Digital Commons Network^™

Theatrical Roles: An Introduction To Theatre, Gibson A. Cima

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

 

Theatrical Roles: An Introduction to Theatre is an open educational resource (OER) created by Gibson Alessandro Cima for Introduction to Theatre at Northern Illinois University. Published through the Humanities LibreTexts platform under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, the textbook is designed as a free, accessible alternative to traditional introductory theatre textbooks.
Rather than organizing theatre history around a conventional Western canon, the OER approaches theatre through the major collaborative roles involved in production: playwright, director, performer, designer/technician, and audience. The structure emphasizes theatre as a collective human practice rather than a linear history of great men and canonical …

Closing The Revolution: The Criticize Water Margin Campaign And The Politics Of Surrender In Mao’S China, Yaowen Dong

Asia Pacific Perspectives

The mid 1970s witnessed a massive Maoist campaign to attack the late imperial vernacular fiction Water Margin, which had been previously favored by the Chinese Communist Party because of its elements of rebellion and egalitarianism. The paper examines the Criticize Water Margin Campaign in 1975 and 1976 that interpreted the fiction as class-reconciliation and surrender. I argue that the dramatic shift of the narratives surrounding Water Margin manifested the deeply embedded paradox between rebellion and normalization in the communist revolutionary project. Such paradox of revolution is not only the product of the infringement of the coming neoliberal world order, …

Interdisciplinary Practices In The Band Room: Repertoire As A Tool To Enrich Student Learning, Ainsley L. Brouse

Theses - ALL

Interdisciplinary learning is an educational theory approach that emphasizes the importance of incorporating content from different subject areas into the teaching of one’s own topic of study. Research has presented that the use of interdisciplinary teaching practices can have several benefits on students' learning outcomes and overall academic success. Music has deep and rich historical roots that can provide students a more hands-on experience with the concepts and events they are learning in their history classes. The use of interdisciplinary practices through specific repertoire selections will not only provide students with a deeper, more meaningful experience with the music they …

Brief Candles: Memory, Degradation Of Time, Indices And Activation, Jared A. Dominique

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the relationship between landscape, memory, and image-making through a multidisciplinary practice spanning photography, painting, and collage. Rooted in early experiences with skateboarding as a framework, the work adopts a subcultural way of seeing that reinterprets urban space as fluid, contingent, and open to reconfiguration. This perspective informs an ongoing investigation of post-industrial and altered environments as sites marked by both physical and historical violence. The project frames these landscapes as “spectral,” holding traces of human activity, memory, and absence. Alongside this external mapping, it examines an internal landscape shaped by visual memory, personal experience, and mediated imagery, …

Silence After Freedom, Md Minhajul Abedin

Theses - ALL

The project examines how the 1947 Partition of Bengal and India and its fraught legacies continue to shape communal identities and lived experience in Noakhali, Bangladesh. I have used photography as a tool to construct historical memory and to examine how memory and violence are inscribed in place, while visual practice can revisit histories and engage with contemporary lived experience, which official narratives have ignored. I chose Noakhali as a site to understand the regional realities of the Indian subcontinent in a post-colonial era. Noakhali is a southern district of Bangladesh, where I was born and raised. This area has …

Drowned, Pleasured And Veiled, Taylor Simone Gearhart

Theses - ALL

Drowned, Pleasured and Veiled explores how societal ideas around romantic passion can mask manipulative and violent behavior. It examines historical and pop cultural representations of romance that give cover to the everyday violence that patriarchy visits on women within intimate relationships. ​This body of work explores themes of shame, control, desire, and the ways physical and emotional violence can be threaded throughout those experiences. Through photography and performance, the artist visualizes and interrogates the ways power pervades intimate relationships.

Talking To The Eyes: Paradoxes Of Ineffability And Effusivity In Mark-Making, Theodore Xavier Berg

Theses - ALL

Redefining mark-making as an active form of material signification has helped me understand my experience of the paradox of ineffability. This experience is as accurately described by the term effusivity as it is by ineffability, because it is not a matter of what cannot be expressed, but rather of what cannot not be expressed; of the experience that inescapably accompanies expression and signification. As our material means of expression and signification evolve digitally, the consequences of their contradictions become more discernible.

Apparatus Of Relief: On Sustained Exhaustion, Jiayue Yu

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines how contemporary capitalism manages a shared condition of exhaustion—the accumulation of stress, alienation, and mental fatigue—by offering calibrated forms of relief that leave its underlying causes intact. Approaching exhaustion as a collective and structurally produced condition, I make photographs that trace how it is softened and normalized within the spaces we inhabit and move through in our daily lives. Central to the project are what I describe as “apparatuses of relief”: infrastructural features embedded in public and semi-public spaces that are designed to regulate affect and soothe nerves. Operating beneath the surface, these elements promise momentary relief …

“The Fluid Archive” Innovating The Past, Protecting The Future (Virtual Reality And Cultural Preservation), Umar Bashir

Theses - ALL

ABSTRACT This thesis repositions cultural preservation as an experiential and interpretive practice rather than a purely documentary one. Centered on selected Mughal-era monuments of the Walled City of Lahore—structures increasingly affected by environmental decay and urban transformation—it investigates how the sensory and atmospheric dimensions of heritage can persist beyond material deterioration. Rather than reconstructing these sites through strict architectural fidelity, the project proposes The Fluid Archive, an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) environment that prioritizes embodied experience, spatial perception, and memory-driven reconstruction. Acknowledging that history is a constructed narration of the past, the project engages digital technologies as active agents in …

Fighting Like A Girl: The Trauma, Power, And Resistance Of Heroines In Young Adult Fantasy, Sara L. Chappell

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

This thesis examines the evolution of female rage in young adult fantasy literature, focusing primarily on Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series while drawing comparisons to other contemporary heroines. It argues that female rage is not a sign of instability but a politically meaningful response to trauma and systemic oppression. Using trauma theory, affect theory, and narrative identity theory, this project traces how Aelin Ashryver Galathynius’s rage develops from a physiological survival response into protective care, political resistance, and ultimately reclaimed agency. Early in the series, her anger emerges as dissociation and emotional shutdown shaped by trauma and institutional …

Aquinas In The Twenty-First Century: A Reconciliation With The Catholic Church’S Teaching On The Death Penalty, Diego G. T. Abele

Honors Theses

When the Catholic Church revised its paragraph in the Catechism that concerned the teaching on the death penalty, many believed that this seemed to contradict the Church’s traditional teaching on the death penalty, which has included the writings of thinkers like St. Thomas Aquinas. However, after applying principles of his natural law theory, this apparent contradiction goes away, and the full Catholic teaching on the death penalty comes to light. Several key theses of Thomist natural law will be described, addressing the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions it seeks to answer. This will be the backbone of my paper as …

Becoming A "Still Point Of Grace": Identifying Obstacles Faced By Catholic Elementary School Teachers In Meeting The Needs Of Students With Generalized Anxiety In The Classroom, Kerry Smigielski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the midst of a mental health crisis in the United States, teachers in the Diocese of Cityville need to be equipped to serve elementary students who experience anxiety within an authentic Catholic context. The purpose of this study is to begin improvement research on classroom supports for students with generalized anxiety in the Diocese of Cityville elementary schools. Journey lines and a focus group discussion were conducted within a causal systems analysis to respond to the central research question: “What obstacles do Catholic elementary school teachers in the Diocese of Cityville face in meeting the needs of students with …

Issues Of Justice Since Batson V. Kentucky: The Ethical Implications Of Peremptory Strikes In Jury Selection, Andrew M. Nichols

Honors Theses

The usage of peremptory strikes in jury selection have led to several issues over the course of American history. Since their inception in English Common Law, their ethically questionable use has led the United States Supreme Court to rule on them repeatedly, most notable in 1986’s decision Batson v. Kentucky. This case allowed attorneys to challenge the opposing counsel if they suspected that jurors may have been removed from the venire due to their race and reinstate them if such discrimination was present. This thesis argues that this decision has not corrected the ethical issues that I identify, namely …

Art In An Apocalypse: Aids, Activism, And Abolition In Work Of Essex Hemphill And Alternative Video Production, Sydney E. Guntharp

Honors Theses

This thesis is an exploration of Black, POC, feminist, and queer art in the late twentieth century, examining both the AIDS crisis and the increasing privatization of the prison industrial complex as key factors in the development of Essex Hemphill’s poetic, expressive works and the filmmaking activism of various videotape collectives. Through employing the lens of critical prison studies, this work seeks to understand how Black and POC art emerged as a site of political resistance to a carceral state as well as the broader social punishment doctrine that influenced the public health response to AIDS in the United States. …

Resilience In Recreation: Stories Of A Changing Climate, Casey L. Auberle

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly prevalent, the outdoor activities that bond us to our local communities and environments are under threat. In Missoula, MT, drought, rising temperatures, and wildfire smoke change what it means to fish, ski, run, and recreate in our town. In a series of Q&A style podcasts, environmental philosophy graduate student Casey Auberle creates a platform to share stories of a changing climate through the lens of local recreators and climate activists. Capturing these voices invites us to consider our relationship with nature on both an individual and communal scale, to find unity in …

Hi Friend! Msw Portfolio Of Community Building And Advocacy, River Gerard Segar

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This MSW Portfolio emphasizes the importance of being rooted in community and demonstrates how to engage in community building in a way that helps center marginalized voices. This portfolio also highlights advocacy in the United States for transgender people and asserts the need for increased cultural competency in clinical practice with people in non-monogamous and/or kink relational structures.

"First, Do No Harm": Ethical Failures And Preventive Solutions In The United States Pharmaceutical System - A Narrative Review, Rebekah R. Bailey

Honors Theses

The United States pharmaceutical system is highly advanced but faces growing ethical concerns related to drug development and marketing, overprescription, and high drug costs. This thesis examines how pharmaceutical marketing, regulatory practices, and prescribing behaviors may conflict with the ethical principle of “first, do no harm.”

Using a narrative review of interdisciplinary literature in public health, medical ethics, and applied ethics, this thesis analyzes patterns in drug development, marketing strategies, and regulatory oversight. The findings suggest that ethical issues are systemic, driven by commercial incentives, inconsistent regulatory standards, and an increasing reliance on pharmaceutical solutions. These factors contribute to overmedicalization, …

Curated Realities: Algorithmic Media And Cultivated Identity Among Gen Z, Terrell Atkins

Honors Theses

As media environments evolve, so does the process through which individuals form identity and understand social reality.  This study explores how algorithms within media influence identity and worldview, with a particular focus on Generation Z; the first generation born alongside the development of modern media systems.

A mixed-method approach was used with survey data and focus group discussions to better understand how repeated exposure to personalized feeds impact user’s perspectives and sense of self.  This research aimed to investigate how Gen Z users interact with and interpret their social media feeds, with attention to perceived alignment between media content and …

Quiet Change, Close Attention, Tianqing Xu

MFA in Visual Art

This thesis explores how sculpture can reorganize the experience of viewing through material change and small scale. The research begins with a phenomenon I am curious about: viewers are often drawn to moments when objects undergo destruction or transformation. However, rather than focusing on these dramatic moments of collapse, this thesis turns its attention to processes of change that are slow, subtle, and not easily perceived. It argues that material transformation can make time visible, allowing processes that are otherwise difficult to grasp to leave recognizable and traceable clues within the work. At the same time, small scale is not …

The Numeral System Of The Bena Language: Structure And Socio-Cultural Functions, Faraja Mwendamseke

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Numeral systems in Bantu languages reflect both linguistic structure and socio cultural functions. This paper explores the structure and socio-cultural functions of the Bena numeral system. The research employed a qualitative approach whereby the data were gathered through elicitation, and non-participant observation. The study was guided by the cognitive linguistics theory, which reveals how language shapes numerical cognition; testing linguistic relativity by showing how structural features like bases and classifiers influence thinking, memory, and arithmetic acquisition across cultures. The results show that numerals in Bena depict agreements with the noun class system, and follow additive structures in compound forms. The …

Orthographic Representations In American Sign Language Fingerspelling, Zed Sehyr, Lauren Fillet, Kiana Billot-Vasquez, Emily Saunders, Karen Emmorey

Communication Sciences and Disorders Faculty Articles and Research

This study examined fingerspelling accuracy and error patterns in deaf American Sign Language (ASL) signers and written spelling in hearing English speakers to investigate how orthographic representations are shaped by phonological, visual, and motor encoding strategies. Deaf participants (n = 39) completed a fingerspelling repetition task, while hearing participants (n = 35) completed a written dictation task using the same word and pseudoword stimuli. While overall accuracy did not differ significantly between groups, deaf participants exhibited qualitatively distinct error patterns, including higher rates of deletions and transpositions, compared to hearing participants who made more substitution errors. Deaf participants also produced …

Exploring “I Can Only Draw A Stick Figure”: The Influence Of Technology On The Creative Mind In Art Education, Tristan Stephenson

Art 895 Research Papers

Upon hearing someone is an artist, the public seems to commonly share the phrase, “I can only draw a stick figure.” To an art educator who aims to teach anyone about art, this statement may be perplexing. Even if individuals enjoy art as elementary-aged children, it appears people can lose an enthusiasm or mindset for art, regardless of ability. This phenomenological and arts-based study aims to break down why people think they cannot draw and better understand such thinking through the potential impact of today’s technology and digital culture. Information will be gathered through qualitative observations, documents, and visual materials, …

Differentiation In The Arts: Choice-Based Learning To Increase Engagement, Katie Caskey

Art 895 Research Papers

There are many ways in which an art educator teaches. However, some struggle to get students to be engaged with the subject matter or materials. Choice-based project learning can facilitate engagement by allowing students to choose the subject matter or medium in order to become more involved with the learning process. This Arts-Based Research study, using narrative inquiry and visual arts, explores the effects choice-based learning has on the outcome of a project and overall engagement within the learning experience. Students will be given choices throughout the project, essentially making it their own while also meeting the requirements of the …

Creative Aging: Living Well Through The Arts, Joshua Brown

Art 895 Research Papers

This research project discusses and analyzes arts programming designed to enrich the lives of older adults (defined here as people older than 55) using a qualitative approach with quantitative support, and how governments can fund community-based creative aging programming to promote wellness. Over the course of one semester, these research techniques were used to explore the practice of creative aging programming through analysis of state-level data, testimonials from participating artists, reviewing literature on the topic of creative aging, and examination of the artwork produced by older adults through these programs. These programs can directly impact the social health of older …

Exploring Visual Literacy Strategies To Improve Interpretation, Critique, And Artmaking In A High School Art Classroom, Abby Stallbaumer

Art 895 Research Papers

Visual literacy is an essential competency for secondary students as they navigate a world saturated with images and visual media. Intentional instruction of visual literacy enables students to analyze, interpret, and evaluate artworks while developing critical thinking and communication skills that transfer across disciplines. This Mixed Methods research study explored how the implementation of varied visual literacy strategies affects students’ ability to interpret, discuss, and create artworks in a high school level art classroom. Over a period of four weeks qualitative and arts-based techniques will be used to evaluate the outcome of the research through field notes from the researcher, …

Art Foundations In Student Digital Game Projects Within Online Learning, Isabelle John

Art 895 Research Papers

This qualitative study examined how traditional art foundations are reflected in student-created digital game projects developed within an online learning environment. As digital game-making becomes increasingly prevalent in art education, students engage in complex, visual decision-making that extends beyond technical execution. Through the analysis of student digital game artifacts, this study explored the presence of foundational art concepts, such as composition, color, spatial organization, visual hierarchy, and visual culture. Using a constructivist qualitative approach and visual artifact analysis, the study identified patterns in how art foundations were applied within online learning contexts.

Findings indicate that while art foundations were consistently …

Integrating Music And Visual Art: The Impact Of Using A Cross-Disciplinary Approach On Creativity And Engagement, Zoe E. August

Art 895 Research Papers

This study explores the integration of music into the visual art classroom and its impact on student creativity and engagement by encouraging emotional expression and multisensory exploration. The purpose of this research is to examine how access to music during instructional time can have a positive impact on student engagement and creativity. This study may also provide evidence to support the revision of school policies that prohibit student headphone use in the classroom during the academic day. Using a Mixed-Methods Case Study with an Arts-Based Qualitative Inquiry, this research examines how students respond emotionally and creatively when music is intentionally …

Artistic Thinking In Stem Contexts: A Comparative Arts-Based Case Study Of Studio Habits Of Mind And Stem Thinking Frameworks, Annmarie Andersen

Art 895 Research Papers

STEM-aligned schools often include arts through STEAM initiatives, but it is unclear how artistic thinking actually complements or differs from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) thinking. Studio Thinking research identifies Studio Habits of Mind (SHoM) as ways students think and learn through artmaking many of which parallel STEM competencies (thinking practices) such as problem-solving, modeling, and iterative design (Hetland, et al., 2013; Laquea, 2024).

Using student artwork, sketches, and student reflections as primary evidence, this comparative arts-based case study compares how Studio Habits of Mind align with and diverge from STEM thinking frameworks. By comparing these forms of evidence, the …

The Data Driven Body, Kimberlyn P. Konen

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper examines how wearable fitness technologies function as persuasive digital tools that shape cultural understandings of health. Through a qualitative rhetorical analysis of popular devices such as Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin, and WHOOP, the study explores how interface design, data visualizations, notifications, and marketing materials communicate implicit messages about wellness. Rather than acting as neutral measurement tools, fitness trackers promote specific values, including quantification, discipline, optimization, and self-surveillance. Findings reveal that these devices define health through numerical metrics, encourage consistent productivity, frame wellness as competitive performance, and use emotional feedback to reinforce success or failure. Additionally, marketing imagery promotes …

Analyzing Best Practices In Large-Scale Digital Archaeological Databases, Chloe M. Vizier

Honors Theses

Archaeological databases, the foundation of archaeological analyses, have changed drastically alongside the rise of new digital tools in the twenty-first century. Digital databases, alongside other digital tools, must therefore be evaluated for their efficiency and effectiveness within the field. This thesis seeks to determine a set of best practices within large-scale digital archaeological databases through analyzing an existing example: The Paleoindian Database of the Americas (PIDBA). PIDBA is composed of multiple state-level datasets, a trait that both invited collaboration and creates discrepancies in data entry. Though examining both PIDBA's user-facing website and one of its most robust state-level datasets, the …