Digital Commons Network^™

Towards A Culturally Sensitive Psychiatry: Lessons From Thomas Adeoye Lambo, Alapa P. Odugbo

Religious Studies Theses

Thomas Adeoye Lambo (1923 – 2004), a Yoruba Nigerian psychiatrist who received his training in London, initiated a culturally responsive psychiatric treatment in Aro village of Abeokuta, Southwestern Nigeria, in 1954. All through his career, Lambo worked to harness traditional socio-cultural resources for the treatment of mental illness and incorporate them into his medical work. This thesis explores Lambo's understanding of various Nigerian or on broader scale, African religious beliefs regarding mental illness and how they influenced his clinical practice in Aro village. It considers Lambo’s legacies and asks how his works might inform contemporary approaches to addressing mental illness …

Terra Multa, Emily A. Albee

Art and Design Theses

Terra Multa is an exhibition of ceramic sculpture and tile installations inspired by historical folktales. Through the industrialization of agriculture and animal husbandry, humanity has created a system that provides surplus for some, while creating food scarcity and environmental hazards to others. Foreseeing a dystopian conclusion to this current trajectory, Terra Multa abstracts these stories to create a fairytale for a world that is no longer able to support traditional livestock practices.

A Cross Cultural Examination Of The Psychological Dynamics In Music And Religious Practice, Suraj Sharma

Marketing Dissertations

Music and religion exist ubiquitously across time and space, hold profound phylogenetic importance to the human condition, and provide fruitful avenues for culture research. Existing norms, values, schemas, language, and mythological frameworks interact with auditory harmony, melody, and rhythm, within naturalistic settings, to condition profound psychological mechanisms with deep implications to the study of social psychology and culture.

Music has been and continues to be a normative tool in the use of religious ritualistic practice. Music has both the ability to facilitate changes in cognition and emotion on an individual level, while also strengthening group bonds and unifying a community …

Heaven On Earth In Medieval Europe: Material Expressions Of An Immaterial Realm, Christopher A. Tiegreen

History Dissertations

The religious mind in medieval Latin Christianity was thoroughly preoccupied with heaven, not only as an afterlife destination but as a present reality just beyond the reach of physical senses. But material expressions of heaven could, in connecting with the senses, usher the soul into an experience of heaven’s realities, and many ecclesiastics, philosophers, architects, artists, musicians, city leaders, and utopian visionaries thought heaven’s realities had significant implications for life on earth. As a result, social hierarchies, the geometry of structures, the intervals of sacred music, the iconography of artists, the organization of sacred and civic space, and the words …

Practicing What We Preach: Exploring The Relationships Among Spiritual Competence, Spirituality In Supervision, Cultural Humility, And Spiritual/Religious Integrated Counseling, Nicolas Williams

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

Despite efforts made by the counseling profession to integrate spirituality/religion (S/R) into therapy and training, S/R is often neglected in counselor education programs (Bishop, et. al. 2003; Crabtree et al., 2020; Polanski, 2003). Accordingly, counselors in training (CIT) often lack the necessary training and spiritual competence to effectively integrate S/R in counseling practice. Previous researchers have found that discussing S/R in supervision increases the likelihood that CIT will integrate S/R with counseling clients (Garner, et. al., 2017; Gilliam & Armstrong, 2012), however supervisors often avoid integrating S/R in supervision due to their personal assumptions, attitudes, and beliefs about the role …

Religion And Two-Level Utilitarianism In Adam Smith's The Theory Of Moral Sentiments, Steven O. Falco

Philosophy Theses

The questions concerning Adam Smith’s religious views and his purported support for utilitarianism have each generated a substantial literature. In this thesis, I propose a response to the first of these problems which I believe also helps resolve the second one. First, I argue that Smith’s references to God in The Theory of Moral Sentiments reflect his sincere theological commitments, not merely his account of the psychology of religious belief or his attempt to avoid charges of atheism. I then show that Smith conceives of God as a utilitarian creator who designed our moral sentiments so that they would most …

Regional Flavor Of Blood: Trauma Of The Subjugated In The Nature Of Blood And The God Of Small Things, Shabana Sayeed

English Theses

Inequality in the postcolonial context, takes a perilous shape involving tremendous trauma where the victim possesses a broken or no voice to present one’s angsts and sufferings to the world. The marginalization and trauma of the lower castes in India are generated from the custom of inequality that eventually gives rise to violence and bloodshed for generations. Philips’ discussion of Nazism and violence against the non-Europeans in The Nature of Blood and its trope of blood correlates with the hostility in The God of Small Things that looks at the epistemological foundation of casteist narratives in order to castigate the …

La Religion Dans René De Chateaubriand, Emmanuel Buteau

World Languages and Cultures Theses

Dans ce mémoire, on soumet René de Chateaubriand à une analyse épistémologique, en vue d’arriver à une interprétation plus approfondie que celle qu’on obtiendrait d’après une approche qui se penche purement sur les thèmes du romantisme du 19^e siècle. Ayant conçu un schéma inductif qui provient de l’expérience du récit lui-même, on est arrivé à des motifs dyadiques dont un aspect biographique-descriptif, un aspect narratif-déclaratif et un aspect confessionnel-dévotionnel. Dynamiques, les relations de ces motifs entre eux constituent la base théorique d’une approche interprétative portant simultanément sur un engagement herméneutique et phénoménologique.

The Association Between Internalized Homophobia, Stigma, Racism, Religion And Sexual Risk Behaviors In Young African American Men Who Have Sex With Men In Jackson, Ms, Dorian Freeman

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a troubling affect across all racial/ethnic groups but has disproportionately exacted its greatest toll on African Americans, specifically, African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM), inclusive of any man who has had sexual contact with another man. In 2015, among all gay and bisexual men who received an HIV diagnosis in the U.S., African Americans accounted for the highest number (10,315; 39%), followed by whites (7,570; 29%) and Hispanics/Latinos (7,013; 27%)(CDC, 2017). Despite an overall decline in HIV diagnoses in African Americans between 2005-2014, conversely a 22% increase in HIV diagnosis was …

"Perhaps No One General Answer Will Do": Cotton Mather's Commentary On The Synoptic Gospels In "Biblia Americana", Grace Sara Harwood

English Dissertations

The Bible began to lose its privileged place in Western society when skeptics found its contradictions irreconcilable. Cotton Mather (1663-1728) witnessed the integration of radical ideas into mainstream hermeneutics and attempted to respond honestly in his “Biblia Americana.” Although Mather never left New England, his exegesis was shaped almost entirely by European radicalism and its conservative responses. His remarks on the Synoptic Gospels reveal that as he tried to weigh radical arguments objectively, so he often accepted the radical conclusions that undermined the Bible’s authority. While Mather seemingly did not recognize the significance of the concessions he made, examination of …

The Association Of Religious Affiliation And Pyschosocial/Family Dynamics With Selected Risky Behaviors Among At-Risk Youth Living In The Slums Of Kampala, Uganda: Findings From The Kampala Youth Survey, 2014, Kimberly Franklin

Public Health Theses

Introduction:

Youth living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda are at an increased risk for engaging in alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors. Little is known about the association between religious affiliation and risky behaviors in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between religious affiliation, risk factors, and protective factors for engaging in risky behaviors among vulnerable youth living in the slums of Kampala, Uganda.

Methods:

Analyses are based on a cross-sectional study of youth (n=1,143) between the ages of 12 and 18 years of age, living in the slums of Kampala, conducted in …

Vicious Virtues: The Role Of Naturalism And Irreligion In Hume's Treatise, Samuel Elalouf

Philosophy Theses

In his Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume offers an elaborate account of the origins of property and suggests modesty has a similar origin. In this paper, I draw on Hume’s discussions of modesty and property to extract his account of the origin of modesty. Modesty and property are ultimately regulated by pride and selfishness according to Hume. I argue that these choices of passions, as the grounds of their related virtues, express an intentionally irreligious and anti-Christian approach. Furthermore, I argue that reading Hume in the context of irreligion not only helps understand his own theory, but also …

Faith In The Fandom: Finding Meaning And Identity In Works Of Science Fiction, Lauren M. Cooper

Religious Studies Theses

This thesis examines the ways that works of science fiction are being used to provide tools for negotiating contemporary, modern life and defining identity. The primary method of research for this project is a series of interviews conducted with participants attending a public science fiction and fantasy convention, called Dragon Con in Atlanta, GA. The interviews include questions about the impact of science fiction on entertainment, identity, and community. Incorporating the model of the “fan object” into the way religious studies scholars interpret religion provides insight on a new example of religious individualism that seems to be one new step …

“The Pondering Repose Of If”: Herman Melville’S Literary Exegesis, Damien Brian Schlarb

English Dissertations

This study examines how Herman Melville’s oeuvre interacts with Old Testament (OT) wisdom literature (the Books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). Using recent historical findings on the rise of religious skepticism and the erosion of Biblical authority in both Europe and the United States, I read Melville as an author steeped in the theological controversies of the eighteenth-century. Specifically, I am interested in teasing out the surprising disavowals of overt religious skepticism in Melville’s writing. By tracing the so-called Solomonic wisdom tradition throughout Melville’s oeuvre, I argue that Melville had developed an epistemology of contemplation towards that body of Biblical …

Holy Bass: Spirituality In Electronic Dance Music Culture, Malone H. Walker

Anthropology Theses

Throughout human history, religious systems have provided individuals with basic knowledge and guidance used to understand and navigate the world. The modern world is no different with people searching for the sacred in new ways and different places. This thesis examines Electronic Dance Music Culture as an example. In order to study spirituality in EDMC I conducted an ethnography of EDM artists. In doing so I set out to answer these questions: How do the facilitators of EDMC conceptualize spirituality and how do those processes interact within EDMCs? So the focus does not lie in discerning a unifying spirituality of …

Broken World: New Perspectives On American Women Regionalists, Tara D. Causey

English Dissertations

This dissertation considers how American women writers responded to the changing perceptions about feminine nature, to an increasingly modern society, and to the shifting religious landscape in nineteenth-century America. The complex relationship between nineteenth-century women and religion is firmly illustrated in the works of three writers who were widely read during their time and yet have a very limited readership today: Mary Hallock Foote, Sarah Orne Jewett, and Gertrude Bonnin, also known as Zitkala-Ša. Each figure held a prominent position in the high-literary establishment of the late nineteenth century, and I show how each experimented with regional and sentimental literary …

Religion And Depression: Examining The Nature Of The Relationship, Stephanie Hansard

Sociology Theses

After more than a century of research, the nature of the relationship between religion and mental health still is not fully understood. Some studies find that religion is associated with better mental health. Other studies find that religion is associated with worse mental health. Many prior studies have conceptualized religion either as individual religiosity or as religious group participation, with mixed results. It is also necessary to establish the temporal relationship between religion and mental health. While prior religion could influence subsequent mental health, prior mental health could also influence subsequent religion. It is also important to identify factors which …

Informing Moral Decisions With Religious Images: An Examination Of Associative Priming, Sarah Cavrak

Psychology Dissertations

Symbols represent information we have previously learned or experienced, but they can also serve to encourage thoughts and behaviors that are consistent with this knowledge/experience in order to maintain social cohesion (Guthrie, 1996). Pictures (e.g., American Red Cross image) representing moral rules (e.g., ‘save lives’) have been shown to influence moral decisions (Broeders, van den Box, Muller, & Ham, 2011), but there is no empirical evidence to demonstrate that religious pictures encourage the same outcome. Four studies examined whether religious pictures would influence decision making (lexical, moral), and furthermore whether personal belief in religion was a moderating factor. In Study …

How To Weaponize A Philosopher: Hobbes' Deadly Arsenal, James Webb

Religious Studies Theses

This is a complex argument about the history of transformations in value through the rise of modern liberalism. I argue that there are several contradictions that emerge from these transformations. I argue that these contradictions emerge as double effects of liberalism, in tension with the project of liberalism and thriving in spite of it. My data are the theories of Thomas Hobbes and the interpretations of his work. Hobbes is a good datum for the project because he is representative of several of these transformations in value due to the time when and concepts with which he writes. I conclude …

Give Me That Online Religion: Religious Authority And Resistance Through Blogging, Erin V. Echols

Sociology Theses

This study of forty-nine Christian blogs explores how groups of bloggers in two case studies resist and/or perpetuate hegemonic gender ideologies online and where these bloggers draw authority from for these views. The findings reveal that bloggers are most likely to cite texts as sources of authority and are more likely to affirm authority (78.1%) than to challenge it (25.7%). The bloggers in my sample, who were majority male, use an array of strategies in their efforts to resist hegemonic gender norms. These included, but are not limited to, debating God’s gender, emphasizing women’s roles in the Bible, privileging equality …

What Is Marriage For?, Madison R. Olson

Philosophy Honors Theses

Before we can properly answer the question “What is marriage?,” we must first be able to answer the question “What is marriage for?” Defining what marriage is, before fully understanding what marriage is for, presumes we already know what marriage is for, when in fact we do not. In a moral sense, marriage is for love. And in a legal sense, marriage is for everyone (regardless of sexuality or race). In this paper I discuss how, regardless of whether you view marriage in a purely moral or in a purely legal light, marriage equality should be afforded to all citizens.

Contemplative Studies In Context, Bishal Karna

Religious Studies Theses

Contemplative Studies is an emerging field within higher education and American culture that is blurring the boundaries of modernity by bringing seemingly religious practices in spaces such as scientific laboratories, classrooms and corporate workplaces, which are often understood as secular environments. This thesis studies the field of Contemplative Studies in higher education by organizing it into the two categories, Contemplative Science and Contemplative Pedagogy in order to situate them in their proper contexts. The paper, then, situates the discourses of Contemplative Science and Contemplative Pedagogy in the larger context of modernity, spirituality in America, science and secularity. In doing so, …

Liminal, William R. Moody

Art and Design Theses

My porcelain sculptural work explores the passage from life to death in the form of boat imagery. Many cultures and belief systems have water and boat references in their mythoi surrounding the passage of the soul or spirit to the afterlife. I combine many disparate boat elements into each piece in order to allude to an archetypal form. The black and white tones refer to mourning rituals of various cultures as well as the traditional practice of scrimshaw, in which sailors once made carvings on whale bone or walrus tusks and then inked the lines. My boats are intended as …

Coming To Christ: Narratives Of Prayer And Evangelism From Born-Again Christians In Atlanta, Richard B. Bledsoe

Anthropology Theses

Drawing on ethnographic research conducted with a Southern Baptist congregation in Atlanta, this thesis analyzes members’ experiences of becoming born-again Christians and their engagement with prayer to explore the affects that permeate the practice of developing a personal relationship with Jesus.

Science And Faith In Kant's First Critique, Everett C. Fulmer

Philosophy Theses

This thesis engages in an interpretative debate over Kant’s general aims in the first Critique. I argue that a defense of the rational legitimacy of religious faith is at the very center of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. Moreover, I argue that Kant’s defense of faith is inextricably bound up with his views on the legitimacy of science. On my account, Kant’s Critique not only demonstrates that science is fully consistent with religious faith, but also that science, when properly understood, actually favors religious belief over non-belief.

Resisting Diaspora And Transnational Definitions In Monique Truong's The Book Of Salt, Peter Bacho's Cebu, And Other Fiction, Debora Stefani

English Dissertations

Even if their presence is only temporary, diasporic individuals are bound to disrupt the existing order of pre-structured communities they enter. Plenty of scholars have written on how identity is constructed; I investigate the power relations that form when components such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, class, and language intersect in diasporic and transnational movements. How does sexuality operate on ethnicity so as to cause an existential crisis? How does religion function both to reinforce and to hide one's ethnic identity? Diasporic subjects participate in the resignification of their identity not only because they encounter (semi)-alien, socio-economic and cultural environments …

Glory Be Revival Of Neighborly Love, Calvin Burgamy

Art and Design Theses

This project is a video installation that includes filming the worship services of three small African American churches that exist within an area of rapid gentrification. Perhaps because of their tiny congregations, or racial makeup, these particular little churches seem hidden by a cloak of invisibility.

How Do Scientists Cross Cultural Borders Between Religion And Science: A Case Study, Chester A. Barner Iii

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

The cultures of science and religion have had different levels of conflict throughout the past several hundred years due in part to the development of the theory of evolution. Although many ideas abound in science education as to the alleviation of this struggle, few studies have examined how scientists who profess religious beliefs deal with this conflict. In general, the study sought to understand the cognitive dynamic of the cultural interaction between the scientific and religious culture within a few individuals. Specifically, the study allowed scientists to explain how they found a measure of compatibility between their faith and their …

A Sacred People: Roman Identity In The Age Of Augustus, Edwin M. Bevens

History Theses

The Romans redefined the nature of their collective identity to be centered on religion and the connection between the Roman people and their gods during the Augustan age, spanning Augustus’ dominance of Roman politics from the late 30s BC until AD 14. This sacral identity was presented through a comprehensive reimagining of Roman history, from the age of myth through the founding of the city and up to the present day, explaining the failures and successes of the city in history. According to Augustan writers, the chaos of the late Republic was due to a decline in piety. They connected …

Fish From Deep Water, Monica R. Burchfield

English Theses

These poems are lyrical narratives dealing primarily with the joys and sufferings of familial relationships in present and past generations, and how one is influenced and haunted by these interactions. There is a particular emphasis placed on the relationship between parent and child. Other poems deal with passion, both in the tangible and spiritual realms. The poems aim to use vivid figurative language to explore complex and sometimes distressing situations and emotions.