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If We Are Honest, Lisa L. Anthony
If We Are Honest, Lisa L. Anthony
MSU Graduate Theses
If We Are Honest is a collection of narrative poetry in which I explore the conflicts, struggles, growth, and transitions involved in many facets of life. Some poems deal with the relationship between a parent and a child. Others deal with the difficulties of marriage and divorce. Family history and experiences are the basis of many poems as well, specifically a series based on the life of my grandmother. Ultimately, most of the poems in this collection examine what it is to struggle but to persevere, to continue growing and changing, and to never quit the work that lies ahead.
Using Orality To Improve Student Writing, B. Webster Freeman
Using Orality To Improve Student Writing, B. Webster Freeman
MSU Graduate Theses
The connections between orality and writing date to the ancient rhetoricians and continue to influence the way we write and are written every day; however, overtly connecting the two in the composition classroom is often overlooked and often underutilized by modern composition teachers. What the ancient rhetoricians did, though, was directly opposed to what we do. They used writing to improve orality whereas I advocate the use of orality to improve writing. We need to help students understand that the writer and reader collaborate to make the performance. A typical session with me as tutor involves my reading aloud or …
The Batavia Massacre: The Tragic End To A Century Of Cooperation, Kimberly Wilhelmina Wells
The Batavia Massacre: The Tragic End To A Century Of Cooperation, Kimberly Wilhelmina Wells
MSU Graduate Theses
From its establishment in 1602, the Dutch East India Company (VOC) was an extensive and powerful trading company that sought to gain a monopoly over the spice trade in Southeast Asia, often using coercion to do so. In 1619 the VOC established its central base of operations in Batavia on the Indonesian island of Java. From the start, the VOC pursued a relationship of cooperation with the Chinese merchants in Batavia, which eschewed the use of violence in favor of other means of control, such as taxation and requirements to register with the authorities. For one hundred and twenty-one years, …
Analysis Of Nation-Building During Insurgency In U.S. Defense Policy Strategy, Joseph Valles
Analysis Of Nation-Building During Insurgency In U.S. Defense Policy Strategy, Joseph Valles
MSU Graduate Theses
U.S. defense policy has often relied on a strategy of nation-building to reform the local government and address the root causes of the instability in a given nation or region. This strategy has, in recent years, been criticized for being ineffective and a wasteful drain on American resources. This paper will determine if such criticism is valid by analyzing the performance of four security environments where such a strategy was used: Vietnam, El Salvador, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The paper will determine if such a strategy was effective in these conflicts by analyzing the progress of reforms and, when possible, the …
I Was A Teenage Misanthrope: Essays, Lane E. Pybas
I Was A Teenage Misanthrope: Essays, Lane E. Pybas
MSU Graduate Theses
The essays in this collection each explore to some extent my experience of mental illness, specifically clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder. In writing these essays, I wanted to experiment with different methods of representing the self as it undergoes an experience of mental illness. In the essay “I Was a Teenage Misanthrope,” for example, I portray myself in a somewhat humorous way, highlighting my antisocial behaviors for comic effect, in order to depict a period of my life that might otherwise have been too difficult to write about. In “Quiet Midwestern Bitch,” an essay about anxiety, I represent multiple …
Fear And Trepidation: The Socio-Cultural Impact Of Maritime Piracy And Illicit Smuggling In San Francisco De Campeche 1630 - 1705, Victor Alfonso Medina Lugo
Fear And Trepidation: The Socio-Cultural Impact Of Maritime Piracy And Illicit Smuggling In San Francisco De Campeche 1630 - 1705, Victor Alfonso Medina Lugo
MSU Graduate Theses
Piracy has a long history globally, but one of the most extreme periods of pirate activity occurred in the Caribbean Sea during the 16th through the 18th centuries. This thesis analyzes the socio-cultural impact that piracy produced in the port town of San Francisco de Campeche, located in the coastal area of the province of Yucatan in the Kingdom of New Spain. In this port and settlement, Spaniards, the Indigenous population, peoples of African descent and people from throughout the Spanish Empire suffered together the atrocities of the violent sackings and plundering by various groups of robbers from the sea …
“We Carry These Conflicts, These Ruptures Of History:” The Hybridity Of The Self In The Conflict Between Tradition And Modernity In Laleh Khadivi’S The Age Of Orphans, Karwan Karim Abdalrahman
“We Carry These Conflicts, These Ruptures Of History:” The Hybridity Of The Self In The Conflict Between Tradition And Modernity In Laleh Khadivi’S The Age Of Orphans, Karwan Karim Abdalrahman
MSU Graduate Theses
This study presents a postcolonial reading of Laleh Khadivi’s The Age of Orphans based on the theories of Edward Said and Homi Bhabha. The project offers specific answers to several questions: can this novel be read through the lens of Bhabha’s theory of hybridity, and, if so, what does such a reading reveal about culture and identity in The Age of Orphans? The hybrid self is an experience wherein the postcolonial self holds the shades of two identities and cultures, namely the colonizer and the colonized. In other words, the protagonist Reza lives in a space that represents the …
The Resurrection Of Nora O'Brien, Abigail Elizabeth Benson
The Resurrection Of Nora O'Brien, Abigail Elizabeth Benson
MSU Graduate Theses
There is a cave, hidden in the hills, that brings the dead back to life. Its power is the driving force behind the blood feud between the Walshes and the O’Briens that lasts for generations. Jeremiah Walsh, a young boy growing up just after the civil war, is entrusted with the location of the cave and its secrets. But when he kills to protect his family legacy, he is stricken with guilt and questions his loyalties. His story parallels Nora O’Brien’s, a teenage girl who moves to the Ozarks with her family after the death of her grandfather. As she …
How To Water The Body, Taylor M. Lorenzo
How To Water The Body, Taylor M. Lorenzo
MSU Graduate Theses
This thesis begins with a critical introduction about metamorphosis, both literal and figural, in short fiction. I analyze essays on metamorphosis by Marc Chenetier and Stanley Corngold and apply them to my work as well as other works which are influential to my own writing style and form, including Lydia Davis. Metamorphosis in literature is a reaction of the human condition of resistance to an end. In utilizing transformation, writers can explore the longing humans experience to continue themselves while revealing deeper truths about written subjects. After the critical introduction, you will find flash fiction and poetry. My work is …
Chang (Beer): A Social Marker, Ritual Tool, And Multivalent Symbol In Tibetan Buddhism, Kayla J. Jenkins
Chang (Beer): A Social Marker, Ritual Tool, And Multivalent Symbol In Tibetan Buddhism, Kayla J. Jenkins
MSU Graduate Theses
In this thesis, I analyze the use of beer (Tib. chang) in Tibetan tantric Buddhism and emphasize its importance for studying themes of purity and pollution, meaning, and power in this context. In doing so, I argue that beer functions as a social marker and influences gender dynamics in Tibet. Beer also functions as a religious ritual tool for transactions of power. Lastly, beer is present as a multivalent symbol in Tibetan tantric songs and stories, useful as both a negative and positive metaphor for qualities or states of mind. As something that informs social, religious, and literary worlds within …
Developing Perceptions: Piloting A Corequisite Writing Course, Kailyn Shartel Hall
Developing Perceptions: Piloting A Corequisite Writing Course, Kailyn Shartel Hall
MSU Graduate Theses
This thesis focuses on information gathered during Fall 2017 and Fall 2018, examining the students and the perceptions of the students in different developmental writing courses with regard to their own writing and their place in the academic community. Chapter One, “Redefining Developmental Writing Demographics,” focuses on demographics obtained from a mass survey given to students in prerequisite and corequisite sections of ENG 100 in Fall 2017 and Fall 2018. Primarily, this analysis focuses on readjusting assumptions about the demographics of students who enroll in developmental writing and how the students in prerequisite courses differed, and did not, from those …
Middle Car, Christopher Daniel Crabtree
Middle Car, Christopher Daniel Crabtree
MSU Graduate Theses
Middle Car is a collection of poems written during my course of studies at Missouri State University, and illustrates my evolution as a writer through a consistent focus on story. The poems explore the everyday, fantastical, often unexpected, and sometimes forced frictions between people and or environment, which cause moments of meaning and resonance. The poems collected here are introduced by and an essay advocating for the preservation of story through narrative and situates my work in a neo-Romantic position in a post-Deconstruction world.
Journey To My Roots, Ainura Ashirova Barron
Journey To My Roots, Ainura Ashirova Barron
MSU Graduate Theses
This autobiographical body of work is a visual journey that involved the investigation of my personal identity and roots as well as the exploration of my cultural history through a process that relied on photographs, stories and family traditions, such as crafting. I consider this process and practice to be my passage into a globalized society while simultaneously finding my niche in my newly adopted country of America.
Mutts: A Collection Of Short Fiction, Shane E. Page
Mutts: A Collection Of Short Fiction, Shane E. Page
MSU Graduate Theses
This thesis begins with a critical introduction about narrative closure, as opposed to traditional narrative resolution, in fiction. I cite the work of John Gardner, T.S. Eliot, Milan Kundera, and Charles Baxter to explore the functions of motif, objective correlative, and symmetrical composition, focusing on how these three ideas inform effective characterization. I argue that narrative closure achieves equally if not more satisfying endings by prioritizing characterization above all other aspects of plot. After the critical introduction, you will find works of short fiction and flash fiction. A common theme among the longer, more traditional stories is the process through …
Supernatural Pilgrims: A Journey To A New Apostolic Reformation Congregation In The Ozarks, Samuel Wayne Gingerich
Supernatural Pilgrims: A Journey To A New Apostolic Reformation Congregation In The Ozarks, Samuel Wayne Gingerich
MSU Graduate Theses
Birthed out of the revival events of the 1990s, the New Apostolic Reformation is known for its charismatic leaders and provocative theology. As an emerging third wave Pentecostal movement, the New Apostolic Reformation is redefining the edifices of American Pentecostalism. While academics and journalists are currently focused on exposing the influence of some of its leaders such as C. Peter Wagner, Bill Johnson, Randy Clark, and Heidi Baker, there is little scholarship regarding the congregations and communities of believers who find themselves a part of this dynamic movement. This thesis takes a step towards understanding the larger story of the …
My Work - My Diary - My Inner Thoughts, My Que Luu
My Work - My Diary - My Inner Thoughts, My Que Luu
MSU Graduate Theses
My work is about my self-discovery. Upon my move to the United States to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Studies, I took the opportunity to explore the concept of “self-image” and tell my life story, which I rarely discuss in real life conversations. rough my body of work, I intend to identify and expose my true-self.
A Journey Into My Mind, Shen Chen Hsieh
A Journey Into My Mind, Shen Chen Hsieh
MSU Graduate Theses
During my time as a student in the MFA in Visual Study Program, I have been interested in creating imagery that expresses my inner world that is based on my emotional experience. I believe my identity is influenced by my multi-cultural background, relationships, daily moments and my own introverted personality. I continue to experiment with various mediums and visual styles to communicate these feelings. Drawing, silk-screen printing, mixed media, and three-dimensional sculpture are the main mediums in my artwork. Exploring diverse mediums provides me opportunities to develop my self exploration in my images. I seek to express and understand the …
The Politics Of Federal Environmental Policy: An Analysis Of Six West Virginia Counties, Hannah O'Keefe
The Politics Of Federal Environmental Policy: An Analysis Of Six West Virginia Counties, Hannah O'Keefe
MSU Graduate Theses
The prevalence of politics in federal environmental policy has been evident for decades, and this thesis will seek to identify the impact of implementing rival policies at the county level. The two federal policies being examined are the Clean Power Plan that was devised by the presidential administration under Barack Obama, and the Affordable Clean Energy Rule created by the presidential administration under Donald Trump. The county selection was chosen in the state of West Virginia because of the state’s high economic dependence on extracting and exporting coal, a current source of domestic and foreign electric power. The study area …
My Poetry Writing, My Defeat Of Illusion, Binghui Jin
My Poetry Writing, My Defeat Of Illusion, Binghui Jin
MSU Graduate Theses
Poetry writing is a valuable treasure of literacy. As an international student from China, I created this poetry collection as an illustration of my own understanding, internalization, and admiration of poetic expression in English between American and Chinese cultures. This cultural collusion mainly focuses on human relationships, especially romantic relationships and family love, as well as personal emotions, and the meaning of life. In order to do that, I returned to the work of classic Chinese poets, especially Su Shi, whose work is the basis for my sense of poetry. His poetic style of rhyming and creating images rooted in …
The Effects Of Color Choice In Web Design On The Usability For Individuals With Color-Blindness, Theresa Marie Sparks
The Effects Of Color Choice In Web Design On The Usability For Individuals With Color-Blindness, Theresa Marie Sparks
MSU Graduate Theses
Websites are not accessible to many individuals with color-vision deficiency or color-blindness; this is because of poor color and design choice. One must design websites with these individuals in mind. In this study, it was found that color choice on aspects such as body text, background, and links did have an effect on how individuals with color-blindness were able to use and read websites.
The Boys With The Spare Keys, Katelyn Elizabeth Grisham
The Boys With The Spare Keys, Katelyn Elizabeth Grisham
MSU Graduate Theses
As human beings, we are constantly losing something: our keys, our wallets, our credits cards, or the mate to our favorite pair of socks. But what if you lose something that cannot be replaced, something that will impact your life in a permanent way? This collection looks at what it means to lose something life-altering; our sense of self, our friendships, our planned futures, our grasp on reality. Some things cannot be replaced. From trust fund kids to a dad preparing a Christmas tree for his daughter, this collection will explore the idea of what we can (or cannot) afford …
At Least Buy Me A Drink First, Ali Renee Geren
At Least Buy Me A Drink First, Ali Renee Geren
MSU Graduate Theses
This is a collection of poetry that focuses on relationships and how those relationships shape our identities. The collection begins with a critical reflection on the poems in the piece and the way that they interact with pop culture and other contemporary poetry. Although the piece is not divided into sections, the poems deal (primarily) with three types of relationships: romantic/sexual, mother/daughter, and patient/caregiver.
Fire To Vellum, Jessica L. Warren
Fire To Vellum, Jessica L. Warren
MSU Graduate Theses
Oswic’s simple life changed the day his mother died from poison. After finding a strange cache of trinkets and books in the loft of the barn, he begins to question everything and everyone he has known, including reality. Forced from his land and his home, Oswic takes his plough horse, the few fragments of truth from his life, and leaves Hægelfirth in search of the one person he believes can tell him of his past, the storyteller. But, it won’t be his past he needs to worry about when he starts to slip in and out of reality; seeing the …