Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Brigham Young University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1171 - 1200 of 2366

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Cultural Preservation And Modern Development In The Amazon, Eric W. Linton Aug 2013

Cultural Preservation And Modern Development In The Amazon, Eric W. Linton

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the summer of 2009 indigenous groups in the Peruvian Amazon headed a major grassroots movement against the national government in an effort to protect their lands and lifestyles. The protests brought due international attention to issues of human rights and land ownership that had previously been a local matter. Several months previous to the movement a colleague and I ventured to the Putumayo region of the Peruvian Amazon in an effort to understand the issues being faced by the people of those regions. Specifically, we aimed to understand the importance of self determined rights as a means to preserve …

Go to article

Mobility Patterns As Seen Through Lithic Technologies, Aaron Fergusson, Dr. Joel C. Janetski Aug 2013

Mobility Patterns As Seen Through Lithic Technologies, Aaron Fergusson, Dr. Joel C. Janetski

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During BYU’s 1995 field school many artifacts were brought back to BYU for analysis, including the important data set of toolstone artifacts and debris. At Fish Lake the sites excavated date from the Archaic (F7 area), Fremont (Mickeys Place), and Late Prehistoric (F14 area) time periods, each representing a different way of life. The Archaic and the Late Prehistoric time periods in the Great Basin are defined as representing a hunter/gatherer way of life. These were highly mobile, or residentially mobile groups and occupied a series of residential camps seasonally. The Fremont period 1 represents a horticultural way of life. …

Go to article

The Ethnophysiologocial Janus: Changing Perceptions Of Illness And Curing In The Guatemalan Mayan Highlands, Steven Shem Rode, Dr. John P. Hawkins Aug 2013

The Ethnophysiologocial Janus: Changing Perceptions Of Illness And Curing In The Guatemalan Mayan Highlands, Steven Shem Rode, Dr. John P. Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ethnomedical literature rarely addresses the problem of how illness is recognized and understood among Nahualenos in southwest Guatemala. In that area of the world, mother/infant mortality rates remain high, and local perceptions of illness continue to bewilder western biomedical caregivers. This study investigates data collected from doctor-patient communication, linguistics, and traditional medicine to explain how ethnophysiological understandings of illness exemplify effective and ineffective teaching methods about bacteriology and prevention within the liminal Nahualeno society.

Go to article

Odocoileus Hemionus Mortality Profiles And The Cultural Predatory Adaptations At Aspen Shelter, Utah, James T. Anderson, Dr. Joel C. Janetskik Aug 2013

Odocoileus Hemionus Mortality Profiles And The Cultural Predatory Adaptations At Aspen Shelter, Utah, James T. Anderson, Dr. Joel C. Janetskik

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Mortality profiles (ages at death) constructed from the faunal analysis of archaeological sites offer unique insights into specific cultural predatory patterns and lifeways of the sites former inhabitants. The products of prey age selection or mortality profiles allow archaeologists to understand strategies of hunting, land use, and “habitual techniques of procurement” . A mortality profile of 4 mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) was created from the thousands of identified bones excavated at Aspen Shelter, Utah in an attempt to understand such cultural adaptations.

Go to article

Mythogony (The Creation Of Myth): A Comparative Religion Study Of Sai Culture, St. Shane Sanders, Dr. Lanier Britsch Aug 2013

Mythogony (The Creation Of Myth): A Comparative Religion Study Of Sai Culture, St. Shane Sanders, Dr. Lanier Britsch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The scope of my research was the analysis of a syncretic paradigm extending from east to west. India houses the three major ashram(a)s of a new religious movement and sub-culture, united by a mythological belief in their guru, Swami Sathya Sai Baba. The village born guru boasts a following of one million, which is made up of indigenous Indians as well as foreigners coming from as nearby as Nepal and Burma to as far as San Francisco, London, Trinidad and Portugal to name but a few of the nationalities of the people I interviewed. The culture incorporates the religious thought …

Go to article

Life Histories In Kizimkazi Dimbani, Zabzibar, Stephen B. Backman, Dr. David P. Crandall, Gary Burgess Aug 2013

Life Histories In Kizimkazi Dimbani, Zabzibar, Stephen B. Backman, Dr. David P. Crandall, Gary Burgess

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Kizimkazi Dimbani is a village of just over 1500 people on the southern end of the island of Zanzibar, which is about 50 miles off of the coast of Tanzania. In the fall of 1998 I went to Zanzibar with a group of seven BYU students under the International Study Programs Office in the Kennedy Center. The group performed a variety of research projects including topics focusing on health, conservation biology, village economics, education, and anthropology. My project was based on a study of the relationship between the kinship and political systems of the village. Through our research we were …

Go to article

Life Histories In Kizimkazi Dimbani, Zabzibar, Stephen B. Backman, Dr. David P. Crandall, Dr. Gary Burgess Aug 2013

Life Histories In Kizimkazi Dimbani, Zabzibar, Stephen B. Backman, Dr. David P. Crandall, Dr. Gary Burgess

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Kizimkazi Dimbani is a village of just over 1500 people on the southern end of the island of Zanzibar, which is about 50 miles off of the coast of Tanzania. In the fall of 1998 I went to Zanzibar with a group of seven BYU students under the International Study Programs Office in the Kennedy Center. The group performed a variety of research projects including topics focusing on health, conservation biology, village economics, education, and anthropology. My project was based on a study of the relationship between the kinship and political systems of the village. Through our research we were …

Go to article

Regress In South African Education After Apartheid, Brett Peterson, Dr. John Hawkins Aug 2013

Regress In South African Education After Apartheid, Brett Peterson, Dr. John Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In South Africa, despite positive changes in school structure and potential educational attainment, revolutionary changes to South African society interact with the current state of South African education to produce a negative educational effect.

Go to article

Easier For A Camel: The Quasi-Christian Merchants Of Venice; A Literary Look At Economic History, Wayne Sandholtz, Dr. Brandie Siegfried Aug 2013

Easier For A Camel: The Quasi-Christian Merchants Of Venice; A Literary Look At Economic History, Wayne Sandholtz, Dr. Brandie Siegfried

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In a Shakespeare class during my junior year, I wrote a paper called “Easier for a camel: the quasi-Christian merchants of Venice” which examined the relationships between business virtue and Christian virtue in Shakespeare’s comedy The Merchant of Venice. Even though it was written centuries ago, I felt that the play had significant things to say to our modern capitalist society in which, just as in Shakespeare’s day, traditional sources of authority are being challenged by the combination of new technology with expanding economic opportunities. I decided to apply for and was given a grant from ORCA to further explore …

Go to article

Museum Of Peoples And Cultures: Acknowledging History, Carlee Reed, Dr. Paul Stavast Aug 2013

Museum Of Peoples And Cultures: Acknowledging History, Carlee Reed, Dr. Paul Stavast

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As of 2009, the Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) has been an active institution of BYU campus for over fifty years. Throughout that time it has developed educational programs, volunteer opportunities, and given a unique experience to students in and out of the Anthropology program. The MPC’s directors have kept the institution open through diligence, and acknowledging the importance of practical experience to BYU’s students.

Go to article

The Gunpowder Behind Ghana’S Cocoa Boom: Examining How International Market Pressure And British Colonial Policies Created Ghana’S Cocoa Market, Chase Arnold, Sheila Bibb Aug 2013

The Gunpowder Behind Ghana’S Cocoa Boom: Examining How International Market Pressure And British Colonial Policies Created Ghana’S Cocoa Market, Chase Arnold, Sheila Bibb

Journal of Undergraduate Research

At the turn of the 20th century, British imperialism renewed with remarkable vigor. The British Empire was expanded, its borders defined, and greater effort was invested into making each of its distant lands more profitable for Crown and country. A remarkable, yet often overlooked, portion of this colonial narrative belongs to the Republic of Ghana in West Africa, which was then known as the British Gold Coast. For several centuries following the first European encounters, the Gold Coast was primarily tied into the Atlantic slave trade, serving as a lucrative market where Africans could be both bought and sold for …

Go to article

Saving The Maya Civilization – Ancient And Living, Landon John Hansen, Dr. Donald Forsyth Aug 2013

Saving The Maya Civilization – Ancient And Living, Landon John Hansen, Dr. Donald Forsyth

Journal of Undergraduate Research

One of the most significant finds of Mayan archaeology in recent years has been the elaborate stucco frieze discovered in the Central Acropolis of the ancient Mayan city, El Mirador. The frieze is significant not only because of its remarkable preservation and beautiful artistic representations, but also because of its age. The frieze, which is proposed to be depicting a scene from the Popul Vuh, predates all other known sources of the Popul Vuh mythology by more than a millennium. In fact, much speculation has been done in the past regarding the level of Spanish influence in the Popul Vuh …

Go to article

Modern-Day Conceptions Of Marriage In Visakhapatnam, India: “Bridging The Gap” Between Globalized Young Women And Their Parents, Courtney Petersen, Dr. Charles W. Nuckolls Aug 2013

Modern-Day Conceptions Of Marriage In Visakhapatnam, India: “Bridging The Gap” Between Globalized Young Women And Their Parents, Courtney Petersen, Dr. Charles W. Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The city of Visakhapatnam hugs the shoreline of the Bay of Bengal on the East coast of Andhra Pradesh, India. Once a small collection of fishing villages, this city is now a bustling metropolis housing businesses, universities, travelers, students, and families from both metropolitan and rural backgrounds. As with most growing cities in India, Visakhapatnam is bombarded with outside influences from the western world in the form of media, global businesses, and travel as it develops as a city. This advancement in technology and interaction with global society benefits the people in Visakhapatnam by introducing them to opportunities that will …

Go to article

An Observation Of Public Behavior Among Ecuadorian Orphans, Emily Miller, Dr. Charles Nuckolls Aug 2013

An Observation Of Public Behavior Among Ecuadorian Orphans, Emily Miller, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Identity within a social structure is easily analyzed when found in a culturally traditional setting. However, when physical and mental handicaps, parental figure transience, and varying levels of familial contact become factors the social structure and the roles within that structure are not as easily defined. Research for this study was performed at an Ecuadorian orphanage where many of the children have mental and physical handicaps and where the adults they interact with change quite frequently. Based on this study, it can be concluded that a child’s role within this society and the type of interactions that child has with …

Go to article

Medical Pluralism And Women’S Health: Ayurveda And Allopathy In A Changing Andhra Pradesh, Rachel Owen, Dr. John Hawkins Aug 2013

Medical Pluralism And Women’S Health: Ayurveda And Allopathy In A Changing Andhra Pradesh, Rachel Owen, Dr. John Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research took place in Andhra Pradesh, South India, in Vishakhapatnam, or Visag, for short. I studied the interaction between Allopathy (Allopathy is one of the terms used to describe western medicine, or biomedicine) and Ayurveda(Ayurveda is the traditional Hindu medicine system used in India for over 2000 years). I was originally interested in how this interaction affected midwives and pregnant mothers in the small fishing village on the edge of the city. As with most ethnographic, qualitative research, my focus changed during the first few weeks as challenges presented themselves and I had to adapt based on the resources …

Go to article

We Are Widows, We Are Women: On The Oral Histories Of Low-Caste Indian Widows And How They Maintain A Sense Of Self In The Face Of Social Role Change, Suzanne Powell, Dr. Charles W. Nuckolls Aug 2013

We Are Widows, We Are Women: On The Oral Histories Of Low-Caste Indian Widows And How They Maintain A Sense Of Self In The Face Of Social Role Change, Suzanne Powell, Dr. Charles W. Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As a student of anthropology, my ORCA grant enabled me to work on analyzing and writing up my results from a field study trip I took during the Fall 2009 semester to Visakhapatnam, India. My study focused on collecting oral histories of Hindu windows living in a fishing village just outside of the city limits. While there, I focused on understanding their lives previous to and after widowhood, what being a widow meant in that society, and how they felt about and reacted to the changes that came into their lives with the deaths of their husbands.

Go to article

Natural History Museums Of Early Utah Settlement, Leslie Evens Jul 2013

Natural History Museums Of Early Utah Settlement, Leslie Evens

Library Research Grants

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Speaking For Himself: Odysseus And Rhetoric In Sophocles' Philoctetes, Christian Wiggo Axelgard Jul 2013

Speaking For Himself: Odysseus And Rhetoric In Sophocles' Philoctetes, Christian Wiggo Axelgard

Theses and Dissertations

In order to reconcile the deus ex machina at the end of Sophocles' Philoctetes with the actions of the rest of the play, this project analyzes the role of Odysseus within the play with special attention to rhetoric. By considering the character of Odysseus as a complex construct referencing both literary and historical contexts, this study suggests that Neoptolemus in fact errs in siding with Philoctetes to the degree that he does by the tragedy's end. The themes of the play involving Philoctetes and Neoptolemus then become warnings against inappropriate emotional responses, again consistent with Heracles' advice in the deus …

Go to article

Zofia Stryjeńska: Women In The Warsaw Town Square. Our Lady, Peasant Mother, Pagan Goddess, Katelyn Mckenzie Sheffield Jul 2013

Zofia Stryjeńska: Women In The Warsaw Town Square. Our Lady, Peasant Mother, Pagan Goddess, Katelyn Mckenzie Sheffield

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis I consider the unique position that Polish artist Zofia Stryjeńska (1891-1974) occupied during the interwar period. Lauded during her time as the most popular artist in Poland, the acceptance of Stryjeńska's female voice in representing a national vocabulary was unprecedented and deserves closer examination. I assert that Poland's history of oppression created a unique environment where women as archetypal figures often took on masculine roles. These 'transgressive types' were visible in the literature and art of the 19th and 20th centuries. Stryjeńska's art, as well as her behavior, capitalized on these transgressive traditions. Women played an important …

Go to article

Parowan Valley Potting Communities: Examining Technological Style In Fremont Snake Valley Corrugated Pottery, Scott M. Ure Jul 2013

Parowan Valley Potting Communities: Examining Technological Style In Fremont Snake Valley Corrugated Pottery, Scott M. Ure

Theses and Dissertations

Defining the Fremont archaeological culture has challenged archaeologists for decades. There is still considerable debate about the origins of the Fremont, their eventual demise, their genetic relationship to modern Native American tribes, and myriad other issues. In nearly a century of Fremont research, socio-political, economic, and religious complexity remain elusive subjects. Examining technological style, the manifestation of socially influenced choices during each step of production as a means of passive communication, is one useful avenue to examine Fremont material culture to uncover the social patterns they may, or may not contain. I examine whether or not technological style in Fremont …

Go to article

Promontory Culture: The Faunal Evidence, Lindsay Deanne Johansson Jun 2013

Promontory Culture: The Faunal Evidence, Lindsay Deanne Johansson

Theses and Dissertations

Following excavations in the Promontory Caves and at several open sites in the Provo River Delta region, Steward (1937) characterized the Promontory culture as large game hunters. He based this on the high number of bison bones recovered within the Caves. Excavations at additional Promontory sites along the Wasatch Front contain faunal assemblages which differ significantly from those in the caves, showing that people living at open sites relied more heavily on small game, waterfowl, and aquatic resources than large game. These differences have been mostly attributed to Steward's sampling strategy and lack of screening, but faunal material recovered during …

Go to article

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Treatment Experience Of Adolescent Females In A Relationally Based Therapeutic Boarding School, Douglas S. Marchant Jun 2013

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Treatment Experience Of Adolescent Females In A Relationally Based Therapeutic Boarding School, Douglas S. Marchant

Theses and Dissertations

Individualism, the assumption that persons are self-contained and primarily act for the sake of the self, is prevalent in American culture and has arguably perpetuated numerous psychological and societal ills. Relationality, the assumption that persons are always and inextricably constituted by relationships, has been posited as a philosophical and practical alternative to individualist culture. Several scholars, both inside and outside of psychology, have developed relational concepts and practices, including some who have elucidated a relational approach to psychotherapy (e.g., Slife and Wiggins, 2009). This study examines the implications and effects of this therapeutic approach, particularly exploring relationality's therapeutic success in …

Go to article

The Portrayal Of Museums In Family Films, Alexa Hysi, Dr. Paul Stavast Jun 2013

The Portrayal Of Museums In Family Films, Alexa Hysi, Dr. Paul Stavast

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the last decade the number of new museums and museum visitors has increased worldwide (Frey and Meier 2008, 410). Likewise, the instances of museums in family films have also increased. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) lists 260 films since 1914 that use museums in some form in their plot. More than 140 of those movies were produced in the last 10 years. One concern with the increase in the portrayal of museums in films is the accuracy and connotation of the depictions, as inaccurate portrayals could potentially skew visitors’ perception of museums. This research sought to identify how museums …

Go to article

Families Growing Smaller: A Paradox Generated By Stigma In North India, Hailey King, Dr. Charles Nuckolls Jun 2013

Families Growing Smaller: A Paradox Generated By Stigma In North India, Hailey King, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As is the case with most research projects, I also had to make alterations to my project. Originally I was going to be researching with some contacts in New Zealand. Unfortunately, my contacts there had to postpone this project. I therefore, had to change my location and slightly alter the focus of my research. I was able to gain some connections in India, and lived with a wonderful host family in New Delhi for 90 days.

Go to article

Healthy First Year: Cultural Beliefs And Customs Of Indian Mothers Affecting The Health Of A Child In Their First Year Of Life, Amy Drake, Dr. Charles Nuckolls Jun 2013

Healthy First Year: Cultural Beliefs And Customs Of Indian Mothers Affecting The Health Of A Child In Their First Year Of Life, Amy Drake, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Nearly a decade ago, India held one of the world’s highest rates in both infant and maternal mortality. Attention from the Indian government and the implementation of health programs have contributed to the significant improvement seen in the past ten years. While both rates have dropped substantially, maternal and infant health continue to be concerns in India. Pregnancy, delivery, and infant health complications can all be found at surprising frequencies throughout the country. While public health interventions and education campaigns strive to spread western medical methods, Indian women continue to embrace traditional practices of pregnancy and infant care. The purpose …

Go to article

Inter-Caste Adoption In India: Effects On Kinship And Caste As Understood By The Adoptive Family, Kelly Hacker, Dr. Charles Nuckolls Jun 2013

Inter-Caste Adoption In India: Effects On Kinship And Caste As Understood By The Adoptive Family, Kelly Hacker, Dr. Charles Nuckolls

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In his studies of kinship (1984), David Schneider put forth the theory that kinship is not inherently biologically-based, but is rather a symbolic and flexible understanding of the relationship between individuals. Inter-caste adoption in India, where a husband and wife adopt an unrelated child born to parents of a different caste, presents itself as an interesting testing ground for this theory, as both biological unrelatedness and a difference in caste must be overcome in the creation of kinship between adoptive family and adoptee.

Go to article

Reconceiving A Necessary Evil: Teaching A Transferable Fyc Research Paper, Samuel James Dunn Jun 2013

Reconceiving A Necessary Evil: Teaching A Transferable Fyc Research Paper, Samuel James Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

The place of the research paper in first-year composition (FYC) courses is often debated in composition forums. Many argue that the a-disciplinary nature of FYC doesn't allow instructors to teach the research paper in a way that will be transferable to disciplinary writing tasks, while others say that it is possible, as long as we have a thorough understanding of the kinds of writing tasks students will face in the disciplines and specifically teach writing skills that will be transferable. To identify these more generalizable writing skills to be emphasized, I interviewed 14 professors at Brigham Young University from different …

Go to article

Kierkegaard And A Pedagogy Of Liminality, Sylvia Mcmillan Jun 2013

Kierkegaard And A Pedagogy Of Liminality, Sylvia Mcmillan

Theses and Dissertations

There is a strain of curriculum theory especially since the reconceptionalist movement that applies existential philosophy to educational issues and questions. There is also a related branch of curriculum theory that looks especially at existentialist theology to cast light on curriculum issues from a more religious slant. Both of these strains of analysis are rooted in Kierkegaard, the father of existentialism and existential theology (Huebner, 1999; Tillich, 1948). The educational implications of the works of Kierkegaard are a subject that has been virtually unexamined in either educational or Kierkegaardian scholarship except by two scholars whose works are already 40 years …

Go to article

Millenniums And Messiahs: Literature Review In Messianic Religions In Context Of The Hmong Diaspora, John Whitton, Dr. Joacob Hickman Jun 2013

Millenniums And Messiahs: Literature Review In Messianic Religions In Context Of The Hmong Diaspora, John Whitton, Dr. Joacob Hickman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Initially, the research proposed consisted of two sections constituting the last two semesters of my undergraduate education. The first included collecting published sources regarding millenarianism and messianism within the larger global context and organizing them into a database. The second included systematically cataloging each source in the database for future analysis, not only for Dr. Hickman’s personal use but also for the larger academic and professional community. These circles will encompass the study of nationalism, religion, globalization, and in Dr. Hickman’s specific use, the Hmong diaspora and generational views of morality.

Go to article

Probabilistic Explicit Topic Modeling, Joshua Aaron Hansen Apr 2013

Probabilistic Explicit Topic Modeling, Joshua Aaron Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) is widely used for automatic discovery of latent topics in document corpora. However, output from analysis using an LDA topic model suffers from a lack of identifiability between topics not only across corpora, but across runs of the algorithm. The output is also isolated from enriching information from knowledge sources such as Wikipedia and is difficult for humans to interpret due to a lack of meaningful topic labels. This thesis introduces two methods for probabilistic explicit topic modeling that address these issues: Latent Dirichlet Allocation with Static Topic-Word Distributions (LDA-STWD), and Explicit Dirichlet Allocation (EDA). LDA-STWD …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last