Nonconformity and Romance: An Analysis of Pride and Prejudice on Film

This paper analyzes how a variety of adaptations, including a selection of traditional and offbeat interpretations, transform the story of Pride and Prejudice through the medium of film and makes a case for how successful each film is as an adaptation. The essay argues that Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship is formed on a sense of mutual trust between two individuals who reject some aspect of what is expected of them from their society and culture, and any film adaptation must show how Elizabeth and Darcy go against the social norms of the world of their film in their interactions with each other in order to be successful. In order to analyze the films, this paper explores the directorial choices made for the specific audience of each film, the cultural norms of the world of the film, and a close analysis of how a pivotal scene is portrayed across every adaptation

Deconstructing the AfD: an Analysis of the German Right-Wing Populist Political Party, the Alternative for Germany (VCHC Poster)

The Alternativ für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) (AfD) is a far-right populist party that has quickly grown in power within the past decade, particularly in Eastern German states, due to its emphasis on nationalization, populist rhetoric, and attraction to voters’ fears about immigration and cultural change. The AfD has managed to mobilize strong voting support within five years, gaining parliamentary seats in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) in 2017, and is now considered the main opposition party to the established parties. The AfD is the first right-wing party to gain significant voting attention since 1945, capitalizing on the rise of right-wing ideology. Due to the reactionary pendulum swing after post-Nazi Germany, the Penal Code outright prohibits hate speech and national-socialist ideology; however, the party has survived by walking the fine line between neo-Nazism and ultra-conservative free speech. In addition to inflammatory remarks made by AfD politicians and right-wing personalities, the media has focused its attention on political polarization as a result of widely disseminating explosive propaganda. As the AfD continues gaining traction and forming connections with other polarized and extremist factions, the coalition government endures increased fragmentation, as can also be seen in the United States and other European countries

Determining the Concentrations of Trace Metals in Caffeinated Beverages by ICP-AES

A myriad of different caffeinated beverages are advertised and readily available to consumers. Previous research has identified the presence of elevated levels of metals unsafe for consumption in many of these beverages, energy drinks in particularly. We aim to analyze concentrations of chromium, aluminum, and lead, three such metals, in a variety of different caffeinated beverages. A calibration curve relating concentration of chromium, lead and aluminum to corrected peak height for five solutions of standardized concentration was created using a ThermoFisher iCAP 6000 Series. The same instrument was then used to analyze samples of eight different caffeinated beverages. The corrected peak heights of each metal in each beverage was collected. Using these values in conjunction with the equation corresponding to the relationship between concentration and peak height, the concentration of each metal contained in the eight samples was calculated. The resulting concentrations were compared with both literature findings and safety regulations relating to metal concentrations in consumer products

Trans-Pacific Connections: Chinese Porcelain and Aztec Motifs in Colonial Mexico

This research explores artworks within the Global Baroque as visual and ideological evidence through which colonial power, trade, and cross-cultural influence shaped the material culture of the early modern world. Centering on blue and white ceramics as a key medium of transcultural and trans-local exchange, the study analyzes how global motifs, particularly those drawn from Aztec and Chinese traditions, were reinterpreted, aestheticized, and circulated in Aztec and Novohispanic artistic practices. Through a close observational comparison of Aztec and Chinese decorative systems, the study recognizes contrasting systems of cultural documentation embedded within similar visual forms. Aztec motifs, rooted in ritual, calendrical, and pictographic symbolism, were frequently misunderstood or abstracted into surface patterning by Western historical narratives, especially while under colonial rule. In contrast, Chinese blue and white porcelain, especially from the Ming and Qing dynasties, was received with a sense of admiration tied to its perceived technical perfection and classical elegance. Yet both were subsumed into a visual economy of display, where their meanings were reframed through colonial perspectives and Baroque aesthetics that emphasized excess, theatricality, and accumulation. By examining methods of trade, creation, and acquisition, this thesis argues that the Global Baroque operated as a mediating aesthetic, one that masked and reconfigured the cultural specificity of non-European motifs within systems of power and constructed taste. The continued legacy of these design elements in Mexican art reflects deeper entanglements between collecting, empire, and the production of global art histories. In reframing these motifs not as isolated curiosities but as part of a shared, if unequal, visual dialogue, the study contributes to broader efforts to more deeply understand the impacts and nuances of transcultural exchange, and reevaluate the dynamics of artistic influence

MicroKnight: A Covert Learning Approach for Educational Videogames

Educational video games are a vastly underutilized and poorly developed method of teaching individuals. Research has shown that implementing fun into the learning environment has many benefits, including increased comprehension and knowledge retention while decreasing the cognitive load experienced by the learners. Given this information, educational video games seem like a natural route. However, previous iterations have failed to capitalize on these benefits. This research focuses on player engagement for the new development model, emphasizing imparting educational material. The goal is to create an educational video game that properly educates the player on a given subject while promoting an entertaining environment that doesn’t feel academic. To accomplish this, three primary design principles will be observed. Firstly, to create an engaging storyline that draws in players and provides a narrative reason to progress in the game. Second, a transparent milestone system should be implemented to track knowledge retention and student engagement while rewarding players for progressing with in-game items and cosmetics. Finally, the educational material should be integrated into the game\u27s core mechanics to force the player to learn to play the game

Numerical Analysis of the SEIR Model

Epidemiological models delineate the spread of diseases within a population. In this research project, the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) Model was examined numerically for comparison between several methods. Approximations were obtained through Euler’s Method, Taylor’s Method, Runge-Kutta Methods, and Multi-step Methods. Hypothetical situations with parameter alterations were considered in order to better understand the effects the parameters have on the model. The goal of this project was to portray the usefulness of numerical approximations for predicting the behavior of the SEIR model and thus the course of a pandemic

Thomas Sutpen, Stephen Dedalus, and the Intersection of Creation and Mortality

This paper examines William Faulkner’s Thomas Sutpen and James Joyce’s Stephen Dedalus as parallel creator figures who attempt to transcend their origins and combat mortality by establishing enduring legacies. After suffering humiliation regarding social hierarchy, Sutpen endeavors to create a material dynasty through land acquisition, property development, and the enslavement of non-white people, obsessively seeking to produce a white male heir in the process. Despite his efforts, Sutpen’s physical creation deteriorates, with his most enduring legacy being a distorted oral history beyond his control. Conversely, Dedalus rejects his Irish Catholic upbringing to escape the “nets” of “nationality, language, [and] religion” (Joyce 220), constructing his legacy through aesthetics and poetry rather than physical structures. Dedalus’s villanelle and diary mark the beginning of his artistic transcendence, and he stands on the threshold of artistic success by the novel’s conclusion. Both characters isolate themselves from their families and existing social structures while pursuing their creative goals, suggesting that transcendent creation may be incompatible with established social norms. By examining these characters’ similarities, this paper illuminates broader truths about the relationship between creation, mortality, and social limitations, as Sutpen and Dedalus both strive to create something that outlives them

I Let the Ocean Hear My Song

This chapbook manuscript focuses on themes of sexual identity and yearning. The sequence of poems follows a speaker who indulges in the delusion of being in a romantic relationship with someone they were once friends with. In the manuscript, the speaker must sort through his emotions and accept his truth to have closure from this friendship. The sequence encapsulates a variety of forms. One recurring form throughout the sequence is the alignment of text on the page to signify conversations between the speaker and his imagined lover. The speaker’s dialogue is aligned to the left, and the imagined lover’s dialogue is aligned to the right. Furthermore, the text alignment to the right side of the page is used to showcase the attraction the imagined lover has on the speaker, which is showcased in the poems “Ghosts” and “The Let Down.” Overall, these poems represent the turmoil of being in love with an idealized version of a person over who they are in reality

It\u27s Habit Forming: Nunsense as a Production Electrician

An archive of the experience serving as the production electrician for the University of Mary Washington Department of Theatre and Dance\u27s 2024 production of Nunsense, this blog showcases the development of both technical and intrapersonal skills. A gallery and description of all practical lighting instruments is included, along with journal entries discussing the process of taking the lighting for this production from paper to performance

When I Thought We Were Timeless - Cello Duet

In the Spring 2025 semester, Madeline Berger completed a semester-long composition project within her composition lessons. The piece, When I Thought We Were Timeless is a cello duet inspired by themes of timing and connection. The two cellos are representations of people meeting throughout a lifetime. At certain moments, they connect, only go along their separate ways. The piece showcases a non-traditional form of music notation where there are no measures, and dotted lines to show the musicians when to play together, which helps to represent the timeless nature of the piece. The piece continues within this timeless world, but the moment the piece ends, it succumbs to the idea of existing within time, therefore not actually being timeless at all