Digital Commons Network^™

The Theological Implications Of Κατάπαυσίν And Σαββατισμὸς In Hebrews 3:7–4:11, Sean M. Best

Masters Theses

This thesis will argue that rest in Hebrews is entering into humanity’s rightful place, ruling over creation with God, in the full image of God, as intended by God since the seventh day. Rest in the book of Hebrews is a vitally important theme. The word for rest in Greek is κατάπαυσίν and is used eight times in Hebrews 3–4. The definition of rest determines the crux of understanding the warning passage by the author of Hebrews. The basic lexical definition of this word is “rest” or “resting place.” While a basic gloss of the Greek term κατάπαυσίν is easy …

左興萬, Hsing Wan Tso: Against The Current, Deryka D. Tso

Masters Theses

This literary biography tells the story of Hsing Wan Tso, a Chinese man who chose to act counter to the conventions of his culture, and his granddaughter, a writer learning what it means to defend his legacy.

Free Spirit Meets Gilded Cage: Betty Ford As Second Lady 1973-1974, Caroline Marie Dickey

Masters Theses

Betty Ford has a rich legacy as a pioneer and trailblazer, but her transition into politics was far from smooth. 1973-1974, or her time as Second Lady, was a critical training ground that solidified her beliefs and character for the rest of her life in the spotlight.

The Grand Narrative Worldview: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Impact Of Biblical Metanarrative Teaching In Liberty University’S School Of Divinity Global Studies Program, Chesed Anne Dent

Masters Theses

There is limited research and literature on the effectiveness of narrative-centered academic learning environments that utilize biblical metanarrative as a tool for teaching. Literature exists showing that story is an effective tool within education, within discipleship, and within training for cross-cultural effectiveness. This narrative inquiry research study focused on Liberty University’s Global Studies Program, a program that overlaps these distinct areas into one platform. Global Studies uses the power of story through the Grand Narrative of Scripture to teach students academic content, equip them as messengers of God’s Story, and help them assess and understand their own narratives within a …

Is There A Need For Restoration Of Justice In Democratic India?, Abraham Sekhar

Masters Theses

Justice means giving all persons their due. Justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable. India has the largest democracy in the world. It has become noticed globally by most other countries, on the one hand, for its significant economic growth during the past two decades; and on the other hand, for its domestic unrest among people of different religions and castes. Under the rule of the present political party, India’s economic growth has experienced a sudden decline during the past three years. This drew my attention to find out the reasons for such a decline. A literature survey, …

Creating Alabama Music Heritage And Theory: Equipping Students With State Pride Through Effective Curriculum, Julianne Rae Mattox

Masters Theses

Across general music curricula, there is always a concern for student interest. For elementary age students, music is viewed as magical and fun. It seems that as students age, if they are not in band, music begins to lose some of its magic. With any class, student interest and involvement is key for the academic success of the curriculum. If students have to take a class that they do not want to take, they automatically lose interest. It is important for teachers to present their curriculum to students in a way that grabs their attention and allows them to enjoy …

Genesis 10 & 11: A Theological And Geographical Framework For The Mission Of Paul, Jackson Scott Richardson

Masters Theses

The aim of this thesis is to offer a holistic solution to the purpose problem. Current scholarship has yet to provide a perspective that accounts for both the theological perspectives of Paul’s missional work and geographical plans of Paul’s missionary journeys. By establishing the Table of Nations and the Tower of Babel as a common factor from which Paul’s theological perspectives and geographical decision making derive, this study will build a foundation from which future work can gain insight into Pauline thought and encourage a renewed emphasis on understanding Genesis 10 and 11 when considering biblical study of the New …

Social Emotional Skills In Adventure Education: A Qualitative Study On The Connection Of Adventure Education Participation And Social Emotional Skills In High School Students, Joseph A. Reynolds

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine possible connections between participation in an Adventure Education (AE) course and social-emotional skills (SEL) in a group of high school students during their junior and senior years. Six participants agreed to a one-on-one, open-ended, interview to determine their experiences from taking a 5-6 week AE course. Those experiences were then explored for relativity to SEL. A phenomenological approach gained an understanding of the participant’s experience throughout the course. Findings indicated, through participation in the course, participants experienced impacts on self-confidence and self-awareness, and shared experiences of changes in empathy and connectivity to …

The Effects Within A Church Of A Music Program For Special Needs Students, Stephanie Jean Toepoel

Masters Theses

This project investigated the effects that a faith-based music class for special needs students had upon the students, their families, and the participating church body. Two special needs students participated in a four-week faith-based general music class sponsored by their local church. Significant spiritual growth was demonstrated by the families of the special needs students and the church body and was reported in personal interviews and anonymous surveys. The study evaluated the physical, cognitive, and spiritual progress the students demonstrated during the four-week class. Data was collected through researcher observation and journaling, audiovisual recordings, personal interviews of the assistant teacher, …

Modern Conducting: An Exhibition Of Traditional And Commercial Conducting, Mark Edward Mcdowell

Masters Theses

From the 20th century onward, there has been many notable musical and technological developments. These developments have led to the formation of new musical genres and commercial ensembles. The new genres and commercial ensembles have pertinent implications for modern conductors. In addition to traditional forms such as instrumental, choral, and mixed ensembles, modern conductors must be aware of the unique characteristics of the new commercial ensembles. These new ensembles include the film scoring stage, the jazz ensemble, and the worship ensemble. In addition to utilizing the fundamental concepts of traditional conducting, modern conductors must also attain a working knowledge of …

A Study Analyzing The Correlation Between One’S Knowledge Of The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Mbti) And The Chaplain’S Ministry Resiliency, Johnie Preston Joyce Ii

Masters Theses

Military Chaplains are at an increased risk for professional burnout and there is a need to improve the training that is provided to prepare them for occupational burnout and compassion fatigue. This study analyzes the effect that the chaplain’s knowledge of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has on his or her ministry resiliency. The purpose of this study is to discover if there is a correlation between the military chaplain’s level of resilience and his or her knowledge of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Literature on, compassion fatigue, ministry burnout, military chaplaincy, chaplaincy resiliency, personality testing, and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator …

Audiating And Vocalizing Voice-Leading In Seventh Chords: Harmonic Recognition In Freshman Ear-Training Courses, Caroline E. Dunmire

Masters Theses

Harmonic dictation is one of the most challenging topics in the aural skills curriculum. Consequently, researchers have identified sub-skills associated with success in ear-training. Among these are development of audiation skills, understanding of functional harmonic progression, and scale degree resolution. The PASS Method teaches chord quality through a four-step process of playing, audiating, singing, and solving the voice-leading paths in common tonal resolutions. This method was examined in a quantitative study of 52 freshman ear-training students in which a control group studied seventh chords through the traditional, Arpeggiated Method and an experimental group used the PASS Method. The experimental group …

The Philosophical Underpinnings And Negative Consequences Of The Indian Child Welfare Act, Elizabeth Sharon Morris

Masters Theses

This paper will examine the philosophical underpinnings of current federal Indian policy and its physical, emotional, and economic consequences on individuals and communities. The U.S. Civil Rights Commission found in 1990 that “[T]he Government of the United States has failed to provide civil rights protection for Native Americans living on reservations” (W. B. Allen 1990, 2). As Regan (2014) observes, individuals have been denied full title to their property – and thus use of the property as leverage to improve their economic condition (Regan 2014). Tribal executive and judicial branches have been accused of illegal search and seizures, denial of …

Design Your Career - Design Your Life, Joshua R. Beal

Masters Theses

This research investigates the current plague of unemployment and underemployment that nearly half of qualified individuals in the field of Visual Communications are met with after graduation. Students who major in this field dedicate a tremendous amount of time, money, and energy toward developing a broad skillset that resolves critical matters of communication through visual solutions. Research has demonstrated that despite conditions that are subject to ongoing change of economy, industry, and marketplace there are contributing factors that must be addressed to overcome un/underemployment regardless of circumstances. These include an underdeveloped network of professional contacts, deficiency in recognizing or responding …

Influential Women In The History Of American Music Education, Christina Genae Mathis

Masters Theses

Early American music education is rooted not only in the work of Lowell Mason and other male music education pioneers, but also in the lives of a number of women whose work in the field was largely unnoticed until the twentieth century and the evolution of women’s rights in America. This project researched the lives and contributions of five of these women: Frances Elliott Clark, one of the first educators to take advantage of the technology available at the time, who incorporated the use of phonographs in the music classroom; Julia Ettie Crane, whose legacy lives on through the Crane …

Dream It & Do It: A Look At The Online Apparel Business Market For Entrepreneurial Designers, Alexis Clare Shubert

Masters Theses

With an incredibly dense online market existing and expanding, the capability of an entrepreneurial designer to sell their work and stand out from the crowd is an ever-growing problem. A small self-owned business can be easily lost in the web’s plethora of ads, get-rich-quick schemes, and content in general. Through case studies, secondary research, and visual research, the graduate student has attempted to thoroughly explore this online realm before executing what she believes to be a prosperous route to success. The word “success” here is referring to the creation of an appealing brand and designed products within the brand. Various …

Music History- Laugh And Learn, Jessica Ellen Fagan

Masters Theses

The project I have chosen aligns with my curriculum project and research. Data will be gathered on the effects of laughter in the classroom. This research will show that humor can motivate students as well as aide memory. Overall, the project should conclude that laughter aids in the learning process. This project has great importance in the field of education, especially music education. Students have come to memorize for the tests, soon forgetting what they have learned. Adding a fun twist on a class that will aide students in their first year of college may increase enrollment. This may also …

Music Direction For The Stage: Training For Success In Christian-Based Performing Arts, David Keith Schubert

Masters Theses

The stage production music director is a position requiring highly advanced musical, managerial, and administrative skills. Many churches, Christian schools, and community groups have an interest in mounting a show or launching a performing arts ministry; however, most worship pastors, choral/instrumental conductors, and music teachers have not been adequately prepared for this specialized assignment. Of the available training resources on production and theatrical work, few address the role of the music director. Additionally, most of the literature is written for the mainstream theatrical environment. Still missing is a treatment that blends standard industry practices with the pastoral leadership and spiritual …

Biblical Archaeology As An Effective Apologetic, Cooper Wyatt

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to demonstrate the relationship between biblical archaeology and Christian apologetics, where archaeology can be used as way to show that the Bible has accurately preserved the history it reports.

Stories Told Through Music: Soprano Aria "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" From Messiah And Peter And The Wolf Op. 67, Everett Scott Godwin

Masters Theses

From the beginning of creation, people have told stories and passed them down from generation to generation. Stories come to life through all forms of communication: watching a play, listening to a podcast, or looking at a picture are just a few examples. The best stories have been written down in manuscripts, books, novels, and then sometimes eventually written into a script for a movie. But something about music makes it one of the most compelling and exciting ways to portray a story. It is one of the earliest and long-lasting forms of storytelling. Every musical work tells a story …

Where Is God In Symbolic Exchange? A Theo-Semiological Analysis Of The Sons Of Anarchy, Alex Justin Holguin

Masters Theses

This thesis attempts to uncover the religious nature of communication by re-visioning and situating French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan’s theory of communication within a Christian theological context. By critically engaging Lacan’s theoretical concepts of the Imaginary, the Symbolic, and the Real within this context, the thesis is able to access the intersection of rhetorical semiotics, psychoanalysis, and Christian theology to have a more fruitful understanding of how meaning is exchanged between subjects. Lacan’s inter-disciplinary affirmation of rhetoric and psychoanalysis has been able to produce incredible explanatory potential for how meaning, as the bedrock of speech and communication, operates through the psyche …

Writing With Incarcerated Students Towards Humanization: A Christian Critical Perspective, Deanna C. Kabler

Masters Theses

This thesis centers on the intersections between critical pedagogy and writing instruction in a prison college program with the aim of humanization. A theoretical framework is constructed that relies on the pillars of tenets from Liberation theology, critical pedagogy, an anti-racist and multicultural praxis, and generative culture-making. Writing as the foundation of education is the medium for supporting a humanizing and liberatory education.

The Utilization Of Visual Design Systems To Promote Higher Levels Of Learning In Educational Environments, Keenan Sultanik

Masters Theses

Traditional higher education environments have changed very little in the last hundred and fifty years, while technology has advanced in nearly every other area of society making each more productive and more capable. This study identifies key aspects of a comprehensive and universal visual learning system that incorporates a more holistic approach to design and interactivity in educational environments. The desired effect of this is elevating classroom learning to higher levels as defined by Bloom’s Taxonomy. In this thesis, I have collected and explored empirical and observational data to examine the relationship between effective learning environments and the use of …

The Distortion Of The Trinity: An Investigation Of The Trinity As Evidenced In The Teachings Of Three Major Religions, Laken Hendron

Masters Theses

The nature of the Trinity is a central and salvific doctrine within biblical Christianity. The divine nature of the person of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is pertinent to Christian teachings and a proper understanding of God is crucial to authentic worship and belief. Cults or heterodoxic religions, such as Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Oneness Pentecostalism have discounted, distorted or dismissed the Three-in-One doctrine of the Trinity, as found in classical Christian theism. These false doctrines can affect teachings about justification, sanctification, the role and work of the cross and an understanding of the nature of God. The …

Animal Heads: Exploring Christian Themed Solutions And Mental Health Through Comics, Mariannette Oyola-Perez

Masters Theses

The second leading cause of death for the ages of 10-24 is suicide, a statistic that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows has steadily risen since 1999. Although it is seldom spoken about in mental health circles, an enmity seems to exist between Christianity and modern psychology in regards to mental illness and how it should be treated; this enmity could be preventing helpful Christian-based principles from being shared with the at-risk population while simultaneously excluding Christians from a conversation they need to be a part of.

Interestingly, further research shows that the at-risk demographic overlaps significantly with …

Using Technology To Enhance Instruction And Learning In The Music Classroom, Erin Wash

Masters Theses

Technology integration is a rapidly growing trend in the field of education today. This study investigates various ways of integrating technology to enhance instruction and learning in the music classroom. In order for technology to be effectively integrated in the music classroom, music educators must not only be aware of the technology available but must also remain informed of the most effective ways of implementing technology into instruction and learning. The scope of this study examines the use of two specific resources, SmartMusic and Teoria, and their effectiveness in teaching and learning sight-singing, ear-training, and rhythm reading, notation, and performance …

Factors Affecting International Students’ Developmental Functioning: Student And Faculty Perspectives From Liberty University, Andrea S. Childs

Masters Theses

The enrollment rates of international students are increasing, but the attrition rates of international students may also be on the rise. Aligning with Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, the goal of this study was to obtain insight about the encounters that undergraduate international students face. The purpose of this study was to evaluate these encounters to ascertain and compile core themes that will promote international student success. Data gathered from undergraduate faculty also contributed valuable insight. Recommendations were made for both the international student body and the undergraduate faculty. This qualitative research design investigated a small sample of undergraduate international students and …

The Battle Of The Ourcq River, Earl Jacob Starbuck

Masters Theses

An account of the Battle of the Ourcq River, 28 July-6 August, 1918, World War One.

Meeting The Stranger: Closing The Distance In Ernest Hemingway’S A Moveable Feast, Brett Joseph Raszinski

Masters Theses

This thesis provides an in-depth analysis of Ernest Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast. The analysis focuses on how AMF functions as a memoir, given its complicated publication history. The thesis uses the 2009 Restored Edition, which is most closely associated with Hemingway’s original manuscripts. He crafts his memories of Paris between 1921-1926, develops interactive scenes for twenty-first century readers to discover his story, and constructs a blended voice that closes the distance between his present and his past by writing about his writing process. This thesis adds to the academic conversation of A Moveable Feast, attempting to present how important …

A Case Study Of The Edwards House: How A Community Fought To Preserve Their Cultural Heritage, Carolyn Grace Klima

Masters Theses

This study examines why an architecturally significant, Queen Anne style mansion in Downers Grove, Illinois was demolished even though citizens valiantly tried to save it for one year. With all the information available in the form of books, journals, websites and videos concerning historic preservation, why did the citizens of Downers Grove fail to save this historic gem? Academic literature shows the significance of historic preservation from economic and sustainability standpoints. Communities have used historic preservation to revitalize main streets across America, and large corporations like American Express and Walmart have supported historic preservation. Unfortunately, architecture is the most fragile …