MTSU's Journal of Student Research ISSN 2470-8127 (print) ISSN 2470-8178 (online)
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"How Can Fandom Be Toxic? It's About Love!": A Look at Fandom and the Scream Franchise
The Scream franchise is known for its ironic metanarrative and satirical treatment of the horror genre. The franchise has maintained immense popularity since its inception in 1996. Scream 2022, also referred to as Scream 5, continues this tradition while introducing a new layer of intertextuality by incorporating the effects of toxic fandom largely online contexts. This paper explores how the new creative team of the 2022 film, Radio Silence Productions, brought their knowledge of fandom to the film, the inclusion of popular horror YouTube creators "Dead Meat," and this iteration of "Ghostface" killers. The fandom's actions mirror the outcry over Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Ghostbusters (2016), both of which are represented in the film through the in-universe franchise "Stab." My aim is to examine what constitutes a "toxic fan" and how such a role is represented within Scream (2022) for mainstream audience, utilizing studies conducted by Morten Bay, Matt Hills, and William Proctor.
Copyright (c) 2026 Triplett, Amanda https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Can Musical Aptitude Predict Language Skills? Exploring the Connection Between Pitch, Rhythm, and Phonological Decoding
This study contributes to the body of literature differentiating the effects of innate musical aptitude from those of formal music training. Few studies have examined how distinct components of music, such as pitch and rhythm perception, are differentially conducted in which a total of 20 individuals were recruited from the MTSU community. All participants were native English speakers, aged 18-22, and reported no history of hearing or language disorders. The study found that musical training did not predict awareness and did not demonstrate a transfer effect beyond innate musical ability, and that the relationship between musical rhythm and linguistic rhythm aptitudes shows potential transfer across these domains.
Copyright (c) 2026 Brooks, Lia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Understanding the Societal, Disciplinary, and Phenotypic Factors Contributing to Hindered Diagnosis of Autism in Women
This systematic literature review investigates the possible factors contributing to the underdiagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in women, focusing on three key areas: social masking, gender bias in ASD screening tools, and the unique female phenotype of ASD. By analyzing existing literature from the James E. Walker Library JEWL Search provided by Middle Tennessee State University, I researched how social masking allows women to hide their symptoms, leading to misdiagnosis or late diagnosis. Additionally, I explored how traditional screening tools may be biased toward male presentations of ASD, further complicating accurate diagnosis. The last analyzed topic regards how a possibly unknown and under researched presentation of ASD in females could affect diagnostic probabilities. In summary, research highlights the urgent need for more research on the misrepresentation of ASD diagnosis in women. Though findings were limited and inconsistent, understanding these challenges is crucial for developing effective diagnostic criteria and intervention strategies that carefully consider the distinct presentations of autism in females, promoting improved mental health support and outcomes.
Copyright (c) 2026 Chance, Emmalee https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Agency to Autophagy: Exploring the Representation of Eating Disorders in Swallow and In My Skin
Disordered eating has become a common trope in film, television, and literature, and it is often associated with the horror genre. Both Marina de Van's In My Skin (2002) and Carlo Mirabella-Davis's Swallow (2019) explore eating disorders characterized by a lack of personal agency and control. Although these films' female protagonists react to their respective situations in differing ways, the films offer viewers a vicarious experience immersed in the symbology of disordered eating. Employing scholarship from a variety of fields, including film studies, eating disorder research, and body horror theory, this study addresses the phenomenon as represented in both films. The behaviors of Esther in In My Skin demonstrate an experience of bodily mutilation deeply connected to that of those suffering from eating disorders; those of Hunter in Swallow display similar elements, though differences abound in her "style" of disordered eating. Ultimately, lack of agency and control are the catalysts for both characters' bouts of disordered eating, as evidenced through their careers (or lack thereof), their male relationships, and their female relationships. These elements reveal that lack of bodily awareness and disassociation, particularly in moments of consumption, can lead to disordered eating behaviors.
Copyright (c) 2026 Norton, Brittney https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
While the cognitive and emotional benefits of reading are well documented and researched, many adults report difficulty sustaining reading practices due to time constraints, limited access to engaging materials, and a lack of guidance or support. To better understand these challenges, we conducted a study to explore the reading habits, obstacles, and motivations of adult readers within the MTSU community, including students, faculty, and staff. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining existing scholarly research with an MTSU Institutional Review Board-approved Qualtrics survey distributed between April and July 2025. The survey collected both qualitative and quantitative data on participants' reading habits, perceived benefits, and obstacles, yielding 313 responses. Findings indicated that although many adults have the desire to read more, there are structural and motivational barriers that often prevent sustained engagement. Based on these findings, we propose community-centered, educator and librarian-led strategies to alleviate reading barriers, such as book clubs, digital media literacy, reading kits, reading challenges, and workshops. By fostering creativity, support systems, and intentional collaboration, we week to reengage adults with reading and build long-term, enriching, and meaningful reading habits.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jackson, Gianna https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Effects of Smartphone Screen Time on Behavioral Variability
Individuals diagnosed with conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and depressive disorders tend to display variable behavior, disparate from their peers. Studies have shown that variable behavior can be either enhanced or reduced through reinforcement. However, these factors are poorly understood. Screen time has been hypothesized as a factor that may influence behavioral variability. The following study explores the possible relationship between smartphone screen time, behavioral variability, and self-reported ADHD, ASD, and depressive symptoms, using a threefold methodology: first participants reported their screen time use through a smartphone application. Next, participants completed a computer-based task assessing behavioral variability, during which they drew rectangles on a screen. Points were awarded for rectangles that differed from those previously made. Finally, participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Autism Spectrum Quotient-10 (AQ-10), and Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1). We found weak correlations between scores on the AQ-10 and the ASRS-v1.1, as well as between the ASRS-v1.1 and the BDI-II. At the same time, there were moderate correlations between difference measures of behavioral variability, and a correlation between objective and subjective screen time scores, revealing consistency in these assessments. Results nevertheless indicated no systemic relation between screen time and behavioral variability.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rust, Mark https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Self/Other/Lover: Construction of Identity in the Life-Writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham
F. Scott Fitzgerald's final unfinished novel, The Last Tycoon, was written during his tumultuous twilight Hollywood years, while he engaged in a romantic relationship with the English gossip columnist Sheilah Graham. Just as Graham figures as a character in Fitzgerald's novel, Fitzgerald became the subject of several memoirs Graham composed in the decades after Fitzgerald's death: Beloved Infidel, The Rest of the Story, and The Real F. Scott Fitzgerald. Using the work of the autobiographical theorist Paul John Eakin, this article analyzes the ways in which Fitzgerald's thinly-veiled fiction and Graham's dubious memoirs work in tandem to construct autobiographical selves. Incorporating a range of biographies and letters, in addition to the "fictions" and "memoirs" of these two intimately interlinked writers, this essay challenges the easy binaries between supposed and narrative forms and seeks to uncover new angles into these two authors, their work, and their literary legacies.
Copyright (c) 2026 Knutila, Evan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
A Dingo Ate My Baby: Dissecting the Injustice of the Lindy Chamberlain Case*
This paper examines the Lindy Chamberlain case as a cautionary tale of how flawed forensic practice, cognitive bias, and sensationalistic media coverage can lead to wrongful convictions. Using a case study approach that lays out the primary timeline, reporting, and later forensic reviews, the piece reconstructs the sequence of investigative and evidentiary failures that led to Lindy Chamberlain's 1982 conviction and its eventual reversal. Key findings show that unreliable, presumptive serology, mishandling and staging of physical evidence, and the overreliance on expert testimony all contributed to a distorted evidentiary record; simultaneously, gendered social expectations, religious rhetoric, and commercial media representation amplified public and judicial suspicion. The discovery of Azaria's matinee jacket and subsequent forensic reevaluation were decisive in overturning the conviction, demonstrating the consequences of both technical error and media bias. Drawing lessons to apply to contemporary practice, the paper argues for validation of forensic methods, routine use of confirmatory testing, careful evidence handling protocols, and structured efforts to mitigate cognitive and social bias in both investigations and courtrooms. The Chamberlain saga remains a reminder that while technological advances such as DNA profiling and molecular body fluid identification enhance forensic accuracy, institutional safeguards and critical scrutiny of expert evidence remain essential to prevent miscarriages of justice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mills, Shelby, Kowalczyk, Elizabeth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Echoes of the Holocaust: Female Survival in I Who Have Never Known Men
Author Jacqueline Harpman, who spent her childhood as a refugee fleeing Nazi persecution, wrote I Who Have Never Known Men in 1995. The novel follows the story of a girl growing up in captivity as she discovers what it means to be human through the guidance and strength of her fellow inmates despite their bleak circumstances. By examining passages from Harpman's novel and historical accounts of life under Nazi occupation, this essay argues that Harpman in her novel pulls from testimonies and personal experience to intentionally parallel the female experience of the Holocaust. Further, Harpman's purpose behind crafting these similarities reflects her views on the patriarchy's threat to human survival, and how women's efforts towards community building and emotional endurance make women crucial to the continuance of a human race that has been compromised by patriarchal ideologies throughout history.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kletz, Skye https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Temporal Hierarchies in Music and Neural Timing: An Exploratory Review
Predictive, hierarchical relationships in temporal experience are fundamental aspects of both music and language -- vehicles of communication essential to human social bonding and survival. This exploratory review considers music as a lens through which to explore neural timing, examining research in music cognition spanning four decades. The paper describes and synthesizes findings on how humans track, predict, and actively respond to hierarchical temporal structures in music, considering what these layered, multisensory mechanisms can reveal about human cognition and communication on a broad level. A limitation to this exploration, albeit relevant in conveying the material to the reader unfamiliar with the field, is the concept of "groove" as an overarching construct. The study aims to employ more precise terminology to accurately capture the subject of interest. Additionally, it is proposed that future music cognition in investigations prioritize (1) ecologically valid designs supporting naturalistic social interactions; (2) whole-body movement as central t temporal perception; and (3) multisensory integration. These considerations situate music cognition research in a meaningful position for translatable, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural application, contributing to a greater understanding of the multimodal, temporal underpinnings that support human communication.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lawrence, Elizabeth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Adverse Maternal Health Outcomes in Tennessee and Expanded Access to Doula Care
Tennessee experiences the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States. Yet most adverse maternal health outcomes are preventable, highlighting gaps in support and healthcare access. Expanding access to doula care provides an evidence-informed strategy to address this issue, as research links doula support with lower rates of medical interventions, reduced preterm births, improved maternal health, and cost savings. This paper uses ecological systems theory and a reproductive justice framework to examine how doula care can mitigate systemic failures, enhance agency for birthing individuals, and address racial and social disparities in Tennessee. Based on these findings, the paper recommends implementing TennCare coverage for doula services, investing in workforce development, and establishing community-based programs to promote equitable and culturally responsive maternal healthcare.
Copyright (c) 2026 Pestona, Casey https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
To Be Greeted with Cries of Hate: Albert Camus and the Tragic Impossibility of the Algerian Question*
The influential writer Albert Camus was born in French Algeria and maintained a close and controversial relationship with the territory throughout his life. Camus's political writings, often more obscure in popular imagination than his novels, sparked controversy in his time and beyond. As such, these writings have motivated intense scholarly debate over the morality and feasibility of the author's positions. Particularly, his simultaneous disavowal of colonial injustice by rejection of Algerian independence alienated him from the contemporary French Left, Algerian nationalists, and "patriotic" Frenchmen. By framing Camus's positions through a lens of passive colonial collaboration and subconscious bias, the seeming contradictions between the author's moral humanism and practical forbearance of French colonial occupation can be better understood. Tortured by conflict in his homeland, Camus maintained, "Algeria is where I hurt at this moment, as others feel pain in their lungs" with complete sincerity. His situation as a pied noir, or French settler in Algeria, added a layer of tragic impossibility to any position endorsing the expulsion of French settlers, but his conscience impelled him to reject, too, the brutality and systemic oppression of French authorities. This paper will show these feelings were a contraction the author could never full resolve and that still haunts his legacy today.
Copyright (c) 2026 Estes, Ethan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Table of Contents
Copyright (c) 2026 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Scientia et Humanitas is dedicated to showcasing exceptional scholarship from across the MTSU community, and this, the 16th issue of the Honors College's research journal, offers a set of papers as intriguing as it is prodigious. Submissions have been culled from an interdisciplinary call for papers and subject to a blind peer editing process. From the articles submitted, 13 have been chosen based on their demonstration of exceptional research, composition, and pertinence to the writer's field. Both graduate and undergraduate work has been represented. Our crop of articles reveals a wide range of scholarly pursuits and angles, revealing the plurality of interests that abound in MTSU's academic environs. This year's contributors examine everything from media sensationalism to the cognitive relationships between music and language; from the pedagogical dimensions of narrative genres to 20th Century representations of women in literature. The coexistence of multiple interpretive lenses and research methods showcases the rich diversity of scholarship taking place in the MTSU community, where the sciences naturally coexist with the humanities, and research has direct relevance to the world outside the academy walls. Perennial questions abound: What is the role of the arts in education? How have the gains in women's cultural agency reoriented our understanding of history? How does pedagogy adapt to social trends and learning differences? To what extent does the media shape our discourse and behavior? In what ways does literature still uniquely allow us to consider what it means to be human? It has been a delight as an editor to engage with the lively work taking place in this university. I want to thank my associate and assistant editors, who gave rigorous readings to submissions and aided in the selection process; to the readers, who have been there in clutch times to evaluate incoming submissions; to the journal's previous editor, Kylie Petrovich, who gave me a proper introduction to the layout of the journal, and lastly to Dr. Phillip E. Phillips, my dissertation advisor and academic mentor, without whom this journal, the honors college, and the university as a whole would be at a great loss. Matthew P. Hutton Editor in Chief
Copyright (c) 2026 Hutton, Matthew https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
“Those Who Paved the Way”: A Detailed Look into the Contributions of the USCT in Tennessee
This research paper discusses the significant yet often overlooked role of United States Colored Troops (USCT) in Tennessee during the American Civil War. As the Union Army faced manpower shortages due to heavy casualties, this led to the formation of USCT. Entirely composed of African American soldiers fighting for their freedom and the Union cause, these units were initially relegated to menial tasks, but through admirable efforts proved their capability in combat. In contrast, the Confederacy opposed arming Black individuals, fearing it would undermine their slave-based society. Despite the presence of approximately four million enslaved individuals in the South, the Confederacy’s refusal to employ them as combat soldiers limited their military potential. This paper looks to highlight the vital contribution of USCT to the Union’s success and the impact of their involvement in the war.
Copyright (c) 2025 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Mother of All Living: Eve’s Redemptive Role in John Milton’s Paradise Lost*
In this essay I argue that in Paradise Lost, Milton reframes traditionally misogynistic narratives of Eve. Milton does this by portraying Eve as a growing, dynamic woman seeking to “find herself” after her secondary creation from and for Adam. In hubris, Milton’s Eve desires wisdom and the autonomy it would afford. She does not want to be attached to Adam forever and longs to work, at least for a time, in solitude, not because she does not love her husband but because she wants to develop her own selfhood to contribute to her marriage and to the Garden’s labor. But following Satan’s temptation to eat the “forbidden fruit,” Milton’s Eve is repulsed at the separation between the prelapsarian and postlapsarian worlds, which has disrupted her marital union, and in despondence and desperation, she shares the fruit with Adam to bring about inclusion. Adam’s readiness to share in her sin and die with Eve brings attention to the identity Eve has already had—as woman, wife, mother of nature—and gives her the strength and wisdom to save Adam from suicide and lead them both to repentance and redemption. Although she eats the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and shares it with her husband Adam, Milton’s Eve experiences the stages of “growing up” attributed to her innate humanity in God’s Paradisal Eden. *Winner of the Deans’ Distinguished Essay Award
Survival of the Tribe: How the Cherokee Nation Fought Genocide
The history of Indigenous Nations’ relationship to the United States colonial project and has long been a subject of extensive scholarly inquiry and community reflection. Among these nations, the Cherokee Nation stands out as one of the most frequently misunderstood. Utilizing an interview with Paul Douglas Matheny Jr. as a methodological framework, this study reveals that the narrative of the Cherokee Nation is far more complex than many scholars have suggested or, in some cases, explicitly argued. Drawing directly from Matheny’s testimony, this analysis traces the evolution of a coherent Cherokee identity across precolonial and postcolonial contexts. It demonstrates that the Cherokee Nation’s historical trajectory is better understood as a struggle to navigate and resist colonial power structures rather than a failure to assimilate into colonial society. This reinterpretation not only provides a more accurate scholarly depiction of Cherokee history but also has the potential to mitigate harm among Cherokee individuals who have experienced disconnection from their community over time.
“Outcast of All Outcasts”: The Doppelganger in Poe’s “William Wilson”
Edgar Allan Poe was influenced by the darker side of German idealism, which was in fashion in America during the early 19th century as a result of the emergence of the Transcendental movement. The genesis for Poe’s short story, “William Wilson,” comes from a sketch by Washington Irving. Poe enlarges the brief sketch into a story that focuses on the duality of humanity by use of the motif of the doppelganger, which was developed by Germanic writers who sought to explore duality in an individual. Critics have discussed the doppelganger in Poe’s short story “William Wilson,” but many have overlooked how the tradition of German idealism influenced Poe’s story. This essay explores Poe’s use of the traditional role of displacement, repetition, ego and alter-ego, and other aspects of the doppelganger as a theme of German idealism throughout “William Wilson.” Poe’s innovation in “William Wilson” is his depiction of the doppelganger, which Poe uses as a corrective force to the narrator’s evil. Incorporating the German tradition into a reading of “William Wilson” shows how Poe effectively uses the tradition to create a story that explores the duality of the human conscience.
How The Courts Affect Social Change Through Rent Control
This article explores the Supreme Court’s attitude toward one solution to the unaffordability of rental housing: rent control. This policy, more formally known as rent stabilization, allows jurisdictions to cap the amount landlords can charge for rent to curb exploitative practices. The policy is controversial, as some economists believe it is inefficient and ineffective at making housing more affordable. In contrast, others view it as a quick, easy, and relatively low-cost remedy to an ongoing crisis. The Supreme Court has upheld rent control laws, though not without exceptions, as this article outlines. These laws are drafted, debated, enacted, and implemented by other branches of government in cities and states. The Court generally steps aside to let the democratic process decide whether a city or state adopts or rejects this policy. This article argues that courts cannot affect social change regarding rent control because they are limited by the legislative process and their own judicial doctrines. Despite these constraints, the Supreme Court’s deference helps maintain these laws in cities where they have been enacted, thereby assisting many in affording their homes.
Off With Her Head! An Analysis of Female Awakening Through Social Deviance in Lynn Nottage’s Las Meninas
The Victorian Era brought the evolution of a distinctly feminine writing trope: the development of female characters’ personal awakenings through acts of social deviance. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899) is a prime example of this phenomenon, wherein main character Edna Pontellier, disinterested in the expectations of upper-class French-Creole life, participates in an emotional affair to actualize her own autonomy. This essay seeks to determine the significance of this literary trope in contemporary playwright Lynn Nottage’s Las Meninas. The play follows the woes of French Queen Marie-Thérèse as she becomes dissatisfied with her position on the margins of French Courtly society and has an affair with another excluded person, Nabo, an African with dwarfism. Nottage’s parallel to the writings of Victorian female authors, like Chopin herself, emphasizes a desire to advocate for the advancement of women through the lens of Early Modern society. Additionally, the parallel reveals the continuity of the tradition of representing women’s recognition of their autonomy through deviant actions from nineteenth-century through twenty-first-century literature. The presence of this tradition in twenty-first century literature demonstrates that women are seeking similar social advancement in the present day.
A Fool’s Errand: Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and the Parodic Use of Tragic Characterization in Early Elizabethan Drama*
Herein I argue that Christopher Marlowe’s revered Elizabethan drama The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus subverts the allegorical conventions of the Medieval morality play, recasting the everyman figure—the protagonist tempted by personifications of sin—in an ironic light. As the title implies, the learned doctor is cast ostensibly as a tragic hero, yet the character to appear onstage is far from heroic, and his inevitable demise comes across as more pathetic than tragic. Whereas the classical tragic hero embodies larger-than-life qualities ultimately undermined by a devastating flaw, Marlowe’s protagonist possesses no such grandeur. In Marlowe’s hands, Doctor Faustus becomes a buffoonish clown, a figure of public ridicule offered up to assuage the anxieties of the Elizabethan audience. Marlowe’s take on the Faust myth speaks just as loudly to the present age—an age fueled by relentless technological ambition often tinged with ethical indifference and heedless of unintended consequences.
Characteristics of the Structure and Selected Biological Activities of Polysaccharides Isolated from Fedora 17 Hemp (Cannabis sativa)*
This study focuses on characterizing the structural properties and biological activities of polysaccharides isolated from the Fedora 17 hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). Hemp polysaccharides are an underexplored resource with significant potential in industries such as biotechnology, agriculture, and medicine due to their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Techniques, including ion-exchange chromatography (IEX), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were employed to elucidate the molecular weight distribution and structural complexity of the polysaccharides. Additionally, antioxidant activity was assessed using the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DDPH) assay. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of hemp polysaccharides’ potential applications in the development of sustainable and bioactive products.
Examining Processed Foods in Food Banks and the Presence of Chronic Diseases in Food Bank Clientele
Food insecurity affects millions of Americans and puts them at an increased risk of developing chronic disease. Food banks are essential in improving food access for this population. However, previous studies have identified gaps in the nutritional quality of items donated to food banks, thus decreasing clients’ access to nutritionally adequate food. The first part of this study examines the presence of chronic disease in food bank clientele by distributing a survey to clients in the waiting room of a local food bank. The second part assesses the nutritional quality of donated items based on their level of processing using the NOVA Food Classification tool. The study found that the majority of food bank clients had been diagnosed with a diet-related chronic disease and that slightly over half of donations were ultra-processed foods. This information can be used to form collaborative approaches between food bank staff, their clientele, community leaders, and donors to help improve access to nutritious food for those facing food insecurity.
The Purpose of Comparison Between Grendel, the Dragon, and the Hero in Beowulf*
In an effort to challenge assumptions that dilute these characters as mere antagonists of an ancient epic, this article analyzes the functions of two of the main monsters within Beowulf: Grendel and the dragon. By employing research ranging from historical to literary alongside close reading methodologies, readers can find parallels between the noble warrior, Beowulf, and his adversaries. Considering these parallels, guided by an understanding of societal virtues relevant to the early centuries of pagan Scandinavia, this piece determines whether these comparisons are deliberate measures on behalf of the Beowulf-poet to accentuate the hero’s righteous qualities. Through the personification of corruption and mirroring characteristics linking Beowulf and his opponents, the Beowulf-poet appears to illustrate the differences between an upstanding ruler and rapacious killer. By clarifying these foils, supported by historic reports related to the poem’s creation in ancient civilization, this article contends that the Beowulf monsters are measures for contextualizing the story and gleaning insight pertaining to bygone ideas of goodness and nobility. This paper finds that Beowulf’s adversaries serve as literary tools for his characterization and provide significant knowledge related to moral conventions of ancient societies for readers of the 21st century. *Winner of the Deans’ Distinguished Essay Award
Where “dead people lay like saints”: Gothic Modernism in Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God
This paper examines how Cormac McCarthy uses Gothic and Modernist modes in Child of God, a novel primarily known for its place in the Southern Gothic genre. In Gothic Modernism, writers blur traditional literary techniques—in the form of Gothic tropes or stylistic choices such as the framing narrative, unsettling landscapes, or depictions of madness—into Modernist techniques, using experimentation to evoke alienation or engage in social critique. I argue that Child of God, though published in 1973, is a Gothic Modernist text due to McCarthy’s stylistics, aesthetics, themes, and tropes. By looking at the novel through the lens of Gothic modernism, we better understand McCarthy’s reasoning, influences, and methodology for telling the story of Lester Ballard. For example, McCarthy depicts the grotesque, death, and decay in eerie settings suggesting isolation, alienation, disillusionment, and individualism, layering the novel with nuance and experimentation. By bridging gaps between genres, eras, and aesthetics, McCarthy challenges readers’ expectations of the novel form and how we are complicit in our communities. I use research from Gothic Modernist scholars such as John Riquelme and Charles Crow to support the argument that McCarthy, consciously or unconsciously, uses Gothic and Modernist tropes in his stylistic approach to the novel.
A Harm Reduction Approach: A Discussion of Supervised Consumption Sites to Address Opioid Use Disorder
The opioid epidemic, a pervasive public health crisis, demands innovative solutions to address its widespread impacts. In Tennessee, the reliance on abstinence-based interventions has resulted in high recidivism rates, highlighting the necessity for alternative strategies. This paper explores supervised consumption sites as a harm-reduction approach that prioritizes individual autonomy while addressing substance use disorders (SUD) comprehensively on micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Grounded in human behavioral theories, the analysis examines systemic contributors to opioid use disorder (OUD), including familial dynamics, societal stigma, and cultural influences. By integrating evidence-based practices, supervised consumption sites are shown to effectively reduce overdose fatalities, enhance access to healthcare services, and strengthen community resilience. The discussion also emphasizes the intersectionality of discrimination, illustrating how marginalized populations disproportionately experience the adverse effects of OUD due to systemic inequities. Through policy analysis and cost evaluations, the findings support the economic and social benefits of harm-reduction measures. This paper advocates for the implementation of supervised consumption sites as a transformative intervention, shifting the paradigm from punitive and stigmatizing practices to inclusive and compassionate care.
From Anomie to Metanoia: The Spiritual-Political Thought of Henry Thoreau & Thomas Merton
Both Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Merton revolted against the state of society as they saw it and lived in it. They retired to their respective wildernesses to seek solitude and dive deep for truth. Merton and Thoreau were not content with a solitude that did not also involve a meaningful relationship to society. They were concerned with social justice and communicated that through their writing, which, it seems, came about because of their solitude. In that way, each author encourages his readers to build their own inner retreats, and in the end, they do this as a means of furthering social reform in their times. For both men, a relationship to God––or to nature, to cosmic divinity––is cultivated within. Furthermore, once the individual’s relationship to this higher power has been established, this leads to a recognition of the divinity in others. Both Merton and Thoreau, from their respective hermitages, reached inward––only to find themselves also reaching outward. Both Thoreau and Merton offer a vision of solitude and silence that goes hand in hand with social justice and political action.
The Ramifications of Female Sexuality: Cultural Uncertainty, Domestic Confinement, and Threatened Patriarchy in Robert Frost’s “Two Witches”
During World War I, American women entered the workforce in greater numbers than ever before. However, once their husbands or other family members returned home, women in the workplace were forced out of their jobs in order to support more traditional gender roles. These “New Women” were, for the most part, college-educated, empowered in their sexuality, and had higher aspirations than being a stay-at-home wife and mother. Robert Frost’s 1920 poem “Two Witches” explores what forced domesticity did to New Women mentally, physically, and sexually. The narrative poem is split into two sections, “The Witch of Coös” and “The Pauper Witch of Grafton,” and while progressive in its social politics, the poems still confine their protagonists and reaffirm the tradition of American patriarchy.
From the Waves to the Shore: The Deliberate Odds and Ends of Mansfield’s Garden Parties
Katherine Mansfield, a New Zealand modernist writer, demonstrates the power of indirect methods to create meaning in many of her short stories. Rather than relying on detailed character backgrounds, Mansfield uses figurative language, silences, and the implications within dialogue to convey emotional depth and insight into her characters. While these techniques are crucial in building the narrative, her use of suspense and the withholding of information until the story’s conclusion also play a key role in her storytelling. Through a close reading of stories such as “Miss Brill,” “The Voyage,” and “The Singing Lesson,” it becomes clear how Mansfield’s revelatory endings—what I refer to as “wave moments”—serve as deliberate shifts in mood that contribute to the meaning-making process. These “wave moments” highlight Mansfield’s non-linear storytelling approach and her careful crafting of stories—defying traditional narrative expectations.
It is an honor to return as editor of Scientia et Humanitas for the second consecutive year. This journey has proven to be exceptionally rewarding, and I am delighted to unveil the largest volume in the journal’s history. Serendipitously, Volume Fifteen features exactly fifteen articles, each reflecting the richness and diversity of the contemporary interdisciplinary research conducted at Middle Tennessee State University. The volume opens with Emiliya Mailyan’s article, “From Waves: The Deliberate Odds and Ends of Mansfield’s Garden Parties,” in which Mailyan analyzes Katherine Mansfield’s intricate narrative techniques. Landon Funk then offers “The Ramifications of Female Sexuality: Cultural Uncertainty, Domestic Confinement, and Threatened Patriarchy in Robert Frost’s ‘Two Witches,’” in which she discusses Robert Frost’s complex place in the patriarchal trajectory of American history. Evan Knutila’s genre-bending piece, “From Anomie to Metanoia: The Spiritual-Political Thought of Henry Thoreau and Thomas Merton,” takes an inward turn, reflecting on Thoreau and Merton’s understanding of solitude as a means to discover the inner dimension of divinity. We shift our emphasis to contemporary social sciences in Elaina Manuel’s “A Harm Reduction Approach: A Discussion of Supervised Consumption Site to Address Opioid Use Disorder” in which Manuel advocates for the establishment of supervised consumption sites as a vital intervention for opioid use disorder. Harley Mercadal provides a literary reading of Cormac McCarthy in “Where ‘dead people lay like saints’: Gothic Modernism in Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God,” making a case for the author as an expression of Gothic Modernism. In “The Purpose of Comparison Between Grendel, the Dragon, and the Hero in Beowulf” Miles Wine examines the monsters of Beowulf as reflections of moral conventions in archaic England. Returning us to social science, Elizabeth Counts and Dr. Elizabeth Smith examine the relationship between processed foods and chronic diseases among food bank clientele in “Examining Processed Foods in Food Banks and the Presence of Chronic Diseases in Food Bank Clientele.” Rashieq Cockerham brings us into the natural sciences in “Characteristics of the Structure and Selected Biological Activities of Polysaccharides Isolated from Fedora 17 Hemp (Cannabis sativa),” investigating the use of hemp polysaccharides as potential applications in developing sustainable, bioactive products. Matthew Hutton’s article, “A Fool’s Errand: Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus and the Parodic Use of Tragic Characterization in Early Elizabethan Drama,” challenges the conventional reading of Marlowe’s play, interpreting Doctor Faustus as a parody of the title character. Feminist theory informs Mavis Wolff’s piece, “Off with Her Head! An Analysis of Female Awakening Through Social Deviance in Lynn Nottage’s Las Meninas,” considering Queen Thérèse as an expression of female empowerment. The last movement of the volume showcases its interdisciplinary component. In “How the Courts Affect Social Change Through Rent Control,” Alexander Garcia examines cultural mores through a social science lens, arguing that the courts are limited by the judicial system’s constraints. Brandon Black’s literary analysis “Outcast of All Outcasts: The Doppelganger in Poe’s ‘William Wilson’” discusses Poe’s use of the doppelganger archetype. Nethanial Belmont reconsiders the American historical narrative in “Survival of the Tribe: How the Cherokee Nation Fought Genocide,” reframing the history the Cherokee through firsthand interviews and accounts. Angela Benninghoff discusses Milton’s characterization of the Biblical Eve in “The Mother of All Living: Eve’s Redemptive Role in John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Finally, Patrick Wells highlights the frequently overlooked contributions of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War in “Those Who Paved the Way: A Detailed Look into the Contributions of the USCT in Tennessee.” I wish to express my sincere gratitude to our diligent reviewers, Briley Welch, Hannah Antrican, and Eilidh Hancock, whose thorough evaluations and constructive feedback have significantly enhanced the quality of the journal. Additionally, I would like to extend my appreciation to my associate editors, Rebecca Price, Nicholas Krause, Angela Benninghoff, and Brittney Norton, for their unwavering commitment and hard work. Your dedication to fostering innovative scholarship has been commendable and has substantially contributed to the success of this volume. Notably, I wish to acknowledge my managing editor, Matthew Hutton, whose expertise and efforts have ensured that this volume is not only polished but also impactful. I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to Dr. Philip Phillips, Associate Dean of the MTSU Honors College, not only for the opportunity and help with this volume of Scientia, but also for the continued mentorship he has offered throughout my graduate career. An exceptional amount of thanks is also due to Honors College Dean John R. Vile and Strategic Communication Specialist Ms. Robin E. Lee, both of whom extended significant guidance. Thank you all for your continued support of Scientia et Humanitas. I hope you enjoy this volume as much as we enjoyed bringing it to fruition. Best regards, Kylie Petrovich Editor in Chief