Digital Commons Network^™

Desperate Democrats In The Reagan Revolution: A Party Determined To Win The White House, Matthew Maxwell Akins

Senior Independent Study Theses

Bill Clinton’s 1992 election to the presidency as a Democrat ended a series of defeats for that party on the presidential level. Clinton may have won the White House, but he did not do it alone. In the decade before his victory, the “New Democrats” worked to moderate the Democratic Party from within, responding to the presidential losses of 1980, 1984, and 1988. Scholars have explored this topic from many angles, but none have explored it from the perspective of these “New Democrats” in a way that traces their story from Al From and Gillis Long to the DLC and …

The Nana Yaa Asantewaa War: Analysis Of The Political Institutions Of The Asante During The War Of The Golden Stool And The Existing Narratives, Angela Danso Gyane

Senior Independent Study Theses

The War of the Golden Stool was the last in the Anglo-Asante Wars, where the Asante fought against the British colonial agenda. According to the Asante oral history, Nana Yaa Asantewaa was at the forefront of this war. She was the commander, but most of the literature to not reflect this oral history. Therefore, this study seeks to address two essential questions: how did gender dynamics in the Asante Kingdom's political system shape their Resistance against the British in 1900- 01? Moreover, how does the analysis of oral histories from the matrilineal culture of the Asante decenter Western narratives of …

We're All A Little Bit Gay: Female Homoeroticism In Greek Art, Devon A. Matson

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study provides a close analysis of women in artwork from Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic Greece (700-30 BC). Such images have traditionally been considered from exclusively heteronormative and androcentric perspectives. I employ queer and feminist theory in an attempt to provide a new understanding of the images present on these examples of ancient art which showcase women’s relationships. I examine a terracotta figure, a stamnos, a psykter, and a cup that display women interacting with one another. Their interactions demonstrate both homosocial and homoerotic relations. In an effort to reach a broader audience, I have curated a digital exhibit that …

Boy Meets War: A Critical And Creative Analysis Of Civilian Masculinities In Britain During The Second World War, Savanna Hitlan

Senior Independent Study Theses

During the Second World War, the hegemonic masculinity, that is, the dominant masculinity, resided with the Royal Air Force (RAF). Pilots epitomized what it meant to be a man in war due to their heroics in the Battle of Britain. Civilian masculinities therefore had to negotiate their identities to fit their new roles in society. The two types of civilian men that I mainly look at are men in the reserved occupations and conscientious objectors. I examine this question: how did cultural representations portrayed by the government affect the civilian men on the homefront? Furthermore, I explore how these men …

Wooster Magazine: Winter 2018, Caitlin Paynich

Wooster Magazine: 2011-Present

The winter 2018 issue of Wooster magazine examines the different types of data and tools used to answer research questions through the experiences of alumni who curate differnt types of collections. Alumni Kathy Bremar Hollis ’03, John Sime ’09, Erica Clites ’06, and Kristina (Brady) Shannon ’03 share their experiences as curators of scientific collections. Similarly, Wooster biology professors Rick Lehtinen and Jennifer Ison talk about the biological collections on campus. Also featured is alumna Connie Schulz ’64 and her use of digitization to improve our understanding of the past and its people through the digital publication of The Papers …

Saint Or Politician: A Gendered Analysis Of Catherine Benincasa’S Letters, Jacob Hailperin-Lausch

Senior Independent Study Theses

Over the nearly seven hundred years since Catherine Benincasa’s death there has been a flow of almost continuous scholarly and spiritual work that has been written about her. Catherine is one of the few well documented women, of her historical period, in history. However, there is a large gap in the historiography of Catherine, and that is looking at the effect of her letters on her audience and possible implications of her letters on the political and spiritual landscape of her time and beyond. An important piece of looking at Catherine’s spiritual and political career is using a feminist or …

"Don't Read This!": Lemony Snicket And The Control Of Youth Reading Autonomy In Late-Nineteenth-Century Britain, Brittany A. Previte

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study investigates adult authority in youth literature in late-nineteenth-century Britain. Examining both sensational literature known as “penny dreadfuls” and the didactic magazines The Boy’s Own Paper and The Girl’s Own Paper, this project analyzes how rhetoric enforced middle class ideology outside of the classroom and shaped the youth reading experience. In an urbanizing, industrializing Britain, anxiety about social mobility ran high, and youth consumption of penny dreadfuls received suspicion due to their supposedly subversive content. This study argues that penny dreadfuls actually reinforced the social order, mirroring didactic literature in their construction of conservative adult authority. In …

It’S A Bird! It’S A Plane! No, It’S Just My I.S.: An Historical Exploration Of Superheroes And American Identity, Caroline G. Breul

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study traces the changing notions of what makes a superhero “super” throughout periods in American history. By doing three case studies on popular heroes in distinct eras, this study reveals that superhero comics have been growing steadily more overtly political, in ways that are increasingly subversive. I approach Wonder Woman in the 60s, Batman in the late 80s, and Captain America in the early 2000s, and tackle each moment individually. 60s Wonder Woman is not as stale as comic book enthusiasts suggest, and in fact reveals a progressive view of womanhood that contrasted sharply with the reigning view …

In Black And White: The Sociopolitical Rhetoric Surrounding Anti-Miscegenation Attitudes In Ohio, Sarah Mccrea

Senior Independent Study Theses

In this study, I argue that the appearance of anti-miscegenation writings in Ohio spiked during periods that saw massive threats to the notion of white male supremacy, such as the months just prior to the onset of the Civil War, several especially tense points during the Civil War and the Reconstruction period, and the early to middle years of the 1880s. During these times, Ohioans used at least one of three major rhetorical strategies—each of which coincided with a major trend in national events and politics—to justify and explain their anti-miscegenation attitudes.

When the Ohio State Legislature first debated the …

Still A Rivalry: Contrasting Renaissance Sodomy Legislation In Florence And Venice, Nicolaus J. Hajek

Black & Gold

The article focuses on comparing the functions of two institutions that castigated sodomy in Renaissance Italy: Florence’s the Office of the Night, and Venice’s Council of Ten. The author analyzes court cases from both Renaissance institutions as well as other first hand accounts of the culture of male sodomy in the region, explaining that Florence’s persecution of homosexual behavior was a secular tool to check the power of any political threat, while Venitian persecution originated from a theological mandate to save sinners from relinquishing their eternal salvation.

Masculine Space: The Final Frontier; A Historical Analysis Of The Spatial Politics Of Gender Through The New Woman’S Access To Brassieres, Bicycles, And Higher Education In The United States From 1890-1930, Shelby Kirst Goldman

Senior Independent Study Theses

1890-1930 was a time of major social and cultural shifts as the Victorian conventions clashed with progressive and changing ideas of gender, race, and class, resulting in the liberated American New Woman. This thesis examines the transition of the opportunities for increased physical movement for women allotted by the popularization of the brassiere, bicycle, and access to higher education. Examining the brassiere and bicycles’ impact on women’s liberation lends insight into how the physical placement and movement of female bodies confronted gender norms, while expansion of women’s education made women intellectual threats to the patriarchal structure. My analysis of advertisements …

Rising From The Ashes: Hansen’S Disease, Carville, And Patient Identity In 20th Century America, Lauren Quimby

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper investigates the reactions of patients in the national leprosarium at Carville, Louisiana to the loss of their old identities and the gain of a new one as a patient during the middle of the 20^th century. The patient identity was formed by isolation, stigma, community, and domesticity within the hospital. Over the course of their time in the hospital, residents rejected, embraced and worked to change the patient identity. They typically reacted in a combination of these ways. This paper uses memoirs, oral histories, and patient published newspapers to investigate questions of patient identity at Carville. The …

American Quaker Activism: Emerging Leadership, Evolving Faith, And Extraordinary Change, Catherine Gillette

Senior Independent Study Theses

This project examines the involvement of American Quakers in social justice and peace movements in U.S. history. Specifically, it focuses on three case studies--the Quaker involvement in abolishing slavery, the Alabama Quakers who moved to Monteverde, Costa Rica, and the Quaker activists of the Vietnam War Era.

Talking Black And Sleeping White... Talking White And Sleeping Black: A Socio-Legal Examination Of Interracial Marriage In America, Kailey J. Schwallie

Senior Independent Study Theses

A historical socio-legal examination of interracial marriage and the transformation of the institution of marriage in the United States from 1883 to 1967. Focuses on miscegenation legislation, the social and legal reasons behind bans on interracial marriage, and the progressive liberalization of society and concurrent legal changes, which resulted in an overturning of the legal prohibitions on interracial marriage. This thesis presents a close examination of three critical Supreme Court cases in regard to interracial marriage, and the social climate of American race relations at the time of each case. There is also a comparison drawn between the historical debate …

Resisting Colonialism: Cultural Syncretism, Indigenous Agency And Exploition In Colonial Potosí, Isaac Galef-Brown

Senior Independent Study Theses

I analyze the transition indigenous peoples made from their native Andean communities to the Spanish colonial city of Potosí­ in modern day Bolivia. Although most historic study focuses on the infamous mita system of forced indigenous labor, I study the transition through the indigenous lens to find example of their economic gains as well as the cultural interactions they had with Spaniards. This alternative focus gives Potosí's past a very different characterization, defined less by exploitation and more by cultural syncretism.

Social Relevance Of Speakeasies: Prohibition, Flappers, Harlem, And Change, Joseph Collins

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study looks at the various aspects of speakeasies during Prohibition, and social changes that occurred during this time for Women and African Americans. Flappers were the main focus when discussing the social changes for women. The Harlem Renaissance, Jazz, the Great Migration, and Prohibition were topics covered when discussing the social changes of African Americans.

Gender Divide: Re-Examining The Feminization Of Teaching In The Nineteenth Century With Emphasis On The Displaced Male Teacher, Matthew Fegan

Senior Independent Study Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of the formalization of schools and the feminization of teaching in the nineteenth century. Specifically, it shares the perspective of the displaced male teacher who often re-located into newly formed administrative positions in the field of education.

Chilean Cultural Identity: A Case Study Of Contemporary Mapuche Poetry, La Identidad Cultural Chilena: Un Caso De Estudio De La Poesía Mapuche Contemporánea, Christopher Culbertson

Senior Independent Study Theses

The topic is approached in three different manners: hybrid theory, academic perspectives, and poetry analysis. An application of hybrid theory facilitates the understanding of cultural identity within Chile. A discussion by three Chilean professors reveals the important themes of geographic location, generation, and language in both the production and reception of written contemporary Mapuche poetry. An analysis of selected of written Mapuche poetry depicts the unique conceptualizations of identity by contemporary Mapuche poets. As a result, this independent study shows how written contemporary Mapuche poetry is an appropriate indicator of the evolution of Mapuche hybrid identity.

Rex Quondam, Rexque Futurus: Arthurian Legends As Indicators Of British National Identity Throughout History, Audrey Ellen Wimbiscus

Senior Independent Study Theses

By looking at the texts of Arthurian legends such as Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, T.H. White's The Once & Future King, and Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon, one can gain a historical perspective of the time in which each work was written. Through this historical perspective and by looking at each author's personal life, a picture of Great Britain's national identity at the time of writing can be seen. As such, the Arthurian Cycle can be used to exemplify British national identity throughout history.

Cowboy Mythology In National Politics: The Pre-Presidential Political Career Of Lyndon Johnson, Alyson Bujnoski

Senior Independent Study Theses

Lyndon Johnson represents an important shift in politics towards a strategy involving the conscious manipulation of imagery to achieve both local, statewide, and national electoral appeal. Most historians argue that Johnson's conscious and overt manipulation of cowboy and western mythology began after his election to the Senate in November of 1948. Using a close analysis of Johnson's pre-Presidential speeches, this work explores the ways in which Johnson began to manipulate frontier myth as early as in his election to the House of Representatives in 1937.

Surviving War, Surviving Memory: An Oral History Of The South Vietnamese Civilian Experience In The Vietnam War, Leann Do

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Senior Independent Study examines the South Vietnamese civilian experience during the Vietnam War through an oral history approach. Using interviews conducted with six South Vietnamese men and women, this thesis investigates how individuals constructed and defined a sense of normality during the war and formed an identity dedicated to survival.

Je Voulais Être Homme, Rien Qu’Homme: An Analysis Of The Intersection Of Communism And Masculinity Inthe Negritude Movement, 1930-1939, Kristen Weischedel

Senior Independent Study Theses

The negritude movement of the 1930s was a political and social movement that sought to reclaim African identity and culture whilst rejecting the French expectation of assimilation. This presentation examines recruitment methods of political and social activism, such as the use of propaganda. These forms of activism used both masculine and communist ideologies to advance their goals which ultimately reveal their concerns collectively and as individuals.

The Wooster Voice (Wooster, Oh), 1993-04-09, Wooster Voice Editors

The Voice: 1991-2000

In this edition of the Voice, the Board of Trustees ad-hoc committee presents a preliminary report on the issues surrounding Greek life to trustees' at the general meeting. Professor of Music and Black Studies, Josephine Wright, is selected as Editor-in-Chief of American Music, a national quarterly journal. The College’s faculty votes to ban double majors in international relations and any of its participating departments (economics, history, and political science), and in urban studies and any of its participating departments (economics, political science, and sociology). Additionally, the Inter-Section and Inter-Club Councils are abolished to form the “Inter-Greek Council” in an effort …