We are proud to present the fifth annual issue of The Rowdy Scholar! The students who have contributed to this issue showcase our undergraduates’ talents, particularly in the humanities and social sciences. Each of these papers has been through a rigorous process of review and revision that has involved the work of faculty mentors, anonymous reviewers, and editors. The final products represent the best of what MSU Denver has to offer: original research, critical analysis, and polished writing that reflects careful and creative thinking across the disciplines. This issue is a tribute to those students who have chosen to go well above and beyond the requirements of their courses and academic programs to commit to this kind of work, which stands as evidence of their dedication to the highest academic standards of their fields. We are pleased to support undergraduate scholarship in a forum that makes it available and accessible to all. We encourage you to read and cite the papers featured in our journal, and we urge all of MSU Denver’s undergraduate scholars to consider submitting work for consideration in future issues. For more information about submissions to The Rowdy Scholar, please go to Submission Guidelines..

Dr. Shelby M. Balik, Professor of History
Dr. John Rief, Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Debate

Articles in This Issue:


A Rhetorical Critique of Emma Watson’s UN Address: Can Pathos Bridge the Gender Division Within Feminist Frameworks?

Student Author: Mia Tanner

Major: Communication Studies

Faculty Mentor: John Rief


Brothers in Strange Lands: Higaonna Kanryo, Trade, and the Experience of an Okinawan Merchant in the Later 19th Century

Student Author: Robert Welch

Major: History

Faculty Mentor: Ziyao Ma