OSCAR Celebration of Student Scholarship and Impact

Category: Honors College

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Honors College OSCAR Summer Team Impact Project

STIP 2023 Summer Video Summary

Author(s): Samuel Biby

Mentor(s): Charles Chavis, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Abstract
This program gave me the opportunity to experience things that I never thought I would be able to experience. From programming to photography, archival work to interviews, and celebrations to needed breaks, this summer has been an incredible journey. I worked under Dr. Chavis on the John Mitchell Junior Project (JMJP) thanks to the Office of Student Scholarships, Creative Activities, and Research’s (OSCAR) Summer Team Impacts Project (STIP). My work was comprised of assisting Dr. Chavis in creating a documentary about the lynching of Matthew Williams. Officially, I was the “archival producer,” which meant that I was responsible for finding footage, photos, and audio in archives that was relevant to the production of the film. However, those were not nearly the only things that I was able to work on this summer.

The most impactful, meaningful, and incredible part of this internship was the trips that we took to Salisbury, Maryland, to do research and engage with the community. Although I wasn’t working on this part of the project exclusively, a large part of what Dr. Chavis does is work for communities to help them preserve and remember their history. So, we took two trips to Salisbury this summer to do just that. During these trips, we worked on archives, conducted interviews, and volunteered. The most remarkable part of the two trips was the Juneteenth festival. I have only studied Salisbury in regards to its racist past–but I never experienced the joy that the Black community retains despite Salisbury’s past. The Juneteenth festival was an incredible opportunity to see Black joy at its peak, and it’s something that I will never forget. Of course, that is only one of many incredible experiences that I was lucky enough to have this summer thanks to OSCAR’s STIP internship.

Audio Transcript
My name is Samuel Biby, and this summer I was working under Dr. Chavis for the John Mitchell Junior Program (JMJP). I ended up with this position thanks to the Mason Office of Student Scholarship, Creative Activities, and Research’s (OSCAR) Summer Team Impact Project (STIP) program.

My work has consisted of helping Dr. Chavis research the lynching of Matthew Williams (a resident of Salisbury, Maryland), taking photos, conducting interviews, and working on relabeling and preserving archives.

This summer has been incredibly rewarding. I have been afforded opportunities to utilize my passions and interests in technology, writing, videography, and photography. Additionally, aside from my work using technology, I was able to engage directly with a community.

On the first trip we took this summer, we went to Salisbury, Maryland. For some brief history, Salisbury used to contain a sub-community called Georgetown. Georgetown was a thriving Black community with a great nightlife and booming business district. However, during the 30s and 40s, two major highways were constructed that completely demolished this neighborhood. Only one building was left””the Charles Chipman Cultural Center. This building, to this day, stores a lot of very important records about the community that used to be there.

Since all of my work and the work of this group revolves (mostly) around Salisbury, we were given a tour by James Yamakawa, a local activist. During this tour, we were shown the important locations that I had been studying””such as the courthouse where Matthew Williams was lynched. I won’t lie, most of the history that I had learned about Salisbury had been dark, as proven by the tour we were given. However, we also volunteered and helped to setup the local Juneteenth festival.

This festival showed me a side of Salisbury that I had never before seen. Most of my summer had been spent researching and helping to write a documentary about Matthew William’s lynching. This festival, however, showed Black joy and pride, it showed me a community that I had never before experienced, a community full of great dancing, great singing, great friendship, and even better food.

I spent most of my time taking photos and documenting everything that was going on. It was a vital part of Salisbury that I was so happy I was final able to see. A good picture always has a foreground and a background, and this was my first time seeing the foreground of Salisbury.

The rest of the trip and most of the proceeding trip was spent working on archiving. Archiving is something that I have never done before””I am not a history major and have never done research in a real archive. This position, though, gave me this great experience that I never thought I would get.

We refoldered documents, labeled folders, digitized photos, and created a spreadsheet recording everything that we had sorted through. The process was long, but made easier by great company and leadership. During our stay in Salisbury, we roomed at the University of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, which is a historically Black college with a hotel on campus.

An important part of this work that our leadership is very considerate of is self care. Hence, after working several pretty long days with the archives, we spent a few hours at Ocean City, Maryland, which was a great way for us to relieve stress and get our minds off of all of the challenging and, for lack of better word, depressing content that we had been working with.

The third and final trip that I went on was to the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) conference in Nashville, Tennessee. During this trip, I helped to run a table where we explained our research and work to people who were interested. However, what I am most proud of doing during this trip was conducting interviews.

While I take photos as a hobby and passion, I have never branched much into film. However, during this trip, I was responsible for setting up lights, audio, and cameras to record people during the conference. The interviews are by no means perfect (there’s a lot of background noise, there’s too much back-lighting, and the framing isn’t ideal), but I’m still very proud of what I did and happy with both the results and experience.

This experience also allowed me to make very important connection with scholars who are very relevant in their respective fields. Bonding with these incredible people usually happened during the receptions that occurred daily after the main convention. The most memorable reception was the final one, in which AAAM hosted some prominent Black artists for a concert. The concert was incredible.

The experience was very similar to the Juneteenth festival. I was able to witness Black community in a way that I hadn’t before, and it was enriching.

Throughout this video, I have talked solely about the trips that we took. This is because I found those to be the most impactful on not only my professional life, but my personal life too. However, it is definitely worth talking a little bit about what I did when we weren’t directly engaging with communities.

As I briefly mentioned, Dr. Chavis is working on putting together a documentary about the story of Matthew Williams””the events, the investigation, and the modern day effects of the lynching. I drafted an outline for the script of the documentary, found photos and b-roll of the content discussed in the outline, worked on the budget for the film, took photos for the film, and I am currently working on sending out emails and gaining the rights to use other peoples’ photos and videos in the documentary.

This entire experience has been just extraordinary. Opportunities like these are why I love being a George Mason Student. Thank you so much for listening about my experience.

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College of Engineering and Computing Honors College OSCAR Summer Team Impact Project

Optimizing Sensitivity of Methods for Detecting Analytes Released During Inflammation

Author(s): Joelle Nguyen

Mentor(s): Caroline Hoemann, Bioengineering

Abstract
During inflammation, there are microparticles that are released from the formation of blood clots. From these microparticles, bioactive lipids such as eicosanoids, which can be further categorized as prostaglandin, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes, are released. There are also proteins such as LOX-1, known to participate in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and lung cancer and is expressed by neutrophils in patients with COVID-19. Soluble LOX-1 protein (sLOX-1) was found to become elevated in blood plasma of patients with diabetes, atherosclerosis, non-small cell lung cancer and acute myocardial infarction. The clinical challenge is that these biomarkers are difficult to detect because they are at low concentrations in the bloodstream. The goal of my project is to develop more sensitive methods to detect these biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis, monitoring, and progression of diseases.

This project involved creating a lipidomic and proteomic profile of human blood plasma and serum samples. All samples were from de-identified healthy donors under IRB-approved protocols with written informed consent. Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) is the ideal method of creating lipidomic profiles of lipid analytes due to its high specificity and sensitivity. Plasma samples’ lipids contents were extracted using 2:1:1 v/v chloroform/methanol/water or 3:2 v/v hexane/isopropanol. These extraction methods were compared for their sensitivity in detecting certain analytes, and it was found that 3:2 v/v hexane/isopropanol was the better extraction method. Nanotraps, made of various types of nanoparticles, were utilized to bind to sLOX-1 in sample and deplete them for analysis using ELISA, where it was discovered that the majority of sLOX-1 fraction was depleted by the Nanotraps in citrated plasma/serum with recombinant sLox-1 but not much in human blood serum alone. Future sample preparation modifications are needed before LC-MS analyses of Nanotrap-associated sLOX-1.

Audio Transcript
Hello my name is Joelle Nguyen and this is my project on “Optimizing the Sensitivity of Methods for Detecting Analytes Released During Inflammation.” To start with an introduction on the problem I’m trying to address with my project. The biomarkers involved in inflammation and found in the blood are difficult to detect at low concentrations so it’s necessary to develop assays and lab techniques that have enough sensitivity to detect these biomarkers. These biomarkers can include bioactive lipid mediators such as thromboxanes, prostaglandin, and leukotrienes which form from the oxidation of arachidonic acid, and there are biomarkers categorized as proteins such as the sLox-1 receptor. Specific eicosanoids as seen in this diagram here including thromboxane and HETE species are pro-inflammatory mediators that can play a role in platelet aggregation or inflammatory responses. sLox-1 receptors are elevated in blood plasma of patients with diabetes, atherosclerosis, non-small cell lung cancer and acute myocardial infarction. Detecting these biomarkers can aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases as well as their progression. The hypothesis tested was that methods can be developed to improve the sensitivity of inflammatory biomarker detection by LCMS for lipids and proteins.

So to move on to the methodology of my project, there were two approaches. One was comparing two different extraction methods for the lipid analytes found in blood plasma samples for a lipidomic mass spectrometry analysis, and the other was examining the extent of depletion using nanotraps on the sLox-1 protein receptor in plasma/serum samples for a proteomic mass spectrometry analysis. To go into more detail on the lipidomic experiment, I had compared 2:1:1 v/v chloroform/methanol/water with 3:2 v/v hexane/isopropanol as potential extraction solvents. To compare these methods, I analyzed the peak areas of lipid analytes from duplicate citrated plasma samples and used JMP to provide a descriptive statistical analysis. For the proteomic experiment, there were six dyed nanoparticles used as Nanotraps to deplete sLox-1 in plasma/serum samples and an ELISA test was done to analyze the concentration of depleted sLox-1. The samples were not analyzed with mass spectrometry quite yet but the ELISA results provided future directions for sample preparation and LCMS analysis.

Here are the results for the lipidomic profile made using LCMS. The experiment had two different blood donors, and for this donor here you can see that there is a higher peak area for lipid analytes extracted by hexane on the JMP graph to the left and visually to the right you see that 3:2 v/v hexane/isopropanol has a higher peak area for the specific lipid analytes called 4-HNE-H2O. The same can be said for the second donor in my experiment where again the hexane extracted analytes had a higher peak area both on the JMP plot and the mass spectra graph for 4 HNE-H2O. Now for the mass spectrometry proteomics experiment, there was the ELISA data collected which showed that not a lot of sLox-1 depleted from the nanotraps, only around 20% or less for serum with free sLox-1. The figure to the right shows that citrated blood plasma combined with recombinant sLox-1 protein had a much higher depletion of sLox-1 with 90-100% depleted.

Therefore based on the results of my experiments, the 3:2 v/v hexane/isopropanol is the better solvent to use for extracting lipids from citrated blood plasma samples for a lipidomic profile. For the proteomic experiment, the nanotraps shown in the excel bar graphs showed that they did not interfere with ELISA detection of sLox-1 in control samples. The nanotraps only depleted 0 to 20% of free sLox-1 in serum and depleted 40-100% of recombinant sLox-1 in citrated plasma. The next steps for my project would include doing more experimental trials with both extraction methods to see that 3:2 v/v hexane/isopropanol produces reproducible data. There could also be future modifications to plasma/serum sample preparation to improve sLox-1 binding to the nanotraps.

Thank you for listening and I’d like to acknowledge Dr. Hoemann, Dr. Girgis, Dr. Karen Lee, Dr. Luchini, Rayan Ibrahim Alhammad, and Julia Leonard for their help throughout this project.

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College of Science Honors College OSCAR

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Author(s): Leah Pistone

Mentor(s): Daniel Hanley, Biology

Abstract
An animal’s ability to survive in the wild depends on their ability asses risks in their environment. The choices that are optimal in one context may not be optimal in another. Cowbirds are obligate brood parasites, meaning they must lay their eggs in the nests of other birds (hereafter hosts) that raise their young. By placing the burden of raising their young on the hosts, the cowbird avoids the costs of chick rearing. Consequently, many hosts have evolved the ability to recognize parasitic eggs and remove them from their nests. Female cowbirds have a tell-tale chatter call which suggests to hosts that the parasite is nearby and the risk of parasitism is high. In this experiment we will test whether the presence of adult female cowbirds affects the rejection rate of parasitic eggs; interestingly, there are two mutually exclusive hypotheses that could occur. First, if a host bird hears this chattering call, a “tell” that may alert them to the risk of parasitism the host may more readily reject foreign eggs. In the second hypothesis however, perceived risk may decrease the risk of egg rejection; this is due to the fact that the cowbird may stay near the host nest and punish the host by killing all of its young, if the parasitic offspring are rejected – a hypothesis known as the Mafia Hypothesis. We have just finished collecting data and will begin analyzing the results soon.
Audio Transcript
Hello, my name is Leah Pistone and I’m an undergraduate Oscar research student studying biology at George Mason University, and working with Dr. Hanley at Hanley Color Labs.
This summer I am studying how birds assess the risk pf brood parasitism in the wild.
Brood parasites are birds that do not build their own nests or care for their young.
Instead they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds known as hosts.
I am studying the parasitic brown-headed cowbird which offloads the costs of parenting onto multiple host species.
Since it is costly for hosts to rear chicks that are not their own many hosts have evolved the ability to recognize and remove parasitic eggs from their nests.
Many experiments have used egg rejection studies to test the recognition abilities of hosts.
In these studies a researcher places a replica parasite egg into host nests and then measures whether the experimental egg is rejected.
However hosts can be uncertain about whether egg rejection is a good choice.
The best decision can often depend on context.
Therefore I am studying a different part of how hosts perceive risk in their environment.
Specifically my goal is to measure how hosts respond to experimental eggs when they detect a cowbird near their nest.
This summer I am placing a 3D printed f cowbird close to host nests just before parasitizing their nests.
Or a control experiment with no cowbird model.
For this experiment I will be analyzing the responses of three host species – the Northern Mockingbird – the Northern Cardinal – and the Gray Catbird.
Hosts may respond to this experiment in two ways which relate to two mutually exclusive hypotheses.
The first hypothesis states that egg rejection becomes more likely when perceived risk is high; thus when hosts are alerted to the presence of their parasite they will reject a greater portion of model eggs than the control group because when the risk of parasitism is high they should be on the lookout for cowbird eggs.
The second hypothesis states egg rejection becomes less likely when perceived risk is high; thus when hosts are presented with a model cowbird near their nest they will reject fewer model eggs than the control group because cowbirds are known to retaliate by destroying hot eggs and nests.
This hypothesis is fittingly called the Mafia Hypothesis.
To test these two hypotheses I first needed to make a 3D model of a cowbird.
To make these cowbird models more realistic I played cowbird calls through a speaker I hid in a speaker box camouflaged to look like the top of a wooden post.
At each experimental nest I placed the post about 12 meters away from the host bird nests.
One of the most time consuming parts of this experiment was actually finding active host nests.
Every morning I spent hours searching for host nests alongside many other student researchers.
Blandy Experimental Farm graciously provided me access to their more than 700 acre property to run my research project this summer.
Once we found the nests the adult cowbird models were set up with the speakers playing the cowbird models to mimic the presence of a real cowbird.
After 30 mins a plastic egg mimicking a real cowbird egg was placed in the host nest and we removed the cowbird model.
For the following two days I placed the cowbird model in the same location for 30 minutes while the cowbird calls were played before being removed.
Lastly on the third day we checked to see if the plastic egg was rejected of accepted.
We have just finished collecting data and will start analyzing the results soon.
Stay tuned to see what we learned.
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Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution Honors College OSCAR Summer Team Impact Project

Salisbury’s Beth Israel Congregation

Author(s): Jabez Nelson

Mentor(s): Charles Chavis, African American Studies, Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

Abstract
The Beth Israel Congregation Within Salisbury was once a thriving Jewish Community along the Eastern Shore. Within this brief presentation, learn more about this community’s founders, as well as the previous areas of which were considered to be just as rich in Jewish culture. Furthermore, discover why the Salisbury Beth Israel Congregation is no longer as lively as it was once before, though it still thrives to this day.
Audio Transcript
Hello, my name is Jabez Nelson, and today I’ll be presenting to you information relating to Salisbury’s Beth Israel Congregation. So, a little bit about me. I’m a third-year undergraduate student. I’m currently studying psychology with a concentration in industrial organizational psychology. Most of this research, or all of the research that I’m actually presenting to you today was done under the John Mitchell Junior Program. So before getting into the Beth Israel Congregation in Salisbury, we have to understand what the Jewish hub was before Salisbury. So, that was actually going to be Pocomoke, Virginia, as it was the biggest area where Jewish people are actually going to along the Eastern Shore in the late 1880s. So, many of the Jewish families have initially moved to Pocomoke, including the Finkelsteins, Klaffs, Fines, Glasses, Millers, Rodbells, and Heiligs There are other Jewish families that were also starting to take residence within different cities along the Eastern Shore, such as in Pennsylvania and Maryland. By the early 1900s Sam Feldman was actually one of these people, so he moved from Pottsville, PA, to Salisbury in 1904. He’d actually owned a furniture shop so he was taking it to Salisbury, actually setting it up to like live there permanently. As well as Israel Leon, AKA, “I.L.” Benjamin, who arrived in 1915 from Exmore Virginia. He was also a store runner, but his store was clothes, so he’s here running a clothing store. So these two men, both Jewish, they decided to found the Beth Israel Congregation in 1925, though it wasn’t actually known as the Beth Israel Congregation at the time, it was only known as the “Kehelas Israel”? Which meant the “Community of Israel” in Hebrew. The first President of the foundation was also I.L Benjamin, but I believe that Sam Feldman was also on the board, so he was also there, like helping consistently throughout all of the time I.L. was also present. Moving along to 1939, the congregation meetings were usually held within the second story of a store between Main Street and Camden Street. This was kind of a step up from what they were doing before because they had been going from house to house originally, as they didn’t actually have an official meeting place or building. But this all changed in 1951, when the first, official synagogue building was actually built. As this was happening, membership at the time was also going up exponentially as well as the Jewish population in Salisbury. I believe there were 75 Jewish families in the congregation around this time, which is way more than there are currently, unfortunately, as the modern day Beth Israel is a relatively small congregation. Since many of the families ended up migrating away to various metropolitan areas such as Baltimore, DC and Ocean City, this is the modern day building. By the way. On the last slide we saw that was the building that was first built in 1951, I believe. But the moving away from the Salisbury community primarily happened due to the conflicting viewpoints amongst older and younger members within the church back in the. Late 1980s, as I learned from the person I did an oral history interview with, Andrew Karten as well as the passing away of many of the original members. Yeah, it was very sad, but”¦ Throughout this entire process, I actually did a lot of searching through digital databases such as Ancestry and Newspapers trying to find out like more about each of the digital members of in the community that I was assigned. That also included me clipping different materials and transferring materials in the base camp. I also read through a lot of Jewish history literature. And of course, I had to contact the actual organization Beth Israel Synagogue. And I actually had scheduled the oral history interviews and the once those were done I just transcribed those oral history interviews. But yeah, that was basically all of my research so far, and I’m still doing more trying to like wrap everything up, but I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys have also done so, thank you.
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College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College

A Conflict Analysis of U.S. Pharmaceutical Pricing

Author(s): Sophia Atwell

Mentor(s): Toni Farris, Honors College

Abstract
High prescription drug costs in the United States impact many economically vulnerable patients and low-income communities. To find a solution to this national problem, we must understand and consider the conflicting perspectives of each involved party. My conflict analysis of pharmaceutical pricing explores the interests, needs, and values of both pro-affordable medicine and pro-free market groups to propose an interest-based solution that incorporates the concerns of all parties. My solution uses the capitalist model to encourage affordable, innovative, accessible, and high-quality prescription drugs by enforcing price caps and regulations that prevent patent abuse. These policies would force pharmaceutical companies to discover new medicine, maintain high-quality products, distribute prescription drugs in an accessible manner, and provide low prices to patients in order to remain competitive in a free market.
Audio Transcript
Today, I am going to present a conflict analysis of U.S. Pharmaceutical pricing.
0:06
The U.S. has much higher prescription drug costs than other developed nations.
0:10
This is largely due to patent abuse. Pharmaceutical companies will renew
0:14
medicine patents to prevent other manufacturers from developing generic brands at lower costs.
0:19
The U.S. also lacks many price cap laws and holds economic ideologies that promote capitalism and
0:25
discourage socialist models, which can also contribute to these high prices.
0:28
This issue heavily impacts low-income communities
0:31
that face higher health risks due to social determinants of health.
0:34
Some recent developments have worsened this problem. During Covid-19, prescription medicine
0:39
spending increased, and in 2021, over a thousand drug prices increased by an average of over 31%.
0:46
However, there have also been some positive developments recently. In February of 2023,
0:51
insulin prices were capped at $35 a month for Medicare patients,
0:55
but this only helps a small percentage of the population.
1:00
In my analysis of this conflict, I have identified many parties including patients,
1:05
pharmaceutical manufacturers, insurance companies, politicians, and healthcare workers.
1:09
We often categorize these groups by political party or economic ideology,
1:14
but this identity-based categorization encourages
1:16
cognitive bias and does not capture the complexity of perspectives.
1:20
For example, not all healthcare workers will hold the same views on prescription medicine pricing.
1:25
Rather, it is more representative to view individuals by their positions,
1:29
which are constructed by their believed responsibilities and rights.
1:33
I have divided this conflict into two main positions:
1:35
pro-free market pricing groups and pro-affordable access to medicine groups.
1:39
Pro-free market groups view their responsibility as developing new and
1:43
high-quality medicine and believe they have the right to charge high prices to do so.
1:48
Whereas, pro-affordable access groups believe their responsibility is to promote universal
1:53
access to healthcare and believe they have the right to control medicine prices to achieve this.
1:59
To better understand these positions, it is useful to look at their needs, values, and biases.
2:04
Pro-free market groups have a need for economic well-being and value limited
2:08
government control of the economy. They may view themselves as hard-working or patriotic,
2:12
but view patients as a means to an end. They may also view pro-affordable access
2:17
groups as seeking hand-outs or label them socialists.
2:21
Pro-affordable access groups see the need for patient health and value public
2:25
health. They may view themselves as empathetic and anti-classist
2:29
and may view pro-free market groups as exploitative, greedy, or entirely evil.
2:34
I mapped out this conflict in detail with parties, stakeholders, interests, values,
2:40
ideologies, rights, and needs. I also analyzed the shared and separate views of both positions,
2:45
as well as noted the conflicting and positive connections between these beliefs.
2:51
Looking a little deeper at the interests of these groups,
2:54
pro-free market groups are interested in medical innovation, adequate profit, and low taxes.
2:58
Pro-affordable access groups are interested in affordable medicine.
3:02
These positions also share many interests including safe,
3:05
high-quality medicine, and timely, accessible distribution of prescription drugs.
3:09
My proposed interest-based solution is to limit patent
3:13
abuse and enforce price caps through legislation.
3:17
This utilizes capitalism by forcing pharmaceutical companies to develop new, high-quality medicines,
3:23
distribute effectively, and provide low prices to remain competitive in a free market.
3:29
As a part of my advocacy for this project, I presented at a Bonner Leadership Program seminar.
3:34
One of my main challenges was remaining objective in my analysis,
3:38
while still painfully aware of how this impacts real people.
3:41
I hope that this project has raised awareness of this national problem that
3:47
impacts vulnerable communities. I also hope that it encourages new ways of viewing conflict and peace-building,
3:52
as well as offers a sustainable solution that meets the needs of each party.
Categories
College of Visual and Performing Arts Honors College OSCAR

Theatrical Trends in Contemporary Dance Allow Audiences to Reclaim the Arts

Author(s): Jessica Brown

Mentor(s): Susan Shields, Dance

Abstract
The field of contemporary dance is currently riddled with a tragic misdiagnosis: that it’s not for everyone. This misconception is violating the innate human connection between artist and performer, and it’s overriding the central goal of contemporary dance: to make people feel something.
This research seeks to identify what may be done to make contemporary dance more accessible to the greater public. More specifically, it looks at what effect theatrical trends in contemporary dance have on audience understanding, emotional reaction, and retention of meaning during a dance performance.
This study utilizes a piece of contemporary dance choreography as a demonstration in a comparative experiment. The piece is manipulated in two ways: one version is an abstract minimal performance and the other is embedded with current theatrical trends (such as elaborate costuming, props, and mixed-media elements). Students enrolled in a general education dance course, will view the performances, complete a short survey immediately after, and a week following the performance. These results will be used to assess their understanding of the narrative of the work, their personal emotional reaction, and their retention of the main ideas.
It’s expected that greater understanding will occur through viewing the theatrical piece, as it would allow the audience to engage with multiple artistic elements as opposed to independent abstract movement.
These results are vital to the sustainability of the dance world as well as the richness of our communities. Exposure to artistic expression is key in generating greater empathy, collaboration, and creativity in our communities.
Audio Transcript
Where does art fit into your life? Or more specifically, where does dance fit in? When you are stuck in your nine to five, and have everything else in the world to do, why would you go to see dance or spare time thinking about it? While we can’t exactly answer that for you, we can at least try to help!

Hi. I’m Jessica Brown a Sophomore dance major at George Mason University with a grant from OSCAR to pursue research into the accessibility of contemporary dance. Me and my mentor Susan Shields, a long time professor and previous director of the school of dance at George Mason, want to figure out what we can do to make you feel that you belong in the contemporary dance world.

When we ask people about their views on contemporary dance, they tell us that they think it is cool, but they just don’t get it! They feel intimidated and have been conditioned to thing that their interpretations are wrong.

So, we got the whole dance department together from dancers, to directors, to costume techs and more, to conduct a study assessing what elements of a contemporary dance performance are best at improving understanding.

This is Anna Lopez. A third year student who so generously allowed us to use a piece she choreographed for the sake of our research study. And these are some of her amazing dancers who will be performing for our subject group.

To start the study, we took her original piece of choreography and created two separate extreme versions to use as performance demonstrations.

The first version is incredibly theatrical — it uses more props, costuming, lighting and stage design to tell the original story of her work.

The other version however, is very minimal. It tells the same story, but with none of these additions, only the movement.

In terms of operating the study, we have set up a comparative experiment that uses these two altered versions of the same dance to asses which is more meaningful to a specific subject group. Our subject groups is made of the lovely students that are enrolled in school of dance general education classes for the spring semester 2023.

These students have a basic understanding of dance and a baseline interest in the form but have not started the act of choreographing or directing. This makes them the perfect target audience for our study.

The study takes place in Harris theater where half the subject group will observe the more abstract version of the piece, and the other half will watch the theatrical version.

From there we will ask them to complete a survey immediately after viewing it as well as a week following the experiment.

We are asking them about their emotional reactions, their understanding of the concept and moral meaning of the dance and asking them if they would pay to watch a show like this in the future.

Susan and I will compare these results and asses whether or not theatrical performance elements had any affect on audience understanding and retention of meaning in a contemporary dance performance.

This study is so special to us because it is the first of its kind to happen in our department. It is not often that we as dancers have the time or the funding to pursue scholarly study within such a personal artistic practice. But the entire school of dance has come together to support our efforts and we are therefore paving the way for future dancers and artists to take similar academic risks.

Furthermore, as a society and culture we depend and thrive on art. It stimulates our ability to collaborate, connect with others, and think critically about the values that we hold.

We are thoroughly excited to see what comes of this study and expect it to be nothing other than groundbreaking.

Thank you for watching and we hope to see you in the theater soon!

Categories
College of Engineering and Computing College of Humanities and Social Science College of Science Honors College OSCAR Schar School of Policy and Government

Code Red

Author(s): Brookelyn Martinez, Bryson Amorese, Kate Strickland, Rheanna Tackeberry, Skye Johnson

Mentor(s): Toni Farris, Honors Department

https://youtu.be/7CcaFx9Jw7w

Abstract
Code Red is a student-led project aimed at combating period poverty at George Mason University. The project was initiated in response to the growing concern of the inaccessibility of period products for women who struggle to afford them. The project adopted a multi-faceted approach that included writing to congressional representatives, donating period products to women’s shelters, and making informational posters.

The project’s first objective was to raise awareness of the issue of period poverty among policymakers. Members of the project wrote letters to their congressional representatives, urging them to support legislation that would make period products more accessible and affordable. The letters highlighted the challenges that women face in accessing menstrual products, especially those who live in poverty or experience homelessness. They also emphasized the importance of menstrual hygiene in preventing health issues such as infections and reproductive disorders.

The project’s second objective was to provide period products to women who cannot afford them. Code Red partnered with local women’s shelters and donated a range of menstrual products, including tampons, pads, and menstrual cups. These donations helped to ensure that women in need have access to basic menstrual hygiene products and can manage their periods with dignity and without shame.

Finally, Code Red aimed to educate the campus community about period poverty and its impact on women’s lives. The project created informational posters that were displayed around campus to raise awareness about the issue. The posters included information about period poverty, its causes, and its consequences, as well as tips for supporting women who experience it.

Audio Transcript
Our group code red is choosing to look
at the conflict of period poverty. Period poverty is described as the phenomenon
of being unable to afford products such
as pads tampons or liners to manage
menstrual bleeding in lieu of Sanitary
products Many people are forced to use
items like rags paper towels toilet
paper cardboard. This conflict affects
all sorts of women throughout the world,
in fact according to an article
published by medical newsstoday.com 500
million menstruating women lack access
to proper products. The article also
mentions a significant part of the issue
which is tax. As of June 2019, 35 states
in the U.S taxed menstrual products at
rates between 4.7 percent in Hawaii and
9.9 percent in Louisiana. This is not a new
occurrence for women as something known
as the pink tax exists. This is when
products marketed towards women are
taxed higher than the products marketed
toward their male counterparts. This is
part of the issue but the major issue is
still at hand. Women cannot afford the
products necessary to handle their
menstrual cycles. There are some options
to help out those who cannot afford the
products, these options include the
machines that can be found in public
bathrooms that women can put a quarter
in and get a menstrual product however
the issue with this option is that the
machines are rarely filled and when they
are filled the products are toxic and of
poor quality. Even the options given to
try and Aid with period poverty are
executed poorly. Our group wants to find
ways to help women who suffer from
period poverty get the products they
need as well as trying to make a change
to reduce period poverty. Women all
around the world grapple with the
inequities of being able to successfully
equip necessary menstrual items as a
result many are forced to experience the
burdens. Menstrual products are not a
need they are a necessity.
Social economic factors
disproportionately impact lower and
middle class consumers. Both groups
experience significant pressure from the
manufacturers and retail parties To
maintain that relationship the main goal
of the manufacturing party is
accumulating profit. one may directly
examine the underlying interests
positions and objectives of all parties
involved in the following conflict map
our conflict map covering period poverty
is complicated to say the least as there
are many variables when it comes to
accessible administrators health. For
parties we started with the
manufacturers retailers the middle class
and the lower class the main interest of
both the manufacturers and retailers is
profit despite what might happen to
Consumers. consumers are often loyal to a
company because it is what they have
known whether they have been exposed to
it by other consumers or happened upon
it. people are creatures of habit and
tend to stick to certain products
although companies have a loyal consumer
base because of the necessity of period
products if pushed too far their
base will dwindle. for consumers these
products are vital for Health Care
however because of this neither the
middle upper class nor the lower class
can get out of their relationship with
the producers and retailers
for middle class and upper class
consumers
because they oftentimes have access to
less harmful products and sexual health
education they’re less likely to get
illnesses like toxic shock syndrome
which are more often caused by poor
quality period products they therefore
have the means in education to invest
more in reproductive Health Products
lower class consumers do not have this
luxury
while both groups have a desire for safe
affordable products cheaper products
oftentimes contain harsher chemicals
that create dangers to Consumers due to
menstrual products being advertised as
pure to promote the idea of sterility
and safety in order to achieve this
whiteness bleaches chlorine carcinogens
and other reproductive toxins are added
these chemicals have been directly
linked to poor sexual health

so what is the advocacy plan for code
red in order to actively fight against
the effects we have taken approach to
address all issues of period poverty
which many women in our community deal
with we have identified three courses of
action that will make a meaningful
difference in the lives of those
affected by this pressing issue
our first step is providing immediate
relief to those experiencing the effects
of period poverty the second is to
openly educate students and members of
our community on the very important
issue that many women face and lastly
advocacy petitioning those who allow
period poverty to continue its harm
these all will make a significant
difference in addressing the issue of
period poverty and hopefully one day
ending it
action taken by code red includes all of
these options
the first course of action we have taken
is to provide immediate relief to those
affected by period poverty in order to
achieve this goal we have collected from
our community at Mason Gathering
essential menstrual products for
distribution to those in need
these products were donated to Greater
DC diaper bank and in addition to a
local women’s shelter called new
Endeavors that focuses on setting women
up to become self-sufficient by donating
to local organizations and shelters we
hope to make these products easily
acceptable to those who require them
the second course of action we have
taken is to openly educate students and
members of our community on the very
important issue of period poverty in
order to achieve this goal we have
created a comprehensive poster to raise
awareness of the issue that highlights
the detrimental reality of the effects
of period poverty and in addition to how
individuals can also play a role in
diminishing it
lastly we launched the petition to put pressure on
those who allow period poverty to
continue its harm by creating a template
email we encourage members of our
community to reach out there to their
elected officials including senators
congressperson and local legislators our
hope is that by a collective effort to
advocate for change we can create a
large amount of support that no one can
ignore

when it comes to the impacts of our
advocacy plan and action taken we have
short and long-term impacts long-term
impacts include educating people about
period poverty and spreading the word on
what they can do to help address the
issue also by reaching out to
legislators we expressed Our concern
over period poverty and our desires for
them to address the issue as for
short-term impacts this included making
donations of collected supplies to a
women’s shelter that will directly help
women locally that are struggling with
period poverty
some challenges that we have faced while
taking action against period poverty was
trying to educate people and get them
passionate about a topic that may not
directly affect them it could
be difficult to get people to care about
an issue that they are unfamiliar with
another challenge was patients people
want immediate results but a problem
like period poverty that has been
happening for a long time is going to
take some time to be addressed and
immediate results are unfortunately
unlikely

Categories
College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College OSCAR

Stopping the Spiral with Social Robots? Attitudes on Loneliness and Artificial Agents as Intervention in University Students

Author(s): Kylee Kennerly

Mentor(s): Elizabeth Phillips, Psychology

Abstract
Across the world, loneliness has been increasing in the populations, with young adults within the university population, ages 18-24, experiencing the greatest rises in the amount of lonely individuals and amount of loneliness experienced by these individuals. Social technologies, in the form of artificial agents, may be capable of aiding young adults in managing their feelings of loneliness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of loneliness through an extensive overview of the collegiate population. Within this study, we sought to identify the individuals most vulnerable to chronic loneliness, decipher the associated outcomes, and determine if technological services could serve as a viable method of intervention for some or all populations.
The study was conducted with 225 Mid-Atlantic university students, who completed an online survey regarding social experiences on campus and technology with a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, we found that the sample displayed significant amounts of loneliness (M = 46.98, SD = 9.82), with LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing greater amounts of loneliness compared to their straight or cisgendered peers. Participants displayed somewhat positive feelings towards artificial agents as a potential intervention in loneliness, most highly rating Joy-For-All Companion Pet robots as an effective form of potential aid. The sample also displayed a weak positive association between maladaptive coping skills and loneliness, but no direction can be established.
Further research should further investigate causes of loneliness in university students, mental wellbeing of students, and attitudes towards different interventions in loneliness.
Audio Transcript
Hello! My name is Lee Kennerly. For the 2023 spring semester of URSP, I created a study entitled “Stopping the Spiral with Social Robots? Attitudes on Loneliness and Artificial Agents in University Students”. I was mentored by Dr. Elizabeth Phillips in the Psychology Department.

To give some context on my study: Nationwide, rates of loneliness have been increasing, with young adults experiencing the greatest increase of loneliness. These rates have been increasing over the past couple of years. But in particular, there’s been an increase since COVID-19, and this increase has not gone back down.

Chronic feelings of loneliness can create consequences such as depression, anxiety, delinquency, tiredness, and many other things which can be very impactful on a person’s life. Loneliness is also considered to be spiraling, which means that…let’s say, a person is experiencing depression because of their loneliness. Well, their depression can also lead to feelings of more loneliness. This creates a sort of cycle that can be very difficult for individuals to get out of. And for some, external intervention may be needed to help them.

One intervention that has been researched recently has been the idea of artificial agents or robots being used to help relieve feelings of loneliness. So, within this study, I wanted to look at rates of loneliness within George Mason University students and whether they would be interested or accepting of artificial agents to help with feelings of loneliness.

For this study, I created a survey for George Mason students to take to evaluate their attitudes on loneliness and artificial agents or robots. So, students answered a questionnaire that contained many items, such as demographic information; stuff based on their race, their age, or gender–things like that. As well as looking at feelings of loneliness, anxiety, stress, attitude towards robots and many more things. Within this specific study, we mostly looked at demographic information, the UCLA loneliness, scale, and attitudes towards robots.

After completing these surveys, students then rated their opinions on 4 different kinds of artificial agents. The human Avatar AI chat companion is a type of artificial agent that you interact with on something like a computer screen or a mobile phone screen where you can text or talk physically to an AI companion with an avatar and they will respond back to you. With the text-based AI chat companion: this is also one that you interact with through a screen where you can type to it, and they will type responses back to you. With the Joy-For-All Companion Pet robots: these are physical artificial agents that you can hold that will be able to run around or play with, and generally interact with individuals in a physical space. And the NAO Robot is also an artificial agent that can be used physically, and it has capabilities of things such as singing, dancing, talking, and walking.

From this study I found that the sample of students exhibited significant amounts of loneliness, with approximately 90% students experiencing moderate loneliness or greater, 44% experiencing moderately high loneliness or greater, and 4% experiencing high loneliness. These rates are considered fairly high for most samples, but they are pretty consistent for samples that specifically measure individuals in the 18-to-24 age range or the university students demographic. The survey also revealed that LGBTQ+ individuals exhibited significantly greater amounts of loneliness than their cisgender and or heterosexual peers.

Within the sample, students were fairly receptive of the idea of artificial agents potentially being an intervention for feelings of loneliness. The Joy-For-All Companion Pet Robot received the greatest amount of positive endorsements as an intervention for improving feelings of loneliness.

For further steps with this project, I would like to study the interactions between demographics and opinions on technology, artificial agents, and robots to see if there are any preferences based on demographic information such as race, age, or gender. I would like to look further into the George Mason University mental health landscape within the sample of students. I collected information on students’ anxiety, stress, depression, and other traits, and I would like to see where these are at with the sample as well as if any demographics are particularly vulnerable to any of those factors. And I would like to create comprehensive reports of these findings and discuss with the George Mason Student Life Faculty, or University Life Faculty, if artificial agents could be an appropriate intervention for feelings of loneliness and students at George Mason University.

So overall, that is my project for the URSP semester. Any questions, comments, or suggestions can be left in the comments section of this video, or I can be contacted with my school email, which is K K E N N E R [email protected]. Thank you so much for listening!

Categories
College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College OSCAR

Intersectional Effects of Race and Gender on the Age of Special Education Service Receipt for Autistic Children

Author(s): Maharun Mia

Mentor(s): Adam Winsler, Psychology

Abstract
Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is important to provide early intervention for children, which significantly improves outcomes and future functioning. Race and gender have each shown to correlate with differential age of diagnosis for children with ASD. The male-o-female ratio of autistic individuals in the US is about 4.2:1, and studies have indicated that females often have a later Age of Diagnosis (AOD) than male counterparts. However, there have been conflicting results in previous studies regarding the effect of race on AOD. Additionally, most previous studies looked primarily at White/male samples. This study examines race and gender to identify if these variables have an intersectional effect on the age of special education service receipt for autistic children. Data was drawn from the Miami School Readiness Project (MSRP), a longitudinal, large-scale, and ethnically diverse study of children that attended Miami-Dade County Public Schools that spanned 14 years. In a subsample of students that had received autism as a primary exceptionality classification in their Individualized Education Program (n=851), 741 students were male and 110 students were female. 114 of these students were White/Asian, 595 were Hispanic/Latinx and 142 were Black. The grade/year of schooling that each student first received an autism exceptionality was recorded. ANCOVA analyses controlled for poverty status, English Language Learner (ELL) status, and assessment scores for cognitive and behavioral functioning at age 4.
No main effects of race or gender nor any intersectional effects were found in the ANCOVAs. However, it was found that ELL status did have significant effects on the first grade of autism exceptionality attainment, ELL students receiving the exceptionality at a lower grade level than non-ELL students. This work suggests that there is no evidence of bias towards race and gender in terms of assessing and assigning children with an autism exceptionality.
Audio Transcript
Hello my name is Maharun Mia And I did my honors thesis on the intersectional effects of race and gender on the age of Special Education Service receipt for autistic children So having an early age of diagnosis for autism is very important as it is ensures that the child gets early interventions and therefore better outcomes down the line we do know for the literature that males tend to get diagnosed earlier than their female counterparts with girls being diagnoses about a year later than boys

there also has been some research looking at racial differences in age of diagnoses but these results have been mixed and there isn’t really a clear consensus on what that relationship might be and it really depends on like what variables the studies have been controlling for

For this study I’m actually looking at Special Education Service receipt because although this isn’t age of diagnosis this is also an important indication of when students are actually receiving services for autism. in this case Special Education Service receipt refers to when a student is receiving a primary exceptionality for autism, a primary exceptionality being the code that a student must receive in their individualized education program in order to be given accommodations and services

One thing that’s significant is that autism research has historically involved mostly Advantage white and male samples which does not reflect entirety of the autistic population which kind of brings us to the importance of this study which is looking at a primarily low-income Hispanic in Black sample and looking for race and gender differences And the timing of primary exceptionality classification attainment

These are my research questions.

We used data from the Miami School Readiness project which primarily composed of low-income students who had received Child Care subsidies for community-based child care or attended a Miami-Dade Public Schools pre-k programs at age four

The final sample composed of 851 MSRP students who had received autism as a primary exceptionality at some point between kindergarten and 12th grade

The table here shows the race and gender breakdown of the sample, Which shows that the sample was 70% Hispanic 16% were black and 87% of the sample was male

The dependent variable is the first year or grade that the students received ASD as a primary exceptionality the covariates were poverty status English language learner status cognitive functioning at age 4 which was measured through the scores that these students received on the LAP-D, ELAP, or DIBELS
As well as behavioral concerns at Age 4 via their DECA scores.

I performed a series of ANCOVAs first without any covariates than adding in poverty status and ell status, And then finally with different combinations of the different cognitive functioning scores we had and the DECA scores.

We actually found no significant differences between any of the groups in terms of the average grade of first time ASD exceptionality no matter what covariates we added. I have a little graphic here that shows that while there are some small group differences between all of the groups none of these were significant. The overall average grade that students received their ASD exceptionality was between first and second grade.

The last thing we looked at was to see if any of the students had received a different exceptionality code before autism as we thought that well if they had received some other exceptionality prior to autism just might have created a delay in the receipt of services. Around 27% of the sample had received something other than autism.this table here shows the breakdown of what these other exceptionality codes were the top three were specific learning disability developmental delay and speech / language impairment. There were no significant gender effects but there was a significant race effect in that white/Asian students were More likely to have received a different exceptionality code prior to autism compared to Hispanic and black students.
I also found out while Hispanic black students had the same top three categories as the overall sample white asian students were more likely to have received a gifted status compared to the other race categories Giftedness being an exceptionality code given to students who are receiving Services accommodations for Accelerated classes such as in reading or math

so in conclusion Despite the literature there weren’t any evidence of race or gender-based delays in autism service received within schools within this predominantly Latino and black sample in Miami which is great news since this means that all students are receiving ASD services on time
however it’s important to note that this might not generalize to other communities or school systems that are not majority Latino and black as there could just be like other resources or factors in Miami not found in other parts of the US.

Categories
College of Engineering and Computing College of Humanities and Social Science College of Science Honors College

Syrian Refugee Crisis

Author(s): Alexander Bonilla, Jude Qader, Pilar Cerritos Gatto, Shree Mayuri Mahendramurthy

Mentor(s): Toni Farris, Honors College

Abstract
At the beginning of our Honors 130: Identity, Community, and Difference: Resolving Identity Conflict class, we were tasked with finding a conflict in the world that we wanted to learn more about. Our group chose the Syrian Refugee Crisis as our topic. Throughout the semester, we analyzed different aspects of this conflict to gain a better understanding of the situation. We started this journey by discovering the cause of the conflict. Then decided who the major stakeholders were. In this case, the two primary groups were Turkish citizens and Syrian Refugees. We took the groups involved and analyzed their individual situations. This included recognizing the foundations of their group’s needs, values and wants. Based on the weekly readings in our Honors class, we began to discover the complexity of each group and how they were interconnected. Their positions within the conflict heavily relied on their foundations. After thoroughly obtaining unbiased and neutral information, we decided to take action. Our plan was to do something anonymous but impactful. We considered multiple different ideas. For example, blogs, letters, and videos but ultimately settled on creating a flyer. The flyers obtained a general synopsis of the information we had researched and then hung them up around the public bulletin boards on the George Mason University campus. Our goal for this project was to (1) broaden knowledge of and (2) advocate for change. We ultimately hope that our advocacy and presentation can change the lifestyles of those involved in the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
Audio Transcript
Hello. My name is Pilar Cerritos Gatto. At the beginning of this 2023 spring semester my Honors 130 class was tasked to research a conflict in the world today. My group chose to analyze the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

The Syrian Refugee Crisis was caused predominantly because of the Syrian Civil War. In 2011, many people fled from Syria to Turkey because of the border that the countries shared. At first Turkey was open to taking in refugees, with the thought that they would eventually return to Syria. However, the civil war is still currently on going and despite the number of refugees decreasing, there are still hundreds of refugees heading into Syria every year, adding to the surplus of people the country already holds. Causing a strain on Turkey’s resources, jobs, economy and opportunities.

The first step in our conflict anaylsis are positions, needs and interests. The primary stakeholders in this conflict are the Turkish citizens and the Syrian refugees. Each group has their own interests and needs in this conflict. The Syrian Refugees are in search of rebuilding or maintaining their lifestyle with access to jobs and resources. They have the right to humane treatment and safety. Turkish citizens want a prosperous nation and economy to ensure their wellbeing and lifestyle. They have a right to resources and their roles as citizens regardless of the increase in the refugee population.

The next step is categorization and complexity
Because of these interest and needs, the people within these groups form strong connections with each other. On top of that, the people within each group share backgrounds, experiences, traditions, and ethnicities etc. that form even stronger connections, creating an in-group. However, with the creation of an in-group there is always an out-group. A group that does not belong or that may stand in opposition to the in group. In this case the Syrian Refugee’s out-group is the Turkish citizens and the Turkish citizens out-group is the Syrian Refugees.

Each group has a different position because of these ingroups and outgroups. From the Syrian refugees perspective, they position themselves as victims due to the Syrian Civil war and the treatment from Turkish citizens. The Turkish citizens view themselves as heros, for taking in the refugees, but at the same time they have a genuine fear because of the struggling economy that, has worsened due to the pandemic, the 2023 earthquake and the 2022 Syrian attack on Istanbul, which caused a huge dislike of Syrian refugees.

Cognitive bias is also a concept that needs to be taken into consideration. This is when systematic errors influence a person’s judgement and decision-making. For example, if someone believes that refugees are a burden on society, they may be less likely to support policies that provide aid to them, despite any evidence that may arise. And vice versa for the Syrian point of view as well. These cognitive bias often lead to dehumanization.

Because of the intensity of the situation, dehumanization is evident in this conflict. The syrian refugee were originally dehumanized due to the Civil War. They lost their homes, loved ones, possessions, jobs, parts of their culture and identity. Which is an essence of a human being. Because of their loss, outsiders empathize with them. This empathy triggers a need to place blame, which often leads to the dehumanization of the Turkish citizens for their treatment of the refugees. Regardless of the postive or negative manner.

This is the conflict map that we created for the Syrian Refugee Crisis. It contains different groups/stakeholders, facts, conflicting viewpoints, events and other information displaying how they all connect with each other.

My group and I decided to use the knowledge and information gathered from our research to advocate for the people in this crisis. At the beginning we had various ideas of what we could to take action.

Our plan was to create flyers with information regarding the Turkish citizens and Syrian refugees. The primary purpose of this flyer was to share knowledge and information about the situation that people may not know about. As you can see the flyer contained some general background information, and information from both the Turkish Citizen and the Syrian refugee sides. As well as a QR code for more information and a link to get involved.

We did face some challenges when implementing our action plan. This included technological issues, reception of information, and location of the flyers in general. However, the biggest challenge was the notion to present the analysis of the conflict with an unbiased and neutral manner.

We hope that this presentation and our action plan provide detailed information to the students on campus and encourage them to advocate. We ultimately hope to change the lifestyles, minds, and opportunities for the people involved in this crisis.

This concludes the presentation of our project. This slide contains a QR code to find our conflict map. A QR code to the flyer that we created. And another QR code for more information and a link to get involved. Thank you for your time and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Categories
College of Humanities and Social Science Honors College

Black As Hell: The Impact of Linguistic and Dialogic Antiblackness in Shakespearean Plays

Author(s): Alaina Ruffin

Mentor(s): Jennifer L. Wood, Kristin Samuelian, English

Abstract
Often throughout Shakespeare’s canon, the word “black” is connoted as villainy or deviancy; conversely, the word “white” invokes purity and beauty. With the creation and rise of colonialism during the 16th century, the literal pigments of black and white gained myriad meanings as a way to justify Britain’s exploitation of non-white cultures across the global community. Consequently, as blackness and whiteness became racialized, their definitions became ways of socially categorizing people. While not confined to these titles, some examples of Shakespeare’s plays that negatively contextualize the term “black” include Twelfth Night, or What You Will, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Play of Pericles: Prince of Tyre, and The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. As one of the most prominent authors of Western literature, Shakespeare’s works have been foundational to English studies and language as a whole, and the timeless nature of his plays has shaped how we use, articulate, perceive, and engage with literature today. In turn, however, as his works persist throughout the course of time, so too has his negative contextualization of the term “black.” Written under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer L. Wood as part of the English Honors thesis and OSCAR program, I explore how, by consistently demonizing the term “black” in his major plays’ dialogue, Shakespeare reinforces colonial tropes of racialized Blackness as inherently negative. In analyzing the dialogue of these selected plays, I discover that the term “black” is mainly used in four contexts, therefore equating racialized Blackness with Renaissance ideas of ethical and personal malfeasance; demonic activity (e.g. black magic); social, sexual, or moral deviance; and religious and moral desolation.
Audio Transcript
Hello, my name is Alaina Ruffin. This is my senior thesis to fulfill the requirements for Honors in the English Major. I completed this project under the direction of my faculty mentor, Dr. Jennifer L. Wood. Often throughout Shakespeare’s canon, the word “black” is connoted negatively; contrarily, the word “white” is used idealistically. With this in mind, my thesis asks, “How did Shakespeare’s negative dialogic usage of the word “black’ in his major plays impact 16th and 17th-century audience perceptions of racialized Blackness?”

I argue that by continually demonizing the term “black” in his major plays, Shakespeare reinforces colonial tropes of racialized Blackness being inherently negative. This creates a rippling effect for contemporary literature to perpetuate antiblack rhetoric, due to the foundational nature of Shakespeare’s work to the English discipline.

In this project, I define blackness in three main ways. The term “black,”ppearing in quotations, refers to its use in Shakespeare’s texts. When referring to Blackness as a race, Black is capitalized, in order to respect the rich identity and community of Black diasporic individuals. As a pigment and overall concept, particularly when referencing its historical or religious associations, blackness will appear in lowercase without quotations. These variations of blackness will often be used interchangeably.

One of the ways the term “black” is connoted in Shakespeare’s plays is an association with villainy. Throughout his works, Shakespeare often uses the words “black” or “dark” to indicate ethical or personal malfeasance, especially when referencing actions, behaviors, and traits considered villainous that could be intentionally undertaken by a character. For example, this connotation of the word “black” is seen in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The passage displayed in the slide is spoken by the play’s antagonist, Malvolio. When emphasizing that the entire house is “dark,” Malvolio references a negative connotation of blackness to indicate the group’s ill intentions and mistreatment of him. As a result, racialized Blackness is implicated with the same villainous associations he holds for “this house”nd its inhabitants.

The term “black” is also associated with ideas of diabolism. For the Renaissance mind, there existed “good” magic and “bad” magic, of which “black” magic was associated with inherent sinfulness. Such an association is seen in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with one of its famous monologues using the term “black” negatively. This passage situates the term “black”s synonymous with Macbeth’s murderous intentions. Because of Macbeth’s recurrent themes with the supernatural, “black” could refer back to the intervention from the witches who gave Macbeth this vision. Either way, the term “black” used in this manner causes racialized Blackness to be associated with the inhumane, otherworldly, and dastardly.

In addition to villainy and demonism, Shakespeare uses the term “black” to signal sexual, social, or moral deviance from traits or mannerisms considered acceptable during the English Renaissance. This suggestion of racialized Blackness being deviant from Renaissance expectations is seen in Shakespeare’s Pericles. Here, the phrase “as black as incest” is employed to stress a character’s sexual perversion. When using the term “black” for this emphasis, the notion of blackness as symbolizing reprehensibility is presented. Thus, the term “black” used in this manner insinuates that racialized Blackness also deviates from Renaissance ideas of morality.

Shakespeare’s final connotation of the word “black” equates it to desolation, or a complete lack of the social, religious, moral, and ethical principles that comprise the essence of one’s humanity. Shakespeare’s King Richard III connotes the term “black” in this manner. As seen here, the repeated use of the term “black” to represent Richard’s wickedness, both in terms of his actions and his physical disability, frames racialized Blackness as hellish due to the reinforcement of Renaissance ideas of blackness signifying Hell.

Despite the various connotations the term “black” may undertake in the language and dialogue of Shakespeare’s plays, the overall message of racialized Blackness being demonized remains the same. It is therefore essential to remember that antiblackness does not exist in a single way, but rather mutates into various forms with time. Because of racialized Blackness emerging from the Renaissance, and with Shakespeare’s foundational contributions to English language and literature, the various negative connotations attached to the term “black” reinforces colonial tropes of racialized Blackness as inherently negative. This ultimately affects how, or whether at all, audiences today find themselves able to engage with Shakespeare.

Categories
Honors College OSCAR Schar School of Policy and Government

The Legal History of Post-Emancipation and Farm Labor and Plantation Related Mortality from 1880 to 1950

Author(s): Amanda Magpiong

Mentor(s): Rick Smith, Anthropology

Abstract
With the end of the American Civil War, the legal practice of plantation slavery ended, but different forms of extractive farm labor, such as farm tenancy, emerged in its wake. This study is focused on the history of state and federal farm law, how it transformed after emancipation, and the health impacts of this legal history for farmworkers. While there are many public health studies investigating health disparities across the rural/urban divide, less attention has been given to the legal and structural factors driving negative health outcomes in rural communities. To assess the link between farm governance after emancipation and health outcomes on rural farmlands, we focused on the Blackland Prairies Ecoregion of Texas, one of the densest agricultural regions in the US which witnessed a disproportionately rapid growth of the farm tenancy system after emancipation. We first analyzed legal archives at the federal and state levels to trace the governance of agricultural labor over time. Next, we compiled publicly available vital records data for 2,544 individuals born in four Blackland counties (Dallas, Ellis, Hill, and Navarro) between 1880-1900. The effects of farm labor status on lifespan were evaluated using Kruskall-Wallis tests (p=4.238e-07) and ANOVA (p=2.64e-07). Results indicate that the legal landscape of farm labor after emancipation helped drive a more widespread and racially diverse decline in life expectancies in the Blacklands region. These findings extend our understanding of how federal and state farm law helped reproduce losses of life on rural farmlands after emancipation.
Audio Transcript
My name is, and I am presenting the legal history of post-emancipation and farm labor and plantation, related mortality from 1880 to 1950.

As a government and anthropology Major, I was very excited to be able to include both that incorporate both fields into this one study.

Where we start, our project is talking about the structural violence at a criminal plantation as a for foundational form of colonial violence in the Americas, and it peaked in the 19 twenties in Texas.Where violence on plantation began with dispossession and enslave enough indigenous and Africans people in the early colonial period. In 1,865, we reach emancipation for those in texas who finally heard the news, and following that States shifted legal and regulatory systems for plantation laborer and developed systems of farm tenancy where laborers lived and worked on land owned by others, which then contributes the current model that is used to explain health outcomes by using the rural and urban divide called the Rural Mortality Penalty, which is the belief that if you live in rural area you have more native health outcomes than if you were to live in an urban area.

Our ethical approach is that we really wanted this to be a community-driven project. Dr. Rick Smith is a descendant of the community, and we’ve Been working with the Ellis County Rural Heritage Farm, located in Waxahachie, Texas for the entirety of the project, which mine is simply a part of.

So the objective of our project is to evaluate the link between farm labor, deregulation and regulations, plantation, labor, and mortality.

The area which we are studying is Dallas County, as well as the Ellis Hill and Navarro counties within the black man’s region of Texas.

Our methods we compiled a legal history of State and Federal actions that impacted the lives of tenant farmers in the South. We evaluated mortalities across the role and urban divide by compiling data on individuals that were born and died in the Blackland counties, which is Ellis Hail and Navarro and the urban county of Dallas, born between 1,880 and 1,900, we collected 2,536 individuals, and with those individuals we conducted a Crystal Wallace test, as well as the survival analysis in R.

Now this this is our chart that shows the amount of people that we collected from different counties, and what they were categorized as.

Now. What we found in the policy is financial aid to farmers were attempts at the government put in place. Once they found out about the system of tenant farming that was formed without any laws and without any form of cash that was simple. Roll over from the plantation, from slavery directly into the tenant from a system. So once the Federal Government became aware of this and the post Emancipation. They attempted to enact these laws such as the Homestead Act, the Bank of Jones action, the firm Security administration, all of which were supposed to uplift these communities and provide financial aid to them to buy land and give them access to land that they hadn’t had. However, all of these acts failed because they didn’t provide them enough money to be able to actually purchase the lander, be able to afford the things that they need to be able to actually farm and live on this land, and in trying to improve their conditions. There is even a Court Case Block v. Hirsh. In which they were barred from being able to actually improve their living quarters, because if they did, then it only belonged to the land owner rather than to themselves. And the Southern tenant Farmer Union is something that arose out of the Agricultural Adjustment Act. And this community was fighting for better treatment and fighting for better qualities within the conditions that they were living in. All of which we’re fighting because the Federal Government wasn’t giving this community the things that they needed to be able to survive.

And what we found is that these population ones really were suffering. And so, when we look at the data that we found this is our age, average age of death. You can clearly see the rural and urban divide: urban people living longer than those who live in rural areas. However, when you break the rural population down between those who are not working on the plantation and those who are working on the plantation. You can see that those who are working who are owning the land instead of working it, are living just as long as those living in urban areas, and it’s those who are forced to work the land are stuck in this tenant farming system that are suffering and losing years of their lives. As a result,

However, that data sometimes can be skewed by population booms which we’re also occurring at this time. So we then turn to a survival analysis in which you can see that the same plantation workers are less likely to survive from one year to the next than any person living in any other area.

So clearly from this we can see that it’s not the fact that you’re living in a rural area. It’s the fact that you’re working on these former plantations and existing within this tenant farming system with this consistent form of violence that comes along with that.

So our conclusion from this is that the lack of regulation and federal and State protections for tenant farmers likely influenced these health disparities that exploited these farm workers, and the systematic violence on plantations is a more highly explanatory factor for disparities in mortality than simply the rural and urban divide alone. Going forward, greater attention to legal histories and systematic violence are necessary to be able to evaluate the root causes of these rural health disparities

Finally to acknowledge the people who have helped produce this work as a project as a whole. We like to acknowledge the lives and labor of Texas farm workers in the past, and we thank the members of the Board of the Ellis County role, Heritage Farm Generational knowledge of Texas farmers and farmlands help shape our thinking in this work. We are also grateful to the members of the critical molecular anthropology lab at George Mason and to Daniel Temple and Charles Rosen for their work on this work, and I would also like to thank my mentor, Dr. Vick Smith, for all of his help, and inviting me onto this project, as well as Oscar for helping me to produce this research.

Thank you.