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Art As Contextualization: Using Visual Communication As Christian Missions In Native American And Alaskan Cultures, Hali Gehring Dec 2021

Art As Contextualization: Using Visual Communication As Christian Missions In Native American And Alaskan Cultures, Hali Gehring

Senior Honors Theses

Contextualization is an important aspect of Christian ministries and cross-cultural missions to create sustaining churches around the world. There are many forms of communication that use contextualization for religious purposes, such as theatre, story, art, and dance. These important forms of communication can be used with cultural practices to contextualize the Gospel to different people groups. For Native Americans and Alaskans, artistic works that promote cultural heritage are highly regarded. A beadwork piece that explains the Gospel could be a creative way to contextualize to Native American and Alaskans.


The Moderating Effect Of Shame Proneness On Avoidant God Attachment And On Anxious God Attachment, Tamika Andrews Sirmons Dec 2021

The Moderating Effect Of Shame Proneness On Avoidant God Attachment And On Anxious God Attachment, Tamika Andrews Sirmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study’s focus was on examining both anxious and avoidant God attachment and the correlation of each to both positive and negative religious coping as moderated by shame proneness. Participants were 158 individuals ages 18 to 70 years across the United States who proclaim Christianity. They were assessed on their attachment relationship with God, religious coping strategies, and proneness to shame. Correlation analysis already established the relationship between God attachment and religious coping. Regression analysis revealed shame proneness as a moderator of the relationship between the two attachment styles and both positive and negative religious coping. This study had limitations …


China Containment In East Asia: Preventative Or Provocative?, Rachel Solsman Dec 2021

China Containment In East Asia: Preventative Or Provocative?, Rachel Solsman

Senior Honors Theses

Since the end of World War II, the United States has developed and maintained its strategic alliances with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and has worked to contain China through bolstering its deterrence strategy. However, after a century of humiliation, China is modernizing its military capabilities, improving in trade, and increasing political cohesion to become a regional hegemon. In light of these changes to the international order, the United States must re-evaluate its East Asian alliances and its current military and economic deterrence strategy against China. This paper will discuss the history of these alliances, the rise of …


A Tale Of Two Atheists: A Historical Inquiry Into The Lives Of C.S. Lewis & Antony Flew, Zachary Sechler Dec 2021

A Tale Of Two Atheists: A Historical Inquiry Into The Lives Of C.S. Lewis & Antony Flew, Zachary Sechler

Senior Honors Theses

C.S. Lewis and Antony Flew are two of the foremost philosophers of the 20th century. Lewis and Flew both left Christian backgrounds to become atheists during their early years of study. Later, both changed their minds accepted the existence of God. Lewis died a Christian whereas Flew died a deist. Lewis and Flew share many things in common including being accomplished academics, having multiple major worldview shifts, and changing parts of their worldviews as a result of the World Wars. Lewis and Flew both had a major influence in the development of 21st-century philosophy through a variety of works they …


Combining National And State Music Standards To Create A Secondary Choral Curriculum For York County School Division, Leah Parr Dec 2021

Combining National And State Music Standards To Create A Secondary Choral Curriculum For York County School Division, Leah Parr

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite recent revisions of the National Music Standards and the Virginia Music Standards of Learning, there have not been efforts to determine how their combination could create a localized music curriculum. Combining the national and state music standards allows the music educator to employ current music education practices and ensure students graduate with a standard set of musical skills and abilities. This study examined how secondary choral directors can combine these standards to create an effective and sequential curriculum for secondary choral directors in York County School Division (YCSD). A qualitative, historical research approach identified the history of standards-based curriculum …


Everybody Is A Critic: A Guide To The Critical Evaluation Of Visual Media For Generation Z, Cody Alexander Rusk Dec 2021

Everybody Is A Critic: A Guide To The Critical Evaluation Of Visual Media For Generation Z, Cody Alexander Rusk

Masters Theses

The youth of today, especially Generation Z, lack the ability to think critically. An area that seems to be especially difficult for Generation Z to critically evaluate is visual media. This is an issue because visual media has an influential hold (both emotionally and mentally) over this generation and is a key factor in swaying the opinions and behaviors of these young minds. Visual media is a powerful tool that. should continue to be used by future generations, but with the knowledge that there will always be potentially negative influences, and more importantly, ways to identify and defend against them. …


Curriculum Framework For Composing And Arranging For Contemporary A Cappella Choirs, Hillary Nicole Goodson-Spear Dec 2021

Curriculum Framework For Composing And Arranging For Contemporary A Cappella Choirs, Hillary Nicole Goodson-Spear

Masters Theses

As vocalists, it is important for us to understand techniques regarding current styles of vocal composing and arranging including voicing, beat boxing, and body percussion. The success of several mainstream television programs such as Glee and The Sing-Off, popular movies franchises like Pitch Perfect, and groups like Pentatonix and Straight No Chaser, demonstrate the rising popularity of contemporary a cappella music. It also reflects the need to be able to write unique arrangements of traditional or popular songs to keep up with recent trends. Current research suggests that there are very few resources available for music educators to teach this …


Use Of The Music Syllabus From The National Standards Curriculum Nsc, At The Lower Secondary Level, In Kingston And St. Andrew, Jamaica, Ornisea Williams Hird Dec 2021

Use Of The Music Syllabus From The National Standards Curriculum Nsc, At The Lower Secondary Level, In Kingston And St. Andrew, Jamaica, Ornisea Williams Hird

Masters Theses

The Jamaican music education landscape has had a positive shift in the demand for music teachers who are educated to become classroom music teachers. Despite the growing need for trained music teachers to be placed in many high schools in Jamaica and the implementation of two curricula, there has been minimal study that assess how music teachers use the music syllabus from the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) in teaching and learning. The study joins a set of vibrant discussions on the development of music education in Jamaica and examines the use of the NSC at the lower secondary level (grades …


Exegesis: Mark 6:30-44, Younggwang Kim Dec 2021

Exegesis: Mark 6:30-44, Younggwang Kim

Masters Theses

Jesus’ feeding the five thousand is the only miracle that the four Gospels commonly recorded among the miracles Jesus Himself performed. The feeding miracle episode is like the gem, which changes light colors slightly depending on how people see it. However, some scholars try to approach it only in a particular direction and partially understand it. Based on the literary-historical-theological methodology, this thesis has a focal point to disclose the compressive and multi-dimensional implications. The exegesis of Mark 6:30-44 begins with the refinement of interpretive methodology. The methodology of this thesis prudently considers both the traditional perspective and recent research. …


Traversing The Back Door Of The Mind: Directing Imaginative Stories To Generate Meaningful Dialogue About Biblical Truths In A Materialist World, Heather Jean Birkeland Dec 2021

Traversing The Back Door Of The Mind: Directing Imaginative Stories To Generate Meaningful Dialogue About Biblical Truths In A Materialist World, Heather Jean Birkeland

Masters Theses

Ontological materialism hinders evangelistic efforts because it precludes any dialogue about spiritual matters, especially regarding the importance of cultivating an eternal value system. Furthermore, potential meaningful dialogue is inhibited by an audience that routinely rejects overtly Christian materials, which results in failure to develop the correct contextual understanding regarding biblical spiritual truths. The writer provides an overview of the philosophy of ontological materialism and its effects on people, the impact of imaginative storytelling, and the psychology of narrative persuasion. Firstly, the selected thesis topic will explore how non-Christians could potentially approach and engage in biblical truths without hostility through the …


Meeting Madness- Maximizing Meeting Experiences To Promote Higher Productivity And Effectiveness, Heather Nicole Boswell Dec 2021

Meeting Madness- Maximizing Meeting Experiences To Promote Higher Productivity And Effectiveness, Heather Nicole Boswell

Masters Theses

Meetings are commonplace in organizations worldwide. In fact, meetings are important for collaboration, creative innovation, sharing information, coordinating activities, and more. Meetings in and of themselves are not bad; in fact, they are needed. The problem plaguing organizations and employees is the massive amount of time spent in poorly ran and unproductive meetings. This research aims to establish that these unproductive and poorly ran meetings are affecting employee morale, productivity and costing organizations millions each year. Research shows that improving meetings can positively affect strategic organizational outcomes and company culture and save time and money. This body of research shows …


Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair Dec 2021

Chaplaincy: A Practical Approach To Caring For The Human Spirit, Susan Fair

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This DMIN project is based on the Pastoral Ministry program at Nyack College, which publicly promotes that it leads the student to become a professional in the ministry context. The problem is that the academic curriculum does not include components of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). The project facilitator reasons that the current environment demands that spiritual care providers possess a specific skill set extending beyond pulpit preaching, reading scriptures, and prayer. The literature review contains articles, journals, and books that explore caring for the human spirit within the physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, religious, and holistic context. The research methodology designed …


A Contemporary, Modified Suzuki Curriculum For The Beginning Trumpet Player, Brendan Holly Dec 2021

A Contemporary, Modified Suzuki Curriculum For The Beginning Trumpet Player, Brendan Holly

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Through music education symposiums such as the Tanglewood Symposium and Vision: 2020, calls for popular music's inclusion into the public school music curriculum have been made and heard worldwide. In response, public schools have produced new curricula for popular music courses such as rock band, music technology, and other contemporary music classes. In contrast, traditional music courses such as band, choir, and orchestra have remained unchanged. Despite various beginner trumpet method books and content delivery methods, limited curriculum and methods for content delivery exist to prepare beginning trumpet players for interaction with popular music. This qualitative research study critically examined …


Getting Old And Technology, Brenden A. Davis Dec 2021

Getting Old And Technology, Brenden A. Davis

Masters Theses

It is generally agreed upon that the purpose of technology is to aid humanity through various means like: making a task more convenient, or overcoming something previously deemed “impossible.” From the dawn of man to the era in which we stand, technology has steadily improved alongside civilization. This steady progress has seemingly hastened every year. Looking at technology from the viewpoint of “necessary everyday life tasks,” the past three decades have changed dramatically. With every year that passes, more things have become accessible through the web. Not everyone can keep pace with this rapid expansion into the “non-physical” digital world …


A Christian Response To Modern Extraterrestrialism, Chase Perry Cakmis Dec 2021

A Christian Response To Modern Extraterrestrialism, Chase Perry Cakmis

Masters Theses

Extraterrestrial beliefs (ET-ism) have become a cultural craze in contemporary times, infatuating many who encounter these ideas. ET-ism has influenced all forms of media, science, and even religion. With ET-ism permeating all facets of society, Christians need to know how to approach this craze and the ideas that sprout from it. Much research has been conducted on this subject both on the individual and scientific level, thrusting these beliefs from fringe views believed only by the paranoid into widely accepted ideas even within the scientific community. While Christian circles have discussed this subject in the past, it is becoming a …


Restoring Female Agency: Wicked As A Feminist Fairy-Tale Revision, Erica Nicole Fox Dec 2021

Restoring Female Agency: Wicked As A Feminist Fairy-Tale Revision, Erica Nicole Fox

Masters Theses

One method of promoting gender equality that has gained popularity in recent years involves revising the fairy tales, primarily the ones compiled and revised by Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and the Grimm brothers, to create versions in which the female characters have agency and purpose outside of furthering patriarchal gender ideals. The primary goal of the feminist fairy-tale revision is to give the female characters agency, not because they are women, but because they are functioning characters within the story. While there are many authors who attempt to create fairy-tale revisions that embody a feminist perspective, not all are …


Drawing On Imagination: Soul Care For Adolescents Through Art, Nanette Cross Dec 2021

Drawing On Imagination: Soul Care For Adolescents Through Art, Nanette Cross

Masters Theses

The most inescapable part of the human condition is aging. One of the most challenging periods of growth involves the transformation of a person from a child into an adult. Every human being descended from Adam and Eve, has had to pass through the crucible known as adolescence. While some seem to thrive during this period of life, others can have an extremely difficult and overwhelming experience. Inaccurate self-image, peer pressure, lack of acceptance, confusion, awkwardness, bullying, perceived lack of agency, high sensitivity, and high expectations are all stress factors that consistently plague this age group to the point of …


Visual Catechesis: Utilizing Pictorial Illustrations To Facilitate Learning And Retention Of Protestant Doctrine In The United States, Robert Christian Hemme Dec 2021

Visual Catechesis: Utilizing Pictorial Illustrations To Facilitate Learning And Retention Of Protestant Doctrine In The United States, Robert Christian Hemme

Masters Theses

A lack of catechetical instruction within contemporary Protestantism in the United States has resulted in a large number of self-identifying Christians not knowing important tenets of their faith. The modern era also presents a unique dilemma in that North American culture is steeped in visual stimuli due to technology, so that even were catechistic instruction revived, many individuals might balk at a traditional, text-centric process. This thesis explores improving comprehension and retention of orthodox Protestant doctrine in the United States through integrating pictorial illustrations into the classic Christian pedagogical methodology of catechesis. Because of unceasing debates surrounding numerous, nuanced theological …


Police Perceptions And Parenting Styles Among Black Parents Of Miami-Dade County, Amber E. Roach Dec 2021

Police Perceptions And Parenting Styles Among Black Parents Of Miami-Dade County, Amber E. Roach

Masters Theses

A person’s perception of something or someone does not develop without external factors affecting the individual. Experiences and lessons people have learned from a young age have molded their perception of the world. One of those lessons is what is considered correct and what is not. In the Black American community, this is accompanied by the “talk”. This “talk” is shaped by past experiences with the police towards minority groups, specifically, Black Americans. This paper discusses how parenting styles, race, and authority intersect. The purpose of this paper is to examine the beginnings of one’s life, the lessons they are …


Volunteering Creativity: A Tool For Growing The Church’S Creative Volunteer Base, Landon Joel Benson Dec 2021

Volunteering Creativity: A Tool For Growing The Church’S Creative Volunteer Base, Landon Joel Benson

Masters Theses

Churches often struggle to identify and recruit talented visual communicators because of a lack of familiarity with visual communication, limited resources, and an inability to recruit to an area of ministry they do not understand. Marketing needs accelerate as fast as technology innovates, and if the church fails to keep up, it will lose its relevance. With each passing day, the importance of having an effective creative team at a church’s disposal grows. Most of the research on this subject focuses on who participates in volunteering and identifying demographic or economic statuses. Few researchers have taken the next step to …


In The Straits: Making History Accessible Through The Parent-Child Relationship, Grace Elizabeth Crocker Dec 2021

In The Straits: Making History Accessible Through The Parent-Child Relationship, Grace Elizabeth Crocker

Masters Theses

Historical fiction gives its readers the chance to meet historic figures, fight alongside their favorite characters in past wars, and experience forgotten ways of life. This genre also offers an alternate route for those who enjoy learning about history but who do not particularly enjoy reading the classics. With my chosen creative work, In the Straits, I invite my readers to explore the lesser-known past of Malaya and what it was like during the days leading up to the bloodiest war in history, World War II, through the eyes of a separated father and daughter who will do anything to …


Serving Special Education Students In The Music Classroom: Accommodating And Advocating For Learners With Exceptionalities, Kathryn Lambert Dec 2021

Serving Special Education Students In The Music Classroom: Accommodating And Advocating For Learners With Exceptionalities, Kathryn Lambert

Masters Theses

Music education programs positively impact the lives of students both socially and emotionally. As the following research suggests, music may have an even greater impact on students with disabilities or exceptionalities. Due to the lack of accessibility, funding, time, training, and other issues, opportunities in music education programs may be limited to groups of students who may not fit the standard music education student profile. As teachers of common core classes may struggle to accommodate students with exceptionalities and may feel as if they are lacking in resources or other needed preparation to adequately serve these students, these struggles are …


The Supporting Role: Cultivating A Writing Life To Prevent And Combat Writer's Block, Molly Elizabeth Hanberry Dec 2021

The Supporting Role: Cultivating A Writing Life To Prevent And Combat Writer's Block, Molly Elizabeth Hanberry

Masters Theses

Every writer will suffer from writer’s block from time to time, and there are two general schools of thought in dealing with this affliction: wait it out or struggle through. The purpose of this thesis is to illuminate the nature of writer’s block from a fundamental level, beginning with the neuroscience of creativity. From there, it will explore the three root causes of writer’s block: lack of inspiration, burnout, and fear. And finally, with an understanding of its causes, it will be possible to examine ways to combat writer’s block through methods based in neuroscience, personal experience, and professional advice …


Tomb And Temple : The Poet’S Use Of Positive Body Imagery To Communicate Messages Of Psychological Wellbeing, Shelby Elizabeth Poulin Dec 2021

Tomb And Temple : The Poet’S Use Of Positive Body Imagery To Communicate Messages Of Psychological Wellbeing, Shelby Elizabeth Poulin

Masters Theses

Mary Oliver writes that imagery is the texture of a poem, and the “detailed, sensory language incorporating images . . . gives the poem dash and tenderness” (Oliver 92). Imagery brings poetry to life, offering the reader a whole-body experience over simple description. Oliver cautions, however, that imagery is powerful and should be used responsibility, further implying that this texture can also become jolting, harsh, or offensive if used incorrectly (Oliver 107-108). With this caution in mind, the purpose of my forty-six poem collection—Tomb and Temple: Letters to the Body—is to use images of the body responsibly, in a way …


Songwriting: A Collaborative Approach To Music Education, Deondra Morrison Dec 2021

Songwriting: A Collaborative Approach To Music Education, Deondra Morrison

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the benefits of the use of collaborative learning projects in music education, with the intent to inform the practice of music educators. This study will reveal that many educators in the field of music view collaborative learning as a catalyst to change student culture and music classrooms around the world. The following research questions guided this study: (1) How do collaborative learning methods benefit music education curriculum? (2) What type of plans, support, and materials do music educators need to successfully guide their students in small group student-centered music and instruction? (3) …


Patrick Henry And John Jay: True Patriots And Advocates For Civil And Religious Liberty, Nancy Lynn Greenwood Dec 2021

Patrick Henry And John Jay: True Patriots And Advocates For Civil And Religious Liberty, Nancy Lynn Greenwood

Masters Theses

Patrick Henry and John Jay had a significant impact in the founding of the United States of America as two of the principal and most influential Founders. They were also among the most public Christians of all the Founding Fathers. Their dedication in their fight for civic and religious freedom as a means to maintaining liberty was well-known. Despite these similarities, they opposed each other on most every major issue. Each envisioned different governments in which to obtain liberty and to keep the American republic. This thesis seeks to explore the differences and similarities between Henry, as a leader of …


Improvisation And Interpretation For High School Instrumental Students, Jeffrey J. Bianchine Jr. Dec 2021

Improvisation And Interpretation For High School Instrumental Students, Jeffrey J. Bianchine Jr.

Masters Theses

Improvisation is associated with jazz or rap in modern western culture, but classical music has a long tradition of improvisation featuring famous improvises such as Mozart and Liszt. Improvisation develops critical thinking and problem solving, essential skills in the American job market. The typical instrumental student does not often get the opportunity to use this. Bloom’s Taxonomy explains that students who do critical thinking activities in class have a better understanding of the course material. This course will equip students to improvise with others, make executive decisions about artistic elements in the repertoire, self-cretic playing, and compose a short cadenza.


Eldre65: Creating A Website For Senior Adults Based Upon User Experience, Rebecca Joy Bozarth Dec 2021

Eldre65: Creating A Website For Senior Adults Based Upon User Experience, Rebecca Joy Bozarth

Masters Theses

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, “Time and tide wait for no man.” He was correct. Aging is universal. It affects all humans in positive and negative ways. From children becoming teens to adults becoming senior adults, each stage of life brings changes and challenges. In one’s forties, menus can become harder to read, hair can fall out, hearing in loud environments can become difficult. Then, in one’s mid-sixties, more difficult challenges can arrive. Health issues such as high blood pressure, diabetes, lung disease can become a regular part of one’s life. Cognition slowness, vision and hearing loss can create difficulties not only …


Exploring The Relationship Between Trauma, Motivation, Current Stress, And Immigrant Elementary Students, Jayme Branagh Landon Dec 2021

Exploring The Relationship Between Trauma, Motivation, Current Stress, And Immigrant Elementary Students, Jayme Branagh Landon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The current study explored the relationship between past trauma of immigrant students and motivation in a group of public-school elementary students in Washington state. Additionally, this study explored how stress affects academic motivation. It was hypothesized that past trauma would significantly affect immigrant student motivation and that current stress would moderate motivation in school. Only students with past trauma experience and who qualify as an immigrant, were included in this study. Participants completed The Cameron Complex Trauma Interview (CCTI), Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), and The Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C). While motivation has been studied, the factors …


The Effectiveness Of Christian Accommodative Mindfulness To Reduce Burnout Of Parents And Educators Of Disabled Children, Donna M. Weston Dec 2021

The Effectiveness Of Christian Accommodative Mindfulness To Reduce Burnout Of Parents And Educators Of Disabled Children, Donna M. Weston

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project utilized a four-week Christian accommodated mindfulness protocol with parents and educators of disabled children as a dissertation in completion of the author’s doctoral studies. Chapter one provides an introduction to the need for the study, both in terms of the gap in research and the needs of the population to be studied, as well as the problem, purpose, and significance of the study, research questions and definitions. Chapter two discusses the relevant literature regarding the stressors and mental health challenges facing parents and educators of disabled children, especially in light of the increased risks and challenges posed …