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The Monster Mash: A Monster Studies Approach To Literature In The University Classroom, Megan L. Bowen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Monster Mash is a course proposal for an upper-division undergraduate literature course focused on exploring monsters in literature and building connections between classic and more contemporary texts using high-impact practices (HIPs) with student success in mind. I build on previous work in the field of Monster Studies and introduce my own original monster pattern that prompts students to interpret monsters as they trek through Origin, Separation, Power, Threat, and Diminishment. This pattern highlights commonalities when it comes to the representation of monsters and their stories, allowing students to identify them across texts. I also divide monsters into three categories …

Gender And Nostalgia In Period Drama: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel And Mad Men, Deidre Pribram

Communications: Faculty Publications

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023) and Mad Men (2007-2015) share a common genre, location, and era.  Both are period dramas, set in New York City, as the waning 1950s transition into the 1960s.  Additionally, both television serials address changing cultural conditions, especially surrounding gender.  Yet, when analyzed through the prism of nostalgia, the two programs deviate in significant ways.  This essay uses Grainge’s (2000) distinction between nostalgia as mood and nostalgia as aesthetic style, applying it to the two television serials.  It also incorporates concepts of nostalgia as critique (Cook, 2005), as well as imagined nostalgia as the longing “for …

Introduction (To Emotional Expressionism), E. Deidre Pribram Ph.D.

Communications: Faculty Publications

The primary purpose of Emotional Expressionism: Television Serialization, The Melodramatic Mode, and Socioemotionality is to explore the forms, functions, and nuances of emotions in popular, mediated narratives. Clearly, emotions constitute a key means by which audiences experience and make sense of narrative media, in that mediated stories make compelling arguments or take up resonant positions through their emotional methods and meanings. The value of developing an emotional template for screen media lies in generating new analytical and interpretative approaches to narrative aesthetics, especially in terms of their pains and pleasures. As this study seeks to demonstrate, emotional analysis opens up …

Dishes Of Yesteryear: Memories, Stories, And Representations Of The Past Within Food Media, Diana Willis Bottomley

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

In 1963, Julia Child revolutionized cooking television. Child’s The French Chef, which ran for ten years on the Boston public television station, WGBH, changed how American’s viewed, produced, and consumed food. And in the sixty years since Child’s debut, food media has grown in scope and popularity, increasingly altering how we communicate identity in and through food and foodways. In this dissertation, I examine the relation between food, media, and memory, with particular attention to: how the past moderates the connection between food and identity; how food media produce a sense of place integral to identity; and how food …

Does Hookup Culture Silence Women?, Kylee Rose Rock

Honors Theses and Capstones

The issue of hookup culture on college campuses is of concern to many feminist scholars, given the alarming rates of sexual assault and unsafe sexual experiences in the college setting. This essay argues that hookup culture has the ability to silence women by means of the social landscape which college-aged adults find themselves in today. Further, this essay examines the social experiences of young women on college campuses, and advocates for a change in social habits and scripts through reconsidering our approach to the anti-porn movement in today’s modern culture. Drawing upon literature from Rae Langton’s work, "Speech Acts and …

Rainbow-Washing The Occupation: A Critical Examination Of Israeli Claims To Feminist And Gay-Friendly Modernity, Melia Oliver

Scripps Senior Theses

In this thesis, I employ a queer analytic to uncover how Israel weaponizes claims to feminist and gay-friendly modernity—referred to as pink- and purple washing, respectively—as forms of propaganda to justify their occupation of Palestine. Pink- and purplewasing narratives rely on racist and Orientalist conceptions of Palestinian “barbarism” which Israel reproduces in order to bolster their settler colonial project. I analyze pink- and purplewashing propaganda as symptoms of larger homo- and femonationalist formations which stem from and further reinforce settler colonialism. I address allegations of “weaponized rape” during and after the events of October 7th and argue that this form …

Shaping Socially Engaged Art Practice And Critical Pedagogy In The Uk Arts And Cultural Sector: An Auto/Biographical Framing Of Class, Gender And Political Activism, Chrissie Tiller

Doctoral

Situated at the intersection of critical pedagogy, radical theatre and political activism, this PhD thesis reflects critically on a series of publications and an interdisciplinary counterhegemonic socially engaged art practice between 2010-20. Mobilising the auto/biographical as a conceptual framework for critical analysis, the thesis addresses questions of systemic inequalities, cultural democracy and social transformation in the UK arts and cultural sector. By examining my lived experience through the analytical lenses of intersectionality and feminist standpoint theory, the thesis foregrounds how interconnecting oppressions of gender and class have contributed to the formation of my creative practice and its pedagogical interventions, constituting …

Suicidality Among Black Women: Considering Resiliency Within The Historic And Societal Context Of Risk, Samantha J. North

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Suicide is a global health challenge that has been historically understudied among Black women. The interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidality (IPTS) is a primary theory examined in suicidality; however, the three factors within the theory (lack of belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and capability to die) focus on the individual. The purpose of the current study was to examine these factors in an expanded context of the historical and societal impact of oppression. A mixed methods Qualtrics study was administered to Black women who voluntarily completed the survey anonymously. Quantitatively, the study found significant differences between the impact of the IPTS factors on …

The Regenarrative: How To Change The Story In Order To Change The Future, S. Rose Bigheart O'Leary

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Abstract

In the era of Climate Change, many are concerned that the end of the Anthropocene, or the end of the era of human life on Earth, is upon us. Western European colonialism and its subsequent systems (settler-colonialism, colonial-capitalism, and globalization - sometimes termed “neocolonialism”) have all been implicated in contributing to unsustainable behaviors linked to accelerating climate change. In searching for possible solutions, some have called for listening to Indigenous Peoples, citing ethics of sustainability found among many Indigenous cultures. However, the cultural products of settler-colonialism are still dominant in ways that do not allow for Indigenous worldviews to …

Impacts Of Sex Work Criminalization On Sex Workers In Oregon: A Pilot Study, Stephanie Wahab, Katie Shammel

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Executive Summary

Context for the Study
In July, 2023, Oregon legislators voted to fund research exploring the impacts of the criminalization of sex work in Oregon. Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed the budget item, stating that the private sector should fund this type of public health research and noting the need for additional public discussion about the issue. To date, there have been no attempts to study the impacts of prostitution laws on the people most impacted by them in Oregon. The research presented in this report seeks to address this gap.

This qualitative pilot study was designed to better understand …

Notorious: John Singer Sargent's Madame X, Frankie M. Smith

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The meaning and controversy behind John Singer Sargent's Madame X painting.

Increasing Retention Of Women In Hunting And Fishing, Shelby Isensee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite national declines in hunting and fishing, women are making inroads in historically male-dominated sports. To further encourage women’s participation, states established programs to recruit, retain, and reactivate [R3] hunters and anglers. Women are participating in these programs and other recreational groups to access opportunities to learn skills and grow their networks. Yet, very little is known about what programs are offered for women, what aspects of programs are most effective to support women’s retention in these activities, and what women’s hunting and fishing groups are available across the landscape. To address these questions, I collected qualitative data from participant …

Menopause In The Public Sphere: The Consciousness-Raising Practices Of Technical And Experiential Experts, Emma J. Murdock

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Menopause is frequently discussed through a biomedical lens, which stresses technical language and knowledge, yet emerging in popular culture is experiential experts sharing how they feel about menopause. This paper analyses Michelle Obama's podcast episode titled “What Your Mother Never Told You” (2022) featuring Dr. Sharon Malone, a medical doctor and menopause experiential expert. Using consciousness-raising and the spheres of argumentation, I analyze how the experiential and technical experts of the podcast address and speak about menopause. This paper aims to question how consciousness-raising can reconstruct the understanding of menopause through an experiential-centric lens by placing personal testimony and experiences …

Body. Freedom. Choice: Creating Artwork In Post-Roe America, Erin Sedra

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

I knew from a young age that I never wanted children. Whenever I expressed my disinterest in motherhood, I was often met with bewilderment, disapproval, and hostility. The church I was raised in taught me that my value and worth as a woman directly correlated with the power of my birthing hips. This fundamentalist upbringing has significantly shaped my relationship with my femininity, my body, and my artwork. When I feel powerless, turning to my art gives me a sense of control and self-expression. This body of work began as a reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and …

Dancing Around And Through Harm: Examining The Lived Experiences Of Women Of Colour With Gender-Based Violence In The Toronto & Kitchener-Waterloo Latin Dance Communities, Lexi Salt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Given the systemic nature of gender-based violence in Canada, as well as the increasing popularity of Latin dance, it is important to better understand the particular and culturally-specific ways gender-based violence manifests itself within the Latin dance community. This research study examines the lived experiences of women of colour with gender-based violence in the Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo Latin dance communities. Two groups of participants took part in semi-structured interviews: 14 women of colour dancers, and six “Power Players”, leaders in the Latin dance community who are in a position of power (e.g., instructors, organizers, DJs). The data was analyzed using …

Queer Liberation In Young Adult Fantasy: An Analysis Of Rainbow Islands, Sydney Brouillard-Coyle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was to explore how the theme of queer liberation can be represented in young adult fantasy novels. I conducted an in-depth analysis of the novel Rainbow Islands (Devin Harnois) utilizing the lenses of queer, transgender, intersectional, and narrative theory. In the novel Rainbow Islands, Harnois presents a utopia in which queer people are able to counter their oppressive realities by building systems of community that support one another; yet, the novel ends up replicating systems of oppression. Thus, Rainbow Islands offers a complex opportunity for analysis when considering the theme of queer liberation and how …

Empowered Womanhood In Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’S “Sultana’S Dream” And Greta Gerwig’S Barbie: Keys To The Ideal World, Tasnuva Tabassum

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s “Sultana’s Dream” (1905) and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) present feminist utopias separated by more than a century. Despite the temporal gap, both works introduce worlds where traditional gender roles are reversed. This thesis explores Hossain’s and Gerwig’s suggestions to create ideal worlds through empowerment of women. Considering evolution of feminist utopian thought from the beginning of the twentieth century to the beginning of the twenty-first, and the differences in feminisms from East to West, this thesis analyzes the narrative structures, thematic elements, and cultural contexts of these works. Despite differences, both authors seek not just female but …

Reclaiming & Reasserting Third World Womanhoods In U.S. Higher Education, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study combines narrative inquiry with Third World feminism to bring a nuanced and scopic perspective of Third World women student experiences in US higher education. Specifically, it utilises Talpade Mohanty's concept of Third World womanhood to visibilise the experiences of five Third World international female students. Understanding womanhood as transnationally fluid and contextual, I investigate how women international students from the Third World perceive themselves to be misrepresented or homogenised in Western higher education. I also examine how gender and foreignness act as dynamic, interrelated categories in doubly‐othering this population. The purpose is to identify how Third World women …

Puppy Love And [Information] Play: An Intersection Of Theatre, Queer Kink, And Consent, Emily Kitchens

Faculty Articles

This note from the field centers on a nexus of queer kink subcultures and consent-based intimacy work in theatre. I report, investigate and wrangle with the process of incorporating queer kink aesthetics into the production of Love and Information by Caryl Churchill I directed at KSU February 2023. What I have learned and hope to demonstrate throughout the paper, is that queer kink subcultures are often paradigmatic examples of communities built on consent, and we as performing arts practitioners can more visibly expand the margins of our cultural competency dialogues to not only include them but look to them as …

Reading The Books Of Margery Kempe And Alice Pyett: Attachment And Feminist Restoration In Michelle Paver's "Wakenhyrst", Laura Varnam

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

This article examines reading, attachment, and the restoration of female voices in Michelle Paver's Wakenhyrst, a 2019 novel inspired by the fifteenth-century mystic and author, Margery Kempe. The article foregrounds and analyses the author’s own response to the novel and to Paver's comments about Kempe from the perspective of Rita Felski's work on art and attachment (2020) and in the context of Carolyn Dinshaw's reading of Hope Emily Allen's championing of Margery Kempe (2012). Underpinned by a framework that draws on medievalism studies (particularly Katherine Brown's concept of 'restoration'), the article explores the ways in which Paver's two readers …

Women’S Friendship In Medieval Literature, Skye Oliver

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Apostate Nuns In The Later Middle Ages, Morgan Mcminn

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Female Authorship, Patronage, And Translation In Late Medieval France: From Christine De Pizan To Louise Labé, Alani Hicks-Bartlett

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Faux Feminism In A Capitalistic Fever Dream: A Review Of Greta Gerwig's Barbie (2023), Amy La Porte, Lena Cavusoglu

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Somewhere between meaningful discourse about female agency and the commercial interests of a problematic doll franchise lies Mattel's box office hit film Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig. In a script-flipping interpretation of the real-world patriarchy, it catapults itself into overdue discussions about gender norms, objectification, and the pursuit of Westernized beauty ideals. While it may have introduced liberationist theories to a new generation of women, ultimately it is a film bound by cognitive dissonance. This paper will delve into the profit-making protagonist at the center of its story and argue the film's underlying incompatibility with diversity, feminism, and social …

Reigniting The Flame Of Change: The Resurgence Of Iran’S Radical Feminist Movement In The Aftermath Of Mahsa Ahmini’S Death, Putri Hergianasari, Tunjung Wijanarka

Journal of Middle East and Islamic Studies

This article explores the significant impact of the radical feminist movement in Iran following the tragic death of Mahsa Ahmini. This incident sparked widespread international protests and shed light on the unjust treatment of women in Iran. The study employs a qualitative research method with descriptive analysis, and the authors use library research for the collection of data. The findings of this research reveal that the radical feminist movement in Iran has gained strength since Mahsa Ahmini’s passing, marked by numerous demonstrations led by feminist activists advocating for justice and reforms in the discriminatory legal framework. This movement fights for …

Course Design As Critical Creativity: Intersectional, Regional, And Demographic Approaches To Teaching Asian American Literatures, Thomas X. Sarmiento

Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies

This essay offers a theoretical and reflective exploration of critically informed acts of creativity expressed in my course design for and teaching of Asian American literatures at a predominantly white, public land-grant, Midwestern university. I argue that teaching is both a creative and critical activity as it generates new ways of knowing and being through an assessment and curation of extant literary texts and scholarly discourses. Given my geographic, scholarly, and personal orientations, my course features intersectional, regional, and ethnically diverse perspectives that aim to queer what “Asian America/n” signifies. I hope my situated pedagogical insights inspire other scholar-teachers to …

Archiving “Sensitive” Social Media Data: ‘In Her Shoes’, A Case Study, Lorraine Grimes Dr, Kathryn Cassidy Dr, Murilo Dias, Clare Lanigan, Aileen O'Carroll Dr, Preetam Singhvi

Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies

Social media play an increasingly significant role in activist and social movements around the globe. Archiving social media is a relatively new phenomenon and an area which needs greater clarity, understanding and uniformity. When it comes to archiving and cataloguing sensitive social media collections, such as personal abortion stories, the process is even more ambiguous. The campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment (a constitutional ban on abortion) in Ireland saw many such stories shared through online media, particularly in the lead-up to the 2018 referendum. Using the ‘In Her Shoes: Women of the Eighth’ Facebook dataset as a case study, …

Romancing The University: Bipoc Scholars In Romance Novels In The 1980s And Now, Jayashree Kamble

Publications and Research

English-language mass-market romance novels written by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) writers and starring BIPOC protagonists are a small but important group. This article is a comparative analysis of how recent representations of diversity in this sub-set of the genre, specifically the character of the Black academic and the language of racial justice, compare with the first group of BIPOC novels that were published in 1984 (Sandra Kitt’s Adam and Eva and All Good Things as well as Barbara Stephens’s A Toast to Love). In Adrianna Herrera’s American Love Story (2019), Katrina Jackson’s Office Hours (2020), and …

If Men Can Do It, Then So Can A Woman: Inspiring Determination Through Service-Learning And Silent Movies, Kayla Vasilko

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

In the American silent movie era, women were not associated with the ability to perform stunt work, drive an automobile without a man present, or be much more than a supporting face in a film, despite the fact that there were more female film writers, directors and producers than male in that era, the importance of “automotive citizenship,” and the added difficulty of women’s stunt work (women performed high risk stunts like jumping from buildings, etc., but they had to do it in gowns, and bikinis); today, women and minorities are highly under-represented in boardrooms, director’s chairs, and a startling …

Review Of: In Plain View: The Daily Lives Of Amish Women—Judith Stavisky, Barbie Stoltzfus

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

This book is an accurate snapshot of the Amish lifestyle. It is almost uncanny how Stavisky picked up on the inner mechanisms of the lifestyle of the largest and most progressive Amish settlement in the United States. Stavisky portrayed the lifestyle with respect and, for the most part, truth. The simple fact that the Amish allowed Stavisky into their lives and homes speaks much about the author’s tact and poise. [First paragraph.]