American Studies Commons^™

A Higher Synthesis: The Problem Of The Monument And A Radical Dr. King, A. E. Thibus

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This paper attempts to tackle state revisionism of monumental figures in American history through the case of Martin Luther King Jr., a radical who has been reimagined and whitewashed through conservative efforts for political purposes. I use examples of other historically revised prominent figures by the state to demonstrate the phenomenon. King's case can be connected to Derrick Bell and Critical Race Theory (CRT), an obscure legal study and fellow victim of conservative revisionism. I explore the history of CRT and show how the backsliding of the United States government coincides with a factitious honoring of diversity through cleansed figures …

Co-Writing Nashville Style: A Recital Of Selected Country Songwriters, Joseph H. Wandass Iv

Recital Papers

Country music and songwriting have been hallmark features of the Nashville music scene for well over a century. Due to the development of the concept of "the Nashville Dream," the idea that one can "make it" in music by moving to Nashville and writing songs, migratory patterns to Nashville from across the United States have changed the ways in which Nashville-based music is created and disseminated. In the thesis and accompanying recital, these trends are analyzed through the lens of ten selected active Nashville songwriters who have seen these trends. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree …

Exploring The Regional Traditions Of Fiddling, Anna N. Eyink

Music Theses

During the 1600s, the modern violin traveled from Italy to the British Isles and North America. The instrument became a vital piece of each region's musical culture, and distinct fiddling traditions became established in Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton, and America. This thesis explores the history of the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton, Appalachian, and bluegrass fiddling traditions. Additionally, the performance practices of each style are discussed in depth and are related back to the traditional tunes recorded as a part of this project.

The Epic Journey Of Pepe The Frog: A Study In Post-Truth, Jaq Webb

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

Abstract

The internet meme Pepe the Frog is an excellent avenue for exploring the relationship between post-truth politics, new media, and viral ideas. While memes as conceptualized by Richard Dawkins are essentially timeless components of human society, internet memes as exemplified by the hijacking of Pepe the Frog by the Alt-Right and the Trump campaign are a novel force with uniquely dark implications for liberal democracy. In this study, I attempt a leftist analysis of the best thinking about Post-Truth Trump-era politics and the communication tactics of the Alt-Right, which suggests that some of the same cultural and material forces …

Look At Her: The Subversive Spectacle Of Grande Dame Guignol Cinema, Michelle Smith

English Theses

While the Grande Dame Guignol films of the early 1960s served in their time to capitalize on the reputations of aging female stars and the growing popularity of the horror genre, an updated reading of this subgenre proves that it is rich with social critique regarding the feminine experience, social performance, and the tendencies of classical Hollywood cinema that promote a dominant, patriarchal social narrative. While many popular and critical responses diminish them as “psycho-biddy” or “hagsploitation” films, the Grande Dame Guignol tradition’s transformation of its actresses from glamorous icons to unrecognizable villains rejects such limiting appraisals by focusing on …

The Problem Of Obviousness, Benjamin Goldberg

Sophia and Philosophia

1. The Problem of Obviousness
There’s no such thing as obviousness.

This isn’t, of course, itself obvious; nor is it clear why it should be a problem. So let me start elsewhere, with the anti-vaccine movement. A friend of mine laid out the ‘obvious’ position: there are facts and rationality on one side, unenlightened ignorance and bigotry on the other. Scientists versus fools, and the fools don’t even know what game is being played.

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Vii, 1972-1973, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Vi 1971-1972, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Iv 1971-1972, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook V 1971-1972, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Iii 1970-1971, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Ii 1969-1970, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook I 1968-1969, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Susan Virginia Eblen's Scrapbook 1942-1943, Susan Virginia Eblen

Scrapbooks

Susan Virginia Eblen

Ethel Mary Schwartz's Scrapbook 1941-1942, Ethel Mary Schwartz

Scrapbooks

Ethel Schwartz atended Ward-Belmont during the 1941-1942 school year.

Mattie Palmer's Scrapbook 1935-1937, Mattie Palmer

Scrapbooks

Mattie Palmer attended Ward-Belmont during the 1935-1937 school years.

Charlotte Sanders 1928-1929, Charlotte Sanders

Scrapbooks

Charlotte Sanders attended Ward-Belmont during the 1928-1929 school years.

Elizabeth Igler's Scrapbook 1927-1928, Elizabeth Igler

Scrapbooks

Elizabeth Igler (1910-1995) went to Ward-Belmont during the 1927-1928 school year. She received her law degree from the University of Cincinnati Law School, graduating in 1932. She would go on to have a splendid law career and was one of the few practicing female lawyers in Cincinnati in the 1930s. She clerked for the Honorable Howard Bevis, Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and became the first Solicitor for the Village of Glendale in 1934. She married Lawson E. Whitesides in 1935. She was a member of the Ohio State Bar Association for almost 60 years.

Mary Margaret Hill Scrapbook 1923, Mary Margaret Hill

Scrapbooks

Mary Margaret Hill went to Ward-Belmont during the 1923-1924 school year.

Rosalyn Kirsch's Scrapbook 1920-1922, Rosalyn Kirsch

Scrapbooks

Rosalyn Kirsch went to Ward-Belmont during the 1920-1922 school years. She created this scrapbook during her time there.

Mary Stewart's Scrapbook 1918-1919, Mary Stewart

Scrapbooks

Mary Stewart went to Ward-Belmont during the 1918-1919 school year. She created this scrapbook during her time there.

Mary Daly Mcwilliams' Scrapbook 1918-1920, Mary Daly Mcwilliams

Scrapbooks

Mary Daly McWilliams went to Ward-Belmont during the 1918-1920 school years. She created this scrapbook during her time there.

Marguerite Griffith's Scrapbook 1917-1918, Marguerite Griffith

Scrapbooks

Marguerite, born in 1901 in Huntington, West Virginia, attended Ward Belmont during the 1917-1918 school year. She married Harry D. Witherspoon on September 15, 1920, and they moved to California. They had two children: Merilyn and Sara Patricia Witherspoon. They moved to North Carolina where Harry worked as a manager. Marguerite died in 1954 with her husband Harry followed in 1956.

Jessie Whitesell Scrapbook - 1916-1951, Jessie Whitesell

Scrapbooks

Jessie Whitesell went to Ward-Belmont during the 1916-1917 school year. While there are a few elements in the book from her time as a student, the scrapbook mostly details the closing of Ward-Belmont as it went through its transformation to Belmont College.

Hattye Mae White Scrapbook 1916-1918, Hattye Mae White

Scrapbooks

Hattye Mae White was born in San Antonio, Texas on October 16, 1897. She attended Ward-Belmont during the 1916-1917 school year. She married Charles Cousins Johnson Jr. on September 7, 1918, and the pair had one son, Captain Charles Cousins III, born August 2, 1919. Captain Cousins would later die during World War II. Hattye Mae White Johnson died on June 23, 1979, in Texas.

Myrtle Conyers' Scrapbook 1915-1916, Myrtle Conyers

Scrapbooks

Myrtle Conyers attended Ward-Belmont for two years, 1914-1916.

Rachel Abernathy's Scrapbook 1915-1916, Rachel Abernathy

Scrapbooks

Rachel Abernathy went to Ward-Belmont during the 1915-1916 school years. She created this scrapbook during her time there.

Judith And Emily Jordan's Scrapbook 1915-1918, Judith Jordan, Emily Jordan

Scrapbooks

Judith (1895-1938) and Emily Jordan (1897-1977) were two sisters that attended Ward-Belmont during the 1915-1918 school years. Judith married Rivers McNeill Anderson and had three children: Bettie, Rivers and Judith. She died in 1938. Her sister Emily married James Anderson and the pair did not have any children. Emily died in 1977 while her husband passed a year later in 1978.

Addie Forman Young's Scrapbook Ii, 1914-1915, Addie Foreman Young

Scrapbooks

Addie Forman Young was born on November 3, 1896, in Morganfield, Kentucky. She attended Ward-Belmont from 1913-1914. She married Thomas Price Lilly on November 12, 1919, and the pair moved to Kentucky where Thomas worked in a variety of positions. They had three children: Robert, Thomas, and Elizabeth. Addie died on June 20, 1973, with Thomas passing on May 31, 1986.

Addie Forman Young's Scrapbook Iii, 1913-1914, Addie Foreman Young

Scrapbooks

Addie Forman Young was born on November 3, 1896, in Morganfield, Kentucky. She attended Ward-Belmont from 1913-1914. She married Thomas Price Lilly on November 12, 1919, and the pair moved to Kentucky where Thomas worked in a variety of positions. They had three children: Robert, Thomas, and Elizabeth. Addie died on June 20, 1973, with Thomas passing on May 31, 1986.