Digital Commons Network^™

Final Ma Portfolio, Jessica Goodman

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

A Final Portfolio submitted to the English Department of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the field of English with a specialization in English teaching. The first project is a syllabus for a course on American protest literature. The second project is a five-week major assignment plan focusing on identity and rhetorical writing choices. The third paper is a theory and practice synthesis of empowering literacy alongside a checklist for teachers who wish to include empowering literacy in their classrooms. Finally, the fourth item is a revision (re-vision) …

Perfectionism In Collegiate Musicians, Kayla J. Grey

Honors Projects

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the constructs of perfectionism, music-related stress, and music performance anxiety among collegiate music majors. An additional purpose of this study was to investigate collegiate musicians' strategies for coping with each of the three dependent variables. A total of 52 collegiate music students enrolled at a large, mid-western university participated in an online questionnaire in the fall of 2017, and the response rate was approximately 13 percent. The survey instrument was constructed using items from Cohen, Karmarck, and Mermelstein’s Perceived Stress Scale (1993), Hewitt and Flett’s Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (1999), and …

For The Record: Bill Schurk, Katlyn Westhoven

Honors Projects

For the Record: Bill Schurk is a half hour long documentary about the life and work of William Schurk, also known as Bill. Bill has helped to create the country’s largest music collection and helped advance the study of popular culture within the academic community. The documentary will be told from a first person perspective by Bill with supplemental content coming from interviews with family, friends, and colleagues of Bill through the years. Bill Schurk founded the Bowling Green State University Music Library and Bill Schurk Sound Archives and worked as the head archivist for 50 years before his retirement …

Understanding A Discourse Marker In Quito, Ecuador, Hannah Jesberger

Honors Projects

The present research project examines the possible factors to explain the word-final /f/ in Ecuadorian Spanish including but not limited to: where it is used, who uses it (gender, age ranges, social class), and with which words it is most commonly used. As the first extensive research study on the word-final /f/, the project may lead to other investigations of this phenomenon and other features of Ecuadorian Spanish. In addition, if there are other variations of the marker pues in the Spanish varieties spoken in different regions and/or countries, researchers can use this present study as basis to analyze the …

Communicative Solutions To The United States' Political Polarization, Codey Albers

Honors Projects

In 2016, political polarization in the United States reached levels unprecedented in the last three decades. This paper analyzes over thirty sources in an attempt to explore the extent to which the political divide exists in the US, to discover some possible reasons for the severe polarization, and to offer a list of possible solutions to the problem, solutions that everyday citizens can enact to contribute to a more open, discursive, and respectful society where all views can be heard, respected, and where democracy can thrive. Using a critical communication approach, this paper explains complex communication theory using language accessible …

Hellbound - The First Season, Stephen Seiber

Honors Projects

A student short concept film developed in order to pitch a television series.

Reflection Through Revision: A Master's Portfolio, Laura Hoebing

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This document is a compilation of four essays centered around a theme of reflection and teaching English at a high school level. The essays include pedagogical research on reflective writing, teaching grammar, and standards-based grading in a junior high curriculum, as well as an analytical research essay on the role of the police in two contemporary domestic noir novels.

Self-Esteem In Spanish-Speaking Latinos In Northwest Ohio, Mckenna Freeman

Honors Projects

Self-esteem is a widely-studied construct across many disciplines of social science. However, previous research regarding self-esteem and language barriers has focused primarily on children and adolescent populations, while much less research has examined this relationship among adults. The current study measures linguistic acculturation and self-esteem in both Latino and control adult samples. Hypothesis 1 states that participants in the Latino sample would report significantly lower self-esteem than the control sample. Hypothesis 2 states that linguistic acculturation levels in Spanish speaking Latinos would be positively correlated with self-esteem. Finally, a research question was addressed measuring the differences in self-esteem between foreign …

A Game We Have To Lose: Overcoming The Harm Of Coming Into Existence, Hannah Strang

Honors Projects

This paper explores the asymmetry of pleasure and pain as expressed in David Benatar’s book Better Never to Have Been, which is the basis for the argument that it is always an irreparable harm to bring a person into existence, and therefore we are morally obligated to pursue extinction as a species. I will examine Benatar’s argument in support of the asymmetry’s existence and analyze the strength of his argument for extinction overall, ultimately determining that his conclusion is too strong. I will defend this claim on the grounds that Benatar’s asymmetry implies the truth of two claims that must …

Evulation Of The Usability Of The Libraries Page With Bgsu Students, Rebecca Lord

Honors Projects

This research project explores the usability and usefulness of the “Libraries” webpage located within students’ MyBGSU account through usability testing. Usability testing is a method in which participants are asked to complete tasks within a platform (e.g. webpage, mobile app, etc.) that mimic a typical user in order to understanding their behavior, challenges, and thoughts about it. Ten Bowling Green State University (BGSU) students of various majors and years were randomly selected and asked nine questions about their opinions regarding the “Libraries” page, such as what they like and don’t like, and what they find useful, as well as things …

Bgsu’S Women’S, Gender, And Sexuality Studies: The Battle Against Power-Based Violence On Campus, Aimee Burns, Tarishi Verma

WS 6800/MC 6400 Women's Studies Archive Project

2018 marks the 40th anniversary of Bowling Green State University’s Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program. As a part of a Humanistic Research Methods course, we conducted archival research to explore a variety of research questions that were concerned with the 40 year evolution of the program. Our research question: How has the program worked toward raising awareness and advocating against power-based violence. We utilized poetic inquiry, collage work, and performance art to complete this project.

Women Issues, Fatimah Alasiri

WS 6800/MC 6400 Oral History Interview

Oral History Interview included the change, purpose, and population of women's studies program over time. Also, the role of gender in feminism, women movement, and liberal perspectives. Media representation of women and women rights

The Forgotten Immigrants: Effects Of The 1950s Quota System On Korean Immigration To The United States, 1950-1965, Dominique Seo

Honors Projects

This project focuses on the effects that the quota system, as stated in United States immigration policy, had on Korean Immigration between 1952-1965. There is a focus on the social and economic state of the United States that surrounded and effected the immigration policy at this time, as well as the effects that this policy had on Korean immigration to the United States immediately following the Korean War. In order to complete this both primary and secondary sources are used. Primary sources that are used include newspapers such as the Stars and Stripes and the Chicago Tribune, and immigration …

Final Ma Portfolio, Annelise Mason

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio contains papers on Urban Education and teaching speakers of African American Language/ African American Vernacular English. As the capstone to my Masters in English with a Specialization in Teaching, I have chosen four papers to revise and resubmit: “Intertwining Narratives: Stories of the I-280 Bridge Collapse,” “Reshaping Attitudes: Tailoring Urban Education to fit the African American Student,” “The Study of Language in a Multi-Dialectical Classroom,” and “Youth Acquisition and Ownership Is Crucial Language Vitality.” "Intertwining Narratives" is a report on the I-280 bridge collapse in Toledo. "Reshaping Attitudes" is an explanation of some best practice in urban education. …

A Glance At Astor Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango: Lecture Recital, Elizabeth Ritter

Honors Projects

This project is a lecture recital including the performance of four musical works from different countries as well as a lecture Astor Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango. The four pieces performed in this recital were Eldin Burton's Sonatina for flute and piano, the first movement of Astor Piazzolla's Histoire Du Tango, Hirota's Shikararete, and Bela Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances for piccolo and piano. Before performing the Piazzolla, there was a lecture which included the teaching of the musical aspects of the tango within this piece, a short biography of Piazzolla, and a historical look at the four movements of this piece. …

Parallels Between The U.S. And Russia: The Trump Administration, Andrew S. Langmeier

International ResearchScape Journal

Russia has come up repeatedly in discussions of Donald Trump and the current U.S. administration. In time for the 100^th anniversary of the 1917 Russian revolution, this paper aims to describe the importance and interconnectedness of image, information, hegemony, and power by exploring connections between the U.S. and Russia. An interdisciplinary approach drawing from fields such as cultural studies, linguistics, and anthropology will be applied to selected events and actions of the Trump administration. This study provides a method of framing US political events against Russian history and contemporary reality.

The Globalized Classroom: Integrating Technology To Improve Communicative And Cultural Proficiency, Nicholas Frank

International ResearchScape Journal

The purpose of this project was to explore how the integration of technology affects students’ communicative and cultural proficiency in a second language when connecting two world language classrooms from across the globe. Through a series of weekly emails between partner schools, students practiced their interpretive reading and presentational writing skills while gaining knowledge of their partners’ cultures and colloquial language in a meaningful and individualized manner. The participants were U.S. high school students learning Spanish and Spanish high school students learning English. This created an authentic and organic environment for language acquisition, showing improvement in both communicative and cultural …

The Almost Great Escape: The Continuing Tourism Development Of Croatia As A Destination, Jennifer N. Wohlgamuth

International ResearchScape Journal

The tourism industry in Croatia is experiencing a slower development than other European countries. Because of their current union in the communist state of Yugoslavia and the Civil War between Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Croatian Tourism Board needs to recreate a stable infrastructure in which to grow their tourism. Some of the occurring issues with current Croatian tourism is high seasonality, lack of multiple foreign languages, underdeveloped transportation structures, and homogenization of Croatian culture. This paper offers a brief history of Croatian tourism, current developments, current development issues, and suggestions for a change in managerial structure to increase the …

Music And Art: An Aesthetic Experience, Samantha Martin

Honors Projects

This project sought to pair art songs performed at my senior recital with paintings. The paintings chosen had to be within one hundred years of the songs’ composition, from the same country as the composer, and have a similar theme or meaning as the art song. The goal was to create an aesthetic experience, as well as making the meanings of the songs more accessible for the audience, especially if the songs were in a foreign language.

“First, Do No Harm”: Old And New Paradigms In Prehospital Resuscitation In The Aquatic Domain, John H. Pearn, Richard Charles Franklin

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The balance between benefit and risk is central to the work of all those involved in aquatic services. The Hippocratic exhortation of Primum non nocere, “First, do no harm,” has a history of over 2000 years. Superficially, all would support this dictum, but harm can result from inaction. The balance between no or little intervention on the one hand and proactive intervention with iatrogenic risk on the other is complex and enduring. Risk implies that one does not have all the information available to know the exact likelihood of an outcome, a common situation involving rescue, first aid, and …

Ambigüedad Y Rebeldía En El Tono Económico De El Periquillo Sarniento, Amilcar Challú

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Through Body Adornment, Linore Huss

Honors Projects

I conducted a series of interviews with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder survivors or their family members and completed an interactive body of work in body adornment and jewelry that reflects their stories. Last year I decided to focus on the people behind the trauma rather than the trauma itself, which I feel connects the survivor and the viewer more deeply than presenting a general image. Each piece draws from a survivor's personal story, the titles pulling from interview quotes, and the interaction with the viewer representative of each personal struggle.

The Use Of The Autobiographical Graphic Novel By Iranian Authors As A Means Of Forging Nationalist And Feminist Identity, Max M. Funk

International ResearchScape Journal

In this essay I explore the increasing use of autobiographical graphic novels by Iranian writers as a means of forging identity and reacting to political events in Iran. I analyze the ways in which the intersecting roles of autobiographical and graphic components (namely the use of framing) of novels such as Persepolis, An Iranian Metamorphosis, and Zahra’s Paradise create a particularly subjective narrative. I argue that this subjectivity gives weight to the nationalist and often feminist focus of the novels in a way that makes readers more likely to accept these sentiments. Finally, I examine the ways in …

Final Ma Portfolio, Erica Pax

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio is a compilation of graduate research and writing completed as the capstone project for the Master of Arts in English degree with a specialization in professional writing and rhetoric. The first selection is a research paper that reviews how embellishments in graphical representations and infographics affect viewer perception. The second research paper is a content analysis that explores the extent to which visual metaphors are used in ISO public information graphical symbols. The third research paper explores how to create effective video software tutorials and reorganizes existing guidelines into eighteen distinct guidelines in three major categories: accessibility, cognitive …

Hiroshima On Peace Education And Problems With U.S.-Centric Historical Narratives In A World Without Survivors, Matthew S. Thome

International ResearchScape Journal

As time passes, the number of survivors from major world tragedies like the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki grows fewer and fewer. These survivors are a powerful resource for educating students of all ages about the importance of world peace. Drawing on the writing of Richard Moody and Frans Doppen, as well as Paul Ham, and Herbert Feis respectively, I outline the important role of hibakusha, or a-bomb survivors, in peace education at the secondary and collegiate levels. I explain how personalized survivor testimony provides an alternative and highly effective and necessary counterweight to teaching solely a U.S.-centric historical …

Pro Musica Newsletter, Summer 2017, Bowling Green State University. College Of Musical Arts

Pro Musica Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Marching Band And The College Transition, Jessica Fix

Honors Projects

The relationship between college student engagement and personal growth has been studied for decades. However, involvement in specific types of organizations or activities has not been researched as in-depth. This study examined involvement in college marching band specifically and how it affects transition into college and overall growth and learning of college students. This study analyzes quantitative data of all marching band participants at Bowling Green State University in the most recent year (2016-2017), as well as qualitative data retrieved through focus group sessions with first year marchers and returning marchers. Results of this study suggest that involvement in marching …

Racial Discrimination In A Rural Midwest Town, Emily Peterson

Honors Projects

This study examines how a rural Midwest community views race and discrimination, and how these views affect community members’ experiences. The results of the survey provide a means of determining the lack of cultural competence and discrimination within a rural Midwest populace. The purpose of this research is to examine and analyze individual discrimination and racism in a Midwest rural community. A 10-question survey was administered to teachers, elderly individuals, law enforcement officers, and former students about their experiences with diversity within the community. The questions centered upon topics of race, discrimination, and personal experiences within the community. The data …

Media Erotics & Adaptation: A Comparative Textual Analysis Of Carmilla, Rebecca Wait

Honors Projects

This project is concerned with understanding the different ways in which Carmilla (1872), a gothic novella, and it’s 2014 web series adaptation differently approach the same basic narrative, especially with regards to their respective representations of individuals who identify as sexual and gender minorities. One of the major functions of importance in this study was to understand the temporality and cultural conditions, which lead to the perceived need for a postmodern adaptation of a pre-modernist text. Through textual analysis, the author compared J. Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (1872) to Jordan Hall's adaptation (2014). In this analysis, significant differences existed between …

From A Traveling Daughter: A Photographic Memoir, Lilian Murnen

Honors Projects

“World sits outside the door, A voice in your heart is calling, The ends of the world await, Traveling daughter, Feel the sunshine on your face, Starlight guides your feet, Earth and Sky will carry you, Journey after journey, One mountain to the next, Voice in your heart is calling.” (Abigail Washburn, “Song of the Traveling Daughter” translated from Mandarin Chinese)

My family keeps me safe, but it is this safety that protects me from the discomfort that is necessary for growth. Like Abigail Washburn’s “voices,” my discontent and my curiosity call me to venture far beyond what I can …