Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Bonding Theatre And Chemistry: An Educational Exploration, Matthew Gurniak

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper analyzes the educational aspects of theatre and music and the impact that they have on an audience. The goal was to begin a new conversation about science and theatre and how the two can learn and gain unique insight from each other. To examine how these two antithetical fields can interact, I composed a new, innovative musical that tells the love story between two professors through the use of concepts from general chemistry. The results and responses from the performance of the play were overwhelmingly positive from members of both disciplines. They have inspired continued interest in this …

Rhetoric And Wit In Nicolas Bernier's Le Caffé, Anne C. Wick

Dissertations, 2014-2019

The aim of this document is to create a better comprehension of the French Baroque cantata’s design through an examination of Nicolas Bernier’s Le Caffé, with particular attention paid to rhetorical influences, which will enhance the understanding of its value and performance style of the French Baroque cantata for both performers and audiences. To help modern teachers, performers and audiences to appreciate this genre and provide a practical means of approach to performance, this document will: 1) explain the purpose of the Late French Baroque Cantata as a vehicle to display the wit of both poet and composer; 2) reveal …

A Historical Study Of The Vboda Marching Festival And Its Comparison To The National Band Contests Of The 1920s And 1930s, Benjamin J. Frenchak

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The 1920s National School Band Contests and the 1980s Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association’s state marching competition followed parallel paths as music educators involved in each event wrestled with the value of competition and its implications in education. Various tensions over the competitive aspects of the events led to revisions that ultimately changed their purpose to assessment-oriented festivals. The purpose of this historical study was to investigate the events surrounding the National School Band Contest of the 1920s and 1930s; document the creation, administration, and evolution of the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors’ Association (VBODA) statewide marching assessment from …

Afro-Caribbean Stylistic Elements As Topics In The Music Of Silvestre Revueltas: Conveying A Political Discourse In Caminando, No Sé Por Qué Piensas Tú, And Sensemayá, Elsy M. Gallardo-Diaz

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Although the music of Silvestre Revueltas has often been categorized as merely Mexicanist, this paper aims to demonstrate that not all of his music falls squarely within that classification. Among his brief but significant artistic output, three pieces for voice and small instrumental ensemble incorporate Afro-Caribbean stylistic elements drawn from popular and religious Afro-Cuban music. Composed in early 1937, Caminando, No sé que piensas tú soldado, and Sensemayá were based on poems by the Cuban Nicolás Guillén, the foremost representative of Afrocubanismo and, like Revueltas, an ardent believer in art as a tool for political protest and for …

The Significance Of Quality Creative Writing In Children’S Literature: A Practical Application Of Children’S Literature In An Educational Context, Nicole M. Wittkopp

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

With it clear that children’s literature is a useful and necessary part of a modern elementary school student’s education, it follows that modern elementary educators need to have a deep understanding of children’s literature. Only by comprehensively studying quality children’s literature can an elementary school teacher effectively use such literature in teaching her students. The following contextual essay thus aims to first define quality children’s literature. Then, it attempts to uncover merits found in recognized children’s literature. Finally, it works to describe the specific tasks of a creative writer of children’s literature. Once these dimensions have been thoroughly studied, I …

The Family Gothic: Identity And Kinship In The American Gothic Tradition, Meagan Elizabeth Riley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

American Gothic literature contains many stories of families under duress, or individuals struggling to reconcile their family identity with their national identity. These stories often coincide directly with the anxieties of the American nation. Through the works of three authors, Charles Brockden Brown, Edgar Allan Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft, I will study how the families of their works represent the concerns of the entire nation, and how Gothic terms catapult these stories into the American canon.

Theatre Education For Homeschooled Children, Jonathan A. Martin

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In recent years, the push for theatre education from arts education advocates has been increasingly prevalent, especially in the face of substantial budget cuts from many public schools’ arts programs. While there is still a long way to go before theatre education will be integral to school curricula, there are clear steps being taken to promote theatre education in the United States.

Similar to the recent push for theatre education is a rise in homeschooling in America. Homeschooling has been on the rise domestically for several years now, continuing to grow between 2% and 8% annually. It is now estimated …

"The Sound Of A Voice: An Evening Of Intercultural Theatre", Amy C. Slothower

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This undergraduate thesis examines the impact of the process of creating a piece of intercultural theatre on student artists. In the research of intercultural theatre, there is a lack of information on opportunities for intercultural performance experience for students, and much of the major research that has been done has all been by established theatre artists. The biggest concern in the theatrical community with creating works of intercultural theatre is the threat of cultural appropriation and imperialism. Much of this concern is stimulated by belief that the western dominant culture maintains a sense of imperialism towards what is perceived as …

Cross-Cultural Solutions Volunteer Handbook, Alexa Senio

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Alexa worked with Cross-Cultural Solutions to design and create a handbook that could prepare volunteers for their experience abroad. By using her personal experience abroad at El Pueblito, an orphanage in Cartago, Costa Rica, Alexa was able to compile resources and information that would be useful for a first-time volunteer to make the most out of their experience and to make sure they are prepared for working with the children. The final product is an interactive PDF handbook and an accompanying classroom activity bank on Pinterest that can be accessed digitally by CCS volunteers worldwide.

Revolutionary Era Women In War: A Move For Societal Reform, Claire Williams

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

As tensions grew in the British colonies in the late eighteenth century, colonists began expressing their new hopes for an independent nation. While the call to action for the physical fight against the British was directed toward men, women could not help but respond in kind. After centuries of domestic confinement and the new Enlightenment period showing possibilities for secondary roles, women used the coming war as a showcase for their capabilities. Some chose to act on the home front, boycotting British goods and fundraising for the soldiers, while others stepped outside of their bounds and participated in battle. Later …

Revitalizing Classical Music Interest And Concert Attendance: Why Today's Youth Are Deterred From Classical Music And Why Symphony Orchestras And Businesses Need To Get Involved, Caroline M. Clouse

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper seeks to explore the divide between classical music institutions and the youth of today. Interest in classical music is on a steady decline among Millennials and this paper provides a discourse on some of the prevailing reasonings behind the deterrents to classical music concert attendance. German studies concerning the current state of classical music and it's standing among youth that previously have never been translated are described within, so that this important information may be disseminated. Lastly, there is a discussion on the importance of innovative marketing techniques and concert offerings as well as how and why today's …

A Proposal For A Writing Center At Lafayette High School, Katherine Leigh Utne

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

While employed at the University Writing Center at James Madison University, I noticed how helpful it was for the students, tutors and faculty. Curious about the benefits of a writing center at the high school level, I began researching high school writing centers, and following my adviser’s suggestion, I created the initial draft of a proposal for a writing center at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia.

After interviews with faculty at Lafayette and a personal conversation with the principal, I revised my proposal, adapting it to Lafayette’s needs. The following proposal identifies the need for and the benefits of …

Film And Theatre: Hybridization And The Convergence Of Mediums, Rachel A. Jones

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This essay explores the ever-changing relationship between theatre and film. I used my expertise in both theatre and film to create a recording of a children’s theatre show Upside Down Fairytales in order to show how mediated theatre can be created. This essay argues that mediated theatre can be used educationally, dramaturgically, and for entertainment. The uses of mediated theatre can be very effective for those in communities where theatre is not accessible. This essay states that a new medium is created when live performance is recorded and it can have an impact on how theatre will continue to be …

Overwhelmed, Overworked, And Under-Appreciated: A Mixed Methods Study Of Undergraduate Music Education Students, John P. Riley

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The primary purpose of this study was to compare burnout levels of college music education students by National Association for Music Education division, year in school, primary instrument, and certification track (i.e., instrumental, vocal, general). The secondary purpose of the study was to examine relationships among perceived burnout, academic, and personal variables. Moreover, in this study I explored participants’ experiences with burnout, why participants think burnout occurs, and how participants try to combat burnout. Respondents were 320 undergraduate students studying music education across the United States. Results revealed percussion students exhibited the highest levels of emotional exhaustion. Juniors reported the …

Identity To Be Determined: The Development Of The American Ideal In The Early Republic, Andrew S. Mills

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Late victories in the War of 1812, like General Andrew Jackson’s triumph in the Battle of New Orleans rekindled the growing sense of nationalistic fervor that had appeared after the American Revolution. Americans saw themselves as a people with a unique destiny granted by God. Between the 1780s and the 1820s, different political party visions of American identity competed. The Jeffersonians were agrarian-focused. They envisioned a nation based on the morality of citizens. Federalists saw a more hierarchical, European-like society as the best hope for the American cause. These competing visions of identity led to continued attacks by the leading …

The Unwanted Immigrant, Frank A. Bozich Iii

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The social and religious differences between Chinese migrants and Americans of European descent played a large role in the exploitation of the Chinese. Ultimately, nativism became ingrained in Californian society as Irish Americans began to view Chinese as a threat to their economic success and violence toward Chinese became more common due to the Californian government’s support of anti-Chinese and nativist legislation.

Too Much Television?: Does Watching Political Ads Influence If And How People Vote?, Andrew Haveles

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The goal of this study was to examine the impact of negative political advertising on a young voters’ emotions and his/her decision to vote in the next election. This was done through the lens of the theory of cultivation analysis. The theory stated that the more television a person watches, the more likely he/she is to believe what he/she sees is reality. Using a cross-sectional survey, 324 participants viewed one of four political ads or a control group ad. Although no significant evidence found that negative political ads would stop people from voting, some significant evidence suggested that negative ads …

A Dickensian Utilitarianism, Zachary Allentuck

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This paper argues that Charles Dickens' political and world views were in sympathy with Utilitarianism, as defined by Jeremy Bentham. The Utilitarianism Dickens attacked in A Christmas Carol, Hard Times, and Little Dorrit was not real utilitarianism; it was utilitarianism appropriated by England's middle-class.

A Concrete Water Pasteurization Device For Third World Countries, Andrea R. Murchie

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

In the rural areas of South Africa, as well as many other developing countries, people cook food and sterilize their water by heating over open fires. Many times the fires are inside of homes, which more often than not are very small. Children will often be the ones to tend to the fire, out of necessity while parents and other family members are tending to other work and needs.

The purpose of my Senior Honors Project was to design a concrete vessel that can hold water and heat the water to pasteurization (149°F) when exposed to sunlight for an extended …

The Real F-Word: Feminism An Exploration Of Feminism And The Female Experience On College Campuses, Beatrice R. Owens

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Using third-wave feminism and playwriting as the foundation, this project intends to examine the history of feminism as it influences the current third-wave in the United States of American with a specific focus on the impact it has on college students. This project examines the development of feminism throughout history and asks whether that historical development has contributed significantly to the way in which millennial men and women understand and relate to feminism presently. Through the compilation of research and the creation of a performance piece, performed on April 1, 2016 in the Wayland Performance Studio, this project examines what …

Fairy Tales And Adaptations: A Unit Of Study For High School Seniors, Angelica P. Babauta

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This project is a unit of study designed for high school seniors in an advanced English class. The topic is fairy tales and adaptations, and through these twelve complete lesson plans, students will be led to examine the way fairy tales and society influence one another based on how a classic fairy tale is adapted over time. Students will study Jeanne Leprince de Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast," the Brothers Grimm's "Brier Rose," and Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" as the original fairy tales. The adaptations paired with these texts are Alex Flinn's Beastly, James Finn Gardner's "Sleeping …

Tracing The Past And Outlining The Future: The James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal As A Genre System, Lindsey R. Campbell

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Through my analysis of JMURJ as a genre system and my examination of the Screening Criteria document as a central point of communication and meaning, I will explain the value of such genre analyses and how certain texts embody an organization’s purpose and organize its communicative activities. As genre theorists Carol Berkenkotter and Thomas Huckin suggest, “Understanding the genres of written communication in one’s field is [...] essential to professional success” (“Rethinking Genre”). I hope to show how an understanding of the way genres function in an organizational context provides valuable insight into the process of carrying out a purpose. …

Home Starts From Within, Joliza G. Terry

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Moving to Harrisonburg proved to be a culture shock for me because in the past, I had lived in areas where the levels of diversity were different and allowed me to feel more at ease. I faced the issue of feeling uncomfortable in a new-found environment and felt compelled to start a dialogue about my experience through my artwork. It was imperative for me to find a way to create a community for myself, and by doing so in my artwork, I have thrived from my experience of feeling out of place. I began making work about self-image, family and …

Their Swords, Our Plowshares: "Peaceful" Nuclear Weapons, Propaganda, And Cold War Memory Expressed In Film: 1959-1989, Michael A. St. Jacques

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons as tools of warfare and diplomacy. Immediately following the Second World War, American attitudes toward the atomic bomb were overwhelmingly positive. Once the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bomb and the United States lost the atomic monopoly, attitudes started to shift. After the first hydrogen bombs tests, public sentiment, as demonstrated in film, became markedly negative. To counter these negative attitudes and portray their nuclear weapons as peaceful tools instead of weapons of mass destruction, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed …

Stonewall On The Potomac: Gay Political Activism In Washington, Dc, 1961-1973, Peter Bonds

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The first organized demonstration on behalf of gay rights in the United States occurred in front of the White House on April 16, 1965. Six years later, Dr. Franklin E. Kameny became the first openly gay American to run for a seat in the United States Congress when he launched his campaign to become Washington’s delegate to the House of Representatives in February 1971. The following year, Washington’s school board voted to include sexual orientation alongside gender and race as a protected category in its non-discrimination employment policy. This victory for gay Washingtonians was expanded on in 1973, when Washington’s …

The Origins And Development Of The Euphonium Concerto With Brass Band, Joel M. Collier

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Since shortly after its invention, the euphonium has been utilized as a solo instrument, both in chamber music settings with piano, and with large ensembles such as brass bands and wind bands. However, it was not until the composition of Joseph Horovitz’s Euphonium Concerto in 1972 that the euphonium was genuinely regarded as a serious solo instrument in the brass band, capable of performing large-scale, substantial works.

In the following two decades, several composers wrote concerti for euphonium and brass band, each building on the technical demands of their predecessors. Their contributions established the basis of the genre, and also …

Notes For A Writer: The Role Of The Flute As Narrator In Jon Lord's To Notice Such Things, Brianne Little

Dissertations, 2014-2019

Jon Lord’s To Notice Such Things is a twenty-seven minute suite for flute, piano, and string orchestra composed in memory of the writer and barrister Sir John Mortimer, Q.C. In this orchestral work Lord used the flute as a narrator for Mortimer’s life as a programmatic or figurative device. Lord used his knowledge of Mortimer, through their close friendship, in order to create a narrative of the author’s life experience through music. Each movement of this suite points to a specific idea, time, or experience in Mortimer’s personal history, and provides the listener with a glimpse into the author’s life …

The Creation Of A Skills-Based Grading System For Solo Trumpet Repertoire, Charles R. Ahlhorn

Dissertations, 2014-2019

This research organizes a sample of solo trumpet literature, selected from state music educators associations’ repertoire lists, into a bi-level, skills-based grading system. At the first level of classification, each work is assigned an overall difficulty rating of 1, 2, or 3, with the latter being the most demanding category. The second level of classification evaluates the requirements of each work in six particular skill areas: range, rhythm and meter, articulation, flexibility, endurance, and phrasing. The rating scale for these parameters ascends from 1 to 5, where 1 represents beginner-level skills and 5 connotes virtuoso-caliber challenges.

The goal of this …

Old Furnace Artist Residency: Art Is A Conjunction, Jon William Henry

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Old furnace artist residency is an ongoing body of work that encompasses a long-term art project that relies upon social aesthetics. This project weaves together social sculpture, relational aesthetics, intervention, gesture, performance, community art, and participation art to create a praxis of social justice and art. The underlying principles of the project are rooted in feminist and queer theories of activism that focus on enacting social, political, and economic liberation. Thus, old furnace artist residency focuses on using art as a tool to weave people together.

A Tank Full Of Wishful Thinking: Crystallizing The Rhythms Of The Road, Leanna K. Smithberger

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This thesis is a personal exploration of American car culture — the roads the enable it, the everyday actions that sustain it, and the values that justify it. I use a constellation of mobilities, autoethnography, and rhythmanalysis in order to generate a glimpse into the rhythm of our road-centered culture — how it shapes and constrains our lives in mundane and extraordinary ways, why it is largely taken for granted, and why it is so stubbornly persistent. I use a variety of artistic, evocative methods, including narrative, poetry, and music, because I argue that knowing is not enough — we …