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Misidentified Bodies And Missing Data: Exploring Forensic Disempowerment And Skeletal Narratives Of Transgender And Gender-Diverse Individuals In The United States, Taylor M. Flaherty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The bodies of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals represent a physical nexus of contempt and scrutiny. In the United States (U.S.), TGD people experience disproportionate levels of violence and premature death, contributing to a persistent epidemic of harm. Institutionalized anti-TGD biases have reinforced systemic neglect, leading to the routine exclusion of TGD individuals from research, data collection, and historical archives. The absence of state or federal initiatives to track mortality trends and risk factors among this population further exacerbates their systematic erasure. In particular, forensic scientists have traditionally relied on dichotomous indicators of sexual expression which may fail to account …

“Restless And Uneasy…Thin And Stretched”: The Ring, The Ringbearers, And Bodies In Psychological Crisis In Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings., Sara Brown

Journal of Tolkien Research

The attachment that Tolkien’s Ring-bearers have for the Ring, a twisted and perverted form of love, is sterile and barren; it leaves those affected unable to settle and form fruitful, loving relationships with others, an effect that Tolkien referred to as a “Ring-restlessness.” Gollum, Bilbo, and Frodo all suffer, to their own degree, from the psychological crisis caused by the Ring that renders them uneasy and agitated. This paper examines this crisis through a psychological lens, exploring how the Ringbearers are living in discord with their true selves, and struggling with the meaninglessness of life that the Ring leaves behind.

Perceiving The Perceiver: “Viewing” Sauron Through The Gestalt Theory Of Perception, Cameron Bourquein

Journal of Tolkien Research

This paper uses Gestalt theory, the Gestalt laws of perception, and the reception theory of Wolfgang Iser to elucidate the character “Sauron” as he appears in The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power, and Tolkien’s wider legendarium. It argues firstly that Sauron’s high degree of indeterminacy and ambiguity suggests he can be read as a gestalt entity, one the reader creates by mentally constructing a whole from (seemingly) disparate parts. Building on the semiotics work of Nagy (2013), it argues that Sauron in The Lord of the Rings can be read as gestalt across the spatial, …

Fears And Pains And Rages: The Psychology Of Gandalf's Anger, Nicholas Birns

Journal of Tolkien Research

We are used to seeing emotions in Tolkien as coded morally. Lust or possessiveness is evil whereas care and forbearance are good. There are some emotions, though, that cross these moral boundaries and one of these is anger Moreover, anger in Tolkien is very coded in terms of gender, as it is nearly always male rage. After examining the cases of Saruman and Wormtongue (angry because the world will not cooperate with their plans) and Thingol (angry because he realizes he has just postponed his doom rather than staved it off), we will examine the case of Gandalf. Gandalf is …

The Design Of Time: Envisioning The Future Through Science Fiction Production Design In The Alien Franchise, Josephine Spanier, Charles Howard

Honors Thesis

In filmmaking, the production designer works closely with the director and cinematographer to ensure cohesion and uniqueness in the film’s visual design. This collaboration often provides the designer with a strong degree of influence on the film’s final look, thus shaping the thematic and visual impact of a film on the audience. In highly stylized and fantastical genres, such as science fiction, production design plays an especially important role in creating worlds that may be entirely different from the one we currently live in, while still reflecting the real-world context in which the film was made. This phenomena can particularly …

Proceedings Of The 12th Research Symposium At Mammoth Cave National Park, Pat Kambesis Editor, Lee Anne Bledsoe Editor, Ana K. Celis Editor

Mammoth Cave Research Symposia

Proceedings of the 12th Research Symposium at Mammoth Cave National Park: Celebrating 100 Years of Scientific Research & Resource Management in the Mammoh Cave Region.

Beyond The Binary: Amazigh Ethnicity And Transformational Resistance, Nour Sidhoum

Journal of Amazigh Studies

This article explores Amazigh activism in Algeria, focusing on the role of language, memory, and political mobilisation in reshaping national identity. It critically examines the reductive Arab/Berber binary, arguing that such oppositions, rooted in French colonial logic, provide the vocabulary through which Amazigh identity claims are confined within minority paradigms. The aim is to reconceptualise Amazigh ethnic identity as a form of transformational resistance that challenges dominant power structures rather than merely seeking accommodation within them. Drawing on a diverse range of primary and secondary sources—including memoirs of key figures in Algerian nationalism such as Hocine Aït Ahmed and Sadek …

Riddles In The Dark (Of Space), Or, Further Adventures Romanticizing Astronomers’ Middle-Earth Identified Research, Kristine Larsen

Journal of Tolkien Research

In this slightly expanded version of a paper delivered at Westmoot 2025 I explore scientists' creative use of Tolkien-related acronyms in scientific papers, and argue that, despite opinions to the contrary, many of these activities are beneficial for both Tolkien studies and the scientific culture.

Absent Mothers And Their Effects On The Heroines' Self-Actualization In Jane Austen's Final Three Novels, Gillian Carter

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

"Just Keep Telling The Story": Wes Anderson's Carefully Crafted Vessels Of Loss, Claire Lewis

Honors College Theses

Wes Anderson’s 2023 feature film Asteroid City was met with a more polarized critical and audience response than any of his prior films. Evident in this response is an increasingly apparent distinction between the formal conventions of his films – encompassing elements such as visual aesthetic, filmmaking techniques, and storytelling structure – and the emotional and thematic content. In this paper, I examine the critical response to Asteroid City as well as the perceived dissonance between these two major aspects of his filmmaking in order to explore the relationship between the two, specifically as it pertains to the themes of …

Connections, Peter Froehlich

LSU Master's Theses

A definitive shift in American social interaction has been taking place far longer than most realize. It is easy to point the finger at the prevalence of technology and social media, this has been a trend that has been going on since the mid to late twentieth century. Stemming from changes in design, the breakdown of scheduled social outlets, and shifts in technology have led to what some writers and sociologists are calling “The Anti-Social Century.”

Working through a making practice to promote the building of connections through social interaction, three different types of spaces were targeted for the exploration …

Exploring Hindrances To Artistic Expression In The High School Art Classroom, Meagan Matticks

Art 895 Research Papers

This qualitative phenomenological research study focuses on the exploration and understanding of the experiences of students who may feel hindered in their creativity and artistic expression in the high school art classroom due to various constraints. The major objectives of this study include researching ways artistic expression and creativity are hindered, including institutional policies, time limitations, resource availability, and other potential external pressures, such as curricular mandates. Data will be gathered through classroom observations, the collection of ninth through twelfth-grade student artwork created under varying levels of constraint, and written student reflections. This study will provide potential insights that result …

The Art And Science Of Observation: Visual Journaling In A Collaborative Classroom, Jennifer Mercado

Art 895 Research Papers

This case study explores the impact of explicitly teaching observation and visual journaling skills on student retention and comprehension of scientific concepts upon a co-taught science classroom. It aims to measure the impact of collaboration between science and art teachers in ac o-taught science classroom on student outcomes and teaching practices. This research is a case study, which is a qualitative data collection method, of student science observations, analysis, and data in art/science journals. After receiving informed consent, the partnered teachers’ reflections regarding the collaborative process and outcomes will be included. This study is important as it will examine the …

Climate Change Behind Prison Walls: Environmental Justice, Prison Abolition, And Social Welfare, Mia Moody

Student Theses 2015-Present

Unbeknownst to many, human rights violations occur on a large scale behind prison walls. This paper examines some of these violations, especially those exacerbated by climate change, through an environmental lense in order to emphasize the need for social welfare-based solutions in the abolition of the prison industrial complex. It also seeks to illustrate the connection between the environmental justice movement and the prison abolition movement so that marginalized peoples may be free from shouldering disproportionate effects of environmental hazards and imprisonment. This paper is introduced with a brief overview of the human rights violations occurring in prisons. Using quantitative …

Annihilation, Reconstruction And Harmony In Carnal Desire, Yukang Tao

Theses - ALL

This thesis investigates the aesthetic, ethical, and philosophical implications of meat consumption and bodily commodification of humans and animals within capitalist hierarchies through the lens of digital art, performance and sculpture. Focusing on the intersection of humanity, animality, and technological embodiment, the project interrogates how contemporary systems of power aestheticize violence and disguise exploitation under the guise of ethical consumption. Inspired by critical theories, particularly of Amber Husain, Jacques Derrida, George Bataille, and Donna Haraway, the thesis examines the ambivalent tensions between seduction and slaughter, subjectivity and domination, and how these dynamics are embedded in both animal and human exploitation. …

Hooves, Paws, And Patriarchy: Reimagining A Multispecies Society In Late Chosŏn Korea, Jenny Paszik

Theses - ALL

In late Chosŏn Korea, domesticated animals were more than passive fixtures of human society and culture, but rather active participants in the negotiation of social power dynamics. This paper proposes a species-inclusive reading of Chosŏn society, focusing on the eighteenth century, to expand our understanding from a patriarchal system to a kyriarchal framework. This thesis examines how horses, dogs, and sacrificial animals were enmeshed in intersecting hierarchies of gender and social class in urban and peripheral spaces. I argue that while interactions and conceptions of animals were shaped by the prevailing Confucian worldview, these relationships also worked reciprocally to reinforce, …

Breaking Boundaries: Memory And Female Identity, Hui Qi

Theses - ALL

My artistic practice revolves around material exploration and transformation. Initially, I focused on wearable metal jewelry, as its precision and independent craftsmanship allowed me to express the strength of female identity. Inspired by Mindy Herrin-Lewis’s use of micro-sculpting and her integration of ceramics and metal enameling, I began incorporating color, texture, and layered surfaces to express emotion and personal narrative. By merging metal, enamel, ceramics, and found objects, I create contemporary jewelry and sculptural pieces that bridge traditional craftsmanship with modern storytelling. This thesis explores how art serves as a tool for reshaping identity and reclaiming autonomy. In navigating the …

The Art Of Dreaming: A Surrealist Approach To Dream Analysis, Shelby Wright

Honors Thesis

Over the past two years, I created a series of paintings to explore the meaning of my nightmares. This study analyzes the themes and symbols in these dreams through the psychological frameworks of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Freud’s causal approach focuses on repressed desires, while Jung’s method relies on mythological symbols and archetypes in the collective unconscious. Drawing on the ideas of André Breton and the Surrealist movement, I examine how art can bridge dreams and waking life. By painting my dreams, I aim to better understand my unconscious and invite viewers to question their perception of reality. This …

The Tests Of Time: An Examination Of Contemporary Indigenous Artwork On Display In Southern Museums, Gwendolyn R. Pfrenger

Honors Theses

This paper examines current practices in three Southern museums of varying sizes and missions as they relate to the curation and display of Indigenous art. Specifically, the paper aims to investigate the place of contemporary Native art in art and anthropology museums: How does display vary across the two disciplines? What is its role, now that cultural institutions are becoming more progressive and making a stronger push toward representing artists from minority groups? This is a fairly new area of study, especially for art history, so much of what is discussed here is drawn from art historians, anthropologists, and museum …

The Defect Within You, Sarah Spencer

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of science fiction short stories exploring human limitations in our era of unprecedented influence over the world. Despite everything we can accomplish, we are not as powerful as we think we are. My stories focus on how this manifests in our embodiment and our relationships with our bodies.

Women And The Policy Process: Minimum Marriageable Age Policy Adoption In Nigeria, Ene Ekpebe

Journal of African Policy Studies

Nigeria has the eleventh highest incidence of early marriage – marriage before the age of 18 – in the world. This is problematic because early marriage has been shown to have significant health and socioeconomic disadvantages for girls. In 2003, the Child Rights Act (CRA) was adopted by the federal government of Nigeria. One of its provisions was a prohibition of early marriage. As of 2022, 25 of Nigeria’s 36 states had adopted the CRA. However, only 23 have adopted its minimum marriageable age provision without exception. This paper discusses the factors affecting the adoption of the CRA’s minimum marriageable …

Voices In The Borderlands: Reimagining Identity, Cultural Belonging, And Dystopian Spaces In Anzaldúa’S Borderlands And Viramontes’S “The Cariboo Café”, Oralia G. Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera (1987) and Helena María Viramontes’ short story “The Cariboo Café” (1985) portray marginalized individuals navigating liminal spaces of identity, oppression, and survival. Borderlands/La Frontera and “The Cariboo Café” show how systematic violence and displacement shatter the self, pushing characters to navigate trauma in a dystopian space. Sonya, Macky, the café owner, and the grieving mother represent Anzaldúa’s concepts of borderland subjectivity, betrayal, and spectral haunting.

Sonya and Macky, two undocumented children, represent Anzaldúa’s borderlands subjects and reside in a state of nepantla, an in-between space of cultural dislocation. The café owner …

An Approach To Teaching Sight-Reading: The Station Technique, Aislinn K. L. Queen

Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning

The station learning technique is more effective than traditional teaching methods regarding academic achievement and student engagement. However, stations are not a typical method high school teachers use when teaching sight-reading in a choir classroom. This study investigated the implementation of the station learning technique in a high school choir setting. The participants were a single classroom of 17 students and two teachers. The data collection tools included student self-assessments, skill assessments, sight-reading rubrics, student and teacher surveys, and student and teacher focus group interviews. Qualitative data was analyzed and coded using the constant comparative method, and the quantitative data …

The Contribution Of Catholic Compromise Principles In Global Health, Scott N. Helstad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Roman Catholic tradition has developed comprehensive ethical principles to address complex practical scenarios that encounter foundational value compromises. These are referred to as compromise principles and they have both a narrow and a broad focus. Narrowly, these compromise principles are critical for Catholic healthcare organizations in the United States with regard to the guidelines of the US Bishops in their Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. More broadly, these compromise principles are relevant in the secular realm regarding global health. This dissertation examines these varying perspectives, hence its title, “The Contribution of Catholic Compromise Principles …

Hospital Organizations’ Obligation To Promote Spiritual Well-Being Among Nurses: Development Of A Normative Ethical Argument, Michael Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an innovative strategy to promote the support of nurses' spirituality within hospital organizations. By focusing on the spiritual well-being of nurses by hospital organizations, with a natural extension into nursing schools, the approach aims to enhance nurse’s ability to protect their own spirituality, provide comprehensive spiritual care to patients, and increase nurse moral resilience. By investing in nurses' spirituality and spiritual growth, hospitals can potentially increase job satisfaction among nursing staff, improve patient care outcomes, and create a more holistic healing environment for both nurses and patients. As the nursing shortage continues and the number of nurses …

Race, Racialization, & Rehabilitation: Intersectional Insights Into The Cuban Revolution’S Campaign To Eliminate Prostitution, Alyssa Garcia

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

No abstract provided.

Restoring Context: Interdisciplinary Approaches To Art Conservation And Registration Challenges In Rural Museums, Jade Karas '25

Senior Scholarly and Creative Symposium

A prevalent issue for museums in rural areas is a lack of reliable registration methods. This occurs for a number of reasons whether it be a lack of resources (human, financial, spacial, etc.) or the erosion of knowledge overtime due to cultural reliance on generational knowledge. Additionally, different registrars often develop new methods for inventory without leaving behind instructions, leading subsequent registrars to devise their own methods. These gaps in the registration process frequently result in “registration problems”, objects that don’t get properly inventoried and thus have little to no context for their origins. This thesis aims to fill in …

Integrating Music Content Into The Secondary Mathematics Classroom: Facilitating The Process Of Designing Interdisciplinary Lessons, Denae Bumpus

Honors Projects

Many people enjoy music, and music has a multitude of connections to mathematics, so it makes sense for a mathematics classroom to incorporate musical elements into the instruction, but the literature has shown that many math teachers do not have a strong enough musical background to feel confident in incorporating music into the math class. Therefore, this research sought to provide a resource to help secondary mathematics teachers integrate age-appropriate musical applications to their mathematics lessons which connects standards of mathematics into standards of music. Specifically, the paper connects the Ohio Standards of Mathematics for Geometry with the course objectives …

The Ethical Imperative Of The Renewal Of Virtue Within The Moral Community Of Catholic Healthcare, Amanda Altobell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Catholic healthcare is one of the largest nonprofit organizations and providers in the United States, offering medical care to many diverse communities. The fundamental mission of Catholic healthcare is to bring about Christ’s healing ministry and live out the fundamental principle of caring for the vulnerable in pursuit of the common good. However, there have been many missteps, not only due to a more polarized and secular community but also to scandals and conflict due to previous hierarchical and rules-based anthropology that often misses the person's lived experience. Therefore, this dissertation will argue that for Catholic healthcare to survive the …

An Analysis Of The Armorettes’ Mission To Help The Atlanta Lgbtq+ Community, Edwin Hernandez

Master's Theses

The Armorettes are a self-proclaimed camp drag troupe that have been performing in the Atlanta drag scene since 1979. First formed as a cheer group for a softball team associated with The Armory, a well known gay bar at the time, they quickly added drag performance and charity work to their name. The group came to be as the HIV/AIDS epidemic began affecting Atlanta. Atlanta was hit hard by the disease. Several comorbid factors contributed to the disproportionate numbers seen in the city beginning in the 1980s. They quickly took on the mission of raising money for charities and organizations …