Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Things Hold Together John Howard Yoder's Trinitarian Theology Of Culture, Branson L. Parler

CTS PhD Doctoral Dissertations

Theologies of culture often focus on either Christ or creation as their primary source, to the exclusion of the other. At best, this approach is incomplete because it does not account for the continuity between creation and redemption. At worst, it posits a divide not simply between Christ and creation, but between persons of the Trinity, presuming contradictory moral and cultural norms issuing from different persons of the Trinity. John Howard Yoder is often depicted as a representative of a Christocentric and creation-deficient approach to culture. Against that faulty representation, this dissertation argues that Yoder advocates a Trinitarian theology of …

"To Liberate Communication": The Realist And Paul Krassner's 1960s, Terry Joel Wagner

LSU Master's Theses

Paul Krassner began publishing a small-circulation magazine called The Realist in New York City in 1958 because he believed there existed excessive restraints on speech in American culture. The publication began with a combination of earnest critiques and good-humored satires on such topics as organized religion, sexual mores, Cold War paranoia, and civil rights. By the mid-sixties, the magazine was enlarging the space not just for what opinions could be expressed but also for the way those opinions were expressed and, in the process, testing the boundaries of obscenity. As Krassner became a bitter opponent of the Vietnam War and …

A Revolution In Rhetoric: Recycling The Language Of Control Through Rhetorical Activism, Jerien Elizabeth Rausch

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The English language, with its infinite space and possibility, is and can be recycled to recreate authority of voice and representations of the past. Where once language was used for creating and maintaining colonial control, now, with its careful study and critical (re)applications through fictions written as alternative versions of colonial events, it can be a source of power for the reclamations of identity, culture, religion, history, story, context, and imagination. This study (re)examines an iconic exploration and colonial narrative to highlight the rhetoric used to capture and create Indigenous Peoples and places. Additionally, this study explores how works of …

Aterrizaje, Francisco Alejandro Tedeschi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work is a novella about Alejandro Tardelli, a character who struggles with life in his adolescence.

A Typical Scene In Mexico: Images Of War, Race, And Gender In The Mexican Revolution, Rosa Lorena Estala

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

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The Border At War: World War Ii Along The United States-Mexico Border, Winifred Baumer Dowling

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The U.S.-Mexico border, especially the shared border of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, was in many ways transformed by the effects of World War II. This study examines change or continuity brought about by the war. The border region reflected many similarities to the national reaction to the upheaval of World War II. Yet there were dramatic differences as well. Examples of continuity and change are examined through the lens of border relations, labor and the economy, Mexican Americans, border women, and health on the border.

Wartime relations between El Paso and Juarez reached a zenith of good …

Making Africans And Indians: Colonialism, Identity, Racialization, And The Rise Of The Nation-State In The Florida Borderlands, 1765-1837, John Paul A. Nuño

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Florida Borderlands from 1765 to 1837 was a fluid space in which established colonial and Indigenous social, political, and economic systems were in dialogue with emerging discourses associated with the market economy, nationalism, and race. Utilizing British, Spanish, and United States government documents, diplomatic correspondence, and slave claims, this work traces the racialization of diverse Indigenous and African populations. Older colonial powers and nascent nation states sought to create political and social space between individuals within these categories in an effort to better control their labor, movement, and economic status. Consequently, Seminoles and Africans resisted and adapted, depending on …

The Effects Of Acculturation On Healthcare In The Mexican-Origin Community: El Paso County, Texas, Aurelio Saldana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study was built around the understanding that there is complexity in the "Hispanic"¹ health care/acculturation phenomenon. The El Paso region provides an environment where an array of cultural influences produces an acculturation process whose dynamics appear to be unique but in fact are not dissimilar to other regions where cultures are coming into contact with each other. The way borderland acculturation manifests itself in local "Hispanic" healthcare behaviors contradicts the concept of the neat move from "traditional" to the "formal" biomedical paradigm. The actual behavior observed adds support to the more complex, segmented, multi-dimensional interpretations of healthcare behavior adaptation …

Performance, Spectacle, Text: The Court Masques Of Samuel Daniel, Donica Martin Miller

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

William Harper: A Story, J.T. Dawson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Perspectives Of Executive Women: Life Choices And Balancing Career With Marriage And Children, Wendy James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study investigated the experiences of executive women and their choices in balancing work with marriage and children. Research on women in the workplace tends to conflate categories of hourly workers, part-time employees, and middle- and upper-management careers. Yet, the literature on balancing career and family life does not adequately portray the experiences of executive women. The purpose of the study was to discover executive women's perceptions about their career, how they chose their path, and how their career choices affected their decisions about marriage and children. The research questions for this study examined: (a) The effect of executive …

Acculturation, Social Support, And Self-Esteem As Predictors Of Mental Health Among Foreign Students: A Study Of Nigerian Nursing Students, Verna V. Lafleur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigerians are an integral part of the nursing profession, yet there is no literature on their common health risks, such as homesickness, isolation and suicide ideation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between lack of acculturation, social support, and self-esteem and mental health among Nigerian nursing students. Berry's model of acculturation was used which identifies individuals perception of self in relation to their ethnic culture and the host culture. A sample of 76 Nigerian nursing students enrolled in Baccalaureate nursing programs from 3 universities in the District of Columbia and Maryland participated in the study. Data …

The Impact Of Stakeholder Collaboration On Effectiveness Of Health Program Implementation In Ghana, Samuel Kwami Agbanu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Healthcare providers increasingly recognize the importance of collaboration among stakeholders in cost-effective healthcare delivery. While collaborative relationships offer great advantages, little research has addressed their relevance in an international development aid context, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The region is a major recipient of international development support, yet health indicators on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and child and maternal mortality indicate the health of the region is among the weakest worldwide. This sequential mixed method, descriptive study of a USAID-funded community health program in Ghana examined the nature of collaboration among six stakeholders and impact of this collaboration on effectiveness of program …

The Effect Of Text-To-Self Reading Strategies On Reading Comprehension, Cathy Arlene (Legg) Cutright

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Middle-school male students currently face a disadvantage in reading comprehension compared to female students. Research suggests the problem is that more male students score below grade level in reading comprehension because they require more cognitive scaffolding. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of text-to-self reading instruction and to compare the comprehension achievement of male and female students in 6th-grade reading and language-arts classes using guided reading of text-to-self instruction and guided reading using novels. The foundation of this study was based on constructivist theories including Dewey's pragmatist philosophy, Piaget's developmental theory, and Vygotsky's theory of zone …

The Use Of Handheld Devices For Improved Phonemic Awareness In A Traditional Kindergarten Classroom, Cristy Ann Magagna-Mcbee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective teaching strategies that improve the development of phonemic awareness are important to ensure students are fluent readers by third grade. The use of handheld devices to improve phonemic awareness with kindergarten students may be such a strategy, but no research exists that evaluates the use of these devices. This study explored the effectiveness of Bee-Bot handheld devices in kindergarten classrooms to teach phonemic awareness. A 4-month sequential mixed-methods study was conducted in four classrooms: two that used Bee-Bot handheld devices in phonemic awareness lessons and two that never used the devices. The score gain (Fall 2009 to Winter 2010) …

The Perceptions Of African American Middle School Students About Participation In Gifted Programs: A Qualitative Study To Promote Social Justice In Gifted Education, Jenelle Susan Nisly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

African American students have been historically underrepresented in gifted programs throughout the United States. Research about retaining identified African American students in gifted programs is limited. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the perceptions of a purposeful sample of seven identified talented and potentially talented African American middle school students about participation in gifted programs. The purpose of the study was to understand the meaning of participants' expectations, attitudes, and experiences with regard to participating and remaining in a gifted program or participating and then dropping out. Data were collected through individual interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed that participants expected talented …

Immigration And Obesity In African American Adults Residing In The United States, Julius N. Ade

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Obesity increases risk for heart disease, hypertension and other chronic diseases, and it affects minority ethnic groups disproportionately. However, it is unknown if African American immigrant adults, an increasing segment of the population, are at higher risk for obesity than African American non-immigrant adults residing in the United States. This study examined the association of obesity and immigrant status by comparing African American immigrant adults now residing in the United States to the general population of African American adults. The socio-ecological model provided the conceptual framework for this study. This study used a cross-sectional quantitative self-administered web-based survey to collect …

Identifying The Relationship Between Network Governance And Community Action Program Participation, Angelique M. Goliday

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The relevant literature consistently suggests that understanding citizen participation in community action programs is needed to maximize network governance efforts. Yet, there is no empirical evidence demonstrating a relationship between levels of network governance (NG) and citizen participation rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which levels of NG is correlated with levels of citizen participation in community action agency (CAA) programs, and whether variations in NG or variations over time in average income level is more strongly related to participation. The research was guided by the integrative model of democracy, which emphasizes citizen participation …

The Effects Of Oral Reading Fluency On Reading Comprehension For Students With Reading Disabilities And Specific Learning Disabilities, Renee C. Nouvelle

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The gap in reading achievement continues to be consistent, despite No Child Left Behind goals to narrow these gaps among minority and other subgroup populations. This gap is especially profound for students with disabilities, and any evidence to support progress monitoring of oral reading fluency (ORF) and comprehension will inform educational policy and practice. The theory of automaticity explains that a reader can focus more attention on the meaning of a reading passage when less attention is needed for word and sound recognition. The literature has suggested that reading comprehension can be improved through efforts to improve ORF. The central …

The Influence Of Spirituality On Servant Leadership Among Small Business Entrepreneurs, Sharilyn D. Franklin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Servant leadership, which promotes virtuousness and altruism, is gaining attention as a potential solution to the perceived leadership crisis, as evidenced by the ethical breakdown of some of America's largest corporations. Entrepreneurs, who represent 99% of all employers, play a significant role in the American economy as innovative risk takers and early adopters. As such, it is important to understand how they relate to servant leadership. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore research questions related to (a) the extent to which servant leadership is practiced by small business entrepreneurs, and (b) the relationship between their levels of …

The Effect Of Cooperative Groups On Math Anxiety, Melissa Batton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research indicates that many students have difficulty with mathematics, which can be attributed to many factors including math anxiety. Students who experience math anxiety have poor attitudes towards mathematics and perform below grade level based on class and statewide assessments. The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to investigate the effectiveness of cooperative groups on the math anxiety levels of Grade 5 male and female students. The theoretical foundation of the study included Vygotsky's social learning and Piaget's concept of knowledge. Thirty-two students from 2 Grade 5 classrooms were administered the pre and post MASC inventory. A repeated-measure ANOVA …

Attitudes Of Southern Baptist Pastors Toward Professional Counseling, Stanley Paul Vespie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

While clergy are at the forefront of providing mental health counseling services, many lack confidence in their ability to provide adequate care for those suffering mental health issues and many, across denominations, question the validity and reliability of mental health counseling and are reluctant to make referrals to professional counselors. There remains a gap in the current research literature regarding the views of Southern Baptist pastors. Using conflict theory as the framework for this study, the purpose of this exploratory quantitative study was to determine how 225 Southern Baptist pastors' conservative views, church size, and educational level (the independent variables) …

Intraracial, Intergenerational Conflict And The Victimization Of African American Adults By African American Youth, Katherine E. James

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black on Black victimization amongst inner-city African American youth is a well-documented phenomenon. Less understood are the shared lived experiences of inner-city, middle-aged African Americans who have been victims of crimes perpetrated by African American youth. The purpose of this study was to understand the lived, shared experience of this population. Social ecological theory, psychological sense of community, and crisis theory served as the theoretical frameworks for the study. A qualitative method of phenomenological inquiry was used to gain insight into the meaning ascribed to the victimization experiences, as well as the resulting thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, and life-impacting implications. In-person, …

Estandarizacion Linguistica Y Construccion Nacional: La Norma Espanola Y La Norma Americana (1823-1857), Laura Villa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation analyzes five salient moments in the history of the standardization of the Spanish language that took place in the central decades of the nineteenth century: first, the reformed spelling system proposed in London by Andrés Bello and Juan García del Río in 1823 in order to promote Latin American literacy; second, the simultaneous officialization in 1844 of two different orthographic norms in Chile and Spain, both of them surrounded by intense ideological debates, the former led by Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, the latter by a teachers' association established in Madrid; third, the publication in 1847 of Bello's grammar, which …

The Foundations And Early Development Of Mormon Mission Theory, David Golding

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to answer a fundamental question facing missiologists and historians of Mormonism: given their sustained preoccupation with converting others to Mormonism and their thriving tradition of missionary work, how do Mormons conceive of their mission? By focusing on the theoretical frame in which Mormon missionaries imagined the non-Mormon world, prepared for missionary engagement, and derived their expectations for their mission work, this study aims to illuminate the development of Mormon missionary activities and explain the processes by which Mormons fashioned for themselves a missional character. Beginning with Joseph Smith and the emergence of his missional thought and ending …

The Not-So Gnostic Crisis: Encrateia In Exegesis, Andrea Brooks

CGU Theses & Dissertations

How should Christians live so as to set them apart in manner of life from Jews? This is one of the first questions asked by early Christian exegetes as Christians sought separation from Judaism. 1 While it may seem like a simple and obvious question, it caused heated controversy from the second century well into the present. This struggle for orthodoxy, or an orthodox doctrine, connects to both Christianity within the teachings of Jesus, the Pauline epistles and pseudo-Pauline writings, as well as to the culture and philosophy of the East and West. Much of the debate finds itself being …

Becoming Fully Human: Re-Imagining Christian Discipleship For An Emerging Generation, Vincent A. Beresford

Doctor of Ministry

It is my claim that followers of Jesus in the United States are suffering from missional amnesia and are seemingly unaware of their increasingly ineffective approaches towards Christian discipleship and evangelism. It seems the Church has forgotten why they exist? Simultaneously, an emerging generation watches how the Christian faith is being played out in the United States, and has arrived at the conclusion that the "organized church" has missed the point. The world has changed and the Church's lack of response clearly indicates grand delusions of denial. The unique Christian sub-culture who were once the "natives" in the United States …

The Good Soil Process: A Strategic Missional Process For American Institutional Churches, Keith Tilley

Doctor of Ministry

The Primary Readers: Christian laity and clergy who are interested in learning about the increasing institutionalization of American mainstream denominations and the problems associated with maintaining such large corporations. They include those who have a burden for postmodern 21st century North America as a mission field and wish to communicate the good news of Jesus Christ effectively. The two project artifacts will specifically be contextualized for smaller to mid-size rural East Texas communities of faith. Much of the history and denominational traditions drawn upon in this written statement will be influenced by United Methodist heritage and experience but provided for …

Pastoral Premarital Counseling For Bi-Cultural Traditional Chinese And Chinese American Couples, Joseph Yeung

Doctor of Ministry

This ministry focus paper provides a premarital counseling manual based on partnership in tnarriage for pastors who counsel bicultural couples. Bicultural is defined as couples that include a traditional Chinese Christian and Chinese American Christian. The paper's thesis is that a pastoral pretnarital counseling manual can be developed for couples that include a traditional Chinese Christian and a Chinese American Christian in a bi-cultural relationship.

Traditional Chinese Christians are influenced deeply by traditional Chinese culture, and their behavior and cultural patterns are relatively unaffected by Atnerican culture. Chinese American Christians are raised in America and embrace American culture, behavior, and …

Reframing Transition, Jim Regehir

Doctor of Ministry

In the life of any organization, when a significant upheaval or crisis occurs, the participants are thrown into confusion and a sense of direction can be lost. In the church the crisis is more intense simply because, not only is the church an organization, it is also a group of people who have joined together as a representation of the family of God. Thus significant upheaval and crisis can result in not only confusion and a loss of direction, but also a loss of trust in one another and the questioning of God's purpose for them as a community of …