Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Finding Valhalla: An Investigation Of Writing In The Mystery Genre, Patricia Shea

Senior Honors Projects

John Truby states in The Anatomy of Story that, “Once you set up a hero and an opponent competing for the same goal, you must build up that conflict steadily until the final battle. Your purpose is to put constant pressure on your hero, because this is what will force him to change,” (Truby 94). Narratives often adhere to these principles, especially in the genre of mystery writing. In this genre, figuring out how your protagonist is going to solve their problem, and the steps they take to get there, is essential to laying the groundwork and clues for any …

Uri Theatre Presents: Rob Neill And The Neo-Futurists, Caitlyn Sloan

Senior Honors Projects

The University of Rhode Island has given me the opportunity to explore and recognize many different interests that I never knew I previously had. While at the university I discovered my love for Theatre and the talent I have as a manager, as well as a love for event planning through my employment with University Events. These passions drove my desire to create an Honors Project that would help me learn more about management and planning on a scale that could have a large impact. When the theatre department won the Distinguished Visiting Artist Grant for 2017, I seized the …

The Social And Interpersonal Impacts Of Sexual Violence, Brenna Sullivan

Senior Honors Projects

My honors project is both a secondary research study and an artistic visual representation of the impacts sexual violence has on an individual’s social behavioral patterns and interpersonal communication capabilities. I entered into this project with an interest in exploring this relationship after witnessing the impacts of such violence in the lives of people around me. I hoped to gain a deeper understanding of why sexual violence affects social behaviors in victims. It has been my intent to utilize the platform of my project to bring to light underrepresented facts about such violence. Furthermore, I hope this project provides a …

A Girl's Guide To Nail Art, Emma Rohnstock

Senior Honors Projects

Nail art has led me to be more creative in my life and helped me find my passions of film, photography, and art. I started sharing my nail art through an online blog, but wanted to formalize my interest through a book and possibly a publication in the future. By making this book, I wanted children who read it to learn a new skill and find inspiration in each technique. Nail art has allowed me to express myself and discover my creativity, so I hope this book will allow a younger audience to do the same. I wanted to share …

Understanding Deaf Culture, Meghan Flanagan

Senior Honors Projects

Culture defines people and gives them a sense of identity. It provides a community for individuals with similar beliefs and values to communicate with one another using a shared language. Deaf Culture encompasses these principles, but it is unique in that it has it’s own fully developed language known as American Sign Language (ASL). ASL is a verbal language that incorporates all of the linguistic components of a spoken language such as syntax, idioms, and dialect variation. It allows the deaf community to have a distinct sense of humor along with their own traditions, literature, and theater. All of these …

Standing Their Ground: The Fight Against Land Loss And Climate Change In Dulac, Louisiana, Bridget Hall

Senior Honors Projects

Climate change is one of the the most pressing challenges our world will face in the next century, and its effects can already be felt in the bayous and bays of Louisiana. Louisiana is one of the places most vulnerable to the climate change in the United States. The coast and communities of Southern Louisiana are particularly vulnerable, and have been dealing with the impacts of land loss and climate change for years. One of the most-impacted communities is Dulac, a small town in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana and home to the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Indians, an indigenous tribe …

Physics Of Acting, Cassidy Mccartan

Senior Honors Projects

Training for actors is a multi-disciplinary practice with study in three main categories: the actor’s voice, the actor’s body, and text studies. Unlike ballet dancing or learning a musical instrument, actor training is a culmination of various different techniques for each of these areas of study. The study of the actor’s body, through movement, is the most intricate area to decipher because it incorporates more varying techniques than voice and text studies.

With the mentorship of Joe Short, the theatre department’s professor of voice and movement at the University of Rhode Island, I investigated and compared the movement techniques of …

Redactándome A Mi Misma: Writing Place, Process, And Identity Across Two Languages, Jenna Ziegelmayer

Senior Honors Projects

Emily Dickinson once wrote a poem titled “Tell all the truth but tell it slant,” where she advises writers to do just that. One should tell the truth about their experiences, but tell it through their own unique perspective in order to make it “dazzle” on the page. My slant? Una segunda lengua.

As a student of Spanish, learning a different language has impacted the way that I see the world and my place in it. Studying abroad taught me about the language and culture of Spain, but it also taught me a lot about myself, my own native language, …

Theatrical Scenic Design: Creating And Presenting A Professional Portfolio, Isabella Pellino

Senior Honors Projects

The Kennedy Center for the American College Theatre Festival is a regional and national conference where students can compete against other students with their Acting, Directing, Stage Management, and Design skills. Students present scenes, participate in workshops, and present their designs from shows their universities produced in that year. I attended this year’s “KCACTF Region 1:New England” festival from January 30th to February 4th (having been selected to present in the Design Technology Exhibition) and presented a scenic design I created for the URI Theatre production of Body Awareness in April of 2017.

Theatre is a fast-paced industry, and artists …

Multiple Streams Framework, Advocacy Coalition Framework, And The Passage Of The National Trails Systems Act Of 1968, Harrison Miller

Senior Honors Projects

Early American conservation efforts consisted primarily of the federal government seizing large swaths of land in the largely unpopulated western frontiers, away from more concentrated populations, and placing them under federal protection. While many of these became National Parks, to visit them was still mostly available only to the upper class, and they often seemed more like investments in to-be-cultivated land than sincere efforts at environmental conservation. In the eastern U.S., where the population was dense and industrialization was the new norm, federally protected lands were harder to come by. This pattern of federal conservation continued well into the 20th …

Creating A Happy Ending For Socially Relevant Television, John Thomas Cunha

Senior Honors Projects

Television is accessible to millions from the comfort of their own homes and shapes the way we view the world. It has the power to bring people together, but often presents diversity with a strong emphasis on labels. Characters are defined by the one trait that, to the majority of viewers, is unrelatable. This maintains the separation of “us” and “them,” isolating those in the minority. Representation is essential for progress, but it’s more than just including diversity. Instead of dwelling on differences and indulging in stereotypes, characters should all treat each other equally.

The focal TV show of this …

Storytelling Through Hip Hop, Brandon Donohoe

Senior Honors Projects

90’s but has changed drastically over the years. Styles have evolved and new sub-genres have emerged but the opportunity for compelling storytelling has remained. Over the course of this past semester with the guidance of my sponsor, I explored this rich tradition. I listened to several albums with release dates that spanned from the 90s to 2000s to get a feel for what techniques some of the most well-known storytellers in hip-hop have used. The albums that I found to be particularly useful were ‘Ready to Die’ by Notorious B.I.G., Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Good Kid, m.A.A.d City’ and ‘Because the Internet’ …

Climate Change, Colonialism, And Second-Class Citizenry: A Case Study Of The Impacts Of Hurricane María In Puerto Rico, Aislyne Calianos

Senior Honors Projects

The hurricane season of 2017 was a historic one, with mammoth storms making landfall one after another, in what seemed like an unrelenting assault on our coastal cities and communities. Hurricane Harvey inundated Houston, Irma plowed through Florida, and Maria devastated Puerto Rico, but one of these storms was unlike the others. Why is it that the American citizens of our southern states were able to recover so much more quickly than our citizens in Puerto Rico? In the era of climate change, we will be forced to reckon with the modern legacy of colonialism, as vulnerable communities must face …

Theater As A Civic Practice, Charlie Santos

Senior Honors Projects

Contemporary artists are working within a cultural moment saturated with political fervor. The ideologies of social and political movements such as Black Lives Matter, Queer Rights, and Gun Control weigh heavily on the minds of young artists. More and more, I see actors, writers, and creators struggling to reconcile their identities as artists and identities as political beings. How do artists resolve the internal dissonance between their artistic and political spheres? Is activist art an opportunity to synthesize these two spheres? Or might creating art for political ends pose ethical and/or aesthetic hazards? On the one hand, creating political art …

Young Women In Chilean Politics: Political Participation Among Students At The University Of Viña Del Mar, Julia Ludovici

Senior Honors Projects

Chilean women face inequality in political participation. There is a large gap in gender representation in Chilean politics, despite the election of a woman to the presidency—twice. Feminist theory has long been at play in Chilean academia, and my research builds upon some of the basic propositions of feminist theory: the patriarchy and oppression of women, and the double standards faced by women in their private vs. public lives. Michelle Bachelet’s presidency, along with the recent “quota law,” both provide historical and present-day context to the issues faced by women and their political participation. Based on the data collected by …

The Influence Of Politics On Modern Art: A Curated Exhibit Of Art Reflecting The 2016 Presidential Election, Naama Malomet

Senior Honors Projects

This project explores the ways in which recent politics in America has inspired contemporary artists to engage in the current political climate and use art as a means of expressing political ideals. Art has been, and always will be, used as one of the ways artists express opinions and ideas. Art engages individuals in visual dialogue, creating conversations between the artist and viewer. It has the power to influence and inspire viewers, directing them towards new ideas and opinions as well as new perspectives on social and political issues. Throughout the history of art, politics and social issues have inspired …

Patriarchal Dynamics In Politics: How Anne Boleyn’S Femininity Brought Her Power And Death, Rebecca Ries-Roncalli

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Ethics And Effectiveness Of Medical Brigades As A Primary Care Method In Rural And Remote Areas, Emilie Christie

Senior Honors Projects

Medical brigades, also known as mobile health clinics, are temporary primary care stations set up by volunteer students and health professionals to bring basic healthcare to remote areas free of charge. The present review aims to explore the effectiveness and ethics of brigades, concluding in recommendations to improve these aspects of brigades. Literature regarding brigade effectiveness was examined and synthesized, while brigade ethics were analyzed through four main ethical principles of medicine: respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Proposed improvements to brigades include rapid testing and connection to care for chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, access to mental health …