Next Friday, May 6th, the American Studies Senior Thesis writers will be presenting their work. To honor their accomplishments, we are publishing short interviews with each. First up is Jordan Maxwell, an American Studies major graduating in December! Congrats Jordan! Interview by Holly Genovese

HG First up, what is your thesis title and what is it about?

JM: The title is “Disability as an Identity: The Social Construction of Lupus in American Society.” I conducted research on the autoimmune disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, to illuminate the lack of attention and misconceptions society has regarding not only the disease itself, but disabilities as whole in American society. Building a social construct of lupus allowed me to observe, analyze, and synthesize how the interactions of individuals created a reality based on shared assumptions in order to make sense of the objective world. These findings were further enhanced by my evidence concerning disability studies in the United States, as it explains why disability is an identity.

HG: How were you introduced to the topic or subject of your research?

JM: I was diagnosed with lupus when I was 11 years old and it has changed my life significantly. I had always wanted to do more research regarding lupus and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.

HG: How did American Studies influence your research trajectory?

JM: American studies influenced my trajectory because I was able to tie in a social aspect that I couldn't see before. Building a social construction involved having conversations with individuals in society, analyzing statistics, synthesizing historical resources, and understanding the behavior of society when it comes to these topics. Focusing primarily on lupus gave me insight to many characteristics of the disease, but putting lupus under the scope of a disability allowed me to dive into and compare it to disability studies in the United States.

HG: Were there any courses, inside or outside the department, that were particularly influential? Even if not directly related to your topic?

JM: A course that significantly influenced my research was my UGS course I took freshman year. Taught by Dr. James Patton, Disabilities in the Media was my first step into the disability world. Even now, if people ask me what my favorite course at UT has been, it remains to be this one. This course allowed me to understand disabilities in society through culture, society, and politics rather than through a medical perspective, which is what I was used to. On a side note, I believe this helped me to declare my major in American Studies because I realized I had a passion for learning about culture, history, and social sciences

HG: If it's not too annoying of a question, what's next? Or what do you hope to be next?

JM: What's next is definitely a big question. I started writing this thesis last fall whenever I was a junior and didn't have the greatest sense of direction in my life. With a clearer path now, I plan to graduate in December and take some time off before continuing on to either graduate school or law school. Writing a Senior Thesis as a junior was definitely stressful and added more work to my plate than I was initially prepared for, but I'm grateful for what it has taught and shown me throughout the past year.

HG: Do you have any fun summer/celebratory plans?

JM: Although I still have some time before I graduate, I do plan to study abroad in Vienna, Austria this summer! I've never traveled abroad before so I am excited for the opportunity to explore a different city/country while learning about the society and culture