German Language and Literature Commons^™

The Effect Of Intentionally Engaging Attention When Viewing Restorative Environments: Exploring Attention Restoration Theory, Charles E. Jaggard

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although research exploring Attention Restoration Theory has been extensive, certain procedures for its study seem to be taken as implicit, but require investigation for a deeper understanding and application of both the theory and its underlying processes. This study aimed to answer the questions: “What is the result of engaging directed attention when viewing otherwise restorative environments?” and “Does this intentional engagement have any effect on already fatiguing non-restorative environments?” Participants were asked to complete a task designed to fatigue their directed attentional capacity and then view images of restorative or non-restorative environments, wherein they either were asked to direct …

Acoustic Communication In The Temperate Treefrogs Pseudacris Crucifer And Acris Crepitans, John Keating

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spring peepers and cricket frogs produce advertisement calls to attract females. As ectotherms their body temperatures are greatly affected by ambient air temperature. Some characteristics of their advertisement calls are correlated with temperature. I analyzed advertisement calls of both species recorded in western-central Indiana. I compared call characteristic correlations with temperature found in our populations to those in populations in other geographic areas and found similar trends throughout the range of both species. Secondly, I examined aggressive calls in the spring peepers. Aggressive calls are used in male-male interactions, and in the spring peeper are a distinct call type different …

Development Of An Optimal Lean Six Sigma Model, James Taylor

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lean six sigma is a hybrid continuous improvement methodology that is not standardized and is not well understood. A review of literature found that the spectrum of lean six sigma approaches extends from those that are lean dominant to those that are six sigma dominant. This research illuminated the lean six sigma methodology by methodically assessing the literature via text mining and cluster analysis. Text mining was used to establish the degree to which lean six sigma models, as described in articles published in the International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, are lean dominant versus six sigma dominant. The iterative …

Ptsd And Disclosure: Understanding The Implications Of Personality, Jena Wierwille

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of research outlining the onset, course, and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the question of why some, but not others, develop the disorder remains unanswered. One of the most widely accepted predictors of the disorder is the presence of negative posttraumatic cognitions. However, because the term “posttraumatic” implies a retrospective prediction, the clinical utility of this finding is relatively insignificant; it does not allow for the identification of those most at risk for developing PTSD prior to trauma exposure. A more promising area of research concerns the degree to which individuals feel comfortable discussing their thoughts and …

Alternative Ways To Enumerate Data On Race In Puerto Rico: Are Racial Segregation And Spatial Clustering More Evident When Using A Culturally Grounded Methodology?, Reuben Allen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nationalist discourse concerning race in Puerto Rico generally states that residents are of the same racially mixed heritage—a combination of Spanish, West African, and indigenous ancestry of various degrees. However, literature and casual observations suggest that the population is characterized by greater variation in physical appearances than what is posited by “admixture” discourse. Moreover, and further complicating the understanding of race, 2010 U.S. Census data show that over 75 percent of Puerto Ricans self-identified as “White, alone”, and that only 3.3 percent of respondents indicated “Two or More Races.” Researchers, employers, and governmental agencies attempting to address or further analyze …

Brahms The Exotic: The Representation Of Non-European And Ethnic `Others' In The Hafiz/Daumer Settings Of Opus 32, "Romanzen Aus L. Tieck's Magelone," And "Zigunerlieder," Opus 103, Kristina Marie Eckelhoff

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Though scholars, performers, and classical enthusiasts alike recognized and praised the many facets of his compositional craft, Johannes Brahms's treatment of poetry in his Lieder has led to much conflicting assessments. The negative critiques exist partially because the majority of scholars do discuss an interpretation of the poems but seldom explain precisely how Brahms conveys the texts' meanings through his music, leaving the more specific details of text-to-music relationship and what it shows about Brahms's own understanding of the texts unexplored.

Brahms's Lieder have also been criticized because of the supposed lack of exotic qualities in those works that portray …

Fritzsche's New Book Looks At World Science Fiction Films, Kim Hill

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Dreams, Hallucinations, Moving Statues, And Ekphrasis In Ludwig Tieck's Visual Writings, Joseph D. Rockelmann

Open Access Dissertations

When reading Ludwig Tieck's texts the reader becomes aware that dreams, the unconscious, and art play a key role. This study seeks to posit that Ekphrasis and dream interpretation are similar due to both analyzing a visual image and attempting to translate the visual into the verbal in order to gain a better and more complete understanding of it. G.E. Lessing believed that poetry and the visual arts were equal since each art form has its own strengths and when combined they create a complete art form. The artist focuses on portraying a single moment and its beauty so that …

Humor In Discourse: Herr Flick And Lieutenant Gruber In ‘Allo ‘Allo, Toke Van Gehuchten

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humor in discourse is often characterized by the specific, i.e. humor arises in a particular context. Sitcoms often provide a medium for humor in that the characters act as types through the aid of linguistic tools. In the case of ‘Allo ‘Allo, for instance, the German character of Herr Flick is exemplified by his extensive usage of syntactic features, which are associated with speaker dominance, e.g. frequent use of the imperative, deontically used modal verbs and conciseness of utterance. On the other hand, the character of Lieutenant Gruber is typified by his usage of mitigation speech devices, such as the …

Die Raumsemantik In Ferdinand Von Saars Schloß Kostenitz Und Adalbert Stifters Brigitta - Ein Vergleich, Anna-Rebecca Nowicki

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Seeking Infinity: Exploring The Meaning And Potential Of Young Adult Literature, Jacinta Yanders

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The category of Young Adult (YA) Literature has experienced tremendous growth in terms of readership and works produced over the course of the last fifteen years or so. While there has been some scholarly work done on the category, the research pales in comparison to almost any other facet of literature. For whatever reasons, scholars have largely decided to ignore the changes that have occurred in YA. However, that has not stopped readers from continuing to read these books. In fact, this paper not only addresses the background and what I believe to be the defining characteristics of YA, but …

Theory And Practice Of Translation: An Original Translation Of Regina E. G. Schymiczek’S Die Weide Der Seepferde (The Pasture Of The Seahorses), Bradley J. Davey, Ralph W. Buechler

Honors College Theses

This study outlines the original translation of the recently published Die Weide der Seepferde (2013) from Regina E. G. Schymizcek. We employ known translation techniques by following Hervey’s (2006) suggested gradients of degrees of translation and cultural transposition. While translating the work we discovered a unique aspect of German-English translation which we believe fundamentally adds to knowledge of translation theory.

Ästhetische Grenzgänge. Das Weiblich Erhabene In Schillers 'Jungfrau Von Orleans' Und Kleists 'Penthesilea', Miriam Zeh

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Multi-Media Approach To Building Listening And Speaking Skills In The Context Of Cultural Competency, Kirsten A. Krick-Aigner, Nina Jackson, Sara Futch

Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows Projects

Students at Spartanburg High School recently received Apple MacBooks for use in the classroom. The goal of this project was to come up with short supplementary materials using this new technology to build German listening and speaking skills, as well as cultural competency. The hope was that incorporating technology would hold the interest of the students and provide new opportunities for instruction for the teacher. It was also hoped that the activities created would bring German culture to life for the students. The activities are divided into 4 sections: Nachrichten, Lieder, Jojo sucht das Glück, and Films & Märchen. Each …

Women Unafraid Of Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography Of Women Journalists Of The Neue Freie Presse 1920-1933, Carl Hayden, Dr. Robert Mcfarland

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Though women may have hidden behind masculine façade’s as indicated by Ann Tizia Leitich’s chastising remark, they definitely were not remaining as quite as they once did. Compared to the late 1800’s where one would be lucky to find five articles written by women in a given month, one can easily find about thirty in a given month during the 1920’s. Women expressed not only views about fashion in these articles, but also critiqued Freud, submitted literary analyses, created wonderful allegories and shaped the views of the United States of America and Japan. Through Professor Robert McFarland’s and my efforts, …

Germans & The Wild West: A Cinematic Reinvention Of German National Identity In The Cold-War Period, Romy Franks

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A few weeks ago, I was in my office with my younger sister, Maya, as she looked over our International Cinema poster. To my astonishment, I heard her say, “What? There’s a German film about Indians? Weird!” I think my disbelief stemmed from the fact that I had just returned from a research trip in Germany to study this very topic. It dawned on me in that moment that if my own sister was unaware of the Germans’ love for cowboys and Indians, then how in tarnation would the general American public be expected to know about this?

The Folk Heroine Elise Von Der Recke: Her Life And The Fictions Surrounding It, Nathan Conder, Dr. Michelle James

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the late 18th century Count Cagliostro, an occult figure and magician, traveled across Europe preaching that he was able to contact the dead, and gaining many followers. In 1787 Elisa von der Recke, a woman with close connections to Cagliostro, wrote a book denouncing him as a fraud and warning others to not be taken in by him. Elisa von der Recke’s book was a huge sensation, first because it denounced one of Europe’s most notorious persons, and second, because it was written by a woman, and at that time women simply did not write these kinds of works. …

Comparing Gains In German Vowel Production Across Three Learning Environments, Anna Katharina Burton, Dr. Laura C. Smith

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This study sought to compare pronunciation gains in German in three learning environments, focusing especially on the umlauted vowels, e.g., /ø:/ as in Schönheit ‘beauty’ and /y:/ as in üben ‘to practice.’ Our research aimed to answer the following questions: 1. In which learning environment do students make more improvement in vowel production during an 11-week period: on a Berlin Study Abroad (SA), living in the German House, or while taking German classes? And 2. To what extent do problems with production of umlauted vowels impact the way native speakers rate the pronunciation of learners’ vowels?

Putting The Muse To Music: German Composers And Elisa Von Der Recke, Aubrey Hatch, Dr. Michelle James, Cindy Brewer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Some artists create music directly, while other artists—like Elisa von der Recke—inspire others to create music. Elisa von der Recke was a literary phenomenon in her era, a woman whose writing was taken seriously by male readers, thinkers, and, very importantly, by male composers. At the height of her popularity and shortly after her death, several of Germany’s best composers put Recke’s poetry to music. Unfortunately, for all of their popularity during the German Romantic period, Recke’s poems—as well as their musical accompaniments—have all but disappeared1. The purpose of this project was to both compile and transcribe music that was …

Influences And Perspectives: Studying Abroad In Germany, Alexandra Nelson

Honors Theses

A group of Western Michigan University students who studied abroad in Germany within the past two years were surveyed to better understand what influences opinions and stereotypes of another culture. In this thesis the country and culture that was specifically observed was Germany. This thesis focuses on three factors that influence an individual’s opinions of another culture: (1) the influences from the individual’s family, friends and culture/society of his/her home country, (2) the influences from the host country’s culture/society of his/her study abroad, and (3) the influences of his/her experiences while studying abroad. In the survey, the students were asked …