Digital Commons Network^™

Sartre And The Nothingness Of Consciousness, Matthew Dale Massey

Doctoral Dissertations

Sartre’s claim in Being and Nothingness that consciousness is nothingness is typically understood as meaning either that consciousness is not itself, that it is not its objects, that it is not its past, or that it is some sort of state of affairs. Although these interpretations of Sartre are often presented independently of each other, I argue that one can combine several of them in order to arrive at the best understanding of Sartre’s treatment of consciousness. Such an understanding treats consciousness as the state of affairs that is its facticity transcending itself toward its objects. One could also combine …

La Teoría De La Poesía En Jorge Cuesta Y José Gorostiza, Raúl Carrillo-Arciniega

Doctoral Dissertations

The dissertation titled “La teoría de la poesía en Jorge Cuesta y José Gorostiza” explores, according to what Ernest Curtius has called “Theory of Poetry,” the concept that the poet has had about himself, as well as the activity he executes. This study has reconstructed the history and thoughts of these poets in order to demonstrate how, since the 30’s, these poets have introduced, in their way, a “deconstructive” thought utilizing the phenomenological method to enface the world. This new relation of the subject with the world opposes to a traditional vision in which the world is constructed based on …

The Comunero Uprising In Castile, 1520-1521: A Case Study For Early Modern Revolution, David Kristian Dyer

Masters Theses

This thesis argues that scholars have ignored the Comunero rebellion’s importance as an instance of early modern revolution and that this uprising anticipates the revolutionary movements of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The Leyenda Negra or Black Legend is primarily responsible for this oversight, as Protestant Europe has portrayed Spain as anachronistic and reactionary since the reign of Phillip II. This depiction has skewed both the Spanish and the European historical representations of Spain and pushed Spain onto the periphery of European history. This thesis uses the Comunero rebellion to identify these historiographical problems and suggests a way of viewing …

Imagining Dissent: Muhammad Ali, Daily Newspapers, And The State, 1966-1971, Daniel Bennett Coy

Masters Theses

“The Paranoid Style in American Politics” is an accurate way to describe what happens here. In 1966 heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was reclassified as fully eligible for military service; it became apparent that he would be drafted to serve in Vietnam. Ali—contesting the government’s right to control his body—claimed his own right to self-determination. But this question of the government’s right over the individual became far more complicated when daily newspapers turned this conflict into an “event.”

These newspapers imposed rigid and simplified categories on a situation that was not easily classifiable. Muhammad Ali’s response was to identify the …

Newspaper Coverage Of Coal Strikes In Cullman, Jefferson, And Walker Counties In North Central Alabama, January And February 1921, Alison Patricia Cook

Masters Theses

The coal strike in Alabama, especially in Birmingham, Cullman, and Jasper during January and February 1921, have not been studied. In the early 1900s, newspapers were generally the only sources of information and news for people, both in rural and urban areas. The coal strikes during this time were some of the bloodiest in Alabama history. Beatings, lynchings, and murders of strikers were common. Strikebreakers, or scabs, also were abused. While northern Alabama farmers were treated worse than others because union miners felt the farmers were taking their jobs only out of spite. Some simply disappeared and later were presumed …

The Bayeux Tapestry: Norman And English Perspectives Intertwined, Maria Dajcar

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the Bayeux Tapestry, commissioned by the victorious Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066, in order to determine which, if any, of its scenes bore English influence. The primary sources analyzed were, among others, Ordericus Vitalis, William of Poitiers, William of Jumieges, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and the Bayeux Tapestry itself. The secondary sources included monographs by David J. Bernstein, Wolfgang Grape, Frank Stenton, and Ian Walker.

While the majority of the Tapestry scenes adhere to the interpretation of the Conquest that was popularized by Norman chroniclers, several elements, such as the …

Berlin’ Movies In Post-Wende Berlin And Germany, Alissa Hope Nesbitt

Masters Theses

Historian David Large concludes his narrative study of modern Berlin by questioning how Germans can come to term with their new national identity. He suggests that the renewed political and social emphasis on Berlin may be key: “It might just be that Berlin, the city where the Germans have experienced the peaks and depths of their national experience, can help to show the way” (Large 647). One of the ways to see how Berlin and the German identity are interlocked is in the cinema, due to its influence on collective consciousness. Furthermore, films can also serve as a valid and …

Networker 2004 Fall Issue, Commission For Women

The Networker

No abstract provided.

Footnotes (2004), Department Of History

Footnotes

No abstract provided.

Plantation Airs: Racial Paternalism And The Transformations Of Class In Southern Fiction, 1945-1971, Brannon Winn Costello

Doctoral Dissertations

Plantation Airs explores a crucial aspect of the complicated intersection of race and class in the post-World War II South. Many factors, such as wealth and family, determine an individual’s class – a complicated and highly contested term, especially in the South. However, I argue that one important and often overlooked determinant of class is the performance of attitudes and behaviors associated with a romanticized image of the agrarian, antebellum South, especially racial paternalism. Fred Hobson has argued that Southern literary scholarship has been conspicuously silent about class; my dissertation strives to correct that omission. Drawing from historical scholarship and …

Picturing The Catastrophic Space Of Imagination: The Aesthetic Of Algernon Charles Swinburne, Lauren Todd Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, I demonstrate how Swinburne develops an aesthetic that involves re-examining the contradictions and ambiguities arising in the tension between the celebration of the creative power of the imagination and the consideration of the material limitations that constrict the applications of the imagination’s power. He finds artistic integrity and productivity in the failure of the imagination to allow one to transcend the material world, because he determines that such failure allows one to discover many previously undetected possibilities for imaginative expression still inherent in the material world. Swinburne accomplishes this by privileging the fantasy component of art while …

Potpourri, Louis A. Willis

Masters Theses

The American Heritage Dictionary defines potpourri as “a combination of various incongruous elements; a miscellaneous anthology or collection.” This collection of nine essays and a short story includes seven autobiographical essays in which through memory, I try to make sense of the potpourri of some of my life experiences. Of the last two essays, one is my thoughts on the stylistic technique two 20^th century writers used to give the former slaves a voice. The last essay is my search for a technique for telling stories. The short story is an attempt to put into practice the storytelling technique …

Pluralism And Practical Reason: The Problem Of Decisiveness, James Michael Okapal

Doctoral Dissertations

Some have criticized pluralistic theories as failing to be decisive, in other words, pluralistic theories fail to produce judgments that are rational and justified. The argument starts by claiming that if a theory has neither the ability to justify actions through comparison nor the ability to guarantee a single answer about what one ought to do, then the theory is not decisive. The argument identifies the source of these failings in the pluralists commitment to incomparability and non-reductionism. I argue that pluralistic theories can be comparativist and that the demand for a single right answer is too stringent. Thus, it …

Improving The Connection Between Grammar And Culture In Today’S Foreign Language Classroom, Jenessa Gale Hunter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper was to examine the existing degree of integration between grammatical and cultural elements in beginning college level German foreign language classrooms. Out of this analysis, some of the shortcomings to successful integration were identified and sample activities were created to address these shortcomings while demonstrating ways to further strengthen the connection between grammar and culture.

Chapter One provides a theoretical background to the concept of integration. It focuses on the communicative approach to teaching and the 1996 Standards for Foreign Language Learning, both of which support a connection between grammar and culture even at …

Incivilities In The College Classroom: The Effects Of Teaching Style And Teacher Gender, Misty Renee Bailey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between teacher gender, teaching style, and classroom incivilities in composition and business writing courses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Incivility frequencies were collected from approximately 581 students and twenty-four teachers using surveys.

While it cannot be stated that teacher gender combined with teaching style causes more incivilities, this study revealed a correlation between the frequency of incivilities and teacher gender controlled for teaching style. Students of female teachers who use student-centered pedagogical methods report more incivility occurrences than students of male teachers who use student-centered pedagogical methods.

Findings also …

Biomechanical And Temporal Measurement Of Pharyngeal Swallowing For Stroke Patients With Aspiration, Youngsun Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

This study compared three pharyngeal swallowing measurements: Pharyngeal Delay Time (PDT), Stage Transition Duration (STD), and Delayed Pharyngeal Swallow (DPS) on the correct classification of three groups of subjects. These groups were: 15 stroke patients who aspirated (aspirators), 15 stroke patients who did not aspirate (non-aspirators) and 15 normal subjects.

Overall, the STD had highest mean classification among the three pharyngeal swallowing measurements. All three measures has a significant difference between aspirators and normal subjects. None of the measurements showed a difference between non-aspirators and normal subjects. The aspirators and the normal subjects were classified correctly most often; whereas the …

Catholic Health Care In The Public Square: Resolving Moral Conflict With Integrity, Jennifer Heyl

Doctoral Dissertations

Catholic health care faces a difficult challenge in today’s secular society. Because they are directed by the teachings of the Catholic Church, certain services, such as abortion, sterilization and contraception, cannot be provided at Catholic health care facilities. This limitation on services has placed Catholic health care providers at odds with many in the communities which they serve. This conflict was exacerbated in the 1990s during the active period of mergers and acquisitions which left some communities with only one hospital, which was now Catholic. These moral conflicts often seem intractable.

This dissertation examines the nature of moral conflict and …

The Captive Body: Nineteenth- And Twentieth-Century American Women Writers Redefine Pregnancy And Childbirth, Mary Ruth Marotte

Doctoral Dissertations

The last ten years have borne witness to a proliferation of pregnancy narratives in literature, popular texts and Internet sites that treat the subject realistically and often graphically. This has not always been the case. The publication of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening in 1899 was a turning point, marking the beginning of serious contemplation of how the pregnant condition has affected and continues to affect women’s participation in both social and intellectual endeavors. Since the publication of Chopin’s novel, American women writers, in contrast to their male counterparts, have often sought an understanding of pregnancy that defies the notion of …

Christian Woman, Womanchrist: The Feminization Of Christianity In Constanza De Castilla, Catherine Of Siena, And Teresa De Cartagena, Mary Elizabeth Baldridge

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the literary works of Contanza de Castilla, a fifteenth century Spanish nun, in comparison with those of Catherine of Siena, a fourteenth century Italian saint, and Teresa de Cartagena, another fifteenth century Spanish nun. The comparisons were made in order to determine whether similarities among the experiences and spiritualities of these three women led to similarities of gender strategies and/or participation in the feminization of Christianity.

Examination of the works of these three women was based on both the structure in which they wrote (the epistolary format), and the themes that they …

Reflexión Sobre La Realidad Mexicana: Una Mirada Crítica De La Historia A Través De La Dramaturgia Posmoderna De Juan Tovar.” (Reflexion On Mexican Reality: A Critical View Of History Through Postmodern Drama Plays By Juan Tovar), Perla Xochitl Zamitiz Pineda

Doctoral Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is the analysis of the Mexican History as a literary tool in the production of drama plays by Mexican playwright Juan Tovar, as well as the study of the technique known as Intertextuality. Both, History and intertextuality, are elements that have been identified by critics as a characteristic of literary Postmodernism. This work reveals that History is a part of Latin American literary production and as such, is what makes it different from the European-American Postmodernism and, still, it is a literature that belongs to this contemporary movement.

In order to show that History is …

From Useful Knowledge To Rational Amusement: Museums In Early America, Allison M. Morrill

Masters Theses

This study examines the rise of early American museums following their birth from intellectual societies in the American colonies. The two primary categories of collections, scientific and patriotic items, were examined for their significance and intended purpose. Likewise, both popular education and interesting entertainment were identified as factors for encouraging early museum proprietors to seek the appeal of the general public while simultaneously drawing visitors to these early establishments of learning and leisure.

In order to understand the motives behind intellectuals’ desires for popular education, scientific knowledge, and patriotic enthusiasm, the writings of many American intellectual elites were consulted. The …

Fluidity In Marguerite Duras' Le Vice-Consul : An Architectural Reflection On Culture And Consciousness, Holly Ann Macdonald

Masters Theses

This thesis explores Marguerite Duras’ Le Vice-consul (1966) through an interdisciplinary approach to architecture and literature. Five architectural elements found within the novel – path, park, grille, octagon, and study—are explored through the concept of the “fluid” mise en abyme outlined in Lucy Stone McNeece’s Art and Politics in Duras’ “India Cycle” (1966). The contrasting theme of fluid versus rigid assumed a physical and symbolic meaning in both architectural and literary realms.

The analysis reveals a connection between the fluid framework of this nouveau roman and the structure of the built environment, which impacts our surroundings and psyche. Exploring …

Orchids On A Windowsill, Julie Ann Predny

Masters Theses

“Orchids on a Windowsill” is a collection of poems presented for partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art in English, with Concentration in Writing. An introduction is provided to name major influences on the poems and a general philosophy on writing.

Dissident Peace Movements Inside The German Democratic Republic: The Search For Reform, Freedom, And Toleration 1979-1986, Abby Demaris Thompson

Masters Theses

This thesis explored the role of the independent peace movements in the German Democratic Republic in the early 1980s. It specifically examined three leaders of these movements: Rainer Eppelmann, Frank Eigenfeld, and Vera Wollenberger. Their work helped create the much larger dissident actions of 1989 by increasing the level of “free space” provided in various Lutheran parishes in East Germany. This expansion occurred in spite of the formation of the GDR Peace Council, which the state used in an attempt to quell opposition by politicizing peace. Their efforts were examined by looking at English translations of GDR Peace Council works, …

Unremembered Politics: A Discursive Analysis Of Lyrical Ballads And American Revolutionary Politics, Graham Buckner Stowe

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to define Wordsworth’s political stance in his 1798 Lyrical Ballads. Up to this point, his work’s politics have been defined negatively, that is, he has been described by what he is not. Instead, I suggest that reading his poems through the lens of an American Revolutionary discourse offers us definitive view of his political position. To these ends, my first chapter establishes this discourse, outlining the three elements of the discourse on which I focus. Most important of these is the elevation of common humanity present in Wordsworth and the discourse outlined. Also present are an anti-urban …

Html And Pdf Documents: A Study In Terms Of Genre Theory, Meghan Mccarty

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to determine, in light of current genre theory, if Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) documents and Portable Document Format (PDF) documents are representative of separate and distinct genres. I chose a set of NASA documents, some published in HTML only, some published in PDF only, and one published in both HTML and PDF, as the focus of this study.

Using current genre theory and layout and design recommendations for print and HTML documents, I determined that HTML and PDF documents are not examples of distinct genres based on the NASA documents.

'The Third Sex': Interpellation Of The Woman Physician In Nineteenth-Century Literature, Margaret Jay Jessee

Masters Theses

As American women entered the medical profession for the first time, the literature of the late nineteenth century America reflects the debates surrounding women professionals. I will focus on three novels written during this controversial and interesting time. William Dean Howells's Dr. Breen 's Practice (1881) and Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's Dr. Zay (1882) deal with similar subjects, both novels portraying a female doctor and her struggle to decide between marriage and a career. Published in 1884, Sarah Orne Jewett' s A Country Doctor was the third novel seen in three years with a female doctor as the main character.

The …

Blood Kin: Poems, Sara Ann Baker

Masters Theses

This manuscript contains poems written and revised during my two years in the M.A. program in English. Themes include family, divorce, love, madness, religion, and nature. I wanted to develop a manuscript that truly reflected the past two years in terms of my life and in terms of my writing. The introduction details my journey to this point, explaining why certain I have been influenced by poets such as Sylvia Plath and Sappho. Overall, I see this manuscript as a reflection of life coming full circle, acting out part of the cycle of life. The journey from the first poem, …

Competing Visions Of Spain: Joaquin Costa And Miguel De Unamuno's Searches For National Identity, Alyson F. Baker

Masters Theses

This paper examines the competing visions of Spain offered by Joaquín Costa and Miguel de Unamuno in the last decades of the nineteenth century and in the first years of the twentieth century, as they sought to define the essence of Spainishness. In attempts to describe the national character, they invoked common historical memories and symbols, which were open to numerous interpretations. These multi-faceted and often contradictory depictions of Spain and its inhabitants presented diverse view of the country, attesting to the complexities of national identities. Focusing primarily on the writings of Costa and Unamuno, this paper examines their various …

The Rebel Collection, Erika Leigh Andra

Masters Theses

This collection of creative writing incorporates an introduction, three short stories, and a creative non-fiction piece, all of which represent my emotional exploration of both intense subject matters and an autobiographical impulse (blending the lines between fiction and non-fiction).

The introduction to “The Rebel Collection” pointedly scrutinizes my writing aesthetics and includes lists of authors and works which have profoundly influenced me. The creative non-fiction piece, “My Writer’s Eye,” relates my adventures from a mission trip to Mexico, during which I examined religion, writing, and class structures. The first short story, “Shells,” delves into the mind of a woman in …