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The Enduring Tradition Of Toxic Masculinity In French Literature, Hailey Caroline Kaim Jan 2023

The Enduring Tradition Of Toxic Masculinity In French Literature, Hailey Caroline Kaim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Toxic masculinity, the modern definition has given a concise explanation to what French literature has been relaying to audiences for centuries. This thesis will explore how toxic masculinity is seen in French literature through five time periods: the Medieval era, 17th, 18th, 20th, and 21st century. Introducing toxic masculinity is provided by a modern definition, biological evidence, and evaluation with society’s definition of masculinity. The Medieval era will investigate two short stories of courtly love that provide readers with classical examples of toxic masculinity that both men and women displayed. Venturing into the 17th and 18th centuries, plays brought the …


Sex And The Superman: Gender And The Superhero Monomyth, Christopher Maverick Dec 2022

Sex And The Superman: Gender And The Superhero Monomyth, Christopher Maverick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1938 introduction of Superman, superheroes have been ever-present in American popular culture. Indeed, with the modern preponderance of comic book movies dominating the American cinematic box-office, superhero fantasy is arguably the most important genre of fiction being produced in the contemporary moment. Peter Coogan, Kurt Busiek and many other scholars have discussed the prominence and relevance of the superhero fantasy as a genre. Still others, including Umberto Eco and Marco Arnaudo, have asserted that the superhero is not so much a genre and as it is the evolution of mythology. In Sex and the Superman, I argue …


“I Think It's Male Privilege”: A Qualitative Study Of Personal, Behavioral, And Socio-Environmental Factors Influencing High Risk Sexual Behavior And Hiv Transmission Among Heterosexual Adult Males In Ghana., Nana Ama Aya Erzuah Bullock May 2022

“I Think It's Male Privilege”: A Qualitative Study Of Personal, Behavioral, And Socio-Environmental Factors Influencing High Risk Sexual Behavior And Hiv Transmission Among Heterosexual Adult Males In Ghana., Nana Ama Aya Erzuah Bullock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are roughly 340,000 adults and children living with HIV. Despite the progress in the global response and the lowing of infections, HIV rates in Ghana remain stable. Cultural and societal norms that exist at a given time and place influence masculine socialization and behavior. These norms promote heterosexual men’s engagement in high-risk sexual behaviors which result in HIV infections. Factors such as HIV knowledge, risk perception, male condom use, HIV testing, and counseling which minimize the risk of HIV, are also influenced by these norms. Men have been identified as assets and advocates for behavior change and social responsibility …


Assessing The Relationship Between White Privilege, White Fragility, And Masculine Gender Identity And Stressors In The Workplace, Anna Edelman Jan 2022

Assessing The Relationship Between White Privilege, White Fragility, And Masculine Gender Identity And Stressors In The Workplace, Anna Edelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how White privilege information avoidance and White fragility are related to aspects of traditional masculinity. Informed by Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies, this study examined the link between traditional masculine norms, masculine gender identity stress, and White privilege reactions. A sample of White, working men were recruited both through snowball sampling and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants were first assessed on a variety of masculinity variables and then were randomly assigned to view one of two video vignettes. After viewing this video, their affective responses, White privilege information avoidance, and White fragility were assessed through …


Men High In Conforming To Masculine Norms Have Less Intent To Practice Yoga: A Serial Mediation Analysis, Connor J. Motzkus Jan 2022

Men High In Conforming To Masculine Norms Have Less Intent To Practice Yoga: A Serial Mediation Analysis, Connor J. Motzkus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Yoga is a spiritual lifestyle with the goal of alleviating human suffering and cultivating mental discipline. Practicing yoga has been shown to be effective at reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and promoting physical health. The total number of yoga practitioners has increased over the years, but surveys confirm that yoga practitioners are primarily women. Interviews with men have shown that traditional masculine gender norms serve as a barrier to practicing yoga. In the present study, drive for muscularity and self-esteem were tested as serial mediators of the association between conformity to masculine norms and intent to practice yoga. Participants (N=155) completed …


A Study Of Arab And South Asian American Men With Immigrant-Family Origins In New-Immigrant Destinations., Jack Trey Allen Aug 2021

A Study Of Arab And South Asian American Men With Immigrant-Family Origins In New-Immigrant Destinations., Jack Trey Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an examination of Arab and South Asian American men’s (1) experiences and perceptions of discrimination and belonging in two non-traditional immigrant destinations in the United States (U.S.) south, and (2) their performance of masculinities in response to Muslim women’s experiences with Islamophobia. I use intersectional theory, theories of race and racism, theories of gender, theories on belonging, and grounded theory to analyze 23 qualitative semi-structured interviews with Arab and South Asian men who live in one large city and one rural town in the U.S. south. I find that upper-, middle-, and working-class Arab and South Asian …


Testimony, Joshua Tilton Jan 2021

Testimony, Joshua Tilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Testimony is a collection of poems centered on exploring the depth of relationship between divinity, masculinity, and family through a critical lens. Testimony aims to provide a lyrical witness to the social and political landscape that informs and influences personal histories, in so taking a near-confessional approach to express the foundations of faith and worldview. To further explore the relationship between creator and created, a portion of the text will be accompanied by video references that detail the process of writing and revising these poems.


Masculinity And Cohesion In Miniature Wargaming, Christopher Gage Jan 2021

Masculinity And Cohesion In Miniature Wargaming, Christopher Gage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research looked at the interactions on online platforms of those people who are part of the miniature wargaming community. The goal of this study was to answer 1) Which masculinities are present and practiced within the miniature wargaming community, 2) What is the reason for the cohesion of the miniature wargaming community. I found support for different masculinities, such as geek masculinity, hegemonic masculinity, and domestic masculinity. These different masculinities have different aspects and some of these aspects were displayed in the miniature wargaming community, with no masculinity being presented in all aspects. I also found support for the …


"Who's The Man?" Examining The Relationships Between Black Masculinity, Perceived Social Support, And Sexual Behavior In Black Male College Students, James Thomas Jan 2021

"Who's The Man?" Examining The Relationships Between Black Masculinity, Perceived Social Support, And Sexual Behavior In Black Male College Students, James Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Sexual health disparities in college-aged Black men remains a critical public health issue. Black men are likely to have an earlier sexual debut, acquire sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV at higher rates, and enter fatherhood at earlier ages than their White counterparts. Previous research has identified masculinity and perceived social support as predictors of sexual risk behavior for men in the U.S. However, when exploring masculinity’s influence on sexual behavior, studies that are culturally sensitive to Black men’s experiences and perspectives on manhood are few. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between Black masculinity, …


External Homophobia And Outness In Gay Men., Thomas Charles Isaak Jr Dec 2020

External Homophobia And Outness In Gay Men., Thomas Charles Isaak Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior studies regarding outness among gay men have often focused on internalized homophobia as a barrier to coming out for gay men, while less emphasis has been placed on external homophobia. Drawing upon social construction theory and Connell’s hierarchy of masculinity, I utilize data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality Project to complete an ordinary least square regression to examine the impact of external homophobia on the level of outness among the 987 gay men in this study. In this study, I find that gay men who were exposed to external homophobia reported decreased levels of outness. Further, I find …


A Phenomenological Investigation Of African American Male Veterans’ Experience Of Social Connection, Brian Coleman Aug 2020

A Phenomenological Investigation Of African American Male Veterans’ Experience Of Social Connection, Brian Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project examines the experience of African American male veterans’ social connections with other veterans. Social connection has been found to be a key factor in promoting positive health outcomes and overall well-being. In addition, social connection involves not only a sense of being connected to others but can also include feelings of exclusion. Given the increasing health disparities of between African American and White men, and of our nation’s veteran population, greater attention to factors that promote well-being are essential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of social connection of African American …


Gun Ownership As An Expression Of Whiteness And Masculinity., Michael Daugherty Aug 2020

Gun Ownership As An Expression Of Whiteness And Masculinity., Michael Daugherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public discourse on the topic of gun ownership in the U.S. is polarized, with the debate framed as a binary between unquestioned gun rights versus a complete ban. Gun ownership can have grave consequences: guns are used to commit acts of violence and suicide. Interviews with white male gun owners explore the influence of white backlash, masculinity, and racial identity development in their decisions to own guns. This project explores the extent these reasons are related to race on the part of white males, starting with these two questions: How much does race play a factor in the action and …


Caballerismo In Latinx Men In Higher Education, Victor Carrasco Jan 2020

Caballerismo In Latinx Men In Higher Education, Victor Carrasco

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latinx men continue to be marginalized in higher education, and more research is needed to understand how to retain them using anti-deficit frameworks (Cook et al., 2012). Studies have investigated caballerismo as a protective factor for LatinX men. Caballerismo is defined by egalitarian beliefs, affiliation, positive family relationships, and empathy (Arciniega et al., 2008; Neff, 2001). Despite its promise as an anti-deficit framework, little is known about how caballerismo informs Latino students’ experiences in higher education. Therefore, this study addresses the following research questions: a) How does caballerismo manifest in Latinx men in higher education, b) how does caballerismo intersect …


How Social Norms Moderate The Association Between Gender Role Conflict And Grief Cognitions, Whitney Shuman Jan 2020

How Social Norms Moderate The Association Between Gender Role Conflict And Grief Cognitions, Whitney Shuman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

College students experience a myriad of both death-related and non-death losses throughout their academic careers, which may impact their academic and psychological well-being. Male gender role conflict (GRC) related to restrictive emotionality and restrictive affectionate behavior between men is associated with multiple negative psychological outcomes and may be associated with difficulties related to the grieving process, as grief is typically closely linked with affective experiences related to the loss. The current study specifically examined maladaptive grief cognitions, which are beliefs about ones grief experiences that lead to increased psychological distress and decreased adjustment to the loss. Additionally, descriptive and injunctive …


Queering Black Greek-Lettered Fraternities, Masculinity And Manhood : A Queer Of Color Critique Of Institutionality In Higher Education., Antron Demel Mahoney Aug 2019

Queering Black Greek-Lettered Fraternities, Masculinity And Manhood : A Queer Of Color Critique Of Institutionality In Higher Education., Antron Demel Mahoney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing heavily on Roderick Ferguson’s (2012) theory of institutionality, this dissertation constructs a counter-historical genealogy of racialized gender in higher education and U.S. society through the formation of black Greek-lettered fraternities. Ferguson argues that with the insurgence of minority resistance globally and domestically during the mid-twentieth century, hegemonic power took a new form. Instead of rejecting minority difference, power’s new network attempted to work through and with minority difference in an effort to absorb and restrict these radical formations within state, capital and academy frameworks—producing narrow or one-dimensional minority subjectivities. Established at the turn of the twentieth century, black Greek-lettered …


The Ill Man: An Exploration Of Chronic Illness Disclosure Within Masculine Culture, Matthew Daggett May 2019

The Ill Man: An Exploration Of Chronic Illness Disclosure Within Masculine Culture, Matthew Daggett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Masculine culture is known for teaching men to be strong, independent, and in control; however, the presence of chronic illness creates challenges for men when attempting to uphold a dominant masculine identity and make disclosure decisions about sharing illness information. This study explores the intersection between illness related self-disclosure and masculine culture. Utilizing qualitative methods, it examines the challenges chronically ill men face when making decisions about self-disclosure. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five men (N=5) who have one or more chronic illnesses. Transcripts were analyzed and coded using grounded theory to identify emergent themes. The analysis revealed three primary …


The Visitation, Michael Donald Mallen Jan 2019

The Visitation, Michael Donald Mallen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Visitation is an absurdist drama set at a funeral parlour during the funerary viewing of a young man who has died by suicide. The play follows a realistic framework, both in structure and subject matter. Throughout the play, characters interact and discuss difficult topics such as suicide, hegemonic masculinity, mortality, and morality. Written as a Menippean satire, the play uses absurdist and often dark humour to disarm audiences while simultaneously bringing these difficult topics to their attention. The aim is to allow audiences to question and re-evaluate their beliefs on the areas discussed. While the subject matter is often …


Don't Touch Me Like That: Masculinity, Touch, And The Role Of Affect In Media Representations Of Animal Attacks, Carolyn Grace Block Jan 2019

Don't Touch Me Like That: Masculinity, Touch, And The Role Of Affect In Media Representations Of Animal Attacks, Carolyn Grace Block

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes masculinity and touch in three highly publicized cases where men intentionally interacted with wild animals and were harmed in the process. I focus predominately on the first week of media coverage following Steve The Crocodile Hunter Irwin who was killed by a massive stingray while filming for a television series off the Great Barrier Reef, Roy Horn of the famed Las Vegas magician duo Siegfried and Roy who was mauled by one of his performing tigers in front of a live audience, and Antoine Yates, an African American man bitten by the pet tiger he kept in …


Not All Scholars, But Gentlemen: The Making Of Virginian Manhood At St. Christopher's School, 1911-1969, Katelyn Frazer Jan 2019

Not All Scholars, But Gentlemen: The Making Of Virginian Manhood At St. Christopher's School, 1911-1969, Katelyn Frazer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through close study of St. Christopher’s School—an all-boys’ school in Richmond, Virginia—during its first fifty years, this thesis historicizes upper-class white masculinity in Virginia during the first half of the twentieth century. The school’s founder, Churchill Gibson Chamberlayne, linked the Lost Cause myth with other movements in education at the time, especially Muscular Christianity and the country day school movement. By looking at how students and administrators at St. Christopher’s made and remade traditions surrounding notions of masculinity, in addition to more muted manifestations of gender at the school, illuminate the existence of a gender hierarchy even before gender integration. …


Does Sharing Information With Friends And Family Cause Men To Adhere More Strongly To Masculine Norms?, Clint E. Johnson Jan 2019

Does Sharing Information With Friends And Family Cause Men To Adhere More Strongly To Masculine Norms?, Clint E. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is clear that social influence can elicit conformity to norms (e.g., Asch, 1956). It remains unclear, however, how various relationships elicit differential conformity to masculine norms in particular. In this pre-registered experiment, I tested the hypothesis that when men are asked to reveal their responses on the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI; Mahalik et al., 2003), men conform more when sharing that identifiable information with others who know them (i.e., “public” conformity), namely friends and family, as compared to sharing that information anonymously with a random stranger (i.e., the anonymous “private” condition). My convenience sample consisted of participants …


The Myth Of Promiscuity: Examining Black Male Sexual Narratives And Sexual Identity, Seth Young Aug 2018

The Myth Of Promiscuity: Examining Black Male Sexual Narratives And Sexual Identity, Seth Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black masculinity and sexuality are common topics across areas of philosophy, psychology, cultural studies and others. Yet, these topics are dedicated to the racial narrative of hypersexual Black male, the sexual objectification of Black men, and their presumed promiscuity. While such topics are important, there is little qualitative research that looks at the complexity and emotionality of African American men’s sexual experiences. Using the theoretical research on black masculinity and sexuality as its backdrop, this dissertation explores how heterosexual, African American men experience their sexuality. The study incorporates narrative inquiry and in-depth, semi-structured interviews to gather stories of five African …


American Myth And Ideologies Of Straight White Masculinity In Men's Literary Self-Representations, Mary Parish May 2018

American Myth And Ideologies Of Straight White Masculinity In Men's Literary Self-Representations, Mary Parish

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines three autobiographical texts written in post-World War II America (1959-1973) that take as their subject a straight white man’s reflection on and engagement with the exercise of male power and the forces, both internal and external, that shape the degree to which he is “self-made,” i.e., an autonomous agent able to exert his will within a life domain (domestic, public, and war). Each of these writers engages in surveillance not solely of their own power, but also of the men who influence their experience, using their observations to critique, assert, and question the gendered realities and expectations …


Eggplants And Peaches: Understanding Emoji Usage On Grindr, Emeka E. Moses May 2018

Eggplants And Peaches: Understanding Emoji Usage On Grindr, Emeka E. Moses

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on how gay men communicate on the Grindr dating app. Prior research has been conducted on how gay men construct their online identities, however, few studies explore how gay men experience interactions online, negotiate their relationships with other men online, and perceive other users. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with 20 men who use the Grinder app, a location-based dating app used by men who have sex with men. Additional data were collected by observing user profiles on the app, which is free and public. This comprehensive, qualitative study of gay men who use Grindr provides insights …


Hearing Through Walls, Bradley Marshall May 2018

Hearing Through Walls, Bradley Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The photographer discusses work in “Hearing Through Walls”, a Masters of Fine Arts thesis exhibit held at downtown Tipton Gallery from February 19th through March 2nd, 2018. The exhibition consists of 15 archival inkjet prints and one two-channel video piece, representing the artists three-year exploration into narrative forms in image making. Using non-traditional approaches to photographic portraiture and experimental exhibition layout, the artist forms questions around themes of domesticity, lost youth, and American masculinity. Among these themes is an investigation into photographic issues, including the cultural role that photographs play in perpetuating, miming, and disrupting the facades of everyday life. …


Deconstructing Abject Complacency Of Ascribed Gender, Kyle M. Hooten Jan 2018

Deconstructing Abject Complacency Of Ascribed Gender, Kyle M. Hooten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My life has been dedicated to the relentless pursuit of masculinity throughout my transition from female to male. While originally focusing on the physical transition, my attention is now focused on the social aspects of transition. For me, this involved coming out, managing legal name/gender change paperwork, and understanding a newfound, cultural privilege. This is where I draw inspiration to create my work. My process and techniques are informed by Drag Kings and Queens as well as contemporary culture and art. After performing as a Drag King for a year I developed a sense of gender that differed from what …


Man/Boy., Nick Hartman May 2017

Man/Boy., Nick Hartman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Verisimilitude, or the appearance of being true, is a concept I turn upside down; relating it to a guise I wear as a contemporary male in a society dictated by learned social behavior and gender norms. Cultural iconography and expected gender norms are tropes I confront within my artwork. Drawings of seemingly everyday objects act as meditations or a fetishized repetition of supposed unobtainable objects and ideals that deal with masculine societal norms. Manliness, machismo, masculinity… it is all a culturally learned and expected pose placed on all men. Coming to the realization that I do not necessarily fit …


Paltry Things: Cormac Mccarthy's Westward Turn And The Search For American Masculinity, James Leo Brummer Apr 2017

Paltry Things: Cormac Mccarthy's Westward Turn And The Search For American Masculinity, James Leo Brummer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

American masculinity is in crisis. Even a cursory glance at the headlines reveals as much, suggesting in particular that white, working class American men are experiencing the greatest cultural anxiety. The Western novels of Cormac McCarthy (indeed, all of his novels) are populated almost exclusively by this demographic: white men without college degrees, at or below the poverty line, suddenly struggling to find their place in a country they always assumed was theirs. McCarthy's writing career began with the publication of The Orchard Keeper in 1965 and for over half a century has mapped an increasingly unstable terrain for men …


Revolutionary Fathers: Republican Fatherhood And The American Revolution And Early Republic 1763-1814, Travis Jaquess Jaquess Jan 2017

Revolutionary Fathers: Republican Fatherhood And The American Revolution And Early Republic 1763-1814, Travis Jaquess Jaquess

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines American fathers in the eighteenth century and argues that the American Revolution, both the war itself and the ideology it created, affected attitudes towards and practices of fatherhood. Historians have characterized the father/son relationship in the Revolutionary period as one of filial rebellion against their patriarchal fathers. My work finds, conversely, that because of their experience in the Revolution, ideas such as liberty and equality which spread throughout the colonies, and additional opportunities available to industrious young men due to national independence, fathers actively prepared their sons for an independent life free from patronage, massive inheritances, and …


Hegemonic Masculinity And Health Outcomes In Men: A Mediational Study On The Influence Of Masculinity On Diet, Ryan S. Cox Jul 2015

Hegemonic Masculinity And Health Outcomes In Men: A Mediational Study On The Influence Of Masculinity On Diet, Ryan S. Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that men have markedly worse health outcomes than women and have higher rates of death from all 15 leading causes of death except Alzheimer's disease. Little is known about the cause of this discrepancy, except that in evaluations of lifestyle choices and preventive health factors, men engage in far more health-defeating behaviors than women, including diets significantly lower in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and micronutrients, and higher in fat and cholesterol. One theory proposed to help explain this discrepancy is that of hegemonic masculinity. Hegemonic masculinity is a form of masculine identification associated with cultural dominance and …


Women And Time: Food Work Politics Of Self Defined Healthy Men, Juan Barredo Jan 2015

Women And Time: Food Work Politics Of Self Defined Healthy Men, Juan Barredo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the way gender operates in relation to time within the food work spectrum discussed in 19 narratives. The 19 narratives came from individual open ended face-to-face interviews with self-defined healthy men who shop at healthy food stores. This study's examination of how gender operates in the narratives was based on how the men constructed their experiences with women and work in relation to time through the food work spectrum. Women mentioned in the sampled narratives taught the men how to shop and eat in a healthy manner but women still did the cooking. Work wise the findings …