(The) Invisible Threads: Portraiture, Memory, And Relational Endurance, Behnaz Ghasempour

Masters Theses, 2020-current

(The) Invisible Threads is an MFA thesis investigating how invisible interpersonal bonds, collective traces, and communal endurance can be made perceptible through drawing, material, and immersive installation. Drawing from my lived experience as an Iranian woman who has witnessed everyday constraint, collective uprising, and migration, the project asks how the presence of others continues to inhabit the body and shape identity even in conditions of separation and distance. Large-scale self-portraits, layered with other faces on transparent fabrics, copper plates, and stitched threads, position the artist’s own body as a site where personal and collective histories converge, allowing the self to …

Pipeline Politics: A Comparative Analysis Of Environmental Justice Movements In The United States And Canada, Grace Treml

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Using theoretical frameworks from social movement theory, this study describes and comparatively analyzes the emergence and outcomes of the environmental justice movements against the development of the Coastal GasLink pipeline by people of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in Canada and the Keystone XL pipeline by environmental activists in the United States over the past two decades. By using social movement theory to evaluate movement emergence in terms of mobilizing structures, framing, and political opportunity structure, and movement outcomes in terms of representation, policy outcomes, and cultural discourse, a more inclusive argument for future environmental justice movements emerges. Findings synthesized from …

Identity And Ideology: Dolores Ibarruri's Reconciliation Of Motherhood And Communism, Marvin Black

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Spanish Civil War remains a significant cornerstone of the historical narrative of the early 20th century, as it served as the political and military precursor to World War II. The war was far more complex than a simple conflict between two ideologies, with many political and military leaders often overlooked. One of these individuals was Dolores Ibárruri, a leader of the Spanish Communist Party, who called on her experiences as both a mother and a communist to galvanize support for the Second Republic. How these two facets interacted and were shaped by Ibárruri’s personal experiences is often overlooked. Through …

The Chinese Red Record: Western Lynch Law And The Nationalization Of Racial Terror, 1853–1915, Kevin Hegg

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Between the California Gold Rush and the First World War, Chinese immigrants were subjected to a systematic regime of extralegal racial violence marked by lynchings, riots, massacres, and forced expulsions. Using a newly compiled dataset of anti-Chinese lynchings and related lethal incidents, this thesis reconstructs a “red record” of that violence and traces its spread from California and the Pacific Coast to the Mississippi Delta. In doing so, it expands the geography of what Ida B. Wells called “OUR country’s national crime” in “Lynch Law in America” (1900). These extralegal killings formed part of a Western anti-Chinese exclusionist regime that …

“Like Taking Your Armor Off:” Examining The Communication Challenges Faced By Lgbtq+ Liaison Officers, Emily P. Nicholson

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Policing has been and remains one of the most significant issues facing society in the United States. One response to this issue which has seen a rise in the last decade is the presence of liaison officer programs, which are designed to help improve police relations with vulnerable groups by forging connections with local, identity-aligned organizations and practicing identity-first policing. This study sought to understand what the challenges faced by liaison programs are and what organizational tensions are experienced by police officers in LGBTQ Liaison positions. Following an inductive approach to analysis, participants in the study engaged in a semi-structured …

Aggression And Mobility: The Power Of A Cavalry Pursuit During The Civil War, Leland G. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Decades after the Napoleonic Wars ended, military theorists in western countries began to write books and other manuals on how to successfully use cavalry on the battlefield. One such writer; Barron Jomini, mentions in his book The Art of War that cavalry should be used for reconnaissance, guarding flanks and looting, but its most important use was “opening the door for victory” by exploitation and pursuing the enemy for total victory. Jomini’s book was influential for the generals fighting the Civil War. In the early days of the war the Confederates would greatly use cavalry to conduct reconnaissance, while the …

"An Hospital For These People": Community Cooperation In The Construction Of America's First Psychiatric Hospital, Kira Quintin

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The Public Hospital in the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area is a reconstruction of the first psychiatric hospital in America. It is intended to interpret the psychiatric history of colonial Virginia to museum-goers, but with no dedicated staff or interpreters, the site is open for less than two hours a week at most. This project seeks to expand the accessibility of the site and the conversation surrounding the history of mental health among visitors to one of the largest living history museums in the country. This was accomplished by working with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to publish a self-guided tour of …

‘The Byzantine Bishop’: Makarios Iii, Us Foreign Policy And The Cyprus Problem, 1960–1977, Yianni G. Contis

Madison Historical Review

On July 15th, 1974, a Greek-sponsored coup overthrew the Cypriot government of Archbishop Makarios III, first president and founder of Cyprus. Five days later, Turkish armed forces invaded and ultimately partitioned the Mediterranean island, displacing roughly 180,000 Greek Cypriots. The United States, prioritizing Turkey's value to NATO and greater geopolitical interests, decided to leave Cyprus to its fate. However, a significant element of this crisis has remained largely unexamined: the longstanding animosity between Makarios and US officials. This tumultuous relationship proved just as strong a factor to the larger diplomatic failure of the period. Figures like John F. Kennedy and …

Mhr Volume Xxiii Full Issue

Madison Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Land Epistemic Ethic: Exploring The Complex Intersection Of Human Bodies, Land, And Identity In Middle Belt Nigeria Cosmologies, Fwangmun Oscar Danladi

International Journal on Responsibility

The Indigenous cosmologies of Nigeria’s Middle Belt emphasize the relationship between human bodies and the land, transcending Western epistemological binaries and revealing profound socio-religious insights into environmental responsibility. Practices such as the burial of newborns’ umbilical cords, often dismissed as animistic or fetishistic, embody a sacred connection to the land that emphasizes belonging rather than ownership. Using an autoethnographic approach, this study critically examines these cosmologies and identifies how the sacredness of land can serve as a repository of communal memory and potential. By reframing land not as a possession but as a relational entity, this research challenges dominant narratives …

Praise With Pipes And Strings: An Exploration Of American Protestant Hymnody Through New Arrangements For Flute And Piano, Dominic J. Baldoni

Dissertations, 2020-current

This project presents five hymn tunes from the American Protestant (A.P.) tradition arranged for flute and piano, accompanied by a scholarly analysis of the historical, liturgical, and practical aspects of A.P. hymnody and congregational song. The accompanying document explores the development of A.P. hymnody, the background of each selected tune, the role of instruments, primarily the flute, in worship, and the challenges faced by church musicians in the twenty-first century. By examining both vocal and instrumental iterations of these melodies throughout history, the analysis aims to inform performers and program planners about stylistic and contextual considerations for contemporary services and …

Stolen, Lost, And Replaced: Testimonios Regarding Chicana Responsibilities To The Spanish Language, Fawn-Amber Montoya, Ashley Martinez

International Journal on Responsibility

Using testimonio, the authors address how the Spanish language represents a component of Chicana identity. They illustrate how geography, history, and colonization impact Chicanas’ relationship with the Spanish language. Using testimonio allows the writers to explore the Spanish language in the United States through their personal experiences.

Resumen

Usando “testimonio”, las autoras abordan cómo el idioma español representa un componente de la identidad chicana. Ilustran cómo la geografía, la historia y la colonización afectan la relación de las chicanas con el idioma español. El uso de “testimonio” permite a las autoras explorar el idioma español en los Estados Unidos a …

Near Real-Time Monitoring Reveals Extensive Recent Forest Disturbance In Ghana’S Protected Areas, Luofan Dong, Xiaojing Tang, Foster Mensah, Bashara Ahmed Abubakari, Kelsee H. Bratley, Pontus Olofsson, Curtis E. Woodcock

Faculty Scholarship

The Protected Areas (PAs) in Ghana play a critical role in preserving the abundant biodiversity of the West Africa Green Belt. But recent changes in policies and regulations have facilitated logging and mining activities, which have accelerated forest disturbances. While there is a consensus that PAs are undergoing destructive change, the extent, rate, and locations of forest disturbances are undocumented. In this study, we applied the fusion near real-time (FNRT) algorithm that utilizes Landsat, Sentinel-1, and Sentinel-2 data and sampling to monitor forests in the PAs of Ghana. The results reveal that 704.74 (±177.24) km2 of forest in the PAs …

The Influence Of Artists And Artworks On Identity Development: The Student Perspective, Celeste M. Boseman

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This study investigates the ways in which the artists and artworks depicted throughout their K-12 art education influence students’ personal sociocultural identity development. By utilizing a self-reporting survey and individual interviews, this study explores the perspectives of current university students; their exposure to diversity in their K-12 art education; and the curricular perspectives that influence their identity. The artists and the artwork that art educators show in the classroom are only one aspect of what makes up a student’s art curriculum; this research project demonstrates the impact those artists can have on students’ identity development. The results of this study …

Unmasking Masculinities In Counseling: From Conformity To Connection, Kyle R. Rose

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation explored the entanglements of professional counseling and masculinities across three manuscripts, to contribute to (1) healthier forms of gender expression within and beyond the spectrum of masculinities for individuals, (2) the counseling profession’s role in transforming hegemonic masculinity within communities, and (3) larger movements to subvert the patriarchy throughout society. The first manuscript is a conceptual article that presented the Relational Cultural Privileged Identity Counseling (RCPIC) model, an integrative framework designed to help counselors address hegemonic masculinity within the therapeutic relationship. Drawing from Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT) and Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE), this model provided a roadmap for compassionate …

Collisions: The Enlivened Entanglements Of The Object-Self, Grace P. Smith

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This piece is a performance collage centered around objects and our entanglements with them. Through unpacking five objects in my life and their histories and interrogating three interwoven levels of narrative (the historical, the personal, and the aesthetic), I playfully displace the subject/object hierarchy to contribute to broader theoretical discussions regarding the agency of objects, resulting in novel insights through the collisions produced from the performance collage.

Sundown In Indiana: A Midwest Story Of Racism, Exclusion, And Memory, Kelsey A. Snyder

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Sundown towns were a prominent aspect of the northern life from the early 1900s till in some places till the 1970s but they have been lost to history. These towns have been silenced and erased not just from the history books but from public memory. Indiana is my home state and the three towns that will be discussed have all had an impact on my personal development especially in understanding race. Decatur and Huntington places I have called home, both have been classified as sundown towns. The third, Marion was the location of the one the last known lynchings in …

The Inescapable Ideology: How Third Cinema And Afrofuturism Can Change The Future, Daniel Silver

James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal (JMURJ)

Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther films brought the genre of Afrofuturism to a mainstream audience. Afrofuturism seeks to reclaim a past that was stolen by Western colonial and imperialist powers; because that past has been erased, it must be imagined in fiction. Afrofuturistic stories are then used to address issues in the present and look towards a better future. This paper examines how those stories are told using the words and symbols of the dominant ideology in society. It uses Althusser’s theory of Ideological State Apparatuses, Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony, and Solanas and Getino’s understanding of the Third Cinema movement, …

An Empire In A City: Foundations Of Washington, D.C., 1776 To 1861, Ronni Desjardins

Madison Historical Review

This research project will examine the foundations of Washington, D.C., and how the city’s map and construction identify imperial inspirations that influenced its design and use. It will also examine how these imperial frameworks were intentionally created to sustain historical narratives about the American people and their government. Using correspondence from James Madison and other Founding Fathers, the intention behind the construction of the national capital city becomes significant to our understanding of the political and national philosophy that exists in the current national atmosphere. By placing the capital at the geographic and economic center of the empire, the government …

April 3, 2025, James Madison University

The Breeze, 2020-

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Religious Moral Suasion And Material Support For The Environmental Justice Movement, Sarah Elizabeth Nahar

International Journal on Responsibility

The Environmental Justice (EJ) movement in the United States is comprised of diverse groups of people with a variety of environmental grievances and interests coming together to obtain equal distribution of pollution burdens across communities, reduce environmental hazards, and ensure fair enforcement of laws and policies meant to safeguard the environment for all. The 17 Principles of Environmental Justice developed in 1991 at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit remains a touchstone document today. In addition to Indigenous and Black leadership, religious communities also made the Summit possible. Religious adherents and institutions have always influenced the movement …

"You Write What You Want And What You Need": Incorporating Reflective Practice In The Ela Classroom Through Caring Pedagogy, Melanie Shoffner, Helen Bentley

Department of Middle, Secondary and Mathematics Education - Faculty Scholarship

Caring pedagogy is critical in today’s classrooms, and supporting students’ emotional needs as well as educational needs is an integral part of the teaching profession. This qualitative case study examines how one 9th grade ELA teacher uses reflective practices to enact care for her students. Creating a specially designed 50- minute freewrite class, the participant centers students by welcoming their voices into the classroom. Notes from observations and semi-structured interviews are used to show how the participant’s reflections about her students’ journals and discussions drive instruction. Findings show that care-based instruction-giving students space to write about any topic, removing the …

Authenticity And Genre In Old-Time Music: 1958-1965, Lara Ressler-Horst

Masters Theses, 2020-current

From 1961-1965, in response to the growing commercial success of the Folk Revival, a small group of New York City-based folk musicians and folklorists began promoting what they viewed as a more ‘authentic’ version of folk music. Calling themselves the “Friends of Old Time Music (FOTM),”[1] these musicians and folklorists put together a series of 14 concerts between 1961 and 1965 to promote ‘traditional musicians’. The decision by this small group of musicians and folklorists to use the genre name ‘old-time’ rather than ‘folk’ in their concert series was a direct engagement with and response to Folk Revival era …

Ethical Responsibility In The Design Of Artificial Intelligence (Ai) Systems, David K. Mcgraw

International Journal on Responsibility

This article aims to provide an overview of the ethical questions surrounding the responsibilities of designers of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. First, the author delves into the philosophical underpinnings of this responsibility, examining various ethical theories to grasp the moral obligations individuals have towards others and society. The author contends that designers of technology bear the responsibility of considering the broader societal implications of their creations. Subsequently, the author scrutinizes the fundamental question of whether AI systems present unique ethical concerns compared to conventional technologies, pinpointing factors such as complexity, opacity, autonomy, unpredictability, uncertainty, and the potential for significant social …

Toward Untangling Thunderstorm-Aerosol Relationships: An Observational Study Of Regions Centered On Washington, Dc And Kansas City, Mo, Mace Bentley, Tobias Gerken, Zhoujun Duan, Dudley Bonsal, Henry Way, Endre Szakal, Mia Pham, Hunter Donaldson, Lucie Griffith

School of Integrated Sciences - Faculty Scholarship

A multi-variable investigation of thunderstorm environments in two distinct geographic regions is conducted to assess the aerosol and thermodynamic environments surrounding thunderstorm initiation. 12-years of cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning flash data are used to reconstruct thunderstorms occurring in a 225 km radius centered on the Washington, D·C. and Kansas City Metropolitan Regions. A total of 196,836 and 310,209 thunderstorms were identified for Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, MO, respectively. Hourly meteorological and aerosol data were then merged with the thunderstorm event database.

Evidence suggests, warm season thunderstorm environments in benign synoptic conditions are considerably different in thermodynamics, aerosol properties, and aerosol …

Describing Trends In Virginia's Dentist And Dental Hygienist Workforce: Challenges And Opportunities, Shillpa Naavaal, Yetty Shobo, Barbara Hodgdon

Virginia Journal of Public Health

Purpose: Regular assessment of the dental workforce is essential to improve the population's oral health. This analysis aimed to understand the trends in the distribution of dentists and dental hygienists (DHs) in Virginia.

Methods: Annual survey data (2013-2022) of dentists and DHs from the Virginia Department of Health Professions Healthcare Workforce Data Center was used to examine the trends in provider distribution by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geography across Virginia.

Results: In 2022, there were 5,720 dentists and 5,290 DH licensees in Virginia. In the dentist workforce, there was a high representation of those aged ≥60 years (23%), males (58%), …

Virginia Journal Of Public Health Spring 2024

Virginia Journal of Public Health

No abstract provided.

Broad-Area-Search Of New Construction Using Time Series Analysis Of Landsat And Sentinel-2 Data, Xiaojing Tang, Madison G. Barrett, Kangjoon Cho, Kelsee H. Bratley, Katelyn Tarrio, Yingtong Zhang, Hanfeng Gu, Peter Rasmussen, Marc Bosch, Curtis E. Woodcock

Faculty Scholarship

New construction activities can alter surface albedo and structure, which then affect surface temperature and roughness, and hence have a significant impact on urban climate. Construction activity is also an important indicator of human development and movement and is of high interest to the intelligence community. A new approach for Broad-Area-Search of New Construction activities (BASC) by combining time series analysis and rule-based filters using Landsat data was developed and tested in five selected cities (Boston, Shanghai, Sa ̃o Paulo, Dubai, and Ho Chi Minh City). The algorithm transforms Landsat images into fractions of a set of four endmembers using …

Teaching Double Bass Through Lost Traditions Of The 18th Century, Tina Battaglia

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Through learning how to improvise entire compositions from unfigured bass using stock classical schemata, this paper seeks to bring awareness to the technical and musical benefits of translating 18th century compositional keyboard etudes called partimenti into double bass etudes.

Look: An Examination Of The Clothing And Clothing Assemblages Of The Washington D.C. Punk Scene, Cedric Ansah

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Punk clothing has iterated and innovated on aspects of its own history as a subculture, it has been representative of yet another chapter in the long history of subculture and counterculture, and it has been indicative of the values of whatever geographical area or scene spawned it. Broadly, history has favored the representation of some geographical punk spaces over others. While Britain, New York, the Midwest-U.S., and California have all been observed and championed by punk scholarship as being unique chapters in punk history, other geographical spots, such as the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., have gone underrepresented by comparison in …