Digital Commons Network^™

First Person Perspectives Of The Impact Of Segregation And The Civil Rights Movement On Southern White Racism, Jeff Dockswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s profoundly changed the lives of many young southern White citizens. Southern racism was a product of traditional indoctrination common in the culture of the Old South. During the generations after slavery to the Civil Rights Era, vulnerable White children were typically exposed to racist and prejudiced influences from families, fellow citizens, education, popular culture, and segregation laws established within their communities. The Civil Rights Movement brought forth elaborate legal reforms that broke segregation and enabled integration programs to take place at schools and other public institutions, which ultimately expanded many southerners' …

The Reinvention Of The American Newspaper Through Design / By Allen Thigpen, Allen Thigpen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Component Processes In The Predictors Of Reading Achievement: Direct And Indirect Effects, Bryson Bresnahan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between the most reliable predictors of reading, possible factors of these predictors, and different aspects of reading achievement. Thirty six subjects were recruited from a reading clinic and administered measures of phonological awareness and rapid naming. They were also given measures of two constructs hypothesized to underlie these predictors, the constructs of working memory and processing speed. Each participant's sight word vocabulary, reading fluency, and reading comprehension were collected to represent reading achievement. Comprehension performance was not directly related to reading predictors but instead was indirectly influenced by sight vocabulary. Contrary to the presented hypothesis, …

Disenfranchising The Black Other: A Critique Of American Drug Laws, Heather Dorsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Presently, approximately 4.7 million Americans are unable to vote, a population which is disproportionately black and stripped of their civic rights because of their status as present or former felons. I propose that unequal drug laws which provide different sentences for crack cocaine, used more often by poor blacks because of its cheapness and availability in poor neighborhoods, and powder cocaine, used more often by upper class whites, punish blacks for their status as Other. Disproportionately punishing them for a habit in which people of all races participate has created a class without the ability to participate in the system …

An Historical Study: The Translation Of The Mission And Vision Of The School Of Education Of Duquesne University Into Action Through The Major Pursuits And Achievements Of The Deans In Response To The Needs Of The Profession 1929 To 2004, Fred Webb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Translation of the Mission and Vision of the School of Education of Duquesne University into Action Through the Major Pursuits and Achievements of the Deans in Response to the Needs of the Profession from 1929 to 2004, is an historical qualitative study based upon a document analysis of the public archive records at Duquesne University. This study traces the mission of the School of Education from its founding, the translation of the mission into visions by the Deans and their resulting actions, pursuits and major accomplishments. The purpose of the study is to document the translation of the mission …

Through The Eyes Of A Renaissance Prophet: Fra Girolamo Savonaorla And The Compendium Of Revelation, David Fear

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides the historiographical background and historical context necessary to undertake an examination of Savonarola's Compendium of Revelations and evaluate it as a work of the Italian Renaissance. It conducts such an examination and reaches the conclusion that Savonarola should be used as an example of a figure who, like the age of the Renaissance itself, represented a significant break with the medieval world while still being influenced by it. His political, social, and religious views all show both the influence of the medieval world and the underpinnings of the modern. The analysis is influenced by intellectual, religious, and …

Trianon And The Predestination Of Hungarian Politics: A Historiography Of Hungarian Revisionism, 1918-1944, Dezso Bartha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes to link certain consistent themes in the historiography of interwar and wartime Hungary. Hungary's inability to successfully resolve its minority problems led to the nation's dismemberment at Trianon in 1920 after World War I. This fostered a national Hungarian reaction against the Trianon settlement called the revisionist movement. This revisionist "Trianon syndrome" totally dominated Hungarian politics in the interwar period. As Hungary sought allies against the hated peace settlements of the Great War, Hungarian politics irrevocably tied the nation to the policies of Nazi Germany, and Hungary became nefariously assessed as "Hitler's last ally," which initially stained …

Catastrophe And Identity In Post-War German Literature., Aaron Dennis Horton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine selected German literature dealing with issues of history and identity in light of the catastrophic reshaping of society after World War II and reunification. The research process will involve an examination of selected authors and their works that are most relevant to the topic. In order to provide a clear understanding not only of important literary themes but also of the appropriate historical context, attention will be devoted to providing biographical information in addition to critical literary analysis. Because this study is primarily historical in nature, context is important for determining a …

At Work In The Fields : An Essay Into The Work Lives Of Nineteenth Century English Agricultural Wage Labouring And African American Slave And Freed Women., Anne Reeves 1948-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a historical study comparing the work-lives African-American and English nineteenth-century, field-working women. It focuses on the ideology and structure of the gender division of labour as it formed and informed the lives of these women. It explores the complex relationship among gender and racial ideologies, social and economic structures and the extent to which the women determined their own lives. It argues that the particular historical, ideological and economic forces at work in England and the South differentially constrained their lives. The work is divided into four chapters. The Introduction explains the study's purpose and explores the …

The Perception Of The Value Of The Use Of Primary Source Documents Among East Tennessee Lakeway Area History Teachers In Grades 5-12., Matthew Elliott Drinnon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of history and social studies teachers in the Lakeway Area of East Tennessee concerning the use of primary source materials in classroom instruction. The purpose of this study was to determine what value the educators in the intact group held for the use of primary source documents, how much time was devoted to the analysis of primary source documents by students in those classes, and potential barriers to the implementation of the use of primary source materials.

The research design was descriptive and used data gathered from a survey instrument constructed by the researcher. A …

Historical Study Of The Highlander Method: Honing Leadership For Social Justice., Joyce Denise Duncan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Waging war against economic, political and social inequity, Highlander, founded in 1932 in Monteagle, Tennessee, near Chattanooga, served as a community-training center for southern industrial labor and farmers’ unions and as a major gathering place for black and white civil rights activists, even in those days when such activity was illegal. Teachers at Highlander believed in the capacity of people to educate and to govern themselves. Humanitarians or communitarians, those working at Highlander were concerned with the interrelated systems of class and race, which, they felt, consistently enabled a small segment of the population to exploit, dominate and oppress others. …

Quantitative Analysis Of Land Loss In Coastal Louisiana Using Remote Sensing / By Patrick M. Wales, Patrick M. Wales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Teacher Attitudes Toward Florida History And The Methods And Materials The Teachers Use To Teach Florida History, Elizabeth Dewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reacting to an impression that history is not viewed as significant as other curricular subjects such as reading, math, or science, there were multiple purposes for this research: first, to document the attitudes of the fourth grade teachers in one county in Florida towards the subject of Florida history. The teachers' perceptions of the importance of the topic to and for the students, to the administration, and to them personally was surveyed in addition to the perceived preparation of the teachers to teach Florida History. The second purpose was to ascertain the perception of fourth grade teachers regarding preference and …

Inducing Knowledge By Enduring Experience: The Function Of A Postmodern Pragmatic Aesthetic In Linda Montano's "Living Art"., Alisa Anne Brandenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Has Modernism Failed? (1984), Suzi Gablik calls for a postmodern art that has preserved the values that modernism lost over the 20th century, stating that only through "direct knowing" may we be shocked out of art-for-art's-sake. In Art As Experience (1934), John Dewey similarly proposes that "thinking is a kind of doing," recommending an instrumental art in one's drive to better him/herself.

Contemporary artist Linda Montano challenges the status quo by exploring the nature of art beyond its material value. In her Living Art performances (1970-1986), Montano creates a postmodern pragmatic aesthetic that is conducive to the unique …

Completing The Circle Around Rabaul: The Seizure Of The Admiralties, February To May 1944., David Osborn Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the operational history of the First Cavalry Divisions conquest of the Admiralty Islands during World War Two as the final phase of Operation Cartwheel. Cartwheel called a two pronged attack; one prong in New Guinea, by-passing large Japanese garrisons and the other in the northern Solomon Islands with the goal the isolation of the strong point at Rabaul.

The material is drawn primarily from U.S. Army records held by the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, records from the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and other reports.

The study concludes that …

A Historical Study Of The Emergence Of Social Movements: Case Study Of The Sierra Leone Women's Forum In The 1990s, Agnes Mariama Farma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of the Women's Forum during the 1990's in Sierra Leone is analyzed using the political process model proposed by Douglas McAdam. The strength of the indigenous organizations, the political opportunities presented by the civil strife of the period and the emergence of insurgency consciousness on the part of the women of Sierra Leone were identified as significant in contributing to the success of the movement in bringing an end to the civil war and influencing the peace process to address women's issues, indicating the usefulness of this model in analyzing the emergence of social movements in the Sierra …

Assessment Methods For Student Learning Outcomes In General Education At Urban And Metropolitan Universities, Angela R. Albert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The foci of this qualitative study were twofold. First, the researcher wanted to know what instruments and methods of data collection are being used to assess core general education intended student-learning outcomes at 62 urban and metropolitan universities (members of the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities). Second, the researcher was interested in knowing the extent to which these approaches to measurement are producing data that can be used for improvement purposes. A review of the literature revealed that only 15% of institutions that indicated in a previous study that they were initiating change in the curriculum of general education …

A Different Kind Of Civil Rights Work : The Gustavus Adolphus College Black Recruitment Program, William P. Hustwit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Post-Conciliar Models Of Sin And Reconciliation: Towards A Contemporary Paradigm, James Cross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central proposal of this dissertation is that now, in the wake of the Second Vatican Council (1962-5), official Roman Catholic teaching on sin and sacramental reconciliation is not, but ought to be, based upon a contemporary paradigm of sin and reconciliation--i.e. a paradigm which is concordant with, and adequate in light of, the teachings and goals of this Council. According to the author, an existing "liturgical-narrational" model of sin and reconciliation ought to be elevated to the status of such a paradigm or supermodel.

The author arrives at this conclusion after examining two critical post-Conciliar documents--the revised Rite of …

The Role Of Political Behavior And Socio-Economic Development In The Transition And Consolidation Of Liberal Democracy In Sub Saharan Africa, Godfrey Wachira

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study utilizes the multivariate regression techniques to investigate the role of political behavior; power structure (at the micro level) and socio economic development (macro level) in the transition and consolidation of democracy in Sub Saharan Africa. In the analysis, political behavior, defined as the acceptance of political elites to accommodate divergent views, is the most significant predictor of democracy in the region. Socio economic development is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the consolidation of democracy in the region. In conclusion, I argue that Sub Saharan African nations must pursue both political and economic liberalization which entails the …

Internet Dwelling, Cyborgs, And The Matrix Of Modernity: An Empirical Inquiry With Critical-Hermeneutic Features, Andrew Felder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amidst modernity's expanding electronic social matrix, this cultural-historical inquiry explores the technological construction of human being (e.g., cyborgs) and sociality in the America Online cyberscape. A two-tiered critical-hermeneutic method enables exploration of the broad rationalizing historical narrative and the localized play of virtual discursive practices impacting human meaning construction, selfhood, and social practice. A third and fourth tier of inquiry occasions integration of "psychological" meanings found in research participant experiential descriptions and interviews. This four-tier interplay reveals a bodily ethic enabling participants to modify subjectifying Internet practices toward meaningful social ends. Otherwise, eclipsed interpretive bodily powers contribute to "undecidability" about …

Professionalizing The Blues : The Economic Thrust Of An Indigenous Art Form In Mississippi, 1920-1945, William Preston Lauterbach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Higher Education Consortium: A Case Study Of The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center., Susan Carey Fulmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the creation and development of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in Abingdon, Virginia as an example of a higher education consortium. Case study methodology was used to determine why and how the SVHEC was established, who was involved, and how well it served adult students and the community.

Data were collected through interviews, focus groups, observations, and document analysis. The methodology included identifying key players, designing an interview protocol, and conducting interviews with academic and political figures who had played key roles in the SVHEC’s development. Abingdon community representatives were …

Echoes Of The Lost Cause : Civil War Reverberations In Mississippi From 1865 To 2001, Sally Leigh Mcwhite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Scholars of the Lost Cause have tended to end their examinations of the Confederate commemorative movement before the 1920s. Citing a variety of indicators that range from veterans' mortality rates to national reconciliation, these historians have assumed that the Lost Cause became increasingly irrelevant in southern society. Yet, veterans organizations and their auxiliaries put a great deal of energy into constructing an historical interpretation that would vindicate their actions to future generations. This dissertation therefore extends the examination of the Lost Cause movement throughout the twentieth century. Limiting the geographical scope of the research to a state study of Mississippi …

Laurel, Mississippi: A Historical Perspective., David Stanton Key

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Laurel, Mississippi, exemplifies the new southern development that occurred in the years following Reconstruction. Coinciding with continental rail building and the depletion of northern timber resources, Laurel emerged as one of Mississippi's great industrial centers. Laurel's survival after the early twentieth century timber boom predicated itself on the diversification of its industry coupled with the continued growth of its infrastructure. Although Laurel's industrial ascension is not unique in the annals of southern history, its duality regarding northern capitalistic impulses and southern labor and material serves as a successful industrial model in the era of "cut out and get out" sawmill …

When Things Started Pickin' Up : World War Ii, Out-Migration, And Modernization In Cleveland County, Arkansas / By Kara D. Tooke, Kara D. Tooke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Rock Of My Soul : Slave Culture And The Meaning Of Jesus, Gregg L. Newby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Female Sexuality And The Body In Contemporary Southern Women's Literature, Judith Elizabeth Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Teacher And Student Leadership And Gender Differentiation Within Academic Divisions At Three Virginia And Tennessee Liberal Arts Colleges, Mary L. Cole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated a range of leadership behaviors by teachers (teacher characteristics) and students (student characteristics) inside their higher education classrooms and various aspects of those environments (classroom characteristics). The behaviors and environmental aspects examined are those determined by research findings to foster and enhance participant growth and development. Cluster sampling was used for this study of 25 classes representing 5 divisions of the curriculum at 3 institutions. The instruments were administered to 277 students and 25 teachers during the spring of 1999. The null hypotheses for main effects of teacher, student, and classroom characteristics were tested on the …

The Writing's On The Wall : Family History, Memory And The Lost Cause, Alice Page Elizabeth Hull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.