Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mexica Music, Tizoc E. Ramirez-Marquez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper explores the society of Mexica, or the Aztecs, and some of the instruments that were produced in the civilization and used in today’s compositions. The history and their creation mythology will also be deliberated for those individuals who do not know this information of the culture. In the history, the subjects of the Mexica constructing a giant city in a lake to the conquest that was lead by Hernan Cortez will be discussed. The creation story will also exhibit the ideology of the Mexica and how their culture is sustained before the conquest. In the music section, the …

Automation: From Consoles To Daws, Christian Ekeke

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Since the beginning of modern music there has always been a need to implement movement into a mix. Whether it is bringing down dynamics for a classic fade out or a filter sweep slowly building into a chorus, dynamic activity in a song has always been pleasing to the average music listeners. The process that makes these mixing techniques possible is automation. Before I get into details about automation in regards to mixing I will explain common ways automation is used. Automation in a nutshell is the use of various techniques, method, system of operating or controlling a process by …

A Beautiful Apocalypse: A Collection Of Poems, Emily M. Kesler

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

My project consists of three poems on the subject of life in the year 2050. These poems explore and speculate the effects that air pollution, water contamination, deforestation, the government, and the economy will have on humans living in 2050.

Social Media's Impact On Compassion, Courtney L. Tulipani

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this paper is to understand whether individuals are losing their sense of compassion through the use of using social media. I will be examining the social media sites Facebook and YouTube, and I will provide examples as to how people are losing their compassion through use of these sites in order to victimize and bully others.

I will be discussing cyberbullying within this essay and how it is an example of how individuals are losing their compassion online. My primary source will be the case of Amanda Todd, who was a severely bullied fifteen year-old girl who …

A Comparative History And The Importance Of Chamber Music, Aaron M. Sacks

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone presentation focuses on the role of chamber music in both social and academic contexts. Using examples from the past five centuries and including local examples, parallels and divergences are drawn to points of most import. The spotlight is upon three areas: a) what the role of chamber music was in the past, compared to today; b) why it is an important genre, to both musicians, as well as non-musicians, and c) in what ways more exposure to the form can be built. Much of the focus is on composers and their influence, but the impact of and upon …

Comparing The Cost Of Preamplifiers To Their Sonic Fidelity And Frequency Output, Jackson O. Hunter

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone paper takes a deep look into the relationship or lack-thereof between the quality and price of preamplifiers. The purpose is to explore the world of these necessary and technologically dense pieces of audio production equipment and uncover their true worth through research and experimentation. The basis of my research is backed by a preamplifier-shootout that tested almost ten different preamplifiers that yielded interesting results. Supplementary to this study, I conducted my own experiment with preamplifiers to further seek truth in a less-than-straightforward audio equipment marketplace.

The American Nightmare: Land Of The Incarcerated, Jamara Bernard

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A collection of poems focusing on the mass incarceration of African-American men and how the prison industrial complex is designed to legally exploit prisoners specifically for profits. Along with a reflective essay about the history of legal discrimination and the creative process by which the poems were created. Then how it ties in with the capstone course theme of race, gender, class, feminist theory, and social justice.

Pornography: Ensuring That Women Are Never On Top, Makenna D. Baker

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Beginning with the history of pornography, this capstone research paper explores the ways pornography has become the hard-core sex industry that it is today. This paper illuminates the ways pop culture and advertising have appropriated ideals from the porn industry and the adverse affects these ideals have on men, women and youth.

The Modern Book: The Forms, The Essence, The Experience, Melanie J. Renton

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The digital era has changed the way we humans read a book. No longer are words confined to a bound leaflet of pages sitting on a bookshelf. Now, technology has transformed the mediums upon which books are written. Electronic books are sweeping the book market, digitizing the stories to display them to a larger audience. Audiobooks are whispering tales in our ears, resting our eyes while igniting our imaginations. With stories jumping off the traditional medium of print, we are able to experience the new possibilities of how books are published, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. This essay …

Soft Sound: A Guide To The Tools And Techniques Of Software Synthesis, Quinn Powell

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

“Soft Sound” is an examination of software synthesis, the act of using computer software to create audio signals from scratch. It begins with the basics of sound, a prerequisite for understanding any form of synthesis. Then, it delves into a quick history of analog and digital synthesizers before jumping into the heart of the paper: a look at the forms of synthesis that are commonly done in software rather than analog hardware. These forms include wavetable modulation, frequency modulation, and granular synthesis. Different environments for implementing such techniques will be discussed, ranging from user-friendly virtual synthesizers to low-level programming environments. …

Unity Through Diversity: Working Together To Create Social Change, Justin Frago

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This research paper aims to bring to fruition the neglected Disability Rights Movement history. I will also outline what I think our society needs to implement by 2050 in order to be a more inclusive and equitable society.

Humanity’S Capability Of Transcendence Through Artificial Intelligence, Zena Mccartney

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In the 21st century artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as robots, mind uploading and cyborgs have probed at these questions:

Who is in control the machine or human?

What is the purpose of autonomous robots to humanity?

If a machine can pass the Turing Test then is it appropriate to be in society acting on free will?

How would a robot understand how to make someone feel loved?

Do their deep expressions of understanding the human condition make them like us?

Once a human has a cyborg technology are they then human or machine?

How and why would we want …