“The Smoke Surrounding the Dragon Lady”

During the Vietnam War, the criticism Madame Nhu received for her outspoken and attention-seeking behavior reveals the greater cultural context of the time, regarding topics such as feminism, sexual politics, and religion, as Madame Nhu became representative of the potential violence of her country and the objectification of East Asia. Madame Nhu is both a product and author of her own history and neither the world nor the war would have been the same without her.

Chloe Hall, Class of 2023

Bio: Chloe Hall is a freshman from Louisville, Kentucky majoring in Public Policy. She is an undergraduate researcher for the ROCCA Lab, a contributor for the Vanderbilt Political Review, and part of the Vanderbilt Feminists. She is also looking forward to working at the Writing Studio next year!

“The Ideal Approach to Idealism”

Composed for a first-year writing seminar on 20th century US foreign policy, this essay assesses the significance of religious versus political motivations behind the outbreak and progression of the 1963 Buddhist Crisis. While previous interpretations emphasize a desire for either religious freedom or political power, the author finds that the Buddhist Crisis originated from a complex combination of religious and political factors.

Teresa Xu, Class of 2023

Bio: Teresa is a first-year student from Vancouver, Canada. She is still undecided, but is thinking of majoring in English and Sociology. She is delighted to be presenting at this year’s symposium.

“Surfing: A Transcendent Tool for Social Criticism in Otelo Burning and Apocalypse Now”

This argumentative essay discusses the portrayal of surfing in both Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now (italicized) and Sara Blecher's film Otelo Burning. Although both films are set during very different political climates, with the former occurring during the Vietnam War and the latter during Apartheid, and portray surfing in very different manners, both directors efficiently utilize it as a vehicle to expose disparities between the communities they discuss and criticize the detrimental effects of male hubris to achieve their overarching criticisms.

Karan Mirpuri, Class of 2023

"Of This World": Religion and Politics in The Prince”

This paper examines the role religion plays in Machiavelli's political theory. The Prince was groundbreaking for its subordination of religious doctrine to political considerations, paving the way for a new intellectual force: realism.

Matthew Sohn, Class of 2023

“Voyeur or Visionary: Exploring Representation of the Intellectually Disabled in Diane Arbus' Untitled Series”

This piece explores and analyzes Diane Arbus' infamous "Untitled" series, a collection of photographs documenting institutions for individuals with disabilities in the late 1960s. While immense controversy surrounds her work, this paper argues that these Arbus images are on the right side of history.

Sophie Kaiser, Class of 2023

Bio: Sophie is from Littleton, Colorado and loves the state so much that all her friends here make fun of her for it. Besides talking too much about Colorado, Sophie loves going to concerts, making Spotify playlists, rock climbing at a very beginner level, and hanging out with her friends in the Next Steps program. Sophie also hopes to become a Speech Language pathologist one da

“Confronting Climate Change: A Moral Imperative for Diversity & Inclusion”

This reflective essay, composed in an honors seminar on climate change, explores the concept of climate justice. The author comments on how climate change is more than just a scientific issue; it is an issue of morality that requires an immediate response from not only scientists but also everyday people from all walks of life. Inclusive dialogue and solutions are thus of paramount importance.

Christina Woodrow, Class of 2023

Bio: Christina Woodrow is a first-year Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar, considering studies in economics, computer science, and Spanish. She has enjoyed exploring her interests in both foreign languages and international law. After graduation, Christina hopes to further engage with interdisciplinary efforts to solve real-world problems in the realms of science, technology, and public policy.

"The Essentiality of Net Neutrality"

The Essentiality of Net Neutrality was the final paper I wrote for the class CMST 3140: Communication and the First Amendment. The essay explores the precise implications at stake in preserving net neutrality from a First Amendment perspective.

Angela Karas, Class of 2020

Bio: Angela Karas is a senior at Vanderbilt double majoring in English and Communication Studies. She is currently writing an Honors Thesis on techno-existentialism. Angela also works in the Writing Studio and plans to attend law school. 

“We’re Kidding Ourselves: Self-Objectification is not Self-Empowerment”

This think piece argues that women's self-objectification does not constitute empowerment. By analyzing Beyonce's music video for Partition, I show how her representation of women's sexuality draws from a long history of racist and sexist beauty standards. Rather than resulting in an empowering statement on women's sexual freedom, the music video actually further sexually objectifies women.

Giselle Hengst, Class of 2020

Bio: Giselle Hengst is a senior majoring in Women’s & Gender Studies and Medicine, Health, & Society. During the last four years, she has interned at the Women’s Center and served on Vanderbilt Student Government’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Committee. After graduation she plans to work in public service with a specific focus on women’s health and reproductive justice.

“Rape on the Reservation: An Assault on Native Women by the United States”

More than 1 in 3 Native American women will experience sexual violence in her lifetime. The sexual violence epidemic faced by Native American women is a direct consequence of federal legislation that restricts the juridisctional power of tribes. By diminishing the sovereignty and dignity of Indian tribes, the U.S. government has hindered their ability to prosecute violent crimes and seek justice for their people.

Cassidy Johnson, Class of 2022

“Cycles of Historical Trauma: The Catawba Nation and Particulate Matter Pollution”

This paper argues that the high rates of particulate matter pollution experienced by the Catawba Nation are a result of environmental injustice. In this way, particulate matter pollution maintains the structures of historical trauma experienced by the Catawba tribe, and consequently contributes to disparities in health outcomes experienced by the Catawbas.

Mia Dillon, Class of 2021

“An Impossible Fantasy: Picnic Sequence from Bonnie and Clyde”

This paper focuses on a scene that is key for deeper understanding of the film Bonnie and Clyde. It examines how elements of characters, setting, camera angles, shots, costumes, sound, etc. interact and combine to construct a larger narrative meaning, one that is not obvious on a surface level.

Shelley Xue, Class of 2022

“History's Piano Man: The Impact of Billy Joel”

Billy Joel is one of America's great musical geniuses, but his private personal life limits his chance of receiving the acknowledgement he so deserves. This piece delves into Joel's life and the impact his music had on popular culture during the last five decades.

Natalie Urban, Class of 2021

“From Vaudeville to Technicolor: Review of The Wizard of Oz”

This analysis focuses on the elements of the film The Wizard of Oz (1939) that connects two pieces of film history: vaudeville and Technicolor. The film signifies such a monumental change by borrowing the well-developed vaudevillian techniques as well as entering the Technicolor world with the protagonist Dorothy.

Yuliang Zhang, Class of 2021

Bio: Yuliang is a junior majoring in computer science. Although he mainly focuses on programming and other tech-related subjects, he is intrigued by movies and has a passion for writing about them.

“Dr. Faustus and Astophil: Lovers to a Fault”

This essay explores the intricacies of how love is portrayed in Christopher Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus" and Sir Phillip Sydney's "Astrophil and Stella." I argue that Marlowe's work depicts a homoeroctic relationship and sympathizes with the struggle of gay lovers in society.

Mason Domke, Class of 2021

“MIsrepresenting Book One of Aristotle's Politics: The History and Prevalence of Fallacies Rooted in Aristotle's Views on Nature”

Aristotle has often been viewed as one of the more controversial greek philosophers due to his advocation of slavery and views on the inferiority of women. Although these ideas have been mostly ousted by modern society, Aristotle is still viewed as one of the greats for his sound arguments. Because of his status as a "Greek Philosopher," his words have been exploited to fulfill the insidious side of American history: racism. This piece explores how Aristotle's "sound" arguments become problematic in our world as the applicability of his logic can be extended to factors that were not even relevant in Ancient Greece, like skin color.

Paul Tran, Class of 2022

“The Sija Seok: Tracing the Remains of the Joseon Dynasty”

This research paper uncovers the history behind the Sija Seok, which is a small stone statue displayed at the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery. Nothing much is known about this sculpture; however, the paper takes a deep dive into the Korean social and cultural customs of the seventeenth century in an attempt to uncover what roles this statue may have held.

Claire Kyoung, Class of 2022

“Why the 2020s Will be an Exciting Decade to be a Neurophilosopher of Free Will”

The question of whether humans possess free will has historically been a purely philosophical one, but the past century's advancements in the field of neuroscience have given scientists tools to study it as well. In the decades since neuroscientists began investigating the topic, they have worked siloed from philosophers and have failed to come to meaningful conclusions. It's likely they'll find stronger answers in the coming decade, though: in 2019, accomplished philosophers and neuroscientists from 17 universities finally joined forces in a new research program with $7M in funding to make progress on answering this age-old question, pioneering a new field called the neurophilosophy of free will.

Perry Coneybeer, Class of 2021

“The Medicalization of Puberty: Unpacking the American Adolescent”

This paper aims to reveal the ways in which the experiences of puberty in the American context have been medicalized over time. The sociological lens applied to the concept of medicalization addresses the implications of medicalization on the way puberty is conceptualized as either a deviation or a norm. The purpose of this piece is to deconstruct the normalized narrative of puberty appearing in medical conversations.

Rachel Gross, Class of 2020

Bio: Rachel Gross is a senior at Vanderbilt University majoring in MHS, minoring in Anthropology, from Schererville, Indiana. As a student on the pre-medical track, she is passionate about studying health disparities and health access, especially food justice and how it plays a role in healthcare. She will be pursuing a master’s in Social Foundations of Health as a student in the MHS 4+1 graduate program.

“Sociocultural Comparison of U.S. vs. French Eating Regimens:  A Modern Identity Crisis”

The first part of this paper explores the implication of modern food interactions against differently adapted communities in France and the United States, answering previous questions in the literature through an intersectional, scientific, and sociocultural lens in order to challenge the hidden foundational structure, proposed as eating regimens, facilitating more obvious dilemmas about eating behaviors. I hypothesize that these regimens, social and nutritional, dictate what, when, where, how and especially why French and Americans, respectively, eat the way they do. In the final discussion, I wonder about the related health phenomenon of fitness-inspired nutritional eating in the U.S. and how dieting culture might change if we evaluated our nutritionalized language against, for instance, French usage of the same words.

Kathy Yuan, Class of 2020

“Gender and Disability in the Warscape: Embodiment Between Boundaries”

An examination of the areas in which war culture and civilian society overlap; an analysis of the ways in which soldiers and civilians mirror one another, studied through the social constructs of gender and disability.

Hannah Nesson, Class of 2022

“The Red Riviera: The Intersection of Feminism, Economics, and Leisure”

The culture of Bulgaria under socialism systematized employment and education to create implicitly male and female spheres. In terms of the largely feminized sectors of the Bulgarian economy, tourism proved to be the most profitable in light of privatization, and accorded a distinct class of women considerable clout in determining the macroeconomic trajectory of the market transition and Bulgaria itself. Though not by design, the gendered socialist world of tourism created a space for a more equitable distribution of wealth to emerge in the post-socialist world.

Janet Stefano, Class of 2022

“Fighting Fire with Fire: Rose Schneiderman on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire”

Fighting Fire with Fire considers Jewish labor unionist Rose Schneiderman's response to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. Though the women's trade union was made up of working class immigrants like Schneiderman as well as wealthy "allies," Schneiderman used her speech to attack the complacency of the rich. Though Schneiderman's rhetoric was divisive, it was powerful.

Addison Armstrong, Class of 2020

"Rationing Coal and Anger in The Bluest Eye"

My paper focuses on fire and coal imagery in Toni Morrison's novel, The Bluest Eye. I examine the unique approaches of the Breedloves and the MacTeers (the novel's two central families) to rationing fire and coal approaches which reveal the parents' divergent responses to institutionalized racism, and which in turn affect their daughters' construction of identity.

Grace LaFrentz, Class of 2021

Bio: Grace LaFrentz is a junior in the College of Arts and Science from Huntsville, Alabama. She is majoring in English and minoring in French. 

“Flash and Basquait: An Exploration into the Social Culture of 1980s New York”

This paper captures the spirit of social turmoil in 1980s New York through the musical and artistic expressions of two paramount African-American artists who rallied for social change and provided scathing commentary of racial and social injustice. Both the lyrics and details in the song and painting lay down clues to understanding the personal experiences both artists had while living in the shadows of white society.

Isabelle Krieger, Class of 2022

“The NFL and CTE: An Exploitation of Black Athletes”

This paper serves as a critical analysis of the structural biases which, from the high school and college levels through to the draft and the league itself, enable the National Football League to exploit historically disadvantaged black athletes for the profit of predominantly white owners, particularly disproportionately subjecting black athletes to roles with a higher risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In the NFL, there is an undeniable dichotomy between the predominantly black players on teams' rosters, and the vastly white coaches and ownership who control the league. Given the recent research exposing the potentially life-altering nature of football as a result of its link to CTE, I had to wonder what role race may play in football remaining America's most popular sport, despite its obvious and serious dangers, and how CTE may impact the league's mostly black players.

Erin Haley, Class of 2021