Nora Abdelrazik
Freedom and Agency: Islamic Feminism in Egypt explores how liberal feminist concepts of freedom and agency can be reconceptualized and made to be more applicable and relevant to Islamic feminism, and to acknowledge Muslim women's agency in working towards their own religious goals. (Mentor: Professor Robyn Marasco, Political Science)
Elizaveta Baholdina
Tamizdat: Unification and Division in Soviet Era Publishing focuses on the patterns of reception of contraband literature both abroad and within the Soviet state borders from the 1950s through the 1980s. It considers the political climate surrounding censorship, which heavily influenced the ideological positions of readers and authors who had very little control over the publication of their works. (Professor Yakov Klots, Classics)
Michelle Black
Reimagining Policing: Lessons from Northern Ireland examines the successful reform of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), which is often used as a key example of transitional justice and conflict-resolution discourse. The project seeks to identify essential learning that leads to effective police reform. (Professor Mark Shulman, Human Rights)
Feigie Bloom
Dance Movement as Healing investigates two historical examples of feminized and racialized people using dance to heal: the Broyges Tanz, a Yiddish folk dance between two women in Eastern Europe in the 1800s; and Madame Satã, a drag performer in early 20th century post-slavery Brazil. (Professor Chong Chon-Smith, English)
Adriana Chavez
“Blackish Blueberries Everywhere” Unromanticized Soul Food in The Bluest Eye examines the role of food and hunger in the novels of Toni Morrison, with a particular eye to its connection to power and emotional nourishment. Through its public-facing dimension, it seeks to draw attention to Black food history and Black-owned restaurants in New York City through oral history interviews. (Professor Jeff Allred, English)
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Ashley Fenstermaker
Women and the Professions in the Writings of Virginia Woolf and Betty Friedan attempts to conceptualize British feminist Virginia Woolf’s and second-wave feminist Betty Friedan’s “ideal” situations for women entering the professions, with a focus on Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1938) and Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963). The project explores how these writers view the relationship between unpaid domestic work and professional work in women’s lives. (Professor Richard Kaye, English)
Alex Fiano
Art Museums as a Mental Health Resource: Education and Sanctuary addresses how art museums 1) can be a valuable resource to counter stigma and discrimination against persons with psychological disabilities through art exhibitions and education; and 2) can serve as a safe space and refuge benefiting mental health in the US, as has been done in other nations. The project examines previous research on the topics in the UK, Canada, and Australia, and investigates prior exhibits on mental health in the US. (Professor Harper Montgomery, Art)
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Jalen Grandchamp
Jazz in the Civil Rights Era explores jazz music as a reaction to social and political movements of the 20th Century. Specifically it investigates Free Jazz and Hard Bop in the context of the Civil Rights movement, showing that these genres follow the traditions set by the Spiritual and the Blues. The music functioned to aid the survival of community and culture, as well as supplement the Civil Rights movement, as shown in the music of Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and Clifford Brown. (Professor Leah Batstone, Music)
Sydney Guinchard
Musical Training for Patients with Psychiatric Disorders addresses the benefits of using a training and education approach to music engagement in psychiatric settings, and suggests how this may be more conducive to long-term rehabilitation than is traditional music therapy. This project also develops a model of a 10-week music training intervention that can be implemented with psychiatric patients. (Professor Leah Batstone, Music)
Zoe Halaczinsky
Workers Representations in French Militant Cinema, 1968 to 1974 focuses on militant filmmaker, Bruno Muel, and juxtaposes two of his films: Classe de Lutte and Avec le sang des autres. The project explores how, within the framework of the working-class struggle in Besançon and Sochaux in Eastern France, the demands of factory workers to lead more satisfactory lives were radically fought for but ultimately unobtained. (Professor Sam Di Iorio, Romance Languages)
Aliana Jabbary
The Racialization of Middle Eastern Americans explores the post-9/11 “outgrouping” and subsequent racialization of people who are visually perceived to be Middle Eastern within the United States. Focusing on representations in popular news outlets, this project explores how the War on Terror of the early 2000s encouraged the generalization of a perceived "terror threat" regardless of ethnicity or religion, and resulted in a pervasive sense of inability to assimilate. (Professor Jillian Schwedler, Political Science dept.)
Diana Kennedy
Investigating the Exclusion of Incarcerated Workers from Labor Protection analyzes Congressional discourse around this legislation and examines how this exclusion reinforces their social status. Makes comparisons to other marginalized labor groups. (Professor Michael Lee, Political Science)
Peter Leo
Teaching Music to the Visually Impaired: A Benefit to All explores various instructional best practices and new technologies which can be implemented to make music education accessible to students with a visual impairment, subsequently improving the quality of music education for all students. (Professor Victor Bobetsky, Music)
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Amelia Loo
Model Minority? addresses misconceptions about the idea of Asian-Americans being a model minority. Focuses on Asian American college students of different ethnic backgrounds, institutions and majors. (Professor Joong-Hwan Oh, Sociology)
Gustavo Moran
Alternative Housing Models: the Community Land Trust Model in Sunset Park, Brooklyn explores the possibility of implementing a Community Land Trust Model in Sunset Park that is community-owned and seeks to mitigate the effects of gentrification. This project aims to inform Sunset Park residents of alternative housing models that can increase the supply of affordable housing. (Professor Lily Baum Pollans, Urban Policy)
Jason Nagourney
From Meyer London to AOC: Lessons from the 20th-century NYC Yiddish Labor Movement examines how the Yiddish-speaking working-class community in the Lower East Side of Manhattan coalesced and mobilized around Meyer London's political campaigns for US Congress. By examining material from London's personal documents, this project analyzes the accomplishments of this working-class immigrant community and suggests how their avowedly Socialist strategies can be used to create successful political campaigns and meaningful change. (Professor Donna Haverty-Stacke, History)
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Denise Penizzotto
The Sacred and the Profane: Contemporary Art in Sacred Places explores contemporary art programs hosted by religious institutions, and focuses on intersections between artistic intent, viewer perspectives and sacred environment. Focus is on the contemporary art programs of St. John the Divine Cathedral, the Eldridge Street Synagogue and St. Paul the Apostles Church and on the religious Islamic art that is displayed in the secular location of the MET along with the artists who have shown in these locations, such as Xu Bing (The Phoenix), Kiki Smith (Rose Window) and Kamrooz Aram (Ephesian Fog). (Professor Barbara Sproul, Religion)
Mona Reed
Nineteenth-century Christian Anarchist and American Socialist Influences on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Political Thought explores how 19th-century Christian Anarchist and American Socialist thought influenced Martin Luther King Jr.’s later rhetoric and projects, particularly his Poor People’s Campaign (1968). By looking at Christian Anarchists texts by authors Adin Ballou (1803-1890) and Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and Christian Socialist economist Henry George (1839-1897), this project seeks to identify King’s lesser-known radical influences and argues that King saw such influences as the logical actualization of practical Christianity. (Professor Tanya Agothocleous, English)
Marina Samuel
Cinema of Liberation: Archiving and Analyzing Third Cinema examines the political and ideological context for the creation of Third Cinema and its role in a larger anti-imperialist project for the Global South. (Professor Jeremy Glick, English)
Lila Tabor
The Normal Heart as Political Intervention examines how Larry Kramer’s 1985 theatre production worked as a public service announcement condemning the US Government’s negligence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The project investigates the power of theater as a mode of political action by researching both early and modern responses to The Normal Heart and highlights some similarities between political action for HIV/AIDS during the 1980s and political action in response to COVID-19 in 2020. (Professor Daniel Hurwitz, History)
Portia Wells
constructions: a virtual dance film experience investigating the idea that the physical body serves as the experiential intersection of social constructionist, queer, and critical race theories and the lived experiences of marginalized and politicized bodies in space. (Professor Maura Nguyen Donohue, Dance)
Rachel Zhang
How Chinese-American Journalists Navigate Identity and Industry uses narrative research to investigate the relationship that Chinese-American journalists have between their ethnic identity and their work, tackling issues like the myth of objectivity. (Professor Karen L. Greenberg, English)