Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Hispanic Political Power: A Case Study Of Southwest Michigan, Jason Glatz

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between rising Hispanic immigration and its influence on voting patterns. It examines thirteen Southwestern Michigan counties and compares averaged Republican voting percentages from past elections for the U.S. House of Representatives with the 2000 election. Previous research has established that Hispanics, with the exception of Cubans, predominantly vote for Democratic candidates. If this relationship is true for Southwest Michigan, areas with increasing Hispanic populations should display diminishing Republican voting percentages.

A normal Republican vote was computed for 284 minor civil divisions from the period immediately preceding significant Hispanic immigration and was compared to the 2000 …

From Social Improvement To Scientific Racism: The Effects Of World War I On The Definition Of Racial Hygiene In Germany, Robyn Lee Hendrick

Masters Theses

During the First World War, there was a decisive change in the focus of the racial hygiene movement in Germany. Prior to the war, the terms "racial hygiene" and "eugenics" were synonymous. In contrast, during and after World War I while eugenics continued to be recognized as a "science" in Germany, as well as in other Western European countries and the United States, the racial hygiene movement was becoming increasingly racist. Although, as the term implies, racial hygiene included racial components, the radically racist overtones did not become prevalent until the Nazis' rise to power. Racial hygienists separated themselves from …

"Far, Fast, And Fashionable": American Women Swimmers And Their Swimwear In 1920s And 1930s Sport And Consumer Culture, Elizabeth A. Zanoni

Masters Theses

This thesis examines American aquatic stars of public acclaim as displayers of clothing, and how their changing swimwear shaped the debate over physical culture, femininity, modesty, and gender roles in sport and consumer culture during the 1920s and 1930s. Performing in shortened, functional athletic attire, leading swimmers and divers conveyed cultural messages about athleticism and femininity through their athletic accomplishments and their multiple representations of the female body clothed in swimming attire. It also considers how these female aquatic luminaries, in a sphere traditionally defined as male, shaped American culture by providing a public platform from which the entire sporting …

Race, Women, And The South: Faulkner’S Connection To And Separation From The Fugitive-Agrarian Tradition, Brandi Stearns

Masters Theses

“Race, Women, and the South: Faulkner’s Connection to and Separation from the Fugitive-Agrarians” examines the similarities of circumstance, thought, and literature that existed between William Faulkner and the members of the Fugitive-Agrarian group despite the lack of communication between them. The initial chapter elucidates the biographical similarities between Faulkner and the Nashville group. The information in that chapter was chiefly drawn from biographies, William Faulkner: His Life and Work by David Minter, The Southern Agrarians by Paul Conkin, and The Fugitive Group: A Literary History by Louise Cowan.

The second chapter explains Quentin Compson, a character in Faulkner’s novels Absalom, …

Climate Change And International Justice, Sarah Brigid Kenehan

Masters Theses

The effects that are predicted to occur as a result of global climate change have the potential to be devastating, effecting food and water security, threatening sensitive ecosystems and species, and forcing the relocation of thousands of people. However, little has been done to effectively combat this problem for two primary reasons: there are uncertainties surrounding climate change projections and many countries are unwilling to accept their fair share of the burden. This project will attempt to reframe these problems. Specifically, I will argue that it is rational for policymakers to act on the model-generated predictions of climate change, and …

Atomic Childhood: An Analysis Of The Impact Of The Manhattan Project On The Children Of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, John David Prince

Masters Theses

The city of Oak Ridge was one of three major project sites built by the US Army during the Manhattan Project – the top-secret mission started in June 1942 in order to develop an atomic bomb within a three year period. The Oak Ridge site, chosen in September 1942, was responsible for the production of the uranium that armed the world’s first atomic bomb. Prior to the dropping of the atomic bomb, however, the real mission of Oak Ridge was known to only a few select individuals. Indeed, most of the residents and workers at the production plants in Oak …

Paul's Integrated Use Of Apocalyptic And Gnostic Imagery In First Thessalonians, Steven Mack Trotter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine and characterize Paul’s integrated use of apocalyptic and gnostic imagery as found in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 as well as compare and contrast conclusions based on the analysis with long standing theories regarding: (1) the rise of gnosticism as a result of the delay of the Parousia, and (2) the mutual exlusivity of apocalypticism and gnosticism.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10, Paul integrates use of apocalyptic and gnostic imagery. He uses the same apocalyptic imagery as found in Amos and Zechariah, as well as the same gnostic imagery as found in The Apocryphon of …

Crossing Over In The 21st Century: New Perspectives On Classical Music Through The Work Of Mark O’Connor, Edgar Meyer, And Béla Fleck, Louanne Marie Iannaccone

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effect that the crossover music of Mark O’Connor, Edgar Meyer, and Béla Fleck has on current societal perceptions of classical music. In the past, society has seen classical music as a highbrow cultural activity, inaccessible to the majority of American people. In the course of this research, I explore the music of these artists from several perspectives.

Through a technocultural examination of the violin, fiddle, double bass, and banjo, I determine that these instruments are used prominently in many styles of music and therefore facilitate crossover. I identify how different musical …

Medical Autonomy In Crisis: The Destruction Of The Right To Privacy, David A. Lufkin Sr.

Masters Theses

This thesis is presented for a Master of Arts and Science Degree at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, from the College of Liberal Arts, Department of Philosophy, with a concentration in medical ethics.

The thesis's argument assumes that rules of ethics or morality should be rules and guidelines of uniformity and therefore universal in nature and scope. In that assumption, the thesis adheres to the present problematic state of ethics, and in particular, medical ethics. In response to that state it asks: without imprint from religious morality, upon what foundation can we design a system for medical ethics? In particular, …

Bins Of Plums, Erin Elizabeth Mulert

Masters Theses

This collection of poems represents work revised and completed during my tenure in the M.A. program in English. The pieces deal with themes of identity, family, and love, and the nature of poetry itself. An introduction is included that identifies my major influences and my purpose in writing poetry.

The Crisis Of The Marital Institution In Henry James: An Analysis Of James's Experiments In Marriage In The Bostonians, The Portrait Of A Lady, And The Golden Bowl, Amy Sloan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Henry James’s novels The Bostonians, The Portrait of a Lady, and The Golden Bowl in an effort to create a wider picture of the threats that James perceived were closing in on the institution of marriage at the end of the nineteenth century. The paper begins by attempting to place James’s narrative style in a suitable context by comparing it to that of other American realists and to the popular genre of domestic fiction. Then it translates the more generic discussion of his narrative stylings into a more honed focus …

Piety And Politics: John Capgrave's The Life Of Saint Katherine As Yorkist Propaganda, Michael M. Baker

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the political undertones of John Capgrave's The Life of Saint Katherine of Alexandria. In recent years, various scholars have regarded the Life as political propaganda for either the House of Lancaster or the House of York. I have attempted to reach my own conclusion regarding Capgrave's political beliefs by navigating some of the primary arguments purported by those scholars and adding some observations of my own.

I have considered not only the text itself, but also some of the aspects of Capgrave's life that were most likely to have influenced him: …

Defining Peaceful Picketing: The Michigan Supreme Court And The Labor Injunction, 1900-1940, Coreen Derifield

Masters Theses

In a ruling which would stand for nearly half a century, the Michigan Supreme Court decided in 1898 that pickets and boycotts were inherently violent activities, and declaring them illegal, the Court sanctioned the injunction to restrict their use during a strike. This thesis traces the Court's rulings across these forty years, analyzing how these cases functioned, assessing their impact on union activity, and charting the role of the Michigan Supreme Court in legal procedure. Examining the Court's rulings in three different geographic, social, and cultural environments from the early 1900s to the 1930s, the thesis argues that the Michigan …

Aspects Of Fatherhood In Thirteenth-Century Encyclopedias, Philip Grace

Masters Theses

The thesis examines the treatment of fatherhood in Thomas of Cantimpré's Liber de Natura Rerum, Bartholomaeus Anglicus' De Proprietatibus Rerum, and Vincent of Beauvais' Speculum Maius, all of whom were influential mendicant encyclopedists writing between 1240 and 1260. The study examines sections on anatomy, the ages of man, family relations, and the theology of marriage. The thesis argues that the anatomical concept of heat functioned as a metaphor for masculinity, strength and intelligence, and linked together such aspects of fatherhood as the father's formative role in conception and the responsibility to instill virtue in and provide for …

Human Rights, Exploitation, And Genetic Use Restriction Technology: Sowing The Seeds Of Reason In The Field Of The Terminator Debate., Keith A. Bustos

Masters Theses

The current debate concerning genetically modified (GM) crops is primarily focused on the negative consequences that the production and consumption of GM foods could have on people and the environment. Adding to the list of concerns is the multinational agrochemical corporations' plan to implement GURTs (Genetic Use Restriction Technologies) to prohibit the unauthorized use of certain genetically modified plant varieties. Several activist groups perceive the potential implementation of GURTs to be a threat to resource-poor farmers since this technology (which the activists call Terminator Technology) may be used to wrongfully exploit resource-poor farmers in the name of economic gain. In …

Renaissance Woman: The Works And Critical Reception Of Dorothy West, Tamara Jenelle Williamson

Masters Theses

Dorothy West’s literary career spanned seven decades, beginning with the publication of "The Typewriter" in 1926. West published her second novel,

The Wedding, in 1995. The following year, the author published a collection of short stories and non-fiction, entitled The Richer, the Poorer. However, in discussions of American modernism and African-American women’s literature, Dorothy West is excluded.

The focus of this project will be to explore the themes in West’s two novels,

The Living Is Easy and The Wedding. I also analyze several of her short stories and a non-fiction piece. In the last chapter of this …

Appointing Stability In An Age Of Crisis: Lord Charles Cornwallis And The British Imperial Revival, 1780-1801, Bradley S. Benefield

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the ideological impetus to the founding of the second British Empire. The loss of the thirteen North American colonies left the British Empire in a state of crisis. Yet, by the early nineteenth century, the British Empire was once again in a position of global dominance. Many historians have theorized over how Britain united to face and overcome this period of crisis. One historian, C.A. Bayly, has argued that British elites rallied behind a progressive conservative ideology, which became the prerequisite to the founding of the second British Empire. To test this …

Intersection: For Orchestra, William Jones

Masters Theses

Intersection is a musical work written for orchestra. The concept for it is loosely based on the sounds and emotions that I associate with trains. The music at the beginning of the piece, and the concept in general, was inspired by the sounds made by trains slowly passing the intersection of Kalamazoo Ave., Water St., and Pitcher St. in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Though most of the piece just uses the idea of the sound of trains as general inspiration, there are also sounds that more directly represent actual sounds, like an occasional blow of the whistle, or the sound of the …

A Survey Of Music Therapy Business Owners, Julie M. Guy

Masters Theses

An invitation to participate in a survey was emailed or sent to 503 self-employed/ private practice music therapists. As this study focused on describing current music therapy business practices, only music therapy business owners were asked to participate. Responses were received from 29% (n= l47). Results indicated that the typical business owner is a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) with a bachelor's degree who has most likely owned a sole proprietorship for less than 9 years. They typically work 30-39 hours each week and maintain 10-19 hours of contracts (primarily consisting of individual sessions). Most of the respondents work in …

Their Old Kentucky Home: The Phenomenon Of The Kentucky Burden In The Writing Of James Still, Jesse Stuart, Allen Tate, And Robert Penn Warren, Christian Leigh Faught

Masters Theses

The focus of this project is to investigate the phenomenon of the Kentucky burden, and to explore the impact of that burden on four Vanderbilt-educated Kentucky authors of the early twentieth century. The works of James Still, Jesse Stuart, Allen Tate, and Robert Penn Warren reveal not only characteristics common to Southern regionalism in general but also traits radically particular to Kentucky. Through an exploration of the poetry and prose of these prominent Kentucky writers, we can gain a better understanding of the significance of their identities as Kentuckians and recognize the many obstacles and challenges the Kentucky burden posed …

Angel On The Mountain: Homestead Heroism In Appalachian Fiction, Nicole Marie Drewitz-Crockett

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to offer homestead heroism as a model for analysis in Appalachian fiction. Homestead heroism provides specific criteria for evaluating images of women in Appalachian fiction. In contrast to long-standing stereotypes of mountain women, homestead heroes achieve economic equality, and thereby autonomy, through labor production. In order to offer homestead heroism as a viable means of critical study, I have traced its presence in Appalachian fiction from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century.

Chimera Odyssey: Suite For Wind Quintet, Karen Teresa Mcneely

Masters Theses

Chimera Odyssey is a suite for wind quintet in five movements. It was written for the Southerly Winds quintet, and it was also written to fulfill the requirements for the Master’s of Music degree in composition. The main inspiration for the work came from the composer’s experience studying and performing wind quintet music, and the preferred sources of inspiration can be heard throughout the work.

The title of the work has a double meaning: a chimera is “an illusion or fabrication of the mind; an unrealizable dream.” A chimera is also a fire-breathing she-monster from Greek mythology with a lion’s …

Southern Normal?: An Exploration Of Integration In A Deep South Town: Brewton, Alabama, 1954-1971, Anna Catherine Mcdonald

Masters Theses

This study was conducted in order to identify possible reasons for the successful integration of Brewton, Alabama’s school system. Unlike many other towns in South Alabama, Brewton chose not to create a private school as an alternative to attending an integrated public facility. Known as “white flight” schools, these private institutions are still a viable factor in the education of Southern children. Although Brewton had the money and the resources to create such a school, it did not. This thesis seeks to understand why.

Two factors are central to approaching Brewton as a topic of research. One is Brewton’s wealthy …

Poetic Performances: Tracing Castiglione's Theory Of Courtliness In The Poetry Of John Donne And John Wilmot, The Earl Of Rochester, Lauren Holt Matthews

Masters Theses

In The Book of the Courtier, Baldesar Castiglione outlines the three criteria that courtiers and would-be courtiers must implement to fashion a successful performance, one that helps them maintain or strengthen their social status: grazia, sprezzatura, and dissimulazione. Each of these elements enables and supports the others; the success of the performative act relies on the courtier’s mastery and manipulation of these three characteristics. Their poetry indicates that John Donne and John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester both attained that high level courtly skill – Donne through his novel use of the metaphysical conceit and Rochester through his representations …

Mobius Strip, Tory Killian Niemann

Masters Theses

This collection of short stories explores the moments of change in a variety of human experiences. Change is embodied in the stories not only in the literal action of the characters and through the expressions of prose, but also in the uses of certain formal devices, such as point of view, narrative control, and genre. Through unexpected redirection of these formal devices, the impact of change is given a different significance in order to better reach the reading audience. Each of the seven stories looks at the different experiences of change, for good and for ill, in human life, showing …

Captive Soul: A Work For String Quartet In Four Movements, James Robert Geiger

Masters Theses

Captive Soul is a work for string quartet in four movements. It was written in part to fulfill the requirements for the Master’s degree in Music Composition and is the primary subject of this thesis. Inspiration for the work was drawn from the composer’s own experiences. The composition was completed in March 2005 by James R. Geiger using a M-Audio Keystation 49-E, a Macintosh G3 computer, and an Edirol SoundCanvas SC-88ST tone module. The notation of the score was completed in April 2005 using Finale 2003 from Coda Software. It is approximately seventeen minutes and thirty seconds (17’30”) in duration. …

To Disturb The People As Little As Possible: The Desegregation Of Memphis City Schools, Kira Virginia Duke

Masters Theses

This study will look at how school desegregation in Memphis unfolded according to the phases of desegregation as argued by J. Harvie Wilkinson in From Brown to Bakke and in relation to the evolution of the Supreme Court’s interpretation of Brown’s meaning. This study will also examine how mob violence was avoided as desegregation took place in the city. Evidence for this study was gathered from the oral histories of Judge Robert McRae and Maxine Smith, executive secretary of the Memphis chapter of the NAACP, newspaper coverage, NAACP records, and John Egerton’s report to the Southern Regional Council as …

Willie, Waylon, And Me: Mythopoetic Narratives In Outlaw Country Music, Charles Robert Wurl

Masters Theses

The primary objective of this thesis is to analyze the role of masculinity in Outlaw country music as part of a constantly changing ideal of American manhood. The secondary objective is to understand the distinct southern affiliation inherent in Outlaw country music and how that related to the movement. Accordingly, this thesis represents an effort at continuing the larger historiographical development generated by the introduction of men’s studies into contemporary scholarship. The analysis of masculinity within a historical framework provides a chance to examine factors that shape cultural perceptions of society and the individual’s place within it. Scholars of men’s …

The Position Of The Intellectual In The 1950s: Case Studies Of J. D. Salinger And Ayn Rand, Stephen J. Bain

Masters Theses

The purpose ofthis study was to examine the historical and social factors that influenced American intellectual life in the 1950s, and to apply these broader, cultural influences to case studies on two American writers working in the 1950s: J. D. Salinger and Ayn Rand. Research involved diverse readings in biography and literary criticism concerning the two authors as well as interpretation ofthe authors' works themselves. Despite having opposing philosophical, aesthetic, and intellectual ideals, J. D. Salinger and Ayn Rand typify the position ofthe intellectual in the 1950s because they share the conflicting needs ofacceptance and superiority. While the two authors …

Le Role De L'Odeur Et De La Perception Olfactive Dans 'Combray' De Marcel Proust, Veronika Passovets

Masters Theses

The present study examines the problem of the olfactory perception and the sense of smell in Marcel Proust’s “Combray”, first part of the novel A la recherché du temps perdu. After a brief historical introduction to the position of the sense of smell in French literature, the first part of this study focuses on a detailed grammatical and lexical analysis of all the manifestations of the olfactory perception in “Combray”. A close examination of the main nouns, adjectives and verbs that form the lexico-semantic field of the sense of smell leads to preliminary conclusions about the significance of the role …