EDITOR’S INTRODUCTION
One of the exciting things about Scientia et Humanitas is that as a journal showcas-

ing student research, our contributors come from many academic fields of study across the 
Middle Tennessee State University campus. The Scientia tradition is proudly supported 
by the Honors College, and since 2011 the journal has provided a home for students who 
wish to share their work with the academic world. In this volume, we have work on topics 
as disparate as Navajo literature and quantum computing. While variety is important, our 
ultimate goal is to produce a journal of the highest quality.  Our article acceptance rate 
this year was 42%, reflecting the competitive nature of our submissions process. 

As a student of composition and rhetoric, I know the benefit of communicating 
effectively to an audience. I also understand the many challenges when attempting to be 
an effective communicator. Our journal’s contributors have worked hard to produce man-
uscripts for publication, but they also endeavor to create pieces that have the potential to 
alter a reader’s understanding of the world. Those who engage with Volume 9 of Scientia 
will undoubtably benefit from these new perspectives. 

This year’s submissions underwent a rigorous review cycle from peers, editors, and 
faculty. Those who worked through the process and persevered have proven their un-
yielding dedication to excellence. Our team of staff members, all of whom are students, 
worked around busy schedules to provide contributors with quality editing and detailed 
feedback These student editors are likewise worthy of admiration. I am proud of both the 
contributors and staff represented by our journal. This text is a monument to the labor 
and educational growth of all our participants.

Volume 9 boasts a diverse set of articles, half of which focus on religious studies and 
popular culture. Hanan Beyene, a junior in the college of Liberal Arts, gives an analysis 
of the critically acclaimed 2016 album Lemonade by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter through a 
mobilization of Delores S. Williams’s definition of womanist testimony. Ansley Morgan 
Pearson, a graduating senior in animation, applies several theoretical concepts central to 
religious studies depicted by the world-building of Nintendo’s beloved Legend of Zelda 
video game series. Aaron Selby, senior in behavioral and health science, reframes work 
of several scholars and the concept of soteriology in narrative in order to correlate the 
impact of films from Disney’s “Renaissance” and American attitudes regarding salvation. 
Madison Ellis, a graduating senior named Student of the Year for the Philosophy depart-
ment along with the Outstanding Undergraduate of the Year for the College of Liberal 
Arts, provides us with a rumination on the use of Aristotelian ethics in the business 
world. Ultimately, Ellis combines her understanding of both disciplines and outlines the 
incompatibility of these philosophies, stating that “it is imperative that we do not confuse 
the two, treating them as equals in practice and theory.” 

Miranda Uselton, a senior in Basic and Applied Sciences, provides an informative 
article with “Investigating Quantum Computation.” She outlines the exciting recent 
developments in quantum computing in an accessible way that provides insights re-
garding the advantages new understandings in the field can have on machine learning, 

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mathematics, and cryptography. The article also covers the dangers of hackers who may 
use quantum computers to gain sensitive online data. Finally, in “Nádleeh and Trickster: 
Accounting for the Absence of Non-Binary Genders in Foucault’s History of Sexuality,” 
master’s candidate in English Studies Jess Bennett interrogates the role of the “berdache” 
in Native American society and literature. Bennett mobilizes a perceived gap of gender 
difference in Foucault’s work and evaluates this schism through the lens of Native Ameri-
can literature that explores both gender and sexual fluidity.

In closing, I would like to state that I believe Scientia is a journal that produces 
significant work and plays a valuable role at MTSU. My time as its editor has come to 
an end, but I am hopeful that this year’s volume will bring a sense of accomplishment to 
everyone who had a hand in its production. I am equally hopeful that this journal will be 
a teaching tool and an example to other members of our campus community in the future. 

I would like to thank Jacob Castle, Gabrielle Morin, Katelin MacVey, Myranda 
Uselton, Michael McDermott, Brielle Campos, Britney Brown, and Matthew Spencer 
for all their hard work. Your kindness, camaraderie, dedication to the journal, and care for 
our contributors made this year a joy. Working with each one of you was an honor. I also 
owe so much to Marsha Powers whose experience and sage advice made everything easier. 
Susan Lyons has kept me afloat technologically speaking, and I am eternally grateful for 
her knowledge and assistance. I would have also been lost without the patient guidance 
of digital scholarship librarian Alissa Miller. Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude 
to our faculty advisor, Philip E. Phillips, who provided me with this opportunity. I have 
found his graciousness and wisdom to be invaluable.

Amy Harris-Aber
Editor in Chief

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