Thanks We would like to thank Boston College, the Institute for the Liberal Arts, and the Office of the Dean for the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences for the financial support that makes this issue possible. QuEsTions & ConTribuTions If you have any questions, please contact the journal at elements@bc.edu. All submissions can be sent to elements. submissions@gmail.com. Visit our website at www.bc.edu/elements for updates and further information. CovEr © Dark Sevier / Flickr PEriodiCiTy Elements is published twice an academic year in the fall and spring semesters. ElECTroniC Journal Elements is also published as an open access electronic journal. It is available at http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/elements. ISSN 2380-6087 The information provided by our contributors is not independently verified by Elements. The materials presented represent the personal opinions of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Elements or the Boston College community. Elements, Undergraduate Research Journal, Volume 12, Issue 2, Fall 2016 Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Service Building 103, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 Printed by Flagship Press,150 Flagship Drive, North Andover, MA 01845 Copyright © 2016 by the Trustees of Boston College This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. ElEmEnts staff Editor-in-chiEf BEtty (yunqing) Wang Managing Editor anniE KiM dEputy Editor alEssandra luEdEKing trEasurEr ashEr (sEungWan) Kang layout Xizi (KElsEy) zhang, Senior Editor ElisE hon, Assistant Editor sEWon (Jason) oh, Editor huManitiEs JacoB ciafonE, Senior Editor isaBElla doW, Senior Editor laura casado, Editor EMily tang, Editor social sciEncEs sydnEy applE, Senior Editor MichEllE Kang, Senior Editor BEnJaMin fErri, Editor asad pasha, Editor natural sciEncEs david fu, Senior Editor JEssica Bolduc, Editor JunghWan KiM, Editor MEdia & puBlicity annE donnElly, Senior Editor MadElinE gEorgE, Assistant Editor WEB Editor MinKi hong, Senior Editor officE ManagEr Billy huBschMan faculty advisors Jason cavallari ElizaBEth chadWicK https://www.flickr.com/photos/sevier/4352548442/in/album-72157623298590017/ mailto:wangnk@bc.edu Dear Readers, As Elements continues to grow as a research journal in both print and digital forms, we hope it creates a platform for undergraduate students to show- case not only the content and outcomes of their studies, but also the various methods and formats in which research may be conducted and communi- cated. The articles selected to be in the Fall 2016 issue of Elements raise an array of important yet complex questions and approach them from interest- ing and original perspectives. We have included three articles that highlight issues concerning race and racism in America, each with a unique focal point. The cover article, “Alter- native Truths: The Construction of Narratives in the Rodney King Trial,” centers on how the defense’s presentation and contextualization of the vid- eo of the beating led the jury to a different interpretation of seemingly self- explanatory evidence. Author Soyeon Kim offers a detailed analysis of the images, metaphors, and rhetoric that the defense employed to construct a narrative of black criminality and police heroism that resonated with the jurors. Sarah Sullivan’s article, “Extralegal Violence: The Ku Klux Klan in the Reconstruction Era,” seeks to uncover the motivations and ideologies behind racial terror in a period that historians have often overlooked. Fi- nally, to direct our attention back to the present day, Clare Kim critiques the one-dimensional portrayal of Asian characters on television in “The Blindspot: Asian Misrepresentation in Orange Is The New Black.” Juxtaposing two similar yet different objects of research can help illuminate the characteristics of both. In “Our Lady of Impossibility: Gendered Stan- dards in Islam and Christianity,” Lindsey Chou compares Mary’s role in the two religious traditions and examines how this unattainable ideal impacts women of faith in society. In the meantime, Max Blaisdell’s article, “Tuni- sian Exceptionalism or Constitutional Timing,” identifies key elements of a successful democratic transition by contrasting the processes and actions undertaken after the Arab Spring in Tunisia, where the attempt was effec- tive, with those in Egypt, where it has failed. Oftentimes, ideas and techniques from another field or discipline can provide valuable insights on the focus of one’s study. In the current issue, Madeline Leddy’s “Myth or Truth: The Apollonian and Dionysian in The Death of Ivan Ilyich” and Benjamin Flythe’s “Dreams and Sexuality: A Psychoanalytical Reading of Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze” both use the Apollonian-Dionysian dichotomy in Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy to interpret the work of another artist or author. In “Extra Point Under Review: Machine Learning and the NFL Field Goal,” James LeDoux investigates the factors behind field goal success and kicker ability through the application of statistical models. Furthermore, this issue includes two articles in which the effective use of storytelling and anecdotes makes the arguments more compelling and memorable. In “Meeting Henry Hills: Printer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty,” Violet Caswell unveils the history and culture behind the Burns Library’s copy of The Life of St. Ignatius, Founder of the Society of Jesus through the story of its printer. Last but not least, follow Natasza Gawlick into the emerging field of music therapy in “Thank You For the Music,” as she examines case studies of children with autism that have benefited from musical activities. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Elements seeks to encourage readers to engage in active reflection, investigation, and discussion on cam- pus and beyond. Whether you have the opportunity to read all of the articles or only a few, we hope they can kindle your curiosity in the complex prob- lems and enduring questions of our age, and demonstrate some techniques that may help you comprehend and dissect them. Happy reading! Best, Betty (yunqing) Wang Editor in Chief Editor’s NotE