Digital Commons Network^™

The Importance Of Female Bass Players: How They Have Influenced And Shaped Our Conception Of Music, Jessica Sacks

Theses

Music allows us to think creatively, dream, and create a soundtrack for our lives. When we think of female artists, most people recognize singers, but I want to describe how women have shaped music for over sixty years with their fantastic playing abilities. This project will analyze how female bass players have contributed to American music and society.

I Have News To Tell You, Jeanne M. Allison

Theses

I Have News To Tell You is a poetry collection that reckons with grief, survival, and mortality through the exploration of harrowing life experiences and contemplation through nature and relationships. The collection contends with what it means to be a human shaped by scars.

World War Ii American Propaganda: The Art And Appeal Behind Women On The Domestic Front, Katherine Grace Noe

Theses

While men served their country through military duty during the second World War, women were encouraged to do their part in ways that challenged their traditional roles as the American housewife. Because so many men were off at the front, the United States government had to create new ways to manipulate and persuade American women to join the workforce. Posters and other media featured strong, relatable women and phrases that encouraged women to serve. Propaganda not only suggested how women should act, but also manipulated society’s view of women’s role in the war efforts. Most people are familiar with iconic …

Biohelm Smart Hockey Helmet: A Conceptual Wearable System For Protecting And Empowering Female Athletes, Anthony Parrucci

Theses

Women’s ice hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and needs the most articles of protective equipment. At the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) level, not only do these athletes need to adapt to team issued equipment that rarely fits comfortably or safely but must also consider the important facets that impact overall performance. The main objective of this project is to promote inclusivity while protecting, empowering and educating athletes in an ethical, noninvasive manner to positively impact the culture of women’s sports. Overexertion at the NCAA level increases exponentially due to the intense training and …

Steam Toys: Empowering The Next Generation Of Women In Stem, Grace Newman-Lapinski

Theses

Even in 2022, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields continue to be dominated by men. Starting from an early age, women are systematically pushed out of STEM fields. Three main reasons contribute to this – gender bias, lack of role models, and a lack of opportunity for skill building at an early age. This paper proposes that STEAM (STEM + Art) toys are critical to empowering the next generation of women in STEM. By mixing art with STEM, STEAM toys provide kids with the opportunity to explore these complex fields of study in creative ways. By making use of …

Resilience And Fortitude: The Lives Of Impoverished Women In Fremantle, Western Australia, 1890-1914, Linda Mcgowan

Theses

Many impoverished women struggled to raise their children without support in Fremantle, Western Australia, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. This thesis investigates how these women managed to provide for their children, and keep their families together, at a time when society expected women to be supported by men. The appalling living conditions in the slum areas of Fremantle, which often led to serious health issues that further impacted on women’s struggle for survival, are explored as well as how the denial of legal rights, and harsh community attitudes towards these women, exacerbated already difficult situations. Options such …

Where Are The Women? A Feminist Field Guide To The Museum, Taylor Weaver

Theses

Linda Nochlin’s seminal 1971 essay, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” was at the fore of the great battle cries of many feminist scholars that drew attention to the limitation’s that female artist’s face in the art world. Women have systematically been left out of the art historical narrative while their male counterparts remain at the forefront.

There are many women that are very prominently represented in museums. They are largely nude and have been represented by male artists. While I do not argue that nudity in paintings should not exist, I do insist that museum goers become …

Tiny Furious Circles, Ann M. Herrington

Theses

I have had time to live and time to reflect on that living. What I have found is that certain things present themselves, over and over, wearing different skins. And though they look different, there is a certain whiff of familiarity that activates the soul’s hindbrain and pulls you close. That’s how it has been for me. Because of this — my failure to learn the first time; my need to see a thing from all its sides; my constant picking at the half-healed — certain themes repeat. And because they have come to me at different times in many …

Flesh So Peach, Mireya Salinas

Theses

Flesh So Peach is an interactive art piece that addresses the hypervisibility of “whiteness” using the Vogue September 2018 issue. In this work, I remove “whiteness” from the magazine and set up a space for the audience to do the same. The removal of “whiteness” is a physical representation of the frustration, anxiety, and anger I feel with the omission of women of color, specifically within the pages of this highly influential fashion magazine. Tools typically used to promote and emphasize the ideals of beauty have been used to tear, cut, and rip away white women’s flesh. The removal of …

Effects Of Rapid Weight Loss And Dehydration On Performance In Female Collegiate Wrestlers, Brittany David

Theses

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available on the physiological responses of female collegiate wrestlers to weight cutting practices and their impact on performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of rapid weight loss (R WL) and dehydration on the performance of female collegiate wrestlers one hour post RWL, and 12-hours postRWL.

METHODS: Five female collegiate wrestlers (age= 20.0 ± l .2 yrs, 62.9±2.2 in., 152.9±32.5 fbs., 27.24±3.33% body fat) underwent a pre-competition style period ofRWL where they voluntary cut 5.3 ± 0.2% of their initial body mass in four days. Performance tests were performed prior to …

Unconscious Lineage, Elizabeth Arlene Neale-Oestreicher

Theses

The following stories, “Cellar Doors,” “The Truth About Rockford,” and “Disreputable Uncles” are three stories from a collection of stories about four generations of women and their families, who face — and sometimes conquer — challenges that are all too common in our lives. They include the misery of being a sibling, and the terrifying power and overwhelming helplessness of being a parent, and the desperation that can latch on to us at any time in our lives. These stories ARE about the characters’ individual struggles, but they are also about unconscious lineage and how family traditions and community mores …

The "Rib" Of The South? An Analysis Of Feminine Agency Among Southern Elite Women Of The Antebellum Period (1815-1860), Louann Marie Sabatini

Theses

No abstract provided.

Establishing A Women's And Gender Studies Program At Auk, Teuta Avdimetaj

Theses

The aim of this research project is to serve as a guiding document towards the establishment of a taught Women’s and Gender Studies minor program at AUK which would offer students the opportunity to critically expand their views in the field of gender and actively promote the political, social and economic empowerment of women in Kosovo and the wider region through proactive gender equality initiatives and projects. The Gender Studies program will tackle the main theories that revolve around issues of gender, status of men and women in several spheres, analyze the discrepancies that can be found based on gender, …

Girls Living Healthy, Gabrielle Hewson

Theses

My Master of Fine Arts Thesis Project, entitled Girls Living Healthy, is an educational web site for girls ages 8 to 108. It is designed to inform and teach them how to make healthier nutrition and, subsequently, lifestyle choices. This project combines my passion for healthier living with my skills in, and enjoyment of, writing, illustration, and web design. Girls Living Healthy includes hand-drawn illustrations, original and applied hardcoded scripting language, resource and links, a glossary of less common terms, a quick interactive game called "Mood Swings", and the culmination of over a year's personal research and participation. My overall …

Voice Of Women In Byzantine Music Within The Greek Orthodox Churches In America, Rachel Nicole Brashier

Theses

Byzantine chant, the music of the Greek Orthodox Churches in America, embeds meanings and functions as a methodological tool which constructs and teaches about the role of women within church communities. This thesis explores how as cultural group identity, belongingness, and gender identity are semiotically iconized, purified, and recursively transmitted through the liturgical music of the church, specifically hymns about women saints and The Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God. This work is a culmination of twelve years of ethnomusicological fieldwork conducted by the author in Midwestern Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries, using participant-observation techniques. The work outlines the …

Natural Hair: A Content Analysis Of Black Hair Style And Texture On Youtube Videos, Toni Dominique Rowell

Theses

Within a society, the dominant ideology about aesthetics is instilled in individuals at a very early age. Hegemonic standards concerning the subject of hair style and texture has been an ongoing debate in the Black community for decades. A content analysis of videos on the video-sharing website YouTube was conducted to examine perceptions on African American women’s hair style, the relationship between the perceptions on hair style and gender, and the function of African American women’s’ hair styles as a status symbol. The sample consisted of 150 YouTube videos generated by using the keywords, “hair and Black women.” Three research …

Strange Way Home, Seema Raju Mukhi

Theses

Set in India, this novel follows the narrator, sixteen-year-old Asha Mehtani, in her two-year struggle to decide between following tradition and following her own desires. Asha encounters an American teacher at her school who encourages her to read, to learn, and to follow her own path in life. But Asha¿s parents want her to get married right after she finishes high school, in an arranged marriage. By refusing to get married, Asha will damage her family¿s reputation and ruin her younger sister¿s chances of finding a good husband. Will Asha choose to follow her heart, to go to college and …

The Current State Of The Gynecological Health Of Missouri Women And The Promotion Of Women's Health Issues In St. Charles County, Missouri, Tina Chapman

Theses

This thesis will focus on the current state of women's gynecological health in Missouri and the importance of raising the awareness of health issues among a targeted population of women in St. Charles County.

Compared to national averages, women living in Missouri suffer higher infection rates of certain sexually transmitted diseases as well as higher rates of cervical cancer. Since hundreds of thousands of women do not receive annual exan1inations that would detect these conditions, it is clear that a public information campaign is desperately needed. This project attempts to develop such a campaign.

The campaign will focus on St. …

A Critique Of The Role Of Women In Shakespeare's Plays As Interpreted In The Production Of Shakespeare's Women, Yu-Hsing Lin

Theses

No abstract provided.

Body Image And Quality Of Life: A Comparative Study Between Black And White Females, Chrissy Mitchell

Theses

This research examines the relationship between body image avoidance behaviors and quality of life for black an white females. The subjects in this study included 39 black females and 24 white females in St. Louis County. The ages of participants ranged from 14 to 20 years old. In order to examine the relationship between these two variables the mean, standard deviation, and an independent t-test was performed. There was a strong positive correlation between BIAQ and QOL Importance subscale for Black and White females. A discussion of limitations of this study and implications for future research will be discussed later.

Between The Ankle And The Soul, Christine Carlson

Theses

None provided.

Career Self-Efficacy In Women, Tammy L. Kirchhoff

Theses

Unavailable.

Coping Styles Of African American Women Who Have Or Have Not Experienced Physical Abuse, Pamela L. Huntspon

Theses

The purpose of the study was to explore the coping styles of African American women and determine if different coping styles exist between those women who have experienced abuse versus those who have not. In this study, 60 African American women living in St. Louis, Missouri were obtained using a convenience volunteer sample from several sites which included a unisex hair salon, a center for women experiencing physical and sexual abuse and two community agencies serving the needs of low income families. They were administered the Coping Responses Inventory (Actual Form) and a demographic questionnaire.

Results of independent sample t-test …

Underachieving Women And Girls: A Choice Between Career And Family, Annie Dunavan

Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between gender, self-efficacy and career development. Sixty-three high school freshmen completed questionnaires pertaining to these areas. Results indicated that self-efficacy is related to gender and career development.

Women Experiencing Depression [Within] The Three Denominations Of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative And Reform, Amy Kopman

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate women experiencing depression in the three denominations of Judaism : Orthodox, Conservative and Reform . Participants were divided into thee groups consisting of Orthodox (n=20) , Conservative (n=32) , and Reform (n=28). The volunteer participants completed a demographic sheet and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-I I) , answering 21 different questions measuring the severity of depression. A chi-square determined there is no significant relationship between the different scores of the various denominations of the Jewish women. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction And Caregiver Burden In Female Social Workers Who Care For An Elderly Relative, Joanne K. Kerns

Theses

This study examined the relationship between job satisfaction and caregiver burden in 29 female social workers employed full time at the Missouri Division of Family Services in St. Louis County. Because of multiple caregiving roles experienced by social workers who also care for an elderly relative, it was hypothesized that there would be a significant negative correlation between job satisfaction and caregiver burden. The Caregiver Burden Scale developed by Zarit, Reever, and Bach-Peterson was used to determine caregiver burden. Job satisfaction was determined by Holland and Guttfredson' s Career Attitudes and Strategies Inventory Job Satisfaction scale. No correlation was found …

Self-Esteem And Alcohol Involvement Among Female College Students: Is There A Relationship?, Marla Stephanie Slack

Theses

Although current research has studied t he relationship between self-esteem and alcohol involvement among college students, the results have been inconclusive. The majority of studies have used either the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory or the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to establish the level of self-esteem in their subjects. This study attempted to further previous research by using an alternative measure of self-esteem. Undergraduate female students (under the legal drinking age of 21) were randomly selected from Introductory Psychology classes at a midwestern university. Each subject completed the Self- Esteem Rating Scale (SERS) and the Index of Alcohol Involvement (IAI ) instrument . …

The Wage Gap Between Men And Women Is Narrowing: Fact Or Fiction, Tabatha A. White

Theses

This thesis will focus on the study of how "traditionally female" and "traditionally male" occupations impact the wage gap between men and women. It will also touch on how the wage gap has been decreasing throughout the years.

There has been considerable debate and controversy regarding the issue of wage discrimination between men and women particularly with regard to women working in male dominated occupations. Some researchers believe that the wage gap between men and women has been declining because of an increase in women's education and experience, whereas, some researchers believe it has been declining because of the decrease …

Mother-Bereaved Women And Death Anxiety, Nicole Depriest Thompson

Theses

Death anxiety in mother-bereaved women versus women non mother-bereaved was investigated. Female graduate students and social service employees were taken from a non-random sample in the Midwest. There were 60 participants, 30 who were mother-bereaved and 30 who were non mother-bereaved. Participants were given the Templer Death Anxiety Scale and a demographic survey to complete. Dependent variables were the scores on the Templer Death Anxiety Scale. There was not a statistically significant difference in average death anxiety scores between mother-bereaved women and non mother-bereaved women. The ramifications of the results are discussed, and potential avenues for further research are suggested.

Survival Of Women In The Business World Into The Twenty-First Century, Barbara Bradford

Theses

This thesis is a review of the current literature that pertains to the everyday experiences of women in the male dominated working world. This study focuses on the barriers preventing women from advancing where men succeed.

When women enter the workforce, they are naïve about the organizational culture surrounding them. The natural feminine instincts and behaviors of women are not considered as valuable in the corporate world as male instincts and behaviors.

Women are unaware of the subtle and underlying rules of the corporate game in this "man's world." They see men adapting easily and advancing up the corporate ladder. …