Arts and Humanities Commons^™

From Donatello To Michelangelo: A Franciscan Angel, Kayla M. Bruce

Institute for the Humanities Theses

During the Italian Renaissance, images of angels and of the Virgin Mary were incredibly commonplace and were often used to denote the Virgin in her role as prophetess. The Virgin was often shown surrounded by angels in the background or flanking her on either side. However, in the fifteenth century, a motif appeared where an angel head was depicted on either the Virgin’s diadem or on her chest as a decorative brooch. This specific motif only appeared in images of the Virgin and the Christ Child. It was also only employed by Florentine artists and began with the Florentine sculptor, …

Seeking Sabbath In Annie Dillard's Holy The Firm, Olivia Grace Dycus

English Theses & Dissertations

Annie Dillard’s third-ever publication, Holy the Firm, asks why an omniscient God allows natural evil to occur. In this deeply poetic and mystical series of essays, Dillard explores the relationship between time, artistry, and God in the face of devastating chaos. This thesis argues that Dillard’s emphasis on the importance of time reflects a Jewish notion of Sabbath as defined by Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel. Dillard offers time and creation as medium through which to commune with God just as Heschel does in his book, The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man. Heschel defines Sabbath as the coming …

The Role Of Religiosity In Drug Use: A Social Integration Perspective, Lindsey Dianna Thomas

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between religiosity and drug use among civilian, noninstitutionalized individuals over the age of 18 in the United States within the theoretical framework of Durkheim’s social integration theory. Focusing on the three aspects of religiosity, practice, belief, and affiliation, this study used logistic regression models to determine the relationship between drug use, specifically the use of marijuana/hashish, cocaine, and heroin, and religiosity. Control variables were incorporated into these models in order to separate the effects of religiosity from demographic variables. The research determined that individuals who reported higher measures of religiosity, …

Comparing Higher Order Value Differences By Religious And Spiritual Association And Implications For Counseling: An Exploratory Study, Gregory C. Lemich

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The spiritual but not religious (SBNR) population in the U.S. has grown into a significant minority demographic (27%; Lipka & Gecewicz, 2017). Despite this emergence, scant literature has addressed this population and how it differs in values from others, specifically, how SBNR groups differ from those who identify as spiritual and religious (SAR), religious but not spiritual (RBNS), and not spiritual or religious (NSOR). To help this deficiency, this dissertation study explored the intersection of spirituality, religiosity, spiritual and religious categories (SRC; i.e. SAR, SBNR, RBNS, NSOR), and the theory of basic human values (Schwartz, 1992, 1994; Schwartz et al., …

Museum Of Unforeseen Circumstances, Ethan Forrest Ross

English Theses & Dissertations

On the day of his mother’s death, Charlie Agate abandons his current life and returns to his childhood home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For months, this new residency enables his thirst for isolation and comfort, but at last Charlie ventures back into the public world where he forms an unlikely bond with an elderly woman, Virginia Day. Virginia is strange and impoverished, broken and yet hopeful as she maintains an assertion so outlandish Charlie can’t help but pursue the truth of this mystery alongside her. This novella is about faith and mystery, guilt that leads to opportunity, and the persistence of …

Intersexion, Cynthia Davis

English Theses & Dissertations

A combination of memoir, reportage, and opinion writing, Intersexion explores the realities of growing up intersex while also examining the conservative mindset that caused the narrator—a happily married suburban mother—to lose a tenure-track position at a Christian university for being unwilling to label Danny’s intersex condition as “repugnant” and “offensive to God.”

Prejudice Toward Atheists In The United States As Related To Perceived Prevalence, Wanda D. Brooks

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

By manipulating mortality salience (MS) in place of life-threatening events to stimulate death-related thoughts, the current research contributes to the body of research supporting Terror Management Theory. It was hypothesized that religious participants should exhibit cultural worldview defense by scoring higher in anti-atheist prejudice following the MS manipulation than would those in the control condition. Further, this research extends the current research into Terror Management Theory as a cause for conflict among out-groups and explores its effects on cultural worldviews in the area of prejudice toward atheists. This includes examining how the perception of an increasing prevalence of atheists contributes …

The Franchising Effect On The Al-Qaeda Enterprise And Related Transnational Terror Groups: Patterns Of Evolution Of Al-Qaeda Affiliates In The 21st Century, Nicholas Benjamin Law

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The attacks of September 11, 2001 by Al-Qaeda-sponsored militants represented a high- water mark for the terrorist organization in its self-styled journey to become the inspirational Islamic vanguard for disenchanted Muslims across the globe. In the years that followed these attacks, the Al-Qaeda enterprise underwent a constant rate of evolution and mutation, resulting in a phenomenon of parallel and like-minded Islamist groups pledging allegiance to Usama bin Laden and his ideological vision of a global jihad. Instead of strengthening the overall organization, this expansion diluted the command and control of Al-Qaeda senior leaders in their ability to shape the overall …

Communication Support And Religious Support In Managing Occupational Stress In Military Careers: A Career-Span Approach, Shantonee' Malee Mitchell

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

This thesis reports an exploratory and descriptive study of communication support and religious support used by military personnel to manage occupational stress over the course of a career and their perceived effectiveness at helping to manage occupational stress. Drawing on a lifespan communication approach, this study employed a careerspan perspective where occupational stressors and sources of support (human and religious) are examined over the course of military careers. Results find three different groups of sources of communicative support were used in different ways to help manage military occupational stress: sources within the military, sources outside of the military, and religious …

African American Pastors And Their Perceptions Of Professional School Counseling, Krystal L. Freeman

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The Black Church and its pastors are important in the African American community, and influence many aspects of daily life including education. There is a gap in the literature concerning professional school counselors' specific interaction with African American pastors. This phenomenological study examined the experiences of ten African American pastors regarding professional school counseling, including referral, collaboration, and consultation. The results highlighted three emerging themes: school counseling experiences, barriers to collaboration, and clergy-school collaboration. School counseling experiences focused on personal and professional experiences. Barriers to collaboration included themes such as separation of church and state and lack of visibility. Finally, …

For The Bible Tells Me So: An Analysis Of Religiosity, Attitudes Towards Women, And Intimate Partner Violence, Stephen Cecil Parker

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Male dominance and intimate partner violence are issues that affect many women. This study examines the relationship between religiosity and attitudes towards women and intimate partner violence. It was hypothesized that individuals with higher levels of religiosity would be more likely to hold traditional/negative attitudes towards women. It was also hypothesized that individuals with higher levels of religiosity would be more likely to be involved in a violent intimate relationship. The study used a sample of 427 students from a large urban university who were surveyed about religiosity, attitudes towards women, and intimate partner violence. The mean age of the …

Relationships Between Religious Orientation And Academic Attitudes, Lauren Everitt

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine whether there is an underlying consistency between college students' approaches to religion and their approaches to higher education. A sample of 234 undergraduate students completed the Religious Life Inventory (Batson, Schoenrade, & Ventis, 1993), which assesses orientation to religion, and the Academic Attitude Scale (Wong, 1998), which identifies factors that motivate students to pursue higher education. The three dimensions (Means, End, and Quest) extracted from the Religious Life Inventory were compared to the six subscales (Intrinsic, Instrumental, Personal Development, External Pressure, Social Interest, No Better Option) of the Academic Attitude Scale to …

Exploratory Study Of Countries Lacking Data On Female Genital Mutilation In The Middle East And Africa, Nazia Rose Naeem

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the cutting off of female genitals for nonmedical purposes (WHO 2008). FGM is a gender specific practice, which has no health benefits and severe consequences. In addition, the victims of this form of physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional violence are predominantly children between birth and age 15 (WHO 2008). Female genital mutilation is an egregious act, which must be eradicated. This study sought to begin the process of securing preliminary estimates for FGM in countries that lacked data on FGM in the Middle East and Africa, thereby shedding light on this extremely detrimental and oppressive …

Meaning Of Hijab According To Urban Egyptian And Yemeni Muslim Women, Kenneth E. Jackson

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Meanings of hijab held by urban Egyptian and Yemeni Muslim women were the focus of this study. In addition to the meanings held of hijab, the study also explored the relationships between demographic variables and perceptions of hijab. Three null hypotheses led the analyses pertaining to the differences between Egyptian and Yemeni respondents in their perceptions of hijab, demographic differences between those that wore a hijab and those that wore a niqab, and the demographic differences between those that wore a hijab and those that did not wear a hijab. Data analysis was based on the …

Internet Usage And Religious Authority: A Case Study Of The Catholic Church Of South Korea, Youngho Park

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This study examines what impact the Internet usage by church members has on religious authority, focusing on a case study of the Korean Catholic Church. The goals of this study are to investigate the ways in which church members use the Internet for communication in the Church, to examine whether and how the Internet usage by church members affects religious authority, and to identify what kind of religious authority is affected. This study encompasses two main parts: historical background of the Church's Internet usage and analysis of the online forums about "The Four Major Rivers Project". The latter is divided …

Religion On Divorce, Erik B. Doherty

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Prospective factors that lead to elevated divorce rates have been studied in an attempt to gauge their relative significance and overall impact. However, to date no Such factor or factors have been pin-pointed that can conclusively explain why divorce rates are so high. This article utilizes a three-model analysis that examines the effects of religion variables, as well as relevant control variables that have be found to be significantly associated with divorce rates by prior research. Thus, religion is the variable of focus for the study in relation to divorce rates. The results indicate that: 1) Catholics are less likely …

Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Objectivism And Religious Activities/Beliefs In Practitioners, Brenda J. Smith

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

As major stakeholders in the helping profession, counselors and other mental health professionals are prepared to assist clients in coping with intensely painful and traumatic experiences. While assisting their clients in processing traumatic events (e.g., natural disasters, violent crimes, grief, accidents, terrorist attacks), however, some professional helpers may become overwhelmed themselves and thereby experience compassion fatigue and/or burnout. This study will evaluate whether certain personal and professional factors in counselors—including objectivism in decision-making and religious beliefs and activities—are related to their ability to avoid compassion fatigue and/or burnout.

Social Capital And Religion: A Quantitative Analysis Of The Relationship Between Religious Participation And Social Capital, Kyshawn Smith

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to confirm the existence of a positive correlation between religious participation and social capital, and to show that such a correlation varies considerably when specific demographic variables, and denominational and organizational dynamics are accounted for. Beginning with the early theoretical works of James S. Coleman, The World Bank and Robert Putnam, research has shown the importance of studying the philosophy and science of social capital, and the significance of measuring interrelated concepts like community volunteerism, political involvement, and religious participation. However, much of this research surveys national audiences and either completely ignores or spends …

The Relationship Among Disclosure, Internalized Homophobia, Religiosity, And Psychological Well-Being In A Lesbian Population, Sharon Lyn Clayman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship among disclosure, internalized homophobia, and religiosity in a lesbian population and how these three variables are related to psychological well-being in order to build upon the scant amount of empirical research on these variables in the lesbian psychological literature. A total of 679 women, 18 to 70 years old, and from all across the country were recruited via the internet to participate in a web-based survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Lesbian Internalized Homophobia Scale (Szymanski & Chung, 2001), the Outness Inventory (Mohr & Fassinger, 2000), the Behavioral Self-Disclosure Questionnaire (Carroll & Gilroy, 2000), …

Guided By God: The Catholic Church And Political Legitimacy In The Philippines, Steven B. Shirley

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The developing world is witnessing a growing (some may say disturbing) trend towards “de-secularization” of national governments. This trend has been understudied and misunderstood over the past decade. Government experts and scholars alike too often view this trend through the lens of “threat” analysis and in so doing miss key cultural, historical, and political factors at work. This study attempts to redress this problem. By looking at political legitimacy and the role religious organizations such as the Catholic Church may play, a new understanding of how religious institutions can shape and mold governments and policies emerges.

This study focuses specifically …

The Synod Of Dordrecht 1618-1619. The Influence Of Calvinism On The Development Of Freedom In The Netherlands In The Period 1560-1630, Joseph A. Van Burik

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The Synod of Dordrecht was an important event in the history of the Dutch Republic. A serious, combined religious and political conflict between orthodox and liberal Calvinists had brought the Republic to the brink of civil war. The forceful intervention of the stadholder Prince Maurice in 1617 had cleared the political situation and it was the task of the Synod to solve the religious aspect of the conflict. The Synod was a victory for orthodox Calvinism; the Reformed Church, the state and local governments were purged from liberal elements, and new laws, limiting further the freedom for non-Reformed religions were …

An Empirical Investigation Into Significant Factors Of Moral Reasoning And Their Influences On Ethical Judgment And Intentions, Janet K. Mullen Marta

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This dissertation is a partial test of the Hunt-Vitell (1986, 1993) general theory of marketing ethics, which, along with previous tests of the model and other empirical and theoretical work, serves as the basis for this research. The dissertation model is the most comprehensive test of Hunt-Vitell to date, in the sense that it tests variables at almost every stage of the ethical decision making process described in the Hunt-Vitell theory.

The sample was obtained through a mail survey of American Marketing Association (AMA) practitioner members. Empirical testing was carried out through correlation and regression analysis. Of the seventeen hypotheses, …

Daughters Of Charity: Catholic Women And Their Communities In Antebellum America, Linda Merritt Mccubbins

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This study calls into question common assumptions about the limited public role of Catholic women during the antebellum period of American history. To understand the roles Protestant women played during this era, it is important to understand Catholic women's roles. Through primary and secondary source documents, the similarities and differences relating to church structure and theology will be documented. The study will also examine reasons why Protestant women converted to Catholicism during a profoundly anti-Catholic era.

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, women, both Catholic and Protestant, played an increasingly public role through organized benevolence and other activities. …

The Theology Of Father Brown, Catherine Miles Flynn

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This thesis explores the theological thought of G. K. Chesterton, particularly as it is found in his detective short stories about Father Brown. In his other works (e.g., Orthodoxy, Heretics, and his many books of essays), the theology of Chesterton is obvious. However, in the light, whimsical Father Brown stories the theology expressed is often profound, but underrated if not ignored by his critics. Specific examples from his stories will be used to highlight the theological points within the mysteries.

The life and times of Chesterton are discussed as having highly influenced his thought. His unconventional religious upbringing, in particular, …

The Road To Reorganization: The First Convention Of The Protestant Episcopal Church In Virginia, May 18-25, 1785, William C. Barnhart

History Theses & Dissertations

Following the War of Independence the Anglican church in the United States was all but defunct. In the eyes of many American communicants, political independence from England necessitated a comparable ecclesiastical divorce. The postwar years produced various plans aimed at the reorganization of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The Episcopalians of Maryland and Pennsylvania took the lead in awakening their brethren to the advantages of national unification.

How did Virginia, perhaps the most Anglicanized state of all, respond to this call for religious solidarity? This matter, and others, were addressed at the first convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia, …

"But Where Shall Understanding Be Found?" Searching For Sophia, Personified Wisdom, Kathleen Damiani

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The thesis examines the image of Sophia, divine feminine wisdom, from the point of view of -archetypal psychology. The paper describes the emergence of Sophia in the Old Testament against the background of the development of monotheism in Judaism. Modern scholarship defines Sophia in religious terms, thus restricting her meaning to the limits imposed by the Judaeo-Christian concept of God. When the "problem" of Sophia is removed from the language of theology, however, and re-examined from the perspective of archetypal psychology, new meanings emerge. The position taken is that Sophia is an archetypal image which personifies the capacity of reflection …

Knowing God In William Blake: A Study To Find Meaning In His Work Through Plato, Swedenborg, And Mystical Tradition, David B. Gabel

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This project takes a look into the philosophical and theological sources found in the work of William Blake as they culminate in his epic poem Jerusalem. This study includes an examination of the philosophies of Plato and Emanuel Swedenborg, the mystical pathway, the Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah, and finally an examination of the works of Blake himself. We work from a three-fold premise: 1) that mystical experience occurs, 2) that archetypes exist in the collective unconscious, and 3) that these archetypes can be known through intuition and mystical experience. The focus is on those elements which are characteristic …

Spire And Tower: The History, Architecture And Art Of Two Norfolk, Virginia Churches, Judith L. Smith

Institute for the Humanities Theses

While St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church and Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church are dissimilar in origin, religious practices, and architectural style, when taken together, their periods of construction in their respective revival styles span and define an important era in Norfolk, Virginia's urban history.

Original research in the sparse records of several Catholic parishes identifies the previously known name of the architect of St. Mary's church. The study also offers additional information on that church's stained glass window.

The author presents the heretofore scattered history of Epworth Church in chronological order. The study develops new information concerning …

Self-Concepts Of Christian And Public High School Seniors, Dorothy Potts Lee

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This ex post facto study compared the self-concepts of seniors from three Christian high schools in southeastern Virginia with three public high schools located in the same cities. One intact classroom from each school was employed, making a total of 147 subjects.

A one-way multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted to maximize the power of discrimination of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) by predicting the best linear combination of dependent variables after statistically adjusting for covariates. Performance on five of the subscales was judged not to be related to potential differences between the two types of schools and those …

Laity Expectations Of Ministers In The Black Urban Church: A Study Of Political And Social Expectations In The Context Of Ministry To Community And World, James Henry Harris

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The study examined the Black church laity's expectations of the urban minister regarding his involvement in specific social and political issues that confront inhabitants of urban areas. A survey was administered to individuals in Black churches of different protestant denominations in a Southeastern Virginia City in order to determine the degree of the laity's expectations. Specifically, the survey sought answers to the questions: Do Black church laity expect the minister to deal with socio-economic and political problems in urban areas? and, What particular urban problems do the laity expect the minister to offer leadership in facing or solving?

While this …