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Henry Steel Olcott : From Civil War Veteran To Sinalese Buddhist Nationalist, A Case Study In International Religious Activism, Jennifer Proch

Honors Theses

The nineteenth century was marked by a great deal of religious growth and change. Throughout the world, religion took on new forms, both with the introduction and expansion of movements like the Theosophical Society, and with the revival and reform of older faiths. Cultural exchange and broader exposure to religious ideals, in the form of missions and education were also important features of the century. At a cursory glance, an American Civil War veteran and a Buddhist monk from Ceylon would seem to share little in common, but during this time of increasing interconnectedness these two figures made contact. Henry …

Communicative Violence In Romantic Relationships, Christina L. Moore

Honors Theses

Verbal abuse occurs in college relationships, but this form of abuse lacks a clear definition and definitive characteristics. I studied the dialogue that surrounds verbal abuse. I was interested in how verbal abuse was discussed instead of the specific details of the experiences. Verbal abuse was purposely studied separately from physical abuse. Prior research and legal statutes were reviewed before conducting this study. Through the use of focus groups, one-on-one interviews and key informant interviews a broader perspective of verbal abuse was gained. The six salient themes to emerge were (1) how to protect one’s identity, (2) characteristics of the …

The Inheritance Of Lawless Passion : An Examination Of Interracial Relationships Through Slave Narratives, Genna K. Murray

Honors Theses

WPA narratives uphold that during the institution of slavery there was a wide variety of interracial relationships that ranged from the most brutal rapes to the most loving relationships. While some white slave owners took sadistic pleasure in torturing their slave women, others jeopardized their social standing and career to be with the woman they loved. Therefore, it is difficult to make vast generalizations about interracial relationships during slavery and they should really be examined on a case‐ specific level. However, it can be argued that most interracial relationships fell somewhere in the middle of the two previously stated extremes. …

Lines Of Nation, Lines Of Flight : Retroping Immigration Policy, Jessica Thaller

Honors Theses

This thesis studies the rhetoric of U.S. immigration policy, specifically as related to Mexican immigration to the United States. Using Kent Ono and John Sloop’s theory of discourse, it examines the rhetoric employed in the Secure Fence Act (SFA) of 2006 and its turns towards wartime rhetoric, immigrant dehumanization, and immigrant deviance. It then contradicts these turns to those seen in the rhetoric of Hometown Associations (HTAs), “outlaw” discourses that operate by systems of logic different from the dominant logic of the SFA. HTAs emphasize family/cultural connections, unique financial considerations, and the liminal existence of the immigrant. More importantly, they …

The New Military History : General Jonathan M. Wainwright And His Experiences As A Prisoner Of The Japanese During World War Ii, John H. Chase

Honors Theses

This thesis applies the principles of the "new military history" to the experiences of General Jonathan Wainwright from his surrender to the Japanese on Corregidor on May 6, 1942, until his liberation by the Russian Red Army three years, three months, and eighteen days later. At its core, the basics of this "new" historical methodology are seductively simple and direct. It is an effort to capture in research and writing the multiple layers of events, people, places and cultures to present a greatly enhanced, and more genuine, interpretation of the past.

A Conversation Among Sisters : The "Dangerous Lover" In The Texts Of The BrontëS, Jennifer K. Patchen

Honors Theses

Since the Brontes first published their novels, critics and readers have often associated the male leads with the Byronic hero. Certainly, Arthur Huntingdon in Anne's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Edward Rochester in Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Heathcliff in Emily's Wuthering Heights are all, like Lord Byron's own heroes, brooding and damaged men. Each of these men, additionally, is fundamentally willing to flout social expectations. Their search for selffulfillment often leads them outside of the boundaries of conventional society, although the three sisters sometimes ascribe conflicting moral values to that search. For Charlotte and Emily, Rochester's and Heathcliffs strong personalities …

Catholic Nationalism And Feminism In Twentieth-Century Ireland, Jennifer M. Donohue

Honors Theses

In the early 1900s, Ireland experienced a surge in nationalism as its political leanings shifted away from allegiance to the British Parliament and towards a pro-Ireland and pro-independence stance. The landscape of Ireland during this period was changed dramatically by the subversive popularity of the Irish political party, Sinn Fein, which campaigned for an Ireland for the Irish. Much of the political rhetoric surrounding this campaign alludes to the fact that Ireland was not inherently “British” because it defined itself by two unique, un-British characteristics – the Gaelic language and the Catholic faith.

As Sinn Fein’s hold on Ireland increased, …

Appropriation In Opera : Modern Performance Practice Of Racially Evocative Works, Katelin French

Honors Theses

The repertoire of a classically trained singer has developed over centuries of cultural influence. As singers prepare for recitals, they decide which pieces they will include and how to perform each one. Many factors are essential for these decisions. In the 21st century, our environments challenge us to explore these conditions of creating a recital program. In a post-civil rights era, factors of race and ethnicity should become more important to programming than they were before. The consideration is not whether minority populations are portrayed, but how they are evoked on stage. In the following exposition, I will consider how …

Portfolio Of Compositions, Heather Stebbins

Honors Theses

In this paper, I will describe the development of my compositional skills in relation to the progression of my overall musicality. I will also illustrate how each piece I composed played a role prompting these developments and in my overall growth as a musician. Finally, I will describe how performance opportunities, festival involvement, and masterclass experiences also affected my compositional development.

Enslaved Revolutionaries : Constitutional Rhetoric Of Eighteenth-Century Irish And American Patriots, Jacob Keith Johnson

Honors Theses

Following years of escalating tension, the thirteen American colonies crossed the threshold over to armed revolt, declaring a war for independence from the British in 1776. Restrictions placed upon the colonies and failed attempts at a compromise drove American patriots to initiate and execute a republican revolution that redefined their status from subsidiary colonies to independent nation. During this time, Ireland found itself in a unique situation, in an ambiguous status stuck between colony and nation. Desires for greater participation in Britain’s mercantilist economy and demand for Ireland’s legislative independence led to a revolutionary period orchestrated by an opposition group …

The Politics Of Sectional Servitude : The Construction Of American Abolitionist Discourse In Black And White, 1837-1847, Christopher M. Florio

Honors Theses

I argue that American political discourse surrounding abolition and slavery, sectional politics and violent insurrection, coalesced in the 1840s. The merger of such ostensibly disconnected streams of thought began with the perception of a new political need, as abolitionists came to believe that southern plantation elites had constructed a hegemonic proslavery order. Their interpretation of northern consent to southern domination impelled a proliferation of abolitionist possibilities, possibilities that were intended to sever the connection between national politics and the peculiar institution. Initially disseminated by freed blacks but subsequently appropriated by northern whites, these possibilities crossed the color line and challenged …

Cosmological Vision(S) : History, Modernism, And American Renewal In Hart Crane's The Bridge, Lauren Grewe

Honors Theses

With the help of recent Crane studies, along with my own ear, I intend to prove the worth of Crane's myth of bridging as a way of responding to and eventually reforming the Elitonian vision of the modem world. The Bridge counters Eliot as a way to offer hope to the modem world in place of despair, as a way to offer a system of belief that is neither dogmatic nor futile, that incorporates a vision of the future just as much as a vision of the past.

On The Record : The Visibility Of Race, Class, Gender, And Age In Richmond, Virginia's Newspaper Coverage Of 1960'S Sitdown Movement, Jill Eisenberg

Honors Theses

This research project is an analysis of the representation of race, class, gender, and age in local newspapers during the early 1960 civil rights' sitdown movement in Richmond, Virginia. Political figures and heads of media were predominantly older, elite, white- and male-oriented and -dominated. Through studying both white Richmond and African American Richmond newspapers, this thesis explores how these interlocking and interdependent systems of oppression and privilege affected the portrayal of groups and individuals in the media. Gender, race, class, and age cannot be studied in isolation from one another when analyzing the Civil Rights Movement and newspapers as primary …