Knighted: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research
Welcome to Knighted: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research!
Welcome
Welcome to the ninth edition of Knighted: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research! This year’s issue showcases nine outstanding papers by Middle Georgia State University undergraduates whose work spans literature, education, communication studies, psychology, information technology, sport psychology, history, and political science. These scholars have investigated timely and enduring questions about identity, power, resistance, technological influence, and civic trust—fulfilling the Council for Undergraduate Research’s call for “an original intellectual or creative contribution” to their disciplines. Questions of gender and identity anchor several essays, including analyses of marriage and manhood in Shakespeare, competing masculinities in Peter Benchley’s Jaws, and the rise of women’s leadership within South Africa’s anti-apartheid movements from 1950 to 1965. Other contributors examine the power of communication and technology: one experimental study tests whether autism-related TikTok content influences self-diagnosis, while another analyzes the strategic framing and coalition building that drove the Obergefell v. Hodges campaign. A survey of artificial intelligence as a tool of scientific discovery explores machine learning’s reach from animal communication to ancient manuscripts to antibiotic development, and a sport psychology case study documents how guided imagery improved a basketball player’s shooting performance and confidence. Rounding out the issue are a review of evidence-based interventions for speech and language impairment in elementary schools and a data-driven study of how partisanship, race, and education shaped Americans’ trust in the 2020 vote count. Together, these essays illuminate the creativity, curiosity, and scholarly rigor of MGA’s student researchers. We invite you to explore their contributions and be inspired by their work. Never benighted, always Be Knighted!Clay Morton, Professor of English
Managing Editor
Mission
Knighted: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Undergraduate Research seeks to highlight the diverse array of fine undergraduate work being done across a wide variety of disciplines at Middle Georgia State University. The University's mission statement calls attention to “lifelong learners whose scholarship and careers enhance the region and the state,” and we believe that Knighted does precisely that by providing a public venue for students to demonstrate their research skills. Knighted is one among many initiatives at Middle Georgia State that fosters an academic environment and provides students opportunities to engage in exploration and application beyond the classroom. By going through the process of submission and peer review, students get an in-depth feel for the craft of scholarly research.
Editorial Board
- Kathleen Burt (Department of English)
- Mary Christian (Department of English)
- Sharon Colley (Department of English)
- Matthew Jennings (Department of History)
- Claire Joa (Department of Media, Culture and the Arts)
- Karmen Lenz (Department of English)
- Bianca McBurse (Department of Nursing)
- Charlotte Miller (Department of History)
- LaRonda Sanders-Senu (Department of English)
- John Trimboli (Department of Mathematics and Statistics)
- Steven Wallace (Department of Mathematics and Statistics)
- Pushpa Yadav (Department of Natural Sciences)
Submission Guidelines
The 2025-2026 call for papers is active. Students may submit original work that was completed during their undergraduate studies at Middle Georgia State University. Original research projects, including those developed in collaboration with faculty mentors, are welcome from all departments and disciplines. Faculty in the appropriate discipline will review all submissions. The best papers from the Undergraduate Conference are automatically accepted, and submissions to the conference are eligible for faculty review for possible inclusion. Typed manuscripts should be submitted as MSWord documents to knighted@mga.edu. They should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and in 12 point Times New Roman font. Illustrations, tables, and figure legends should be embedded within the text at the locations preferred by the authors. Citations should be formatted in the most recent editions of the citation style appropriate to their academic disciplines, e.g. MLA, Chicago, APA, etc. The chosen format must be used consistently throughout the manuscript. Each submission to the journal requires a faculty endorsement. The endorsing faculty member should email the managing editors at knighted@mga.edu.
EXTENDED DEADLINE: The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 13, 2026.
Past Issues
To read older Knighted Journals, please visit the Library Archives.
Knighted Journals are maintained as archived records and are provided for reference purposes. They are presented in their original form and may not be fully accessible; if you need this information in an accessible format, please contact the Accessibility Services Office for assistance.