ROUND 1 PANELS
PANEL 1
Race, Education, & Power in American Society
Chair: Dr. Lauren DiPaula | Carter II, Room 235
Chloe Curbelo
“Industrial Education and High School Efforts during World War II: A Case Study in Columbus, GA”
Columbus State University
Amari Rudison
“Professors’ Attitudes Towards Black English”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Gabrielle Webster
“Resilient Readers”
Valdosta State University
PANEL 2
Journalism Ethics in Film
Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Shiller | Carter II, Room 236
Madison Vickers, Dylan Scott, Trey Clinton, Gabrielle Foster, Rebecca Jones, & Ariyanni Raymon
Georgia Southwestern State University
Panel 3
Uncovering Histories of Girlhood
Chair: Ms. Danielle Taylor | Carter II, Room 240
Lindsey Hogan
“Enslaved Girlhood in Colonial Georgia: An Analysis of Girlhood, Enslavement, and Resistance in Colonial America”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Whitney Brown
“Colonial Girls And The Way They Defined Their Experience”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Brandiyala Jones
“The Spine of a Child v. The Weight of a Race: African American Respectability Politics & Girlhood”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Moderator: Adaora Nwagbara
PANEL 4
Trade, Power, and Culture: Historical Experiences of Conquest
Chair: Dr. Brian Parkinson | Carter II, Room 244
Gavin Tante
“The Iranian Experience of Conquest and Occupation under Arab-Muslim Rule”
Columbus State University
Emery Evans
“How did Islam Shape the Modern Perspective of American Slave Culture?”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Nate Vines
“A Dwindling People: Exploring the Diaspora of the Yuchi Native Peoples of the Southeastern United States”
Georgia Southwestern State University
PANEL 5
Fiction, Fact, & Film: Exploring Narratives of Crisis
Chair: Dr. Annie Laurie Nichols | Carter II, Room 245
Connor Harrington “Pocahontas: Facts vs. Fiction”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Connor Mathis
“The Woods - A Tale of the Georgian Frontier”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Megan Ogden “Checking Out”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Moderator: Amelia Howard
PANEL 6
Gendering Health Care in 21st c. America
Chair: Dr. Gary Fisk | Carter I, Room 106
Janila Diggs
“Turning Back the Clock: From ERA to Roe to Now”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Zaisha Fudge
“A Woman’s Right to Control Her Own Life”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Harleigh Farrell
“Black Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States of America”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Chloe Ard
“Gender-Based Violence and the Failure of Justice”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Moderator: Zac Monnier
PANEL 7
Diasporic Legacies: Politics, Culture, & Memory
Chair: Ms. Brittney Kilgore, PhD candidate, UGA | Carter I, Room 105
Samuel Robinson
“Slavery and Colonialism In Africa”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Morgan Dollar
“Fugitive Femininities: Locating Women’s Agency in 18th c. Virginia Runaway Ads”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Temple Williams
“The Question of Respectability Politics Through the Lens of Children’s Literature in the Jim Crow Era”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Georgia Southwestern’s campus, c. 1945
ROUND 2 PANELS
PANEL 8
Roundtable: Youth Politics and U.S. Political Parties: Richard Nixon and the Republican Party
Chair: Dr. Jason Berggren | Carter II, Room 235
Participants: Connor Harrington, Adriana Hortelano, Chloe Ard,
Daniel Heath Odom, Lindsey Hogan, Connor Mathis, & Jordan White
Georgia Southwestern State University
PANEL 9
Sex and the Body—Envisioning Change in the 21st Century
Chair: Dr. Ellen Cotter | Carter II, Room 236
Makayla Jackson
“The Importance of Sexual Education”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Kendall Gay
“Raising Awareness of Intersex Discrimination and Possible Solutions”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Piper Anstey
“Creating Safe Spaces: Strategies for Supporting Trans Mental Health”
Georgia Southwestern State University
PANEL 10
Sex, Gender, & Power: How Do We Reimagine Relationships?
Chair: Dr. Jon Carter | Carter II, Room 240
Levi Hefton
“From Boston to Lavender Marriages”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Demijanae Nurinda Aguilar
“An Unspoken Struggle Amongst Men: SEM”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Libned Velasquez
“Redefining Masculinity to Prevent Gender-Based Violence in America”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Amelia Howard
“How Gay is it With Socks On: The Aesthetic-Erotic
Hierarchy and Feminine Presentation”
Georgia Southwestern State University
PANEL 11
Modernization & Change: Debating Legitimacy Past & Present
Chair: Dr. John LeJeune | Carter II, Room 244
Rico Mora
“Of Coins and Law: The Establishment of Political Legitimacy by the Emperor Vespasian”
Columbus State University
Josh Haas
“Ramifications of German Unification”
Georgia Southern University
Noah Miller
“The Grinding Gears of Modernity--An Exploration of Nepalese Aesthetics”
Georgia Southwestern State University
PANEL 12
Big Ideas, Big Values: Ethics & Social Change
Co-Chairs: Dr. Judy Orton Grissett & Dr. Debbie Palmer | Carter II, Room 245
Marianna Hall, Charley Contess, & Arya Sheth
“Redefining Love: Valuing Self-Love and Individualism in bell hook’s Communion: The Female Search for Love”
Georgia College and State University
Brenya Lockhart
“The Connection between Animal and Community Struggle”
Valdosta State University
Afeni Powers
“Mystic Chords of Memory: Joy As a Weapon”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Boys in Terrell Hall dorm room, 1943
PANEL 13
Popular Media Politics: Characters and Relationships
Chair: Dr. Penny Dearmin | Carter I, Room 105
Canyon Osgood
“The Color Purple 2023: A Solid But Flawed Adaptation”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Amaya Martin
“To All of Those Who’ve Loved Before”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Makenzi Parr
“The Interpretations of Girlhood in Anne with an E”
Georgia Southwestern State University
PANEL 14
We Didn’t Start the Fire
Chair: Dr. Elizabeth Shiller | Carter I, Room 106
Madison Vickers, Dylan Scott, Trey Clinton, Colby Hernandez, Canyon Osgood, Jonathan Pike
Georgia Southwestern State University
Charlie Baird
POSTERS
“Little Oscar’s First Raid”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Dylan Barger
“Cases of Runaway Boys During Children’s Rights Reformation”
Georgia Southwestern State University
KJ Bentley
“Challenges of Being a Black American”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Khalid Bentley
“The Uproar of Young African American Children in Americus”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Marcus Black
“Died in Sumter: Children & Disease”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Abby Brown
“Printing the Future: Americus Newsboys go to Atlanta”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Aden Bruce
“Weike Wang’s Chemistry and the Effects of Trauma”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Felix Butler
“19th C. Americus African American Hopes for a College”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Javon Byrd
“Soda Fountains to War Work: Americus Youth in the Great War”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Jakobe Chrispen
“Love in Translation: What It Means to Be Raised Asian?”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Hanae Colquitt
“The Role of Self-Efficacy, SelfEsteem, and Depression in College Students’ GPA and Academic Aspirations”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Hilary Diabaka
“The Grey Area of Consent: Rethinking Sexual Assault in Modern Society”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Emily Feagler
“Taste and Class of the Sinclair Family”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Jalanda Freeman
“Faith in Action: Bridging Generations Through Service”
Valdosta State University
Landon Galloway
“Tobe”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Alexia Griffin
“Preserving the Legacy of River Hill Missionary Baptist Church”
Valdosta State University
Haleigh Handy
“Private Pepper of Dogs for Defense”
Georgia Southwestern State University
William Hawkins
“Colonial Georgia”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Colby Hernandez
“Through Irish Eyes: Humanizing British Colonialism Through the Eyes of an Irish Soldier”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Lily Dooley
“Americus Child Bride: Fighting to Escape”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Philipp Hub
“Letters to Santa -Toys in World War I”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Makayla Jackson
“Black Girls and Education in Post-Civil War Americus”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Ku’Mya Jones
“Child Lost”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Leni Kann
“Holiday Consumerism and the Rise of Libraries in 19th Century Americus”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Latanbreanna Keith
“Teachings of Temperance in 19th c. Americus”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Dekeidra Laney
“African American Girls
Post-Civil War”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Dekeidra Laney
“The Last Grownup”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Trent May
“Puritans of Colonial America and their Education”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Maite Martin
“The Love in Bilingual Books: The Impact of a School Book Drive”
Valdosta State University
Stephen McDonald
“The Negative Effects of Japanese Culture on Family Relations”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Kierstin Mcrae
“The Mistreatment of African American Women in Healthcare”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Chanice Miller
“United States Navy in Action, 1941–1942”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Jeslyn Olson
“The Effect of Informational Videos on College Students’ Attitudes Toward Generative Artificial Intelligence and the Environment”
Georgia Southwestern State University
SaNiya Parker
“Unjust Times: Americus Juvenile Court Systems in the 1880s”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Kelin Pearson
“Youth and the Use of Bicycles in Americus, Georgia”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Taylor Poe
“The Arm Clutch in Americus, Georgia - Redefining Femininity in the 1880s”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Ariyanni Raymon
“Baseball, Youth, and Social Change in Americus”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Sergio Saldana Coellar
“Girls Shouldn’t Talk Slang, Right?”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Olivia Smith
“Feathers, Friendship, and the Frontlines: Learning War Through Yussuf the Ostrich”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Logan Stodola
“Quaker Fatherhood in the 18th C.”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Gracie Talent
“When to Remember, and When to Forget”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Jazsmine Tomlin
“The Hardships in Americus in the late 19th Century”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Jazsmine Tomlin
“The Online Self in Cat Person”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Carmiya Upshaw
“From Studio to Spotlight: Youth and Public Attention in 1911”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Madison Vickers
“How Hamilton Connects with American Culture”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Donovius Williams
“Witness”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Lydia Williams
“Brick by Brick: Combating Housing Inequalities with Habitat for Humanity”
Valdosta State University
Jake Wilson
“Analyzing Legacy Themes of American Literature”
Georgia Southwestern State University
Lilly Wilson
“Private Pepper”
Georgia Southwestern State University
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Organizing the GSW Humanities Symposium has meant relying on both the good graces and the commitment of a wide variety of individuals and organizations. We appreciate this support, whether it be in offering critical funding, providing necessary aid to meet the physical demands of a large group event, or simply giving time to engage with student scholars.
We want to extend a special note of appreciation to:
GSW’s academic leadership team, including President Dr. Michelle Johnston Provost Dr. Rachel Abbott, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences Dr. Mark Laughlin, and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Paul Dahlgren
We also recognize all faculty, student, and scholarly program participants who have committed to supporting student presenters during the Friday conference:
Penny Dearmin, Gary Fisk, Ellen Cotter, Debaleena Ghosh, Jon Carter, John LeJeune, Debbie Palmer, Jeff Waldrop, Becca Jones, Annie Laurie Nichols, Brooke Stefancik, Judy Grissett, Brian Mallett, Danielle Taylor, Anh-Hue Tu, Eugenia Bryan, Anne Jacobs, Brian Parkinson, Lauren DiPaula, Elizabeth Shiller, Jason Berggren, Zac Monnier, Dori Nwagbara, Kennedy Daniels, Amelia Howard, Miriam Martinez, Clae Rodriguez, Arianna Morgan, Temple Williams, Morgan Dollar, Cole Parkinson, Alaina Kaus, Brittney Kilgore, and Glenn Robins
Dr Nedialka Iordonova, Dr. Jennifer Ryer, Ms. Jenn Smith, Mr. Bob Slenker, Ms. Malika Jones, & Ms. Sydney Scott have provided time and practical support to manage all the components of a campus conference.
Café Campesino has generously donated coffee services for today’s event.
And a special thank you to the Society for the History of Childhood and Youth (SHCY) for a grant supporting our event and regional conversations about childhood.
