RSS 1.0The Spectrum: A Scholars Day Journal
The Spectrum: A Scholars Day Journal, is a faculty juried, cross-disciplinary, electronic journal. Its goal is the publication of outstanding, student produced scholarship presented at the College at Brockport annual Scholars Day. Scholar’s Day, which was instituted in 1984, is an annual celebration of scholarly pursuits by the campus community.
Scholars Day enables students to present scholarly and creative work; to practice disciplinary techniques of public presentation; to learn from fellow scholars and artists across the disciplines; to engage with members of the college community in educationally meaningful events; and to support a college culture of intellectual initiative and academic excellence.
Recent Submissions
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The Spectrum: A Scholars Day JournalScholar’s Day at SUNY Brockport returned to its pre-pandemic format of presentations and posters in 2022. This combined 2022-23 issue of The Spectrum includes a sampling of papers from both April 2022 and 2023 Scholars Day events. The sessions showcased a range of scholarly and creative activities in numerous disciplines, subjects, and specific topic areas. They provide evidence of an active intellectual spirit, inquiring curiosity, and academic ethos as the campus worked to return from Covid. Scholars Day 2022 and 2023 were marked by overall themes related to resilience, empathy, and sustainability. Special thanks to the Scholars Day Committee chaired by the Office of Scholarship, Research, and Sponsored Programs (Laura Merkl, Matt Kotula, Meghan Irving, and Kim Remley), keynote speaker Dr. Marcie Desrochers, poster judges, students, and faculty who helped to make Scholars Day a success. Brockport’s hosted journals like The Spectrum have a new look emphasizing individual author contributions that make articles more discoverable at the individual item level and include improved metadata without the appearance of a traditional journal. The change represents an opportunity to consider new forms of scholarly communication and dissemination. We hope that you find it engaging and welcome your feedback.
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The Spectrum: a Scholars Day Journal Volume 7 (Spring 2021)Scholars Day at SUNY Brockport was held online for two years during the Covid pandemic (2020 and 2021). The online format was challenging for students as well as conference organizers. Courses were forced to pivot to online learning almost overnight. Masks, weekly Covid testing and 6’ social distancing were the norm for those on campus. The online version of Scholars Day included a mix of posters, videos and more. This 2021 special issue of The Spectrum includes a small sample of student posters published to recognize the quality and commitment to student scholarly and creative activity that continued throughout this period.
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Reflections on/from the Asylum in Chekhov’s "Ward No. 6" and Bulgakov’s "The Master & Margarita"Within both Anton Chekhov’s "Ward No. 6" and Mikhail Bulgakov’s "The Master and Margarita" the institution of the asylum serves as a lens to observe the corrupt character of Russian society at discrete historical moments. While the two works differ in the specific implications resulting from the incarceration of criminally deviant and diseased, but also dissenting intellectual characters in their respective societies, they are united by similarities in the oppressive and coercive representations of authority.
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The Influence of Subtle and Blatant Prejudice on Group IdentityRecent research on social distancing and intergroup relations focuses on the black sheep effect—the notion that individuals will distance themselves from deviant group members—and out-group discrimination (Johns et al., 2005), but does not examine the relationship between the black sheep effect and negative attitudes. Additionally, research suggests that the degree to which prejudice is detected varies with the type of prejudice expressed—blatant or subtle (Meertens & Pettigrew, 1997). The current research tested whether the type of sexual prejudice expressed by members of one’s in-group, influences the amount that individuals identify with their in-group and the individual expressing prejudice. Participants were exposed to either blatant or subtle prejudice and completed several questionnaires assessing identification with their in-group and the individual expressing prejudice. Results revealed that exposure to blatant prejudice was related to greater social distancing from the individual expressing prejudice and one’s in-group than exposure to subtle prejudice.
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Hercules: the Spiritual Emphasis in EuripidesHercules: the secular and the spiritual, examines the work of two ancient playwrights, Seneca and Euripides, comparing their individual treatments of a common Hercules tragedy narrative. Although both writers are considered existing within the era of classical literary history, there is a gap of nearly 400 years between when Euripides wrote Hercules for a Greek Dionysia Festival, and the version that Seneca wrote while serving as a statesman in Rome. Likewise, there is a noticeable difference in how each play treats the topics of spirituality and religion. This essay explores the choices that each playwright makes concerning their depiction of gods, mortal men, and the origins of violent madness, positing that Euripides’ work is rooted in deep religious traditions while Seneca modifies his source material to tell a secular tale of caution and cultural morality.
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Perfect: A Photo StoryThis session highlights a photography project on women’s bodies completed for a fall 2010 WMS 360 Sex and Culture class. Eleven women posed for this project; all of them college-aged. The project captures ways we and others view women’s bodies. Audience members will have the opportunity to consider how society defines beauty as captured in the backdrop of the song “Perfect” by Pink, analyzed through the lens of both the artist and the models.
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Plastics Come of Age2019-04-22Explaining the growth of the plastic industry and modern environmental movement.
