STUDENT RESEARCH
Thesis Projects
Our students have a wide range of research interests, reflecting the diversity of the field of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Some recent M.A. thesis projects by WGSS students include:
Shayla Robinson, “Refusals and Re-Creations: Imagining Utopia through Black Lesbian Affect in Modern Dance,” (2018), directed by Tiffany King
Katherine Nelson, “The Enduring Kind: Conceptions Of Freedom For An Unstable Present” (2018), directed by Megan Sinnott
Andreanna Nattiel, “Bringing Sex To Theory: Sensational Affinity, Pleasure, and Sexual Pedagogy” (2018), directed by Susan Talburt
Jennie Lambert, “Women’s Narratives of Their Experiences with the Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)” (2018), directed by Susan Talburt
Candice Merritt, “Our Sacrifice Shall Not Be Required: Examining Maternal Ambivalence and Refusal in Black Motherhood” (2018), directed Tiffany King
Lisa McGuire, “Talking about Clone Club: A Textual Analysis of Orphan Black” (2017), directed by Megan Sinnott
Sarah Abdelaziz, “Ratcheting a Way Out of the Respectable: Genealogical Interventions Into Atlanta’s Respectability Politics” (2017), directed by Tiffany King
Jainey Jung Yeon Kim, “Picturing Queer Death: Alternative Instantiations of Temporality within Process Art” (2017), directed by Susan Talburt
Samantha Pinson Wrisley, “Misogynists Have Feelings, Too: An Analysis of Circulating Affect in The Red Pill” (2017), directed by Susan Talburt
Jordan Forrest Miller, “‘I Wanna Know Where the Rule Book Is:’ YouTube as a Site of Couternarratives to Transnormativity” (2017), directed by Megan Sinnott
Lesia Pagulich, “Queering the Nation?: Analyzing the Politics of the LGBT Movement in Ukraine After the Maidan Protests” (2017), directed by Susan Talburt
Alexa Adamo Valverde, “‘In Black and White, I’m a Piece of Trash:’ Abuse, Depression, and Women’s Pathways to Prison” (2016), directed by Megan Sinnott
Sesali Bowen, “Bitches Be Like…: Memes as Black Girl Counter and Disidentification Tools” (2016), directed by Tiffany King
Sumita Dutta, “Spirits in the Food: A Pedagogy for Cooking and Healing” (2016), directed by Tiffany King
Nathan Frisch, “Alternative Modernization, Indigeneity, and Affective Capture in Contemporary Bolivia” (2016), directed by Susan Talburt
Megan Mabry, “Mapping Transgender Narratives in a Digital Age” (2016), directed by Susan Talburt
Syeda Mahmood, “Planning Obsolescence: Generational Labor, Welcoming Crisis, and Actualizing Immaterial Bonds” (2016), directed by Amira Jarmakani
Schillica Howard, “(De)Tangled: an Exploration of the Hierarchies in the Natural Hair Community” (2015), directed by Tiffany King
Kristyn Johnson, “Sexy Ambiguity and Circulating Sexuality: Assemblage, Desire, and Representation in Seba al-Herz’s The Others” (2015), directed by Amira Jarmakani
Ruby Kett, “Gendered Admission: Transinclusive Admissions Policies at Women’s Colleges” (2015), directed by Susan Talburt
Brandy Pettijohn, “‘You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup’: Self-Care and Spiritual Activism in Queen Afua’s Sacred Woman” (2015), directed by Amira Jarmakani
Juliana Ramírez Rodríguez, “From Panic to Pity: Circuits and Circulations of the Contemporary Anti-Trafficking Crusade” (2015), directed by Amira Jarmakani
Cecilia Troiano, “‘Lean In,’ ‘Opt Out,’ and the Journey to Happiness: Brazilian College Women Imagine Freedom” (2015), directed by Susan Talburt
Kelsey Waninger, “The Veiled Identity: Hajibistas, Instagram and Branding in the Online Islamic Fashion Industry” (2015), directed by Amira Jarmakani
Taryn Jordan, “The Politics of Impossibility: CeCe McDonald and Trayvon Martin – The Bursting of Black Rage” (2014), directed by Amira Jarmakani and Tiffany King
Siobhan Cooke, “Cooking Up Authenticity: Latina Celebreties, Cookbooks, and Consumerism” (2014), directed by Amira Jarmakani
Sarah Beasley, “The Commercialization of the Atlanta Pride Festival: ‘Somebody’s Got to Pay for It’” (2014), directed by Megan Sinnott
A digital archive of theses since 2006 can be found here: ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University
Contact Us
Street Address
Institute for Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies
Georgia State University
25 Park Place
Suite 2201
Atlanta, GA 30303
Mailing Address
Institute for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 3969
Atlanta, GA 30302-3969