Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mice Meet World: How Disney And Nintendo Allowed Consumers To Escape From, Re-Enter, And Later Re-Envision A War Torn World, Samantha Constantine

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis examines how Disney and Nintendo appealed to consumers in both the United States and Japan by celebrating ideals that spoke to consumer’s existing perceptions of national identity and national exceptionalism, particularly the dream of upward mobility. This thesis highlights four character traits that both the Japanese and Americans found heroic and that comprised the wider dream of upward mobility: hard work, perseverance, tenacity, and kindness. Through the immersive experiences that Disney and Nintendo provided, consumers became the heroes of their own journeys and brought these characteristics to life both in the fantasy worlds each company created and in …

Perceptions And Identity: Poverty In 19th Century Rockingham County, Kayla Heslin

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The historical analysis of poverty has lain silent for nearly two decades, with only recent authors, such as Nancy Isenberg and Kerri Leigh Merritt, broaching the topic. While several others have taken a deep dive into understanding the causes and effects of contemporary poverty, it seems to me a great deal has yet to be written on the identity of those impoverished and their active endeavors to define themselves in economic circumstances largely beyond their control. Until we truly explore the complexity of economic dearth and its relation to collective identity, we cannot fully understand the topic of “poverty.”

In …

Level Best: An Original Screenplay, Katherine M. Repholz

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

For my Capstone, I wrote Level Best, an original screenplay. Level Best is about Tony, who finds out that his ex-girlfriend, Kayla, has cloned him, and that clone, dubbed 2.0, is an extremely famous musician. Tony, a failed musician himself, struggles to adjust to his new reality as Kayla realizes that 2.0 is perhaps not all she dreamed up. As Tony, Kayla, and 2.0 yearn for authenticity and meaning, they are forced to confront their personal demons causing the three of them to ponder, “what makes you you?”

Pieces Of Us: Songwriting Our Stories In Harrisonburg, Va, Davina Miaw

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Storytelling is a way in which humans communicate their lives as narratives and understand the world around them. Storytelling through composing music allows students not only a means of personal expression, but also enhanced literacy skills, social skills, and understandings of basic musical concepts (e.g., Barrett & Stauffer, 2012; Kaschub & Smith, 2009). This thesis contains a digital storybook of fifth grade students’ original songs that documents their processes of turning ideas into final products and examines their thoughts and words about songwriting and identity development. It also shares autoethnographic reflections on ways in which my identity as a musician …

The Land Beyond The Mountains: The Trans-Appalachian Frontier And The Formation Of Appalachian Identity, Joshua Goodall

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The field of Appalachian history often discusses the existence of an identity quintessential to Appalachia. In the opinion of many scholars, this identity, typically characterized as a sense of “otherness” compared to the rest of the nation, dates back to the post-Civil War period when the authors from outside the region began to write about the people of the mountains as inherently different and strange compared to other regions of the United States. However, the sense of otherness in Appalachia dates far before this period and even predates the establishment of the United States as a sovereign nation. Combining present …

Empire State Of Being: Modern Women And The Literary Streets Of New York City, Kristen A. Greiner

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This project is an analysis of the portrayal of modern women in the 1920s American literature written by ethnic female authors. It focuses on the stories of women in New York City, honing in on those from the neighborhoods of the Lower East Side and Harlem. These ethnic female authors offer incredibly different interpretations of the early twentieth century woman when compared to their male counterparts, as they present them as more authoritative and strong characters, while displaying how the influence of space in New York City affects the identity of the characters on the page. Using the texts, Salome …

How Native American Rappers Communicate And Create A Modern Identity, Hannah J. Berge

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Current research concerning identity and Native Americans is sparse outside the realm of expressly Native American scholarship. While most conversations about identity and Native Americans focuses on historical and political aspects, many sources do not explore alternative avenues of contemporary identity creation. This thesis uses Kenneth Burke’s pentad to analyze the lyrics for “AbOriginal” by Frank Waln. The pentad is used to analyze each line of the rap. A new term, alter-agent, is used to identify agents who the agent either associates with or who the agent views as hindering his progress. There is then a count of the number …

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 …

Shift; Explorations In A Changing Sense Of Self, Tara J. Ott

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In my art practice I am exploring how my “sense of self” changes as both the external and internal factors continue to shift throughout the stages of my life. I have centered on two main themes: personal experiences connected to gender that are based on the female body and changes in the formation of social identity in relation to others who are part of my life. My work mainly revolves around self-portraiture and reflections of my life, usually expressed through photography, video, painting and sculptural installations. In some bodies of work, however, I have used other women or people from …

"Sacred Spaces Of The Stage": Proclaiming Mennonite Identity Through Theatre, Benjamin J. Stoll

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The focus of this contextual and reflective essay is to explore the relationship between the medium of theatre and the conveyance of religious tenets, as well as the methods by which to do so in a manner beyond the rhetorical or didactic. By tracing specifically the historical interplay between theatre and the Mennonite denomination of Protestant Christianity, this essay argues for an effective and relevant correlation between the theatre and the church, for the purposes of understanding human nature, giving voice to universal issues of heart and spirit, and demonstrating implicit examples of creed—in this case, the question of peace. …

Ang Buhay Sa Nayon-Life In The Valley: An Oral History Project With The Shenandoah Living Archive, Hannah Moses

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Ang Buhay sa Nayon/Life in the Valley, is an oral history project consisting of twenty-three interviews with seventeen Filipino Americans from the Shenandoah Valley. These video oral histories, including transcripts and donated photographs, are now part of the Shenandoah Living Archive at James Madison University. This oral history collection is also showcased in a digital exhibit: http://sites.jmu.edu/lifeinthevalley/. The website touches on a myriad of aspects of Filipino American life, but strives overall to put the interviewees’ experiences in historical context and to understand how Filipinos have formed a community in rural Virginia.

American Identity Crisis, 1789-1815: Foreign Affairs And The Formation Of American National Identity, George E. Best

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

When the Constitution was drafted in 1789, Americans did not have a sense of national identity. The process toward achieving a national identity was long and fraught with conflict. Some of the most influential events on the United States were foreign affairs. American reactions to these events reveal the gradual coalescence of national identity. The French Revolution was incredibly divisive and Americans defined their political views in relation to it. The wars spawned by it caused Great Britain and France to seize American ships believed to be carrying contraband. The American public took an active role in making its opinions …