Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Cut To The Heart Of The Matter: Justice, Morality, And Virtue Ethics In Intimate Relationships, Quinn Heiser

Honors Theses

Since the Enlightenment project to reconstruct morality using purely rational grounds failed, modern moral debate has been fragmented. Furthermore, intimate relationships, whether romantic or marital, are plagued with all kinds of injustices that have not been formally addressed in a philosophical investigation. The purpose of this thesis is to argue that the moral theory to restore interpersonal justice in intimate relationships is the notion of ‘practice’, founded by Alasdair MacIntyre under the Aristotelian virtue ethics tradition. What is meant by the notion of practice is any human activity with goods exclusive to its extent, as well as cooperative, objective, and …

The Life Of Una Estudiante Americana: Here Y Allí, Madeline Kastel

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences between studying Spanish at an American university, Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo, Michigan to that of a study abroad program at La Universidad de Burgos, in Burgos, Spain in three main areas: teaching styles in classes, extracurricular activities and student experiences.

To begin this study, it is important to note the differences in demographics and available public transportation where each study took place: Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA and Burgos, Spain. In Kalamazoo, students have the option to use the city bus system, the Metro, for free, but tend to use their …

The Dialectics Of Rock Music And Neoliberalism, Derek Block

Honors Theses

It has been argued that Rock music is one of the Modern West’s most important artistic achievements. It was, in some way, shape, or form, the most popular genre of music in the Western hemisphere for the last 60 years. The depth and relevancy of the genre still resonate through almost every level of society; a Bruce Springsteen song played at a political rally, a Beatles tune scoring a movie characters existential contemplation, the same six songs played at sporting events, and the list goes on. Rock music can be as personal as a stranger strumming a guitar in a …

Could Musical Theatre Be Worthy Of Literary Analysis? (Or, An Attempt At Dismantling The Cultural Hierarchy), Sarah Meierdirks

Honors Theses

Could Musical Theatre Be Worthy of Literary Analysis?

Cultural hierarchy, or the perception that different forms of art relate to each other in terms of higher or lower sophistication, has commanded the way we view art for centuries. Artforms which the cultural hierarchy deems to be “higher” are often given more attention, respect, and appreciation in academia, but can be less accessible both physically and mentally to the masses, while artforms deemed to be “lower” tend to be simpler and more fun, making them have a more popular appeal. The tendency for art that is either simple or fun to …

Regaining Quality Of Life Painting Pet Portraits, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Tina Primer, an artist based in Illinois, provided the cover art for the Spring 2023 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Wriggly” is an 11” x 14” painting made from acrylic on stretched canvas. After a debilitating stroke, Tina began using art as therapy. When the strength in her dominant hand did not return, painting pet portraits provided the motivation to do things differently. Tina’s playful use of color and attention to detail capture each pet’s unique personality. Discovering a new way to paint improved Tina’s quality of life.

Mary Grace Geise Bfa Graduating Presentation, Mary Grace Geise

Honors Theses

The Bathers takes inspiration from the late 19th-century impressionist painter Paul Cézanne and his series of paintings known as Bathers. Cézanne believed in the harmony between art, emotion, and nature. This piece explores the healing powers of nature and how it reflects the human experience, beauty, ugliness, and inner peace. The Bathers endure a journey to rebirth by ways of nature, traversing through moments of desertion, cleansing, surrender, ecstasy, and freedom.

Paige Mulick Bfa Dance Graduating Presentation, Paige Mulick

Honors Theses

Paige Mulick’s Graduating Presentation/Honors Thesis was created to be a piece that explored recurring dreams and built a dream on stage. Mulick developed this piece beginning with a concept, auditioning dancers, developing choreography, designing costumes, developing a lighting design, and rehearsing the piece for multiple months before it was performed on stage. As supporting research for this choreographic project, Mulick drew on her personal experiences, the experiences of her dancers, and readings from texts about the science and history of dreams. In addition to her work in choreography, Mulick took on the roles of Production Coordinator and Schedule Coordinator for …

The Second Frontier, A Senior Recital, Jasanna Tayler

Honors Theses

The senior recital, The Second Frontier, and honors thesis defense of Jasanna Tayler, Soprano, occurred on Friday, April 14th, 2023. The recital was completed in collaboration with pianist, Cindy Hunter. Selections sung for this recital which incorporated 5 different languages and spanning 4 compositional periods with contrasting pieces including operatic literature and art song. This successfully fulfilled the requirements set forth in the Western Michigan University, voice area handbook. The overarching goal for the recital was to demonstrate the culmination of knowledge gained through attending the Irving School of Music. The musical selections furthered this as they were challenging while …

The Laureate Journal, Isabella Loe Proulx

Honors Theses

The 21st Edition of The Laureate Journal details the ways in which humanity struggles in life. Finding peace and joy can be difficult, but the light is always there, if you can just stop to look for it. This year’s edition of The Laureate details this humane struggle through eighteen students and their own works of prose, poetry, photography, and painting. While the journal does delve into sensitive subject matter, it’s well worth delving into as a reader—because the journal itself moves out of this darkness and into the light of hope. Each of these students has something worth saying—going …

Traveling With A Purpose: Sustainable Tourism, Nina Rossman

Honors Theses

The act of traveling is often seen as exciting for many travelers looking for adventure or to experience something different than their everyday routines. However, many current tourism trends force negative burdens onto local communities and environments. For instance, when development increases consumption in an area where natural resources are scarce to begin with, it can put pressure on those resources. There is a certain level of visitor use that an environment can manage; negative impacts occur when the changes in visitor use exceed this limit.[1]

While tourist destinations experience negative impacts from the tourism industry, tourism also supports …

Seeking Identity In The Built Environment The Impact Of Latinx Culture Centers On College Campuses, Nancy Munoz

Capstone Projects

When students move to college for the first time, they are faced with challenges of adjustment and acclimating to a new environment. For Latinx students, these challenges are amplified. Many Latinx students are first-generation college students, meaning neither of their parents attended or obtained a bachelor’s degree from a four-year institution. This causes a ripple in the experiences these students face as they were given little guidance on how to navigate college.

They are leaving behind a culture they shared with friends and family. This culture is full of cuisines, music, and cultural traditions. For many this is the first …

Traveling With A Purpose, Nina Rossman

Capstone Projects

The act of traveling is often seen as exciting for many travelers looking for adventure or to experience something different than their everyday routines. However, many current tourism trends force negative burdens onto local communities and environments. For instance, when development increases consumption in an area where natural resources are scarce to begin with, it can put pressure on those resources. There is a certain level of visitor use that an environment can manage; negative impacts occur when the changes in visitor use exceed this limit.

While tourist destinations experience negative impacts from the tourism industry, tourism also supports the …

Traumas Effect On Children’S Development, Spatial Design As Intervention: The Role Of Interior Design In Supporting Children With Trauma, Brooke Slater

Capstone Projects

After facing trauma, young children react emotionally, physically, and mentally in efforts to protect themselves from past or present trauma that they have faced. Young children may not always be able to recognize that the dangers they once went through are roots of trauma that have not been correctly addressed within their life. These roots may now be the result of uncontrollable behaviors, emotions, and reactions. After analyzing the lack of resources some families and children may have, a space that is uniquely catered to the children who are facing or have faced trauma that provides balanced schedules, particularly focused …

Making Nature Accessible: Building An Accessible Wellness Retreat Within Nature For People With Physical Disabilities And Their Communities, Jenna Morell

Capstone Projects

Nature impacts our lives in such a way that it can be incredibly detrimental to our health and wellbeing to be away from nature (1). Nature helps us heal faster, relax more, and just generally lead a more well-rounded life (2). It provides an opportunity to feel the sun on our face, breathe fresh air, and get the exercise we need. When deprived of these experiences, our bodies truly suffer (1). People with physical mobility limitations suffer from mental health issues at a much higher rate (3), this issue is often exacerbated by the fact that much of the built …

Connections Through Contrast The Built Environment Embracing Art Exhibition, Josilyn Welch

Capstone Projects

An emotionally immersive experience within a museum setting can foster feelings of belonging, engagement, exploration, understanding and connection. Providing an environment where empathetic immersion can be achieved through physical, psychological, and social enablers lead to transformative experiences for the visitor. To promote physical, psychological, and social enablers within the museum setting to promote empathetic immersion within its visitors, this museum will consider the following strategies:

Physical Enablers: The museum space will address physical enablers by including environmental features such as diverse opportunities for seating, immersive lighting techniques, and curated finish selections for individual exhibit spaces as well as interactive displays …

Inclusive/Exclusive, Sophia Shettler

Capstone Projects

Throughout history, inclusivity and exclusivity were both common in all areas of society. Inclusive civilizations like Mesopotamia laid the groundwork for an inclusive society where women and men were nearly equal, getting to own land, file for divorce, and own their own businesses¹. However, the societies within Mesopotamia soon broke off into smaller communities¹, the previous equality dwindled as civilizations formed across the world. As time went on, inclusion was revived. In the United States specifically, slavery was abolished², women were granted the right to vote³, same-sex marriage was legalized4, and so …

Patient Centered, Kiara Bartlett

Capstone Projects

It is inevitable to adapt uneasy feelings leading up to and during a doctor's appointment. The question is why do humans feel this? Research indicates that many medical offices and appointment spaces are designed for employee efficiency, rather that patient experience. This sheds light on the fact that there is a disconnect between provider needs and patient needs in this important, shared space.

Regardless of the type of offices, from general practice to dermatology, every physician office and appointment space have common spatial and operation needs. All healthcare offices need the same type of circulation that creates ease while moving …

Anti-Woman Invective On The Early Modern Stage: Abuse, Degradation, And Resistance, Savannah Xaver

Dissertations

On the early modern stage, gendered epithets like “strumpet,” “mermaid,” “minx,” “hobby horse,” “courtesan,” “drab,” and “whore” are not just markers of misogyny. Instead, these insults harm the male user as well as their female target. My cross-playwright and cross-genre connections show the complex, wide use and impact of anti-woman terms. A wide-ranging study of the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries reveals that gendered insults signify masculine mental decline in tragedies as well as comedies and tragicomedies. In tragedy, the increasingly violent language of male slur users – like, for example, the frustrated Othello, who declares, of his wife, …

In The Moment, Laura Korn

Honors Theses

The title “In the Moment” came to be because I wanted to name my recital after something that has felt important to me over the past four years. When I was trying to think of a common thread through all of the most significant experiences I’ve had in what seemed like a college experience full of challenges, growth, and surprises around every corner, I took note that for every one of those experiences, I had been living completely “in the moment.” I had no fear of what was to come, no regret for anything that had come before... I was …

On Parallel Paths: Learning Through Case Studies In The Writing Pedagogy Course, Alyssa Devey, Christina Saidy, Mohammed S. Iddrisu, Seher Shah, Marlene A. Tovar

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article reports on a case study project assigned in a writing pedagogy course. The authors, four graduate teaching assistants and their professor, share their case study questions, experiences, and challenges. Via the case study assignment, the TAs identified parallel experiences they shared with their students. Recognizing parallel paths helps first-year TAs reflect on their experiences as teachers and learners, build connections with students, and develop sustainable teaching practices beyond the first year. The authors share strategies for identifying parallel paths and encourage TA educators to incorporate them into the writing pedagogy course.

Unpacking Writer Identity: How Beliefs And Practices Inform Writing Instruction, David Premont

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Although identity research is common in educational studies, little research explores the connections between identity and pedagogy, and far fewer specifically examine how writer identity influences writing pedagogy. Additional research exploring the connection between writer identity and writing pedagogy is necessary to offer nuanced teaching strategies to strengthen writing pedagogy. The present study explores the connections between writer identity and writing pedagogy for three preservice English teachers with strong writer identities during their respective student teaching experiences. Interview data were utilized to explore writer identity and analyse connections to writing pedagogy through In Vivo coding in this narrative inquiry. Findings …

Writing Without Audiences: A Comprehensive Survey Of State-Mandated Standards And Assessments, James E. Warren

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Writing studies professionals agree that students must learn to write for specific audiences. Despite this professional consensus, there is reason to believe that this skill is not widely tested in state-mandated writing assessments. In this study, we survey the state content standards for English Language Arts and the state-mandated writing tests for high school students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. While all states have adopted standards that require students to write for specific audiences, only a small percentage test this skill on state-mandated assessments. We argue that the consequences of this misalignment between standards and assessment …

A Pen, A Pencil, Or A Keyboard: Writing Center Tutors’ Perceptions, Mirta Ramirez-Espinola

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

A Pen, A Pencil, or a Keyboard: Online Writing Center Tutors’ Perceptions

Author, Adjunct Faculty, Grand Canyon University

Abstract

Writing can be challenging for some students, even those who have graduated high school and are moving forward to higher learning. Thus, an idea about students and writing support led to a study about writing centers and the individuals responsible for supporting struggling writers. This qualitative case study explored the tutors’ perceptions of online writing tutoring and investigated how tutors perceive their work using both asynchronous and synchronous online tutoring modes at a 4-year university. Though the writing center participating in …

Mark Jewett: Storm Watching At East Hall And The Professor That Changed His Life, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Mark Jewett meets with Cassie Kotrch virtually to share some of his memories and stories of WMU as a student there in the 90's. He shares how his love of East Campus developed while also talking about the professor that changed the trajectory of his life and way of thinking.

Rosanne Adamache And The Best Year On East Campus, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Alum Rosanne Adamache meets with Cassie Kotrch via FaceTime to share her experiences and memories as a WMU student on East Campus. She shares stories of listening to rock music in Walwood Union, living in Spindler Hall, and more.

George Kohrman And The Family Legacy At Wmu, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

Campus School and WMU Alum George Kohrman sits with Cassie Kotrch at Heritage Hall to go over his binder of memories from his time as a student at Campus School and U High. He also shares stories of his father (whom Kohrman Hall is named after), his 46 year career at WMU, and his undergrad and grad student says on campus.

Ray Lezotte, Meeting His Wife And A Passion For The Air Force, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU and State High Alum Ray Lezotte speaks with Cassie Kotrch over the phone to share some of his memories of his time as a student at Campus School, State High, and WMU as well as his memory of the teacher who ignited his passion for the air force, where he would spend 4 year between attending State High and WMU.

Jackie Ruttinger: Running The Galleries And Her Best Studio Yet, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

Previous WMU Director of Exhibitions Jackie Ruttinger shares her memories of her time working on East Campus for the School of Art. She shares stories of her studio space in East Hall, a favorite tree on campus, and running the galleries of East Campus.

Lou Rizzolo: Art Installations Of East Hall And The Sky, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Professor Emeritus of Art Lou Rizzolo speaks with Cassie Kotrch via FaceTime about his time at WMU first as a student and then as a professor and artist. Lou discusses two writings he prepared. The first details his first day on East Campus and a seemingly impossible mission. The second details some of the major works of his time as a professor, especially one series of works around the study of the brain that was in the East Hall gym.

Harold Bate And Community Within The Department Of Speech Pathology And Audiology, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU Professor Emeritus of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Harold Bate talks with Cassie Kotrch over the phone to discuss his 40 year career at WMU in the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department while it occupied East Campus.