Quetzalcoatl is the journal for Humanities research at NCSSM-Morganton.  Named after the Mesoamerican god of Wisdom, Crafts and Learning, the god Quetzalcoatl is often depicted as a plumed serpent.  The name also honors the local Guatemalan community in Morganton, many of whom are both culturally and linguistically Maya.  The majority of the articles in Quetzalcoatl resulted from investigation and writing done in the Morganton Research in Humanities program, but it also publishes student work from the full range of Humanities classes and experiences on our campus including American Studies and senior Humanities electives.

Quetzalcoatl is published annually in the Spring Semester and edited by a team of students who were in the Research in Humanities class.  If you are interested in working on the Quetzalcoatl editorial board you can either elect to do it as a Senior Leadership Campus Service position that you apply for in the Spring of your Junior year or you can join the Quetzalcoatl Forum in the Spring of your Senior year after having taken RHUM.

2025-2026 Editorial Board

TBD

Faculty Advisor:  Dr. Marcelo Aranda (marcelo.aranda@ncssm.edu)

•  Vol. 3 Paper Submission Deadline - January 31st, 2026

Quetzalcoatl Vol. 2- Spring 2025

Table of Contents

Letter from the Editors

Culture, Music, and Art

Echoes of Inequality: Power, Art, and Cultural Memory in La Belle Époque 

by Willa Briggs (Research in Humanities) 1-20

Mound Builders: Artifacts by Riley Hoffmeier (American Studies I)  21-28

Evolution in Ink: the Value of Tattoos Through History by Meghan Leonard (Research in Humanities)  29-43

High Tides, Lowlands, and the Music in Between: Imperialism through the Lens of the Sea Shanty 

by Paige Sonzogni (Research Experience in Humanities) 45-51

Film and Media Studies

A New Era Of Indian Representation in American Television: Exploring Arranged Marriage as a Racializing 

Plotpoint on Sitcoms During the Last Two Decades by Samriddhi Dubey (Research in Humanities)  53-66

Exploring the Freudian Double in Contemporary Film by Disha Sharma (Film Studies)  67-72

 Dissociative Identity Disorder in Horror and Thriller Films by Claire Slusser (Film Studies)  73-77

From Madame Butterfly to the “Oxford Study”; Mapping the Metamorphosis of Western Perception Through the 

Cinematic Portrayal of Relationships by Rhianna Zhu (Research in Humanities)  79-94

Politics, Law and Economics

A Tale of Two Justices:  John Marshall and Joseph Story by Jacob Binder (Research in Humanities) 95-110

Māori Activism and Parliamentary Representation Through the Lens and Influence of the Treaty of Waitangi,

the Māori Representation Act 1867, and the Rise of Political Parties 

by Sarah Hedgecock (Research in Humanities)  111-126

Advertising and the Rational Consumer by Michael Lowry (Research in Humanities) 127- 143

Race in America

A Step Forward or a Harsh Awakening? World War II and the Fight for Civil Rights 

by Anil Chintapalli (American Studies II)  145-149

The Southern Miracle by James Ross (Southern Studies)  151-155

Religion, Literature, and Language

Voodooism: From Sacred Tradition to Stigmatized Myth by Manya Bharal  (American Studies I)  157 -162

The Intersection of Language and Identity by Justin English (Modern World Fiction) 163 - 167

Beyond Fate’s Design:  The Destiny bound to the Pandavas and Kauravas by Kushala Kota (Research in Humanities)  169 - 183

“The South” by Jorge Luis Borges - a Translation by Laira Lee (Modern World Fiction)  185 - 190

Religious Influences on the Role of Women in Traditional Navajo Society by Sahara Wiggins (American Studies I)  191-197

Science, Medicine and Technology Studies

Peter Parker and Western Medicine’s Role in the Opening of China by Lexi Li (Research in Humanities) 199 - 216

Autonomy and Beneficence for Drug Users: Oxy-continuation of the US Opioid Crisis by Sabrina Liu (Bioethics) 217 - 221

How Ronald Ross’s Malaria Research Enabled European Imperial Ambitions 

by Disha Sharma (Research in Humanities) 223 - 235

Looking At Faith Through A Neurological Lens:  Exploring Altered States of Consciousness Across Religious and 

Spiritual Experiences  by Leyla Urmanova (Research in Humanities) 237 - 255

Women and Gender Studies

Les Queers Français:  Nonbinary Expression in Québecois and Metropolitan French 

by Elizabeth Fleury (Research in Humanities) 257 - 272

Snakes, Witches and Beatles:  In Defense of Yoko Ono by Hadley Lord (American Studies I)  273 - 276

How Laura Keene Contributed to Modern Femininity by Evie Salam (American Studies I) 277 - 283

Cultural Shifts: The Role of Media and Social Justice in Shaping Queer Conversations in Puerto Rican Culture 

by Fernando Sanchez (Research in Humanities) 285 - 296

Abigail Adams: A Lady to Remember by Nicole Taylor (American Studies I) 297 - 303

When Tradition Traps: Understanding Women’s Descent into Far-right Extremism 

by Nyna Vallurapalli (Research in Humanities)      305 - 318

Afterword to Quetzalcoatl Vol. 2