Humanities and Design

PARDON MY POLITICAL SPEECH: GERMAN AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS AND THE SEDITION ACT OF 1798

Themes History, Politics, International Politics,
Faculty Member Dr. Courtland Ingraham
Academic School
School of Humanities
Description This project explores how the Sedition Act of 1798 impacted German American voters in the Early Republic. When the Sedition Act of 1798 took effect, over 277,000 German Americans lived in the United States. As the largest community of non-English speakers in the early United States, distrust towards the growing German population through the colonial period shifted dramatically after the Sedition Act took effect, as German American voters became a targeted voting bloc in elections throughout 1799 and 1800. Today, the Sedition Act is remembered as America’s first constitutional foray with First Amendment rights and one of the first institutional pressure tests of the American presidency against abuses of power. Indeed, at least 26 individuals who published views that were critical of the Adams administration were arrested under the Sedition Act. This article will explore this episode through the lens of identity politics by comparing the eighteenth-century concepts of sedition between American, English, and German law, and analyzing contemporary newspapers to understand the effect that the Sedition Act had on German American political discourse. Initial research will be presented at the Society for German American Studies Symposium in April 2025 and has been solicited for publication in the Yearbook of German American Studies (due August 2025).
Remote Participation? Yes
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INTERACTIVE POETRY

Themes Digital Writing and Narrative Design, Graphic Design,
Faculty Member Dr. Holly Karapetkova
Academic School
School of Humanities
Description This project will focus on developing interactive poetry using Twine or other appropriate applications. The student researcher will collaborate at various stages of the process (depending on their interest and expertise), from brainstorming subject matter and generating text, to conceptualizing the format and interactive components of the piece (sound, image, and text), to actualizing the piece using Twine, coding, or other applications. Interactive poetry is a new medium with enormous potential, much of which is still being discovered, so the student should be open to exploration and experimentation. No previous experience with poetry is necessary, though knowledge of Twine, coding, or other applications is appreciated. The project will result in one or more co-authored works to be submitted to peer-reviewed literary journals.
Remote Participation? Yes
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ENCHANTING THE CITY: POSITIVE IMAGES OF CITIES IN PICTURE BOOKS

Themes Education, Literature, Psychology
Faculty Member Katie Peebles
Academic School
School of Humanities
Description Many picture books are set in beautiful countryside or idyllic small towns. In contrast, urban settings seem crowded and dirty. Recently, however, more books are imagining city neighborhoods that are magical in themselves. This kind of reframing goes beyond the theme of finding nature within the city. Instead, it imagines an urban landscape that is beautiful because of its distinctive characteristics. This approach also lends itself to place-based education and helping children find magic in their surroundings, knowing that adults value them, too. While not dismissing the real difficulties and inequities many children encounter, these new books emphasize beauty and hope. The student researcher will investigate the social and historical context of picture books with positive images of cities, analyze the interconnections of text, images, and culture, seek out more examples of urban picture books, and/or improve and add to the project website. This project will contribute to an article and an online database of picture books with positive depictions of cities.

 
Remote Participation? Yes
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PROJECT 1: USING BIM AND VR TO RESEARCH OPTIMAL INTERIOR MATERIALS FOR OUR AGING COMMUNITY

PROJECT 2: CAMPUS LIBRARY SPACES FOR HYBRID LEARNING +

Themes Health-Related, Interior Design
Faculty Member Moira Denson
Academic School
School of Art & Design
Title Project #1

Using Bim And Vr To Research Optimal Interior Materials For Our Aging Community
Description Project #1 In collaboration with Interior Design Industry partners, and MU faculty, you will have the opportunity to research optimal interior design living spaces and their material properties. This project will build on faculty research publications and the 2023 presentations by MU faculty and the 2023/ 2024 Research Fellows to get the message out about healthy interior spaces for the aging adult with the use of BIM and VR. The work will continue to be shared through community-focused publications and as references in the MU Interior Architecture + Design Classrooms.
Title Project #2 Campus Library Spaces for Hybrid Learning +
Description Project #2 In the Fall of 2023, Interior Architecture + Design User Centered Design Graduate students/ faculty invited University facilities directors to participate in a panel discussion on Higher Education Spaces needs. This experience launched a design charette (workshop) on how spaces/ and products on a campus could improve the hybrid learning environment. This research project will explore how an existing library space can utilize these outcomes and best support hybrid learning. Focus will be on the Boldt Room in the Reinsch Library as a “test”. Research Fellow will support faculty in identifying the challenges and opportunities within the library space for supporting today’s learning experiences. Process and outcomes will be shared through visuals and evidence based design summaries.
Remote Participation? Yes
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