Digital Commons Network^™

Reading Between The Numbers: The Colonial Rhetorics Of Fantasy Football And The Illusion Of Control, Robert Kyle Kellam

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this project, I build on existing research in the critical intersection of media, sport, gaming and race to explore how fantasy football, an entertainment byproduct of the National Football League (NFL), rearticulates and recontexualizes the colonial ideology already prolific in the NFL and other products of American media culture. I investigate how fantasy football may represent an innocuous, yet exigent place to study the commodification and consumption of bodies in our contemporary media landscape because of the way that the increasingly popular game operates in a capitalistic logic, where NFL players are almost exclusively valued for their statistical production …

Bringing To Life An Ancient Urban Center At Monte Albán, Mexico: Exploiting The Synergy Between The Micro, Meso, And Macro Levels In A Complex System, Thaer W. Jayyousi

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this dissertation, agent-based models of emergent ancient urban centers were constructed through the use of techniques from computational intelligence, agent-based modeling, complex systems, and data-mining of existing archaeological data from the prehistoric urban center, Monte Albán. This real world application was selected because of its importance in understanding the emergence of modern economic and political systems. Specifically, Cultural Algorithms was used to evolve models of early Monte Alban, models that can then be compared with existing models of ancient and modern urban centers.

Features of a complex system were used to help interpret the archaeological data. The analysis went …

Subversive Liminality And Ideological Warfare: The Zombie Mash-Up As Resistance To Hypermasculine Revenge Narratives Post-9/11, Veronica L. Cooper

Online Theses and Dissertations

This project plots the coincidence of the "zombie renaissance" and system-justifying nationalist rhetoric post-9/11. The project discusses this cultural cross-section with zombie mash-up fiction, using masculinity and trauma theories, in an attempt to illuminate the motives of "us vs. them" rhetoric and hypermasculine revenge narratives in the post-9/11 decade. First, I use Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim (2009) to examine liminality as subversive counter-discourse to the masculine hegemony post-9/11. Second, I use Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2009) to look at the effects of revenge culture and how non-emphasized femininity and hegemonic (hyper)masculinity co-construct each other.

The French And Indian Wars: New France's Situational Indian Policies During The Fox And Natchez Conflicts, 1701-1732, Stephen Jay Fohl

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the often-glorified relationship between New France and the American Indians with which that empire came into contact in North America, focusing primarily on the conflicting policies seen during the Fox Wars and the Natchez Wars. Many recent histories of New France, including Richard White's seminal study The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires and Republics, 1650-1815, focus primarily on the lands surrounding the Great Lakes. These histories champion a French Indian policy that was dominated by the fur trade and illustrated by the outbreak of the Fox Wars in 1712. However, New France's Indian policy was not always dictated …

Effective Evangelistic Strategies For North Korean Defectors (Talbukmin) In South Korea, Chaneung Jung

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Liturgy Of Light: Solar Geometry And Kinematic Liturgical Iconography In An Early 19th Century California Mission, Rubén Mendoza

SSGS Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

African American Women, Wealth Accumulation, And Social Welfare Activism In 19th Century Los Angeles, Marne Campbell

African American Studies Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Rehearsals For A Revolution: The Political Theater Of Utpal Dutt., Arnab Banerji

Theatre Arts Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Peltasts And Javelineers In Classical Greek Warfare: Roles, Tactics, And Fighting Methods, Derrick A. Niese

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to explore the developing roles, tactics, and fighting methods of javelin-armed soldiers in classical Greek warfare. The chronological scope of the paper will be broad, incorporating early evidence from the eighth century B.C.E. but focusing on the fifth and fourth centuries. Throughout the thesis I will argue that javelineers and especially peltasts earned an increasingly prominent role in Greek warfare due to several interrelated factors: constant warfare occurring on increasing and unprecedented scale; professionalization of military leadership; growing frequency of large-scale campaigns waged on diverse terrain; and an overall increase in the use of …

The Yellow Fever Epidemic In Savannah, Georgia Of 1876: A Case For Applied Historical Analysis, James R. Gruenberg

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Yellow fever was a constant and deadly visitor to the southern United States since the middle of the seventeenth century. Dying of yellow fever was gruesome and terrifying. Black vomit was the prominent symptom as the patient bled to death internally and externally. Yellow fever, or 'yellow jack' to the locals, would bring Savannah, Georgia to its knees on three different occasions. In 1876, however, the city would lose a full 6% of its population, or 1,066 souls. This thesis argues that this tragic outbreak was preventable, and that the physical conditions that were well known to contribute to yellow …

How To Throw A Spear On A Sling, Thomas Nelson Winter

Department of Classics and Religious Studies: Faculty Publications

When javelin throwers are told to be ready, Xenophon's phrasing appears, for instance, "He ordered the targeteers to carry javelin on strap, and the bowmen to hold arrow on string" (Anabasis 5.2, Rouse tr.). This context shows that the spear-throwers' readiness to throw, paralleling the archer with arrow nocked, was some preparation with a strap, sling, or thong. In addition to the warfare usage, Greek hunters also used a sling with their hunting spears. The hunter in Achilles Tatius 2.34 narrates, "I wound the thongs on my javelin ... " (Winkler tr.)

I owe to my former student Donald …

Wodiczko's Veterans; Artist, Institution, And Audience In..Out Of Here; The Veterans Project, Blake J. Ruerwein

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Classical Education Programs For The "Generation Y" Museum Visitor, Hannah Boles

Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

Adventist Church Growth And Mission Since 1863: An Historical–Statistical Analysis, David J. B. Trim

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Ethics Of Amos In Light Of Its Ancient Near Eastern Context, Mark D. Arnold

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The book of Amos, in a fashion almost preternaturally relevant to contemporary conditions, discusses issues of war and welfare. Amos condemns several foreign nations for various war crimes and then turns to Israel, excoriating it for its mistreatment of the poor. Specifically he indicts the wealthy for enacting policies that created new poor while preventing the old poor from regaining their rightful positions in society. Israel’s elite used economic and judicial methods to enrich themselves at the expense of the vast majority of the population. As a result, Amos predicts the destruction of Israel just as he predicted the destruction …

The Characterization Of Gunshot Residue In Green Bullets Using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Brittany Aho Phillips

All ETDs from UAB

Gunshot residue (GSR) is often important in cases that involve firearms. Over the years, scientists have developed methods for detecting GSR on a shooter's hands, a victim, or any object that may have been within six feet of the firearm. However, when the weapon is more than six feet from the target, gun powder residue may not be present. The only residue that may be present is bullet wipe, material that is transferred from the surface of the bullet as it penetrates the target. Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is used to identify the elemental composition of an unknown material. …

Life-Patterns On The Periphery : A Humanities Base For Development Imperatives And Their Application In The Chicago City-Region, Kevin Hodur

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Life-Patterns on the Periphery: A Humanities Base for Development Imperatives and their Application in the Chicago City-Region is informed by the need to bring diverse fields together in order to tackle issues related to the contemporary city-region. By honouring the long-term economic, social, political, and ecological imperatives that form the fabric of healthy, productive, sustainable communities, it becomes possible to setup political structures and citizen will to develop distinct places that result in the overlapping of citizen life patterns, setting the stage for citizen action and interaction.

Based in humanities scholarship, the four imperatives act as checks on each other …

An Open Letter To Dr. Michael Coe, John L. Sorenson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In August 2011 John Dehlin conducted a three-part interview with famed Mesoamericanist Michael Coe.1 Dehlin operates the podcast series Mormon Stories, which features in terviews discussing the faith and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This article examines a large num ber of dubious claims made in those interviews, providing clari f ications, responses, and references to numerous sources dealing with those issues. Much more detail will be forthcoming in Dr. Sorenson’s new book, Mormon’s Codex.

Diesen Kufl Der Ganzen Welt!: Locating German Enlightenment Through The Idea Of Tolerance, Paul E. Kerry

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

Where does one find the German Enlightenment? General surveys and otherwise highly serviceable scholarly readers on the Enlightenment tend to neglect it. A recent book on the German Enlightenment by T. J. Reed observes that for many outside Germany, including scholars, the connection Aufklarung und deutsch (Enlightenment and German) is almost paradoxical. Why should this be so? One explanation is that the German Enlightenment is overshadowed by the French Enlightenment. A second explanation is that late-nineteenth-century Germany is associated with a turn away from Enlightenment ideas, in part a countervailing reaction to the terror of the Napoleonic Wars and French …

The Enlightenment Tradition Of Hume And Smith In Austen: Windows To Understanding, Nicole Coonradt

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

In his Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), Adam Smith notes the importance of "little department[s]"-those smaller circles of social contact: "By Nature the events which immediately affect that little department in which we ourselves have some little management and directions, which immediately affect ourselves, our friends, our country, are the events which interest us the most, and which chiefly excite our desires and aversions, our hopes and fears, our joys and sorrows:' Alasdair MacIntyre would agree with this idea of one's sphere of influence, especially in the works of Jane Austen. Clearly, this concern with self, others, and country might …

Facing The Future With The Shield Of Aeneas: Virgil And The Testing Of Dryden's Catholic Faith In The 1690s, John J. Burke Jr.

Religion in the Age of Enlightenment

The shield of Aeneas has always had a sense of mystery about it. His shield, like that of Achilles in the Iliad, is not merely a physical object designed to protect him from crippling wounds or death while in battle; oddly, it is also a work of art. Moreover, it is a work of art that is supernatural in origin, fashioned in this instance by the Roman god Vulcan and presented to the Trojan exile Aeneas by his goddess mother, Venus, in book 8 of Virgil's Aeneid. There have been countless discussions of what we are to make …

Strategic Perspectives: Clausewitz, Sun-Tzu And Thucydides, Richard Rousseau

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This article illustrates the nature and function of strategy in military affairs. The main argument of the article is that strategy is a bridge connecting military power with political purpose. Strategy and military power are not alike, nor is strategy the actual application of power. Similarly, strategy is not policy. Strategy should be seen as a “theory of success.” Strategy is the source of operational plans intended to convert nominal military capability into useful performance against the enemy. To illustrate the nature and function of strategy, the article reflects on the behavior of Winston Churchill’s British government in the summer …

The Octofoil, January/February/March 2012, Ninth Infantry Division Association

The Octofoil

The Octofoil is the offical publication of the Ninth Infantry Division Association, Inc., an organization formed by the officers and men of the 9th Infantry Division in order to perpetuate the memory of fallen comrades, preserve the esprit de corps of the Division, promote peace and serve as an information bureau about the 9th Infantry Division. The Association is made up of 9th Infantry veterans from WWII and Vietnam, spouses, widows and lineal descendants.

The Rise Of The New Apostolic Reformation And Its Implication For Adventist Eschatology, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Virtue, Friendship, And Polis: A Reading Of Paul's Letter To The Philippians, Le Chih Hsieh

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Warfare Theodicy In The Writings Of Ellen G. White And Gregory A. Boyd, Martha O. Duah

Dissertations

The problem of evil has been an issue for all religions over the centuries. But it is a crucial issue for theism because of its affirmation of the co-existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent God and evil. Theologians and philosophical theologians have developed a plethora of materials in response to the problem. However, according to critics, none of the responses in and of themselves adequately deals with theism's problem of suffering and evil. As a result, this study explores the warfare theodicy, a Christian response to the problem of sin, suffering, and evil, which seems to have been neglected …

Managing Internal Migration In Modern China: Regional Interests And Forced Removal, 1949-2010s, Bryan Winter

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores how the People's Republic of China (PRC) has attempted to halt internal migration, particularly rural-to-urban migration, in order to maintain socio-political control, and how by the mid-1980s migrant laborers from the countryside had unintentionally created conflicts between authorities from different regions of the country who were either for or against large-scale migration. With the advent of a more open market system that was created after the economic reforms began in 1978, we see that the migrants' movements exposed the differing economic situations of the wealthier coastal provinces and the poor inland ones. This, in turn, led to …

The Big Green Mama-Mind-Fuck Machine, Byron W. Cross

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

PREFACE

"so much depends upon

a red wheel barrow

glazed with rain water

beside the white chickens."

-W. C. Williams

The Big Green Mama-mind-fuck Machine was born in a debris field of violence, of conflict. I write mostly from an autobiographical place and a debris field is the perfect way to describe the careful stitching together of my experiences, taking a memory and extracting the emotional boom it left behind. I take the piece and spin it in zero gravity, carefully examining it. For this reason, writing an Ars Poetica without "I" would be an impossibility for me. So, after …

Literary Annual, Katherine D. Harris

Faculty Publications, English and Comparative Literature

No abstract provided.

The Times And Characteristics Of Koroghlu, Elza Ismayilova

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The hero and ashug Koroghlu, who lived in the XVI century in Turkey, is known for his presence as a literary character and poet but is also documented as a historical figure. The article examines sources that mention his name in order to discuss the historicity of accounts about him and the events of his life as a Jalali fighter. Sources examined include historical and ethnographic works, travelogues and folklore collections, manuscripts, “Muhimma” (Mühimmə) log books, decrees sent out from the central government, various Ottoman documents, and legal logs.