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Description
Paraprosdokian is a collection of stories about all different types of lives in Phoenix, AZ. There are several stories that work together, involving lonely teenagers at punk house shows, while the rest standalone: the eclectic interactions of a waiter at a 24-hour diner, a blind fair ride operator with a propensity for accidental murder, a hapless son of a clumsy dental assistant, a literary scholar stuck in an addiction to both Kafka and pornography, a kid who learns that writing is not a formula, and a high school death that nobody cares about. Some pieces unfold parts of 21st century culture that have been knotted in ambivalence, like how men raised on pornography reconcile with intimacy, while others are as simple as trying to encapsulate the experience of growing up in what is often perceived as an artless suburbia. The project aims at mixing prose with photography to create, as Ben Lerner describes it, “a constellation of language and image”—a complete artistic product. Using the work of a local Arizona photographer, the collection complicates a reader’s elementary notion of a “picture book” by forcing the reader to view photographs beyond exposition or symbolism. The title of the collection comes from a term used in comedic rhetoric that refers to a figure of speech in which the latter part of a statement or phrase reorients one’s understanding of the whole. Under this definition, the collection seeks to amend its author and reader’s orientation to Phoenix in a quest for empathy, giving pathetic characters a chance to speak without ever sacrificing a touch of humorous joy.
ContributorsFritz, Chandler Harrison (Author) / Soares, Rebecca (Thesis director) / Farmer, Steve (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
"The Art of Humans Being" is a feature length screenplay in the same vein as an original Pixar animated script. The story takes place in New York City, and focuses on our heroine, 13-year-old high school senior and certifiable genius, Lu, and our hero, 17-year-old high school senior of average smarts, Finn. We are first introduced to these characters as they struggle with fitting in both at school and in their lives at home. Lu and Finn feel a disconnect with their families, but both share a common appreciation for art and the escape it provides. Though her entire family is involved in artistic and creative pursuits, Lu has never painted a day in her life but dreams of one day being a great artist. Finn, on the other hand, has inherited his deceased mother’s immense talent with a paintbrush, but is hesitant to live in her shadow. Upon seeing their desire to paint, their high school art teacher—Miss Ro—encourages Finn and Lu to enter the world-renowned art competition Palette Parfaite, created by the famous French artist Madame Inès. In order to enter this art competition, contestants must dive inside a painting. As such, Lu and Finn are forced to literally enter the art world. Once inside the painting, they are introduced to colorful characters, stunning landscapes, and an entire studio of art materials that can only be described as every artists’ dream. However, the more time they spend inside the painting, the sooner Lu and Finn realize that this dreamlike world is not quite what it seems. "The Art of Humans Being" seeks to explore the world of art through the following questions: What happens to the forgotten art that has been discarded after being deemed “not good enough” to be finished? What happens to human beings who are treated the same? And finally, what happens when we accept people for who they are and what they create, even if they have flaws; even if they’re still works in progress?
ContributorsGraves, Cassidy Aadland (Author) / Bernstein, Gregory (Thesis director) / Maday, Gregory (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The following collection of YA prose poems have been designed to inspire and promote literacy among adolescents via its layers of depth and context while offering a productive and positive outlet for maturing emotions. By harnessing these emotional and psychological forces, we can inspire adolescents to use reading and writing to find meaning in their lives. These poems provide young adults with themes that reflect the growing pains and types of coming-of-age experiences that they can relate to and that helps them to make sense of their world. As educators, we want our students to fall in love with reading and writing. We must recognize that literacy is another significant developmental need of young adults and that YA poetry helps to bridge the gap between children's stories and adult classics thereby allowing for a smoother transition. This collection of poetry means to challenge our students to self-reflect and develop their own unique connections with the text. Adolescents need to be made to laugh and cry about issues concerning them, issues treated seriously and respectfully. Teenagers are on a journey of self-discovery and they are still trying to figure out who they are. Their need for peer acceptance must be balanced by their need for individuality. The following collection of poems makes use of a YA voice that transcends time and addresses issues concerning young adults of any multicultural generation.
ContributorsLepage, Michael Jean-Pierre-Kaina (Author) / Blasingame, James (Thesis director) / Ball, Sally (Committee member) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
"The Half-Open Pomegranate" is a collection of four short stories based on Armenian characters balancing their cultural identity with their national identity in the Diaspora. The image of the half-open pomegranate is a symbol of what Armenia has become. The pomegranate, which is the motherland, was ripped open during the Genocide of 1915. Her seeds have scattered all over the globe, sprouting new communities which are still thriving to this day. As William Saroyan once said, "For when two [Armenians] meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia." The titles of my stories are the names of the protagonists, or "seeds" of the pomegranate. My first story, "Dr. Balian," is written about a thirty-something-year-old physician who struggles with doing what is best for herself, even if it means being the subject of hearsay. "Razmik" is a story about a teenage boy who copes with grief-related anxiety, and learns the importance of his place in the Diaspora. "Sarkis" is written from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran whose drunken perspective about regret and forgiveness touches lightly on the idea of reconciliation between the Armenians and the Turks. My last story "Noor" is written from the perspective of a young girl who struggles upholding the demands of her culture while pursuing her dream of becoming a pilot, an unconventional path for an Armenian female. Each of these stories embodies the strength of the Armenian people, who are more than just victims of Genocide. They are fruitful, resilient, and indestructible.
ContributorsSafarian, Rafaella Pearl (Author) / Bell, Matthew (Thesis director) / Fore, Chad (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In collegiate athletics, recruiting talented prospective athletes is imperative to be successful at the Division I level. This creative project aims to explore the recruiting culture of NCAA Division I women's soccer programs across the United States. More specifically, it will analyze the surfacing trend of recruiting players at increasingly younger ages and evaluate how this trend is affecting institutions, coaches, recruits, and the game as a whole. In today's recruiting landscape, youth soccer players are being recruited by college coaches as early as seventh grade with some athletes offering verbal commitments before they even enter high school. With 333 Division I women's soccer programs in the country, competition to recruit the most talented athletes has caused the age at which athletes are being recruited to take a dive. While college coaches feel it is wrong to be recruiting players this young, if they don't secure the top talent now, their teams won't win in the future and they will be without a job. Throughout the course of this creative project, multiple prospective athletes, college coaches, and youth club soccer coaches provide insight into their own experiences in this recruiting age. The future of recruiting in this collegiate sport is more deeply discussed, concluding that in order for this trend to be slowed or halted, the NCAA must step in. Additional resources and information such as the NCAA rules governing the process and suggested recruiting timelines for players are available for prospective athletes who are currently going through the recruiting process or just getting started. Website: https://minimaddie14.wixsite.com/recruitingepidemic
ContributorsStark, Madison Ann (Author) / Zermeno, Gilbert (Thesis director) / Casavantes, Michael (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Public Affairs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
The novella Flicker by Rachel Ponstein is a climate fiction story. It draws influence from the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres as well as classic gothic literature. The story utilizes elements of gothic literature including Freud's Uncanny, uneven framing, and bildungsroman. It also utilizes subhuman species to incite conversation about the importance of perspective and the use of an alternative lens on the post-Reckoning world. The disaster story is ambiguous to focus the reader on the importance of the characters and their progress throughout the journey rather than the overall plotline. The analysis below serves as an explanation for the intentional decisions made to fit a sub-genre and engage the reader in an intellectual conversation about the issues broached.
ContributorsPonstein, Rachel Kay (Author) / Fette, Donald (Thesis director) / Hoyt, Heather (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Perhaps the most compelling thing about any one human being is their story. There are stories that get shouted through media, thus reinforcing their social value. There are also stores that go systematically untold, diminishing or erasing the social value of those they represent. My creative project, The People Project, seeks to give incarcerated writers a platform (albeit small) on which to share and develop their stories (through submissions to Iron City Magazine), and to share my own story of teaching within the prison walls. The People Project is a collection of short essays that seeks to explore the personhood that exists underneath the mandated orange outfits, and ultimately seeks to prompt discussion about the incarceration system as a whole.
ContributorsKilian, Kylie Michelle (Author) / Wells, Cornelia (Thesis director) / Berry, Shavawn (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05