Digital Commons Network^™

Bowl Survey, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Over the next two days and nights ten bowl games will be played across the expanse of our great nation. At the end of the bowl season, culminating with the BCS Championship Game on January 7, thirty-five bowl games will have been played. The first, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, took place on December 15.

College Sport, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It’s been some time since I sat down and watched as much as a half of a college football game. Last fall I was in London, a city not infected by intercollegiate athletics, and this fall I simply never got enough time or interest to watch. Then a few weeks ago I did see several games. Florida and Florida State always draws my interest, and the Notre Dame run has been an interesting one.

Tags And Roger, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Is there anyone out there who thought that Paul Tagliabue would overturn the player suspensions imposed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the New Orleans bounty case? Maybe someone somewhere had predicted this, but if they did they would be members of an extremely small club.

Brown Study An Original Musical Recording, Alan Clark

HIM 1990-2015

For a year and a spring semester, I have been in the works of a school music project. I set out to make a record of ten self-penned songs. Along the length of the project, I would discover musicians and recording artists. I notated my songs on a staff and recorded demos to assist players of drums, electric bass, French horn, and violin. I play guitar, percussion, synthesized instruments, and do all of the singing on Brown Study, the record's title. The technology used to create the songs include a Tascam 2488 (home digital recording device), computers, printers, cell phones …

The Influence Of Beliefs On People's Perception Of Illness In The Spanish Golden Age, Nicole Cruz

HIM 1990-2015

Medicine is a field of science that is always changing and promoting new ideas and innovations. Throughout history, medicine has been an important factor in the lives of people around the world since the beginning of civilizations. This study focused on the literature of medicine as it relates to the Spanish Golden Age period. By looking at the history and critical studies in medicine during sixteenth and seventeenth century Spain as well as during the pre-colonial period in America, this thesis overviews the effects and influences in regards to health and illness in Spain and the Americas during the Spanish …

The Importance Of Education From A Global Perspective Teaching Don Quixote In The 21st Century, Natalia Sepulveda

HIM 1990-2015

The objective of this study is to concentrate on the topic of education in the Cervantine works, by examining the importance and significance from a global perspective using a 17th century text, Don Quixote of La Mancha, as part of the teachings in the 21st century classroom. In order to fulfill this objective, the following exegesis will consider specific episodes of Don Quixote and it will delve into the following questions: How do specific episodes reflect how education influences those surrounding Don Quixote? How do Don Quixote and his squire Sancho have a continuous learning process of what is considered …

Pestilence And Prayer Saints And The Art Of The Plague In Italy From 1370 - 1600, Jessica Ortega

HIM 1990-2015

Stemming from a lack of scholarship on minor plague saints, this study focuses on the saints that were invoked against the plague but did not receive the honorary title of plague patron. Patron saints are believed to transcend geographic limitations and are charged as the sole reliever of a human aliment or worry. Modern scholarship focuses on St. Sebastian and St. Roch, the two universal plague saints, but neglects other important saints invoked during the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods. After analyzing the reasons why St. Sebastian and St. Roch became the primary plague saints I noticed that other …

Art As A Questioning Process, Elizabeth Perez

HIM 1990-2015

The topic of this thesis is, broadly, the crisis of postmodernity and the solution that French rhetorician, Michel Meyer, presents in his theory “problematology.” Meyer looks to relocate the focus of philosophical attention on the question as opposed to the answer. Meyer calls preoccupation with answers “propositionalism.” Propositionalism can be likened to the looming scientism that threatens philosophy in general. Meyer shows, through an examination of questioning, how philosophy can be rescued from obsolescence without being detracted to scientism. Although Meyer’s philosophy is promising, it could not be considered thorough if it did not address art. Using Gilles Deleuze and …

My Peace I Give Unto You Christianity's Critique Of Roman And American Exceptionalism, Ryan Tindall

HIM 1990-2015

Throughout the history of the United States, its inhabitants have looked upon their nation as a special place. In some cases, this has exceeded the natural and simple love of home and country and taken a more extreme form. Important to this bent is the tendency to see the nation, its beliefs, and its actions around the world as divinely sanctioned and inspired in some regard. This is a generally necessary component to the idea of American Exceptionalism, which views the United States as a nation with a divinely imposed mission to spread civilization, freedom, and democracy to the ends …

Depictions Of Women In Stalinist Sovet Film, 1934-1953, Andrew Weeks

HIM 1990-2015

Popular films in the Soviet Union were the products of the implementation of propagandistic messages into storylines that were both ideologically and aesthetically consistent with of the interests of the State and Party apparatuses. Beginning in the 1930s, following declaration of the doctrine on socialist realism as the official form of cultural production, Soviet authorities and filmmakers tailored films to the circumstances in the USSR at that given moment in order to influence and shape popular opinion; however, this often resulted in inconsistent and outright contradictory messages. Given the transformation that gender relations were undergoing in the early stages of …

Navigating Authenticity In The Age Of The Internet A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Existential Effects Of Social Media, Douglas Zimmerman

HIM 1990-2015

Our world is a world of technology, and technology is part of what has made human beings so adept at survival. Yet, the 21st century has seen a new type of technology that is unlike anything ever seen before. This new information technology is known as social media (including such things as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.), and it has the power to influence our very being. However, we are seemingly uncritical and unconcerned about social media in relation to society. This project attempts to analyze social media and its relationship to human beings from an ontological standpoint. I do so …

Thanksgiving, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As with all American traditions, if it happened once or twice it is one. Therefore I present my traditional Thanksgiving piece. The History of Thanksgiving and of Football both go back into the Middle Ages, and so it may not be so strange that the two would become intertwined in modern America.

Humanities, Sciences Must Be United -- For Our Collective Success, Carla Poindexter

UCF Forum

When Pablo Picasso presented his first cubist paintings to the world, even most educated people thought them hideous and irrational, yet his peers saw them to be ingenious.

Much Has Improved In 50 Years, But Early Ucf Had Own Charm, Richard C. Crepeau

UCF Forum

The University of Central Florida is gearing up to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2013, and much will be said and written about the transformation of the university from a small campus to one of the largest universities in the United States.

Cnsjf 2012 Report: Exceeding Expectations, Manuel A. Rivera, Robertico R. Croes

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival (CNSJF) attracted during the past three annual festivals 12,542 tourists, generated nearly US$22 million in direct spending due to the festival and had a total contribution of nearly US$40 million to the Curacao economy. These unprecedented results are even more significant considering the unique funding source of this festival, which is backed by a private investment source. Private investments in festival production are a financial funding source that is not common in the event industry, especially when considering the significant economic benefits the CNSJF has generated for Curacao. This festival has functioned as a …

Ucf Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter Fall 2012, Megan M. Haught

UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter

This is the Fall 2012 edition of the UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter which celebrates the accomplishments and community activity of the faculty, staff, and students from the University of Central Florida Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses.

• Nancy Brasel, Education, attended the 92^nd Street Y’s Wonderplay Conference and visited The Bloomingdale Family Program in Harlem
• Two Brown Bag Luncheon lectures were held in Cocoa and broadcast to the Palm Bay campus
• The 2012 holiday charities were the Central Brevard Sharing Center and The Children’s Hunger Project

Scabs In Seattle, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It took all of three weeks but the excrement has finally hit the fan. It is not the end of the world, but it is the end of any further claims that the scabs impersonating NFL referees are competent. If they were competent they would already have been NFL referees and therefore would be locked out by the NFL.

Baseball Changes, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

At the end of this baseball season there will a fundamental shift in the organization of Major League Baseball. At the opening of the next season the Houston Astros will be an American League team. The change was forced by Baseball Commissioner “Bud” Selig who made it a prerequisite to the purchase of the Houston franchise.

Can We Own Art? Or Just Be Its Legal Guardian?, Carla Poindexter

UCF Forum

How can we effectively teach students to be professional artists at a time when some of society’s economic values are so unrealistic? It is true the high-end art market is thriving, but the contemporary art community is arguing whether such outrageous public auctions and private sales are good or bad for art.

Football In The Air, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

September is here and that means football is back, both the NFL and the collegiate pros. The student-athletes of the NCAA opened play over this extended holiday weekend with more games than any human being could possibly ingest. There seemed to be excitement in the air on and off campuses across the country and across the Atlantic.

Armstrong, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

How does it end for Lance Armstrong? “Not with a bang but a whimper.” Although T.S. Eliot did not know Lance Armstrong, it is an interesting coincidence that Eliot’s 1925 poem, from which this line is taken, is titled “The Hollow Men.” If you were someone who idolized Armstrong and believe now that he is guilty and there is a blot on his entire career, then he will indeed seem as one of those Hollow Men.

Olympics, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

So it has ended. A bit over two weeks, a fortnight of intense athletic competition with spectacular performances, highs and lows, and way too much national naval gazing by the host nation and by NBC on behalf of the USA. That said, it was at the sporting level a wonderful two weeks of competition.

Social Media And Its Effect On Privacy, Brittney Adams

HIM 1990-2015

While research has been conducted on social media, few comparisons have been made in regards to the privacy issues that exist within the most common social media networks, such as Facebook, Google Plus, and Twitter. Most research has concentrated on technical issues with the networks and on the effects of social media in fields such as medicine, law, and science. Although the effects on these fields are beneficial to the people related to them, few studies have shown how everyday users are affected by the use of social media. Social media networks affect the privacy of users because the networks …

Punishment, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

After the Freeh Report was issued there was an outcry demanding that the NCAA do something to punish Penn State University. Many called for the death penalty. Others complained about the failure of the NCAA to act immediately. Then on Monday morning when the NCAA President, Mark Emmert, announced the judgment and punishment of Penn State the outcry was that the NCAA acted too quickly. It was a rush to judgment by Emmert and his colleagues. What happened to due process?

Psu Report, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

After reading the summaries and commentaries on the Freeh Report detailing the elements of scandal at Penn State University, I am surprised that I am surprised by what has been revealed. My cynicism after nearly a half century of involvement with administrators at institutions of higher education and bloated athletic programs should have left me immune to both the surprise and disgust that this affair had evoked in me. What has not surprised me is the deviousness of the principal players in this scandal, the cynicism with which they approached the issues, and the continuing reaction to it all.

Art Is Always A Series Of Questions To Contemplate, Not Solve, Carla Poindexter

UCF Forum

Why do people value a painting or drawing? An elementary-school student I know recently answered: “Because when we look at art we can see how the artist felt about things.”

Wimbledon, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The term “historic” is often used in describing any number of sporting events. It is sometimes used to exaggerate the significance of an event, often in order to promote it. There are times, though, when the term is not only appropriate, but indeed, required. The Gentleman’s Final at Wimbledon today was historic in a number of ways.

Ucf Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter Summer 2012, Megan M. Haught

UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter

This is the Summer 2012 edition of the UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter which celebrates the accomplishments and community activity of the faculty, staff, and students from the University of Central Florida Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses.

• A new staff and two new faculty members joined the Cocoa campus
• Two Educations students attended the NASA Pre-Service Teacher Institute
• 31 Cocoa Nursing seniors graduated in August four of which had Honors in the Major recognition
• The BCC/UCF Joint Use Library in Palm Bay was chosen as the cover image for Choice Magazine

Baseball Verdicts, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It ended last week with the jury foreman announcing to the court that the jury had found Roger Clemens “not guilty.”

Title Ix, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

This weekend marks the fortieth anniversary of the passage of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 whose section, Title IX, transformed sport in America. After forty years the achievements of Title IX are impressive, while some controversy persists and some misinformation continues to persist. In the past decade the conservative political attack has subsided and Title IX seems to have been removed from those still fighting the culture wars particularly on the issue of feminism.