Monarch Review, Vol. 5 (2018)
Dear Reader,
Has it ever occurred to you that someone had to invent the number zero? Once upon a time, humankind had no symbol to represent … nothing. In fact, once upon an even more distant time, we had no symbol for any number. We lacked the concept of a number that might exist apart from things themselves. I’m not even sure what that last statement means. I think it means that, in those days, we couldn’t say “3 walnuts” or “3 wombats” because we lacked the abstract idea of a number—3, in this case—that could pertain to anything and everything that existed in discrete units. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? But one mathematician here at Methodist was curious about our ancient ideas relating to mathematics and has written a paper on “figurate numbers,” a system of ideas among the ancient Greeks. David Shane’s paper is published in this fifth volume of the Monarch Review. I invite you to read it and be pleasantly baffled, as I have been. Read it a few times perhaps, and something new will seep into your mind, something you probably never imagined before.
This is scholarship. Study what others have thought and written, and reach an understanding, an idea you never had before. This volume of the Monarch Review presents Mr. Shane’s scholarly paper and six others. Gender roles—the roles of men and women—clash at the heart of a literary analysis of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short stories in Cheri Todd Molter’s paper. The elasticity of the human mind threads through three very different papers: one by Sheryl Brock explores the nature of compassion and the ways it can be cultivated; a chemistry paper by Katayoon Dowlatshahi describes the action of the pharmaceutical antidepressant Effexor; and a report on some original psychology research, by Taylor Porter and David McNeil, investigates the nature of memories, lies, and false confessions. Race relations in this country are at the center of two other papers—Cheri Todd Molter’s analysis of 18th century newspaper ads appealing for the capture of enslaved African Americans who have escaped their masters’ control and Katayoon Dowlatshahi’s sociological examination of 20th century affirmative action bans and the related decline in minority students’ enrollment in colleges and universities.
Interestingly, two of the eleven artworks in this volume also take on race relations, the shocking Caged Bird and ominous In Need of Change. Other works range from the exuberantly abstract to the formally figurative. Whether worked in paint, digital design, collage, drawing, or print-making, these images have been brought to life by our six student artists: Karen Britton, Khalil Coleman, Heather Miller, Mary Sue Parker, Sierra Romero, and Tony Taylor, Jr.
Very soon, Acting President and Provost Delmas S. Crisp, Jr., will take his leave of Methodist University. He has been a steadfast friend of this journal from its inception. While many individuals, high and low, have meaningfully contributed to the Monarch Review, Dr. Crisp’s support was simply vital. We couldn’t have done it without you, Dr. Crisp. We’re grateful for your many years of service and your dedication to academic opportunity and excellence.
And now, here is volume 5, for your pleasure and enlightenment.
Best regards,
Baylor Hicks
Managing Editor
Peer-Reviewed Research
The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Experience: An Analysis of the Literary Devices in Her Short Stories (American literature)
Cheri Todd Molter
Figurate Numbers: A Historical Survey of an Ancient Mathematics (mathematics)
David Shane
Eighteenth Century Mastery: Strategies, Resources, and Behaviors of White Power (history)
Cheri Todd Molter
Modern Day Segregation: An Examination of Affirmative Action Bans (sociology)
Katayoon Dowlatshahi
Compassion (Honors Program)
Sheryl Brock
The Incidence of False Confessions Under High Cognitive Load (psychology)
Taylor M. Porter and David McNeil
An Analysis of Major Depressive Disorder and the Effectivity of Effexor XR® (Venlafaxine Hydrochloride) in its Treatment (chemistry)
Katayoon Dowlatshahi
Juried Artwork
Artists’ Statements—Heather Miller, Sierra Romeo, and Tony Taylor, Jr.
Artists’ Statements—Khalil Coleman, Mary Sue Parker, and Karen Britton
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| Selfie—Distorted Heather Miller |
Pondering Heather Miller |
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| Reveal Sierra Romeo |
Monochromatic Life Sierra Romeo |
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| Mother Nature Tony Taylor, Jr. |
Caged Bird Tony Taylor, Jr. |
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| In Need of Change Khalil Coleman |
My Second Home Khalil Coleman |
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| Untitled 1 Mary Sue Parker |
Untitled 2 Mary Sue Parker |
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| Desert Sand Karen Britton |
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