Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Legislated Equality: Gender Quotas In A Latin American Context And The Story Of Mexico, Joe Dingmann

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Female legislators are becoming much more common and so are legislative acts focusing on increasing the number of women in elected bodies. These acts are an attempt at creating rules, designed in a positive way, to foster social change and fix one of the most predominant issues in society. A prevalent strategy for greater female representation in decision-making bodies is electoral gender quotas. Electoral gender quotas are one method that attempts to raise the descriptive representation (raw numbers) of women in elected within legislative bodies. These quotas have been enacted around the world beginning in the early 1990s. Because electoral …

Examining The Effect Of Religion On Economic Growth: A Partial Replication And Extension, Sophia M. Korman

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Economic growth is the fundamental measurement that assesses a country’s productive capacity in terms of goods and services. It is conventionally estimated using the percent rate of increase in GDP per capita and is correlated with numerous factors in society, among which include quality of life. For example, one application of GDP per capita is as a primary indicator of standard of living. However, although GDP per capita is a reliable determinant of the level of development in a country, it is certainly not the only way to measure well-being. For instance, it fails to capture many important aspects of …

A Blend Of Genres: The Enchanting Power Of The Harry Potter Series, Kayla Pawek

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Since its inception in 1997, the Harry Potter series has captivated the minds and hearts of its ever-increasing readership. I began this project hoping to discover just what it is about the series that keeps readers of all ages clamoring for more. I turned to other universally beloved stories—Greek myths and childhood folktales—to find the answer. By analyzing the structure of the Harry Potter series using Vladimir Propp’s structure of the folktale and Joseph Campbell’s Heroic Journey of the myth, I came closer to understanding how this series speaks to both children and adults so deeply.

Globalization And The Sex Trafficking Industry: Examination Of Effects On Regional Value Chain Operations, Mary R. Gilbertson

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The purpose of this paper is to examine sex trafficking as a profitable, international, and illegal industry. One goal of this paper is to explain what sex trafficking is and how it differs from other industries. Sex trafficking is an underground activity and its growth worldwide since the 1980s has had a destructive impact on global societies and economies. Beyond this, the study wants to show that, aside from moral and socio-cultural implications, that sex trafficking is indeed an industry, with a structure not so different from other industries. Understanding sex trafficking as an industry is critical to understanding how …

Breaking News: A Woman Is Running, Bridget F. Cummings

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

As women are still underrepresented in legislative offices, it is important to examine the road it takes for them to get there. Many scholars have explored gender bias in the media when covering female candidates for elected office. Fowler and Lawless (2009) uncover bias in media coverage of candidates between 1990 and 1997 in Looking for Sex in All the Wrong Places: Press Coverage and the Electoral Fortunes of Gubernatorial Candidates. This paper replicates the method used by Fowler and Lawless (2009) to examine gubernatorial candidates between 2008 and 2014. The independent variable in my research is the gender bias …

Factors Influencing The Likelihood Of Using Religion As A Coping Mechanism In Response To Life Event Stressors, Nicole R. Cornell

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Stress is an aspect of daily life. Stressors can be mentally taxing to an individual and cause negative effects when it comes to health. To combat stress, most individuals implement one or more personal coping mechanisms. However, though individuals may encounter similar stressors in life, each person combats the accompanied stress in vastly different ways. In some cases, individuals turn to religion to make sense of their circumstances and buffer their stress (Nash 2006; Jacobson, et al. 2006). Most previous research has looked at whether religion functions as an effective coping mechanism while not necessarily addressing why certain people use …

“Teamshipness”: Stories Of Love, Loss, And Laughter, Bailey Elizabeth Zallek

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This project seeks to examine the effects of language on readers’ perspectives of same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. I interviewed 13 people at various stages of romantic relationships and told their stories from the first-person perspective. By only using the gender-neutral first-person pronoun “I” and gendered pronouns for the speakers’ partners, each story creates ambiguity about the type of relationship (whether same- or opposite-sex) featured. By doing so, I am asking readers to view each couple as just that—a couple. Not a gay couple, a lesbian couple, or a straight couple. I am challenging all of us to examine what phrases …

Side By Side: An Exploration Of The Artistic Process And The Painted Surface, Jessie F. Sorvaag

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

By investigating the juxtaposition of the spiritual sacrifice between life and death, as well as discovering the capabilities of paint as a medium, I hoped to create a body of work that encourages thought and discovery of tension and conflict, both within the work and within the viewer. This project helped create an environment of thoughtful creation, research, and investigation that will continue to influence me beyond the completion of this semester. This work is as much about the viewer and their reaction, as it is about my own internal investigation into juxtaposition, conflict, and tension. Not only is the …

Emerging Ireland: Antiquarian Writing And The Molding Of Irish Catholic Identity In The 18th Century, Patrick Gibbons

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The 18^th century was a period of great activity in the field of historical and antiquarian scholarship in Ireland, as Catholics and Protestants wrote accounts of the island’s early history which were equally concerned with the present state of affairs in Ireland. Previous scholarship has focused on the political nature of antiquarian writing by Irish Catholics as responses to competing Protestant narratives, but their role as a means of both reconstructing and reaffirming previous identities among Irish Catholics has been overlooked. Examining the writings of Charles O’Conor of Belanagare, James MacGeoghegan, and Sylvester O’Halloran, the three Irish Catholic antiquarians …

Sex In Japan: It’S A Straight Man’S World, Kaileigh Nicklas

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Japanese feminism directly impacts the social image of non-male sexuality in Japanese literature and pop-culture through highlighting gender roles, ingrained misogyny, and violence toward non-male oriented sex. This project will specifically focus on the power dynamics of sex in Japanese society through gender roles, female sexuality, and the rise of Japanese feminist movement. An observation of sexuality in Japan from such female works as The Apprenticeship of the Big Toe P and Snakes and Earrings in contrast to male works such as Norwegian Wood and Memoirs of a Geisha provide further insights to the role that sex plays in the …

Victorian Representations Of Mary, Queen Of Scots And Elizabeth I, Grace K. Butkowski

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The rivalry of Mary, Queen of Scots and her English cousin Elizabeth I is a storied one that has consumed both popular and historical imaginations since the two queens reigned in the sixteenth century. It is often portrayed as a tale of contrasts: on one end, Gloriana with her fabled red hair and virginity, the bastion of British culture and Protestant values, valiantly defending England against the schemes of the Spanish and their Armada. On the other side is Mary, Queen of Scots, the enchanting and seductive French-raised Catholic, whose series of tragic, murderous marriages gave birth to both the …

Sweet Tea: The British Working Class, Food Controls, And The First World War, Nicholas P. Benson

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

At the onset of the Great War in 1914, Britain was already existing in a precarious economic situation as the state most dependent on foreign goods and trade, a role which was exacerbated by their unique economic and political history which had resulted in the rapid expansion of industry without any interference or protections of the workers by the government. The working class comprised over 80% of the population of Britain, the vast majority of whom were suffering the destitution and poverty brought on by the unrestricted industrialization that had begun over a century earlier. The beginnings of the Great …

The Determinants Of Chinese Household Saving During 1978-2012, Nan Zhi

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This project focuses on how the household saving ratio changes from 1978-2013 in China and what factors caused the changes. Based China’s household saving rate changes from 1953-2000 by using the framework of the life-cycle hypothesis, Modigliani concluded that the rate of growth income and the demographic structure are the major determinant of the rate of private saving. This project attempts to extend Modigliani’s research using the data after 2000 and take changes of Chinese policy and additional factors into consideration. Estimates of coefficients of saving function will be obtained by using OLS method to analyze the relationship between household …

Deutschlands Kulturerbe: Die Widerstandsfähigkeit Der Deutschen Volkswirtschaft, Austin Joseph Eighan

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This project aims at identifying the key components of Germany’s Kulturerbe, a type of cultural heritage that strengthens its ability to overcome economic crises. I examine how the political and economic measures that Germany uses to overcome financial crises and sustain economic growth result organically from the socio-cultural aspects of German society that help mold a national identity centered on balancing prosperity with social equality.

The Kulturerbe is a socio-historical factor encompassing such elements as work ethic and frugality bred from adversity. Germany’s fundamental preparation for a sustainable plan for economic stability began with the nation’s unification over 140 …

The Mind Grows Heated: A Composition For Wind Ensemble, Michelle Isaac

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The Mind Grows Heated is an original composition for wind ensemble. It is a programmatic piece of music that demonstrates appropriate use of wind and percussion instruments for high school and college bands. Composing The Mind Grows Heatedrequired a myriad of musical skills, including various composition and orchestration techniques, score study and analysis, knowledge of the wind ensemble

medium, and endless creativity. The piece tells the story of the ups and downs of the compositional process, and it musically illustrates the intricate emotions involved in attempting such a massive creative endeavor, such as anticipation, fear, self-doubt, and finally, hope …

Beyond The Walls: Walled Cities Of Medieval France: The Preservation Of Heritage And Cultural Memory At Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, And La Rochelle, Emily Huber

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This project began with the intention of understanding the modern significance of medieval walled cities in France; some were torn down, some remain in pieces, and some were perfectly restored. By researching the histories of three cases studies, Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and La Rochelle, as well as their current architectural states and tourist statistics, I have come to the conclusion that walled cities are preserved by the French as heritage sites in order to promote their cultural memory. Walled cities were once economic centers of trade as well as hot spots for conflict. The histories of Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, and La Rochelle …

Sheba: Pecola's Daughter, Brittany Basden

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye is a tragic American story. We empathize with Pecola suffering as a little black girl who wanted blue eyes more than anything. She was born to a mother obsessed with a fantastical Hollywood ideal and a father who was abandoned in a trash heap as a baby. Pecola’s father rapes her and she becomes pregnant. In The Bluest Eye, Pecola’s baby does not survive, but it is possible to imagine a world that includes her.

This work imagines that Pecola’s baby survives and Claudia, a friend to Pecola in The Bluest Eye, names her …

Don't Toss That Novel! How To Read Benjy’S Bright Shapes In The Sound And The Fury And Rhoda's Watery Words In The Waves, Eleanor Gray

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

In their respective novels The Waves and The Sound and the Fury, Virginia Woolf and William Faulkner establish focal points in narration; each author uses narrative strategy to trace characters and voices’ mind processes, languages, and interactions. Each novel reads like a snapshot of these narrated worlds without omniscient authorial guidance, leaving the reader to decipher the language and codes on the page. Accordingly, the barrier these narrative languages face are both within the page and without, as translation requires a committed reader who wants to learn the language, a reader who, even when the voices spiral off the …

Target Language Use And Teaching For Intercultural Competence In Novice Level Spanish Courses: Comparing Practices And Perspectives In High School And University Classrooms, Leah Shepard

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Intercultural competence: We have heard about it, but do language instructors know how to teach it? Is it possible to maintain maximal target language use while doing so? This study investigates the perspectives and practices of intercultural competence and target language use at the novice language levels and also further investigates the connections and differences between high school language settings and university language settings within the implementation of this concept. The 13 participants in the study included a combination of Spanish department faculty at a small liberal arts institution in the Midwest, and alumni that completed the Spanish and teacher …

Blind Date, Joey Hamburger

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

During the academic year of 2012-2013 Joey Hamburger wrote and performed Blind Date, an hour-long comedic one-man show on relationships. The show was performed on the campus of Saint John’s University, at Stage 773 in Chicago, and the Bryant Lake Bowl Theater in Minneapolis. The process was both a lesson in writing/performing comedy and the entrepreneurial skills needed to successfully market and make profit off of a show. With both of these skills one can learn to be a successful performer and truly make a career in the art of theater.

Understanding The Vocation Of Health Professionals, Laura Hey, Kate Nowakowski

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This project seeks to determine if and how physicians and dentists understand their work as a vocation or calling. In order to accomplish this, we interviewed dentists and physicians who were at different points in their careers and analyzed the data in comparison with theological sources on vocation. Dentists defined their vocation in broad terms, saying that it was more than their work. Physicians, on the other hand, see their vocation to mean the work that they do as a physician. Both groups found the most fulfillment in their careers when they feel a sense of joy and excitement, when …

The Effects Of Plainchant On Subjective Measures Of Emotion And Heart Rate Variance, Alexander J. Twohy

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

This study looked at the how plainchant affects the body on a physiological and emotional level. The study took the clinical findings of Sister Ruth Stanley (that chant has a relaxing effect in terms of heart rate variance) and attempted to replicate these results in an experimental setting. The design utilized heart rate variance, along with subjective measures of emotion, to help determine whether chant was an empirically viable candidate for music theapy. Emotional responses were divided into four quadrants based on the valence/arousal model of emotion. 29 participants were exposed to chant along with four samples of music chosen …

Dichotomous Identity, Tommy O'Laughlin

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The photograph as a medium itself exists as a complex symbol. Our brains dissect various bits of meaning from images all around us whether we become conscious of it or not. Can highly manipulated compositions prove to be more authentic than an unmodified counterpart? Stifling magnificent fourth dimensional scenes before us by capturing them into a two dimensional composition is not to capture it at all.

While my work cannot hope to achieve what even moments as audience to these various wonders in our world could far more effectively realize, I only wish to communicate these ideas through my photography …

Red Lake, White Earth And ‘Blackgowns’: The Indian Industrial Schools Of St. John’S Abbey And St. Benedict’S Monastery, 1884-1896, Thomas Reichert

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

How and more importantly, why did the Benedictines become involved in off-reservation Industrial Schools? In this thesis, it is my goal to answer these questions. The opening of the schools was the result of three factors. First, the Benedictines subscribed to the popular beliefs and stereotypes about the Indians and what should be done with them. Second, the material situation of the mission, as well as the relationship between the Benedictines and the other involved parties on the reservation, created a situation where an off-reservation venture would seem desirable. Third, the financial situation of St. John's and St. Benedict's would …

Exploring The Creative Process: A Study In Playwriting, Alexander L. Evenson

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

My original intentions when I began this project were to write and present a full-length play of my own design, examining the farm crisis through the medium of theater. The reason I chose not to use the title of my play for the title of my project is because the vast majority of my time was spent discovering the world outside of my script. Through my struggles to bring my characters to life, to develop an effective plot while avoiding a didactic analysis of the issue, and with the genre itself, I began to discover what the creative process is …

A Joining: A Collection Of Poems, Brenda R. Dukerschein

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

My thesis culminated in a manuscript of original poetry. I wrote and revised poems and arranged them in a book-like format. My research consisted of reading a variety of poets and studying the architecture of their books. I focused on writing in a variety of voices, forms, and sentence types. I used syntactical imitation as a way of trying different approaches to poetry—it allowed me to explore different sentence syntax, rhythm, sentence length, and structure. As I studied how other poets arranged their poems into a book, I learned various ways of forming my own manuscript. This thesis allowed me …

Unspeakable: My Father's Suicide And A Childhood Memoir, Dierdre C. Mccarrell

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The memoir begins with the letter I read at my father's funeral service in June of 1998. The introduction addresses why I chose the form of memoir and why my relationship with my father should be publicized. Following the introduction are the chapters "Houses" and "Lies" which are stories from my childhood. These chapters are placed in approximately 1984 when I was in kindergarten. The concluding section of the memoir addresses why I chose the memoir form and gave me the chance to recognize works that guided my writing. The books I chose as an accompaniment to my writing fit …

Identity And Desire In Wuthering Heights, Anne L. Wells

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff can be examined within Jacques Lacan's theories of the Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real. Initially formed in early childhood, their relationship bears similarities to the relationship of a parent and child, in which the child identifies with the parent. However, the relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff is much more unstable than a Lacanian parent-child identification, as both children construct their identities in terms of the other. Bronte's novel is allows Cathy and Heathcliff to return to their Imaginary identification after death, demonstrating a radical revisualization of Lacan's stages. The 1992 film adaptation of Wuthering Heights …

La Persecución De Los Judíos Durante La Inquisición Española Y El Proyecto Imperial De Unificación Religiosa (The Jewish Persecution During The Spanish Inquisition And The Imperial Endeavor Of Religious Unification), Melissa Westerberg

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

During the Spanish Inquisition, the persecution of the Jews (and other anti-Catholic groups) was, in my opinion, unjustifiable. The Muslims had conquered Spain in 711, and the Christians began to re-conquer the Iberian Peninsula during the 1300's. In 1492, the Christians took Granada (the last city which was held by Muslim power), Columbus discovered the New World, and the Jews were expelled from Spain. My study involved the countless conflicts between the Catholics and the Jews during this time of re-conquest. One of the main issues that was critical to the predicament of Jewish life involved the desires of the …

The Jean Donovan House: Filling A Need And Leading By Example, Patricia D. Larson

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The Jean Donovan Catholic Worker House grew as a response to the political, social and economic climate of the 1980s. Within the tradition of the Catholic Worker Movement, three CSB/SJU alumni endeavored to relieve the physical suffering of the poor and the social suffering of the St. Cloud area in an attempt to take action against the status quo. Through personalism, hard work and the generous help of others, the Jean Donovan House not only fed hungry people, but also helped educate the community about the social problems created by a culture of consumption and morally questionable government leadership. This …