Digital Commons Network^™

"There Is Enough Food On The Table": Religious Minority Students' Experiences With The Campus Spiritual Climate, Regina C. Schneider

LSU Master's Theses

Within the last 30 years, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have been at much of the forefront of student affairs and higher education policy and practices. Issues regarding gender, race, and socioeconomic status have received much attention not only in education, but also in the greater landscape of the nation. Religious and spiritual minority students are a population that has only recently been considered in fostering a more inclusive and pluralistic college environment. Thus, there is a research gap involving religious/spiritual minority college students and their perceptions of the campus climate. Additionally, only a small pool of research addresses the …

The New British Christianity Of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Kemp

LSU Master's Theses

The emergence of C.S. Lewis as a popular author known for Christian content during the second half of the twentieth century provides an ideal case study for the transformation of religiosity within Britain. As religious behavior shifted from institutional adherence to private experience, Lewis became a ‘popular theologian’ who represented Christianity both for Christians – who looked to him for spiritual inspiration– and for non-Christians – who treated his views as representative of contemporary Christianity. By analyzing the reception, representation, and use of Lewis (his figure and his work) throughout the twentieth-century and into the twenty-first, it becomes clear that …

A Man Without: A Search For Personal Identity, Nitin Govindrao Mane

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis documents the process of devising, writing, rehearsing, and performing a solo show named A Man Without. The play depicts the posthumous trial of a multi-religious man named Neelkanth Khan. To be freed from limbo, Neelkanth must defend his life before Jesus, Krishna and Allah. Unfortunately, Neelkanth loses his case; yet another failure for a man whose life was a series of failures due to his circumstances and his character flaws. On the thematic level, this story implies that mankind’s failure to understand religion and the Gods leads to religious fanaticism. The backbone of this project is the training …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Religion And Marriage On Self-Reported Health, Patrick Joseph Graham, Jr

LSU Master's Theses

A significant body of literature has focused on the effects of religion on health and marriage on health, as well as on religion and marriage. However, there is limited research on the effects of religion and marriage on self-reported health. Using the first and only wave of the Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity, ordinary least square regression models are compared to investigate the causal effects of religion and marriage on self-reported health. In the analysis, it is found that religion and marriage, as forms of social support, individually have significant affects on self-reported health as the literature indicates …

Socio-Religious Factors And Their Influence In Semantic Interpretation, Michelle J. Goff

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis explores the influence of socio-religious factors in semantic interpretation. The principal objective of the investigation is to determine the level of that religious influence and make a call for the inclusion of socio-religious factors in all sociolinguistic semantic studies. The religious community of practice analyzed for this study was the Church of Christ. Its status as a community of practice is confirmed through the results of surveys and interviews, which fulfill the requirements promulgated by Lave & Wegner (1991). Participants inside and outside the community of practice, residing in three distinct cities were included: Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Houston, …

Understanding Teen Pregnancy Amongst Latinas: An Investigation Of The Cultural Values And Societal Factors That Contribute To Adolescent Motherhood, Mary Bateman Krom

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents an investigation into the various cultural and societal factors that contribute to the Latina teen pregnancy rate. According to the PEW Hispanic Center, Latinas account for more instances of adolescent motherhood than any other ethnic or ethnic demographic in the country. Although much research has been done in the area of teen pregnancy, so far little has been completed with the specified focus on the Latina population. This study therefore offers a unique perspective of the phenomenon in its consideration of various literary and sociological works, by both Latina and non-Latina authors, that underscore the prevalence of …

Evaluating Different Health Communicatioin Theories To Deter College Binge Drinking: A Look At Promising Directions For Future Research, Kristen Meyer Sunde

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

For more than 30 years, college administrators and health communicators have used binge drinking prevention campaigns on university campuses to deter students from this dangerous and life-threatening habit.

Despite the prevalence of such campaigns (Wechsler, Seibring, Liu & Ahl, 2004), binge drinking remains the top public health threat for this population (Wechsler, Dowdall, Davenport, & Castillo, 1995).

In this study, the researcher conducted an experiment using fear appeals to see if these messages were more effective than social norms messages, which are often used in college binge drinking prevention campaigns (Real & Rimal, 2007), at prompting higher message credibility …

A Humanistic View Of Satan: The Role Of Satan In Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, Yohance Myles

LSU Master's Theses

The role of Satan, in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, was selected as the topic of this thesis in acting to be submitted to the Graduate School of Louisiana State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater. The thesis includes an introduction; discussions of acting methods: the Art of Being, logical thinking, rhythmic sounds, the rehearsal process, journal notes, photos, research, and a conclusion. It details my role/character from a theatrical and humanistic point of view. I will highlight points that will reveal my daily discoveries of this …

Jewish Identity On The Stage: The Roles Of Saint Matthew And Caiaphas The Elder In Stephen Adly Guirsis's' The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, Andrew Paul Fafoutakis

LSU Master's Theses

The roles of Saint Matthew and Caiaphas the Elder in Stephen Adly Guirgis’s The Last Days of Judas Iscariot were performed in the fall of 2008 and elected as a thesis role at the time. This thesis is a written record of the actor’s research and development of the characters. This thesis includes background information on the production, historical research on the characters, character analyses, reflections on performance issues and the rehearsal process, and production photos.

The Role Of Judas Iscariot In Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot: A Production Thesis In Acting And The Actor Director Relationship, Scott Matthew Woltz

LSU Master's Theses

Directing The Last Days of Judas Iscariot and playing the title role was chosen as the basis for a thesis project in the fall semester of 2008 to be presented to the Graduate School of Louisiana State University in partial fulfillment of the graduate requirement for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre. The thesis will contain an introduction, a text analysis, a director’s concept, a chapter on the rehearsal process (to include a physical score and a tactical score), a chapter on performance, and a conclusion. The purpose of this thesis is to explore both an actor’s interpretation …

The Role Of Fabiana Aziza Cunningham In Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot: A Production Thesis In Acting, Leigh-Erin Balmer

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis will follow the experience of Leigh-Erin Balmer in creating the role of Fabiana Aziza Cunningham, a character written by Stephen Adly Guirgis in his play, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot. The role of Cunningham is the topic of this production thesis in acting, which will be submitted to the Graduate School of Louisiana State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre. The thesis contains an introduction; textual analysis and research (regarding author and original production history as well as other text materials); a character study, including …

The Culture Of Conservative Protestantism And Income Inequality: A Multilevel Analysis, Skylar Craig Gremillion

LSU Master's Theses

Despite major advances in equality of rights, women still earn less money than men. Social science researchers see sex-based income inequality as an issue of discrimination. While the problem has been identified, its causes are a matter of debate. In this study I offer one possible influence on this discrimination. I theorize that conservative Protestant culture has a strong effect on local norms and business practices. Those norms are a part of the institutional environment, and manifest themselves as allocative and valuative discrimination, keeping women out of high paying jobs or paying women in high skilled jobs less than men …

Logging-On To Sai Baba: The Poetics Of Sacred Globalization, Meredith Morgan Feike

LSU Master's Theses

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba is the leader of a progressive religious movement steeped in the Hindu tradition. The Sathya Sai Baba Organization claims to have over thirty million members in approximately 170 countries. The dedicated followers of the movement believe Sai Baba to be an avatar or incarnation of God in human form. Sai Baba utilizes the Internet to transmit his universalistic philosophies around the world. With this digital universe, devotees can log-on to a multitude of official Sai websites that act as training ground for achieving liberation of the mind and soul. This path of devotion that Sai …

Black Catholicism: Religion And Slavery In Antebellum Louisiana, Lori Renee Pastor

LSU Master's Theses

The practice of Catholicism extended across racial boundaries in colonial Louisiana, and interracial worship continued to characterize the religious experience of Catholics throughout the antebellum period. French and Spanish missionaries baptized natives, settlers, and slaves, and the Catholic Church required Catholic planters to baptize and catechize their slaves. Most slaveholders outside New Orleans, however, were lax in the religious education of slaves. Work holidays did not always correspond to religious holy days, and the number of slave baptisms and confirmations on Catholic plantations often depended on the willingness of the local priest, or the slaves themselves, to attend the parish …

Evangelicals And The Republican Party: A Reinforcing Relationship For Israel, John Charles Tadayeski

LSU Master's Theses

In examining one’s level of religious involvement and orthodoxy of worship, several authors have found significant correlations between levels of these variables and an attachment to political parties, particularly the Republican Party (Layman, 1997). My analysis of a 2002 ABC News/Washington Post poll (ICPSR, 2002) finds that the same mechanism that is indicative of partisanship also influences and reinforces evangelicals’ sympathies toward Israel. While the Republican and Evangelical variables are statistically significant with respect to an elevated level of sympathy toward Israel, the interaction effect of these two variables is the most noteworthy product of this analysis. When subjects respond …

Musical Play Across Ethnic Boundaries In Western Jamaica, Ronald Eric Dickerson

LSU Master's Theses

An ethnography of music, ritual, and festival in western Jamaica, this thesis reports on fieldwork performed in St. Elizabeth and St. James Parishes between June 2002 and January 2003. Featured field sites include rural dancehall events, Kumina performances, Accompong Town's Maroon Heritage Festival, and a Rastafarian music and nutrition festival called "The Supper of Rastafari." Building an account of these and other sites of cultural performance, this study focuses on social connections between groups of participants, traced through poetic, historical, and personal relationships among performers, especially across boundaries of ethnic, stylistic, or religious difference within Jamaica's national cultural identity.

A Settlement Of Great Consequence: The Development Of The Natchez District, 1763-1860, Lee Davis Smith

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines events, conditions, and circumstances that influenced the development of the Natchez District of West Florida from its acquisition by Great Britain in 1763 until the eve of the Civil War. The strong relationships between West Florida and the “original thirteen” colonies created a dynamic area of Revolutionary and antebellum era growth in West Florida, and particularly in the Natchez District. Eighteenth century westward migration of seaboard colonists exerted pressure on native Americans. At the same time, colonists felt pressure from the presence of British troops remaining in America following the French and Indian War. Colonial officials recognized …