Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Exploring The Medieval Frontier: The Reconquista, Alex Wolfe

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This project focuses on material history, the study of objects and their role in history, and deriving meaning from artifacts in order to synthesize an applied historical thesis.

The objects studied in this research project are of particular importance to the study of the Reconquista, a unique frontier conflict in the Iberian Peninsula between Christians and Muslims that lasted from the eighth through fifteenth centuries.

The artifacts brought together in this digital exhibit bring into material focus the visible exchanges and borrowings between Christians and Muslims across the frontier of the Reconquista. In their material relationship, they demonstrate the unique …

Shang Yang And Skirmishes: Warfare And Philosophy In Warring States China, Levi Berg

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Ancient history is often complex. The 21st century is so far removed from the epoch that not only is understanding the sources a problem, but so is the quantity and quality of the sources themselves. However, what we have along with the archaeology is enough to determine at least some historicity of the epoch. Other questions are raised, however, when one starts to examine ancient history. For instance, what caused the philosophical upheaval during the political and social upheaval called the Warring States period in China? During this period in ancient China, when the states were in a struggle to …

Therapeutic Use Of Music For Geriatric Dementia Patients, Katelynn Roscioli

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Dementia impacts millions of individuals and their families worldwide, yet many caregivers remain untrained, unpaid, and unable to maintain their own health while caring for their patients. Despite the need for support, limited resources exist to aid these caregivers in combatting this progressive, debilitating disease. One possibility lies in practices rooted in music therapy, which have been shown to restore memory retention, personhood, and quality of life in dementia patients. However, individuals outside of music therapists, especially those with limited musical backgrounds, may not consider implementing music therapy within their care plan. To make this approach more accessible, a website …

Revolutionaries And Counterrevolutionaries: An Academic Poster Session, Bryson Doering, Carter Benton, Nicholas Stratton, Sophie Nagi

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This academic poster sessions contains work produced by students in the Fall 2023 course HIST 362 The Age of Revolutions to the Age of Extremes: Modern Europe. Exploring European Ideas, Culture, and Politics in the wake of the French Revolution, students were tasked with conducting original biographical research on a revolutionary individual and then, alongside their written papers, developing their research into an academic poster presentation. These academic posters convey the biography and revolutionary as well as counterrevolutionary character of pivotal European figures since 1789. As a result, they represent a concise academic presentation of key transformative individuals from Europe's …

From Proposal To Implementation: The Founding Of The Center For Faith And Family, Leon Blanchette Edd, Mark Frisius Phd, Lindsey Bush

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This panel will discuss the process involved in the formation of the Center for Faith and Family at Olivet. The concept of the Center originated in Spring of 2022 when Lilly Endowment invited Olivet to submit a grant proposal. The purpose of the grant was to establish a unique approach to providing resources that assist parents and caregivers to pass their faith to their children. In this panel discussion, the presenters will discuss the process of submitting the grant proposal, the steps taken to research and launch the Center, and the current initiatives of the Center.

Colonialism And Collective Trauma: The Development And Deterioration Of Macondo, Kaitlyn Tibbetts

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Through his works Leaf Storm and One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez explores the development and deterioration of the fictional town of Macondo to illuminate how colonialism infiltrated Latin America, causing detrimental damage to the integrity of its community. Márquez accomplishes this by illustrating the industrialization of Macondo, which embodies colonialism’s detrimental influence. These effects are undeniably ongoing, as seen through the domination of neo-colonialism in Macondo. In both texts, this neo-colonialism is primarily depicted through the arrival of the American banana industry in Macondo. In this, Márquez mirrors Latin American history by alluding to the Boston-based …

The Invitation Of Prayer: A Fresh Perspective On How To Fellowship With The Triune God, Simone Twibell

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Prayer seems intimidating to many Christians. We wonder if we are doing it right, or saying the right things, or praying often enough, or in the right way. In this paper, I propose that there is absolutely no wrong way to pray. Instead, opening ourselves up to prayer is opening ourselves up to receiving and enacting the grace of God already at work in our lives to fill us even more deeply. Here, I examine prayer from a triune perspective that engages God the Father, in the name of Jesus, through the power of the Spirit. Learning to fellowship with …

Καθαρός: The Pure - Setting Narrative In The Fourth-Century Roman Empire, Emma Branstetter

Scholar Week 2016 - present

My presentation illustrates the development of the Christian historical fiction novella named Καθαρός set in the early fourth century of Christian history closely following the events of the Great Persecution and its long-term effects on Christian communities in Asia Minor and North Africa. Previous Christian novels set in the Roman era primarily focus on the first century, and with the significant thematic potential found in later centuries after the life and resurrection of Christ, I embarked on this writing project. The research that affects my narrative is separated into four categories: the history and effects of Diocletian’s Great Persecution, fourth-century …

The Fire Of Pentecost: A Historical Reading Of Acts 2:3, Doug Ward

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Acts 2 is a foundational text for the Christian Church, especially for those in the Holiness tradition. Many in our tradition approach the text at face value and read the descriptions in the text as a physical description. Yet if we approach the text from a historical perspective and apply the language of God's presence to the text, a rich, new meaning emerges.

Social Media As Second Creation: Cyber-Space As A Denial Of Cosmic Community, Carter Ford

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Social media aims to move the communal sphere into the digital world. It is often quipped that the current generation is the most “connected” yet “disconnected” generation in history. If social media truly succeeds in moving the social community into a digital sphere, what is the source of the widely experienced disconnect from one another? I will argue that evaluating social media in light of Bonhoeffer’s cosmic community reveals that social media insufficiently invades the space of human relationship, not capable of supporting either connection between individuals or creation. Thus, rather than affirming real relationship online, social media replaces community …

Experiencing History: A Roundtable Discussion Of Architecture, Theatre, And Culture Of England, Elyse Lamszus, Andrew Hoag, Riley Basick, Katherine Bosma, Autumn Bruens, Alaina Durr, Cynthia Morales, Madelynn Norton, Laura Rankin, Benjamin Ridler, Remington Ross, Lia Shomaly, Anna Shoup, Kaitlyn Tibbetts, Becca Witvoet, Emily Yerge

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This presentation features a roundtable discussion among students who traveled to England during Spring Break, March 5-11, 2022. This presentation seeks to share primary and secondary research about England’s architecture and theatre, as well as additional insights about England’s culture and history gained through first-hand experiences of traveling within the city of London and to Stonehenge and Bath.

Kankakee In Deindustrialization: An Oral History Approach, Rachel Shepard

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The City of Kankakee was an industrialized city which prospered economically for decades. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, economic trends shifted for Kankakee and the surrounding communities. The major factories, such as Roper Corporation and A.O. Smith, migrated their source of production from Kankakee to other regions of the United States and abroad during the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, the declining industrial economic activity led to changing community perceptions. Kankakee is an example of the “Rust Belt” region, a region in the Midwestern and Northeastern States of the United States where declining industrial activity occurred throughout the …

Patrick Pearse: Nationalist Traditionalist Revolutionary And The Murder Machine, Levi Berg

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Patrick Pearse was a major figure in the struggle for Irish independence from the United Kingdom. As a gifted scholar and teacher, he outlined his views for Irish education in an essay entitled "The Murder Machine". The presented research argues that Pearse had both nationalist revolutionary ideas and traditionalist ideas, bringing them together in a paradoxical vision for the future of Ireland and its children, and that this vision is what ultimately led to the Easter Rising of 1916.

Deepfake It Til You Make It: How Not To Make A Short Film, Adam Lee

Scholar Week 2016 - present

A very recent development in the realm of computer technology is the deepfake. Deepfakes, which train a computer model to digitally superimpose one person’s face onto another body in a separate video, has its uses for good and for ill, with the unfortunate tendency to the latter. The vast majority of deepfakes are used for pornography, most commonly depicting the subjects of female celebrities. At the less notable level, it is often used for revenge pornography. These aspects of deepfake technology are rarely discussed in mainstream media, which tends to focus on the less harmful uses, such as those for …

Spiritual Mysteries That Matter When Leading, Gregg Chenoweth

Scholar Week 2016 - present

We need a God who guides, right now, in real time, through the projects and ambitions of our lives. The Apostle Paul did too. Like us, he never met the material Jesus and had to cultivate what he called a “competence” for being guided by God in the Spirit. This identity became so central to his life, he told the Church in Corinth his reputation should be as a “steward of mysteries.” We can be that too. We must. We lead in a world fixated on, "believe it when you see it," yet God provides more to us than sight. …

Why Social Studies Matters: Historical Thinking In The Classroom & Beyond, Margaret Houts, Sabrina Bogart

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Presentation Location: Warming House, Olivet Nazarene University

Abstract

Social studies education is vital to helping students develop critical thinking skills that they will use both in and out of the classroom. As the world becomes increasingly complex and diverse, students must be given the tools they need to interpret and engage with it. The skills that students develop in the social studies classroom prepare them to be critical thinkers and engaged citizens in the 21st century. This presentation will summarize and interpret the body of research pertaining to teaching historical thinking skills. The presenters will share how they have …

Augustine Of Hippo: A Historical Theology Evaluation, Zachary Monte

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Historical Theology Survey Critique: Augustine of Hippo evaluates how current historical theology survey texts understand and present the theology of Augustine. The texts will be examined to assess the following: the accuracy of presentation on discussed topics, the specific theological topics which Augustine addressed which are excluded in the surveys, and if there is any discernible theological bias on the part of the authors. The historical theology surveys that are focused on within this research paper include Greg Allison’s Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Justo González’s A History of Christian Thought, and Alister McGrath’s Historical Theology: An Introduction …

Gender Roles Reviewed Through Shakespeare's Twelfth Night With 21st Century Applications, Hannah Lewis

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This thesis focuses on a modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night which aims to address negative gender stereotypes that are still in existence today. Through Shakespeare’s use of character representation and language, he creates a story that confronts the issue of gender stereotypes in the Elizabethan age. However, much is to be said about how gender roles in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is applicable to the 21^st century. In this thesis, gender roles in both the Elizabethan age and the 21^st century are explored in depth to provide examples of gender stereotypes. Thus, the study of gender roles is …

Mothers And Sons: Queen Mothers Of Judah And The Religious Trends That Develop During Their Sons' Reign, Brian Bowen

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This thesis studies the implicit relationship between the early gĕbîrôt of the Judaean Monarchy and the religious trends during the reigns of their sons. While previous studies had noted a relationship between the origins of the gĕbîrâ and the religious evaluation of her son, a systematic treatment on this subject has not yet been written. After necessary background information has been explored, this study systematically analyzes the first three queen mothers of Judah (Bathsheba, Naamah, and Maacah) in view of their ethnic or national origins, the theophoric nature of their sons’ names, and their implicit religious and political effects upon …

To Grade Or Not To Grade: Hybrid Assessment Through Grading Contracts, Kayla Bruce

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Abstract

This Zoom presentation discusses the use of grading contracts as a hybrid assessment model in an online upper division creative writing course using multiple theoretical perspectives as foundations for hybrid assessment practices that combine both traditional and contract assessment practices.

Roman Britain And Anglo-Saxon Britain: Cultural Difference, Levi Michael Berg

Scholar Week 2016 - present

A role of historians is to distinguish between cultural groups. They must investigate the practices and artifacts in order to create a model. This model should accurately explain events such as celebrations, war, or in the case of Britain, cultural intertwining and invasion. Britain is an interesting case to study in the Middle Ages because of the amount of intermixing that takes place. Within the time period of a few hundred years, Britain had seen multiple different distinct people groups inhabit the island. This paper will focus on the major cultural differences of the two earliest invasions, the Romans and …

Origen’S Christian Philosophy: Misunderstood Master Or Horrendous Heretic?, Shelby Karch

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Throughout history, there has been no more a divisive figure than Origen of Alexandria with regards to his teachings being considered complete heresy or pure genius. Heretic or not, it is unquestionable that Origen’s innovative influence as the Father of Systematic Theology is far-reaching in Christian philosophy and systematic theology. His most important written work, On First Principles, exemplifies the most important goals of systematic theology by organizing the foundations of faith thematically to be best understood. Because he is one of the first to present theology in this manner, his method can be directly traced to secular sources. …

‘No Longer Will You Call Me Ba’Al’- An Analysis Of The Prevailing Interpretive Model In The Scholarship Of Hosea And Counter-Proposal, John Mathy

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The majority of scholars assume that the book of Hosea was written against the backdrop of syncretistic Ba’al worship in the Northern Kingdom during the 8th century BC. This paper takes a critical look at the lack of evidence for this interpretation and proposes an alternative reading of the text. By systematically examining each use of the word ‘ba’al’ in the text of Hosea, this paper proposes that the primary polemic of the prophet is not aimed at Ba’al worship, but rather at a distorted nationalistic version of Yahweh worship, focused around the golden calves of Jeroboam I.

The Japanese Way In America: A Comparison Of The Religious Beliefs, Habits, And Ideas Of The American Religious 'Nones' And Contemporary Japanese Nationals, Jarrett Stalinger

Scholar Week 2016 - present

There has been growing interest in the religiously unaffiliated within America. This growing interest has caused a new name to come about, the Nones. The present discussion attempts to give context to the rise of the Nones and to compare the religious beliefs and habits of these American Nones with the Japanese Nationals who inhabit Japan. There are many similarities between these two groups with relations to ethics, interactions with people, and connection with nature. These comparisons show that there is a possible connection between people which explains spiritual experience, even outside that of normalized, institutional religions. This “intuition of …

“Glossing” The Text: Gendered Biblical Interpretation In Chaucer’S Canterbury Tales, Karen Knudson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

Not available.

It's Not The End Of The World: An Analysis Of The Similarities In Dystopian Literature And Their Shared Reflection Of The Innate Fears Of Humanity, Marlena G. Kalafut

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This article analyzed common aspects of six major works of dystopian literature to assess their commonalities, as well as their authors’ motivations in writing. Dystopian literature explores the major flaws of humanity, as well as the extent to which society could descend into chaos while simultaneously believing it is creating a better world. This thesis did not argue that within the studied works are all the same dystopian characteristics. Instead, it analyzed select dystopian qualities and made comparisons between the dystopian novels that share them, all of which were impacted by the utopian goals modeled in Plato’s The Republic, …

Levinas Across The Lifespan: Human Development And The Face Of The Other, Elizabeth Gassin, Chad Maxson

Scholar Week 2016 - present

In this Scholar Week presentation, we will review the fundamentals of Emmanuel Levinas’ philosophy and integrate them with research from the field of developmental psychology. Levinas argued that ethics is the starting point of philosophy. The face of the other human functioned for him to communicate the primal social attachments between the Self and the Other. For Levinas, this primary sociability contains an infinite ethical obligation that shapes philosophy. Various lines of research in developmental psychology have demonstrated a chain of events that dovetails with Levinas’ claims. This chain of events links infant preference for human faces, the crucial role …

Generation Z And Faith: The Cognitive, Experiential, And Praxis, Houston Thompson, Nikki Dention, Julia Mcqueen, Abby Groters

Scholar Week 2016 - present

With every generation there is a sociological shift in the way faith is understood and expressed. Generation Z, those born after 1995, have been influenced by post-modernity and a changing worldview. Like generations before them, Generation Z is forming their own interpretations and experiences to define and express faith. This research discovers the attitudes and behaviors of Generation Z about their faith by looking at three aspects: 1) cognitive development; 2) personal experience; 3) expression or practice.

The Use Of Chinglish (Chinese-English) In The Public Places In China, Kashama Mulamba

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The first linguistic surprise a speaker of English will encounter upon arrival in China is Chinglish. Chinglish is found everywhere in China. Oliver L. Radtke (2007) puts it so well in his book, Chinglish: Found in translation, “I spotted it throughout, often in the most unsuspected places. I found it on hotel room doors and brightly lit highway billboards, construction sites and soccer balls, condoms and pencil boxes” (p. 6). Chinglish is characterized by its humor and sometimes mis-use of grammar. “Chinglish,” says Radtke, “is very funny because of the sometimes scarily direct nature of the new meaning produced …

Attracting Millennials: An Examination Of Millennial Participation In Assembly Of God Churches, Kenneth Hansen

Scholar Week 2016 - present

The greatest decline in church attendance of any age group has occurred among Millennials, which are individuals born between 1980 and the early 2000s. This decline in Millennial church attendance has created great concern among church leaders about the future of the church. Church leaders have struggled to understand Millennials, which has led to an inability to attract and maintain Millennial participation in the church. The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, characteristics caused Millennials to be attracted to certain Assembly of God churches in Illinois and not others. The population for the current study was …