Illuminating Insights: Graduate Research in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences

At this year’s Graduate Student Scholars Symposium, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences graduate students presented their compelling contributions to their fields. Their work challenged societal norms, uncovered the impact of war on cultural traditions, and explored the intersection of poetry and publication history. This work also deepened our understanding of the past and provided valuable frameworks for shaping the future.

Holidays and Patriotism in World War I America

Laura Neis (‘25 MA War, Diplomacy and Society) presented her research, “The Value of Holidays in World War I America,” which examines the transformation of holiday celebrations during wartime. Her analysis of newspaper archives reveals how celebrations of the Fourth of July and Christmas became expressions of patriotism and loyalty to the U.S. government, strengthening morale at home and abroad. Her research also highlights how marginalized groups, including Black and Jewish Americans, navigated this patriotic fervor differently, often resisting mainstream narratives that excluded their perspectives. Emancipation Day became an alternative to the Fourth of July for many Black Americans, while Jewish Americans grappled with the Christian dominance of secularized holiday celebrations. Neis’s study demonstrates how holidays became political tools, shaping collective war sentiment while reinforcing cultural values that did not always include all Americans.

(left to right) Cheyenne Hebert (’26 MFA Creative Writing), Margaret Elysia Garcia (’26 MFA), Sydney Boone (’26 MFA) presenting their project, “Who’s the Best?: Contributor Demographics and Publication History in The Best American Poetry.”)

Investigating Poetry Publication and Selection

In a collective research effort, Abbie Berman (‘26 MFA Creative Writing), Sydney Boone (‘26 MFA Creative Writing), Fletcher Brower  (‘26 MFA Creative Writing), Margaret Garcia  (‘26 MFA Creative Writing), and Cheyenne Herbert  (‘26 MFA Creative Writing) investigated contributor demographics and publication history in The Best American Poetry anthology for their project, “Who’s the Best?: Contributor Demographics and Publication History in The Best American Poetry.” Their study focused on the 2024 volume, identifying patterns in poet selection based on gender, age, location, education, and original publication history. As MFA students themselves, the researchers are particularly interested in how degrees impact an individual’s chances of being included in the anthology. Their findings offer insights into the complex relationships between poets, editors, and publishers while establishing a framework for analyzing poetry selection in literary culture. Their work raises important questions about credibility and visibility in the publishing world and provides future researchers with a model for evaluating poetry trends over time.

→ Read the entire article on The Voice of Wilkinson website.
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