CLA Scholars Day

Location: Simmons Amphitheater, Paul W. Martin, Sr. Honors Building, Room 106  

Creative Performance – Play 

Organizer: Dr. Claudia Barnett, English 

Innocence and Invisibility:  Scenes Inspired by “The Emperor’s New Clothes” 
In this panel, the students of English 3665: Playwriting will present staged readings of scenes from their brand-new short plays inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy-tale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Each play riffs on Andersen’s themes and applies them to our world today. 

Erin Bostwick, Theatre 
Duplicity 
A woman meets her young online lover for the first time. She is willing to risk it all, but will he do the same? 

Ava Marie Howard, Communication Studies 
Preservation 
A Scottish farm girl helps disguise a fugitive Prince. 

Jazmyne Donald, Visual Arts 
Copy and Paste 
How can you be an influencer when all you do is copy and paste? 

Yuliya Kirichenko, English 
Garden Room 
A poet and a vlogger debate which art form is best for representing the viewer’s transcendental absolute. 

Lauren Bobo, English 
Dancing Around the Truth 
When Macy gets a message from her older sister Kaitlyn after four years apart, she thinks maybe Kaitlyn has finally grown up. Turns out she still only wants to play games. 

Lily K. Lewis, English – Creative Writing Concentration 
Ice 
Two parents discover their daughter’s journal. What they find within makes them rethink everything. 

Patricia Cundiff, English 
The Best Policy 
For a married couple thinking of starting a family, can love overcome the breakdown of truth and ignore the ridiculous outside world? 

Taylor Tims, Anthropology and Theatre 
I Heard a Rumor 
When Queen Bee Marnie wants help spreading a vicious rumor, new girl Abigail struggles between her moral code and the need to be included. 

Rachel Reynolds, English 
Bottlecap Boys 
Two middle school boys in 2012 try to find a way to profit of their female classmates’ interest in current trends. 

Annual Scholars Week Speech Contest 
Location: BAS S118

Organized by Department of Communication Studies 

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Pat Richey and Dr. Natonya Listach 

This event is sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies, the College of Liberal Arts, MT Engage, and McGraw-Hill and is open to any current MTSU student who has completed or is currently enrolled in COMM 2200 through the University. 

Inefficiencies of the Russian Military Apparatus 

Presenter: William Broad, International Relations 

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Andrei Korobkov, Department of Political and Global Affairs 

Abstract: An in-depth overview of the Russian military’s staggeringly underwhelming performance in its recent war in Ukraine and potential outcomes for Its place in the world after the conflict is over. The presentation will not be just on the material conditions of Russian armed forces but as well its place in Russian society and political aims. 

Right-wing Populism in International Relations: The Struggle for Sovereignty through Revisionist Foreign Policy 

Presenter: Victoria Grigsby, Political Science and German 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jon DiCicco, Department of Political and Global Affairs

Abstract: The combined economic, political, and cultural consequences of globalization, which developed along with institutions promoting neoliberalism, and power shifts following the end of the Cold War have prompted the emergence of right-wing populism globally. In this form, the exclusionary forces of populism and nationalism are combined, targeting both ‘elites’ who prey on the ‘pure people’ and national ‘others’ including immigrants, political opponents, and minority groups respectively. In foreign policy, this movement translates into policies of revisionism, whereby states seek to regain the sovereignty perceived to be stolen by the ‘elites’ and national ‘others’. This manifests as both systemic revisionism, aimed at the distribution of power and benefits in international organizations, informal hierarchies, and/or global trade, as well as lateral revisionism, which is aimed at immigration reform, correcting border discrepancies, and/or uniting an ethnic diaspora. When these revisionist policies are enacted globally, especially by hegemonic and great powers, it has the potential to alter or destroy the liberal international order. By identifying the indicators of revisionism in 21st century states and tracking foreign policy changes relative to the growing right-wing populist movement, I expect to find that the emergence of right-wing populism does correlate with growing revisionist policies and that if these were to continue, the liberal international order would be altered or retired in the near future. 

Buchenwald: Contesting Revisionism in the 21st Century 

Presenter: Thomas Dillon Hudson, Master’s Candidate Public History 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ashley Valanzola, Department of History

Abstract: The paper will look at the Buchenwald Memorial and examine how it presents the history of the concentration camp in the present day. The paper will also discuss some of the efforts the current administration has done by itself and with its parent foundation in combating the far-right revisionist efforts. 

The Five-Paragraph Essay: Friend or Foe of Confidence? 

Presenter: Mavis Wolff, English – Writing Concentration 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Amy Harris-Aber, Department of English

Abstract: The goal of this investigation was to determine if the five-paragraph essay encouraged or inhibited Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate underclassmen confidence in college-level writing. Furthermore, there was a sub-goal of determining if students had experience with multimodal data presentations (i.e., PowerPoints, visual-based projects). The five-paragraph essay is defined as an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. This model is often taught to beginner writers to teach skills of structure, an. A survey of freshmen and sophomores at MTSU revealed that most students were somewhat or very confident in writing prior to high school, but this confidence slightly diminished after entering college. Further research was conducted through anonymous interviews, which were analyzed as textual documents, to determine if this decrease was due to the model itself or a lack of access to multimodal materials. There were three central conclusions that came from this investigation. Firstly, students are confident using the five-paragraph essay, finding it to be applicable to various university-level writing tasks. Secondly, the central issue is how the five-paragraph essay, and writing overall, is taught: the former is prescribed as a “catch-all” formula for success, thus ignoring structural nuances, and the latter is taught as a question-and-answer process, rather than a more organic, discursive process. Finally, it was determined that students feel as though they would be able to engage with multimodal delivery, but that they have had little opportunity in their greater educational careers. 

Assessment of MorphoPASSE Software for Undergraduate Forensic Anthropology Education 

Presenter: Elauna Hicks, Anthropology 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Shannon Hodge, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Abstract: The Morphological Pelvis and Skull Sex Estimation Program or MorphoPASSE is a free and open-access tool utilized in the discipline of forensic anthropology to estimate skeletal sex in skeletonized human remains. Despite its availability, the program is typically employed only by professionals within forensic anthropology. This project evaluates the efficacy of the MorphoPASSE program from an undergraduate perspective, focusing on the reliability of data generated by a non-professional undergraduate student. Data for this study were drawn from a sample of seventy human skeletal remains from the University of South Florida’s (USF) Florida Institute for Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science’s donated skeletal collection. For this study, each skeleton’s sex was assessed using the MorphoPASSE tool, and the results were compared to their known sex. A percentage was generated for how many of the estimations matched, indicating successful use of the program by an undergraduate researcher. The information gained from this case study was then used to create a lab exercise to introduce MorphoPASSE to undergraduate forensic anthropology students. 

Tomato Plant Girl, Scene 1 (excerpt from MTSU’s production) 

Play performed by Emma Lilly and Libby Reasonover, Theatre 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Alicia Fuss, Department of Theatre and Dance 

More Details at Tomato Plant Girl – Department of Theatre and Dance.

Voices of Identity: We All Have a Story 

Presenter: Serena Easley, Africana Studies 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Leah Tolbert Lyons, College of Liberal Arts Dean/Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Abstract: Voices of Identity: We All Have a Story explores how literature and film challenge dominant narratives that oversimplify African identities. Drawing from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s The Danger of a Single Story, this presentation examines works by Mariama Bâ, Ken Bugul, and Fatou Diome, as well as Senegalese films like La Pirogue and Madame Brouette. These stories highlight themes of migration, gender, tradition, and cultural duality, revealing the power of storytelling in resisting stereotypes and embracing the richness of diverse experiences. 

“How can fandom be toxic? It’s about love!”: A look at Scream’s (2022) Reflection on Fandom and Franchises 

Presenter: Amanda Triplett, Master’s Candidate Liberal Arts 

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Christopher Weedman, Department of English and Dr. Janet McCormick, MALA Director/Department of Communication Studies

Abstract 

Everyone is a fan of something; be that a book, a film franchise, an actor, a sports team, or anything else they find entertaining. Some people enjoy being a fan on their own but for many, they seek out others who like that same thing, a fandom. In my analysis of Scream (2022), also known as Scream 5, I will look at the intertextual connections between the film’s meta-commentary on the nature of film franchises, the growing toxic fan behaviors of the fan-text-producer reactions represented in the film and comparing it to the real-world incidents involving Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Ghostbusters (2016). In doing so, I will explore how Scream 5 calls attention to toxic fan behavior for all fandoms and how it affects matters on an entertainment industry level, not just within the horror community. 

Perceptions of Evolution and Evolution Education among Undergraduate Muslim Biology Students in the United States 

Presenter: Zaynab Alnassari, Biology 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Liz Barnes, Department of Biology

Abstract: Evolution is a fundamental concept and a unifying theory in biology, providing great explanatory power, such as explaining the diversity of life on Earth and the shared genetic heritage among all living organisms. However, ~36% of incoming biology students in the US reject the idea that life shares a common ancestor, which is a core tenet of evolution. A recent study reports that perceived conflict between evolution and religion predicts students’ acceptance of evolution more than their understanding of evolution or level of religiosity. This perceived conflict arises from both internal factors (e.g., belief in God and personal religious beliefs) and external factors (e.g., community and religious teaching). Many studies in the US have been conducted within a predominantly Christian context, finding that the presumed conflict is due to literal interpretations of the Bible. However, no study has yet explored the internal (e.g., religious beliefs) and external factors (e.g., learning environment and exposure to Christian creationist ideas) that affect undergraduate biology Muslim students’ perceptions of evolution. Muslim students also often experience stigma, which intersects with their faith, gender, race/ethnicity, and science identity (7). In addition, faith-based identities have become racialized alongside traditional racial and gender frameworks in the U.S. Despite members of both religions reporting perceived conflicts between evolution and their faiths, Christianity and Islam have distinct ideologies and views on evolution. Major research in Muslim-majority countries has identified sources of perceived conflict for Muslim students but limited studies have explored this in the context of the US. We will conduct semi-structured interviews with Muslim undergraduate students across multiple institutions in the US at the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester and report preliminary results. Participants will be recruited through targeted outreach at universities with sizable Muslim student populations as well as broader sampling methods across the US. Inductive coding analyses will be employed to find patterns and themes in student interviews. Specifically, we will look at the unique challenges faced by Muslim students and finally look at ways to create more inclusive and effective evolution education. We hypothesize that the perceived conflict between evolution and religion for Muslim students is multifaceted, influenced not only by religiosity but also by the Christian culture prevalent in the United States and the lack of religious role models presented in the classroom.    From these results, we aim to create teaching strategies that can help undergraduate Muslim students by exploring the aspects of their learning experiences that are important for biology instructors to understand them.  

Women & Gender Studies Student Research Panel  

Organizer: Dr. Rebecca Oldham, Human Development and Family Science | Women and Gender Studies 

A Pedagogical Guide to Neurodiversity in Feminist Classrooms 

Presenter: Kayleigh Weisman, Doctoral Candidate, English/WGST Certificate 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Laura White, Department of English

---

Maternal Mortality and LGBTQ+ Data Erasure 

Presenter: Cassie Sistoso, Master’s Candidate Sociology/WGST Certificate 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Vicky MacLean, Director, WGST Program/Department of Sociology and Anthropology

---

Disabled Black Feminist 

Presenter: Kendra Gardner, Master’s Candidate Liberal Arts (MALA)/WGST Certificate 

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Janet McCormick, MALA Director/Department of Communication Studies