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American Studies Student-Faculty Research

American Studies 2022 Senior Research Symposium poster

Student Research

Majors culminate their course of study by writing a research thesis on a topic reflecting a particular area of expertise, developed in close consultation with faculty advisors. Specialists in making connections and drawing together different strands of the American experience, American studies majors have pursued careers in public service, politics, law, education, business, and media and journalism. For a list of recent research projects, see below.

Student Research Symposium

Students in American studies write a senior thesis on a topic of their own choosing. The thesis is the capstone of the major. Students do original research with primary sources and draw on American studies scholarship to develop their own insights and arguments. The range of topics is wide, reflecting the varieties of student interest.

Students write a prospectus in the fall semester and in the spring write their theses. As an aid to their scholarship, the department sponsors a senior symposium in March, where students present their research to an audience of faculty, friends and their peers. The feedback students receive gives them new questions to ask and scholarly discoveries to make.

The 2021 American Studies Senior Symposium will be held Thursday, March 11th, 4:00pm on Zoom.  If you would like to view the event, please send your request to amstud@dickinson.edu for the Zoom link.

American Studies Research Projects Over the Years

The following list includes current and historic individual student research projects, public presentations from conferences, symposia and exhibitions and peer-reviewed publications. For abstracts on each project see Students as Scholars.

Students can get a list of their projects by going to CLIQ in the Gateway.  Under the CLIQ menu, go to Profiles and then My ePortfolio.    If you are an alum and would like a copy of your projects, please submit a research project request form.

“Supported by” on Student Conference Presentation records indicates the entity or funding mechanism that supported the student’s participation in the conference, e.g., travel expenses, poster costs. For on-campus conferences, the supporting entity is usually the academic department sponsoring the event.

“Supported by” on Student Research Project records indicates the entity or funding mechanism that supported the student’s research costs, e.g., supplies, materials, equipment, stipends or local or international research travel.


2021

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Emily Elizabeth BensonControlling Appearances: Resisting the Male Gaze in Early 1970s Feminist Art
Conference: 13th Annual American Studies Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Keshawn Tyriq Bostic"That's Kween with a K 'Cause I'm a King Too": Masculinity, Femininity, and Gender Performance in Contemporary Hip-Hop Culture
Conference: 13th Annual American Studies Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Keyshana Vonshay EdwardsHealing from Ancestral Trauma: The Effects of Black Spirituality
Conference: 13th Annual American Studies Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Olivia Ann RiordanAccess and Representation: Early Sesame Street and Social Justice TV
Conference: 13th Annual American Studies Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Kate Belden ShepherdJoy of Cooking: White America's Cooking Bible and Guide to Domesticity
Conference: 13th Annual American Studies Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Hannah Marguerite Spirt-JonesStolen Souls and Stifled Voices: The modern genocide of Indigenous women
Conference: 13th Annual American Studies Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler

2020

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Mackenzie R BrownAthletes Transcending Race
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Esme Cricket Cary-Green"Whities Aren't Gonna Like That:" Night plus Market, Authenticity, and Ethnic Haute Cuisine
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Susanna Chandlee FittsSLACs (Small Liberal Arts Colleges) and Recruiting: Uncovering the Relationships Between Admissions and Diversity on Campus
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Christian James FoleyVictims of the Sunken Place: Contemporary Bare Life in Get Out
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Wallis Norma Jean GrantWhat Hate Can Uncover: An Investigation of the Carlisle Unity Celebration
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Caroline KassasThe Issue With GQ's New Masculinities: How Magazines Reconstruct and Sell Contemporary Representations of Men
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Claire Cicero MacAulayHallmark Movies: Questions of Feminism and Escape in a Modern Era
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Pema TashiCrafting Counterculture: How Cartography and Graphic Design Disrupt Systems of US Benevolence
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Makeda A White"Black Waves Black Days" Black Space: Analyzing Solange's "When I Get Home"
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Andrew Ernest ZaccagninoAn All-Digital Future and its Affect on the Video Game Industry and Culture
Conference: American Studies Department 12th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene

2019

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Keson Torell Bullock-BrownDoes the Dollar Ever Solve the Issue: Examining Black Capitalism as an Insufficient Measure of Freedom
Conference: 2019 Annual Eastern American Studies Association Conference
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Keson Torell Bullock-BrownDoes the Dollar Ever Solve the Issue: Examining Black Capitalism as an Insufficient Measure of Freedom
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Leda Jane Kolbowski FisherBad Niggers and Rich Niggas: The Nigger/a as Counter-Hegemonic Figure
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Hannah Guy-MozenterHealth Food: White Subjectivity and Femininity
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Eleanor Fairbank KaestnerVogue, Nike, and New York Fashion Week: The Intersection of Fashion and Politics in the Trumpian Era
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Fiona Emily KeaneRadical Warriors: Activism, Insurrection, and Native American Vietnam Veteran Involvement in the American Indian Movement.
Conference: 2019 Annual Eastern American Studies Association Conference
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Fiona Emily KeaneWar! What is it Good For?: Activism, Insurrection, and Native American Vietnam Veteran Involvement in the American Indian Movement.
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Heidi Elouise KimUnderstanding #AsianAugust and the Modern Conversation About Asian Representation in Hollywood
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Ali Michele KramerYouTube, Mass Culture, and the "Fanopticon": An Examination of Social Media's Effect on the Millennial Trademark
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Killian KuenyEvacuees, Refugees or Internally Displaced Persons: How Labels Perpetuate Dominant Ideological Hierarchies in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Conference: 2019 Annual Eastern American Studies Association Conference
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Killian KuenyHurricane Katrina's Connotative Storm: Exploring the Discrepancies between Labels for American Citizens and their Perpetuation of Institutional Hierarchies
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Tierney A O'ConnellThe Destigmatization of Mental Illness as Influenced by the Power of Celebrities
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Julia Eliza OrmondWhat's in a Box?: Native American Food Sovereignty and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Lucy Alison SmithObscene Queens: Government Rhetoric, Television Regulations, and Nakedness
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Lauren WeickertPrison Uprisings in the Era of Mass Incarceration: Isolation and Community Building
Conference: 2019 Annual Eastern American Studies Association Conference
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone
Lauren WeickertPrison Uprisings in the Era of Mass Incarceration: Isolation and Community Building
Conference: 11th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Nicholle Dragone

2018

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
D'Andre BattleQueer Black Representations in Sitcom Media
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Zachary Carson BlumensteinA Quest for Authenticity: Gangster Rap's Influence on White Mainstream Culture
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Edward BrownEsther Popel Shaw, Dickinson Housing Policies, and the Origins of Modern Race Relations in America
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Sofia Garcia CanningFast Tracking U.S. Citizenship: Kenyan Runners as Olympic Hopefuls and Extracted Resources
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Sydney Brown CollinsAddressing Divided Feminisms: Intersectionality in Reproductive Justice
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Emily Marion HallBlack Owned, White Controlled: Ebony Magazine and Middle Brow Beauty
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Lillian KarlPatagonia, Environmentalism, and the Great (White) Outdoors
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Caroline Grace SmiegalProgress Through Podcasts: A Cultural Analysis of Sex Positive Feminism in Popular Media
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Jade WeinerCosmetic Surgery and the Enforcement of the Male Gaze
Conference: 10th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez

2017

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Erin Louise Andreassi'The Talented Tenth vs. 'The Precious Ten': Defining Modern Conceptions of Childhood through Class
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Claire Frances BrighamProtected by the Turf: Rape Culture on College Campus
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Keson Torell Bullock-BrownThe Resurgence of Scientific Racism in the 1970s
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13 weeks
J Cotten Seiler
Kellen Christopher EdmondsonTempering Flavors for American Palates: The Legend of General Tso's and the Deterioration of Authenticity
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Caitlin Jennifer FarrellFashion, Feminism, and the Sartorial Power of Coco Chanel
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Mariah B FinkelsteinSteven Universe: Queering the World of Children's Media
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Katherine Schweighofer
Colleen Ann FrerichsBitch-Boss or Boss-Bitch: Representations of Postfeminist Working Women in Romantic Comedies
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Katherine Schweighofer
Gillian Gerli HornThe Lens of Visual Freedom: Articulation of Freedom of Speech on Instagram
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Katherine Schweighofer
Isabel Anne LangA Radical Ticket: 'Unbought and Unbossed', Shirley Chisholm and Intersectional Politics in America
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Matthew Reuben MaitlandThe War on Athletes in the Neoliberal Turn
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Hanna C NormanPixar's Toy Story: Longings for an American Childhood
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Lucille Ruth RichmanQuite the Doll-emma: Race and Gender Representations in American Girl Dolls of Color
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Brian Joseph ThomasWhat Makes a Gay Wedding Gay?: The Reconstruction of Gender in White Wedding Rituals
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Sarah Ann WelchTan Like Me: Alexander Hamilton and the Spectacle of Raciality
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Matthew Wenz"To be the man, you Gotta Beat the Man": "Othered" Bodies and Normal Masculinity in WWE Wrestling
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez
Aine Mairead ZaniewskiWhiting Up Through Satire: White Chicks, It's Funny, Isn't It?
Conference: 9th Annual American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Eric Vazquez

2016

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Harper Lindsay ClarkCarlisle Indian Industrial School: Charles Williams
Conference: Sports Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Katherine Schweighofer
Tyler William Clauson-WolfIt's Funny Because It's True: Social Commentary in Stand-Up Comedy
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Drew Elizabeth CrowleyPurity Balls: Virginity as a Gendered Construct
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Jason William Denaburg21st Century Czar: American Imagination of Russia and Vladimir Putin
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Samuel Nathan Drabkin'Wastin' My Life in Altered States': Death Grips and Avant-Garde Rage
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Mariah B FinkelsteinThe Perfect Skin: Race, Materiality, and the Spectacular Invention of Visibility
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 6
Jerry Philogene
Peter Ashbridge HassDeclarations and Incarcerations: Race, Audibility, and Citizenship in the Postwar US Prison System
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Patricia Ann KotradyConsuming Authenticity: Deconstructing 'Do-It-Yourself' Punk Rock Ethics in Philadelphia
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Jahmel MartinWhat Does a Broken Black Body Mean to You?: Digital Spectatorship of Police Brutality
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Angela Emer MedranoEast Loves West: Mixed Race Identity and the Filipina-American Marriage Market
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene
Catherine Merle ObrechtMaking a Celebrity: Social Media, Feminism, and the Spectacle of Kim Kardashian
Conference: 8th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler,Jerry Philogene

2015

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Heather Leigh BonelloKeeping up with CoverWorld: CoverGirl, Celebrities, and the Marketing of Diversity in Consumer Culture
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Quinn Amerling CotterFad Men: The Birth and Evolution of the Playboy Consumer in 1950's America
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Katherine Thayer DilworthElite Fitness: Fitbit and the Idealized, Monitored Body
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Samuel Nathan DrabkinThe Socially Dead and the "Improbable Citizen": Cultural Transformations of Haitian Citizenship
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 8
Jerry Philogene
Tyler Martin DrbalWham! Pow! Black!: Black Superheroes as an American Studies Lens
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Melissa Ann FallatWeight Watchers and the Ideology of Thin
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Johanna Marie FlemingProject One: Fat Studies Scholarship; Project Two: Girl Scouts of America
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
Amy Farrell
Johanna Marie FlemingPretty Women and Power Tools
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Gregory Kaliss
Hannah Shanis GlickDigitally Dating: Lusting or Loving in a Digital Age
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Marisol LeBron
Fabian Alberto HernandezMeztizo Consciousness and the Liminality of Borders
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Celeste Cianna HippolyteReconciling with Voicelessness: Black Twitter as an Emergent Cultural Practice
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Marisol LeBron
Aaron Stuart HockTrans*-scending Drag: How RuPaul's Drag Race Evades the Trans* Politics of Drag Performance
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Aaron Stuart HockThe Socially Dead and the "Dead Citizen": Cultural Contestations of Haitian Citizenship
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
Jerry Philogene
Lawrence Xavier JolonMasculinity and Vulnerability: Men's Memoirs Destigmatizing Anxiety and Expanding Representations of Masculinity
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Gregory Kaliss
Suzannah Tallman MayLiked: The Phenomenon of the Food Instagram
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Marisol LeBron
Grace Margaret MorelliRepresentation of Italian Americans in Film
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Meaghan Patrice QuirinAnti-Vietnam Protest at Dickinson College: An Ethnography
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Sasha Parmet ReaganDams and Damnation
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Rebecca Gould WinsorTiny Houses: Is America Moving Out of the Home?
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Alexandra Elizabeth YoungSame Position, Different Style: U.S. Women's Soccer Stars and the Gender Binary
Conference: 7th Annual Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien

2014

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Jenny Catherine BarrettThe Italian-American Self: A Double-Identity Struggle
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Abigail Poore BowmanCosmopolitan-isms: The Relationship between Gender, Class, Nationality, Universalism, and Consumerism in American and Indian Cosmopolitan Magazine
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Elizabeth Ayres BrunoThe Rise of a Female Fitness Culture in America: America's Obsession with the "toned" Female Form
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Sarah Jessica KochThe Great American Memory Lapse: How Dr. King and Mr. Carmichael Saw Alike, 1964-66
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Dana Kathryn MetcalfUnderstanding Invisible Disability: The Gender Divide in American ADHD Culture
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Marisol LeBron
Elizabeth Emily MudgeNarrating Death in a Culture of Denial
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Marisol LeBron
Alan Pederson NickPost Traumatic Stress Disorder: The Invisible Wounds of War
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Marisol LeBron
Zara Eliza O'BrienThe Aesthetic Gaze of a Plastic Surgeon: Their influence on American Conceptions of Beauty
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Alicia Marie ReynoldsThe Plus-Size Industry: A Fashion Industry Of Its Own?
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Leah Judith ShaferA 'Delightfully Incorrigible Ham': The Popularity and Gendered Constructs of Julia Child
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Peter Oskar ShapiroWhen Liberal Arts Doesn't Mean Liberal Minds: Offering LGBTQ Support to Students on a College Campus
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Maretta Rose SonnProject One: Fat Studies Scholarship; Project Two: Girl Scouts of America
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
Amy Farrell
Caroline Takacs TaylorMichelle Obama and Representations of First Ladies
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler

2013

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Laura May BartellWho Are We?: A Critical Analysis of the Family in the Display of Bumper Stickers
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Alexandra Michaell BoorseMiss America: Constructing the American Ideal of Womanhood
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Annina Darrahville BoydLarge and Not in Charge: A Critical Analysis of "The Biggest Loser" and U.S. Ideas of Bodily Citizenship
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Melissa Alice CanuFrom the 'Dream House' to the White House: Barbie, Femininity, and Power in the United States
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Ashley Ann DavisCosmopolitan Magazine: The Male Issue
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Giancarlo Daniel DuffyVisual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia: Transnational Memes and International Politics
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
Perin Gurel
Julie Brooke EliasRadical Laughter?: Bridesmaids and the Limits of Gender Subversion in Film Comedy
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Nasim FekratVisual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia: Transnational Memes and International Politics
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
Perin Gurel
Samantha Emily FertelChallenging Rape Culture: Can Student Activism Effectively Change a College Campus?
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Laura Catherine GarbarinoAlcoholism and Binge Drinking in Hollywood Films
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Sarah Ann GrayQueer Women Artists and the Implications of the Gaze: Activism, Sexuality, and the Body
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Ivan GutierrezHegemonic Masculinity: Way of Life or Racial Boundary?
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Andrew C HillLeBron James & The Infrapolitics of a Working Class Athlete
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Marcy Cara IsaacsonPatriotic Fervor and the Symbol of the American Flag in a Post-9/11 America
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Alexis Ellyn KuzmaEmpowering or Subjugating?: A Feminist Analysis of the Hot Mom Trend
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Emily Bolotin MagidaSensationalism in Cable Television News: The Blurred Line Between News and Entertainment
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Thomas M OmalleyChinese Immigration: Chinatown in New York and San Francisco in the Early 1900s
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Brian William SchwartzThe Power of the News Media
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Connor Edwards SheehanThe Use of Mental Illness to Safeguard Consent in the Extended 1950s (1947-1963)
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Leah A SilverA Romanticized Reality: The Fallacy of the American Dream for African Americans in the United States
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Alison Loveland SnyderDeviant Possession: Hoarding and its Participation in Unveiling the Processes of Capitalism, Consumerism and Citizenship
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Mary Kathryn SullivanTanning Temptations in the United States
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Christopher Jacek SzymanskiForget Fly, I Am Fashion
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Molly Elizabeth WelchThe Dissemination of Fat Discrimination in America
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department

2012

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Juliani AcostaSmoke: Redefining Women in the '20s through Cigarette Consumption
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jonathan BaezCommunity vs. Commodity: Gentrification and Resistance in Spanish Harlem
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Caroline Emily DukmejianAin't We Lucky We Got 'Em? An Analysis of the Situation Comedy Good Times and African American Representation in the 1970s
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Mary Ann EggersVisual Cultures of Internet Islamophobia
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
Perin Gurel
Alexandra Brynn GerstleyThe History of Imprisonment in Carlisle
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Melissa Kay GurdonRap Musicians as Organic Intellectuals: Re-Educating America from the 1990's to the Present
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Molly McDonald HeusThe Christian Diet Industry: Sin, Morality, and the Perpetuation of Fat Stigma
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Kaitlyn Anne HozaBringing the Battle Home: The Unseen Wounds of PTSD in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Laura Mariel KassenOy Vey: Gertrude Berg and Representations of Jewishness on The Goldbergs
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Kathryn Wittman MerskyHousewife Culture: A Contemporary Look into the Franchise, the Women, and the Viewer Response of Bravo TV's The Real Housewives
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Jossie MunozThe Inclusion of Minorities in Higher Education
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
William Tyler PerryDeconstructing the MLB: Neocolonialist Practices and Latino Baseball Players
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Leah Judith ShaferA Difference That Makes No Difference: Making Race Not Matter in Postwar America
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
J Cotten Seiler
Abigail Robyn SharafDating, Dining, and Dancing: Popular Social Etiquette on College Campuses During the Great Depression
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
David TorresSocial Networking and Privacy
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Gaven Dajay TrinidadThe Millennium Approaches: Mainstream American Theater's Role in the Normalization of HIV/AIDS and Gay and Lesbian Cultures
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Abigail Israel TuftsJewish Whiteness: Hank Greenberg, Sandy Koufax, and Assimilation through Sports
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Katharine Joy Weintraub'In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes': Andy Warhol and the Commodification of Celebrity
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department

2011

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Perrin C AllenThe Shift from American Jazz from Low to High Culture
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sarah Elizabeth BarrManuscript revision project: "Home and Other Myths: A Lexicon of Queer Inhabitation"
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 8
Laura Grappo
Trey Terrell BooneRepresentations of Lynching: A Visual Phenomenon Deeply Rooted in American History
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Anthony Michael BushSilencing an Experience: The Pervasive Notion of No Homo in Hip Hop
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Alyssa Jordan ConstadIt's Complicated being Green: The Culture of The Muppets in Postmodernist America
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Kenya Aisha DyerJuxtaposition of Natural Disaster and Social Turmoil
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Lucas Truman GarrisonThe Reasoning of Rape: How Masculine & Feminine Culture Contribute to the Crisis of Rape
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Helen Kiley GoldsteinDebutante Balls: Perpetuating Female Gender Roles within the Upper Class
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Anisah Khurshid HashmiReclaiming American Islam: The Development of Islamic Feminism in the United States
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Leah Melanie KaplanThe 1930s Student Movement: A Forgotten History
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Mary Elizabeth KinmanDigesting Soul: Class Identity and Soul Food in 1940s and 1960s
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Tara Deanne LiebermanOnline Social Networking in the 21st Century: Redefining America's Social Fabric
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Demere Elizabeth MeekerUnpaid Work: Representations of the 1950's American Housewife
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Aidan Brown O'SheaHonoring to Control: The Public Memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. & the American Political Right
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Aidan Brown O'SheaNorwich Humanities, (American studies)
Conference: 2010 International Student Research Symposium
Supported by: Center for Global Study and Engagement
Amanda Elizabeth PowerBasketball as Choreography
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Timothy William RahauserWhite Power Structures involved in Division I-A College Football Coaching Jobs
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Julia Gray RosenDictated by the Digital: The Dangerous Effects of Digital Manipulation on Women's Body Image
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Michelle Angelina SanchezContemporary Latina Identity
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Jerry Philogene
Steven William SelandThe Tohono O'odham & Cultural Revitalization as a Means of Resistance to Colonial Subjugation
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Lindsey Prince SladeThe Demise of Karen Carpenter: A Cultural Analysis of Anorexia Nervosa in the 1970s
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Flosha TejadaIf not "Super[wo]man, then what?"
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Andrew Daniel WadeExtreme Sports: The Mainstreaming of a Counter Culture
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Elvira YanezThe Spanglish Dialect in the United States
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department

2010

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Katharine Victoria Atkins-Pattenson"How Much Rubber Does a Woman Need to Buy Before She's Been Bought?": Sex Toy Parties in the 21st Century
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Alison Paige BrantSex Toys: Accessories for Pleasure and Patriarchy
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Andrew Thomas CiukurescuDear Mr. Fantasy: Fantasy Football and Masculinity in the U.S.
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Remy O'Neill CookHip Hop Response to Hurricane Katrina
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Emerita Lonna Malmsheimer
Daron Symmes DeyAmerican Indian History and Memory: Primitive in the Past or Prevailing in the Present?
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Brett D FriedmanMichael Jordan: Nike's Unclassified American Ideal
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Ariel FuchsHistorical and Contemporary Representations of African American Step Dancing
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Ryan Abel KoonsLocalizing the Global: Dickinson's Mosaic Programs
Conference: Oral History Association
Kim Rogers,Susan Rose
Samara Michele LampertFemale Strippers: The Power Struggle
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
J Cotten Seiler
Tiffany ManeThe Acquisition of an African and an American Identity through Music: Dominican-Americans and Merengue Hip- Hop
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Tyler Hilton MeadeThe Interplay of Christian and Capitalist Ethics at Project Share
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Emerita Lonna Malmsheimer
Clarissa Robinson MoorheadLife Magazine: A Glimpse of the Definitive Gender Roles in Post World War II America
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Margaret Nicholas-AlexanderDeconstructing Fatness: Poverty and Obesity in America
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Elizabeth S RomanoThe Marketing and Construction of The Jamaican Tourism Industry For Middle-Class White Americans
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Amy Farrell
Erin Elizabeth SchweinsburgHow the U.S. Fails African-American Students
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Emerita Lonna Malmsheimer
Gregory Raymond SmartBottled Water: Class Signifier in the U.S.
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Damaris VillafanaLooney Tunes and Post-War American Ideology
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Emerita Lonna Malmsheimer
Wuji ZengChinese Automobility and U.S. Rhetorics of Identicality
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
J Cotten Seiler

2009

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Rachel Frances BradburdCaffe Americano: Contextualizing Colonialism, Coffee Consumption and Fair Trade
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Alison Paige BrantHush, Hush surrounding what makes us go Oh, Oh
Conference: ROWS - Research on Women by Students
Supported by: Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department
Alyssa K CrowleyThe Dove Campaign: An Attempt to Redefine Female Beauty
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Grace Leigh DanielEmpowering Images: Media Representations of the Female Athlete
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Amanda Lynn DodsonAmerican Values and the Changing Face of Motherhood: A Case Study of Dickinson College's Child Care Center
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Gregg Shattls FreeburnMy Life Through Your Eyes: Facebook and the Creation of Self
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Alexis Damaris HenryCan You See Me Now? Cultivating a Better Learning Environment for Students of Color
Conference: 2009 Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: Academic Affairs
Jerry Philogene
Justin Edward MelvinNo Corners Left Behind: An Analysis of The Wire in Comparison to Realistic Events in Baltimore
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien
Eric David RahauserMuhammad Ali: The Controversial Life of Today's Most Powerful Sports Icon
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Shaka Mali TafariGordy's Blueprint: An Introspective Look at the Black Entrepreneur
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Christina Torres'Composites of Two Worlds': The exploration of Puerto Rican identity formation through the work of Judith Oritz Cofer
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department
Yazmin Monet WatkinsPerformance Poetry: Activism Through Spoken Word
Conference: American Studies Senior Research Symposium
Supported by: American Studies Department

2008

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Catherine Martina Creme-HenryFrom Silence to Pink: Deconstructing the Popular Discourse of Breast Cancer
Conference: ROWS - Research on Women by Students
Supported by: Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department
James Yarnall Watson-KripsThe Impact of Automobility on Chinese Society, 1920-Present
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 13
J Cotten Seiler

2007

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Catherine Martina Creme-HenryThe Politics of Pink: The Real and Imaginary Worlds of Breast Cancer
Conference: ROWS - Research on Women by Students
Supported by: Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department

2004

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Gretchen Kemp MielkeFat America: A Cultural Study of Stigma, Weight Loss and the Fat Acceptance Movement
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 26
Amy Farrell

2003

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Jillian Audrey SmithRepublic of Drivers: Automobility and the Formation of the American Self
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 8
J Cotten Seiler
Rebecca Leigh SpieringNorton Critical Edition of "O Pioneers!"
Supported by: R&D Dana Research Assistant
Number of Weeks: 8
Sharon O'Brien

2002

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
Hannah Elizabeth HuberNo Blame: A Mother/Daughter Story of Teenage Pregnancy and Adoption
Conference: The 9th Annual Research on Women by Students Symposium (ROWS)
Supported by: Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Department
Sharon O'Brien

1992

Student NameProjectFaculty/Mentor
John Edward CostangoStudent Co-direction of the Writing Component of the FOCUS program
Supported by: A.W. Mellon Foundation Student Faculty Research Endowment Award
Number of Weeks: 8
John Bloom