Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Cumulative Grief, Xuan Pham

Masters Theses

A written thesis to accompany the M.F.A. Exhibition Cumulative Grief, in which the artist's personal and familial narrative explores the complexity and nuances of racial grief.

Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain: Hindsight In 2020, Kenneth Murphy

Masters Theses

The paintings that comprise Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain: Hindsight in 2020 are the output of my research and artistic practice at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. These paintings make visible the complex experiences and misperceptions of men in contemporary society. My intent was to create paintings that bring light to some of the darker aspects of manhood and rework phobias about manhood and male homosexuality through self-deprecation. This reworking is accomplished through the integration of disparate ideas and images, including perception, location, and exteriority, into compositions wherein representation and portraiture (specifically self- portraiture) make visible particular psychological states …

War Of The Moon, Bibiana Medkova

Masters Theses

Space, in the post-World War context, was the new frontier of ‘global’ dominion. Space Race of the 1950s was a competition to signal technological capability and military strength. The objective of War of the Moon is to unpack the motivation for Moon race in 1950s. What did countries have to gain politically, economically, socially and technologically by conquering space and landing on the moon. At what cost? Who financed it, and where did the labor, land, and raw materials sourced come from. And how it was used to accomplish said landing. Space security is a massive aspect of all current …

Exodus, A Museum Of Between: Directing An Original Staging Of Object Journalism, Oral Testimony And Early Italian Opera, Gabriel Harrell

Masters Theses

This written thesis documents how I, accompanied by a team of talented colleagues, conceived of, planned, and began the process of staging Exodus, a museum of between. I begin with an introduction to the theory and influences that shaped the work in its earliest stages. I go on to discuss the major themes of the work, chiefly an excavation of the idea of belonging, and posit a model of theater making modeled on a kaleidoscope, a model that aims to serve as a device through which to see one of our oldest stories with new eyes. I discuss the three …

An Imitation Of Life: The Strength And Struggle Of Women In Murakami Ryū, Joseph Erobha

Masters Theses

This thesis argues that the following texts by Murakami Ryū: “Topaz” (1988), Piercing (1997), Audition (1997), and Popular Hits of the Showa Era (1997), are works of transgressive fiction in which the female protagonists respond to the hurtful restrictions and expectations of their gender roles by expressing a dissatisfaction with their “bodies” within these systems, or exacting personal vengeance against the actors of their oppression. It is through such analysis of these characters that the problems faced by women in modern Japan are scrutinized and brought to attention. Even though Murakami himself has written essays that can appear contrary to …

Literary Portrayals Of Religious Awakening Through Suffering And Loss - Buddhist, Daoist, And Christian Perspectives, Robert Canning

Masters Theses

The focus of this study is on portrayals of religious awakening in four short works of literature: a Chinese play, two Chinese short stories, and an American short story. In all of these works, the protagonists attain religious awakening, but only do so because they experience suffering and loss.

The experience of suffering and loss in these works helps to bring about the protagonists’ willingness to leave the worldly life. This is because the experience of suffering and loss clears the minds of the protagonists and helps them to realize the bitter nature of worldly existence.

In addition, these works …

Letting The Body Lead, Amanda Boggs

Masters Theses

Letting the Body Lead is an exhibition and workshop series that focuses on embodiment in social context and invites attendees to engage with the work, both as viewers and active participants. Embodiment in social context refers to the understanding of lived experiences in the body. Within my creative practice, I explore the body's creativity, knowledge, and agency while bridging and brining together the fields of fine arts, movement-based and socially just art making. I believe in the transformative potential of how movement and contemplative practices can support a more liberated way of being both within an individual and, by extension, …

Effects Of Music And Meditative Movement On Affect And Flow: A Feasibility Study, Lai Yiu Yeung

Masters Theses

This study aims to explore the feasibility and the potential effects of adding music to meditative movement on affect and flow. Fifteen participants were recruited and they were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: (1) Meditative movement only; (2) Recorded music and meditative movement; and (3) Live music and meditative movement. Participants from each group engaged individually in a 45-minute online session, practicing three qigong exercise sets. To determine the feasibility, the acceptability and practicality were investigated through the analysis of anecdotal notes, open-ended questionnaires, and video recordings. Potential effects of music and meditative movement were examined by …

Temembe And Sven: The Ethics Of Racist Mirth, Stephen Wilke

Masters Theses

You walk past a crowd of people at a bar, grouped around one person. He’s in the middle of telling a joke, the kind you wouldn’t tell your parents but is often told in the amenable company of close friends. You realize that the butt of the joke, the punchline, assumes that people of color are lazy and entitled. This is not an assumption you agree wit, but you find yourself with a feeling of mirth while scoffing at the comedian. His timing is well executed, and the turn of phrase is witty. The joke was racist, and yet emotionally …

Constructing And Experiencing The Medieval Waddenland, Hugh R. Milner

Masters Theses

Part of the intertidal zone along the southeast portion of the North Sea, the Wadden Sea Coast runs from modern Friesland and Groningen in the Netherlands, through Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and up the west coast of Jutland to just past Ribe. This project seeks to understand medieval responses to an environment in constant contact with the sea via documentary and historical sources. The people of the Wadden Sea Coast defined their landscape and their history in part with earthworks and water infrastructure, negotiating control of both anthropogenic and natural environments.

Creating A Music Education Curriculum Based On Current Teaching Strategies, Stanley K. Holloway

Masters Theses

Contemporary pedagogical, psychological and sociological researches highlight the need for music education available to every child. Starting from the fundamental point of view according to which music affects the development of the child's whole personality, this idea stands out in history since the 17th century. Various educators in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century emphasized the importance of music education for every child. To nurture a child’s music development, as it is to support the development requires other basic skills in the child’s life. Young children learn most basic life skills from their parents because adults create consciously and …

Designing Clarity: Utilizing Graphic Design To Enhance Media Functionality For The Visually Impaired, Jeremy Curtis Ellison

Masters Theses

The designed purpose of this research is to help to bridge the gap between graphic design and those who suffer from color-blindness. By not only coming to a better understanding of color deficiencies but also rethinking how we approach our use of color within our designs, we may begin to create more inclusive designs, thus communicating more efficiently.

Overcoming The Myth Of The Contemporary “Starving Artist”: An Exploration Into The Fusion And Viability Of A 21st-Century Career In Art And Design, Miranda M. Myles Jackson

Masters Theses

This research explores the myth of the “starving artist” surrounding the pursuit of a career in the arts. Artists are often dubbed as starving due to the pre-conceived notion that careers in art do not provide longevity or financial stability. Due to this stigma, budding creatives are often dissuaded at home, school, or both from pursuing a career doing what they love. Arts programs are often cut and or remain underfunded, mainly due to this biased perception. Research indicates that careers in the arts have expanded exponentially due to its merge with various fields. According to both the STEM vs. …

Modern Myths: Adding To America's Cultural Heritage, Kathryne E. Wood

Masters Theses

As children, we believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny. We cower in fear when our friends talk about the Boogeyman, or how they'll summon Bloody Mary in the mirror. We check our closets, in hopes of finding an entrance to Narnia at the back of them. The world is a mysterious place in which anything can happen, anything can exist. What makes these types of stories so special? How do they generate true belief? What propels a narrative from entertaining story to the status of myth, legend, or folktale? This thesis explores the enduring qualities …

Marks The Spot, Timothy Paul Crane

Masters Theses

This thesis is an investigation into the prtoblem of marketing for small businesses with little funds and means for advertisement. Past, present and predicted future methods of marketing prove there is room for improvement in affordability through existing advancements. Literature reviews and case studies explore the most lucrative ways forward. Research also indicates that large numbers of potential consumers are missed by small businesses due to their general lack of embracing newer communication technology such as store apps. This extra support measure provides users with notifications that highlight coupons and deals and has a proven record of success for larger …

Living My Best Life Gifting Program, Jessica Gilmore

Masters Theses

Living My Best Life (LMBL) is a qualitative research study that explores how creative products can help provide a positive impact on children. Research shows that various forms of art are utilized in therapy, classroom settings, outreach programs, and in homes to help children overcome complicated, disturbing, and disruptive behavior due to adverse circumstances they have experienced in their life. The research revealed how strategy that utilizes and implements creative products and activities can actually alter the perspective of children in a more productive and optimistic manner. The products serve as long and short-term interventions against negative thoughts and actions. …

Nexgen Create: Graphic Design Interface, Mary Kate Elizabeth Morgan

Masters Theses

Students today do not have many options for college or career preparation in the artistic or creative fields. There are many options when it comes to creative careers that students and parents do not know about. There were 266,300 graphic designers recorded in the US in 2019. Based on the additional graphic designers entering the field and those retiring, in the next 10 years, it is expected that the US will need 16,700 new graphic designers to fill those positions. (See Graphic Designer Overview) This project focuses on teaching the next generation skills in graphic design to apply to college …

Christmas In The Lutheran Tradition: A Worship Service Of Music And The Word, Brian E. White

Masters Theses

Christmas in the Lutheran Tradition is a worship ministry project originally designed to fulfill the desire for a Christmas Cantata with a focus on the Lutheran love of music as part of worship service. The thesis includes discussions about the early origins of the Christmas celebration and Martin Luther’s incorporation of congregational singing as part of worship service. The thesis details the author’s original concept and the multiple alterations that became necessary as the community, state and nation continued to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic in the year 2020. The thesis briefly discusses the North Dakota responses to the increasing …

Fundamentals Of Teaching Vocal Music Performance, Malcolm Shaquan Richardson

Masters Theses

This study outlines the significance and sole purpose of developing fundamental techniques of student vocal music performances, using professional constructive evaluation that will improve their overall performance experience. One of the most practical ways to support vocalists is to provide a constructive evaluation of their performances. The implementation of constructive evaluation is to reflect upon what is being done well, discover areas of improvement or refinement, plan and facilitate important lessons, and apply the lessons to future performances. As a music teacher who is actively overseeing the development of students as performing or creating musicians, including constructive evaluation is a …

He Rode Alone: Francis Scott Key As An Advocate For Freedom, Jonathan A. Richie

Masters Theses

Recently Francis Scott Key and the Star Spangled Banner have come under increasing historical scrutiny. Claims and allegations of racism and hidden meanings behind the poem have abounded and even led to statues being torn down across the nation. But what is the truth? In reality Francis Scott Key's record on race and slavery is dramatically more complex than the critics would suggest. Indeed, Key spent nearly 40 years of his life advocating in court for the freedom of slaves in Washington DC.

The Power Of Gratitude (A Worship Service), Joe G. Wehunt

Masters Theses

“So then just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness”. The house of God should be overflowing with thankfulness. This overflow should begin in the parking lot and extend all the way inside the building. With the “Power of Gratitude” service, the plan is to outline a worship event that reminds God’s children of the blessings that He has given through His son, Jesus, and to provide a way for God’s children to worship …

Methods And Motivations Of Multigenerational Churches In Selecting A Worship Music Identity, Joshua Charles Morton

Masters Theses

Churches in the twenty-first century come in all types, shapes, and sizes. The church plant movement is bringing many new churches into existence. With many of these church plants, the assumption is that a contemporary worship style comes with it. This could be viewed this way, because of the high population of younger people that attend these churches. Churches like Elevation Church, North Point Church, Passion City Church, and Saddleback Community Church are all church plants. These churches are magnets for newly established Christians and those seeking to answer questions about God for the first time. They are magnets for …

Staves & Stones: The Truth Of Runic Tradition, Josiah John Duff

Masters Theses

The research problem and task for this thesis was in the analysis of the Old Norse Futhark, or written runic language and how it has been represented through history. In order to educate the reader with a greater understanding and put the runes in context, the runes are analyzed thoroughly before being compared and contrasted to other runic systems that have been represented in modern media. The objective being to identify these similarities and differences in each language and maintain a consistent criteria to measure each language, via original use, design and form, and in-mythos development. Using this criteria and …

Google It! Supplementing Instructional Material In The Secondary Band Classroom With The Google Suite, Jacob Elder

Masters Theses

In order to meet the needs of the students of the 21st century, the traditional methods for teaching in the secondary instrumental music classroom should be updated. The Google Suite coupled with a variety of commonly used instructional music technology programs is one way to modify the traditional classroom to accommodate modern learners. Data from case studies, information on effectively using the Google Suite, and supplemental programs to use for blended instruction are included as resources for the 6th-12th grade band classrooms. Since technology is rapidly changing, the subsequent information and tools provided will be updated continually. Keeping current on …

Gamification Strategies For Music Educators: An Online Continuing Education Course, Luis Enrique Espinosa

Masters Theses

This curriculum project is designed to provide music educators in the public and private sector with introductory knowledge about the topic of gamification and game-based learning, framed within the scope of an online continuing education course. It is meant for adult learners who teach young musicians in the K-12 range. The course offers a set of strategies and step-based processes that help transform a traditional music lesson plan into an interactive and meaningful learning experience that leverages games. The games created by the students in the course can serve to motivate music students by incorporating a sense of competition and …

Be Still: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Mindfulness-Based Practices In Vocal Music Education, Hattie Hannah Elder

Masters Theses

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices improve productivity in general education and vocal settings and have the potential to revolutionize choral music education. The purpose of this research is to improve vocal music education, vocal pedagogy, and voice practice, through the study of mindfulness-based practices and their relevance in vocal practices. The essential question answered as part of this research is, how do mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices increase productivity in the choral classroom? Sub questions addressed in this research include: 1) What is mindfulness meditation?, 2) How is mindfulness already utilized in vocal settings?, and 3) How can mindfulness best be included …

Global Englishes: Variations Of A Single Language In All English Classrooms, Amanda Leigh Faulkenberry

Masters Theses

This study was conducted in order to develop a procedure for creating a globally recognized curriculum for teaching students and teachers about global variations of English. The study first sought to discover attitudes towards global variations of English of speakers in each of Kachru’s three-circles model of World Englishes. Once there was an understanding of the negative attitudes that exist towards variations that fall within all three circles, the next goal was to determine what was being done to change this negative attitude. This meant analyzing curriculum and studies to determine how students and teachers are being educated on the …

British Piracy Policy In Jamaica, Aaron M. Goins

Masters Theses

The British used piracy as a tool of empire to gain a foothold the Caribbean until they had enough resources to create an empire of their own. Piracy functioned as an insurgency for the British keeping the competition in the new world below the threshold of war in Europe but still detrimental to the Spanish. The British used this chaos and the resources it brought in to build themselves while hurting the Spanish. Then, once the British desired stability over chaos they ceased use of pirates and started hunting pirates.

Raising Consciousness: Challenging Diversity In Christian Publishing, Michael Omari Johnson

Masters Theses

The Christian publishing industry has overlooked the importance of diversity, particularly its impact on black American audiences. While studies show that diversity and inclusion can lead to more innovation through problem-solving, there persists a paradox where a lack of opportunities, disparities in wealth and employment and systemic prejudices can play a role in the ethnic and racial homogeneity of the Christian publishing industry. Thus, there are many barriers preventing people of color from emerging to the market, reflecting in the storytelling, content creation and audience of African-descent followers.

Das Ist Doch Trivial! Wie Walter Moers Mithilfe Der Intertextualität Mit Der Grenze Zwischen Hoch- Und Trivialliteratur Spielt, Isabell Stoll

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes two novels by contemporary German author Walter Moers, Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher (City of Dreaming Books) (2004) and Das Labyrinth der Träumenden Bücher (Labyrinth of Dreaming Books) (2011).

Thus far, there only exists a relatively meager corpus of research on Moers because his texts have often been marginalized as ‘trivial.’ Moers only recently started to receive more attention in scholarly contexts and this thesis intents to help filling this still existing void.

This thesis starts with an overview of Walter Moers as an author, his works in general, and focuses on the two novels Stadt der …