Digital Commons Network^™

Disney Princess Films: Feminist Movements And The Changing Of Gender Roles, Mckinley M. Frees

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Character And A Fame To Model Their Own: Statesmanship, Masculinity, And Honor In Northern Political Culture, 1852-1874, Rachel Elise Wiedman

Masters Theses

The advent of the 1850s ushered in a period great change in the United States. Finding themselves in a moment of transition punctuated with a political changing of the guard, Americans were prompted to consider what kinds of political leadership they valued in the midst of sectional conflict and crisis. By the 1870s, the ideals northerners held looked very different than those touted only two decades before. Using the eulogies of Daniel Webster, Stephen A. Douglas, and Charles Sumner, this thesis explores how changing ideals of masculinity drove the transformation of northern political culture and in particular its values regarding …

Analyzing Youth Engagement And Gender Roles In The Groundnut Value Chain In Uganda Using The Photovoice Research Methodology, Annie Faye Carter

Masters Theses

In regions of East Africa, groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is cultivated as a common cash crop in areas of food insecurity and agricultural-dependent communities. Groundnut, also known as peanut, is a legume with a variety of important uses. This crop is especially popular with small-scale farmers and youth, who seek to harvest a crop which is affordable. As an expected 440 million young people enter the global labor market by 2030, those living in rural areas are at a disadvantage when searching for job opportunities. In Africa, this rural-urban divide has impacted the economic sector and the activities …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Dyslexia Risk, The Simple View Of Reading, And The Tests Of Dyslexia Probability Index, Virginia Marie Jacobs Mcclurg

Doctoral Dissertations

One hundred eighteen participants identified as having dyslexia were matched on grade, gender, race/ethnicity, SES, and geographic location with examinees from the standardization sample of the Tests of Dyslexia (TOD; Mather et al., in press) in order to determine the relationship between two theoretical operationalizations of dyslexia: the Simple View of Reading (SVR; D X C = R) and the Dyslexia Probability Index (DPI) from the TOD; in addition, the relative power of the SVR and DPI to predict dyslexia status was examined. Additional analyses were conducted on a larger, non-matched sample (n = 1475) to determine the extent to …

Defining Black Masculinities: Intersectional Analyses Of Gender, Race And Sexuality In Caribbean And Latin American Literature, 1955 To Present, Jerry Eugene Scruggs Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of my dissertation is to define and construct parameters for analyzing the Afro-descendant male experience in four specific texts: Mi compadre el General Sol [General Sun, My Brother] (1955), Adire y el tiempo roto [Adire and Broken Time] (1967), Sortilégio II: mistério negro de Zumbi redivivo [Sorcery 2: Black Mystery of Resurrected Zumbí] (1979), and Negro: Este color que me queda bonito [Black: This Color Looks Good on Me] (2013). Black masculinities are distinct and this study sets five parameters: 1) Sexual Prowess, 2) Contentious relationship with the White woman, 3) Violence and Toxic Masculinity, 4) Emotive Numbness, …

Film Women Violence, Madison R. Ross

Masters Theses

As a condensed version of social reality, film has become a more common object of modern sociological and criminological investigation. As such, we can explore film to understand taken-for-granted as well as innovative constructions of social phenomena. Among these are gendered violence. We can use film to dig deep into its logics, elaborated in visual and narrative representations. Prior literature has analyzed crime films and the behavioral constructions within them, outlining the representations of serial homicide, rape, mass shootings and revenge. However, few studies have outlined films that do meaningful, non-voyeuristic representational work on the issue of violence against …

In Penn’S Woods: Intersections Between The Moravians, Indigenous Americans, And Nature, 1741-1760, Jane J. Chang

Masters Theses

The Moravian presence among Native American communities during the early colonial period (1741-1760) provides a valuable glimpse into the intermingling of European and indigenous cultures along with an environmental epistemology. Cross-cultural and knowledge exchanges were not uni-directional by any means. Moravians negotiated with indigenous Americans and their natural landscapes to construct syncretic space not only in their missionary efforts, but also the establishment of settlements. Integral in this shared space was the role of Moravian women, who played a crucial role in fostering intimate bonds with their indigenous Sisters. In this study, I examine Moravian hymns, architectural plans, and diaries …

Voicing Narrative Through Transatlanticism And Transformation In Historia De La Monja Alférez By Catalina De Erauso, Morgan Schneider

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes various aspects of Catalina de Erauso’s Historia de la Monja Alférez, escrita por ella misma (1829). The first chapter explores notions of interior and exterior as categories that determine not only the protagonist’s movement in space but also their expression of self-identity over the course of the text, focalized through first-person narration. Additionally, the chapter brings to light how the interior narrative parallels Erauso’s desire to share their transformation from nun in a Spanish convent to a soldier in the Americas with picaresque tendencies. Erauso leverages the power of exterior appearances through the self-fashioning of their public …

The Fragility Of White Masculinity: An Exploration Of The White, Heterosexual Male Fantasy Of Gender In Horror, Allison D. Clark

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Creaky Voice: Interactional Effects In Production And Perception, Victoria Anita Voorhees

Masters Theses

My thesis investigates creaky voice and how it functions interactionally within social situations, as well as how it is perceived by others. “Creaky voice” happens when a person speaks at their lowest range, also known as their “vocal fry.” This causes “a vocal effect produced by a very slow vibration of only one end of the vocal cords” (Crystal 1997, 98). I am interested in knowing which populations utilize creaky voice most. Additionally, I aim to explore how creaky voice is perceived by others. To conduct this investigation, I have conducted both a production and perception study. Within the production …

Masculine Norms And Readiness For Change Among Men In Substance Abuse Treatment, Renee Mikorski

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine adherence to traditional masculine norms as they relate to readiness for change among 137 men in inpatient substance abuse treatment. We hypothesized that, when examined concurrently, the masculine norms of winning, emotional control, risk-taking, violence, power over women, playboy, self-reliance, primary of work, and heterosexual self-presentation would each have significant, negative, and unique links to readiness for change. That is, the more men adhere to these masculine norms the more likely they would be at lower levels of readiness for change in substance abuse treatment and recovery. Results of the multiple regression …

Media Representation Of Prostitutes In The British Empire, Allison Wittmer Johnson

Masters Theses

In Victorian Britain, cultural expectations of gender, the expansion of empire, and the fear of degeneration through venereal disease created a unique historical moment that can be analyzed through the agency of media. In the mainland, media was used to direct the social and political movements surrounding the regulation of prostitution. In the empire, media was used to control the narrative of colonial holdings and keep public opinion in the mainland in support of empire. This project will attempt to look at the representation of prostitutes throughout the British empire and explain the media’s agency in the social and political …

Warping The Wall: Representations Of Gender In American Ninja Warrior, Samuel Paul Winemiller

Doctoral Dissertations

The television series American Ninja Warrior (ANW) is unique amongst televised sport, both as an example of the emerging ninja obstacle course racing genre, and as a sport in which athletes of all genders compete on the same courses. By featuring a gender-integrated sport, ANW offers different possibilities for the mediated representation of gender than do televised gender-segregated sports. Such mediated representations of gender are further complicated by shifts in contemporary discourse about gender politics and performance (Gee, 2014; Gill, 2007a) Given these considerations, the purpose of this study was to explore the communicated meanings about athletes' gender in ANW.I …

Gender Differences In Second Language Learning: Why They Exist And What We Can Do About It, Merideth Wightman

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

In The Name Of The Moon: Female Mangaka And The Manga Industry, Sarah G. Daugherty

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Coaches' Perceptions Of Girls' Sport At Title I High Schools, Katie Shelgren Boggs

Masters Theses

This purpose of this study was to understand coaches’ perceptions of the importance of girls’ sport participation in high schools, as well as the realities these coaches faced at Title I high schools. There is little existing research covering how coaches view and prepared female athletes in low-income communities and what their goals are for these athletes moving forward in both the short- and long-term sense.This study used Pierre Bourdieu’s ideas of capital as the theoretical framework, and studied how coaches of female high school sports in low-income community affected the accumulation of social, economical, and cultural capital for these …

The Use Of Intergroup Dialogue To Address Sexism In Stem Fields: A Qualitative Investigation, Brittany White

Doctoral Dissertations

The study examined the experiences of eight participants who partook in an intergroup dialogue (IGD) on gender and sexism in STEM, and the learning that resulted from this experience. Participants consisted of upper-level undergraduate students (junior and senior class rankings) as well as graduate students who were currently obtaining degrees in STEM fields. The study sought to understand how IGD members construct meaning of their experiences as those experiences relate to their understanding of interpersonal and systemic sexism in STEM. Grounded theory was used to code the data and generate categories that were organized into a conceptual framework which centered …

Associations Between Intimate Partner Violence Victimization And Employment Outcomes Among Male And Female Post-9/11 Veterans, Rachel Miriam Maskin

Masters Theses

Objective: Given high rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among veterans, along with employment-related difficulties, a better understanding of IPV’s implications for employment functioning is needed among post-911 veterans, especially male veterans. This study aimed to examine the gender-based associations between IPV victimization types (physical, psychological, and sexual) and employment outcomes (absenteeism, presenteeism, and job satisfaction).Method: A national sample of male and female post-9/11 veterans completed a survey administered approximately 5.5 years after deployment including IPV victimization and employment measures. This study used data from 407 veterans (52% women) in intimate relationships to examine the associations between IPV …

Preschool Children’S Cooperative Problem Solving During Play In Everyday Classroom Contexts: China And The Us, Meilan Jin

Doctoral Dissertations

There is value in studying young children’s cooperative problem solving (CPS) during play in different cultures since children in our society will continue to face problems that are not unique to a particular culture, but also relevant to people from other countries. Cognitive development theory and sociocultural theory contend that play contexts can support children in the construction of their knowledge through explorations with different play materials and engagement in social interactions with peers during CPS experiences. However, there is a lack of research studying children’s CPS during play in their everyday preschool classrooms, and particularly, cross-culturally. Therefore, this dissertation, …

Lay Spirituality, Crusading, And Reform In The Sermons Of Jacques De Vitry, Lydia Marie Walker

Doctoral Dissertations

Thirteenth-century papal reforms tied together crusading endeavors, clerical reform, the eradication of heresy, proper ecclesiastical governance, and the management of Christian-Jewish relations into a vision of a global Christendom. But it was men like Jacques de Vitry, a prominent preacher and Bishop of Acre, who strived to make these ideals a reality. He was involved in the key events and intellectual trends of the later twelfth and early thirteenth century. Trained at the University of Paris, Jacques worked among the female religious communities in the Southern Low Countries, preached against heresy and for crusade, and travelled to the Holy Land …

"Deceptive Intimacy": Narration And Machismo In The Works Of Junot Díaz, Ellen Elizabeth Hill

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Generalizing Across Gender During Early Word Learning: Evidence From A Statistical Learning Paradigm, Madison Newsom

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Gender, Lithics, And Perishable Technology: Searching For Evidence Of Split-Cane Technology In The Archaeological Record At The Mussel Beach Site (40mi70), Megan M. King

Doctoral Dissertations

Perishable artifacts made from plants and fibers were likely an integral part of daily life in the prehistoric Southeast. While these items rarely survive in the archaeological record, their manufacture may be identified through the examination of non-perishable tools, specifically lithic artifacts. Observations by ethnographers, travelers, and missionaries in the Southeast have cross-culturally identified women as the primary harvesters and collectors of plant materials for both subsistence and material culture production. While most accounts leave out specific details regarding the tools utilized in production of perishable objects, there is reason to suspect that lithic artifacts were used in various plant …

“Get Your Geek On”: Online And Offline Representations Of Audiotopia Within The Geekycon Community, Sarah Frances Holder

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the musical community of GeekyCon, a convention centered around popular media, such as Harry Potter, Broadway, and Disney. The GeekyCon community results from the connection between the unofficial convention Facebook group and the yearly physical event. This interconnectivity allows both the live and mediated space of GeekyCon to function as a heterotopia, a concept first conceived by Foucault (1967) as a separate space outside of the dominant society in which ideas and identities can be freely explored. Through ethnographic research, including participant observation as well as interviews, I present the music of GeekyCon as an audiotopia, a …

Queer Affect In T.S. Eliot's Early Poetry, Michael Houle

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Experiences Of Female High School Head Coaches, Kathleen A. Mcinnis

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Examining Consensual Non-Monogamy Among Emerging Adult Samples: A Collection Of Studies, Kayla Marie Sizemore

Doctoral Dissertations

Using multiple methodologies, this collection of manuscripts examined various components of CNM during the period of emerging adulthood. Manuscript one presents a systematic review and critique of the methodology used in research on CNM attitudes and desire among emerging adults between 1974 and 2016. Several methodological characteristics were reviewed across 18 empirical articles, including sample characteristics, recruitment and sampling strategy, measurement, and overall methodology and focus. Despite general commentary among researchers in this field, this review concludes that CNM research has shown little improvement with regard to its methodological limitations since the 1970’s.

The second manuscript contributes to the extant …

Where Are The Women?: A Study Of Gender Disparity In Supply Chain Management, Elizabeth C. Nguyen 7741669

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Identité, Genre, Et Proto-Nationalisme Chez Christine De Pizan Et Alain Chartier, Matthew Lee Blair

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

“Will The Crested Cranes Be There In The Future?” An Exploration Of The Ugandan Senior Women’S National Football Team, Alicia Jane Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated that gender inequity exists in national level competitive sport in Uganda (Kateshumbwa, 2011). The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) established the women’s senior national football team, the Crested Cranes, in the early 1990s (FUFA, n.d.); however, only the men’s senior national football team, the Cranes, has been referenced in the literature (Chappell, 2008; Kasoma, 2013). The purpose of this study was to explore (a) how Ugandan women experience football (soccer) in terms of their social identities (e.g., gender, ethnicity, social class, nationality, geographic location); (b) how Ugandan women experience being a player on the senior …