Cultural History Commons^™

March Madness Plus, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

March Madness, the NCAA marketing term, often is anything but. This year in both the women’s and men’s rendition, March Madness spilled over, as it often does into April. The final weekend, featuring the men’s and women’s semi-finals and finals, offered more madness than could have been hoped for.

What’S Behind A Number? An Analysis Of Maternal Healthcare In Cuba And The Impact Of Policy On Women’S Autonomy, Brynn Urban '25

Honor Scholar Theses

The primary aim of this research is to contrast personal testimonies from birthing women in Cuba with the frequently boasted Cuban health statistics in order to illuminate important discrepancies existing between what is reported by the state versus the reality of individual experiences. Investigation into women’s personal testimonies of mistreatment within maternity homes and hospitals in Cuba will reveal significant disparities that exist within the socialist healthcare system that have otherwise gone unconsidered. In order to contextualize these lived experiences as products of problematic post-revolutionary ideologies, the political, economic, and social stakeholders in the Cuban healthcare system will be outlined. …

Deconstructing The Afd: An Analysis Of The German Right-Wing Populist Political Party, The Alternative For Germany (Vchc Poster), Elizabeth A. Breckenridge

Research and Creativity Symposium

The Alternativ für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) (AfD) is a far-right populist party that has quickly grown in power within the past decade, particularly in Eastern German states, due to its emphasis on nationalization, populist rhetoric, and attraction to voters’ fears about immigration and cultural change. The AfD has managed to mobilize strong voting support within five years, gaining parliamentary seats in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament) in 2017, and is now considered the main opposition party to the established parties. The AfD is the first right-wing party to gain significant voting attention since 1945, capitalizing on the rise of right-wing …

The Grizzly, April 3, 2025, Kate Horan

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

This is an April Fool's parody edition of the Ursinus College Grizzly newspaper entitled "The Goofly."

Resilience Against Neglect

The Civil Rights Movement (HIS/BLS 347) Zine Project

No abstract provided.

Woven By Culture: A Comparative Study Of Traditional Dress Across Regions And The Societal Forces Behind Fashion, James T. Granger

Senior Theses

This study attempts to examine how societal influences that different countries have obtained from years past affect their traditional fashion. By sketching 200 traditional female dresses from every sovereign country in the world, I have taken the time to analyze and create depictions of their sociological and stylistic choices. I have chosen to examine the countries of Cambodia, Republic of Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Finland, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Panama, and Tonga as they all represent different regions of the globe. Breaking down each of their dresses into their specific garments and accessories is essential to better understand the culture and the …

Res Historica, Volume 4, Lynneth Miller Renberg Phd, Alpha Rho Epsilon Phi Alpha Theta

Res Historica

The 2025 journal of historical research by Anderson University students, Res Historica.

The editorial team for this edition of Res Historica was Dr. Lynneth Miller Renberg, Samuel Sanders, and Julia Ackerman. The cover art for this volume is an open access image.

Crusading Against Vice In The Progressive Era: American Anti-Profanity Leagues And Their Legacy, Evan J. Christensen

Roland D. Sawyer Scholarship Papers

During the Progressive Era in the United States, the rise of Anti-Profanity Leagues—such as those led by Roland D. Sawyer and Arthur S. Colborne—mirrored a growing national moral sentiment against profanity that aligned with broader ideals of social reform and public virtue. These leagues responded to widespread concerns about the perceived erosion of public decency and sought to promote “clean speech” through grassroots organizing, religious engagement, and civic advocacy. This paper situates the Anti-Profanity Leagues within the larger framework of Progressive Era moral reform movements, including temperance, anti-vice campaigns, and social purity efforts. Drawing on period newspapers, archival materials, and …

Hidden Gems In The Cops/Metro Archival Collection, Qiuying Chen

Posters - 2025

This student poster was created for the 5th annual Research Showcase at St. Mary's University. From the poster:

University of Texas in San Antonio’s Special Collections has boxes upon boxes of COPS/Metro archival records which include rarely-known stories including these about a United Nations award, nationwide documentaries, and an inspiring bishop. In this project, it is my goal to uncover these special memories.

Remembering Ancient Heroes: How Literary Devices Inbeowulf And Homer Assist In Poetic Recollection, Emily Davey

Posters - 2025

In both Ancient Greek and Old English traditions of poetry, memory is an essential part in the retention of the language and story in the culture’s history. Beowulf shares some poetic lyrical elements with Homer’s epithets. Though both poems have unique and different poetic meters, they possess similar tactics in the language to move the story along while providing poets “footholds” in the poem to remember the story.To deliver these stories of heroes to the public, the sophists of Greece and the scops of Celtic England had only one tool available for the record of these lengthy poems: their capacity …

Cultural And Religious Perspectives On Suicide And Healing, Arielle Friedman

be Still

This essay is built off of a paper I wrote in a college global health course on culture and mental illness. I have always been fascinated by cultural interpretations of illness & believe that as a future physician, it is my responsibility to educate myself and others on the complex interplay between religious ideologies & recognition/management of biological disease in order to provide appropriate patient-centered care.

Reporting On The Dark Continent: The Albert Chance Collection As An American Representation Of Africa, Devon Szczepkowicz

Student Publications

For Americans in the throes of World War II, the international world was a complex and uncertain place. The news media, which offered reports from the war fronts, helped to ground Americans in this world. Another source which supplemented these reports, and which has been overlooked in the historiography, was the letters of soldiers stationed abroad. In writing on their surroundings, soldiers acted as journalists, supplying their audiences with intimate insights into foreign locations. Albert Chance (1903-1990), stationed in North Africa and in Italy, was one such soldier. His letters from North Africa provide a glimpse into the ways in …

The Interaction Between The Dagda’S Harp And Celtic-Inspired Music, Sixie Chen, Jeanne Sumrall

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The purpose of this study is to find out the relationship between one of the Irish mythological symbols---The Dagda’s Harp and Celtic-Inspired Music. In Irish mythology, the god Dagda is able to use his harp to cause grief, joy, and sleep to people. The Dagda and his kin escape with the harp in battle against the Fomorians, which gave birth to these three strains of music, which would be played throughout Ireland as well as to the seasons, which sprang from his songs.

March Is Full Of Madness, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Today is the first day of the Men’s Sweet Sixteen in the Moveable Feast called March Madness. It comes in an extended weekend of what might be the maddest March in history. No, I am not talking politics. I am talking about sports in America and a television schedule that could burn out the circuitry on TV sets across the country.

The Grizzly, March 27, 2025, Kate Horan, Renee Washart, Xazlee Carroll-Smith, Caitlin Cunnane, Emily Veasey, Adam Denn, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Stand Up for Science Rally • Parlee Center Receives $3.2 Million Gift • Nowruz, the Persian New Year Celebration • Ritter Refresh • Breaking Biology Barriers • Opinion: "Who Are You, the Fashion Police?" • Wonderful Winter Stars! • Baseball's Successful Spring

A Canvas Decolonized: An Exploration Of Haiti’S Colonial History Through Haitian Artists Philemon Obin, Jean Appolon, Sheilby Mecena, Flex Morisseau–Leroy, And Claes Gabriel, Dominique Dempsey

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

A Canvas Decolonized examines the complex realities faced by Haiti through the lens of its vibrant artistic heritage, highlighting the role of art in interpreting, preserving, and challenging narratives about the nation's history and identity. By exploring the works of Haitian muralists, photographers, painters, and poets including Jean Appolon, Flex Morisseau Leroy, Claes Gabriel, and Edwidge Danticat this study illuminates how these artists engage with themes of colonization, immigration, generational trauma, and cultural displacement. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Frantz Fanon and Benedict Anderson, the paper argues that Haitian art provides a powerful medium to analyze and contextualize the …

Research In Indigenous Historiographies: Oral History As Evidence For Federal Recognition Of Indian Tribes, Colette Haworth

Graduate Research Conference (GSIS)

Significant to the field of cultural studies is the identification of cultural artifacts, which enable scholars to analyze the complexities of societies, comprehend cultural dynamics, and investigate the ways in which individuals and communities construct meaning and identity in cultural contexts. Oral history, an intangible cultural artifact, has been an important cultural identifier, particularly for marginalized individuals and communities. The development of critical oral history (COH) methodology has alleviated some of the criticism toward oral history as a valid methodology. In fact, some scholars contend that COH has moved beyond the realm of academic research to “provide a policy relevant …

The Grizzly, March 6, 2025, Kate Horan, Jesse Cherone, Ashley Adam, Nathaniel Nerone, Saher Khan, Sidney Belleroche, Adam Denn

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Bears' Basketball Season Comes to an End • Tidbits About Title IX • Bears Together Strong • Saher on the Modern Rainbow Scare • Fundamentals • Opinions: Ranking Dining Options on Campus • Gymnastics Looks to Finish Strong! • Women's Wrestling Ready to Rumble

Anarcho-Syndicalism In The Negaunee Branch Of The Finnish Socialist Association, Michael P. Selwa

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

Socialism reached a prominence as a movement in the United States during the early 20th century. Fueled by the machinations of industrial capitalism and labor reform, many workers, immigrants, and other individuals would arrive to the precepts of socialism, a political movement avowing to shirk the constraints of capitalism on the proletariat. Specifically, the question of why and how labor unions should function in a socialist society was a central tenet of debate within the faction of the American Socialist Party. The central question of this article is to examine why anarcho-syndicalists argued against traditional socialist reformist arguments in the …

Rolling The Dice: The History Of Indian Reservation Gambling In The Upper Peninsula, Xavier Binkley

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

The History of Indian reservation gambling in the Upper Peninsula is of a struggle for expectance from the state government, and of the people in the state. The positive economic gain of states being one of the reasons behind why the rise of the gaming industry needed to happen. With the passing of The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act helping the regulation of reservation gambling and breaking down what was not allowed under the act. Newspapers and an interview with Frederick Dakota, give a personal look into the rise of the gaming industry and the struggle that the people were having …