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A Living Constitutional Case for Anti-Classification: Equal Protection as a Civic-Republican Ideal
Full text link“Better a Witty Fool Than a Foolish Wit”: Feminist Wit in Shakespeare’s Comedies
Full text linkThis project interrogates William Shakespeare’s use of wit in his comedies, both as a tool to safely critique power structures and a transportive verbal skill that creates utopian communities for female characters. Many of Shakespeare’s comedies feature female characters whose wit is celebrated by the men around them but is never truly understood despite the innate truths about oppression and power that lay just under the surface of their words. I utilize queer and feminist theory on wit, utopia, and ethics to propose that feminist wit, in the case of Shakespeare, is a survival tool that actively creates eroticism and visibility between characters. My project starts with Kate from The Taming of the Shrew. She, I argue, begins Shakespeare’s investigation of wit as a tool for critiquing patriarchy. The following section focuses on Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing where feminist wit is further developed. Beatrice not only uses wit to critique patriarchy, but also to unravel patriarchal consumption, and create mutual love with Benedick. Finally, feminist wit is perhaps most effective in the case of Rosalind and Celia from As You Like It. Queer utopia begins for these two women in the forest of Arden and is continued through their shared wit into their everyday lives in a patriarchal society
To Be a ‘Good Farmer’ in a Fractured World: Wabanaki, White, and Somali Bantu Perspectives on Farming and Community in Maine
Full text linkMaine is home to many farming communities, each with unique ideas about what it means to be a ‘good farmer.’ This thesis studies ‘good farmer’ ideals in three of those communities, investigating the values and practices of Wabanaki growers, small-scale diversified White farmers, and Somali Bantu farmers. Through this exploration, the thesis also reveals the unique roles of community in Maine\u27s agricultural landscape. To center the voices of individual farmers, interdisciplinary academic research is combined with oral interviews. With an agricultural history uniquely shaped by colonization, immigration, and adaptation to change, Maine is an ideal environment to study the ‘good farmer’—the findings will contribute to a more culturally sensitive, context-specific understanding of farming in Maine. Future research may investigate whether and how agricultural policy supports the diverse experiences and needs of Maine\u27s farmers
Jujubes on the Margin: Trauma, Community, and Memories of a Village in Central Shanxi
Full text linkIn the first four years of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (1876–1879), a severe famine, known as the Dingwu Famine, devastated northern China, claiming thirteen million lives. The experience and memories of the famine were far from “natural.” In my research on the memories of Dingwu Famine, I investigate how the residents of a 2,000-person village, Gulian, in Shanxi Province organized their community, tried to save themselves during a crisis brought about by both environmental and political failures, and later remembered both their trauma and achievements. What their memories reveal is the broader story of Chinese local cultural and social history, and how contemporary communities continue to engage with and narrate their past. This research engages closely with a growing body of scholarship in environmental history, the history of famine, and the history of state-society relations in late imperial China. Adopting the method of microhistory, it draws on both unpublished sources from private collections and published materials, including gazetteers, missionary journals, newspapers, and local cultural and historical records, all of which hold great narrative potential
“The Object, The Virgin, The Holy Figure”, An Album and Musical Dissection of the Way in Which We Come to Be
No full textThis is a jazz fusion album written largely about childhood, growth, memories and how we become ourselves. Included is a short writeup, the sheet music and wav files including a midi performance of the pieces
Resorts and Republics: Freedom and Unfreedom in the Commonwealth Caribbean
Full text linkAn era of republicanism arrived in the Commonwealth Caribbean when the island-state of Barbados, in 2022, removed the British monarch as head of state, in favor of a constitutional president. This event sent a wave of constitutional inquiries, referendum hopes, and speculations across the Anglophone Caribbean about the importance of removing the British monarchy and installing new Caribbean republics. Many Caribbean states affirmed commitments to these changes after this event. However, the Caribbean tourism industry stands as a neocolonial force for domination and underdevelopment in the region. Constructed by Global North benefactors (i.e., United Kingdom, United States) and multinational hospitality corporations, the tourism industry in the region has created structures of dependency that dominate economic and social institutions in the area. Furthermore, these neocolonial structures of the tourism economy exist in the ‘skeletal form’ of the former colonial hierarchies and world system that has defined Caribbean politics and society.
Now, republicanism exists in several states in the circum-Caribbean and Anglophone Caribbean. However, I insist that the republican ideals of non-domination and claims on dependency are incompatible with the (neo)colonial circumstances the region has faced. This incompatibility is a significant consequence of the Western, eurocentric focus and thought that has constructed the philosophical core of the republican school of thought. Yet the current calls for republics by the Commonwealth Caribbean neglect this reality, and the states demand the republican option based on their antimonarchical sentiments.
In my thesis, I seek to diagnose and offer a remedy for this problem. By examining the neoclassical republican scholars and (anti/post)colonial theorists, I will define the issues with current republican theory and the methods (anti/post)colonial scholars can offer to both address their flaws and expand the theory to incorporate the Caribbean context of neocolonial domination. This expansion will be done by exploring and creating two philosophical concepts for republican theory: decolonization as a constant practice and creolization as community. The incorporation of these ideals, I argue, will expand republican theory to meet the needs of the Commonwealth Caribbean. The meeting of these needs and the expansion would constitute the creation of a Caribbean republicanism that confronts the issue of neocolonial tourism and produces a compatible republican doctrine for Caribbean republics to come
Beyond the Headlines: Understanding the Consequences of Community Gun Violence on Lewiston’s School Community
No full textGun violence has become a serious issue in the U.S., with 8 out of every 10 homicides attributed to guns and over 600 shootings in 2023 where at least one person was injured or killed (Center for Gun Violence Solutions, n.d.; Franklin & Isom, 2024). This issue hits close to home in Lewiston, Maine, where as of August 2024, the community had already experienced 27 incidents of shots fired (City of Lewiston, 2024). In this study, I worked with the superintendent of the Lewiston Public Schools, Superintendent Langlais, to further understand the impacts of gun violence on the community. This mixed-methods study used the community violence framework to explore the impacts that an uptick in community gun violence in Lewiston has on school staff and students, and what that might mean for school staff members’ capacity to support students. The study used survey responses and one-on-one interviews with school staff to evaluate this impact. I hypothesize that an uptick in community violence would lead to mental health struggles among both staff and students, and teachers would have increased difficulty focusing and supporting their students. The findings suggest that gun violence negatively impacts students, which is demonstrated by teachers’ reports of changes in behaviors, interactions with peers, and an increase in violence in the schools. Teachers and staff expressed that gun violence has not impacted them. However, their written responses and interviews suggest that they are struggling with their mental health and may not realize it, perhaps due to desensitization or hardening. Throughout the surveys and interviews, staff emphasized the need for more support services, such as active shooter training, stronger backing from the administration, and additional resources to support students. There is a sense of hope that with improvements, staff will feel more equipped to face the challenges of community gun violence
Where the Light Seeps Through: An Exploration of the Power of Climate Fiction for Maintaining Hope and Inspiring Action in Young Readers
No full textNon
Protecting Human Dignity and Meaningful Work in the Age of AI: A Social Autonomy Framework for Ethical Decision Making in The Workplace
Full text linkArtificial Intelligence (AI), a rapidly advancing technology, is transforming various industries by enhancing efficiency, simplifying tasks, and creating innovative products. From search engines and digital assistants to healthcare and legal services, its applications are becoming integral to daily life. Despite these benefits, the accelerated growth of AI raises profound ethical concerns regarding its impact on human dignity and the nature of meaningful work—both of which are necessary for human flourishing. In my thesis, I set out to define the concepts of human dignity and meaningful work. I develop a framework for understanding human dignity, which I refer to as the Social Autonomy Theory. This theory emphasizes the protection of individual autonomy, but also recognizes the centrality of social connection and recognition to human dignity. In the process, I develop the necessary conditions for meaningful work and argue that meaningful work is vital for upholding human dignity. I apply The Social Autonomy Theory to several work-related case studies to demonstrate how the implementation of AI in the workplace can undermine these dignity concerns, highlighting the importance of securing meaningful work. After evaluating each case study, I argue that while AI holds significant potential for societal advancement, its unchecked implementation could undermine human dignity and meaningful work. To conclude, I explore policy suggestions that prioritize ethical standards and safeguard the rights of individuals in an increasingly AI-driven world
