Oregon Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 15 No. 1 (2019)
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Cover art by Isabelle Amezcua
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Item Open Access When Worlds Collide: Manichaeism and Christianity in Late Antiquity(University of Oregon, 2019) McClain, Sierra DawnTrade and travel played a tremendous role in connecting Sasanian and Roman empires in late antiquity. Yet this exchange between Persia and Rome was not confined to the movement of peoples and objects; it encompassed the movement of religious ideas. Giving readers a front-row seat to the turbulent 3rd – 5th centuries CE, this paper educates about the spread of religion between east and west—the reverberations of which are still felt today. The spread of Manichaeism, founded by 3rd century prophet Mani, is addressed. Manichaeism, because it did not survive as a global religion to the present, has often been overlooked by modern academia. Yet at its height, Manichaeism was one of the world’s most prominent religions. Additionally, this paper explores the spread of Christianity in late antiquity. Although Christianity’s diffusion has been widely studied, its penetration into the Arab world has often been overlooked. This paper explores the interchange between east and west.Item Open Access The Sensationalization of the "Homophobic Muslim": Tracing the Roots of Islamophobia and Homophobia(University of Oregon, 2019) Safdari, N.Within the white supremacist imaginary has emerged a highly sensationalized figure: the "homophobic Muslim." Islam's proximity to Blackness fosters the Islamophobic ascription of criminality and bigotry to Muslims. Homophobia and heterosexism, however, in addition to the notions of gender and sexuality themselves, are white supremacist constructs, dating back to the Middle Passage. Thus, the "homophobic Muslim" narrative operates as a branch of white supremacy, positioning the racialized migrant subject as both illegitimate and threatening, as well as camouflaging the innate anti-Blackness of homophobia altogether. Through examination of the works of numerous preeminent Black feminists and other LGBT academics of color, this paper delves into the anti-Black origins of Islamophobia and the Islamophobic nature of the dissemination of the "homophobic Muslim" in popular discourse, as well as the coloniality of gender, sexuality, and homophobia. Labeling Muslims as the source of homophobia and bigotry more generally also functions to justify structural violence against the "homophobic Muslim" at the same time that it claims that such a figure is a threat to the neoliberal democracy. Findings include the examination of Iran's sociopolitics and the relationships between contemporary LGBT folks and their Muslim families. Further research is necessary to establish a clear relationship both between the "homophobic Muslim" fiction and real, material violence committed against Muslim individuals, and between the imposition of Western heteropatriarchal systems around the world and the persistence of bigoted attitudes towards homosexuality in imperialized regions, while white spaces increasingly claim to be moving in "progressive," liberal directions.Item Open Access The Role of Originality in Retrieval from Long-Term Memory: Relations Between Fluency, Originality, Working Memory Capacity, and Crystallized Intelligence(University of Oregon, 2019) Murphy, DillonTo better understand the cognitive processes necessary for successful verbal fluency (a measure of retrieval from long-term memory) performance and why individuals differ in performance, the present study (n = 148) examined relations between fluency, originality, corrected fluency, working memory capacity, and crystallized intelligence. Results demonstrated that fluency significantly and positively correlated with originality; however, many of the relations between fluency, originality, corrected fluency, working memory capacity, and crystallized intelligence varied across the different category fluency tasks (animals and supermarket items). Additionally, an examination of the output position (order) of recalled items indicated that original items tended to be emitted towards the end of the recall period. Recalling common items prior to unique items may serve as a strategy by which participants begin their search through long-term memory by focusing on the most easily accessible items before emitting less accessible items. Indeed, individuals who increasingly recalled common items before unique items tended to recall more items overall, but this finding also varied across the fluency tasks. Collectively, the results suggest that originality, working memory capacity, crystallized intelligence, and output position are all factors that should be taken into consideration when accounting for variation in verbal fluency performance.Item Open Access The Ethics of Developing New Treatments: A Case Study of the West African Ebola Outbreak and the Use of Randomized Control Trials(University of Oregon, 2019) Noubossi, NellyThe 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic was the most devastating Ebola outbreak in history, killing over 10,000 people. During the outbreak, the WHO led efforts to design the best method to test the potential treatments quickly. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were proposed as the best method, although many experts opposed their use, deeming them inappropriate in the context of an epidemic. Despite the long debate, RCTs were used to test the available treatments. This paper presents arguments both supporting and opposing RCTs, and analyzes a few example RCTs conducted to answer the following question: “were RCTs effective at helping researchers fight the epidemic?” This paper argues that RCTs were not the best approach for two reasons: the principle of equipoise requires that patients are provided available treatments; if RCTs were to be used, they should have begun earlier to ensure the validity of the findings.Item Open Access Sa’di and the Safavid: The Material Culture of a Treasured Persian Manuscript Now at UO(University of Oregon, 2019) Louie, ElmiraThe Burgess MS 43 manuscript of Sai'di's Bustan and Gulistan, now at the University of Oregon Special Collections Archive, was created in 1615 CE in Persia. It was later transported to Europe, where the original Persian leather binding was swapped for a more European style: soft, red velvet with two silver clasps. John Ruskin, the preeminent art theorist of Victorian England, once held this manuscript in his own private collection. Ruskin’s view of a Persian manuscript eloquently depicts the richly decorated first page, "wrought with wreathed azure and gold, and soft green and violet, and ruby and scarlet, into one field of pure resplendence. It is wrought to delight the eyes only; and it does delight them.” The intricate illuminated ornaments open a window to the Safavid dynasty. In this paper, I will reconstruct the manuscript's original historical and cultural context, returning us to seventeenth-century Shiraz.Item Open Access Meet the Editorial Board(University of Oregon, 2019)Item Open Access The Power of Undergraduate Research(University of Oregon, 2019) Snodgrass, J. JoshItem Open Access Letter from the Editor(University of Oregon, 2019) Pearman, Joshua J.Item Open Access Cover Art—“ Corona de Rosas Espinosas”(University of Oregon, 2019) Amezcua, IsabelleThis piece is a stance against Machismo Culture, another name for Toxic Masculinity, that is prevalent in Latin America (as toxic culture is a part of all cultures). As a biracial Latina woman who grew up in the border town of Chula Vista, California, and later Portland, Oregon, I saw a lot of toxic behaviors from both Latino and White men. Simply existing as a female meant that catcalls were very common, whether while walking at night or being out in general. Thus, I had to grow to be hyper-aware of my surroundings. This piece lets me reclaim some of my own space, and the horns and the flower crown are reminders that people can be feminine, strong, and tough. We don’t need to be told to smile, we don’t need to be soft and approachable, we can be tough, neutral-faced, and spiky. We can wear jewelry, we can wear makeup, and we don’t owe strangers our time or conversation.