PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 26 through Friday, April 28

For three full days, and across two campuses of the The George Washington University, more than 200 first-year University Writing students will meet in more than 40 sessions to present work from their ongoing research and writing projects as part of the Spring 2006 University Writing and Research Symposium:

Sessions 1-5, Wednesday, April 26, Mount Vernon
Sessions 6-10, Thursday, April 27, Mount Vernon
Sessions 11-15, Friday, April 28, Foggy Bottom
Sessions 16-19, Friday, April 28, Mount Vernon

NOTE: Friday sessions are running concurrently at Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26
SESSIONS 1-5
Mount Vernon

SESSION 1 (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
10:00-11:15, Wednesday, April 26

KEYNOTE PANEL: Making/Taking Pictures: The Legible and the Legitimate

Eli Aghassi; Anthony M. Reyes; Manali
MODERATOR: Anoka Jung, Anthropology BA/MA Program, Senior/Graduate Student, GWU (anoka@gwu.edu)

Visual Rhetoric: Persuasive Arguments in Editorial Cartoons
Eli Aghassi
Eli.aghassi@gmail.com

How is a visual argument made? This presentation discusses the methods that editorial cartoonists use to communicate their ideas and opinions as well as a discussion of the efficacy of these methods as shown in the public response to these cartoons. Several student-drawn cartoons, all based on student life at GW, will be used as case studies to investigate the methods that cartoonists use to communicate to their readers. The project will go on to analyze three cartoons that have had a noticeable public response in order to help show which methods might have the highest efficacy.

Modern Day Criminal: The Digital Appropriator
Anthony Reyes
areyes@gwu.edu

While constructing a design that could be posted around campus as part of the Spring 2006 University Writing and Research Symposium poster contest, an adventure of jumping over the hurdles of intellectual property laws and culture was born that ended up embodying an experience in obeying the ominous laws of copyright. A college student making a poster on Adobe Photoshop and tracking down the elusive permission to use one particular image explains the trials and tribulations he had to go through in a narrative that will expose how the everyday consumer has to face the threatening copyright symbol that hides beneath everything.

Aesthetics of Graphic Novels: Tracing the Differences between the East and the West
Manali
manali@gwu.edu

Comics involve a complex interaction of author technique and reader interpretation. How are space, time, shape, and color manipulated to convey information? Are there cultural variations in the artistic styles of the East and West? This presentation analyzes whether images may tell a completely different story if taken in isolation.

SESSION 2A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Wednesday, April 26

ROUNDTABLE: Equipment for Living: Performance as (Counter)Politics

Kiernan McGowan; Abigail Pasinski; Hannah Byam; Alisha Bonaroti
MODERATOR: Ann Brown, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Gelman, GWU (agbrown@gwu.edu)

Check Yo Self Before You Wreck Yo Self: Political Hip-Hop in America and Abroad
Kiernan McGowan
kmac@gwu.edu

Noted music scholar and cultural historian Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. writes that "a strong case can be made for calling the last decades of the 20th century the Age of Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop culture is virtually everywhere.[...] And even where hip-hop culture is not found, its absence may also be understood as a reaction against it." There is little doubt that Hip-Hop is one of the cultural movements that will come to define this generation, but what exactly is this movement? How do we define Hip-Hop's political and cultural influence and how can this be attributed to political content (or lack thereof) in rap music? Can rap music really change the world, or is it just a means of commercial success in a money-driven music industry? And why has a traditionally black form of music become a political tool for minority groups all around the world?

Salvation and Requiem in Holocaust Music
Abigail Pasinski
pasinski@gwu.edu

This paper deals with several aspects of music during and after the Holocaust, aspects which normally have been neglected for detailed study. The presentation includes studies of music's various and complex roles in the Warsaw and Vilna ghettoes, the Sachsenhausen and Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, and in post-Holocaust memorialization.

Strange Fruit: Arts of the Contact Zone
Hannah Byam
hcbyam@gwu.edu

This paper examines how the song "Strange Fruit," as performed by Billie Holiday, is an example of how art, produced in response to a dominant, suppressive societal force, can challenge these norms and promote participation in a discursive counterpublic.

Claiming Choreography
Alisha Bonaroti
arb@gwu.edu

Although choreographers display creative ingenuity while designing a work of art, dancers contribute style and emotion while performing it. Despite this parallel contribution, copyright law gives sole credit to the choreographer. This presentation, based in first-hand sources including dancers, choreographers, and legal authorities, will raise legal and ethical questions about the intellectual property conflict within dance and various other art forms.

SESSION 2B (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: God in the Details

Brent Phipps; Elizabeth Hai; Chelsey Megli
MODERATOR: David McAleavey, English Professor; Director of Creative Writing, English; Acting Director, Writing in The Disciplines, GWU (dmca@gwu.edu)

Everything You Shouldn't Talk about at Dinner: Religion, Politics, and Graphic Violence in Captivity Narratives
Brent Phipps
bphipps@gwu.edu

By examining the common themes in American captivity narratives, we can trace the genre throughout history. Captivity narratives have served to start wars, teach religion, and terrify children. This paper examines the impact of this literature on American society from colonial times to the present day.

Does God Exist? An Evolutionary Argument
Elizabeth Hai
ehai@gwu.edu

The Theory of Evolution is commonly used as an argument against the existence of a higher power. This presentation will show that evolution not only agrees with the existence of a higher power, but that it is not even possible (the way we have seen it) without the existence of a higher power.

Protestantism in Post 9/11 America
Chelsey Megli
cmegli@gwu.edu

After September 11, 2001, many groups began to redefine and re-examine the world in which they lived. This paper explores these changes in one area: the dialogue between Protestant Churches and their leaders. It also seeks to grasp the role Protestant Churches play in framing the mindsets of their congregations.

SESSION 2C (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Wednesday, April 26

ROUNDTABLE: Walk the Line: Gender's Constraints

Sara Schwarzbeck; Alexander Hart; James Stephenson; Emmy Pascoe and Christel Velasco
MODERATOR: Megan Davis, Philosophy Professor, GWU (mvdavis@gwu.edu)

The Distortion of Feminine Identity: A Beauty Tightrope
Sara Schwarzbeck
sarah_s@gwu.edu

The topic of my paper is woman’s struggle for achieving an independent identity rather than succumbing to cultural standards, recognizing the difference between power and sexuality, and distinguishing superficial beauty from genuine beauty. I theorize that the elevation of beauty as a central human value occurs at the cost of other values and reinforces the false idea that beauty generates success.

The Three Inch Golden Lotus
Alexander Hart
ahart@gwu.edu

My paper deals with bound feet in Later Imperial China, the so-called "Three Inch Golden Lotuses." Among many feminist writers and critics, the practice of footbinding is viewed as a mutilation of women as a means of suppression and subjugation in a male patriarchal society. However, I feel this interpretation is too narrow and ultimately erroneous, and my presentation sheds light on the complex cultural practice of footbinding and its role in society.

Feminization Anxiety
James Stephenson
James_S@gwu.edu

Feminization anxiety is the absolute fear that men can become women. This anxiety - which existed in the medieval and English Renaissance era - is seen not in the history books, or in typical feminist rhetoric, but within the social scope of normal man. Why is it, then, that normal man is scared of becoming a lowly woman?

The Toughest Match Ever: A Wrestler's Diet
Emmy Pascoe and Christel Velasco
emmy1511@gwu.edu, cvelasco@gwu.edu

For the sake of success on the mat, many wrestlers go on extreme diets and work out drastically to maintain their muscle mass without having any kind of excess weight. This, in turn, affects other areas of their lives, including academics, social life, and their sense of self and masculinity.

SESSION 3A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Act Global, Think Local: Engaging Washington

Cheryl Silverbrook and Meredith Madden; Giovanna M. Palatucci; Kate Robinson
MODERATOR: Julie Passanante, PhD Candidate, American Studies, GWU (jpass@gwu.edu)

Insuring America's Healthcare: The Pro's and Con's of Going Universal
Cheryl Silverbrook and Meredith Madden
CNS2009@gwu.edu, madden@gwu.edu

In 2003, Medicare Part D took effect, leaving many U.S. senior citizens confused about how to get prescription drug coverage, and creating the need for counseling centers like Washington, D.C.’s IONA Senior Services. We have created a PowerPoint presentation to help aid IONA counselor’s to help seniors who need to sign up for Part D by May 15, 2006.

In This Temple an Emancipator Reborn: The Transformation of Traditional Memorials into Living Sites
Giovanna M. Palatucci
palatucc@gwu.edu

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. celebrates the savior of the Union, not the emancipator of slaves. Although this Memorial avoids the topic of race, Civil Rights activists managed to transform this omission to aid their renewed fight for justice. By having an ongoing life in society, this site was transformed into a living memorial.

Fast Food: America's Favorite Pastime
Kate Robinson
Krob87@gwu.edu

The Fast Food Industry shapes the American "food voice" - the cultural implications underlying a particular approach to consumption - through the ongoing production of convenience foods. My research of fast food consumption among students at The George Washington University explores the relationship between fast food and affluence, gender roles, and family, emphasizing American ideologies as the focal point of fast food's mass appeal.

SESSION 3B (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Diseased States

Megan Schmidt-Sane; Bill Flanigen; Leora Kalikow, Liz Peterson, Anna White
MODERATOR: Joylynn Holder, D.C. Filmmaker (A One-Eyed Hope, Cuffed) and community activist (holderj@gwu.edu)

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Uganda: Providing Hope to Africa
Megan Schmidt-Sane
mmsane@gwu.edu

Sub-Saharan Africa has only 10% of the world's population, but is home to 60% of those living with HIV/AIDS in our world. I examined the anomaly of Uganda's situation, where HIV/AIDS rates have been cut by 50% since 1992, and desire to show what works when dealing with this epidemic.

The Dark Alliance: Studying CIA-Cocaine Conspiracy Theories
Bill Flanigen
BILLFLAN@gwu.edu

My presentation is based on my own primary source research into the conspiracy theory that the CIA smuggled cocaine into urban America to fund the Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980s. I have focused primarily on analyzing the way that different social groups express this theory and use it to theorize in turn about their society and government.

AIDS: The Effect of Federal Policies on Youth and Washington, D.C.
Leora Kalikow, Liz Peterson, Anna White
leorak@gwu.edu, epetrson@gwu.edu, anna_lw@gwu.edu

We seek to compare the poor communities of Washington, D.C. with middle class communities of private universities in order to show that the reason behind such high AIDS rates in Washington, D.C. is a serious lack of comprehensive sexual and medical resources and not factors such as race or sexual orientation.

SESSION 4A (ACAD 303, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Polarization and/as Policy

Aakif Merchant, Kristen Simpson, Rachael Druzinsky, Ross Roberts; Vinicio Ruiz; Mari Inoue
MODERATOR: Alison McMonagle, PhD candidate, English (aemcmon@gwu.edu)

Biomedical Patents: Morality vs. Innovation
Aakif Merchant, Kristen Simpson, Rachael Druzinsky, Ross Roberts
aakif_15@gwu.edu, ksimpson@gwu.edu, rdruz@gwu.edu, puravida@gwu.edu

We will pose the African AIDS dilemma in a purposely polarized debate featuring representatives arguing the respective extremes of "patents before patients" and "patients before patents." We will emulate the structure of expert vs. expert debates not only to educate our academic audience on the crisis, but also to emphasize the value of the middle ground.

The Battle for Wolf Recovery
Vinicio Ruiz
vruiz1@gwu.edu

Wolf recovery has become a controversial issue which has pitted state against federal authorities as well as environmentalists against ranchers. As plans for de-listing wolves from the Endangered Species Act have been presented, these conflicts have been exacerbated. What factors have contributed to such a sharp polarization in regards to this issue? What type of program would find a middle ground between these interests and seem more appealing to those who oppose it?

The Yasukuni Shrine Controversy
Mari Inoue
minoue@gwu.edu

This presentation discusses the controversy surrounding the visits of the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine, which honors the spirits of the Japanese war dead. After providing historical background on the shrine, this presentation views the visit from several stances: of Japanese rightists, Japanese leftists, Japanese citizens, prime minister Koizumi, China, Korea, and the United States.

SESSION 4B (ACAD 312, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Where We Learn

Leah Plasse, Lisette Dunham, Brittney Thomas; Fritz L'Esperance, Jr.; Evelyne Freiermuth
MODERATOR: Neil Irvin, Director of Community Education, Men Can Stop Rape (nirvin@mencanstoprape.org)

Would You Be Comfortable Sending Your Children Here? Issues Surrounding Washington, D.C. Public Schools
Lisette Dunham, Leah Plasse, Brittney Thomas
LJPlasse@gwu.edu

Violence is very visible in Washington, D.C. public schools. Programs in place, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, claim to rectify the current violent and failing schools within the District, but end up falling short of success. Our presentation suggests that after school programs greatly reduce students' susceptibility to violence and increase academic and professional achievement.

Racism, Discrimination, and Its Affects on Education
Fritz L'Esperance, Jr.
Lespf@gwu.edu

Racism is the continuous holding of unreasonable preconceived judgments or convictions. It is the cancer of our American society that formulates irrational judgment formed primarily on opinion-based knowledge. Unfortunately, racism is incorporated in all everyday aspects of life including the pathway towards higher education. However, many believe that society has left racism behind in the new millennium and that it is no longer an issue. The general consensus believes that racism and its effects are a thing of the past and the need to address issues of race, pedagogy, and racism is no longer necessary. Thus, I shall be your chaperone on the journey of racism, revealing the detestable and inescapable American devil that influences the acceptance of minorities in college admissions.

Talking to the World: Experiences and Identity of Third Culture Kids Analyzed through Their Relationships with Language
Evelyne Freiermuth
Evelyne@gwu.edu

By studying language use and analyzing accounts of Third Culture Kids, this project explores how communication reflects aspects of the identity of a unique group of youths. Besides illustrating the characteristics of international children through their interaction with language, this research demonstrates the important relationship between language and social identities.

SESSION 4C (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Wednesday, April 26

FEATURED SYMPOSIUM EVENT: Euonymosium: Academic Writing and the Public Sphere

Faculty, student authors, and student editors of Euonymous
MODERATOR: Jennifer Nutefall, Instructional Coordinator, Gelman, GWU (jnutefal@gwu.edu)

Faculty: Emily Bliss
ebliss@gwu.edu

Student Authors: Stanley Marquez, Landon Manjikian, Alyssa DiGiacinto, Ryan Burns, Varun Saxena
smarquez@gwu.edu, landonm@gwu.edu, alyssad@gwu.edu, rburns1@gwu.edu, vsaxena@gwu.edu

Student Editors: Meredith Raimondi, Laura Bentele
raimondi@gwu.edu, lbentele@gmail.com

What is good academic writing (provided you don’t think that’s an oxymoron)? Is it safe? Balanced? Logical? What about provocative or subversive? Should academic writing be accessible? Personal? Dense? And what do we mean by the word academic? Cordoned off to academia? Scholarly? Intellectual? Theoretical?
Sure, these questions underpin how professors assign grades, how students write papers, and how universities create curricula. And they also figured into the difficult decisions the student editors of Euonymous made as they chose papers for this e-anthology of writing produced in UW20 classes. But really, these questions are critical to all lifelong thinkers and writers. They pertain directly to how we write when we want to communicate to an audience – that is, when we want to be credible, when our writing is a public act, when we want our words to matter.
In this roundtable discussion, student editors, student writers and faculty will engage with these ideas and the challenges they pose on both practical and conceptual levels.

SESSION 5A (ACAD 303, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Queer, No? Sexuality, Psychology, and Conspiracy

Kathryn Ference; Michael Pope
MODERATOR: Ned Mitchell, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Independent Major, GWU (ernest@gwu.edu)

Rhetorical Strategies, Identity and Conspiracy in the Modern Gay Rights Debate
Kathryn Ference
kference@gwu.edu

This presentation examines the rhetorical strategies used by both the Christian Right and gay rights activists in the modern gay rights debate, such as satire, humor, and civil rights discussion on the left; conspiratorial, apocalyptic, and morality-based language on the right; and the interplay (or lack thereof) between these two dialogues. The presentation also looks at how this rhetoric is related to each side's envisioned identity, and also at how these identities have (and have not) changed over time, and the implications this has for the gay rights debate in the future.

Human Sexuality: Black and White, or Shades of Gay?
Michael Pope
mpope@gwu.edu

Scholars have recently challenged the popular social belief that variations in human sexuality only exist in two specific, bipolar spheres. Yet, with the broad range of sexual orientations, humans still remain limited to the two dominant sexual orientations constructed by society when expressing a sexual identity.

SESSION 5B (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Eat Like a Man!

Joe Hallahan and Andrew Leon; Ross Cohn and Bari Friedman
MODERATOR: Pat McGann, Director of Communications, Men Can Stop Rape (pmcgann@mencanstoprape.org)

Exploring the Dark Abyss: Male Stereotypes and Diets
Joe Hallahan and Andrew Leon
jhal@gwu.edu, leon11@gwu.edu

Society and the media have overlooked the pervasiveness of stereotyping male eating habits and the subsequent projections of masculinity. The main research focus has been on women's eating disorders and physical mold, while the void in male research of eating and emotions emphasizes the prevalent lack of awareness currently existing.

"What's a Bagel Without Its Shmear?": Food Traditions in Jewish American Males' Lives
Ross Cohn and Bari Friedman
rcohn@gwu.edu, bfried@gwu.edu

For this presentation, we studied three Jewish American males from distinct generations to investigate the assimilation of food traditions. The extent that the men altered their traditions was dependent upon their family structure, location, and convenience. Additionally, we discovered that the women with whom they associated with greatly influenced their traditions, food choices, and food preparation abilities.

THURSDAY, APRIL 27
SESSIONS 6-10
Mount Vernon

SESSION 6 (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
10:00-11:15, Thursday, April 27

KEYNOTE ROUNDTABLE: Confronting the American Dream: Unveiling the Myths of the American Family

Becky Cruze, Sofia Iqbal, Andrea Katz, Ashley Morin, Stephanie Ng, Kira Peterson, Maddie Spado, Catherine Wrisely, Kayla Yost
MODERATOR: Katherine Keller, Assistant Dean CCAS Undergraduate Studies, GWU (kzkeller@gwu.edu)

Contact: kpete8@gwu.edu

This presentation will look beyond the traditional familial stereotypes that pervade contemporary American society. A nine-person panel will actively engage the audience, allowing them to apply their personal experiences to the innovative research. Audience members will leave with a renewed comprehension of a longstanding American and world tradition.

SESSION 7A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Thursday, April 27

ROUNDTABLE: Disability: Medical or Cultural?

Mazal Menasche; Maeve O'Neill; Arielle Goodman; Alex Carusillo
MODERATOR: LaVon Rice, DC poet, freelance writer, and community activist (LaVon.Rice@gmail.com)

Smart Genes: Autism and Silicon Valley
Mazal Menasche
mazalm@gwu.edu

Silicon Valley, formerly the fastest growing area of technological firms, has lately become a fast growing region of autism. A possible connection between the math genius prevalent in the vicinity and the disorder begs the question of whether or not a cure, through genetic therapy, should be pursued.

New Cultural Outlooks on Developmentally Disabled Children in the American Family
Maeve O'Neill
moneill@gwu.edu

In the field of disability studies, generalizations about the American family are made. Cultural backgrounds of American families have great influence over how a developmentally disabled child is viewed and treated, and therefore how that child exists as part of the American family structure. In consequence, cultural implications of developmentally disabled children's effects on their American families must be exposed.

Too Much of a Good Thing?
Arielle Goodman
aricam@gwu.edu

Emotional Intelligence, the awareness of one's own and others' emotions, is acknowledged to be a desirable set of abilities. But when an individual remains hypersensitive to the feelings of others at all times, is it possible for this state of mind to backfire and become self-destructive?

The Role and Manifestations of Mental Disorders in Anime, Comics, and Movies
Alex Carusillo
AlexC@gwu.edu

This presentation explores how mental disorders appear in and affect an artist's creation. The mental state of certain artists is examined to see if the creation of art can serve as a catharsis. Finally, the importance of a mental disorder in the creation of "great" art is considered.

SESSION 7B (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Thursday, April 27

ROUNDTABLE: The Rhetoric of Social Protest

Aaron Teskey; Amy Dorfman; Natasha Gushin; Julie Kohn; Lauren Orvis
MODERATOR: Todd Ramlow, English and Women’s Studies Professor, GWU (tramlow@gwu.edu)

Dykes, Queers, and Sissy Boys: I Am Who I Am and You Are Who You Are, So What Is Normal?
Aaron Teskey
ateskey@gwu.edu

Lifestyle. Immoral. Indoctrination. Parents rights. Promotion. Ex-gay. The religious right is committed to depriving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students of a sense of self and services to meet their needs. As a result, LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ youth alike are forced into narrowly defined roles and identities that curtail individuality and neglect the multiplicity of identity. Through the lens of two school-based programs that cater to LGBTQ youth, we can examine the obstacles for effective social change and the methods with which we can overcome them.

Transgender Activism Goes Mainstream
Amy Dorfman
dorfman@gwu.edu

The main political goal for the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender) and the allied community at GW is focused on transgender rights - how can we understand the discussion taking place today on campus? We will work to uncover why this modern social and political movement distinctively works within the system using the most basic and traditional form of social activism: education.

A Tired Seamstress or an Amazing Activist?
Natasha Gushin
ngushin@gwu.edu

In the years that have passed following the period known as the Civil Rights Movement, the facts about the events and the people involved have been changed significantly. In the changing, activists have been ignored, while the work of thousands has been credited to a few well known figures. Even the well known figures have often been represented inaccurately, and this takes a great deal away from what they accomplished. My presentation deals with the case of Rosa Parks in particular, and will hopefully leave the audience with a desire to recognize and learn more about the incorrect information that they may have about this time.

The World Trade Organization: Helpful or Harmful to the Global Economy? An Examination of the WTO from the Perspective of Global Exchange.
Julie Kohn
JKohn86@gwu.edu

This presentation focuses on how the World Trade Organization (WTO) sees itself as well as how non-governmental organizations, specifically Global Exchange, view it. The presentation highlights the foundations of the WTO: how it was created and why, and how the WTO sees its own role in the global economy. The presentation then concentrates on the WTO protests in Seattle in 1999, and shows how the organization Global Exchange challenged the WTO's corporate agenda.

Save the Marmots, Kill the Children: A Critical Analysis of the Animal Liberation Front's Method of Social Protest
Lauren Orvis
lorvis@gwu.edu

In October of 2005, the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) exploded a bomb on the doorstep of Paul Blackburn, director of GlaxoSmithKline - a research-based pharmaceutical company. By trapping Blackburn and his family inside the burning home, the ALF hoped to dissuade GSK from using animals in pharmaceutical testing. Every year the Animal Liberation Front proudly takes responsibility for hundreds of acts of vandalism, eco-terrorism, and violence in the name of animal's rights. Does damaging property and endangering human lives help advance the rights of animals? "Save the Marmots, Kill the Children" provides both an analysis of the effectiveness of violent social protest as well as examination of the ethical question - what should matter more: scientific advancement or animal rights?

SESSION 8A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Thursday, April 27

POSTER SESSION: Photojournalism: Art and Implications

Alee Allen, Aisha Ayub, Ashley Carreon, Kristin Dross, Jennifer Hanson, Lindsay Lennon, Stephanie Maloney, Alison Meuse, Katie Robbins
MODERATOR: Charity Fox, PhD Student, American Studies, Graduate Writing Preceptor, GWU (cyfox@gwu.edu)

Contact: krobbins@gwu.edu

With increasing global interdependence, photojournalism has become a staple in printed news during the past decade. While many assume that images represent fact, closer analysis will show that photography is manipulated to represent an argument. In this poster session, photos range from aesthetically pleasing to disturbing images that shape our thoughts and feelings about news stories.

SESSION 8B (ACAD 312, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Thursday, April 27

PANEL: Church, Marriage, State

Sahil Mansuri; Alexandra Usher
MODERATOR: Cathy Eisenhower, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Gelman, GWU (cathye@gwu.edu)

"One Nation, Under God": The Blurred Separation of Church and State
Sahil Mansuri
smansuri@gwu.edu

Most Americans believe in an inherent theoretical separation between Church and State. But the distinction quickly becomes blurred when judges find it increasingly difficult to disassociate themselves from their personal religious beliefs when adjudicating upon a law. Is there a true divorce between God and Country, or are human beings incapable of making a distinction between their sense of what is right and what is True?

Two Mommies? That's One Mommy Too Many: An Analysis of the Rhetoric of the Anti-Gay Marriage Movement
Alexandra Usher
AUsher@gwu.edu

Marriage is an integral part of American culture. Recently, the debate over gay marriage has polarized our nation's politics. I will analyze the methods through which the Family Research Council, a radically conservative group fighting against gay marriage, reaches its audience and how its rhetoric differs from groups with similar goals.

SESSION 9A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Thursday, April 27

PANEL/PERFORMANCE: Immigrants, Arabs, and Other Security Risks: The Defeat of Dissent in Post-9/11 America

Mandy Asgeirsson, Robert Barrow, Jonathan Haas, Brian Lavelle, Gregory Rosen, Julie Silverbook
MODERATOR: James Miller, English Professor, GWU (jam@gwu.edu)

Contact: blavelle@gwu.edu

We will analyze the conditions of social protest in the United States before and after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. Our presentation will consider how immigration, civil liberties, peace protests, and anti-capitalist activities have been affected by the heightened sense of security post 9-11. We will consider how styles of protest incorporate a range of worldviews and conceptions of "democracy."

SESSION 9B (ACAD 312, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Thursday, April 27

ROUNDTABLE: A Woman's Work

Katerina Begetis, Merry Fuerst, Jesse Klein; Claire Carpenter; Anne DiGiulio; Kanika Metre
MODERATOR: Shelly McKenzie, PhD Candidate and Instructor, American Studies, GWU (shelly@gwu.edu)

Women: Evaluation of Current Status in the Corporate World
Katerina Begetis, Merry Fuerst, Jesse Klein
kbegetis@gwu.edu, mjfuerst@gwu.edu, jeklein@gwu.edu

Given today's modern world of equal opportunity, my group has chosen to analyze whether our society has become truly equitable for women. With the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and other laws that have been passed within the past century, we will analyze whether the measures employed by our government have been effective in helping to end discriminatory hiring practices.

Feminist Economics: The Cost of a Work-Balance Life
Claire Carpenter
ccarp@gwu.edu

This presentation on the economic pressures facing women will address the current conversation about highly affluent and educated women. Many of these women come from elite schools and, eventually, leave their careers to join the "mommy track." Much of the discussion is about whether or not these women are reversing the changes from the feminist movement. My presentation brings in the dismal science to see who is financially able to opt out of a corporate career life in the first place and the ripple effects of these decisions. Through this lens, my presentation will analyze how these choices may be different if one is viewing each partner in the marriage as an equal contributor instead of just the female as an extra breadwinner.

The Shoes in My Mother's Closet
Anne DiGiulio
anne@gwu.edu

This presentation explores the balance that many women face of having a career and a family by telling the story of my mother, a stay-at-home mom. It will also compare my mother's life to the hopes I have for my own life.

Women Leaders of the Kurdish Human Rights Movement
Kanika Metre
kmetre@gwu.edu

The Kurdish people of Turkey have long struggled for human rights and for their own nation. Though it has received little coverage by U.S. media, this is not only a momentous topic, but also one that reveals the leadership roles that modern Islamic women are playing in international affairs today.

SESSION 9C (ACAD 304, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Thursday, April 27

PANEL: Dis/Orientation and Dis/Location

Marina Grushin, Josh Snyder, Shenyun Wu; David Turner Swicegood
MODERATOR: Laura Daughtery, Social Work Professor, National Catholic School of Social Service, The Catholic University of America (daughtery@cua.edu)

Freshman Adjustment
Marina Grushin, Josh Snyder, Shenyun Wu
MarinaG@gwu.edu, jsny@gwu.edu, shennywu@gwu.edu

Our research project and presentation concerns the freshman college student's adjustment to university life, which is usually complicated by difficult decisions, lifestyle changes, and new findings. We are examining this topic by discussing three aspects of the adjustment process: different factors of adjustments (gender, social support, and diversity), coping mechanisms, and university sponsored orientation programs (which have been found unhelpful and in need of improvement). While there has been a lot of research regarding college freshman adjustment, our essay pertains especially to the freshmen in the George Washington University.

The Medium Is the Message - The Instant Message
David Turner Swicegood
tono213@gmail.com

Instant Messaging necessarily influences the way in which adolescents communicate, and it does so in ways that go largely unnoticed. In this sense, the medium is the message because it is the medium that controls the shape of our interactions and the form of our relationships.

SESSION 10A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Thursday, April 27

PANEL: Global/Local (Dis)Connect

William Kafoure; Paul Calder; Justin Cohen
MODERATOR: Dolores Perillấn, Poetica 21 ~ Word in Action: Spanish Professor, GWU; Faculty Fellow, Service Learning, CoRAL Network (perillan@gwu.edu)

Identity Under Globalization's Shadow
William Kafoure
wkafoure@gwu.edu

People, goods, ideas and information travel globally. My work describes the effect of globalization on local and ethnic identity. Mass media fragments society into multiple identity worlds, and consumption places globalized homogeneous consumption goods on varying cultures. Globalized economics, media, and their values and consequences corrupt local and ethnic identity.

End of History, or Rise of the Multitude? A Perspective on the Future of Democracy in the Age of Globalization
Paul Calder
calderp@gmail.com

In "The End of History?" Fukuyama argues that politics have evolved to their final form in systemic Western "liberal democracy." My presentation uses flaws in Fukuyama's argument as a jumping off point to explore how globalization is setting the stage for an emergent form of grassroots global democracy, independent of the nation-state.

The Effects of the Communication Technology AOL Instant Messenger on the Interpersonal Social Skills of Teens in America
Justin Cohen
Jcohen1@gwu.edu

After the invention of the telephone in 1876, some skeptics argued that it would cause the demise of human communication. With every new communication technology, human interaction would be limited by losing senses through the medium of coversation. Never before has a popularized communication limited the human senses as much as AOL Instant Messenger. With research, and experiment, this paper will try to find the long term social effect that such a limiting technology has on teens.

SESSION 10B (ACAD 312, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Thursday, April 27

PANEL: Let Them Eat Pork: Food, Power, Identity

Meagen Moreland; Henry Yonge; David Forem
MODERATOR: Joel Denker, Associate Professorial Lecturer, History, GWU, and author of World On A Plate: A Tour through the History of America's Ethnic Cuisine and of Capital Flavors: Exploring Washington's Ethnic Restaurants (denker@gwu.edu)

"We Are All Pig Eaters!": Defining the French National Identity
Meagen Moreland
meagenm@gwu.edu

In a country known for revolution and individuality, discrimination and xenophobia are flourishing, under the umbrella of a "French national identity," through movements such as soup kitchens exclusive to white Europeans. How does the Right in France impact these sentiments? What are the consequences of this growing discrimination?

Living High on the Whole Hog: How Societal Class Shapes Taste and Its Modern Evolution
Henry Yonge
HYonge@gwu.edu

This presentation discusses the influence of cultural and economic capital on taste and societal class, applying Pierre Bourdieu's antiquated ideas to argue a reversal in modern taste, and illuminating how the wealthy now eat every part of the animal, to be trendy, when the poor used to eat offal for sustenance.

Kosher on Campus: Archetype or Anomaly?
David Forem
DForem@gwu.edu

Jewish students who grow up observing the laws of Kosher largely adhere to these laws even as they move away from home and attend secular American universities. Does this commitment to religious observance reflect a general trend among college students, or do these Jewish students represent an anomalous group on college campuses?

FRIDAY, APRIL 28
SESSIONS 11-15
Foggy Bottom

SESSION 11 (1957 E City View, Foggy Bottom)
9:35-10:50, Friday, April 28

PANEL: Cultural Recycling

Oscar Gilroy; Margaret Porter
MODERATOR: TBA

The Genius of Recycling
Oscar Gilroy
oscar_g@gwu.edu

I intend to display (via audio and video) works of derivative art, such as musical "Mashups" (or "Bastard Pop") and fan-manipulated movie trailers, along with their original sources. Through this, I wish to show examples where two or more original works of art are combined by a third party to create something that is enjoyable as a separate experience. These examples will be used to show how easy it is to create a "new" work out of existing creations, and to explore the issues of ownership, regulation, and consumer (audience) preference that arise.

Campbell's Tomato Soup Possibilities: A Study of Modern Art through the Works of Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock
Margaret Porter
mwp@gwu.edu

How is art categorized into different genres, and are they really that different? How and why does society's collective opinion of art change? This presentation will explore these questions by comparing the art, styles, and philosophies of Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock, two very different yet influential American Modern Artists.

SESSION 12A (1957 E City View, Foggy Bottom)
11:10-12:25, Friday, April 28

PANEL: Scarcity and Policy: The Mideast

Nandhish Nuchina; Lauren Kirshner; Albert Richard Jones
MODERATOR: Griff Witte, Staff Writer, Washington Post (witteg@washpost.com)

Water and the Middle East through the Next 50 Years
Nandhish Nuchina
nandhish@gwu.edu

This multi-faceted project examines the future availability of freshwater in the Middle East by analyzing current water consumption trends, future population growth, the effect of climate change, and the application of new technology. Using this information, three possible conflict scenarios are analyzed with the goal of understanding how to avoid them.

Dubai Ports World
Lauren Kirshner
lkirsh@gwu.edu

My research paper examines the Dubai Ports World deal. I have researched Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, the deal itself and why it failed, as well as the impression the United States has left upon the Arab world. I have also researched the economic aspects this deal has/will have on the U.S. economy.

American Foreign Oil Policy: A Leading Cause of Terrorism
Albert Richard Jones
rjones@gwu.edu

American foreign policy in the Middle East is centered around one objective: attaining cheap oil by any means necessary. This project focuses on how oil-centered policy helps produce terrorist groups by looking into the history of Islam and its conflicted relationship with America and how oil enhances the conflict.

SESSION 12B (1957 E State Room, Foggy Bottom)
11:10-12:25, Friday, April 28

PANEL: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: Politics in Art and Mass Media

Alice Maguire; Jillian Coen; Allison Simon
MODERATOR: Kristel Yoneda, Religion Major, Sociocultural Anthropology Minor, GWU (kristel@gwu.edu)

Dada: The Construction of a Breathing Lieux de Memoire
Alice Maguire
alice101@gwu.edu

Dada art was conceptualized as a protest against the illogical atrocities witnessed during World War I. The recent Dada exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. is not a traditional memorial; it attempts to transform visitors into sites of memory through challenging the construction of a new attitude toward war.

Fuera Gringos
Jillian Coen
jillcoen@gwu.edu

A thorough evaluation of the visual political rhetoric used in the 2006 Costa Rican Presidential elections from a Marxist perspective proves that people have generally become out of touch with their individuality, making the efforts of many of today's political activist movements obsolete.

Buy Your Beliefs: The Contemporary Media’s Role as Apocalyptic Advertiser
Allison Simon
AllSimon@gwu.edu

For today’s adolescents, popular culture has redefined religion as a guide to spirituality and the afterlife. Judeo-Christian ideals have been diluted due to the need to appeal to a more secular, mainstream audience. As a result, this filtering has created a more consumer-friendly religion.

SESSION 13A (1957 E City View, Foggy Bottom)
12:45-2:00, Friday, April 28

FEATURED SYMPOSIUM EVENT: Student Lecture Series

Freja Pelich
Respondent: Eric Drown, Writing Professor, Writing Program, GWU (edrown@gwu.edu)
MODERATOR: Melinda Knight, Executive Director, Writing Program, GWU (maknight@gwu.edu)

The University Writing Program's Student Lecture Series is an ongoing series that features the writing of UW20 students. All papers in the series demonstrate a high level of student commitment to their writing that extends beyond the classroom and a high level of intellectual engagement. The Student Lecture Series is organized by alumnae of the series and UW20 faculty.

Redefining Collectivity, Redefining Graffiti
Freja Pelich
freja50@msn.com

This paper looks at the graffiti subculture in both an artistic and criminal context. The paper proposes that the subculture is moving away from artistry and style and into a world of copied vandalism, by using the example of Washington, D.C. graffitist "Borf." The paper explains that graffiti art was once defined for identity-making purposes, and that this can only be done by working in a collective context. Collectivity is something that the modern movement (driven by characters such as Borf) has begun to defy, with suburbanites distanced from the scene, and internet use as a replacement for real human contact.

SESSION 13B (1957 E 7th Floor Lobby, Foggy Bottom)
12:45-2:00, Friday, April 28

POSTER SESSION

Kinnari Atit, Michelle Horikawa, Ivie Guobadia, Kathleen Miles, Brittany Wirth; Samy Al Bahra; Anne Blauvelt; Nicole Gates; Jon Hamilton and Kate Hornyan; Danielle Hardacre; Kaitlin Naylor; Erin Elizabeth Quigg; Lyuba Tartova
MODERATOR: Laura Maldonado, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Gelman, GWU (maldonal@gwu.edu)

What Is the Truth? Analyzing Media
Kinnari Atit, Michelle Horikawa, Ivie Guobadia, Kathleen Miles, Brittany Wirth
kratit@gwu.edu, ivieg@gwu.edu, miles_k@gwu.edu, bmwirth@gwu.edu

Our topic is bias and distortion in the news on television. Participants should question what they are being told and realize that there are tactics and techniques that the news business uses. Everything about how the show is set up is pre-planned and done deliberately; there is bias everywhere.

The Problems Facing Network Analysis and Single Solution
Samy Al Bahra
sbahra@gwu.edu

Network sniffers allow us to log and analyze the data that is transferred through our computer networks. However, this important technology has failed to evolve with its hardware counterparts. As networks grow to allow higher transfer rates, sniffing technologies fail to scale to such high frequency of analysis. After analyzing the known problems and proposed solutions in these technologies, a novel solution is proposed to solve a superset of these issues.

Limiting Imagination: Copyright and Snow White from Grimm to Disney
Anne Blauvelt
acb09@gwu.edu

This presentation examines the relationship between Copyright law and fairytales. It looks specifically at Grimm and Disney's versions of Snow White and strives to determine if either author can claim exclusive rights to the tale. It further questions the role of these stories in our childhood and criticizes the ability of corporations to own them.

What's For Dinner? A Look at an Intentional Community
Nicole Gates
ngates@gwu.edu

The idea of a commune is misjudged by many outsiders. Twin Oaks, an intentional community, is one which values ideas such as egalitarianism, sharing, and environmental awareness; they are the key factors in how the community is run. Mealtimes and food preparation are central to daily life; a majority of the work concentrates on nourishing the community through food preparation.

The Effects of Religion on Juvenile Delinquency
Jon Hamilton and Kate Hornyan
khornyan@gwu.edu

How big of an influence is religion on "choosing the right" in society today? Our youth is growing up in a society that idealizes drinking, drug use, and sexual promiscuity. Juveniles place pressures on each other to engage in experimentation. How much does religion help in combatting this issue? Is religion the only supplier of "morality?"

Girls' and Ladies' Manga: A Reflection of Japan's Gender Issues
Danielle Hardacre
dhard22@gwu.edu

Girls' and Ladies' manga are crucial in understanding the changing roles of Japanese women. These graphic novels show what women want, in their personal relationships and from the rest of the population. Japanese women want society to recognize and understand that they are sexual beings, contrary to traditional beliefs.

Alternative AIDS Origin Theories and the Scientific Community
Kaitlin Naylor
knaylor@gwu.edu

The question of the origin of AIDS has led to heated debate and stronger denial of many alternative theories. However, the reasons behind these denials may not be a result of pure science, but rather bias and other social reasons.

Have the Crabs and Eat Them Too: Theorizing the Correct Balance Between Crabbing and a Healthy Crab Population in the Chesapeake Bay
Erin Elizabeth Quigg
equigg05@gwu.edu

Extreme increases in harvesting of the blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay, along with increased pollution in the area and a decrease in habitat have caused the population of the blue crabs to become threatened. This presentation will analyze the programs currently in place to care for the crustaceans and the economic and environmental effects of them. Also, the presentation will theorize my own opinion of what should be done to correctly handle this situation to ensure a symbiotic relationship of the crabs and an economically efficient harvesting level.

Self-Awareness in Dolphins
Lyuba Tartova
lyuba_yt@gwu.edu

This presentation intends to prove that dolphins are capable of self-perception by describing certain scientific experiments. It will then use the results as guidance for comparison between cetaceans and humans. This project raises questions that challenge conventional knowledge by suggesting the possibility that people are not the only species capable of cognitive thinking.

SESSION 13C (1957 E State Room, Foggy Bottom)
12:45-2:00, Friday, April 28

PANEL: How Do We Deal With Atrocity?

Lauren Deutsch; Lily Goldstein; Alex Tainsh
MODERATOR: Stephanie Ricker Schulte, PhD Candidate and Instructor, American Studies, GWU (ricker@gwu.edu)

How the American Media’s Portrayal of National Security Shapes Public Sentiment: From Manzanar to Guantanamo Bay
Lauren Deutsch
ldeutsch@gwu.edu

On March 21, 1942, the first group of Japanese Americans arrived at Manzanar: the internment camp in Owens Valley, California. The media failed Americans by portraying relocation in a positive light. Post 9/11, with national security again a heated topic of discussion, the media must safeguard American democracy better.

Hollywood's Holocaust: A Discussion of Religion and Sexuality in Schindler's List
Lily Goldstein
lgolds@gwu.edu

In Schindler’s List, a highly criticized scene is the "shower scene," where the audience thinks naked women are about to be gassed in gas chambers by Nazis. I will discuss Spielberg's violation of the prohibition against recreating horrific images, and how he fell into the Hollywood standard of selling sex.

More Than a Game: Fay Vincent's Decision and Sports Role as a Healer after Tragedy
Alex Tainsh
atainsh8@gwu.edu

"Meaningless" is a word many people would use to describe sports and its role in atrocity. However, Fay Vincent, the former commissioner of baseball, made the decision not to cancel the 1989 World Series after the San Francisco Earthquake. His decision positively changed the way sports and athletes were expected to act and how they have acted after tragedy.

SESSION 14A (1957 E City View, Foggy Bottom)
2:20-3:35, Friday, April 28

ROUNDTABLE: The Politics of Immigration

Shannon Reed; Nicole Rogers; Kasiana McLenaghan; Clayton McCleskey
MODERATOR: Eileen Rosin, Consultant, Due Process of Law Foundation (erosin47@gmail.com)

Give Us Your Poor...Unless They're Illegal
Shannon Reed
sreed05@gwu.edu

Gone are the days of "bring us your huddled masses," replaced by days of "take back your illegal laborers." The U.S. government has vowed to crack down on the terrorism threat by classifying illegal immigrants as terrorists, then actively pursuing harsh anti-immigration legislation. This new strategy has led to a rise in American nationalism, cleverly termed "Americanism," leading to a shift in the methods of social protest employed by different activist groups in the U.S.

The Impact of Mexican Immigration on the United States Economy
Nicole Rogers
nkrogers@gwu.edu

How does the largest group of immigrants - Mexicans - impact the United States economy? This question interests economists, consumers, and workers as to how legal and illegal immigrants affect their daily lives as they compete with immigrants in the labor market, and purchase goods and services produced by Mexican immigrants.

The Reconquista: Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles
Kasiana McLenaghan
mcl@gwu.edu

Mexicans currently constitute one third of America's immigrants and the tide of immigration shows no sign of abating. How is America's most hotly debated ethnic group actually affecting the culture? This paper explores Mexican-Americans' complex relations through analyzing one of thir most popular festivals in Los Angeles: Las Posadas.

Method to the Madness? French Riots and the General Will
Clayton McCleskey
cmccleskey@gmail.com

In the Fall of 2005, the world watched while the suburbs of Paris burned as mobs of discontent immigrant youth took to the streets. Only a few months later, over one million French youth filled the streets of Paris to challenge a new labor law. On the surface, these protests and riots appear to be about racisim, integration, and job protection; yet a closer look suggests that this year's unrest in France is but the latest chapter in the country's continuous struggle to develop the sense of a "general will," first delineated by Jean-Jacques Rousseau over two centuries ago. Therefore, this presentation explores the direct connection between Rousseau and the current political malaise in the French republic.

SESSION 14B (1957 E State Room, Foggy Bottom)
2:20-3:35, Friday, April 28

PANEL: Evil

David B. Springer; Jacqueline M. Slater; Sean C. Wehrly
MODERATOR: Julia McCrossin, PhD Student, English, GWU (jmccross@gwu.edu)

Rape of the Balkans: Crimes against Humanity & Slobodan Milosevic
David B. Springer
springer@gwu.edu

Murder is often considered the most depraved of all crimes - so what do you do with a man who is guilty of it several thousand times over? Slobodan Milosevic attempted to ethnically cleanse the Balkans on an astonishing scale during the 1990s; this presentation will examine his crimes and trial.

"Between Suggestion and Consent": The Association of the Female and the Demonic in the Middle Ages
Jacqueline M. Slater
Jacq87@gwu.edu

By associating the female with the demonic, the Catholic clergy of the Middle Ages attempted to obtain personal purity by preempting sexual transgression. The clergy united femininity and the demonic in their theories of the female imagination, menstruation, autoeroticism, rape, and childbirth, giving life to the discourse that would support the Catholic Church's institutionalized persecution of women during the witchcraft trials of the Renaissance.

Power Struggles and Corruption: Competing Forces in the State of Nature
Sean C. Wehrly
SCWehrly@gwu.edu

This presentation explores the natural relationship between power struggles and corruption as a function of society and culture. From a psychological position, I will discuss the digression of human nature into evil. The state of nature, as discussed by philosophers, is a fundamental origin of the actions of someone in any modern society.

SESSION 15 (1957 E State Room, Foggy Bottom)
3:55-5:10, Friday, April 28

PANEL: Tourism and Turmoil: Death, Human Tragedy, and Atrocity

Royal Gethers; Jeffrey Guarini; Fahmida Matani
MODERATOR: Holly Dugan, English Professor, GWU (hdugan@gwu.edu)

Visiting sites associated with death, disaster, human tragedy, and atrocity of various kinds is a specific part of the tourism industry many people have not yet realized: "dark tourism."

Dark Tourism: Turning Tragedy to Treasure
Royal Gethers
royal_g@gwu.edu

This presentation looks at the behavior of tourists visiting visiting sites associated with death, disaster, and atrocity. The Holocaust and the recent attacks on 9/11 will be the largest tragedies in human history. Although these great tragedies brought great anguish, the tourism industry has found ways to market these in a way to make profit. The Holocaust is marketed through many various forms of museums and concentration camps. The 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. are more recent so there are not any official monuments yet built; however, there they have ways on capitalizing on a tragedy through U.S. memorabilia and publicity to attract tourists to the actual sites.

Genocide Tourism: Massacre and the Travel to Historic Mass-Cemeteries
Jeffrey Guarini
Jguarini@gwu.edu

This presentation investigates travel to areas that have been victims and have seen the atrocities of mass killing in the early 1900s. Such places include Armenia, where the Ottoman Empire killed a majority of the Armenian population in the Caucasus region and mass-relocated the remaining people, and also Nanking (Nanjing), China, where Sino-Japanese tensions resulted in a genocide of millions of Chinese people throughout the country with numbers exceeding those of the many other genocides, such as the Holocaust.

Bodies Sold for Economic Growth
Fahmida Matani
fmatani@gwu.edu

Prostitution is a highly controversial subject: one that is taboo in society, but endorsed by many governments underground. I feel it is necessary to expose the hypocrisy of these governments.

FRIDAY, APRIL 28
SESSIONS 16-19
Mount Vernon

SESSION 16A (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Friday, April 28

PANEL: I Take My Text: The Politics of Strict Interpretation

Isaac Freilich Jones; Sania Khan; Kristina Lins
MODERATOR: Aliya Weise, Advanced Degree Program Coordinator, CCAS, GWU (aliya@gwu.edu)

Constitutional Interpretation in Singapore
Isaac Freilich Jones
isaacfj@gwu.edu

This paper compares the judicial systems of Singapore and India, and what they can teach us about the American system of government. While there are similarities between the two, the judiciary in India has claimed expansive powers of interpretation, while that of Singapore is far more limited in power. A comparison of the two shows us that textualism is not always the most just method for judges to follow, and that more lenient methods of constitutional interpretation can often provide a more just outcome.

Women in Afghanistan
Sania Khan
skhan1@gwu.edu

The teachings under the Quran view women with respect and equality. However, in Afghanistan, different views and interpretations of the Quran have led to both the oppression under the Taliban and liberation under the fairly new Karzai government. Women are now able to receive education, which will hopefully in turn help them gain power in politics, economically, and in everyday life to end the oppression they once faced.

Bible Thumping Politicians: Religious Ideologies Affecting Public Policy
Kristina Lins
kristyco@gwu.edu

Should religion play a role in public policy making? If so, how and why? Because this is a pressing issue in the U.S. today, I ask how do differences in the translation of Scripture among Biblical texts affect their authority and literal interpretation of the Bible. Additionally, how should this affect public policy in the U.S?

SESSION 16B (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
11:30-12:45, Friday, April 28

ROUNDTABLE: Role-playing and Reproduction

Katherine Majewski; Sophie Stern; Alanya Green; Andrea Zwischenberger
MODERATOR: Lisbeth Fuisz, PhD, English, GWU (lsfuisz@gwu.edu)

Hot Mommas: Changing Perceptions of Pregnancy in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Katherine Majewski
ktmajew@gwu.edu

This presentation analyzes differences in attitudes toward pregnancy between the 19th and 21st centuries. It argues that medical advancements, body image, celebrity examples, and availability of maternity clothing and resources for expectant mothers have all led to a cozier romanticized perception of pregnancy in the 21st century.

"I Do": Americans' Idealistic Perceptions of Marriage
Sophie Stern
sjstern@gwu.edu

This presentation will pose as an observation piece examining the idealistic perceptions that Americans have of marriage. Beginning with sitcoms from the 1950s, I will watch some of the most popular TV shows that incorporate marriage in order to truly examine how public perceptions have evolved into today's conception of a "Utopian Marriage."

A Woman's Right to Choose? Procreation and Coercion in a Patriarchal Society
Alanya Green
acgreen@gwu.edu

This presentation discusses the feminist perspective of the growth of assisted reproductive technologies. Leading feminist scholars attribute this growth to the pressure put upon women by a patriarchal society and assert that a sustained presence of reproductive technologies will erode women's rights. In this presentation, I agree with this assessment and argue that assisted reproduction is dangerous physically, emotionally, and politically for women.

Single Life is Just the Waiting Room to Eternal Bliss: Society's View of Marriage and Its Impact on Women
Andrea Zwischenberger
azwisch@gwu.edu

This paper will analyze how society has created norms on the idea of marriage and has created pressure for women to fill the role as wife. Using Charlotte from Sex and the City as an example, the paper will show the effects of this societal pressure and how women view marriage.

SESSION 17A (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Friday, April 28

PANEL: Change in the Weather, Change in the Sea

Susannah Leahy; Parker Butterworth; Allison Vaughn
MODERATOR: David DeGrazia, Professor of Philosophy, GWU (ddd@gwu.edu)

Climate Change and the Collapse of Civilizations, Yesterday and Today
Susannah Leahy
leahy_s@gwu.edu

Climate change has unquestionably led to the collapse of major civilizations in the past. What kind of political consequences and instabilities can we expect from large scale forced migrations, as global warming makes entire nations into "eco refugees"?

Globally Warmed Water Causes Windy Destruction
Parker Butterworth
p.butterwo@gmail.com

A debate has erupted in the environmental science community regarding whether global warming has increased the power of hurricanes. Warm surface water creates warm air; warm air increases the water vapor in the atmosphere, which fuels a hurricane. Thus we can conclude that global warming intensifies a hurricane.

Meltdown of an Ecosystem: An Analysis of Greenpeace's Methods to Reverse Global Warming and Its Effects on the Arctic
Allison Vaughn
allie712@gwu.edu

Polar bears are drowning. They cannot swim from floe to floe, as ice caps melt. Now more than ever, global warming cannot be ignored. Since 1987, Greenpeace has concentrated on the conservation of the Arctic. Greenpeace and its opponents wage a war over human and scientific development and the well-being of this planet. This presentation explores the effects of global warming and the effectiveness of Greenpeace's methods at preventing it.

SESSION 17B (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Friday, April 28

PANEL: I Do - Do I?

Abby Cross and Jenny Robbins; Jane Zamarripa; Chris Barnes, Angie Castillo, Jonelle Daley
MODERATOR: Cynthia Deitch, Associate Director of Women’s Studies, Professor of Women’s Studies, Sociology, and Public Policy and Public Administration, GWU (deitch@gwu.edu)

Breaking Down Stereotypes: Mealtime in Single-Parent Homes
Abby Cross and Jenny Robbins
across@gwu.edu, jerobb@gwu.edu

Mealtime in single parent homes is generally stereotyped as being inadequate. These stereoptypes are directed towards the mother, for the most part, because she is viewed as not having enough time to devote to her children, let alone prepare a meal for them. However, first-hand interviews and secondary research has shown that these stereotypes need to be questioned.

Marriage: The Cure for Poverty?
Jane Zamarripa
Janemzam@gwu.edu

Political debate is often sparked by the government's interference in private family life. The central topic of this presentation is the Bush Administration's 2002 Marriage Initiative. The initiative promotes marriage to America's lower classes as an economic tool to combat poverty, and sparked commentary from the political left and right. This presentation will describe the actions prescribed by the initiative and how it evokes issues of privacy and personal freedom.

21 Questions for the District
Chris Barnes, Angie Castillo, Jonelle Daley
nedney@gmail.com, lilfaith@gwu.edu, jdaley2@gwu.edu

"Is Marriage for White People?" We don't think so. "21 Questions for the District" addresses current issues such as rising divorce rates, out-of-wedlock births, and single parent families in the Washington area African-American community. Find out answers to national questions of what marriage is doing today and how it affects tomorrow.

SESSION 17C (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Friday, April 28

PERFORMANCE: Picture This! (1)

Zach Dunseth, Stephanie Ennaco, Kristen Freeland, Debbie Friedman, Faraz Hamedani, Erin Knopf, Allie Mariano, Ogheneruemu Oyiborhoro, Abby Pick, Eric Roper, Alex Rosner, Alecia Sherwood, Liz Trenk, Jessica Underwood, Kimberly Weiss
MODERATOR: Debbie Gaspar, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Gelman, GWU (dgaspar@gwu.edu)

contact: eroper@gwu.edu

The first of two full-class sessions, "Picture This!" displays our course's final writing assignment of the semester – the personal narrative – in both a verbal and visual form. Audience members will not only hear the voices of UW20 students, reading their own essays, but they will simultaneously observe the images that students produced to accompany their writing.

SESSION 17D (ACAD 122, Mount Vernon)
1:00-2:15, Friday, April 28

PANEL: i♥ iPod: New Media Bites the Big Apple

Matt Tworecke; Nicholas Thulin; Chrissy Nelen, Ashley Sekyra, and Scott Maraldo
MODERATOR: Samantha Murphy, University Writing Program

Copycat Copycat: Battle of the White Stripes
Matt Tworecke
mtworeck@gwu.edu

This paper will try and bring to light the vast amount of copying and stealing in the advertising industry. However, this industry diffuses their responsibility of being held accountable because they claim each commercial is just an idea. Therefore, nobody can sue over an idea. There will be a special case study involving Lugz and Apple's iPod commercials suing and countersuing one another.

Apple's Revolution: How Apple Plans to Change the World, Again
Nicholas Thulin
nthulin@gwu.edu

Mass media is continually penetrating new markets with the use of new and emerging technologies, but the legal system that supports the distribution of this content cannot always keep up. The process that brought the iPod and its accompanying music store (iTunes) to fruition was actually a battle between record executives and Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, over copyright issues. Action must be taken soon to keep innovation alive and to protect the rights of artists.

Podcasting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Chrissy Nelen, Ashley Sekyra, and Scott Maraldo
cnelen@gwu.edu, asekyra@gwu.edu, smaraldo@gwu.edu

The University Writing Program has just recently incorporated podcasting into their program, most notably in Dr. Heather Schell’s class, "Pets, Pests, and Meat: Animals in American Culture." Many students, including Team Hova, one of the groups in Professor Schell's sections, registered for the class expecting it to be a great way to delve into the world of technology while avoiding writing huge papers at all costs. The lesson learned: technology is NOT as easy as one would think. Burdened by lost audio files, confusing jargon, and tight time constraints, Team Hova did not have an easy time in the beginning of the podcasts but with practice, creating podcasts became second nature. Team Hova is going to take the chance to explain the process of writing, recording, and producing a podcast and give tips on how to overcome the technological difficulties born from podcasting. Believe me, we had plenty.

SESSION 18A (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Friday, April 28

PANEL: The Culture of Economic and Political Change

Sherlyn Simmons Solomon; Anna Yakovleva; Hari Sawkar; Madeleine Rumely
MODERATOR: Nirmala Menon, PhD Student, English, GWU (nmenon@gwu.edu)

Forty Acres and a Mule: The Gullah of the Sea Islands
Sherlyn Simmons Solomon
sherlyn@gwu.edu

Rapid development of affluent residential communities along coastal South Carolina threatens Gullah culture. Homeownership costs skyrocket, displacing residents from family lands. This research examines how "sustainable" tourism can help and is achievable when government and private sector developers involve local citizens in planning and decision-making processes.

An Analysis of the Factors Responsible for the Continuing Disappearance of Yiddish, Which Is an Articulator of the Jewish Identity, and the Impacts It Will Have on the Jewish Culture
Anna Yakovleva
annay@gwu.edu

This presentation explores factors that may be responsible for the decline of Yiddish as a a spoken language and stresses spoken Yiddish as an articulator of Jewish culture. This paper also proposes that the decline in the use of Yiddish as a spoken language will result in the loss of the culture that the language carries.

The Effects of Globalization on Bangalore
Hari Sawkar
hsawkar@gwu.edu

This presentation examines the city of Bangalore and outsourcing's effect upon it. It looks at the challenges the city faces and provides facts and analysis of current and future conditions. Finally, it argues that outsourcing will be very detrimental if changes are not made.

Big Organic: When Agribusiness Adopts Small Farm Producers' Methods
Madeleine Rumely
mrumely@gwu.edu

Despite its higher cost, organic food is cultishly popular with socially and environmentally conscious sectors of the American population. This presentation will address big business's shift from GM to organic food in an effort to dominate this lucrative market, and the impact this shift is having on sustainable farmers as well as the economics of food distribution.

SESSION 18B (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Friday, April 28

PERFORMANCE: Beyond Belles: Stereotypes and Cultures of the American South

Stephanie Caldas, Caitlin Coast, Erin Gavin, Emily Goodman, Kate Hartman, Faria Hassan, Tristan Hyland, Christina Johannsen, Mimi Keil, Abby Lackner, Khaula Malik, Amelia Maytan, Chelsea McMaster, Francisco Pardo, Vincent Wille
MODERATOR: Patricia Griffith, Novelist and Creative Writing Professor, GWU (pgrif@gwu.edu)

Contact: ebliss@gwu.edu

Through a series of humorous and provocative skits followed by a roundtable discussion, members of the UW20 course, "Beyond Belles: Culture and Writing in the American South," will engage with the literary figures and stereotypes associated with the South, while also engaging with the broader issues of regional identity, regional cultures, and stereotypes.

SESSION 18C (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Friday, April 28

PERFORMANCE: Picture This! (2)

Jess Cohn, Nathalie Dalmau, Victor De la Pena, Andy Farrell, Lucy Flores, Caitlin Ghazi, Nancy Kimungu, Andrea Korte, Jake Levinson, Sarah Lundgren, Sonia Ng, Tom Pullen, Everett Rummage, Lauren Winokur, David Zenk
MODERATOR: TBA

Contact: victor_d@gwu.edu, souwa@gwu.edu

The second of two full-class sessions, "Picture This!" displays our course's final writing assignment of the semester – the personal narrative – in both a verbal and visual form. Audience members will not only hear the voices of UW20 students, reading their own essays, but they will simultaneously observe the images that students produced to accompany their writing.

SESSION 18D (ACAD 122, Mount Vernon)
2:30-3:45, Friday, April 28

FEATURED SYMPOSIUM EVENT: Radio and Writing: A Podcasting Workshop and Symposium Review

Hannah Cary and Kirsten Gilbert
MODERATOR: Yianna Vovides, Instructional Designer, Center for Instructional Design and Development, GWU (yvovides@gwu.edu)

Contact: kgilbert@gwu.edu

This featured Symposium event will be a multi-station workshop set up to allow students and other Symposium participants to learn how to produce a radio show and then help produce a radio show through the creation of individual audio clips that would offer a participant's-eye review of the Spring 2006 University Writing and Research Symposium.

SESSION 19A (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Friday, April 28

ROUNDTABLE: Shifting Grounds: Meaning, Monuments, and the Mall

Catherine Schrankel; Erica Selig; Alexander Stegmaier; Adam Chamy
MODERATOR: Dolsy Smith, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Gelman, GWU (dsmith@gwu.edu)

Our Perspective on War: The Influence of War Memorials
Catherine Schrankel
catsch@gwu.edu

In transferring from personal, organic experiences to unoriginal, superficial ones, are our war memorials becoming tools of military propaganda? In comparing the vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the World War II Memorial, we can see a change over time in the memorialization, and in turn, public view of wars fought.

A Monument, an Architectural Feat, an Icon
Erica Selig
eselig@gwu.edu

The Washington Monument is certainly not the equestrian sculpture Washington himself originally envisioned. This presentation analyzes this monument from a historical and theoretical standpoint; by tracing its history and using Nietzsche's theory of "monumental history," I justify its existence as a memorial and an iconic American symbol.

A Monumental Secret
Alexander Stegmaier
ajsteg@gwu.edu

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was built to commemorate "one of the most enlightened men of the 18th century." But far more intriguing are the secrets and scandals about him abridged by society; the hidden attempt to create a more savory celebration of the enignmatic man that was Thomas Jefferson.

Iconic Fluidity: The Changing Face of Lincoln's Temple
Adam Chamy
achamy@gwu.edu

Memorials are vessels to ever changing perceptions. As the iconography of Lincoln changes, so does the meaning of his memorial. This essay explores the architectural principle of "form following function" and applies it to the process of memorializing inherent in the varied views of the Lincoln Memorial.

SESSION 19B (Post Hall, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Friday, April 28

ROUNDTABLE: Deconstructing Law and Policy

John Curran; Matt Hall; Megan Foster; Marcos Jazzan
MODERATOR: Zachary Wolfe, Founder and Director, People’s Law Resource Center (zwolfe@gwu.edu)

Justifying Judicial Review
John Curran
GoNow@gwu.edu

The U.S. Constitution contains no clause describing the power of judicial review. Thus, generations of jurists and legal scholars have been compelled to search elsewhere for the theoretical and practical foundations of American jurisprudence. Inveterate disagreements over the Supreme Court's proper scope of authority are not resolved by general theories of the Constitution, or by appeals to its "legislative history." Both texts confront readers with similar problems of indeterminacy; by acknowledging the habits of thought and interpretive schemas which shape our understanding of the law, we can begin to resolve our oldest constitutional conflict.

Affirmative Action and Constitutional Interpretation: Assessing the Arguments for Equality by Inequality
Matt Hall
matthall@gwu.edu

This presentation will explore the arguments made by Supreme Court Justices writing for and against the support of Affirmative Action. It will examine how affirmative action is argued through textualist and objectivist judicial philosophy. Finally, it will conclude with supportive evidence and justification for the argument against the Affirmative Action initiative.

Plan Colombia: An Ecofeminist Alternative
Megan Foster
themeg@gwu.edu

Plan Colombia, a policy based on North-South Capitalist discourse, defines U.S./Colombian relations. Capitalism justifies and masks racism/tribalism that is inherent in Western discourse. We must turn from our hierarchical society to one which is based on Ecofeminist care ethics, promoting relationships rather than privilege.

The Death of Guillermo Martinez: An Example of Human Rights Violations at the Mexican Border
Marcos Jazzan
marcos@gwu.edu

Guillermo Martinez, a Mexican citizen, was spotted and shot by an agent of the U.S. Border Patrol on January of this year. The agent claims that Martinez threw a rock at him. My paper claims that the shooting of Guillermo Martinez was a violation of his human rights and action should be taken to avoid cases like that in the future, and it analyzes this incident in relation to two major contemporary political debates: human rights vs. national security, and U.S./Mexico relations before and after 9/11.

SESSION 19C (ACAD 122, Mount Vernon)
4:10-5:25, Friday, April 28

PANEL: The Environmental Meets the Social

Bianca von Euw; Leah Brayman
MODERATOR: Jeannine Love, PhD Student in Public Policy and Public Administration, GWU, UWP Preceptor (j9love@gwu.edu)

Genetically-Modified Foods: Yes or No?
Bianca von Euw
bvoneuw@gwu.edu

Hundreds of people die each year of starvation. Would you support feeding them with genetically modified foods that in the long run could have a negative effect on their health? Europeans say no. In this paper, the author, a native of Switzerland, tries to explain why.

Global Warming, Central America, and Poverty
Leah Brayman
lbrayman@gwu.edu

As global temperatures continue to rise, the countries of Central America and the Caribbean will become more vulnerable to violent and erratic weather. The weather will be detrimental to this region, especially for the rural poor who are more reliant upon agricultural production for survival and economic sustainability.

Spring 2006 University Writing and Research Symposium
Home \| Call For Proposals (CFP) \| April 26-28 Program \| FAQ

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 26 through Friday, April 28

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26 SESSIONS 1-5 Mount Vernon

SESSION 1 (Post Hall, Mount Vernon) 10:00-11:15, Wednesday, April 26

KEYNOTE PANEL: Making/Taking Pictures: The Legible and the Legitimate

SESSION 2A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon) 11:30-12:45, Wednesday, April 26

ROUNDTABLE: Equipment for Living: Performance as (Counter)Politics

SESSION 2B (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon) 11:30-12:45, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: God in the Details

SESSION 2C (Post Hall, Mount Vernon) 11:30-12:45, Wednesday, April 26

ROUNDTABLE: Walk the Line: Gender's Constraints

SESSION 3A (Ames Pub, Mount Vernon) 1:00-2:15, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Act Global, Think Local: Engaging Washington

SESSION 3B (Eckles Auditorium, Mount Vernon) 1:00-2:15, Wednesday, April 26

PANEL: Diseased States

SESSION 4A (ACAD 303, Mount Vernon) 2:30-3:45, Wednesday, April 26