Arts and Humanities Commons^™

An Emergentist Critique Of The Contract Theory Of The State Of Nature, With A Consideration On Two Types Of Polity And Their Origins., Ryan A. Apperson

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

The theories of the state of nature provided by the political philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke have made a significant impact in the general conceptions of the origin of states. Though there are many critical differences in the conceptions of the state of nature between each in their seminal works, they both possess of a view of states that is rational and constructivist.

In this paper, I use the game theory concepts of the coordination game, collective action problem, and focal point to illustrate a lacuna in this rational and constructivist conception of the origin of states, as their …

The Purpose Of Hell: Control Of Communities Through Apocalyptic Literature., Madison S Fogle

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Literature depicting Hell in late antique Christianity reveals more than the theological concern for one’s eternal soul, revealing the underlying values and morals of the growing society. Borrowing from Roman, Greek, and Jewish culture, Christians were seeking to set themselves apart while also grappling with their past around them. Through visions of Hell, apocalyptic literature in late antique Christian society exhibits the control exercised over parishioners, specifically control over their bodies and their wealth. The moral laws from Greek, Roman, and Jewish influences is evident through early Christian literature, which dictate the ways in which people are regulated by Christianity …

Creolization And Romanity: The Continuities And Changes Of Roman Egypt., Travis M. Kaelin

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Past scholarship has analyzed Roman Egypt through the process of Romanization, but my research evaluates the province through creolization instead. The process of creolization is complex but affords indigenous populations more agency than terms like romanization. The thesis addresses the Egyptian and Greek continuities in language, religion, and way of life to display the extent of creolization. Analysis of Roman Egypt through the post-colonial lens better represents the changes that took place and the intent of the Roman principate. Much of the research derives from papyrological and archaeological sources to create a more nuanced understanding of what Roman Egypt looked …

The Delphic Plague : A Study In Athenian Oracular Rejection As Evident In The Oedipus Tyrannus., Devin A Stephens

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this work is to determine the effects of the Plague of Athens on the socio-cultural and religious climate of Athens as revealed through Sophocles’ magnum opus the Oedipus Tyrannus. The focus is the problem of oracular decay as viewed by Sophocles due to the political discrepancies between Athens and Delphi of which the plague was the final catalyst. Sophocles in this work is then explored as a writer with sentiments of Delphic Apologism in the wake of the plague which acted as a catalyst for a near complete dissolution of religious customs and furthermore a negation of …

Queen Dido And Empathy : A Different Perspective On An Ancient Epic., Rachel E Kelley

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

This project investigates the relationships between gender, emotion, and madness in a range of pre-modern literary texts. It is evident that extreme emotion is gendered female in early literature. Moreover, violence against women—even sexual violence—is nearly ubiquitous in this literature as well. Associating the female with motive shows that such depictions have contributed to misogynist or masculinist viewpoints. However, this project will instead investigate the role of readers’ emotional responses, from identification to sympathy and even empathy, that such writing might hope to produce in readers. That is, these texts, in their depictions of female characters suffering extreme distress, might …