Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Agriculture, Influence, And Instability Under The Ancien Régime: 1708-1768, Adam J. Polk

Masters Theses

The French Revolution has been studied from myriad perspectives. The majority of scholarship focuses on the political and urban chaos of the times. Agricultural conditions and the influence of onerous taxation and stagnant agricultural options are given only a cursory examination in most research. This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between agronomic and environmental conditions and the eruption of violence in urban centers during the French Revolution and the years leading up to it (1708-1768). This period prior to the French Revolution serves as a template to investigate the nature of the rural-agricultural influences, with a particular focus paid …

Music Therapy In The Nicu: Interventions And Techniques In Current Practice And A Survey Of Experience And Designation Implications, Suzanna A. Peczeniuk-Hoffman

Masters Theses

While researchers have documented the clinical use of music in medical settings, little is known about music therapists working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The purpose of the study was to examine the demographics, educational training (NICU-MT designation), employment conditions, and music therapy interventions/techniques used by professional music therapists in the NICU. A 15- item survey was designed and electronically mailed to music therapists (N = 318) identified by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), and Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy Institute at Florida State University as potentially working with …

"His Head Rolled Forth Onto The Floor:" Women, The Abject, And The Male Gaze In Old English Poetry, Jaime Michelle Myers

Masters Theses

Old English poetry features several female characters who challenge androcentric authority by violently killing men. I argue in this thesis that three of these women—Modthryth, Grendel’s mother, and Judith—are linked together by their rejection or reversal of the male gaze. In their forceful refusal to be visually objectified, each character is portrayed as abject—outside of normal and outcast from community. They cause disorder, illustrate the fragility of androcentric control, and force a confrontation with death. In so doing, they create ambiguity and, at times, reverse the subject/object and masculine/feminine gender binaries.

Music Therapy And Quality Of Life: The Effects Of Musical Interventions On Self-Reported And Caregiver-Reported Quality Of Life In Older Adults With Symptoms Of Dementia, Alisha Snyder

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music therapy on the quality of life of people with symptoms of dementia. Both self-reported and caregiver-reported quality of life scores were recorded before and after an eight-week treatment period. A control group of discussion and an experimental group of music therapy were included in the study, with a sample size of N = 13. Analysis of the data was done with t tests. No statistical significance was found when comparing the average quality of life scores in the discussion group or the music therapy group from pretest to …

I'M The Same Me: Communication And Renegotiation Of Identity In The Weight-Loss Surgery Experiences Of Women, Heather D. Schild

Masters Theses

Adult obesity rates are on the rise in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control (2009) which has led to an increase in obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease. Weight-loss surgery (WLS) has become accepted as a "cure" for obesity by the medical community. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of obese individuals electing to undergo WLS every year; 82% of these individuals are women (AHRQ, 2007). More women may be electing to undergo these procedures than men due to the pressures women face in American culture to achieve social standards of …

Creating Original Garments Using Couture Sewing Methods, Nicole S. Eckerson

Masters Theses

As part of my research, I examined the techniques and methods used in couture sewing from the past to the present, drawing inspiration from historical couture garments by designers Charles Worth (19th century designer) and Charles James (20th century designer). The four pieces I drew inspiration from include Charles Worth and Bobergh’s evening gown (1861), Charles Frederick Worth’s evening gown (1883), and Charles James’s “Butterfly” ball gown (1954) and “Swan” ball gown (1954). These designers were chosen based on their use of structure and form throughout their pieces. After researching couture sewing methods and using the gowns mentioned above for …

Gender And The Boundaries Of National Identity: U.S. Women As A Citizen Class In The Long 1960s, Sara Bijani

Masters Theses

This text analyzes the public ideologies and institutions that underpinned women's unequal status within the national collective of United States citizens during the long 1960s, paying particular attention to the executive office of Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the national security establishment. Women were frequently framed within these institutions as a separate special class of citizen, with rights and responsibilities not akin to those of the elite—male bodied—members of the national collective. Allowing for the imaginative construction of "women" as a subject class in U.S. society, this text argues that even with the guarantee of formal political rights in place, women …

Flutes, Festivities, And Fragmented Tradition: A Study Of The Meaning Of Music In Otavalo, Brenna C. Halpin

Masters Theses

This thesis consists of an intimate study of the value and meaning of flute music of indigenous musicians in the contemporary world. This is accomplished by interviewing and observing indigenous panpipe and flute musicians in and near the Plaza de Ponchos Market in Otavalo, Ecuador. Collected personal stories, historical accounts, and recordings and analysis of the music all provide insight into the purpose and traditions the music holds. While the musicians attempt to maintain a sense of cultural authenticity, modernization has altered the importance of customs and music as Otavalo moves toward a more commoditized and urbanized community, reflecting ethnic …

Current Music Therapy Practice With Adolescents With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders In The United States: A Survey Of The Profession, Melinda K. Murray

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to survey Board Certified Music Therapists in the US to examine (a) the demographics of the music therapists working with this population in a non-school setting, (b) assessments used by the music therapists, (c) goals for clients, and (d) treatment methods used in the treatment of adolescents with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. The participants in this study were board certified music therapists working with emotional and/or behavioral impairments outside of the school setting. Of the total of 111 surveys sent to music therapists who possibly met the inclusion criteria, 27 were returned (N=27). The …

Tiny Sounds, Valeria Ch. Jonard Perez

Masters Theses

Our auditory system perceives sounds within a specific range of frequencies and amplitudes. It is the way we define our aural world and the sounds we are able or willing to hear. Just above the border of the threshold of human audition hearing, we find unique sounds with particular characteristics. These sometimes forgotten or ignored sounds interest me as compositional elements.

Listening attentively requires extra effort from our ears and concentration; listening to sounds that vacillate from imperceptible to audible changes how humans typically listen to sounds in their environment. Although amplifying these discreet sounds would rob them of their …

Rape Myth Acceptance And Rape Attitudes In Campus Hook-Up Culture, Karolina Staros

Masters Theses

This study examines the norms of hooking-up and compares these norms to rape culture in order to measure rape myth acceptance or supportive attitudes towards rape as they manifest in hook-up culture on campus. By consulting what is already published in scholarship about rape culture and rape myths, this study builds on the very limited literature on hook-up culture.

This study uses mixed methods to inquire about norms of hook-up culture and measures the rape myth acceptance and rape attitudes by gender of respondents in a Midwest campus environment. By addressing the issues that students face with gender inequality and …