Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Emerging Media In 18th Century Literature: How Jane Austen Invented Facebook, Rebecca Shaver

Honors Theses

The focus on the downfalls and misunderstandings of the Austen anthology has allowed critics to ignore her incredible ability to scientifically dissect the intricate workings of social circles and networks comprised of psychologically accurate characters and interactions. For instance, her portrayals of gender roles (heterosocial/sexual and homosocial/sexual) within those circles were so apt that they often still true today. The transcendental human nature of individuals like Emma's Emma Woodhouse and Mansfield Park's Fanny Price causes us to question how Austen amplifies and enlightens our understanding of how modern social networks, like Facebook or Twitter, stem directly from historically complex affective …

Re-Evaluating Peacebuilding In The Democratic Republic Of Congo: A Case Study In Dongo, Wilita Sanguma

Master's Theses

Re-evaluating Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo: A case study in Dongo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (Congo) is a country rich with natural resources centered in the heart of Africa. Since the colonial era, the country has seen more bloodshed than peace and development. From 1996 to 2003, Congo experienced the worst conflict since World War II, with over six million people dead. Despite having the largest United Nations peacekeeping troops present; Congo continues to be plagued by violence. This research thesis argues that the international community failed to promote a lasting peace in Congo because the international …

Is The Daily Show Bad For Democracy? An Analysis Of Cynicism And Its Significance, Evan Bartlett

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

In recent years, satirical news programs like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart have emerged as an important development in contemporary American society, culture, and politics. Critics have argued that The Daily Show has a negative impact on the political attitudes of American citizens by making them cynical about government and the political process as a whole. As a result of these attitudes, they argue, citizens are less apt to participate in politics and, in turn, this behavior is detrimental to American democracy. The purpose of this research project is to explore the debate over whether or not The Daily …

The Reactionary Road To Free Love: How Doma, State Marriage Amendments And Social Conservatives Undermine Traditional Marriage, Scott Titshaw

Scott Titshaw

Much has been written about the possible effects on different-sex marriage of legally recognizing same-sex marriage. This article looks at the defense of marriage from a different angle: It shows how rejecting same-sex marriage results in political compromise and the proliferation of “marriage light” alternatives (e.g., civil unions, domestic partnerships, or reciprocal beneficiaries) that undermine the unique status of marriage for everyone. In the process, it examines several aspects of the marriage debate in detail. After describing the flexibility of marriage as it has evolved over time, the article focuses on recent state constitutional amendments attempting to stop further development. …

Breckinridge Family Correspondence (Sc 46), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 46. Photostats of correspondence of John and Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, Lexington, Kentucky, with Thomas Jefferson, 1793-1821 (29 items); a letter to James Monroe, 1804, and correspondence containing comments on the Revolution in Virginia, 1781 (1), and on activities at the Breckinridge’s farm, Cabell’s Dale. Also photocopy of published article based on the papers, 1968.

A Blueprint For Buddhist Revolution: The Radical Buddhism Of Seno’O Girō (1889–1961) And The Youth League For Revitalizing Buddhism, James Shields

Faculty Journal Articles

In the early decades of the twentieth century, as Japanese society became engulfed in war and increasing nationalism, the majority of Buddhist leaders and institutions capitulated to the status quo. One notable exception to this trend, however, was the Shinkō Bukkyō Seinen Dōmei (Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism), founded on 5 April 1931. Led by Nichiren Buddhist layman Seno’o Girō and made up of young social activists who were critical of capitalism, internationalist in outlook, and committed to a pan-sectarian and humanist form of Buddhism that would work for social justice and world peace, the league’s motto was “carry the …

Moss, John Mckenzie, 1868-1929 (Sc 518), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 518. Papers of John McKenzie Moss, lawyer, judge, and politician of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Notice of his contest of election, 3^rd Congressional District, 1900; letters to Moss pertaining chiefly to politics, 1902-1903; letter of Moss to lawyer, 1902.

Red Tide Rising: Fears From The 1950s Haunt Obama In 2012, Todd Shallat

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

On August 20, 1952 over the cheers of 19,000 people at the foot of the Idaho Statehouse steps, Republican presidential nominee Dwight Eisenhower tarred the party of Harry Truman with an attack that haunts Democrats to this day.

The Obama Effect: A Radical Rorschach Test, Jill Gill

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Watching Barack Obama’s presidential victory in November 2008, nearly every observer seemed to grasp the historic importance of the moment. Our nation, born amid ideals of human equality while economically tethered to black slavery—and then for a century more to federally-condoned, nationwide discrimination—had just elected its first black commander in chief. Clearly, America had taken another huge stride toward living out the meaning of its creed. After all, Obama unexpectedly beat Hillary Clinton in very white states like Idaho and Iowa to win his party’s nomination. Then he picked up some unlikely victories within the former Confederacy, namely Virginia, Florida …

Shreve, Royal Ornan (Sc 2611), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2611. Typescript copy of “Volume II: Their Superfluous Highnesses,” by Royal Ornan Shreve. This document is from Chapter IX, titled “Richard M. Johnson,” Detailing the Life, Political and Military, of a Former United States Vice-President.

Miller, John Goodrum, Sr., 1853-1936 (Sc 2613), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2613. Bound typescript volume of the “Memoirs of John Goodrum Miller” which details Miller’s relocation to Murray, Kentucky to practice law. Also includes commentary about the history of Kentucky, particularly the Pennyrile region. He relates historical events that impacted his life and his opinions on a variety of topics.

Blackburn, William, 1808-1870 (Sc 32), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 32. Letter written by William and Jane Blackburn, Allen County, Kentucky, to their brother and sister, Mr. & Mrs. A.D. Billingsley, Ladoga, Indiana, concerning family news, the local political situation and the growth, trade and export of tobacco.

Closing The Gaps? The Politics Of Maori Inequality., Evan Poata-Smith

Evan S. Te Ahu Poata-Smith

No abstract provided.

Ka Tika A Muri, Ka Tika A Mua? Maori Protest Politics And The Treaty Of Waitangi Settlement Process, Evan Poata-Smith

Evan S. Te Ahu Poata-Smith

No abstract provided.

Bramlette, Thomas Elliott, 1817-1875 (Sc 720), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 720. Letter written by Thomas Elliott Bramlette, Louisville, Kentucky, to President Andrew Johnson, Washington, D.C., concerning recommendation that Bramlette had made for a state political appointment which he wants disregarded as he has learned that the man recommended “is a radical of the negro suffrage and impeachment school.”

Women’S Political Leadership In Massachusetts, Paige Ransford, Meryl Thomson, Sarah Healey

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) at UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies has been tracking the election of women at the municipal level in Massachusetts since 1996. In 2003, the Project expanded to include all New England states. CWPPP remains the only research center in the United States that regularly tracks women’s political representation at the local level.

Compromising Scholarship: Religious And Political Bias In American Higher Education, George Yancey, Bruce A. Chadwick

BYU Studies Quarterly

George Yancey, a professor of sociology at the University of North Texas, has focused his research on racial and ethnic bias. His recent books include Interracial Families: Current Concepts and Controversies and Interracial Contact and Social Change. Yancey's newest study in Compromising Scholarship documents the bias of university faculty against members of various groups. Professor Yancey, aware that scientists, just like other Americans, are hesitant to reveal any prejudice or bias, focused his study on "collegiality" in an attempt to distract respondents from the research interest in bias. Yancey conducted his study via Internet survey and blog analyses in the …

How Hip-Hop Fell Out Of Love With Obama, Erik Nielson

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Barack Obama was once hailed as America's first hip-hop president. Why have so many rappers now given up on 'B-rock'?

The Tractarians' Political Rhetoric, Robert Ellison

Robert Ellison

This article examines the political speaking and writing of John Keble, John Henry Newman, and other leading figures of the Oxford Movement. It argues that while they were essentially conservative in the pulpit, where they spoke as official representatives of the Established Church, they were more critical and outspoken in other works, where they enjoyed more of the freedom afforded to private citizens.

Crittenden, John Jordan, 1787-1863 (Sc 708), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescript (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 708. Letter written by John Jordan Crittenden, United States Senator from Kentucky, Frankfort, Kentucky, to Ohio Congressman, J. W. Allen, concerning the recent defeat of Henry Clay and the Whig Party.

"It Was Awful, But It Was Politics": Crittenden County And The Demise Of African American Political Participation, Krista Michelle Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the vast scholarship that exists discussing why Democrats sought restrictive suffrage laws, little attention has been given by historians to examine how concern over local government drove disfranchisement measures. This study examines how the authors of disfranchisement laws were influenced by what was happening in Crittenden County where African Americans, because of their numerical majority, wielded enough political power to determine election outcomes. In the years following the Civil War, African Americans established strong communities, educated themselves, secured independent institutions, and most importantly became active in politics. Because of their numerical majority, Crittenden's African Americans were elected to county …

History, He Wrote: Murder, Politics, And The Challenges Of Public History In A Community With A Secret, Robert R. Weyeneth

Robert R. Weyeneth

No abstract provided.

Cassell, J. Frank, 1872-1925 (Sc 2559), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2559. Letter, 20 June 1921, from Frank Cassell, Chairman, Louisville, Kentucky Legislative District, to Pearl Smith (Mrs. Stuart A.), Louisville, informing her of her selection as a delegate to the Democratic nominating convention to be held on 22 June 1921.

Griffith, Josh T., 1861-1939 (Sc 2557), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2557. Form letter, 24 March 1903, from Josh T. Griffith, Clerk of the Daviess County (Kentucky) Court, setting out his credentials and seeking support for the Democratic nomination for State Treasurer.

In Appreciation Of Birago I. Diop: A Subtle Advocate Of Négritude, Winston E. Langley

Winston E. Langley

The closing weeks of the last decade brought with them the death of three distinguished world figures: Samuel Beckett, the Irish-French playwright, novelist, and poet; Andrei D. Sakharov, the Soviet nuclear physicist, human rights advocate, and leader in the international disarmament movement; and Birago I. Diop, the Senegalese poet, storyteller, and statesman. In the case of the former two, leading U.S. newspapers and other media paid merited tribute in the amplest of proportions; in case of the last, however, it was as if he had either never lived or had gained no standing of importance worthy of much attention. Diop …

[Review Of The Book Icons Of Democracy: American Leaders As Heroes, Aristocrats, Dissenters And Democrats], Nick Salvatore

Nick Salvatore

[Excerpt] Icons of Democracy is a welcome change from the rather arid, often quantified analyses of political leadership so prevalent in academic writing. Well read in both primary and secondary sources, Miroff has deeply grounded his ideas in the rich historical context. In addition, he carefully chose his subjects and drew from their experiences central themes which, in divergent fashion, they also held in common. The resulting collective biography engages and challenges the reader. While partial to leaders in the dissenting tradition (they are "our true subversives and at times our truest democrats"), Miroff consistently points to the complexity of …

Stevenson, John White, 1812-1886 (Sc 433), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 433. Letter from John White Stevenson, Covington, Kentucky, to L.Q. Washington, Washington, D.C., regarding Washington’s candidacy for undesignated office, Kentucky’s Congressional races, and the upcoming national election.

The Socialist Design: Urban Dilemmas In Postwar Europe And The Soviet Union, Elidor Mehilli

Publications and Research

Taking a cue from two books—Stephen Bittner’s account of the “many lives” of the Soviet Thaw and Greg Castillo’s study of the Cold War as a series of battles in design and the domestic sphere—as well as a recent explosion of interest among historians in the Khrushchev era, “spatial history,” material culture, and East–West exchanges, this article addresses the paradoxes of the Thaw as exemplified in urban form. It argues for the interconnected nature of domestic, international, and Eastern bloc- level dynamics by viewing processes of the Thaw simultaneously from the angles of neighborhood, city, and empire. These angles capture …

You Say You Want A Revolution? [Review Of The Book The Other Side Of The Sixties: Young Americans For Freedom And The Rise Of Conservative Politics], Nick Salvatore

Nick Salvatore

[Excerpt] Was the New Left a premature revolution, the fruits of which must await a future set of proper conditions to develop? Or was it more a victim of a giant government conspiracy that crushed a vibrant and growing oppositional tendency? Adherents of these and similar interpretations thus can explain the demise of the New Left while protecting its image as a tribune of a people in inevitable, if slow, political motion. But a perspective less protective of the New Left might reveal more. Perhaps treatments of that era have never fully captured either the complex turnings of America's political …

In The Jungle Of Cities [Review Of The Book Harold Washington And The Neighborhoods: Progressive City Reform In Chicago, 1983-1987], Nick Salvatore

Nick Salvatore

[Excerpt] At first glance such a spatial transformation of work may seem positive, as indeed it was for the largely white work force that left the city and staffed these new positions. But left behind geographically, economically, and socially were the largely black (and to a lesser extent, Mexican) working-class residents. It was at this juncture, with jobs disappearing and the urban social structure fragmented, that black Chicago, symbolized in the person of Harold Washington, finally assumed political power. In Harold Washington and the Neighborhoods, editors Pierre Clavel and Wim Wiewel have collected a group of essays that examine the …