As Clifford Geertz describes it, culture is comprised of the social structures of which we attach significance to that ultimately gives our lives meaning. In the case of Taiwan, a 20th century democratic revolution, coupled with the introduction of modernism into Taiwanese literature, attaches significance to feelings of nostalgia, the importance of memories, and the struggle to find one's personal identity in a rapidly changing environment. This essay explores these themes under the guise of Bai Xian-Yong's "Taipei People" and Zhu Tian-Xin's "The Old Capital." Despite being written nearly forty years apart, these two books use modernist storytelling to directly challenge each other's idea of the Taiwanese collective consciousness, which greatly contributes to the narration of the formation of Taiwanese culture post-1949. What emerges from a tumultuous 20th century is an assured, independent Taiwanese culture that both accepts foreign influence and also expresses a distinct personality.

American Sign Language (ASL) is a manual language that communicates through gestures, facial expressions, and body language. In the United States, there are over six million sign language users (Mitchell & Young, 2022). At Arizona State University, there is a limited offering of classes for undergraduate students to take sign language; they can take up to four levels, which is satisfactory for degrees’ foreign language requirements. If students wish to proceed with their ASL education, they must transfer to a different university. The purpose of this study and subsequent research is to propose an ASL minor that can be established at ASU so that students can receive an in-depth education. Survey data was collected with the intention of determining how students felt about ASL and the addition of a potential minor. The survey findings, coupled with the secondary literature review, lead to the conclusion that establishing an American Sign Language minor is in the best interests of both the students and the University.

This project focuses on the changes in levels of violence from original fairy tales to their Disney counterparts, specifically Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” and The Brothers Grimm’s “Cinderella”. It uses Sigmund Freud’s theories on the pleasure and reality principles and the life and death drives to analyze why the levels of violence in the original fairy tales became less acceptable over time. The analysis concludes that the original stories embodied Freud’s life drive and reality principle, whereas Disney’s counterparts emphasize his death drive and pleasure principle, and ultimately, modern consumers place more value on the latter. Research is provided to support the assertion that the numerous traumatic events that occurred in the first half of the 20th century caused consumers to make this switch in value. Further speculations are made on the impact this project has on the interpretation of Freudian theory, and how this paper interconnects with current research on disability representation in Andersen’s and Grimm’s stories. The project concludes that the shift in valuing the pleasure principle and death drive over the reality principle and life drive indicates that modern consumers would rather be pacified with pleasurable thoughts that taught important but stark morals about life, society, and themselves.

Making Use of Massinger seeks to provide a framework by which educators can facilitate more meaningful discussion about premodern and early modern texts including playwrights like Shakespeare and Phillip Massinger. Establishing modes of engaging with literature (and thus the uses of literature) from the scholarship of Dr. Rita Felski and Dr. Ayanna Thompson, this project analyzes a study conducted by Haley Rominger on ASU undergraduate students on their reactions to Phillip Massinger's play "The Roman Actor". Ultimately this study showed that a deeper dialogue was attained in discussing topics that had modern implications such as race, gender, and power dynamics.

This paper considers acclaimed American writer Jack Kerouac's Buddhist practice within his life and writing, and its influence on his unique syncretic vision of America, a country that in his eyes is defined by its variability. Particular emphasis is placed on Kerouac's inspiration from Japanese monk D.T Suzuki's theories of Zen Buddhism, and how these theories allow Kerouac to develop a more profound connection to the American wilderness, and the country in its entirety.

Modern media meant for light consumption tends to lean heavily on tropes and assumptions that don't really exist in literary fiction. Authors writing today are aware of this manner of reading and often tailor their messages to it. However, the framework doesn't really work for older novels. They were not written for this modern lens, and therefore, make their criticisms in ways that modern readers might not understand. So what does this mean for modern readings of these books, modern adaptations of these stories, or even modern original stories set in these time periods? This thesis explores these questions through perusing Bram Stoker's Dracula, Jane Austen's Persuasion and the 2022 Netflix adaptation of such, and the first season of Netflix's Bridgerton.

In the United States, the majority of the population suffers from some form of trauma. There are many ways that an individual can cope and accept their trauma, but two practices stand out as an inexpensive, flexible option for many. Bibliotherapy is the use of reading literature as a way to learn more about and understand one’s trauma through the perspective of others. Expressive writing is the practice of writing and reflecting about one’s own traumatic experiences, as well as the emotions that are tethered to it. In this paper, I explore the fields of bibliotherapy and expressive writing as forms of therapy by reviewing the history, use, goals, and effects of each in the context of mental and emotional well-being. Intertwined with the scholarship is my own self-guided bibliotherapy of reading memoirs and poetry collections related to my trauma and self-guided expressive writing in which I wrote a short collection of personal essays and poetry, finding that both fields, separately and used together, are effective avenues for trauma healing.

This thesis examines statements made about immigration and mental health in Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie follows a young Nigerian immigrant as she navigates her move to the U.S. and explores the meaning of belonging and identity in the U.S. and Nigeria. Henriquez’s The Book of Unknown Americans is about a Mexican family that immigrates to Delaware in order to secure better treatment for their daughter and touches on the nuances of the Latinx immigrant identity in the U.S. Both of these texts feature the lack of resources and support available for immigrants of color which eventually lead the characters to return to their country of origin. This thesis posits that Adichie and Henriquez are both suggesting in their respective works that the U.S. fails to ensure the success and well-being of immigrants which leads to a deterioration of mental health and feelings of not belonging. A Portrait of Neglect considers the real life implications of Adichie’s and Henriquez’s ideas and the impact of their representations of immigration and mental health.