Digital Commons Network^™

Jill Jackson: Pioneering In The Press Box, Katherine C. Perkins

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Jill Jackson was one of the first female sports journalists and a pioneer voice for women in athletics. Although heretofore overlooked in the history of American sports journalism, the story of her career is an addition not only to the historiography of female sports journalists but also to the broader study of women in the mid-twentieth century. Jackson was admired, a hard worker, from a prominent New Orleans family, and well educated, yet she still was treated unequally in her primary workspace—the press box. Jackson left well-documented story to the Nadine Vorhoff Library and Special Collections at Newcomb College Institute …

Across The Great Divides: An Exploratory Tryptich, Andrew Vaught

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Student Perceptions Of Bullying Based On Family, School, And Media Influences, Decina H. Rodriguez

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Though many studies have been conducted on bullying and ways to prevent it, there is still little evidence that bullying has been reduced (Bauman, 2008). Since bullying behaviors have become prevalent, incidences of negative outcomes for students who are bullies and victims have increased, hence more discussion of the topic is taking place at school, home, and in the media (Bauman, 2008; Kaiser & Raminsky, 2001; Salmon, James, & Smith, 1998). This study proposes to learn how students make sense of these multiple messages. Through an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) (Smith & Osborn, 2003), 8-10 year old students were interviewed …

Anxiety And Differences In Physiological Responding To Ambiguous Situational Vignettes In Adolescents, Donice M. Banks

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Research has documented a tendency among youth to have biased interpretations of ambiguous information. For example, anxious youth are more likely to interpret ambiguous situations as negative or threatening (e.g., Cannon & Weems, 2010). Similarly, when interpreting social cues, aggressive youth exhibit hostile attribution biases more often than non-aggressive youth in response to ambiguous situations (e.g., Crick & Dodge, 1996). Research suggests that youth with anxiety and aggression exhibit differential physiological reactivity in response to threat. However, research has yet to examine the linkages amongst physiological reactivity to ambiguous situations, anxiety, and aggression in adolescents. The current study had several …

Verge, Jessica A. Collins

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This poetry thesis explores the relationship of the Buddhist concept of nonduality to polar mood disorders by employing motifs of bomb testing, war crimes, spiders, and seascapes. A critical preface credits Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and Mary Ruefle as influences. The manuscript favors free-verse poetry and field composition, though also includes a lyric essay and two formal poems.

The Remedial Math Process: Age And Other Factors Affecting Attrition Among Students In Community Colleges, Emily B. Campbell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study conceptualized remedial education as an attrition process in which students either progress onto the next stage or they do not, and had a particular emphasis on how age affects students’ remedial path. The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold. The researcher first sought to understand the points at which students fail to progress within the remedial math process (enrollment in remedial coursework, completion of the remedial sequence, enrollment in a college-level course, and passing the college-level course), and to statistically model the pre- and post-college entry predictors of that attrition among first-time, associate degree-seeking students referred to …

The Relationship Between Perceived Multicultural Disability Competence, Multicultural Counseling Coursework, And Disability-Related Life Experience, Melissa D. Deroche

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to explore the perceived multicultural disability competence of master’s-level counseling students in CACREP-accredited programs given their disability-related life experience(s) and multicultural counseling course completion and to assess the extent to which the topic of ability/disability is addressed in multicultural counseling coursework. Participants (n = 285) were electronically surveyed using the Counseling Clientswith Disabilities Survey (CCDS; Strike, 2001) and a researcher developed biographical questionnaire. Collectively, study results indicated that both disability-related life experience(s) and multicultural counseling course completion positively impacted participant perceived multicultural disability competence. However, disability-related life experience(s) seemed to have a greater …

Why Are Some Parents More Positive Than Others?: Clarifying Mechanisms Associated With Positive Parenting, Laura Lafleur

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend existing research considering how positive parenting and family conflict impact positive parenting in future generations. Specifically, romantic conflict occurring in the family of procreation was expected to mediate the link between positive parenting in family of origin, and later parenting in family of procreation. This is one of the first studies to include both observational and direct forms of parenting. Data from the Family Transitions Project (FTP) was used in the current study. A series of structural equation models were used to test each hypothesis. Results indicated that learning …

Creating Healthy Urban Environments: Commercial Landscaping, Preference And Public Health, Mary Leibe

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Landscape development[1] can provide many benefits, including the reduction of stormwater runoff and the creation of habitats for wildlife. It can also provide health benefits. Researchers, such as Roger Ulrich and Rita Berto have demonstrated that views of trees and other vegetation are associated with lower blood pressure and reduced recovery times in hospitals and that environments with more natural elements may lessen mental fatigue (R. Ulrich 1984) and (Berto 2005).

As rebuilding in New Orleans continues 11 years after Hurricane Katrina, landscape development has been limited or lacking, especially in the redevelopment of commercial properties. Two prominent reasons …

Financial Crisis, Inclusion And Economic Development In The Us And Oic Countries, Shadiya T. Hossain

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation contains two distinct empirical essays which contribute to the overall field of Financial Economics. Chapter 1, entitled “Financial Inclusion and Economic Development in OIC Member Countries,” examines whether the presence of Islamic finance promotes development and alleviates poverty. To do so, we estimate the influence of financial inclusion variables on development and poverty variables for OIC countries. Using data from the World Bank, we use dynamic panel analysis using methodology similar to Beck et al (2000) to study the effects of financial inclusion on economic development and use simple cross-sectional analysis similar to Beck et al (2004) …

Premium Brawn, Spencer E. Silverthorne

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Parenting Style And Adolescent Gender As Moderators Of The Association Between Parental Restrictions And Adolescents' Risky Driving, Megan M. Zeringue

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teenage deaths in the United States, highlighting the need for ways to reduce teenage driver crash rates. Adolescents (n = 176, M age = 16.4 years, 53% female) and their parents (n = 204, 71% mothers) self-reported on parenting style, driving restrictions, and risky driving. Results showed that more parental restrictions were associated with less adolescent risky driving. Three-way interactions were found such that more restrictions were associated with less concurrent risky driving in boys only under conditions of high parental warmth, structure, or autonomy support. Parenting style generally did …

Parents' Perceptions Regarding The Special Education Classification Of Other Health Impairment (Ohi), Michael C. Norman

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Students identified by the special education classification Other Health Impairment (OHI) represent the third largest group of students receiving special education services in the United States. The special education services offered these students include both academic and health related supports. The delivery of these services is enhanced when a partnership exits between the primary stakeholders; the student, parents, the school personnel, and the medical personnel. The use of Family Centered Care principles in the delivery of these services supports and maintains the partnership.

Following the qualitative analysis of a series of interviews of parents whose children were classified as OHI, …

Exposing The “Shadow Side”: Female-Female Competition In Jane Austen’S Emma, Melissa M. Lyman

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Many critics have examined the shifting nature of female friendship in Jane Austen’s Emma from cultural and historical angles. However, a comprehensive scientific analysis of female-female alliance and competition in the novel remains incomplete. The Literary Darwinist approach considers the motivations of fictional characters from an evolutionary perspective, focusing primarily on human cognition and behaviors linked to reproductive success, social control, and survival. While overt physical displays of male competition are conspicuous in the actions of the human species and those of their closest primate relatives, female aggression is often brandished psychologically and indirectly, which makes for a much more …

You Could Get Killed Any Day In Hollygrove: A Qualitative Study Of Neighborhood-Level Homicide, Kevin J. Brown

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

New Orleans experienced elevated homicide rates throughout the 30 years between 1985 and 2015. The city’s homicides were especially prominent in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. This study explored the lived experiences of residents from one such neighborhood, Hollygrove. Using qualitative methods of individual interviews, focus groups, and participant observation, the study explored homicide through three prominent theoretical lenses, Social Disorganization Theory, Subcultural theories, and Institutional Anomie Theory, to better understand the conditions in a high-homicide neighborhood that help to explain neighborhood-level violence. While existing theories of homicide causation have taken a predominately quantitative approach that compare high-homicide neighborhoods, I took an …

Complicating The Narrative: Labor, Feminism, And Civil Rights In The United Teachers Of New Orleans Strike Of 1990, Emma Long

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In 1990, over 3,000 of 4,500 New Orleans public school teachers refused to enter their classrooms over a contract dispute with their employer, the Orleans Parish School Board. For three weeks, teachers picketed while the negotiating team for their union, The United Teachers of New Orleans, worked to reach a contract agreement. Using interviews with striking teachers and union leaders, this paper aims to tell this story from their perspective. The interviews shed light on the ways that minorities and women used UTNO, with the incorporated ideologies and strategies of civil rights and feminism, as a platform to combat economic, …

Louise Destrehan Harvey: A Pioneer Business Woman In The Nineteenth Century New Orleans, Louisiana, Judy H. Pinter

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Family Of One's Own: Reconstructing Queer Families Of Color In Film, David F. Stephens

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

I will focus on the resistance to white heteronormative depictions of the American family occurring within two contemporary films directed by gay black men—The Skinny, directed by Patrik-Ian Polk, and The Happy Sad, directed by Rodney Evans. These movies complicate understandings of black gay male relationships by humanizing the characters and providing clarity about the motivations behind the decisions these characters make. As opposed to simply associating their queerness and immorality, the directors of these films explore what brings people to the various social positions they occupy. In this way, these directors resist the tendency to pathologize …

Individual Differences In Adolescents’ Driving Practice During The Learner Stage, Yinan Zhao

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) policies has reduced the rate of car crashes among adolescents. However, limited research has focused on adolescents’ supervised driving during the learner permit stage of GDL. The study aimed to describe supervised driving practice during the learner permit stage and to test predictors of individual differences in the amount and the quality of supervised driving. 183 adolescents (M age = 16.4 years, 54.1% female) and their parents (84.1% mothers) participated. Adolescents reported driving an average of 25 minutes per day. Adolescents living in single-parent households, with less family income, and with a …

Working Memory Impairments In Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome: The Roles Of Anxiety And Stress Physiology, Ashley F. P. Sanders

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Stress and anxiety negatively impact the working memory system by competing for executive resources. Broad memory deficits have been reported in individuals with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). We investigated anxiety and physiological stress reactivity in relation to visuospatial working memory impairments in 20 children with 22q11.2DS and 32 typically developing children (M = 11.10 years, SD = 2.95). Results indicate reduced post-stress RSA recovery and overall increased levels of cortisol in children with 22q11.2DS. Additionally, anxiety mediated the relationship between 22q11.2DS and visuospatial working memory impairment. However, there was no indication that stress response physiology mediated this association. …

Hormonal Correlates Of P50 Suppression In Socially Anxious Young Adults, Andrea M. Tountas

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Ten to 15% of the population is temperamentally shy and have elevated physiological stress responses to novel social situations. Yet, the neural mechanisms underlying this personality trait are not fully understood (Beaton et al., 2009; Schmidt et al., 1997). Efficiently attending to, acting on, and remembering relevant stimuli and filtering out less important information is critical given the sheer volume of sensory and perceptual stimuli the brain is exposed to.

Relevant stimuli that garner attention are remembered and consolidated with existing memories. Stimuli that do not warrant extended attention are ignored or habituated to in a process underpinned by cortical …

The “True American”: William H. Christy And The Rise Of The Louisiana Nativist Movement, 1835-1855, Brett R. Todd

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In New Orleans during the 1830s, Irish immigration became a source of tension between newly settled Anglo-American elites and the long-established Creole hegemony. Out of this tension, in 1835 Anglo-American elites established the Louisiana Native American Association (LNAA) to block Irish immigrants from gaining citizenship and, ultimately, the right to vote. The Whig Party, whom most Louisiana Anglo-Americans supported, promoted nativism to prevent naturalized Irish from voting Democrat, the preferred party of the Creoles. This study will argue that the LNAA, under the leadership of William H. Christy, was not merely a reaction to increased Irish immigration, but was also …

“The Mary Janes”, Jessica R. Voelker

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this paper I will discuss, analyze, and explain the process of creating my thesis film, The Mary Janes. I will begin with a discussion of the theme, and continue with explaining each aspect of making the film in relation to that theme. I will recount my greatest challenges during the process. I will also relate my use of knowledge and skills accumulated through study. Finally, I will analyze the outcome of the work of art, and question how well my theme was actualized and understood. I will evaluate the film as whole, including the process of creation, successes and …

Kinky Criticism: Bdsm Principles Applied To Literature, Maria J. Dominguez

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes a new school of literary analysis: Kinky Criticism. This critical theory will examine the presence in literature of themes related to BDSM, an acronym referring to bondage/discipline, domination/submission, and sadism/masochism. My purpose in examining this power exchange and sadomasochism in literature is threefold. Firstly, I aim to reveal the presence of kinky themes in not only a range of literary works, but also leave the reader aware of kink present in everyday human interactions. Secondly, through this application to literature, Kinky Criticism sheds new light on the techniques of characterization and adds complexity to the dynamics between …

“Casey Saw It Through”: Guy “Machine Gun” Molony And The Creation Of A Rugged Individual, Brett Spencer

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This thesis explores the influence of masculinity in twentieth century American foreign policy through examining the career of Guy “Machine Gun” Molony. Molony was an Irish American mercenary from New Orleans, whose career saw the transformation of Honduras from a banana republic to a recipient of dollar diplomacy. Unlike the majority of mercenaries who did not use their experience to build successful careers, Molony made a name for himself in American newspapers, becoming respected and even feared by policemen and politicians. His life tells a fascinating tale of the individual male in American foreign policy, where rebellious youth used …

Unearthing Real Women: Reclaiming Sylvia Plath And Virginia Woolf From Their Suicide Narratives, Jessica Dunn

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath are two well-known women writers of the twentieth century who committed suicide. The narratives created by their deaths have in some instances become as important as the canonical work they produced. In an effort to understand their motivations and struggles, critics and the public alike have sometimes reduced these women to victims of the patriarchy, mental illness, or even themselves.

Beginning with my own discovery of this issue in the legacies of Plath and Woolf combined with my personal dealings with suicide in my family, I recount how I lost these two women as exemplary …

Happy Trails, Elizabeth A. Derby

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

My work uses hair as both a subject depicted in drawings, paintings, and prints; as well as a medium for sculpture, installation, and video created with synthetic hair pieces and wigs. I am interested in deconstructing gendered codes of appearance, and visions of the ideal woman and man as objects. I remove all identifiable traits from my characters, apart from their hair which appears to be consuming or erasing them. In doing so, I force the people viewing my work to rely on cultural stereotypes associated with hair to identify my characters. My work is heavily influenced by Drag culture …

Rerouting The School To Prison Pipeline: A Phenomenological Study Of The Educational Experiences Of African American Males Who Have Been Expelled From Public Schools, Jennifer Grace

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The present study consisted of a phenomenological investigation of African American males who have been expelled from traditional educational settings in New Orleans, LA in order to provide educators with information geared towards increasing academic achievement in African American males. It has been noted that one of the reasons that Black males graduation rates are so low is because in addition to other factors that lead to non-completion, black males are more likely to be expelled from school. In this study, I used a Critical Race theoretical framework to explore gain experiential knowledge of these excluded young men, what they …

Myth Protagonist X, Jennifer R. Hanks

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

N/A

(Un)Plug In Lotusland, Laurin D. Jefferson

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.