INQUIRY

New York University • College of Arts and Science
of a dancer’s body that produce movements marked by fall,
rebound, recovery and suspension. How the movement of
José Limón translates from real-time to two-dimensional
stillness is determined by the particular choreographic characteristics
of the Limón technique and by the photographic
techniques of each dance photographer—including Imogen
Cunningham, Barbara Morgan, and many others—who has
documented José Limón both in performance and as a posed
subject. This analysis offers an understanding of how the
collision of two art forms can bridge the gap between the
eternal and the ephemeral.
At the End, Hope: The Future of the Story as Argued by
the Comics of Grant Morrison
Chengqi Alexander Lu, English and American Literature
Sponsor: Professor Teresa Feroli, Technology, Culture and
Society, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering
The comics of Scottish writer Grant Morrison liberally
draw from the American Superhero canon. This thesis
explores the way Morrison uses metafictional devices to
elucidate the existence of a symbiotic relationship between
readers and storytellers. In The Filth, Morrison argues fiction
is a form of wish fulfillment where writers express ideas in
their stories that they wish to see reflected in the future. Then,
in Flex Mentallo, Morrison connects this theory to comics
history. He argues comics, which once influenced positive
change in the real world, have negatively impacted societal
development since the dawn of the Dark Age of Comics heralded
by Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. Finally,
in Final Crisis, he casts the DC Comics hero Superman as
a universal symbol for hope that saves the multiverse from
“the end of all stories.” This thesis situates Morrison as an
advocate for the past, present and future of comics, which
help engage the general public in the rapidly widening world
of comic studies.
Inner Struggles, Outer Terrains: The Militarization of
the U.S./Mexico Border, 1910–1930
Elizabeth Maguire, History
Sponsor: Professor Andrew Needham, History
Events in the period from 1910–1930 including the
Mexican Revolution, World War I, the threat of a typhus
epidemic and growing demands of agribusiness and mining
companies had a profound and lasting impact on the United
States’ border with Mexico. Over the course of two decades,
the border was transformed from a region of fluid exchange
and crossing to a hardened and militarized boundary. This
thesis highlights how people in the transborder communities
of El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Chihuahua viewed this
transformation and how changes to the border affected
their everyday lives. The work builds upon both secondary
sources and original research done in the archives at the
University of Texas El Paso to address the events that led
to the militarization of the border and its impact on local
communities. The study thereby addresses a gap in current
historiography by linking national events with local trends.
In order to understand the complexities of the border in the
present day, it is essential to examine the historical context
that led to its initial militarization at the turn of the century.
The French Corsican: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Transition
from Corsican Nationalist to French Revolutionary
(1766–1799)
Emily Maloney, History
Sponsor: Professor John Shovlin, History
In worldwide historical and cultural memory, Napoleon
Bonaparte is remembered as the embodiment of the French
Revolution who overhauled France’s political system and
built it into an empire. This view is complicated by the fact
that Napoleon was actually Corsican rather than French and
was known to be a devoted Corsican nationalist well into
his young adulthood before changing his allegiance and
siding with the French Revolutionaries. This paper examines
Napoleon’s initial fervor for Corsican sovereignty and
his transition into what others perceived as a loyal French
patriot dedicated to the Revolution’s ideals. Based on an
examination of Napoleon’s published letters, speeches and
other documents that demonstrate his primary rhetorical
technique of constantly emphasizing and drawing upon his
French identity, it is argued that this transformation created
Napoleon’s French identity, which he used as grounds to
justify and gain support for his initial seizure of power in
1799. The question of Napoleon’s national identity is one
often overlooked in Napoleonic historiography. Through
the investigation of this topic, however, the author hopes to
offer a justification of why it is so crucial to understanding
Napoleon as a historical actor and thus should be given
more consideration.
Science and Non-Fiction in Science Fiction: The Vietnam
War and Star Wars
Tucker Chet Markus, Global Liberal Studies
Sponsor: Professor Matthew Longabucco, Liberal Studies
This thesis is an individual and comparative analysis
of science fiction in film and how it critiques contemporary
sociopolitical events. This study discusses George Lucas’
1977 film Star Wars and how its narrative use of technology
presents a clear commentary on the Vietnam War. By
showcasing individual scenes, characters and narrative
choices made in the film, lines of correlation to contemporary
historical events of the time will be drawn: specifically,
how the United States government framed and fought the
spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The terminology
used by American leaders in the decades before and during
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