The Chinese Studies, French-Francophone Studies, and Global Studies programs of the Global & Cultural Studies Department are pleased to present their 2026 Spring Capstones

Monday, May 18 – 1:00-6:00 pm

Karen Hille Phillips Center, Room 201
Ness Family Lobby

Click on each student name to see their presentation title.

1:00-1:05 pm - WELCOME - Professor Wilkin

General Introduction and Panel 1: Faith, Ideals, and Anxieties in Contemporary China

1:05-1:30 pm - Catherine Winford

Who's the Real Enemy?: Alien Others in Contemporary American and Chinese Science Fiction

1:35-2:00 pm - Mia Ruhoff

What Heroes Do (For Us): An Archetypal Comparison Between the Greek myth of ``Hercules`` and Chinese myth of ``Houyi``

2:05-2:30 pm - Lea McDonald

To Be Loyal: The Regulation of Religion in China

2:30 - 2:40 pm -Break

2:40-2:45 pm - Professor Wilkin

Panel 2 - Upholding and Revitalizing Culture Through Art

2:45-3:10 pm - Alexander MacKenzie

Continuity of Connection: How Thousand Year old Tradition of Written Word has Influenced Contemporary Chinese Artists

3:15-3:40 pm - Nya Spivey

Drawing on Community: Exploring How Art Disrupts the Impact of Racial Hierarchies in Public Spaces in South Africa (during and post-apartheid)

3:40 - 3:55 pm - Break

3:55-4:00 pm Professor Wilkin

Panel 3: Narratives and the Populations They Silence, Shape, and Contain

4:00-4:25 pm Areli Arauja Ruiz

Framing the Dream: Executive Branch Discourse and Legal Protections for Unaccompanied ``Alien`` Children

4:30-4:55 pm - Marushka Krone

Catastrophe and the Catalyst: How Radiological Disaster Constructs the Human Surplus

4:55 - 5:00 pm - Professor Wilkin - Closing Remarks