The Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences includes 7 departments: Art, Communications, English and Foreign Languages, History, Anthropology & Philosophy, Music, Political Science, and Sociology, Criminal Justice and Social Work.

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Recent Submissions

  • The Flight of the Junky: Existential Posthumanism and Immanent Life in Early Burroughs

    Hoffman, Todd; Department of English and World Languages (e Open Library of Humanities, 2022-05)
    William Burroughs early book Junky is generally separated from his later experimental fiction. Stylistically it accords much more to realism than the postmodern aleatory method he later innovated. However, Burroughs’ preoccupation with resisting all forms of subjectification, his disenchantment with bourgeois life and his simultaneous literal and tropic use of addiction as a form of flight from powers of normalization and conformity are strongly present in this early work. This paper explores Junky on three fronts. First, it shows the novel as an elaboration of a posthumanist existentialism by emphasizing the materiality of the body through Burroughs’ explanation of the physiological mechanisms of addiction. Through this existentialist posthumanism, the novel critically responds to Sartrian existentialism, which was so fashionable at the time of Burroughs’ writing, and repudiates the Jeffersonian idealization of the transcendental subject and its middle class figurations. The emphasis on the material body simultaneously challenges post-structuralist renderings of Burroughsian readings. This leads to a conception of strategies of flight from all forms of conformity by utilizing Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of the Body without Organs and immanent Life. Junk is a vehicle of flight and self-affirmation, a means of highly individualized, libertarian modes of subjective deterritorialization. Addiction and habitual use are not mere uncontrolled thirsts, but forms of actualizing a wholly detached social and independent individual. But the danger of junk lies in its reterritorializing of the body through new assemblages of need and dependence, leading the protagonist to ultimately seek a different mode of escape. Junk illuminates our posthuman existential condition and leads Burroughs to seek new experimental forms of aesthetic expression.
  • The New Realism: Seeking Alternative to Postmodern Pessimism

    Hoffman, Todd; Department of English and World Languages (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017-04)
    Postmodern pessimism has been newly expressed by Mark Fisher as capitalist realism: the sense that one can't even imagine an alternative to capitalism. Fisher's use of the term realism points to the subjective content of the contemporary capitalist life-world. In contrast, a new brand of realism as assemblage theory has become prominent through Manuel DeLanda: that is, a complex ontology of interwoven networks of immanent unfolding that operate on multiple scales of size. DeLanda supplies a basic ontology of society that, combined with Fisher's sense of realism, elaborates a new potential for socio-economic change. This paper will examine Fisher and DeLanda's views and add the speculative materialist economic work of Benjamin Lozano as a means of bringing the two together.
  • EWL Insights February 2021

    Wynn, Alice; Department of English and World Languages (Augusta University, 2021-02-15)
    Table of Contents: A Conversation with Kiese Layman and Jesmyn Ward (New Mississippi Project and The African American Read-In), Faculty Spotlight (Guirdex Masse), Upcoming events (EWL Scholarship Workshop, SWCA-GA Spring Forum, Speaking Shakespeare, National Poetry Month Virtual Open Mic, Engendering Emergencies: Gender Polities in Times of Crisis and, Sand Hills Magazine), 5 Questions with EWL's Danielle Wardell, Faculty and Student News, EWL Scholarships and Awards 2021 Deadlines
  • EWL Insights: November 2020

    Williams, Seretha; Department of English and World Languages (Augusta University, 2020-11-20)
    Table of Contents: Upcoming Events (An Evening with Michele Harper and Making Fiction Writing Sustainable), Current Students (Madison Brown, Mary lu Kuhl Scholarship), Alumni Highlights, Faculty Spotlight (Christina Heckman)
  • How Do Culturally Constructed Identities Influence Musical Preference?

    Ramos, Lindsay; Department of Communication (Augusta University, 2020-05)
    Through surveys and interviews, this study takes an interdisciplinary approach from both the fields of anthropology and communication to analyze music preference in relation to aspects of identity that are culturally constructed, specifically sex, race, and sexuality. Initially, my research was solely focused on the anthropological aspects of this topic; however, having studied both disciplines, once the data collection began it became clear that the theories and practices can be intertwined, and both are needed in order to fully explain this study. While my research is based on theories and concepts in these fields that will be discussed below, my study sheds light on aspects of this topic that have not been widely studied before,specifically the roles that intersectional, personal, and collective identities play in music choice as well as stereotypes.
  • The Historical Emergence of Art Therapy, its Modern Day Usage, and Possible Alternative Application

    Owen, Connor; Department of Communication (Augusta University, 2020-05)
    This paper focuses on the evolution of art therapy from the founding of the field of Psychology under Freud to the current day’s use in a variety of populations. Art therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association as “an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.” (AATA, 2020) Art therapy falls within the field of client or patient based approaches with the addition of creative work. The paper also addresses a need in research surrounding effectiveness for college-aged students. It is important to note that in the research there appears to be two broad thought currents that descend from Jung’s research and reconvene as modern art therapy, leading to differing opinions on its path from conception to modern use. The paths are one of theoretical philosophy based interventions and practical handson approaches ultimately both utilizing art making as therapeutic practice.
  • THE SECURITY DILEMMA IN RELATION TO RUSSIA’S CYBERAGGRESSION TOWARDS THE UNITED STATES DURING THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

    O'Neil, Rachelle; Department of Social Sciences (Augusta University, 2020-05)
    Voting for public office is often touted as a right, and the ability to do so without interference is vital to the democratic process of the United States. However, during the U.S. 2016 Presidential Election, Russia interfered with the voting process. Given that Russia and the U.S. has a long tenuous relationship that consist of a mutual back and forth, this paper proposes that the security dilemma theory offers an explanation outlining Russia’s cyberaggression toward the U.S. 2016 Presidential Election and whether the aggression posturing was offensive, defensive, or an exchange of both. Additionally, this paper conducts a literature review of the security dilemma theory and the rise of the cybersecurity dilemmas its derivative and ascertains their applicability to the proposed thesis. The paper further argues that in relation to the U.S., Russia, as a Great Power, more likely favors cyberaggression when threatened, real or perceived. This paper uses case analysis as the methodology for testing its research question and answering its thesis. The case analysis comprises of examples of the security dilemma theory, aggression, the cybersecurity dilemma , and cyberaggression exchanged between Russia and the U.S. during the Cold War and 21st Century. After reviewing analysis trends, a discussion follows that covers gapsin this research; advanced knowledge about the theory; the thesis astested; the development or testing of the theory; methodology of cases analyzed; the sources used; measurement of variables; limitations of the study; generalization of results; and finally the reliability or replicability of the results.
  • The Cybersecurity Dilemma and Targeted Advertising

    Martin, Elizabeth; Department of Social Sciences (Augusta University, 2020-05)
    A great debate remains regarding whether cyberspace is offense dominant or defense dominant. This paper reviews the literature of scholars within the cybersecurity offense-defense balance theory discipline. It discusses both the offensive and defensive arguments in detail and determines the United States should ultimately pursue a defensive dominance to ensure cyber superiority. To emphasize the need for defense, the three-year, social-media platform-based, Russian Federation Information Operation serves as a baseline example. Russia not only sowed distrust in the American Democratic process but was successful in inflaming fragile social issues throughout the United States. Russia directly threatened United States sovereignty across an extended period of time and did so, literally from half a world away. This paper serves to develop the role Information Warfare has in manipulation of the Offense-Defense Balance and concludes with the discussion for much needed legislation change, industrial herd immunity, and increased and direct investment in defense and education.
  • AN ACTOR-NETWORK VIEW OF THE CYBER DOMAIN’S EFFECTS ON DEMOCRATIZATION THROUGH ELECTIONS

    Garrett, Eric; Department of Social Sciences (Augusta University, 2020-05)
    Cyberspace conceptualizations include combinations of Internet infrastructure, the devices used to access it, and applications used to encapsulate or communicate data. Other conceptualizations are more abstract. Whether it directly enables democracy as a public sphere, drives economics in the private sector, or securitizes as a domain for information operations, or cyber warfare. These conceptualizations obscure understanding cyberspace’s first order effects on events, and second order understanding related to intelligence and security studies. The research question, can actor-network theory supply a robust theoretical framework to understand and describe cyberspace’s core qualities as a democratizing medium, will be examined in Kenyan, Nigerian, and Zambian use of cyberspace related to elections. Examination of these data points through four elemental characteristics of cyberspace, proliferation, evolution, “spatial hereness,” and linkability, within an actor-network theory will lead to a determination if the totality of cyberspace is a democratizing medium. Lastly, this paper will make general recommendations that can lead to greater understanding of cyberspace that can influence policy and decision making as well as encourage democratic maturity in cyberspace by applying the considerations gained from an actor-network theory perspective.
  • Delusional Disorder in the Narrator of Maud

    Ravula, Havilah; English and Foreign Languages (Augusta University Libraries, 2020-05-04)
    This item presents the abstract for an oral presentation at the 21st Annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference.
  • Portrayal of Mental Illness in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”

    Shaikh, Arika; English and Foreign Languages (Augusta University Libraries, 2020-05-04)
    This item presents the abstract for a poster presentation at the 21st Annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference.
  • The Spaces They Occupied: Women as the Determiners of Success in the French Revolution

    Stewart, Keturah; History, Anthropology, & Philosophy (Augusta University Libraries, 2020-05-04)
    This item presents the abstract for an oral presentation at the 21st Annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference.
  • The Past is a Foreign Country They View Things Differently There: The Perception of “The Invisible Empire of the Ku Klux Klan” as a Benevolent Secret Society from 1915 to 1965

    Typhair, Dillon; History, Anthropology, & Philosophy (Augusta University Libraries, 2020-05-04)
    This item presents the abstract for a poster presentation at the 21st Annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference.
  • Give Rise

    Visintainer, Rachel; Communications (Augusta University Libraries, 2020-05-04)
    This item presents the abstract for an oral presentation at the 21st Annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference.
  • The Art of Conservation: The Federal Duck Stamp

    Harris, Kirstyn; Department of History, Anthropology, & Philosophy (Augusta University, 2019-12)
    President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Duck Stamp Act into law in 1934. The Duck Stamp Act states that any waterfowl hunter over the age of 16 years old must buy a Federal Duck Stamp and that the sales from the stamp go to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund. In the beginning, the government selected an artist to paint the stamp. After a few years of debates, there was a proposal to form the Federal Duck Stamp contest in which anyone could participate. This is the longest-running government controlled contest in the United States.
  • Cyberwar? The US and China

    Grayson Brown, Leon; Department of Social Sciences (Augusta University, 2020-05)
    This paper is the culmination of a great deal of research and effort designed to explore a gap that currently exists between cyber research and international relations. The purpose of choosing the United States and China as the case study is to make this paper as topical as possible by addressing the conflict between the United States, the preeminent global superpower, and the rising power of China, both of which are currently locked in a number of conflicts.In its attempt to bridge the gap between the cyber and international relations fields, this paperintends to begin to explore new ground as to how the creation of the cyber domain might impact international relations. While this paper does focus more heavily on the cyber side of this gap, it is hoped that future papers will build off of this research to further explore our ever-changingsociety and how it might look in the future. This paper will analyze the hard and theoretical data of other researchers in order to build its case that there is currently not an ongoing cyber war between the US and China.
  • Prehistoric Dinosaurs: An Exploration of Fact vs. Fiction Through the Creation of Comparative Sculptural Forms

    Havens, Krista; Department of Art and Design (Augusta University, 2019-12)
    Prehistoric Dinosaurs: An Exploration of Fact vs. Fiction Through the Creation of Comparative Sculptural Forms, is an art exhibition which displays the differences between how dinosaurs look in film and media verses how they are proposed to have looked based on scientific findings. The impetus for this project was to create a kid friendly educational tool, comprised of three hand-sculpted dinosaurs and three resin cast dinosaurs. The species of dinosaurs created were Carnotaurus, Velociraptor, and Dilophosaurus, some of the most commonly portrayed dinosaurs in the film industry. Each scientifically accurate dinosaur sculpture will be placed next to its film and media representation counterpart to allow for the viewer to compare and contrast the differences in the physical appearances.
  • Regime Type and Cyber Terrorism

    Rutland, Josh; Department of Social Sciences (Augusta University, 2019-12)
    Various characteristics of a state and its government affect how it is viewed by potential attackers. The structure of a state’s regime is a critical one of those aspects that can influence many others such as economic policy, cultural ideology, and other components related to a state’s perceived and actual vulnerability. This research will explain how a state’s regime type holds significance in determining its likelihood to be targeted by a cyberterrorist. Different regime types can widely vary in the strength of their overall cyber security and in specific elements of cyber security and policies related to government involvement, security standards, and cultural norms may play significant roles in how different states go about protecting themselves from cyber threats.
  • Two Minute Poem

    Department of English and Foreign Languages
    The creation of two poems using techniques of sampling, mixing, transforming, and reinventing lines from previously written poems of others.
  • Sonnets and its History: A Digital Timeline

    Department of English and Foreign Languages
    A class assignment for HUMN 2010 in Spring 2019 presents the growth and shifts of sonnets through an interactive timeline using Timeline JS software and platform.

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