Digital Commons Network^™

Wallace Stegner's Wolf Willow And 1960s Critical Essays: Renarrativizing Western American Literature For The West And For America, Ruth Newberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As writer, essayist, environmentalist, and westerner, Wallace Earle Stegner (1909-1993) confronted what he understood to be an imagined and literal American West constructed by myths of frontier conquest, pioneer settlement in and transformation of the western landscape, and cowboy exceptionalism that erased an historical legacy of hardship, failure, and destruction of land and people, and also a West constructed by Eastern publishers and literary critics who diminished western American literature to local color writing. In Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier (1962), Stegner uses fiction, history, and memoir to engage the mythic …

The Blues Is Alright: Blues Music As A Root For Cultural Tourism And Public History, Katherine Duvall Osteen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With a focus on the Mississippi Delta, Elvis Presley's Graceland, and Austin, Texas, this thesis is an exploration of the successes, failures, and necessary re-imaginings of sites of music lore, places in which the blues have played a role in music tourism, and how public history is used in different ways to accomplish a similar goal. For cities with ties to blues history, blues music tourism can become a source for financial stability as well as a teaching opportunity in the form of public history. Beyond a push to increase financial gain in places that are benefiting from blues tourism …

Relationship Between Coastal Vegetation Biomass With Elevation And Salinity Gradients, Ying Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surges and waves generated by hurricanes and other severe storms can cause devastating damage to property and loss of life in coastal areas. Vegetation in wetlands and coastal fringes can reduce storm surges and waves while complementing traditional coastal defense approaches such as permanent levees, seawalls and gates. The effectiveness of marsh vegetation in attenuating storm surge energy and reducing soil erosion depends on the level of primary production at the time of the storm surge and the ability of marsh vegetation to recover rapidly from damage caused by the storm surge. Marsh production depends on a variety of abiotic …

New Perspectives On The Quatrefoil In Classic Maya Iconography The Center And The Portal, Rachel K. Egan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The quatrefoil is a pan-Mesoamerican symbol with considerable time-depth. For the Maya, use of the symbol peaked during the Classic Period, reaching its highest frequency and largest geographical spread. Consequently, understanding its meaning has the potential to illuminate information about Precolumbian Maya worldview. While there have been several studies that focus on Preclassic Period quatrefoils, a similar study is lacking for Classic Period. Furthermore, the evaluations of the quatrefoil that do exist for the Classic Period are limited, often focusing on a select few examples. This thesis attempts to rectify the gap in extant research through an examination of the …

Attributes Influencing Meeting Planners' Destination Selection A Case Of Orlando, Fl, Adi Hayat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) industry generates billions of dollars in direct and indirect spending annually, and is considered one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry. Destinations that want to capitalize on this industry must understand what drives its planners. The current study used Orlando, Florida as a case study, and investigated whether there are differences between the three meeting planners' types (association, corporate, 3rd party) in regards to destination selection attributes and the recent recession impact. The study further identified attributes that affect future bookings to Orlando. Data was collected from a nationwide survey …

Essays On Consumer Charity, Joseph Thomas Paniculangara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two essays comprise this doctoral dissertation on consumers and their charitable donations. The overall objective is to investigate the role of psychological distance in charitable donations, with each essay dealing with a different moderator of this relationship. In the first essay, I study the interactive effect of social distance and processing mode (affect vs. cognition). Specifically, people tend to donate more if they use their emotions rather than cognition as diagnostic inputs for decision making, especially when donor and recipient are separated by greater social distance. This may be because affect-driven and cognition-driven donors are influenced by different goals. Affect-driven …

The Effects Of Using An Interactive Student Notebook On The Understanding Of The Concepts And Algorithms Of Addition And Subtraction Of Fractions And Mixed Numbers For Fifth Grade Mathematics Students, Brian J. Twar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to observe the effectiveness of the utilization of an instructional tool in my three mathematics classes. Using a tool, called an Interactive Student Notebook, or ISN, the goal was to equip my students with a tool that would allow them to take and keep daily notes as well as conduct guided and independent practice in an organized fashion. I believed that my students would therefore utilize their notes and class work as a reference and study tool to assist them with their homework as well as studying for assessments. Weak to moderate …

Using Geographic Information Systems (Gis) In Spatial Analysis Of Mortuary Practices In The Kellis 2 Cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, Elsalam, Heba Abd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to examine mortuary practices in the Romano-Byzantine period Kellis 2 cemetery located in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. The first research objective examines the relationship between age, sex and grave substructures of 701 burials in Kellis 2 cemetery. The aim of this research objective was to determine if the presence and style of grave substructures were influenced by sex or age. Although not statistically significant, GIS analysis revealed that most of the graves in the Kellis 2 cemetery have no associated substructures, but of those that did have associated substructures, …

Analysis Of The Relationship Between The Level Of Educational Computer Game Use And Milken Exemplar Teacher Instructional Strategies, Yaela Dahan Marks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the nature and level of educational computer-based game techniques adoption by Milken Educator Award winning teachers in achieving success in their classrooms. The focus of the research is on their level of acceptance of educational computer-based games and the nature of game usage to increase student performance in the classroom. With Davis' (1985) Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1985) as the conceptual framework, the research also examines how teachers' perceptions of educational computer-based games influence their willingness to incorporate these teaching methods in their classroom. The approach utilizes a descriptive survey to develop and evaluate responses from exemplar …

Variation In The Dynamic Response Of Housing Markets, Andrew Pate Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the existence of asset bubbles in Florida metropolitan statistical areas during 2000–2010. Estimation occurs in two stages with the first being the estimated fundamental price of housing using a fixed effects estimator. Once the fundamental price of housing is determined an error correction model of housing prices is estimated to evaluate the degrees of serial correlation and mean reversion existing in the sampled geographic areas. Serial correlation and mean reversion are then interacted with the hypothesized effects of information costs, supply costs, and expectations of future price behavior to uncover variation in the dynamic response of housing. …

Hezbollah Operations In The Tri-Border Area Of South America, Nicholas Kleck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Hezbollah's depth of involvement in the illegal activities of the tri-border area of South America. This case study used multiple sources ranging from press releases, government publications, to Latin American Journals. The methodology used was supported by Joe Feagin's imaginary analytical induction, which complemented the wide-berth of sources. This study hypothesizes that Hezbollah is utilizing the tri-border area of South America to generate multiple sources of revenue. This concept is confirmed by this study where Hezbollah's activities were researched in depth. Consideration of this research by American policymakers would aid in the development of tailored strategies for …

An Environmental History Of The New Deal In Mississippi And Florida, Robert Edward Krause

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Keywords: New Deal, Environmental History, United States South, Mississippi, Florida, Gulf Coast, TVA, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, landscape, lumber industry, CCC, WPA, state parks. The 1930s represented a time of distinct and encompassing change in the United States South. In assessing the impact of New Deal agencies and public works, this dissertation examines three distinct southern areas-northeast Mississippi, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and the Florida Panhandle-highlighting the dynamic and fluid character of federal projects and their impact on landscapes human and natural. In the hilly Tennessee River valley of northeast Mississippi, the federally-funded incorporation of the Tennessee Valley Authority led to …

Population Biology Of A Coastal Dune-Dwelling Spider (Arctosa Sanctaerosae) Along The Hurricane Disturbed Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Robert A. Hataway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the continued increase in the number of tourists visiting the Northern Gulf coast in the last century and the resulting development of this coastline the habitat of Arctosa sanctaerosae has become fragmented; and the sprawl of large cities along the coast has further degraded available habitat. In addition to anthropogenic disturbance to this coastal region, hurricanes are an additional and natural perturbation to the ecosystem. This habitat has seen a number of major tropical storms over the last decade and I have sought to explore the impact of habitat destruction and storm-induced disturbance on a species of spider endemic …

A Laudable Ambition Fired Her Soul Conduct Fiction Helps Define Republican Womanhood, Female Communities, And Women's Education In The Works Of Judith Sargent Murray, Hannah Webster Foster, And Susanna Haswell Rowson, Jessica Crystal Workman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the major works of Judith Sargent Murray, Hannah Webster Foster, and Susanna Haswell Rowson, three major writers of the 1790s whose writing responds to the ideologies of the early American Republic. I suggest that Murray, Foster, and Rowson write conduct fiction which responds to the changing attitudes toward women and education after the American Revolution. Using fiction, these authors comment on the republican woman, the need for women’s education, and the necessity for women to gather in communities for support. Despite the prevailing notion that reading too many novels would corrupt young women, Judith Sargent Murray’s novella, …

The Visual Divide Islam Vs. The West, Image Peception In Cross-Cultural Contexts, Hatem Nazir Akil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Do two people, coming from different cultural backgrounds, see the same image the same way? Do we employ technologies of seeing that embed visuality within relentless cultural and ideological frames? And, if so, when does visual difference become a tool for inclusion and exclusion? When does it become an instrument of war? I argue that we‘re always implicated in visuality as a form of confirmation bias, and that what we see is shaped by preexisting socioideological frames that can only be liberated through an active and critical relationship with the image. The image itself, albeit ubiquitous, is never unimplicated - …

Historical Overview Of Children's Magazines, Elaine R. Abadie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to illuminate a neglected field of study, this thesis will examine children's magazines in the United States and the forces shaping them. Children's magazines reflect the country's history and attitudes about youth and yet limited research about these important periodicals exists. This look at the development and publication of children's magazines from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries explores selected periodicals from the printing press to the World Wide Web. Significant aspects of research to be assessed are: (1) the status and role of children's magazines (2) changes in publishing and marketing from early times to present, …

A Strange Union: Science And Politics In The Loyalty Of Cadwallader Colden, Katherine Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: Cadwallader Colden remains one of the least-studied Crown officials. His reasons for remaining loyal to the Crown have not been investigated, nor has the interaction between his scientific interests and his politics. This thesis explores the relationship between Colden's loyalty and his science, primarily through study of Colden's published papers and letters, as well as the letters and papers of various other colonial officials and amateur scientists. Ultimately this thesis concludes that Colden formed his closest friendships with other amateur scientists, and that these relationships significantly affected his politics.

Strategies For Coping With Gender-Based Violence A Study Of Young Women In Kibera, Kenya, Elizabeth Swart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on gender-based violence in the developing world is finally beginning to get serious attention. But that research is, unfortunately, still overlooking violence to women in the burgeoning slums and informal settlements around the globe. The current study is one of the first to address the issue of gender-based violence in slum communities by presenting both qualitative and quantitative data from Kibera, Kenya—the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa. Qualitative data were derived from the diaries of twenty women between the ages of 18-30 living in Kibera. Diary data were collected from 2007-2010. Quantitative data were derived from a survey administered …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Novice Kenyan Primary School Teachers What Messages Transmitted By The Teacher Training Colleges Are Internalized And Applied?, Carol A. Kranz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The method of instruction and the formal curriculum within two Kenyan teacher training colleges were studied in order to discover which messages regarding pedagogical practice are internalized within novice Kenyan primary school teachers and then actualized within their classrooms. An educational connoisseurship approach was utilized to give descriptive, interpretive, evaluative, and thematic insight. Three data streams were collected through interview, observation, and design evaluation in order to establish structural corroboration and internal validity. The study found that the method of instruction by the teacher training college faculty was teacher-centered and utilized lower order cognitive methodology. Though the formal curriculum design …

Understanding The Subjectivities Of Pastors And Beliefs About The Current American Church Culture, Michael Ellis Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the spiritual subjectivities of pastors in the Mainstream White Middle Class Evangelical Church in the context of American capitalism. The Evangelical church carries extreme amounts of power and influence in shaping the beliefs of individuals in American society. However, very little pointed research of pastors' spiritual subjectivities that guide their teachings and views in this sub-sect of church culture is present in academia. Anthropology, along with other disciplines, often focuses on dominant churches from an etic perspective of politics and power relations without fully considering the spiritual beliefs of pastors. This etic perspective can miss the deeply …

A Comparison Of Eighth Grade Reading Proficiency On State Assessments With The National Assessment Of Educational Progress, Kathryn B. Dyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a nationwide assessment administered every other year to eighth grade students in the United States in reading and mathematics. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of 2009 eighth grade state reading assessment proficiency percentages to NAEP proficiency percentages. Primarily, this study examined whether a predictive relationship existed between state and NAEP proficiency percentages. Subsequent research questions analyzed the extent to which a relationship existed for subgroups (race/ethnicity, English Language Learners, low socioeconomic status, and students with disabilities) and while controlling for census regions. It was found that a predictive …

Does Foreign Aid Promote Development? A Study Of The Effects Of Foreign Aid On Development In Sub-Saharan Africa, Rachael J. Gray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Foreign aid aims to improve economic conditions and quality of life in developing countries. The literature on the efficacy of foreign aid to date has been inconclusive; yet there is some evidence that institutional factors may condition the relationship between aid and development. This research focuses on the effects of foreign aid on development, taking into consideration the effects of political institutional factors as intervening in the connection between aid and development. Specifically, this study considers the effects of democracy (political rights and civil liberties) and level of corruption on the relationship between aid and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Development …

Water Politics In The Middle East A Multicase Approach To Regional Water Shortage, Holly Mulholland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water shortage is a salient issue in the Middle East commonly overshadowed by more sensational topics such as the oil crisis and the Arab-Israeli Conflict. There is a debate among scholars as to whether water shortages in the Middle East will destabilize the region into armed conflict. Realists argue that non sustainable water sources will be the catalyst which will inevitably lead states to fight one another in a zero-sum game over limited water resources. Liberal Functionalists argue that there are precedents for multilateral cooperation and a technical approach may hold the key to providing solutions to the current water …

Between Two Worlds Representing Duality In The Costumes Of The University Of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre's Production Of Seamus Heaney's The Burial At Thebes: A Version Of Sophocles' Antigone, Grace Lorraine Trimble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The costume design for the University of Central Florida Conservatory Theatre‘s production of Seamus Heaney‘s The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone took an ancient Greek classic by Sophocles and infused it with influences from avant-garde theatre. This thesis documents the process of designing the costumes from academic, artistic, and technical aspects. Through this process, I explored how to communicate abstract ideas about humanity into actual costumes and how multiple cultural heritages can be intertwined in a united visual which pushes the audience to think more critically about the story. The recurring themes of duality are central to …

Molecular Evidence Suggests Multiple Evolutionary Origins Of Sociality In The Polyphenic Spider Anelosimus Studiosus (Araneae: Theridiidae)., Nathaniel O. Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anelosimus studiosus exhibits two behavioral phenotypes: subsocial and social. This is the only documented spider inhabiting a temperate climate exhibiting social behavior. While the subsocial phenotype is most common throughout the range, the social behavior occurs in isolated pockets in northern latitudes. This study examines the origins of the social phenotype within a segment of the spider's range. Two hypotheses are tested: 1) pockets of social behavior represent a single origin or 2) pockets of social behavior represent local evolutions, thus leading to multiple origins of evolution. Microsatellite loci were used to determine genetic structure of the population and to …

Wrongful Convictions As A Result Of Public Defender Representation., Annie Elizabeth Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Our criminal justice system works very hard to prevent criminals from harming other individuals; however, unfortunately mistakes happen. One wrongful conviction is one too many. There are multiple factors that can be assumed to be the cause of wrongful convictions. However, due to the lack of directly related research, the determents are not well established. The following research addresses wrongful convictions as a result of public defender representation. Through the process of theory construction, the research uses critical race theory and social disorganization theory to show the relationship between court appointed representation and wrongful convictions. A new theory is also …

Fatherhood And Fatherland In Chimamanda Adichie's "Purple Hibiscus"., Audrey D. Peters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purple Hibiscus, a novel by third-generation Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie, appears at first glance to be a simple work of adolescent fiction, a bildungsroman in which a pair of siblings navigate the typical challenges of incipient adulthood: social ostracism, an abusive parent, emerging desire. However, the novel's setting-a revolutionary-era Nigeria-is clearly intended to evoke post-Biafra Nigeria, itself the setting of Adichie's other major work, Half of a Yellow Sun. This setting takes Purple Hibiscus beyond the scope of most modern adolescent fiction, creating a complex allegory in which the emergence of self and struggle for identity of the …

Good Grapes - Good Wine., Meilin Chung Curtis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Good grapes are required to make good wine. Quality wines start in quality vineyards. Vineyard design, installation, and operation, including site location, trellis options, vine selection, and canopy management, along with when to harvest are discussed. While winemaking is the final phase in the pursuit of the winemaker's passion, it is but a simple formula. The beginning of a good wine is in a good vineyard. This study includes a financial projection for a 10-acre vineyard as well as for starting an onsite, complementary sized winery. Even though many small-to-medium vineyards-to-wineries have started over the last decade, the reason to …

Spatial Analysis Of Motor Vehicle Accidents In Johnson City, Tennessee, As Reported To Washington County Emergency Communications District (911)., Katharine D. Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study spatially analyzes emergency 911 call-for-service records from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2009 for motor vehicle accidents inside the corporate limits of Johnson City, Tennessee. Records were compared according to the land use classification for adjacent properties, roadway type, and traffic signal proximity. Data were evaluated through ArcGIS software using proximity analysis, point pattern analysis, and hotspot analysis.

Motor vehicle accidents evaluated during this study consist of accident locations reported to the Washington County Emergency Communications District concerning property damage, personal injury, and fatalities. Results indicate localized areas with the highest number of traffic accidents contain the …

How Fares The Selective Tradition? : Racial Representation Of Characters In Second Grade Classroom Libraries., Nancy Franklin Hulan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated teachers' inclusion of racially diverse literature within their classroom libraries, how the representations within the literature compared with the students in the classrooms, the inclusivity of students' book selections, and teacher thoughts concerning selection of literature. Individual classrooms were found to fall within categories of challenging, progressing against, or continuing the selective tradition, the tendency of teachers to favor literature that primarily features White, middle-class, male authors and subjects over works by and about women and other ethnicities or social classes (Luke, Cooke, & Luke, 1986). Of 22 classroom libraries, three were challenging, three were progressing against, …