Digital Commons Network^™

Characteristics Of An Effective Teacher Of Reading In An Elementary School Setting, Jennifer Aby Archer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Struggling readers have been the central focus of American politics for decades. Teachers of all ages and experiences across America deliver reading instruction in a variety of ways. The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of an effective teacher of reading in an elementary classroom setting. The study was conducted in a public and a private sector school in a capital city in the southern United States. Two principals, two second grade teachers, and two fourth grade teachers were participants in this study. A qualitative research focus provided the methodological basis for this study. The research design …

Estimation Of Living Body Weight Based On Measurements Of Anterior Superior Iliac Spine Breadth And Stature, Jaime A. Suskewicz

LSU Master's Theses

Standard identification criteria for creating a decedent’s biological profile typically include ancestry, sex, age, and stature, but not body weight. Body weight information may not only assist in creating a more complete biological profile but may also provide insight into other forensic considerations, such as taphonomy and body transport and disposal. The current study seeks to establish multiple regression equations for the prediction of living body weight in skeletal remains. Specifically, the measurements of anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) breadth and stature are assessed with regard to living weight. Research was carried out on both a skeletal sample and a …

"Walking The Queen's Highway": Ideology And Cultural Landscape In Nothern Ireland, Deborah J. Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The use of public art and ritual in Northern Ireland leads to the creation of cultural landscapes heavy with symbolism – ideological landscapes – that maintain social divisions and incite conflict. Mural and curbstone painting, flag bearing, the construction of memorials, and parading are activities that inscribe messages in the landscape. This study documents the types of symbolism prevalent in Northern Irish landscapes, the meanings attributed to them, and the reactions and subsequent cultural landscape re-creations that result. Loyalist and nationalist marches that incite riots and civil disorder have disrupted and delayed peace efforts in Northern Ireland for decades. Both …

An Application Of Geographic Information Systems (Gis): The Utility Of Victim Activity Spaces In The Geographic Profiling Of Serial Killers, Charles Casey Shamblin

LSU Master's Theses

Today, computer technology is producing new methods of investigation into the complex nature of serial killers; among these are geographic profiles. Yet, due to the lack of proven success, budgetary constraints, and the inherent multifaceted nature of serial murder, these geographic profiles have not been completely embraced by the law enforcement community. Because of this, the academic and law enforcement communities continue to refine and develop new methods to solve serial killer cases. This thesis investigates the possibility of identifying the location of the interaction site of a serial killer and his victims using a commercial geographic information system (GIS) …

Variation In The Performance Of Speech Acts In Peninsular Spanish: Apologies And Requests, Laura Elizabeth Stapleton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines variations in the performance of speech acts and additional discourse features in situational speech patterns of Peninsular Spanish. Based on studies by Blum-Kulka, et al. (1989), nine situations were created, varying from less severe to more severe, to elicit natural responses for apologies and requests. Forty participants from Castile and Andalusia were interviewed, and the data were coded to examine the differences in speech act realizations and the use of specific discourse features. The participants’ responses were classified by regional, gender, and age differences for the data set. Sociolinguistic differences in the use of additional discourse features …

Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Hurricane Hugo On The Land Cover Of Francis Marion National Forest, South Carolina Using Remote Sensing, Amit Kulkarni

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricane Hugo struck the South Carolina coast on the night of September 21, 1989 at Sullivan’s Island, where it was considered a Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale when the hurricane made landfall (Hook et al. 1991). It is probably amongst the most studied and documented hurricanes in the United States (USDA Southern Research Station Publication 1996). There has been a Landsat TM based Hugo damage assessment study conducted by Cablk et al. (1994) in the Hobcaw barony forest. This study attempted to assess for a different and smaller study area near the Wambaw and Coffee creek swamp. The main …

"I Pray It Happens In My Lifetime": The Life History Of Clara Byrd Glasper, A Black Woman Educator Fighting For Educational Equality, Carol Marie Miller

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to write the life history of a black woman educator is order to enhance our understandings of educational activism and social change in the Deep South. African American educators have been marginalized and under represented in their communities despite the roles they have played in ameliorating educational inequalities. The life history of seventy-year-old Clara Byrd Glasper’s activism as a black woman educator is one example. Life history, as a method of research, reveals an individual’s life experiences from their perspective and provides the appropriate methodology to explore the following research questions: In the context …

Musical Play Across Ethnic Boundaries In Western Jamaica, Ronald Eric Dickerson

LSU Master's Theses

An ethnography of music, ritual, and festival in western Jamaica, this thesis reports on fieldwork performed in St. Elizabeth and St. James Parishes between June 2002 and January 2003. Featured field sites include rural dancehall events, Kumina performances, Accompong Town's Maroon Heritage Festival, and a Rastafarian music and nutrition festival called "The Supper of Rastafari." Building an account of these and other sites of cultural performance, this study focuses on social connections between groups of participants, traced through poetic, historical, and personal relationships among performers, especially across boundaries of ethnic, stylistic, or religious difference within Jamaica's national cultural identity.

Being Korean And Being Christian: Identity Making In The Korean Baptist Church Of Baton Rouge In The U.S. Deep South, Hyeon Ju Lee

LSU Master's Theses

The post-1965 generation Korean immigrants in the U.S., who have left their country for betterment of their lives, find themselves unable to acculturate to the U.S. mainstream culture. Although legally Americans, these Koreans strive to hold onto their culture they brought with them. A group of Koreans who belong to this post-1965 immigrant generation in Baton Rouge established a church to share religious and cultural experience while speaking Korean language and sharing Korean food--The Korean Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. The members of the Korean Baptist Church of Baton Rouge ("the Church") create a familial community within Christian and Confucian …

Stepping Out Of Her Place: A New Look At Women's Roles During Selected Wars In U.S. History, Nicole Lynn Bowen

LSU Master's Theses

Women are not included in high school history text books in a meaningful way, thus students are only learning about half of the experiences that shaped our nation. The ways in which history is represented as part of the social studies curriculum in secondary schools must be reconsidered. A history text that does not represent the experiences of women in a meaningful way does not provide a means for young women to "locate themselves in time," or meet many of the other standards of the National Council for the Social Studies. If young women and men are going to develop …

What Do Tin-Enameled Ceramics Tell Us?: Explorations Of Socio-Economic Status Through The Archaeological Record In Eighteenth-Century Louisiana: 1700-1790, Jason A. Emery

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the presence and distribution of tin-enameled earthenwares in what was colonial Louisiana at nine archaeological sites: Madame John's Legacy (16OR51), the ca. 1730s French Colonial Barracks (16OR136), the Lower Pontalba Building (16OR209), Galveztown (16AN39), French Site I (16PC80), the Bicentennial Gardens (22AD999), Los Adaes (16NA16), the American Cemetery (16NA67), and the Chamard House site (16NA100). To examine the ceramic diversity, a comprehensive classificatory system is proposed, with discussion and classification of vessel forms. Ceramic diversity was anticipated to be patterned following geographic and economic lines; however, this was not substantiated through the analysis of the general body …

Black Women Writing Black Mother Figures: Reading Black Motherhood In Their Eyes Were Watching God And Meridian, Alexis Durell Powe

LSU Master's Theses

This research explores connections between Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and Alice Walker's Meridian, two important novels in the African American canon rarely studied in conjunction. I examine the novels' portrayals of Black mothers, comparing and contrasting Nanny Crawford and Mrs. Hill as central mother figures. I also examine Leafy Crawford, Meridian Hill, and other minor Black mother/women characters. Though Hurston's and Walker's presentations of Black mothers differ, both authors work toward dismantling traditional stereotypes of Black motherhood, particularly the Black superwoman stereotype, and, thereby, ultimately redefining Black womanhood. In defending this claim, I explore Hurston's …

I-Tal Foodways: Nourishing Rastafarian Bodies, Mandy Garner Dickerson

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis takes a close look at the lived world of Jamaican Rastafarians through the lens of food-related practices and preferences, working to define the group's characteristic strategies for maintaining wellness and illuminating their tastes and sensibilities. It strives to evoke a sensorial and discursive awareness of the activities through which Rastafarians nourish and heal their physical and social bodies, by focusing on ways in which they produce and use I-tal food-medicines. Rastafarian taste for I-tal has developed alongside collective engagement with the valorization and revitalization of traditional knowledge about health and land use. In addition to providing sites for …

The Myth Of Eternal Preservation: Patterns Of Damage In Egyptian Mummies, Ellen Salter-Pedersen

LSU Master's Theses

Mummification can preserve a body for several millennia, but it is a popular misconception that these bodies are in pristine condition. The activities of tomb robbers, archaeological excavation and transportation, and the embalming process itself may damage the body. This thesis examines published reports on Egyptian mummies from museums in the United States, Europe, and Egypt for the presence of osteological fractures, dislocations and other related damage. These reports include biographical information and the results of investigations made by one or more of the following techniques: unwrapping, autopsying, x-raying, and CT-scanning. Data on 275 Egyptian mummies were collected and examined …

"Never Could Read No Road Map": Geographic Perspectives On The Grateful Dead, Daniel R. Culli

LSU Master's Theses

The Grateful Dead hold a unique niche in the musical, social, and cultural history of the United States. However, while the volume of available academic literature concerning the band is increasing, the Grateful Dead remain to be nearly ignored by academia and, to this point apparently, completely ignored by cultural geographers. This paper introduces the Grateful Dead into the field of geography. I analyze the geography of certain aspects of the band, such as its context in San Francisco, the carnival atmosphere of the entire phenomenon, the over 2300 tour dates, as well as the huge catalog of lyrics sung …

Pelvic Sexual Dimorphism In A Metatherian, Didelphis Virginiana: Implications For Eutherians, Robert G. Tague

Faculty Publications

Eutherians give birth to relatively large infants. Females have larger pelves than males, though males typically have larger nonpelvic bones. Pelvic dimorphism is an adaptation for parturition. Metatherian females, who give birth to markedly small infants, should not show pelvic adaptations for parturition and should have smaller pelves than males. Adult females and males of the Virginia opossum, Didelphis virginiana, are compared. Males are significantly larger than females in absolute size for 14 of 16 pelvic and 8 nonpelvic measures. Sexes did not differ significantly for lower iliac length and posterior space of midplane. However, relative lengths for females are …

A Sphinx On The American Land: The Nineteenth Century South In Comparative Perspectives, James L. Peacock

Civil War Book Review

Many souths

Slim volume asserts broad comparative methodology in study of region

Genetic Variation Among World Populations: Inferences From 100 Alu Insertion Polymorphisms, W. Scott Watkins, Alan R. Rogers, Christopher T. Ostler, Steve Wooding, Michael J. Bamshad, Anna Marie E. Brassington, Marion L. Carroll, Son V. Nguyen, Jerilyn A. Walker, B. V.Ravi Prasad, P. Govinda Reddy, Pradipta K. Das, Mark A. Batzer, Lynn B. Jorde

Faculty Publications

We examine the distribution and structure of human genetic diversity for 710 individuals representing 31 populations from Africa, East Asia, Europe, and India using 100 Alu insertion polymorphisms from all 22 autosomes. Alu diversity is highest in Africans (0.349) and lowest in Europeans (0.297). Alu insertion frequency is lowest in Africans (0.463) and higher in Indians (0.544), E. Asians (0.557), and Europeans (0.559). Large genetic distances are observed among African populations and between African and non-African populations. The root of a neighbor-joining network is located closest to the African populations. These findings are consistent with an African origin of modern …

Y Chromosome Str Haplotypes And The Genetic Structures Of U.S. Populations Of African, European, And Hispanic Ancestry, Manfred Kayser, Silke Brauer, Hiltrud Schädlich, Mechthild Prinz, Mark A. Batzer, Peter A. Zimmerman, B. A. Boatin, Mark Stoneking

Faculty Publications

To investigate geographic structure within U.S. ethnic populations, we analyzed 1705 haplotypes on the basis of 9 short tandem repeat (STR) loci on the Y-chromosome from 9-11 groups each of African-Americans, European-Americans, and Hispanics. There were no significant differences in the distribution of Y-STR haplotypes among African-American groups, whereas European-American and Hispanic groups did exhibit significant geographic heterogeneity. However, the significant heterogeneity resulted from one sample; removal of that sample in each case eliminated the significant heterogeneity. Multidimensional scaling analysis of RST values indicated that African-American groups formed a distinct cluster, whereas there was some intermingling of European-American and Hispanic …

William E. Doolittle: Mediator Between The World Of Work And The World Of Books, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Neo-Environmental Determinism, Intellectual Damage Control, And Nature/Society Science, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Material-Conceptual Landscape Transformation And The Emergence Of The Pristine Myth In Early Colonial Mexico, Andrew Sluyter

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews

1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era

No abstract provided.

Remote Sensing At The Broussard Mounds Site: A Prehistoric Multi-Mound Site Located In The Lower Mississippi River Valley, Benjamin Shenandoah Goodwin

LSU Master's Theses

In order to test the effectiveness of various types of remote sensing for applications in archaeology, remote sensing data in the form of color infrared aerial photography, Airborne Terrestrial Applications Sensor (ATLAS) imagery, 35mm (black and white) and (color) infrared photography, and ground penetrating radar (GPR) were used at the Broussard Mounds site. Additionally, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) digital elevation imagery was downloaded, processed, and interpreted. Anomalies identified through the use of remote sensing were relocated geospatially and archaeological testing procedures were used to verify the presence of subsurface archaeological remains and to document the prehistoric cultural components at …

Freeway Accident Analysis Using Second Order Statistics, Khasim Khasimul Shaik

LSU Master's Theses

This research focuses on the use of historical freeway traffic data for comparison of the precursory traffic conditions to that accident occurrence by using 15-minute traffic speed contour maps. The second order statistics measures, namely angular second moment (ASM), contrast and entropy were used as the traffic performance measures in order to compare the two situations. The data used is from I-4 freeway traffic condition database, stored in a SQL server and 1999 year accident database for the same I-4 freeway. The study section is located in Orlando, Florida. The approach shows an approach to understand the performance of the …

Logs, Labor, And Living: An Archaeological Investigation Of African-American Laborers At The Upper And Middle Landing Sawmills At Natchez-Under-The-Hill, Jerame Joseph Cramer

LSU Master's Theses

By combining investigations of two sawmill complexes at Natchez-Under-the-Hill, Mississippi, and ethnohistoric data from contemporaneous mill operations in the region, this thesis analyzes aspects of two mid-nineteenth century lumber operations. It focuses not only on the machinery and technology involved in these operations, but also on the individuals, many of whom were enslaved prior to the Civil War, whose skills and labors provided the backbone for these early milling enterprises. The data for this research were derived from archival documents, oral testimonies, and artifacts recovered from archaeological survey and excavation. The archaeological data comes from excavations carried out at the …

Sustainable Development Principles For East Baton Rouge Parish, Xia Li

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines and analyzes the sustainable development indicator data and determines what improvements and recommendations are needed for East Baton Rouge Parish’s development. This thesis has identified methods and indicators for studying sustainable developments, studied patterns of sustainable developments in the East Baton Rouge Parish to identify trends and developed recommendations that would encourage sustainable development in the East Baton Rouge Parish. It forms fourteen sustainable principles that would encourage sustainable development in East Baton Rouge Parish and a framework for a sound development.

Feathers And Tuxedos: An Analysis Of Political Cartoons About Indian Gaming, Michael Stephan Nasirov

LSU Master's Theses

Feathers and Tuxedos: An Analysis of Political Cartoons About Indian Gaming is an exploration into the changing stereotypes of Indians in illustrated media. Beginning with general issues such as poverty and media coverage, this thesis continues to cover chronologically the origins of modern Indian gaming and the resulting expenditure of profits into social welfare of the tribes and the continuous three-way battle between state, federal, and Indian sovereign rights. Normative U.S. societal reactions to Indian gaming are contrasted with their Indian counterpoints. Cartoons allow for a visual representation of contested relationships, including recent imagery of well-to-do entrepreneurs profiting at the …

The Body Politic: Burial And Post-War Reconciliation In Baton Rouge, Leah Wood Jewett

LSU Master's Theses

Historians typically agree that reconciliation between the white North and South took place between the period of 1898 (Spanish-American War) and 1913 (before World War I). To test this hypothesis and identify when reconciliation took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I will use the burial of R. L. Pruyn in the Baton Rouge National Cemetery. Pruyn served as a U.S. soldier during the Mexican War and a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. Anthropologists have studied rituals, beliefs, and practices associated with death since early in the discipline. Archaeologists, in particular, have focused on this aspect of culture, in large …

Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms Characterization Of Sea Oats (Uniola Paniculata L.) Accessions From Southeastern Atlantic And Gulf Coasts Of The United States, Neil Prieto Parami

LSU Master's Theses

Uniola paniculata, commonly known as sea oats, is a C4 perennial grass capable of stabilizing sand dunes. The genetic relationship and diversity among U. paniculata accessions from southeastern Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States was established by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. One hundred ninety U. paniculata plants belonging to nineteen different accessions were selected to represent eight locations; Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Twelve AFLP EcoRI+MseI primer combinations generated a wide range of polymorphisms (42-81%) with a mean of 59%. EcoRI-CAG+MseI-CGA, EcoRI-ACT+MseI-CTC and EcoRI-CAG+MseI-ACG have the highest polymorphic rate at …