Christopher Newport university The Cupola 2020–2021 The Cupola 2020-2021 Volume 15 The Undergraduate Research Journal of Christopher Newport University 1 Avenue of the Arts Newport News, VA 23606 The Cupola is the undergraduate research journal of Christopher Newport University. Publication of The Cupola is made possible by the generous support of the Douglas K. Gordon Endowed Fund. Papers published in The Cupola have undergone review by the Undergraduate Research Committee. The final product has been edited and compiled by the Office of Under- graduate Research and Creative Activity. The Cupola is published in print and online at cnu.edu/research. Each student published in The Cupola is awarded a $100 stipend in recognition of their fine work; the top two accepted submissions are awarded $500 from the Douglas K. Gordon Endowed Fund. For a full color version of this issue, please visit cnu.edu/academics/research/cupola. The Cupola (Newport News, Va. Print) ISSN 2688-5913 The Cupola (Newport News, Va. Online) ISSN 2688-5921 Volume 15 ©2021 All rights belong to individual authors The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Dr. David A. Salomon, director Dr. Michaela Meyer, academic director (757) 594-8586 cnu.edu/research my.cnu.edu/research A Note from the Director Welcome to the 2021 edition of The Cupola, Christopher Newport University’s undergraduate research journal. As the director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity, it is my pleasure to serve as the journal’s editor, establishing guidelines and facilitating the vetting process. Our top two essays, Douglas Gordon Award-winning pieces by Brooke Nixon (in psychology) and Allison Lyne (in English), reflect the diversity and the complexity of research conducted by Christopher Newport’s undergraduates. Nixon examines the role of grit in success among male and female STEM majors; she will graduate in 2022, has been involved a variety of undergraduate research activities, and plans on a career in cybersecurity. Lyne’s work looks at the role of female friendship in early modern literature; a 2021 graduate, she plans a master’s on the way to career in academia. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (OURCA) is proud of these students who, with enthusiastic and skilled faculty mentorship, continue to produce insightful and meaningful work. The OURCA would like to thank the members of the 2020-2021 Undergraduate Research Committee who vetted and reviewed the many fine submissions received: Co-chair Dr. Andria Timmer, Co-Chair Dr. Olga Lipatova, Dr. Dae Hee Kim, Dr. Anna Teekell, Dr. Farideh Doost Mohammadi, Dr. Mohammad Almalag, Dr. Robert Winder, Dr. Michael Mulryan, Ms. Mary Sellen and Dr. Michaela Meyer. Thanks to Courtney Michel, creative services manager of the Office of Communications and Public Relations, for her astonishing talent, patience and artistry in designing the layout of The Cupola. Special thanks to Provost David Doughty, Vice Provost Geoffrey Klein and OURCA administrative assistant Michaele Baux. Dr. David A. Salomon Director, Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity July 2021 Dr. Douglas K. Gordon Dr. Douglas K. Gordon taught at Christopher Newport College and then University for 28 years. He arrived at Christopher Newport College in 1980 as assistant professor of basic studies. In 1982 he was promoted to associate professor of English and in 1988 to professor of English. He became dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) in 2002 after serving a year as associate dean. As dean, he chaired the Task Force on Curriculum and Academic Life that developed the Liberal Learning Core Curriculum, the only complete revision of the general education curriculum in the history of CNC/CNU. Because of his commitment to professional development, he established CLAS Dean’s Office Grants that have resulted in at least 10 book manuscripts, proposals, chapters and revisions. Gordon held many leadership positions at the institution. He was president of the Faculty Advisory Committee (predecessor to the Faculty Senate) for two years, chair of the Department of Basic Studies and the Department of English, and NCAA faculty athletics representative. He founded Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society at CNU and was faculty adviser to Alpha Chi National honor society and Sigma Tau Delta International English honor society. He chaired the Football Feasibility Committee that led to the football program and served as master of ceremonies at Department of Music events like Holiday Happening and as a reader for the Classic Club’s dramatic readings. He was the “Liberal Learning Guy” for HR orientation of new employees and during admissions events. His scholarship is in the areas of dogs in literature, teaching writing and bluegrass and country music. Publication of The Cupola is largely made possible due to Gordon’s generous and continuous support of undergraduate research and creative activity. Table of Contents Allison Lyne “‘I to Live and Die Her Slave’ The True Nature 8 of Female Master-Servant Relations in Early Modern Tragedies” Winner of the Douglas K. Gordon Cupola Award Brooke Nixon “Diversification of Women in STEM: The Role of Grit” 19 Winner of the Douglas K. Gordon Cupola Award Olyvia Bailey and Elizabeth Bergman “The Covid College Experience: 30 The Effects of Covid-19 on the Life and Learning on a College Campus” Amanda C. Banks “Pandemic Pressures: Student Experiences in 50 Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic” Saran Cherif and Carlie Carter “Identity, Instability and Belonging: 71 Experiences of First Generation College Students” Nick DeHoust “Martin Heidegger and Daniel Rozin: 74 The Saving Power of Technological Art” Emma C. Dixon “Lost in translation: Film adaptations 86 of queer coming-of-age novels” James F. Duffy “Authorizing Sustainability: How University 105 Decisions Influence Student Environmentally-Responsible Behaviors and Sustainability Literacy” Alexander W. Freeman “Equity Valuation Theory & Applications” 125 Madison Hoecker “Comparing the Effects of TGF-β Inhibitors on 134 Glioma Growth Through Mathematical Modeling” Camille Kaiser “Female Friendship in Context: A Psychoanalytic-Deconstructive 137 Reading of Female Friendship in Toni Morrison’s Sula” Nafeesa Lodi “A Tale of Four Governors: An Analysis of Adaptive 150 Work and Communication Towards an Effective COVID-19 Response” Jack Lynam and Rafael Diaz-Cruz “Named Entity Recognition 169 for Toxic Spans Detection” Mikaela Martinez Dettinger “The Role of Modern Technology 172 in Spirituality Mediated by Wilderness” Joy Messina “The Politics of Pot: The Role of the Local Media in 189 Framing Attitudes about the Legalization of Marijuana in Virginia” Zenith Nguon “Female Friendship in My Brilliant Friend 205 by Elena Ferrante: Creation of the Individual” Jonah Peters “Print and Practice: 19th Century Ukiyo-e Prints and 216 Their Influence on Japanese Tattoo” Joseph Rekus “Inducing Separating Equilibria as a Strategy for 233 Scholarship Award Distribution” Abby Saether “A Prescription for the Dissatisfied Society: 247 Synthesizing Ágnes Heller and Axel Honneth” Sydney L. Smith “‘And We’re Still Talking About It’: 260 Redefining Black Femininity Through Female Friendship and the Evolution of Microaggressions” Madelyn Tatum “Psychosocial Development in Disney Music: 273 The Impact of Childhood Favorites” Abigale M. Waclo “Ending Mass Incarceration: A Critical Analysis 284 of the Norweigan Criminal Justice System in Search of Carceral Solutions for the United States” Grace N. Wilson “Psychological Perspectives on Eminem’s Music: 300 Empowerment Themes, Music Therapy, and the Effects of Violent Music” Vic Windt “‘Jenny, Darling, You’re My Best Friend’: 314 Examining Queer Female Friendships in Young Adult Literature” Jordan Winnett “Trouble at Sea: China’s Claims in the 330 South China Sea in Light of International Law” Katherine Witmer “Homelessness and the Hostile Environment” 340 “‘I to Live and Die Her Slave’ The True Nature of Female Master-Servant Relations in Early Modern Tragedies” Allison Lyne Winner of the Douglas K. Gordon Cupola Award Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Margarita Marinova, Department of English Abstract When considering friendships in the literary canon, some of the most recognized ones are be- tween males: Nick Caraway and Jay Gatsby; Hamlet and Horatio; Darcy and Bingley; Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippin are just a few out many. Meanwhile, female friendships have rarely been explored and are only recently being acknowledged by scholars. As this topic of female friendship continues to be “discovered” and analyzed in a literary context, it is evident that the relationships between females within Early Modern texts are hardly discussed. Because the classical definition was explicitly limited to the elite male, females were considered incapable of achieving a true, virtuous friendship with one another. This was especially true with women who differ in the social hierarchy, as they defy both the gender and social class requirements that were established by Aristotle and Cicero. Yet, the relationships between mistresses and their ladies in waiting on stage and within literary text indicate toward a deeper, personal bond that cannot be experienced by one that is solely based around mutual concessions and compromis- es. By examining the intimacy within these connections, these relationships between female mistresses and their servants demonstrate a closeness that is characteristic of a classical, ideal