American Popular Culture Commons^™

Beisswenger, Donald Andre (Fa 1), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1. Project titled "White Gospel Music in Logan County" conducted by Donald Andre Beisswenger for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Includes interviews with Jeff and Gwen McKinney and Chester Whitescarver about singing schools and white gospel music. Transcript of McKinney interview included as well as a tape summary for the Whitescarver interview.

Lybarger, Shaunn Maree (Fa 115), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

"Menstruation: Childbirth and Child-rearing." Independent study compiled for a Western Kentucky University Folk Studies class. Utilizing existing Folklife Archives collections, Lybarger referenced beliefs, customs, and cures associated with fertility, families, child-rearing, and menstruation.

Modern Transnational Yoga: A History Of Spiritual Commodification, Jon A. Brammer

Master of Arts in Religious Studies (M.A.R.S. Theses)

Yoga as both a physical activity and a spiritual practice has become an established part of Western culture. In recent years, the interest in postural forms of yoga and the philosophy from which they spring has developed into a multi-billion dollar industry; it has spawned volumes of popular histories and "how-to" books on the subject. However, scholars are only beginning to understand the true roots of modern transnational yoga (MTY) as it has developed in recent times. This thesis reviews the last two decades of scholarship in order to provide a credible explanation for MTY origins and argues that viewing …

Marge Simpson, Blue-Haired Housewife: Defining Domesticity On The Simpsons, Jessamyn Neuhaus

Jessamyn Neuhaus

The article discusses the representation of domesticity on the television cartoon show "The Simpsons." The author looks at ways in which the show ridicules the concept of the nuclear family and ways in which it reaffirms the nuclear family as essential to contemporary society. The author argues that the show satirizes the concept of the suburban families on sitcoms and that the character of Marge Simpson reflects the fictionality of the televised housewife. How the show embraces the centrality of female domesticity is examined.

The Promise Of Gangster Glamour: Sinatra, Vegas, And Alluring, Ethnicized, Excess, Laura Cook Kenna

Occasional Papers

Las Vegas has been linked with Frank Sinatra since the 1950s. The highly‐publicized performances of the Rat Pack (consisting of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford) at the Sands crystallized the image of Las Vegas as a place that mingled economic mobility with excess. This excess was often associated with ethnicity and frequently linked to crime. It was, however, the excess that made Las Vegas and Sinatra glamorous to many audiences.

Preservation Ethics In The Case Of Nebraska’S Nationally Registered Historic Properties, Darren Michael Adams

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation focuses on the National Register of Historic Places and considers the geographical implications of valuing particular historic sites over others. Certain historical sites will either gain or lose desirability from one era to the next, this dissertation identifies and explains three unique preservation ethical eras, and it maps the sites which were selected during those eras. These eras are the Settlement Era (1966 – 1975), the Commercial Architecture Era (1976 – 1991), and the Progressive Planning Era (1992 – 2010). The findings show that transformations in the program included an early phase when state authorities listed historical resources …

Walking Box Ranch Custodianship Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 10, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Walking Box Ranch

• UNLV provides stewardship of Walking Box Ranch (WBR) by providing a caretaker who oversees the property, facilitating use of the property by researchers and educators, developing a use and research policy for the property, and coordinating these activities with BLM and in accordance with TNC restrictions.
• UNLV currently addresses security issues for the property through the presence of the caretaker and two Metro Officers who reside on the property in two recreational vehicles. UNLV has prepared a draft document outlining this agreement that will be signed by UNLV and participating officers. This agreement is now under review by UNLV solicitors. …

Jack Kerouac: Le Sel De La Semaine, Thomas A. Ipri

Library Faculty Publications

In 1967, Jack Kerouac appeared on the French service of the Canadian Broadcasting Service on the program Le Sel de la a Semaine. This Icarus Films release takes a fascinating look at Kerouac’s connection to Quebec where his parents are from. This interview by Fernand Seguin took place just 2 years before Kerouac’s death, making the program all the more poignant.

Ingram, Tracy (Fa 482), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text (click on "Additional File" below) for Folklife Archives Project 482. Folklore material classified by genre. Information collected by Tracy Ingram related to folklore genres for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Cates, Steve Dixon, B. 1940 (Fa 526), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 526. Correspondence, programs, newsletters, and other materials collected by Steven Dixon Cates relating to Sarah Gertrude Knott and the National Folk Festival Association. Included is his correspondence about his involvement with a variety of folk festivals and program materials from several National Folk Festivals.

"American Dream" Or Global Nightmare?, Melanie E. L. Bush

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

In the United States we are witnessing a period of heightened contestation about the parameters of nationalism, patriotism, and loyalty. The oft-heard phrase "Support the Troops" now signifies the desire both to send more soldiers to war and to bring home those already in combat. This "nation of immigrants" has spawned a new generation of "minute-men" to defend national borders while mainstream discourse touts the benefits of "diversity." Dreams of upward mobility present for some during the mid-20th century seem now hazy at best as the proportional income of those at top grows while the rest of the population increasingly …

Hatfield-Gaines Family, 1834-1981 (Mss 2275), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2275. Chiefy receipts, deeds, wills, and other legal and financial documents of the Hatfield and Gaines families of Simpson County, Kentucky. Includes some Civil War-era correspondence of the Hatfield family.

Scisney, Sheri L. (Fa 256), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 256. Paper: "The African-American Set on Western Kentucky University Campus" written by Sheri L. Scisney for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Bowers, Joseph P. (Fa 269), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 269. Paper: Analysis of Brooks Campbell written by Joseph P. Bowers for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Burns, Christie (Fa 524), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 524. Collection consists of material accumulated by Christie Burns for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. Includes personal narratives, a reading of Thanksgiving editorials from the "Wall Street Journal," and video clips from a performance at the Nonsuch Dulcimer Club's 2004 gathering at Launde Abbey in Leicester, England. Also includes photographs of material culture specimens.

Jorgensen, Tim, B. 1976 (Fa 525), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 525. Collection consists of material accumlated by Tim Jorgensen for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. The collection includes recordings and field notes from interviews with 5 individuals on jokes, songs, peronal narratives, and peach seed carvings. Also included are photogaphs and field notes from a going away party and a 2004 auction of knives, guns, and razors in Bowling Green, Kentucky and photographs of examples of material culture.

Slaney, Brett (Fa 523), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 523. This collection consists of material collected by Brett Slaney for a Western Kentucky Univeristy folk studies class. The collection includes a recording, tape index, photograph, and field notes from a bluegrass performance at the Rosine Barn Jamboree in Rosine, Kentucky. Also included are field notes and photographs from the 2004 Southern Folklilfe Festival at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee and photographs of examples of material culture.

Pace, Tracy (Fa 522), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 522. This collection consists of material collected by Tracy Pace for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. The collection includes audio and video recordings of jokes, songs, a ghost story, a baby shower, a birthday party, and a personal narrative. Also included is material from the West Side Nut Club Fall Festival in Evansville, Indiana.

"Play Along" With The Authors: Half-Life 2, Bioshock, And Video Game Narrative, Samy Masadi

Honors Projects

Applies narrative analysis to two story-based video games, Half-Life 2 and BioShock, arguing that such games combine traditional narrative elements in innovative ways. Includes discussion of narratology, ludology, and game narrative theory.

Shorts, Roberta (Fa 520), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 520. Material collected by Roberta Shorts for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. Included are recordings and fieldnotes for interviews with six individuals on personal experience narratives, ghost stories, and jokes and photographs, fieldnotes, and a PowerPoint presentation on material culture and of a 2004 String Cheese Incident concert at the Louisville Palace Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky.

Gibbs, Renee Dorothea, B. 1976 (Fa 521), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 521. Collection consists of material accumulated by Renee Dorothea Gibbs for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. Includes a recording, index, and photographs from an interview with James Larry Crawford about growing up in Cave City, Kentucky; Mammoth Cave and other caves in the area; and farming tobacco. Also includes photographs of dishes and baskets made by Willow Block.

Jackson, Rebecca Lee Watson (Fa 519), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 519. Collection includes material collected by Rebecca Lee (Watson) Jackson for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. Included are interviews with five people about personal narratives, riddles, horses, and Serbo-Croatian folk tales, photographs of examples of material culture and photographs and a list of performers from the 2004 Southern Folklife Festival at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee.

Glynn, Luanne Carol (Aylesworth) (Fa 518), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 518. This collection contains tape recorded interviews (28) conducted by Luanne Glynn with Ellis Yeargin Hurt (1900-1994) of Cadiz, Trigg County, Kentucky. The interviews relay Ellis's life history. The project also includes an interpretive paper, a project proposal and summary as well as tape indexes. This project was the result of a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University.

Flener, Sheila Gail (Sullivan), B. 1958 (Fa 517), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Collection includes material collected by Sheila S. Flener for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. Included is an interview with Frank Sullivan about his childhood, family, and Korean War service and a PowerPoint presentation dealing with folklore genres and including photographs from the 2004 Saint James Art Show in Louisville, Kentucky; the 2004 Crossing Festival in Glendale, Kentucky; and examples of material culture.

Perrin, Anne Gray (Fa 516), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Collection includes materials assembled by Anne Gray Perrin for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class. Included are interviews with four informants about family and personal narratives and ghost stories; photographs of the 2004 Kentucky American Saddlebred Pleasure Horse Association’s State Championship in Shelbyville, Kentucky; and photos documenting material culture in Bowling Green and Shelbyville, Kentucky.

Williams, Michael Ann (Fa 512), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 512. This collection contains an application for an assistance grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the assessment and preservation of the audio recordings in Western Kentucky University’s Folklife Archives. Also included is the final performance report “Preservation Assessment of Audio Recordings in Western Kentucky University’s Folklore Archives.”

Cain, Bevie Waughn, 1844-1883 (Sc 2251), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2251. Letters (31) from Cain to James M. Davis, written mostly during the Civil War from her home and school in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, and from Illinois. A strong Confederate sympathizer, Cain responds to Davis’s support of the Union, criticizes President Abraham Lincoln, and opines freely on love, courtship and marriage. She also writes of mutual friends, family, and social and religious activities. Includes 3 additional letters to Davis from his father, sister, and a friend who writes of an opportunity to manage a store. Also includes …

Twenty Years After Through The Arc Of The Rain Forest: An Interview With Karen Tei Yamashita, Noelle Brada-Williams

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

A brief interview in which Yamashita discusses her work which has spanned twenty years and three continents. The interview closes with her description of her newest novel, I Hotel, which brings readers back to the roots of Asian American Studies and Asian American Literature and is set during a pivotal ten-year period in Northern California.

African Americans In The Upper Cumberland Region (Fa 510), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 510. Collection features interviews with and about African Americans in the upper Cumberland region of Kentucky and Tennessee. The project was part of a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University taught by Lynwwod Montell.

Keeping History Alive: David Mccullough And The Debate Between Popular And Academic History, James R. Allen

History

The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between academic history and popular history through David McCullough, one of the most successful popular history writers. It attempts to reconcile the schism between the two schools of thought, and provide a middle ground where each can stand.