Digital Commons Network^™

Equipmentality As A Pharmakon, Sherif Khalil

Theses and Dissertations

One must lose the world to know himself, if in his attempt to know the world he lost himself.

In this thesis, I argue that equipment is a pharmakon in that its harm lies in the service it is supposed to provide. Through equipment one gets to have a practical sense of the world. But, the world in this sense is a world for everyone and for no one in particular, that is, it is made to the measure of the average person who has no aspirations to realize his authenticity. That is how equipment helps us practically make sense …

Examining How Artistic Expression In The Classroom Can Increase Students' Academic Performance And Understanding Of Course Material, Jake Taylor Marrazzo

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined how artistic expression in the classroom can increase students’ academic performance and understanding of course material. This study consisted of graduate students in the Masters of Arts in Higher Education program at Rowan University, during the Fall/Spring 2023-2024 semesters, enrolled in at least one of the following courses: Crisis Management, Higher Education in America, and The College Student. The study utilized an artistic expression activity, painting, in connection with participants' course material and readings to understand the benefits of artistic expression on student success in the classroom. Some findings of this study show that artistic …

Pillars Of Youth Drug Abuse Prevention: Parents, Police, And Project Dare (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), Jonathon Stuever

Theses and Dissertations

In 1983 Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials teamed with Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) health curriculum specialist, Dr. Ruth Rich, to redesign an anti-tobacco curriculum, Project Self-Management and Resistance Training (SMART), into Project Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE). In the first four years of Project DARE, local, state, and, federal government branches endorsed the program as an efficient tool in the local and national fight against youth drug abuse. Early program evaluations, conducted by the Evaluation and Training Institute (ETI), demonstrated DARE’s ability to change attitudes of students, school faculty, and parents concerning social tolerance of underage drug …

Information Literacy In First Year Writing: A Case Study In Instruction, Rebekah A. Jakeman

Theses and Dissertations

With the emergence of the digital age, and the convenience of producing, accessing, and disseminating information, information literacy (IL) has become a prominent topic in higher education, especially in First-Year Writing (FYW) classrooms. Although much research exists about students' struggle to acquire IL dispositions and practices, there is less scholarship about teachers' attitudes towards IL and how they implement IL concepts in the classroom. Rise Smith proposes that to ensure students master IL skills, higher education must ensure that instructors understand, value and apply IL in their teaching. Therefore, my study focuses on instructors' self-efficacy surrounding IL and how it …

Manuel Ponce: Father Of Mexican Nationalistic Music, Guillermo Sanchez Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

The influence of Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) in early 20th-century Mexico serves as a precursor to the emerging nationalistic sounds sought after the 1910 revolution. Despite the challenges posed by Mexico's music education system, Ponce's private tutelage enabled him to achieve European standards, marking a significant progress in the broader efforts of 19th-century Mexican musicians to attain proper musical training. Ponce's method of creating an authentic Mexican sound involved reconstructing folklore music, blending it with European styles, and aligning himself with the Indigenismo movement. His compositional trajectory, marked by trips to Europe and distinct musical periods such as Romanticism, Nationalism, and …

Arthur Is Only Sleeping: A Reawakening Of John Steinbeck's The Acts Of King Arthur And His Noble Knights, Caroline J. Raines

Theses and Dissertations

John Steinbeck, known for his descriptions of the American West, maintained a fascination with the Arthurian legend throughout his life and literary career. Through comparative analysis of Cup of Gold, Tortilla Flat, and The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, we can see Steinbeck's recurring interest in the Arthurian legend which is often overlooked by scholars. Steinbeck's initial interest in strict translation which evolved into adaptation over the course of his work on The Acts shows his developing interest in Arthurian themes which he enhanced with his own creative abilities as a world-renowned author. By highlighting the gap …

Songs And Flowers Of The Wasatch: Rhetorical Aesthetics And Latter-Day Saint Women's Poetry, Jolyn D. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Although the literary quality of women's poetry from the nineteenth century has long been criticized by literary scholars, recent work in reception studies has documented readers' aesthetic experiences with such poetry in order to appreciate its popularity and appeal (Stauffer). Extending this work in literary reception studies, I draw on scholarship in rhetorical studies, specifically rhetorical aesthetics (Clark), to demonstrate how conventional poetic forms and sentimental appeals can be used by marginalized communities to facilitate identification. I examine Songs and Flowers of the Wasatch, a collection of primarily Latter-day Saint women's poetry compiled by Emmaline B. Wells for the 1893 …

A Corpus Study Of The Effects Of Information Packaging On The Position Of Siempre And Nunca In The Spanish Verb Phrase, Rebekah Geddes

Theses and Dissertations

In Spanish, time adverbs show variability in their position with respect to the modified verb. This thesis investigates the effect of information packaging on the position of VP time-adverbs of frequency. Data were drawn from the Davies WEB Dialects Corpus. Two high-frequency verbs (dar and decir), as well as some of their less frequent near-synonyms (expresar, declarar, mencionar vis-à-vis decir, and ofrecer, entregar, and regalar vis-à-vis dar) were examined in relation to the adverbs siempre and nunca. The data show that when VP adverbs are part of sentence focus and do not have any special emphasis, they are found in …

Perceptions Of Tesol Instruction From Varying Feedback Sources, Kylie J. Woffinden

Theses and Dissertations

Many studies in the field of preservice TESOL teacher education focus on expert teacher feedback to preservice teachers but neglect to address other sources of classroom feedback. This study explored how alternate sources of classroom feedback, including peer teachers and students, compare to expert feedback. A total of thirty participants from three different participant groups were featured. The three participant groups were composed of students studying at an intensive English lab school, preservice teachers who worked at the lab school, and the mentors and university instructors that guided those preservice teachers. Data collection took place through feedback sessions, during which …

Lingampally, Mackenzie Anne Jaggi

Theses and Dissertations

Lingampally is a multigenerational family story that follows a single mother, Amulya Goli, as she navigates raising Vasanth, her self-assured, reckless son, in the Christian faith in a small village in Hyderabad, India. Absent a father figure, Vasanth struggles to know himself and embrace his manhood. In a tumultuous series of events, Amulya's past indiscretions return demanding justice, and she must sacrifice all that she loves to ensure her family's future. She secures the funds that allow Vasanth, his wife Boomika, and their sons Nikki and Hari to emigrate to Plymouth, England in the winter of 2001 to start a …

Student Driven Feedback: A Study In Self-Efficacy, Jennifer L. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

In this mixed methods research study, I use student survey and interview data from English 11 students at a suburban, public high school to analyze the ways in which students' self-efficacy is impacted when a feedback intervention is introduced that creates the opportunity for students to ask questions about their writing. In this study, I found that as a result of the intervention students showed an increase in their writer-centered efficacy beliefs, reported an awareness of the control and autonomy the intervention provided, and expressed an appreciation for the ways in which teacher feedback can be useful in helping them …

Entre Sombras Y "Bellas Artes": La Ciudad De México Como Escenario Noir En Distinto Amanecer (1943), Linda G. Villarreal Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Con Julio Bracho como director y Gabriel Figueroa en la fotografía, Distinto amanecer llega a las pantallas mexicanas en 1943. A pesar de que la acción de Distinto amanecer ocurre en la Ciudad de México y se conecta con una realidad nacional, el filme abre con un preámbulo que parece minimizar la importancia de esa geografía y de su contexto sociohistórico: “Los personajes de este drama no tienen relación alguna con personas de la vida real. El conflicto dramático que se presenta tiene características universales y puede, por ende, ser situado en cualquier ciudad del mundo contemporáneo”. Todo esto superpuesto …

O Processo De Escrita Para Uma Audiência Autêntica: As Reações De Aprendizes Intermediários Da Língua Portuguesa Como Terceira Língua, Marcos Paulo Barboza

Theses and Dissertations

Este estudo investigou as reações, sentimentos e pensamentos dos alunos sobre a diferença entre escrever em um segundo idioma para uma tarefa em sala de aula e escrever para um público autêntico fora da sala de aula. O estudo foi aplicado em uma aula de português para falantes de espanhol. Oito alunos foram inicialmente solicitados a escrever diversas redações curtas para seu professor e, posteriormente, escolher uma das redações para reescrever para um público autêntico de leitores do blog. Os textos foram comparados e os resultados indicam que quando escreveram para o público externo à sala de aula, ficaram mais …

"Pasted Up And Printed Out": Watchmen As Ontographic Network, Thomas B. De Groff

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' 1986-87 comic book series Watchmen according to its network structure, paying particular attention to page layout and the establishment of or deviation from the nine-panel "waffle iron" grid. This reading aims to better understand the comic book form, connecting the work of comics theorist Theirry Groensteen to certain elements of actor-network theory and Ian Bogost's notion of the ontograph--a map of being that emphasizes the interobjectivity of networked nodes. This thesis explores the ontographic nature of the comic book form more generally before tracing the meta-textual ontograph in Watchmen. The thesis then …

Subversive Compliance In A Precarious Nation: Camp In The Skopje 2014 Project, Lila Rice

Theses and Dissertations

To promote their desired national identity, the North Macedonian government funded the Skopje 2014 Project––an initiative including abundant statues, architectural façades, and other structures that depict Ancient Macedon as North Macedonia’s heritage. This project received copious amounts of criticism on two central fronts: first, that its allusions to Ancient Macedon are a false depiction of history; second, that its aesthetic is tacky. While valid arguments are made on each of these fronts, I argue that the latter complicates the former when analyzed in the context of North Macedonia’s precarity. In this analysis, I employ the work of Judith Butler and …

The Materiality Of The Soul In Plutarch's Moralia, Caleb Cole Deppermann

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines Plutarch's vague comments about the materiality of the soul in Moralia. My contention is that, despite suggestions to the contrary, Plutarch aligned with Plato in thinking about the soul as immaterial. I argue that a deeper understanding of Plutarch's relationship to Plato as well as the Stoics and Epicureans of his time shed light on his otherwise ambiguous passages. The end result will be (1) a more secure understanding of Plutarch's position on the materiality of the soul and (2) an improved ability to appreciate Plutarch's playful and vivid language as he describes immaterial souls with material …

"The First Fruits Of A Woman's Wit": Reclaiming The Childbirth Metaphor In Aemilia Lanyer's Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, Carolyn Mae Shakespear

Theses and Dissertations

The childbirth metaphor adopts imagery from female bodies carrying and delivering children to describe the effort and relationship of a poet to his/her poem. This was a commonly used trope in the renaissance, particularly by male authors. This thesis examines the way early modern woman poet, Aemilia Lanyer uses the childbirth metaphor in her poem, Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum. Lanyer ultimately considers not only the physical realities of childbirth in her use of the metaphor, but also the emotional, social, and theological consequences. By doing so, I argue that Lanyer reclaims the metaphor from her male contemporaries in order to …

Poe’S Theory Of The Short Story And Hybridity In East Asian Short Fiction: Considering Mori Ogai’S “Maihime” And Su Manshu’S “Suizanji”, Anthony Michael Wood

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers how Mori Ōgai’s “Maihime” (1890) and Su Manshu’s “Suizanji” (1916) conform and differ from Edgar Allen Poe’s theory of the short story. It then considers Ōgai’s and Su’s reading of the short stories and East Asian short fiction as well as Ōgai’s definition of the short story to consider why these works of short fiction differ from Poe’s definition, concluding that they are hybrid works, which seek to combine the short story and East Asian short fiction.

A Study Of Art Education Strategies For Remote Learning During The Pandemic, Stephanie Cook

Theses and Dissertations

In the wake of COVID-19, educators had to adjust their curriculum and pedagogies to create an environment of learning while their students couldn't come into the classroom. As teachers and students alike adapted to this new distance learning, they encountered many obstacles which made it difficult to teach and to learn compared to what they were used to in a traditional in-person classroom setting. This thesis document compiles my research about the advantages and disadvantages of remote learning before, during, and post-pandemic. The research component of this project consists of the commentary of four art educators who share what they …

The Result Of Her Experiment: Evelyn De Morgan's Spiritualist Message Of A Hopeful Death, Mary Daylin Paul

Theses and Dissertations

The late Victorian artist Evelyn De Morgan's paintings have been analyzed and interpreted through the lens of her many stylistic influences by past critics and current art historians. This thesis seeks to restore 19th-century Spiritualism as the central influence on the subject matter and style of De Morgan's paintings. This is particularly true of works concerned with the struggles of mortal life and the moment of death, based on her anonymously published text The Result of an Experiment. Victorian mourning rituals, Spiritualism, and the writings of Swedenborg served to draw out the specific Spiritualist symbols within De Morgan's paintings. A …

Hózhó + Art Heals, Eugene Tapahe

Theses and Dissertations

The land where I grew up gives me a sense of purpose and belonging. It embodies the Navajo concept of hózhó, which represents harmony, beauty, and balance. Being in tune with this spiritual connection inspires me to bring people together through art and healing. I use natural materials like sand, sage, cedar, tree twigs, and yellow and blue cornmeal to create my art. To maintain the spirituality of my work, I employ traditional and ritualistic harvesting methods passed down from generation to generation. These techniques are deeply connected to the land and are essential to my identity as an artist …

Developing An Artistic Self In Preservice Elementary Teachers: A Studio Art Curriculum To Promote Art Integration, Karilee D. Park

Theses and Dissertations

With the continual use of standardized testing, teaching art in schools, particularly elementary schools, often falls to generalist teachers with little to no experience in art. While art can be integrated into daily curriculum for deeper and lasting learning, without the proper training or support, generalist teachers are left to implement art as they encountered it in the past, if at all. Artistic anxiety and culturally misappropriated artistic experiences result in the arts being used inefficiently or avoided completely. Creating a curriculum for preservice elementary generalist teachers, I explored art integration through developing artistic confidence, skill, and identity for 16 …

Sometimes Windows Break, Samantha Snyder

Theses and Dissertations

The sensation of detachment and reclusion frequently gives rise to an uncanny and dreamlike space. Enveloped within this dimension, the quirks of memory become a fragile lifeline to bygone, intangible ideas of reality. Fixated on this threshold, my artistic explorations in print, collage, and assemblage navigates these elusive realms, rendering fragmented and distant shapes and figures in stark contrast to elements that evoke an eerie sense of familiarity. In this manner, my work invites viewers to embrace the disconcerting and unsettling aspects of the in-between, all the while establishing an unsettling connection to reality through the lens of nostalgic objects …

Studio As Laboratory: Prioritizing Artistic Fluency Through The Morphogenesis Of Paper, Jeannette Lina Neal

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a curriculum designed to examine relationships between artistic fluency in middle school art classrooms, and a robust year-long paper curriculum. A sustained focus with one material, such as paper, combined with relevant artists and investigative skills activities was designed to increase artistic fluency during a time when students often experience a decline in identity and confidence. Concerns with the U-curve theory suggest that many factors affect the continuity of art during these crucial years of school. Educational standards of the Reggio Emilia Approach can be applied to secondary education, encouraging both students and educator to create dynamic …

Neural Correlates Of Emotion Word Processing In Bilinguals: An Fnirs Study, Daniela Andrea Ortega Manchego

Theses and Dissertations

Despite increasing interest in the interface between emotion word processing and bilingualism, the representation of valence during emotion word processing in the bilingual brain remains unclear. In the present study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the neural correlates of written emotion words in a first (L1) and a second (L2) language. Native English (16) and native Chinese (16) bilingual participants rated emotion words in their first and second language while we recorded their brain activity. Our results show distinct neural processing patterns between L1 and L2, with the former eliciting increased overall activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal …

Still Life Happens, Mary Ann Crabtree

Theses and Dissertations

After dedicating over two years to pursuing an MFA degree focused on ceramics and sculpture, I find myself transported back to a familiar setting from my past: a tableau reminiscent of what remained in the dining space after four young children finished a meal and exited the room. Revisiting the scene recalls happy times despite the disorder. What helped maintain my sanity during the relentless repetition of the every-day-long task was the realization that every day, innocents are learning to become aware of the world around them. For my thesis exhibition, I created a tableau as a loud reminder of …

As If It Were One Day, Megan Rowley Stern

Theses and Dissertations

As If It Were One Day is a multimedia art installation that chronicles patterns of light, movement, and sound, channeling the fluidity of time within the newborn phase of familial living. After giving birth to my daughter, I spent the next seven weeks observing these elements and recording them via video. The resulting art installation acknowledges my efforts to navigate my current life as an artist and a mother, my past battle with postpartum depression, and my consequent gravitation toward light.

Validating Boyness: How Art Education Allows Male Adolescent Students A Space For Authenticity, Vulnerability, Empathy, And Connection, Stephanie Behlke-Mcfarland

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines societal norms and unwritten rules for boys as they mature. It is hypothesized that most boys deal with emotional suppression or dissociation in varying degrees of severity due to traumas during their developmental years. This dissociation creates an inability to express their own emotions adequately and therefore affects their ability to empathize with others. A lack of vulnerability may also be a common challenge among boys society still considers vulnerability weakness. This pattern continues into adulthood and is then perpetuated through posterity and future generations. This thesis explores through a qualitative case study how using art integration …

Using Eye-Tracking To Examine How Chinese Foreign Language Learners Attend To Chinese Radicals, Yi Hsuan Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized eye-tracking to investigate 63 intermediate-level university Chinese foreign language (CFL) learners' real-time radical preferences. Radicals are components of Chinese characters and give clues to the meanings and pronunciations of the character. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What type of radicals (semantic/phonetic) do CFL readers most rely on when reading characters? (2) Does reliance on one type of radical (semantic/phonetic) correlate with accuracy in character recognition? (3) Does awareness of semantic/phonetic radicals affect the accuracy of character recognition or reliance on radicals in real-time processing? The results found that participants demonstrated a phonetic …

Swipe For More: Digital Sex Education, The Emergence Of Femtech And The Neoliberal Subject In Cairo, Egypt, Marisa Breathwaite

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I approach digital sex education in Cairo, Egypt and how it is navigated by Cairo’s urban elite. The way digital sex education in Cairo is consumed via social media and online courses is touted as “new” by popular media coverage. The content, products and services boast the first of their kind by the creators of the platforms themselves. That middle and upper class Cairene women are talking about sex online and consuming digital sex education content, in visible public forums, is portrayed as a completely novel phenomenon—in other words, platforms like Cairo’s first femtech company, Motherbeing, are …