Arts and Humanities Commons^™

After The Split: An Analysis Of Sino-Soviet Military Poster Propaganda, Hannah C. Berman

Honors Theses

My research argues that commonalities in Soviet and Chinese military posters show that these communist superpowers shared deeply embedded cultural connections that persisted even after the Sino-Soviet Split, an acrimonious diplomatic breakdown between these states that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. I argue against other historians' interpretations of the Sino-Soviet Split period by comparing Soviet and Chinese Communist military poster propaganda within a historical context that explains their complicated and unexpected political and cultural interrelationship. I argue that the Soviet Union and Communist China, on a cultural level, continued their close interaction under the divisive rhetorical surface of the …

Just Good Advice: The American Advisors In The Vietnam War, Anna Rikki Nelson

Honors Theses

This thesis uses government documents and post-combat interviews to explore the effectiveness of the American Advisory effort during the Vietnam War. This study focuses on the war in 1963 and 1964 before American ground forces entered the war and the advisory effort changed to include supporting American forces. By analyzing the reasons given by each advisor for his successes and failures, the American military could learn why the initial advisory effort failed, and why some American advisors could not work well with their counterparts in the Vietnamese leadership.

Chapter One examines the advisory effort as a whole before and during …

Preparation And Performance Of A Twentieth Century Operatic Monologue, Danielle L. Adams

Honors Theses

Celebrated as having written “songs for the ages”, twentieth century American composer Lee Hoiby is known for having composed tonal, lyrical music in a time when his peers were exploring serialism and atonality. Now regarded as a monumental contributor to American music, he composed songs, operas, and choral works as well as instrumental and chamber music. Hoiby’s compositions are especially revered by singers, many of whom state that Hoiby was gifted at writing highly crafted songs because he “knew the voice”. Although his works did not achieve as much fame in his lifetime as the atonal works of his contemporaries, …

Ni Putes Ni Soumises: Unveiling Women’S Voices Through Feminism And Social Media In The 21st Century, Lilianna K. Deveneau

Honors Theses

Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS; English translation: “Neither Whores Nor Submissives”) is a French, largely Muslim, feminist political organization that aims to promote laicité (secularization), mixité (the ability for women to fraternize with men), and gender equality. I have conducted an organizational case study including the triangulation of data comprised of critical analyses of the NPNS website, Facebook group, and other documentation and publications, to identify whether and how this organization has been successful in igniting social change. Findings indicate NPNS has grown its movement from one location (Paris) to forty-eight chapters throughout France, seven international headquarters, and has obtained …

Beethoven's Opus 96: The Sonata For Piano And Violin Perfected, Paul S. Roberts

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to shed light on Beethoven's final sonata for Piano and Violin, the Sonata for Piano and Violin op. 96 in G major. Presented first is a survey of music for violin and piano throughout previous centuries (in itself a valuable resource for those who want to approach this ambiguous and disorganized subject) followed by a discussion of Beethoven's sonatas leading up to the composition of Opus 96. Then follows a more detailed discussion of the piece itself as seen through the eyes (more accurately, heard through the ears) of one who has prepared a performance of it …

Changing The Nature Of The Beast: An Analysis Of Significant Variations From Madame De Beaumont’S La Belle Et La Bête In Disney’S Beauty And The Beast, Heather A. Stevens

Honors Theses

Madame Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont wrote and published La Belle et La Bête while working as a governess and educator in 1757. She told the tale to a young female audience as a means of teaching important life lessons. Walt Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, is clearly inspired by Beaumont’s story, yet Disney makes many alterations to her characters. This thesis locates and analyzes these changes, arguing that they greatly alter the message of Beaumont’s story from one that is empowering to women to one that is harmful and ultimately anti-woman. This thesis also examines …

The Who, What, Where, And How Of Foreign Languages: A Study Of Foreign Language Curricula At Four-Year Colleges In Mississippi, Mariah S. Senegal

Honors Theses

This paper studies the eight four-year public universities within the state of Mississippi and their French and Spanish foreign language curriculums in order to compare their curriculums to those of The American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages’ standards of the Five C’s: communication, communities, culture, connections, and comparisons. The results are broken down into three sections by each college’s overall rankings, each college’s individual course offerings, and culture offerings. The data provides interesting results that shows that while a university may offer more or less foreign language courses, their curriculum did not necessarily reflect the standards that ACTFL …

What’S Love Got To Do With It? A Content Analysis Of English And Spanish Idiomatic Expressions, Allie R. Solomon

Honors Theses

Idiomatic expressions are figurative in nature and vary from language to language, offering valuable insight toward understanding cultural connotations concerning the topics expressed. This study focused on idiomatic expressions that contain the word “love” or its grammatical variants found in the English and Spanish languages. The aim of this study was to conduct a qualitative analysis of these idiomatic expressions in order to identify cultural connotations, insight, and patterns regarding the communication of love within these expressions. A sample population of these expressions was obtained from a collection of available idiom and phrasal dictionaries and books written in English and …

Holy Experiments And Unholy Acts: Sex, Law, And Religion In Colonial Massachusetts, Rhode Island, And Pennsylvania, Anna L. Todd

Honors Theses

This thesis uses the law codes and court cases of sexual misconduct from the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania to determine the degree to which the colonies’ stated understandings of the relationship between church and state were practically applied to the governing of their societies as well as how that understanding affected the daily lives of colonial women. Thus, this analysis uses the lens of female sexual deviance to determine the degree to which church and state were integrated or separated within the three colonies.

Chapter 1 discuses the law as it was written. It examines the sexual …

Instrument-Specific Music Performance Anxiety, Aaron L. Manning

Honors Theses

For the musician, the occurrence of Music Performance Anxiety is a certainty. The extent, severity, and type of symptom of Music Performance Anxiety experienced vary depending on the performer. The instrument’s role in Music Performance Anxiety, however, might also be a factor in the type of symptom experienced by a performer. Does the type of instrument played lend itself to certain physical symptoms of Music Performance Anxiety? By studying the students of the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Music, this thesis explores the relationship between instrument types and physical symptoms of Music Performance Anxiety. Its ultimate goal is to …

Moral Foundherentism, Jonathan L. Cain

Honors Theses

There exists a long standing debate between foundationalism and coherentism in epistemology. To resolve this debate, Susan Haack argues for a third, alternative theory—foundherentism—that incorporates the good elements of both foundationalism and coherentism while avoiding their shortcomings. It incorporates the foundationalist view that experiential input is necessary for empirical justification. And it incorporates the coherentist view that all beliefs can be justified in virtue of their mutually supportive relationships with other beliefs.

The debate between foundationalism and coherentism extends to moral epistemology. I will employ the same sort of strategy in an attempt to resolve this intractable dispute. I will …

“I Have Beene A Reall Actor”: Analyzing The Writings Of John Smith Through The Lens Of Performative Documentary Theory, Kristen L. Walker

Honors Theses

In this thesis I turn to two of the originating texts of American literature: John Smith’s The Generall Historie of Virginia, and A True Relation. The General Historie was first published in 1624, sixteen years after Smith had returned to England, and A True Relation was published in 1608, just a year after Smith arrived Jamestown. These two were not the first or only texts Smith published. During his time spent as a mercenary, solider, and explorer, Smith also wrote eight other works. These two featured texts, The Generall Historie and A True Relation, present Smith’s time …

Exploring The Influence Of Students’ Socioeconomic Status Upon Musical Instrument Choice, Laterence E. Varnado

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) of students on their instrument choice. Information about SES and instrument choices could be valuable to music educators, especially at the beginning band level. If socioeconomic status affects instrument choice, teachers who recommend instruments to students may more effectively prescribe choices and take considerations for their students. Also, it would be helpful to know if certain students from certain socioeconomic groups are predisposed to certain choices or restrict themselves to certain instruments.

A sample population of band students was taken from two schools. One school had …

Visual Branding In Graphic Design, Leslie E. Kirk

Honors Theses

Brands are all around us - no matter where we go, no matter what we do. As consumers, we are bombarded by images of logos and advertising campaigns every day. However, we rarely think about the process by which brands enter our lives. Before any product is ever produced or sold, it must first be branded. Every idea, from initial sketches to patented logos, supports a branding strategy, or the decisions a production team has made about what will drive a consumer to choose their brand over that of their competitors.

One problem small companies face when trying to get …

The Search Continues: Modernizing The Quest For The Holy Grail In Film, Jody C. Balius

Honors Theses

I focus here on The Natural (1984), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), and The Fisher King (1991). These three are clearly Grail-oriented stories that have different definitions of what the Grail truly is and means, but all have characters with internalized quests to find both greatness and peace within themselves. I used a literary approach to analyzing the films’ plots, themes, and motifs. Being a narrative analysis, the study focuses on the plot, characters, and content. Certain visual aspects of the films are also important to these narrative components, but the visual will be discussed insofar as it …

“A Very Different Looking Class Of People”: Racial Passing, Tragedy, And The Mulatto Citizen In American Literature, Stephanie S. Rambo

Honors Theses

This project explores the mulatto citizen as one who prevails against tragedy, uses passing as an escape route to freedom and equality, and establishes a fixed racial identity in a color struck world. In nineteenth-century American literature, the mulatto penetrates a seemingly solid world of color to reveal racial anxieties of the time. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Life Among the Lonely (1852), William Wells Brown’s Clotel, or the President’s Daughter (1853), Frank J. Webb’s The Garies and Their Friends (1857) and Frances E.W. Harper’s Iola Leroy, or Shadows Uplifted depict these mulatto characters as agents of social …

The Portraiture Of Women During The Italian Renaissance, Rachel D. Masters

Honors Theses

From research, it is clear that gender is one of the greatest influences on Italian Renaissance portraiture. Gender affects multiple aspects of portraiture including its function, position of sitter, emphasis of costume, and the degree to which a sitter is idealized. Until recent years, art historians performed little research on the subject of women as seen in Italian Renaissance paintings. In the 1970s, scholars began to assess the representation of women from this time period using Renaissance treatises, recorded debates, and paintings.

This study of the portraiture of women during the Italian Renaissance seeks to interpret the function of portraiture, …

Study Of Students' Knowledge Of The Profession Of Graphic Design, Rachael C. Thomas

Honors Theses

Research, or rather the lack thereof, seems to indicate a lack of appreciation for graphic design, designers themselves, and the work they do in both the public and scholarly society. Without proper acknowledgement from the public and academia, graphic design as a profession is in danger of disappearing. The problem may stem from graphic design being a relatively new field if one is to think of it as really taking off with the invention of computers. This lack of understanding may also contribute to the absence of a single definition for graphic design. To address these concerns, this study will …

If You Build It, They Will Come: A Study Of Imperial Design In Victorian Britain, Scarlett A. Jones

Honors Theses

The Crystal Palace (1851) and Paddington Station (1854) utilized imperial design in their construction as a tool to infuse the British public with pride in the empire. This study considered how the buildings were discussed in the press and other descriptive materials, such as guidebooks and architectural critiques to provide a general perception of how imperial propaganda utilized descriptions of imperial design to garner support for the empire. The study concluded that the impact of imperial design as propaganda for the empire was influenced by the function of the buildings. Attitudes towards imperial design varied, hinting at a division in …