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"Pestilence And The Pesthouse", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

In the mid-19th century, the Florence, Alabama Board of Aldermen made provision for a pesthouse on the outskirts of town to combat a smallpox epidemic.

"Nitrate Plant Number Two", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

Tennessee Valley Authority Nitrate Plant Two was constructed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama after President Woodrow Wilson authorized the project in 1916. The plant was one of two nitrate plants in the area. The first TVA nitrate plant is in Sheffield Alabama. Photographs of the employee housing and support facilities associated with the nitrate plants are available in the Nitrate Plant Image Gallery.

"Nature's Masterpiece Of Power: A Historical Synopsis Of Muscle Shoals, Alabama In The Tennessee Valley", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article presents a brief history of the establishment of the city of Muscle Shoals, Alabama in the Tennessee River Valley. The text is organized by headings as follows:

• The Indians, pg. 1
• Keeping the Settlers Out, pg. 2
• The First Whites, pg. 2
• Trails That Blazed the Wilderness, pg. 3
• Giants in the Valley, pg. 4
• Organization and Development, pg. 6
• The Green Decades, pg. 7
• The Turning Wheels, pg. 8
• The War, pg. 8
• Cutthroats, pg. 9
• Hard Years, pg. 10
• Excitement and Prosperity, pg. 11
• On the Way to Tatham's Declaration, pg. 12
• Fulfilled at Last, pg. …

2026-2027 Performance Forum - September 18, 2026, Owen Chen, Roberta Rust, Ian Lewis, Rebeca Sierra, Santiago Moreno, Sheng Yuan Kuan

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

The Resurrection And The Death Of Naturalism: A Philosophical And Historical Defense Of A Supernatural Event, Michael A. Youngwood

Masters Theses

This thesis evaluates the resurrection of Jesus as a historical hypothesis within a comparative historiographical framework. Rather than presupposing either naturalism or supernaturalism, the study distinguishes metaphysical commitments from historical methodology and evaluates competing explanations according to consistent criteria derived principally from C. Behan McCullagh’s account of historical explanation. After establishing the historical phenomena requiring explanation, the study examines several principal naturalistic hypotheses, including hallucination, legendary development, apparent death, and conspiracy, before evaluating the resurrection hypothesis according to the same standards. The analysis considers explanatory scope, explanatory power, plausibility, coherence, consistency with background knowledge, and freedom from ad hoc assumptions. …

A New Understanding Of The Tension Between Evil And Divine Greatness: An Application Of Existential Ontology To Christian Apologetics, William A. Blea

Masters Theses

This thesis is an examination of the potential integration of existential ontology into classical Christian apologetics. Pulling from philosophers like Nietache, Kierkegaard, and Heidegger to construct a framework that understands greatness as the overcoming of a being's context and evil as the relational, moral, and cosmic opposition to the order established by the divine Logos. This framework then allows for an identification of Christus Victor as God’s decisive response to evil. This thesis argues that a properly integrated framework may work to collapse the problem of evil from its metaphysical foundation: the contradiction between God's greatness and the existence of …

A Christian's Formative Years And Their Worship Music Preferences, Cara L. Coffey Hall

Masters Theses

This study examines how Christians’ formative faith experiences influence lifelong worship music preferences. While discussions of worship music often emphasize generational differences or stylistic preferences, this study investigates whether formative spiritual experiences provide a more meaningful explanation for long-term worship preferences. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between formative faith experiences, age of conversion, and lifelong worship music among adult members and attendees at Northwest Hills Global Methodist Church. A convergent mixed-methods design was employed. Quantitative data was collected through an anonymous survey completed by 102 qualified participants and qualitative data was gathered through interviews with …

"I Will Not Hear The Melody Of Thy Viols": Opposition To Instrumental Music In Historic Presbyterian And Puritan Worship, Sean Patrick Michael Mcdonald

Masters Theses

The parallel movements of Presbyterianism in Scotland and Puritanism in England began and developed in the 1500s. Early on, both of these movements established their opposition to musical instruments in the public worship of God. This was not merely incidental to their worship, as though instrumental music could be added without any significant alteration to Presbyterianism or Puritanism as such. Rather, the rejection of musical instruments (usually organs) was essential to their worship, and inseparably tied to key theological principles.

Visualizing Equity: A Design Framework For Global Mental Health Communication For Generation Z, Jose Pena

Masters Theses

There is a lot of information about mental health available today. However, for Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, the information proves both challenging to find and difficult to understand. The World Health Organization and other global groups publish a lot of information about mental health inequality, treatment gaps, and workforce shortages. However, this information is usually presented in dense, technical formats that are not meant for young people who are not experts. Many digital mental health tools, on the other hand, don’t give young people the emotional connection, cultural relevance, and visual clarity they need to deal …

Semiotic Breakdown In Disaster Evacuation Signage For International Tourists, Mario Christopher Fimbrez

Masters Theses

Japan’s disaster evacuation signage systems are highly standardized and widely regarded as effective for the domestic population, who operate within a shared cultural framework shaped by years of earthquake drills, formal disaster education, and a common visual vocabulary for risk and evacuation. In coastal cities like Kamakura, however, the audience composition has changed significantly, with millions of international visitors now navigating these spaces each year without the disaster literacy or cultural familiarity that the existing signage was designed to assume. When those shared assumptions about urgency, symbolism, and environmental threat are absent, the communicative force of the system can be …

Wayang 3d Interactive E-Book: Development And Classroom Evaluation For Javanese Traditional Drama Learning, I’In Dwi Susanti, Afendy Widayat

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

Javanese traditional drama (wayang) is a key element of Indonesia's cultural heritage, yet classroom instruction remains largely text-based and low in engagement. This study developed and evaluated Wayang 3D, a cloud-based interactive e-book integrating Canva, Heyzine, and H5P to support traditional-drama learning. Using the ADDIE model, the product was validated by content and media experts and tested through a quasi-experimental nonequivalent pretest–posttest control-group design with 62 ninth-grade students. Content validity was Feasible (79.5%) and media validity Very Feasible (83.0%); teacher and student practicality ratings were also Very Feasible (85.01%). The experimental group achieved a significantly higher normalised learning gain than …

The Influence Of Augmented Reality Virtual Try-On On Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role Of Attitude Toward The Product In Cosmetics, Raden Adi Cahyadi, Benni Ahdiyana Pamungkas, Ruthlivia Tiara Bernessa

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Augmented reality (AR)-based Virtual Try-On (VTO) enables consumers to visualize cosmetic products before purchase and has become increasingly relevant in digital marketing. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework, this study examines attitude toward the product as a mediating mechanism linking AR-based VTO experiences with purchase intention. Unlike studies that predominantly conceptualize the organism in terms of responses to technology or technology-mediated experiences, this study adopts a product-focused perspective by examining consumers’ evaluations of cosmetic products presented through VTO. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 199 women who had used Maybelline’s VTO feature within the preceding three months. Data was …

Moral Ecology In Shakespeare's Tragedies: Nature, Animals, And Conscience As Ethical Agents In Hamlet, Macbeth, And King Lear, Md. Abu Bakkar

Journal of Language, Literature, and Arts

Shakespeare's tragedies repeatedly dramatize a universe in which moral transgression produces consequences that extend beyond individual psychology to affect society, nature, and the non-human world. This study examines how Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear construct a system of moral ecology, understood as a framework of ethical causality in which human actions generate interconnected consequences across psychological, social, and natural orders. Using qualitative close reading informed by moral criticism, ecocriticism, animal studies, and early modern cosmology, the study analyzes selected passages representing natural disturbance, animal imagery, and conscience as forms of ethical response. The findings show that the three …

In Myth And Memory: The Efficacy Of New England Civil War Chaplains, Kevin L. Hostettler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Private William Kennedy of the Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry damned chaplains as “the most gigantic nuisance in the Army,” then praised his own. The distance between abstract condemnation and named, concrete appreciation has shaped the historiography of the Union chaplaincy, with historians largely accepting nameless class censure at face value and treating competence as the exception. This dissertation argues that no single standard of efficacy can be applied to Union chaplains, because they answered to seven competing horizons of expectation (governmental, military command, regimental, soldiery, denominational, civilian, and personal), leaving chaplains to fill undefined duties Congress never clarified or reconciled. …

Tongues In 1 Corinthians 12–14: Their Role In Gospel Proclamation And Unity, Adam Rimmer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The gifts of the Holy Spirit have been controversial throughout the ages. Many theologians, apologists, and church fathers have tried to clarify glossolalia. This dissertation is an exposition of 1 Corinthians 12–14 that argues that glossolalia is an actual human language that supports the gift of prophecy for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, but was being misused within the church at Corinth as ecstatic speech, which was not the valid biblical gift of glossolalia. It will demonstrate that this gift served as a divine means to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who spoke different languages before …

The Effects Of Elementary Music Scheduling And Vertical Alignment On First-Year Middle School Ensemble Readiness: A Study Of Music Teacher Perceptions, James Mock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Students entering middle school encounter many changes in how music is taught and organized. During this transition, music students are introduced to a greater emphasis on ensemble performance. These students enter middle school with diverse backgrounds in musical training and knowledge. Additional factors affecting students’ musical development include funding, socioeconomic background, and demographics. Elementary music scheduling and program vertical alignment may also influence students’ preparedness as they enter middle school. To become highly successful in music ensemble performance, students must have appropriate prior musical training before entering middle school.

This qualitative study will examine how elementary music schedules and vertical …

Who Killed Lucio Blanco? Border Incursions & Sovereignty Along The Rio Grande, Jaime L. Alvarez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The assassination of Lucio Blanco along the banks of the Rio Grande in 1922 was not an isolated episode of political violence but the culmination of nearly a century-old practice of contested sovereignty, border incursions, and lack of law enforcement. This dissertation thus examines the borderlands of Texas and Mexico from the nineteenth century through the aftermath of the Mexican Revolution. Within this time frame, this dissertation demonstrates that the international boundary functioned less as a fixed division between two sovereign states and more as a political gray zone in which authority, identity, violence, and political power were continually negotiated. …

Exploring Burnout, Isolation, And Support Among Middle School Music Educators In Georgia: A Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Study, Jameson T. Meadows

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of middle school music educators (MSMEs) in Georgia to understand how burnout, professional isolation, support, and advocacy influence their professional experiences and sustainability. These educators navigate instructional tasks, program administration, and responsibilities beyond the classroom. 10 MSMEs, including 5 band directors, 3 orchestra directors, and 2 chorus directors, participated in virtual semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through an inductive coding process to identify patterns across participants’ experiences. 4 themes emerged from the findings: (a) relational and musical growth sustains the work, (b) burnout accumulates through role overload and personal investment, (c) discipline-specific professional …

The Predictability Gap: A Correlation Study Of Supporting Pillars And Repertoire Success In Abrsm Practical And Performance Grades Piano Examinations, Arthur Chit-Ho Ng

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigated the structural predictability trajectories within the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) graded piano framework. Utilizing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the project analyzed a longitudinal dataset (N = 449) to investigate variance in student achievement and the emergence of developmental plateaus, conceptually identified as the “Reading Wall.” Quantitative modeling revealed distinct structural divergences within the syllabus architecture: the traditional Practical Grades maintained a stable correlational signal between technical components and outcomes (r = .826 at Grade 7), whereas the digital Performance Grades yielded a non-significant association (p = .355). Furthermore, Grade 5 Music …

Teaching French Horn: A Review Of Literature For The Beginning Horn Student And Best Methods For Application, Anna M. Schmitz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are many beginning French horn method books available to students and teachers today, divided into two main categories: whole-band integration and private-lesson instruction. There is little agreement between the methods on which elements of playing to emphasize and how to sequence instruction. Some whole-band method books start in an uncomfortable range for the beginning horn player, either too high or too low, in order to accommodate the fundamental harmonics of the majority of the other concert band wind instrumentalists. To mitigate this problem, some method books offer a “horns only” option with the same exercise transposed either up a …

Music Educators’ Perceptions And Implementation Of Multiculturalism In The Classroom, Kennedy Mae Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the study is to determine teachers' perceptions of multicultural education and its potential benefits in Sumter County. The purpose of this research is to understand the perspectives and approaches to preparing for the implementation of multiculturalism among public school music programs in Sumter, South Carolina. The rationale for this research is that there is a gap in the literature on multicultural implementation in music education in South Carolina. With proper technological implementation, multiculturalism could help prepare music educators to teach a culturally diverse group of students. As a result of the study, the researcher aims to gain …

A Bridge Of Trust: A Cross-Cultural Ministry Guide For Buidling Ministry Partnerships With Mississippi Choctaw Churches, Ray Hazelton Duplessie Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This project filled a gap in the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board’s ministry agenda by creating a Cross-Cultural Ministry Guide for those who desired to work with Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) churches. Historically, Choctaw people were wrongly told they had to give up their heritage to follow Jesus, creating a painful tension between their faith and culture. The purpose of the Ministry Guide was to build a stronger relationship with the Choctaw community by encouraging outside ministry teams to understand past hurts and see Choctaw culture through a biblical perspective. To test the guide, group discussions were held after …

A Mixed-Method Investigation Into A Possible Correlation Between Forced Terminations Among Church Members, An Exodus Of Young Adults, And An Exponential Decay In Church Attendance, Chastity Selma Jhingree

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In the preservation of the biblical church, church members are mandated in the Face of God (Coram Deo) to feed all Christians with the Word of God. However, extant literature reveals a major crisis confronting the church: the exponential decay in church attendance. Therefore, the overarching question is: how can church members feed on and receive the Word of God when church attendance continues to decline? Forced terminations and an exodus of young adults from the church were examined in an investigation to determine whether they significantly contributed to the decline in church attendance. A mixed-methods research design was used …

Recommendations For Improving Undergraduate Music Education Student Teaching Opportunities At A Faith-Based College In The Southeastern United States, Molly E. Stephens

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Student teaching opportunities are the most valuable and foundational experiences in a music educator’s pre-service training. Foundational skills are often refined during student teaching experiences. These skills include critical thinking, pedagogical strategies, classroom management, and effective communication—all key elements of successful teaching. Student teaching opportunities serve as the bridge between course content and real-world application for young educators. The purpose of this study was to provide recommendations for strategies to improve student-teaching opportunities in the undergraduate music education program at a faith-based college in the southeastern United States. The problem was the limited scope and frequency of student teaching opportunities …

An Applied Study Of Mentorship Structures For Early-Career Secondary Choral Directors In A Texas School District, Kasie D. Kline

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite established preservice choral music education curricula in higher education, many early-career choral directors report feeling underprepared for the practical demands of professional teaching. Research in music education has documented challenges related to classroom management, administrative responsibilities, budgeting, and professional support during the transition from university training to classroom practice. While these concerns are well-documented, less attention has been paid to district-level structural factors that may either diminish or intensify early-career challenges. This applied study examines mentorship structures for early-career secondary choral directors within Liberty Hill Independent School District, with particular attention to differences between choral and band program staffing …

The Amateur Class: A Christoform, Communal, Experience-Driven Leader Development Approach For The Missionary Church, Virgil Lee Tanner Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Missionary Church, like many Christian organizations, faces recurring leadership transitions in which emerging leaders must assume responsibilities that exceed their developmental preparation. This challenge reflects the absence of a shared, coherent leader development framework that leverages experience for development and integrates Christoform spirituality and professional growth. This study examined the feasibility and potential impact of The Amateur Class, a Christoform, experience-driven leader development intervention combining narrative reflection, a three-day in-person retreat, virtual learning cohorts, and a capstone virtual retreat. Using a mixed-methods design, the study quantitatively assessed changes in self-awareness (Self-Reflection and Insight Scale [SRIS]), tolerance for ambiguity (Multiple …

Harmonies Of Healing: A Secondary Data Analysis On Music Engagement And Quality Of Life In Older Adults, Theophilus Eben Nartey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional secondary data analysis was to examine the relationship between music engagement and self-reported quality of life among adults aged 60 years and older, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Guided by the Biopsychosocial-Spiritual (BPSS) framework, the study explored whether music engagement significantly predicted perceived well-being in later adulthood while accounting for chronic health conditions. Secondary data from the HRS public-use dataset were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 29. The final analytical sample consisted of 1,582 adults aged 60 years or older with complete data on all variables included in the …

Exploring The Role Of Mentorship For Urban African American Underprivileged Students Who Participate In Band Programs: A Case Study, Tyreese Lamar Pleasanton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Underprivileged urban African American students who participate in band programs benefit from transformative mentorship within a culturally relevant support system. By providing access to environmental resources and equitable opportunities, mentors play a critical role in promoting academic achievement, social-emotional growth, and cultural pride. This study investigates the impact of mentorship on student outcomes in urban settings, highlights distinctive African American experiences, identifies structural barriers, and proposes relationship-based strategies to advance educational equity through culturally responsive support. Data will be collected through surveys, interviews, observations, and thematic analysis, with a specific focus on current band directors. The findings will contribute to …

The Sword And The Pen: How America’S Way Of War Escaped Constitutional Restraint, Daryl Lee Posey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines how changes in military technology and institutional design shifted practical control over war initiation from Congress to the presidency between the founding era and the end of the Cold War. The Constitution vests the power to declare war in Congress, and the framers rejected proposals to give that authority to the president alone. This study argues that advances in communication, transportation, weapons lethality, and government secrecy compressed the time available for congressional deliberation, concentrated war-relevant information inside executive institutions, and made presidential initiative the default rather than the exception. The study traces this pattern across six chapters, …

A Study On Online Romance Fraud And National Security: A Ghanaian Perspective, Osmond B. Kabah

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the most prevalent cybercrimes is online romance fraud, where the perpetrators prey on individuals looking for love on various platforms. The crime, widespread on dating apps and social media, is typified by scammers starting a relationship and then defrauding the gullible victims of their money. Ghana is one of the countries whose citizens have been victims of these swindlers, and the national security apparatus is increasingly receiving reports of online financial victimization. This qualitative study aims to explore the issue in the country from a national security perspective. This study investigates what motivates the perpetrators of this crime …