Anthropology - Butler University

perspective and people do not hear a woman's point of view or see the difficulties she faces.
Abigail Disney has addressed these issues by creating documentaries and beginning two
nonprofits. One of these is Peace is Loud, an organization that supports female voices and
international peace-building through nonviolent means. Her first documentary, Pray the Devil
Back to Hell, tells the story of a group of Liberian women who helped bring peace to their
community by pressuring the warlord Charles Taylor, who was allegedly using drugged teen
boys to commit atrocities such as rape and beheadings, to stop warring with the rebels who
challenged him. She has also told the stories of women facing war in Afghanistan, Colombia,
Bosnia and the Congo. Disney told the Global Fund for Women that people need to hear the
stories of women affected by conflict directly because "they are smart, fierce, creative and
amazing people who have a lot to say." She is a board member for the organization which
promotes women's rights through grants to support and promote women’s action for social
change, equality, peace, and justice worldwide. My presentation will include a poster with
information pertaining to women's rights, perspectives and actions during war and advocating for
peace. It will also have information on the work of Abigail Disney, her documentaries, and
nonprofits. I hope to have access to a laptop on which I can play clips of her documentaries, as
well.
HISTORY
Learning from Sesame Street
Jessica Bair, Faculty Sponsor: David Atkinson, Purdue University
When Sesame Street debuted in 1969, Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the co-creators, had no idea the
global reach the show would have. Shortly after the United States was introduced to the
educational television show, Germany asked for help in bring Sesame Street to their
country. This began Muppet Diplomacy, which eventually spread around the world. Also in
1969, the Vietnam War was raging and President Nixon was ready to begin his “secret plan” to
end the war. The idea of Vietnamization was to pass the responsibilities of fighting the war from
the US troops to the South Vietnamese troops. While Sesame Street and the Vietnam War seem
to have little in common, the ideas behind Muppet Diplomacy and Vietnamization are
similar. Both of these forms of United States foreign relations strove to incorporate the local
populations of the countries into a framework originally created in the US. One of the programs
took into account the native culture and customs and one did not. Guess which one succeeded.
“As Soon as a Coin in the Coffer Rings/ the Soul from Purgatory Springs”: Economic
Challenges to Black Plague Desolation of London 1348-1650
John Evans, Faculty Sponsor: Vivian Deno, Butler University
Present day, the city of London is a progressive, globalized giant. It is the capital of a first-world
nation and an imperative reserve to the world economy. Oddly enough, the turning point of
London’s development came at a time of struggle, scarcity, and demise. London’s economic
institutions established prior to the outbreak of the Black Plague in 1348 enabled it to survive
and prosper, catalyzing it to become the city we know today. The city’s unique relationship with