Could a “Terminator” movie give us a feminine ideal? Can a modern-day Shakespearian adaptation offer insight into male social relationships?

These topics, as well as feminism and sexuality, were themes that came to the forefront during the 15th Annual Women’s Studies Student Symposium Friday.

The daylong conference, sponsored by the Institute for Women’s Studies, was an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their research, said Daleah Goodwin, a history graduate student and the co-president of the Women’s Studies Graduate Student Association.

Twenty presenters from the University, Georgia State and Emory gave presentations on topics such as identity in adolescent dating relationships, lesbianism in Victorian England, life satisfaction for transsexuals and feminist critiques of fairy tales.

Other presentations analyzed feminism and sexuality in movies such as “Terminator 3,” “Pretty Persuasion” and “O.”

In “Terminator 3,” the female cyborg represents a Western standard of beauty with blond hair and blue eyes, but has the power to manipulate her appearance as a tool, said Caroline Barratt, a University graduate student studying art history.

“Like the mannequins in a [store] window, we use accessories to downplay our original backgrounds,” she said.

The power of male relationships was addressed in a presentation of the movie “O,” a modern-day version of Shakespeare’s play, “Othello.”

A competitive relationship with another male student drives the jealous protagonist, Odin, to commit acquaintance rape against his girlfriend, said Victoria Reynolds, a University graduate student studying English.

Though many critics have discussed the violence in “O,” not many have addressed the issue of acquaintance rape, Reynolds said.

The symposium offered a “low key, low stress” way of presenting, Goodwin said.

“The most interesting thing about the symposium had to be the ability for feminist research to be done in so many different ways by so many different people in so many different disciplines,” Goodwin said.

“I was really interested to see what other young scholars were researching,” said Tiffany Ball, a junior majoring in English and women’s studies. Ball presented an analysis of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point.”

“I was glad to present and I hope to continue in this field of research,” Ball said. “It was good to get feedback.”

“I think that’s what is so amazing about a conference like this,” Goodwin said. “Students get a good opportunity to meet others in the field and get good comments on their work. In this environment, I really felt the love.”