Digital Commons Network^™

Authentic Fake: Authenticity And Authentication., Suyun Son

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis exhibition questions the modern sanctification of authenticity. No longer believing in objective truths, the postmodern society seeks epistemic grounding on being true to oneself. The categories of authentic-or-fake replaced the binary of true-or-false. But authenticity is a trojan horse for authentication. As a Korean American artist, I'm encouraged to express my “authentic” Korean identity. This encouragement can also imply my works will receive recognition as authentic and meaningful only when they embody Korean cultural expression. Authenticity becomes a performance for the sake of authentication. Ironically, authenticity turns into an act of conformity/confirmation. Authenticity demands you stay true to …

Ìlànà Òrí-Òkè Àtiyanrìn: T(H)Reading Sands And Mountains, Akintayo Akintobi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist presents his Master of Fine Arts exhibition, entitled Ìlànà Òrí-òkè Àtiyanrìn: T(h)reading Sands and Mountains. The exhibit was mounted in Tipton Gallery in downtown Johnson City, TN, from February 1 to February 9, 2024. The exhibition consisted of 13 artworks, including mixed media paintings, fibers, sculptures, and installations. In this thesis, Akintobi discusses his life experiences growing up in Nigeria and traveling to the United States for his MFA, and how these experiences have affected his art over the past three years.

Through the exhibition, the artist delves into the intersection and variances of cultural perspectives, exploring …

The Impact Of Cognitive Coaching On Educator Identity And Teamwork Through Classroom Observation As Perceived By Teachers And Administrators., Carrie Elizabeth Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Classroom observations are meant to help teachers improve their instructional practice and improve learning outcomes for students. But for many educators, traditional, in-person classroom observations can not only be difficult to arrange but difficult to truly gain valuable feedback from when teachers can’t see what was happening in the moment (Drago-Severson & Blum-Stefano, 2017). Teaching and leading in an environment characterized by a constant state of change is more likely to cause stress and negative feelings when the employees care deeply about the outcome (Wisse & Sleebos, 2016). Cognitive Coaching methods, applied to classroom observations, aim to reduce focus on …

#Getinked: An Anthropological Exploration Of Tattooing And Social Media, Delanee Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to address two inquiries regarding contemporary tattooing. The first goal is to explore how social media has changed the practice of tattooing while the second goal is to examine how tattoos are used to express or explore the differing facets of a person’s identity. Identity theory, social identity theory, semiotics, and the concepts of stigma and deviancy form the theoretical framework which allows one to understand the ways in which tattoos can provide insights into the various aspects of someone’s identity as well as how social media can influence members of the tattoo community. An online survey, …

What Does It Mean To Be The Goat: A Narrative Study On Retired White Male Elite Individual Sport Athletes?, Tyler Behrmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The greatest of all time (GOAT) is a topic commonly discussed in sports today (Lundberg & Rosenberg, 2020). Despite this increased use of the term, there is a lack of research on the topic of the GOAT which could serve to benefit individuals in performance domains. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to investigate characteristics that describe a GOAT and the impact these characteristics of the GOAT have on individuals. Two participants were included in this study. The participants were white male, retired, and individual sport athletes who competed in multiple World Championships. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured …