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The Paternal Lineage Of Nathan Hale: A Puritan Tradition, Andrew Rossignol

Masters Theses

This thesis discusses the paternal family history of Revolutionary War hero, Nathan Hale. A history of Robert Hale, John Hale, Samuel Hale, and Richard Hale is told as well as information regarding Connecticut and Hale’s hometown of Coventry. The thesis concludes with an examination of Nathan Hale and his actions as well as a critique of commonly accepted Hale myths.

Reaching The Sacred Through The Secular: Biblical Elements And The Superiority Of Divine Love In Three Of Marie De France’S Lais, Sarah J. Kooienga

Masters Theses

In the Prologue to her Lais, Marie de France hints that her text possesses multiple layers of meaning: “The custom among the ancients…was to speak quite obscurely / in the books they wrote, / so that those who were to come after / and study them / might gloss the letter / and supply its significance from their own wisdom” (9, 11-16). Critics who study the Lais agree that the tales overwhelmingly focus on romantic love, and most of the existing scholarship overlooks the fact that this theme is merely one layer of the text’s significance. To the contrary, …

“Who Has A Right To Say What Focus Is The Legitimate Focus?” Tennessee Williams And Julia Margaret Cameron’S Theatrical Portraits Of Women, Jennifer M. Klug

Masters Theses

In the production notes preceding The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams said: “Everyone should know nowadays the unimportance of the photographic in art: that truth, life, or reality is an organic thing which the poetic imagination can represent or suggest, in essence, only through transformation, through changing into other forms than those which were merely present in appearance.” In spite of Williams’s emphasis on the limitations of literal representation, some of his most famous female characters were created in a tradition similar to that of portraits of women by the Victorian-era photographer Julia Margaret Cameron. Both Cameron and Williams made …

An Examination Of Age Labels In Music Related Dissertations And Theses: 2009-2016, Phillicia Jackson

Masters Theses

The life expectancy rate of advanced age individuals has increased dramatically in recent years, creating a greater need for research topics related to this segment of the population. Smith (2009) completed a content analysis of the use of age labels describing this advanced age group using dissertations and theses produced between 1983 and 2008. This current investigation replicated the process used in the earlier study using dissertations and theses completed between 2009 and 2016. The same search procedure, inclusion criteria, and analysis protocol was used, in order to be able to evaluate changes which may have occurred over time. A …

The Transformational Power Of Forgiveness Within The Church, Mary Mckenzie

Masters Theses

This thesis seeks to explore and describe the concepts and effects of forgiveness within the church. It shows that the roots of violence, suffering, and pain are in the unhealed wounds of the past. It examines biblical, theological, and psychological materials on forgiveness, unforgiveness, and health benefits. Learning about forgiveness and how to use the skills can conceivably enhance mental and physical health through an optimistic and hopeful outlook on life. It highlights the differences of the definition and understanding of forgiveness and forgiveness from an intercultural perspective. Results from participants’ from five ethnic groups (African, African American, Asian, Caribbean, …

Evaluation Of Generalized And Specific Token Reinforcement Using A Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment And Progressive Ratio Schedules, Haily K. Traxler

Masters Theses

Skinner (1953) stated that the effects of generalized conditioned reinforcers should maintain longer than specific conditioned reinforcers because their effects are not dependent on a particular motivating operation. Tokens easily model different levels of generality because tokens can be paired with one or more back-up reinforcers. In the current study, three types of tokens were assessed that could be exchanged for either salty snacks, food and drinks offered in a small marketplace, or money on a gift card. Token preferences were assessed using a Paired Stimulus preference assessment and a progressive ratio (PR) task. The results of the preference assessment …

Annie Dillard: At The Altar Of Nature, Kelley A. Kasul

Masters Theses

This thesis intends to delve into Annie Dillard’s time spent at Tinker Creek. Why Dillard chose to go into nature is critiqued, as well as what she found. One of the things it appears Annie Dillard sought and found was a connection to the Divine. She had been searching for this connection in various churches but had not found what she needed there. There is another, perhaps more pressing, issue of the mystical journey Dillard went on as well. This was an internal journey, not a physical journey. Both of these topics are vetted for the purposes of furthering the …

Trinity, Freedom, And Evil: The Importance Of The Triune Nature Of God In The Problem Of Evil, Seth Pryor

Masters Theses

This thesis presents an abductive argument for a trinitarian conception of God as opposed to a unitarian conception especially when juxtaposed against the problem of evil. On the whole, this author argues, the Trinity has more conceptual resources to answer the problem of evil by granting freedom of the will to its creation, specifically the will to go against God, by himself consisting in an inherently relational ontological structure of three persons yet the same being that would grant such a capability.

Defining Contagion : Examining Imagination As A Source Of The Infection In Print Studios, Joshua Tangen

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I attempted to define a contagious component of art education within a community print shop. In this quest, I examine theories around imagination, creativity, and psychology through an analysis of the work of Maxine Greene, Kieran Egan, Ken Robinson, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Gathered from a variety of sources that include, books, scholarly articles, and online video, I link Greene’s concepts of what role imagination plays in critical thinking and empathy, Egan’s promotion of imagination’s ability to create personal and emotional engagement, Robinson’s ideas about creativity in learning, and Csikszentmihayli’s theory of flow. Connecting these four philosophers are …

Space In Between : Finding A Third Space For Art Education & Creative Community, Denise Gunter

Masters Theses

The arts remain in the shadow of Education’s assumptions: the arts are a subject of skill, a place for the finished product. While counter efforts, both current and past, have been pursued by the field of Art Education to promote art as an everyday tool, the static presence of this regulated pedagogical space makes it difficult to shift art accessibility from the artist to society as a whole. In response, it is certain the field demands a new environment. A space that validates its convictions and passions into something translatable to the masses, so art education may stand alone. In …

Learning Environments Of Our Stories, Grace M. Kim

Masters Theses

This thesis reframes the traditional classroom as a “learning environment” in order to broaden the perspective of the causes and effects of learning in the context of today’s culture and technology. Learning environments are examined through the lens of three key learning theories: Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, the Montessori Method of Education , and the Reggio Emilia Approach. The learning environments are further dissected into the three dimensions of: (1) the physical space, (2) the psychological space, and (3) the virtual space, and these dimensions are examined through the various interactions, which happen within each space. Through qualitative …

Very-Asian Variation, Nicholas Oh

Masters Theses

Nicholas Oh is a Korean American Artist currently working in Providence.

Oh graduated from San Francisco State University and he is currently a graduate student at Rhode Island School of Design.

He focuses on creating clay sculpture and mixed media installation that deals with race and identity as a Korean American in America.

Oh has done residencies at Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan and Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Colorado and has shown at Mills College Art Museum in California, Milwaukee Art Institute in Wisconsin, American Museum of Ceramic Art and Pence Gallery in California.

Zoom-Out : Expansion Of Pedagogical Approaches Within Moving Image Education, Thomas Flint

Masters Theses

The moving image is arguably the most complex form of expression that we have ever invented. Yet, the degree to which the medium can be taken advantage of throughout its process of creation does not always seem to be grasped within the context of education. Zoom-Out examines the current state of moving image education and how the range of ways in which film can be shaped for the purpose of learning might be further expanded upon. An overview of how standard film industry practices transition into educational settings provides a backdrop for highlighting pedagogical tendencies that point to a reliance …

Tiny Diasporas, Angela Lorenzo

Masters Theses

I see myself as a literary curator — I collect and sequence texts and images, both digital and analog, to reveal, connect, and construct narratives, resulting in shifting meanings and significances. Inhabiting this curatorial ethos, I investigate hidden subtexts, locating personal and collective relations to the margins and files marked “miscellany.” Working in books and installations, I engage with the inherited meanings of visual languages (form, typography, color, material, format) to open up well-worn narratives and craft new interpretations.

Tiny Diasporas is a primer to a design practice that borrows the form of an abecedarius, an alphabetical wordlist for learning …

Creating Connection In A Digital Society, Mariah Bennett

Masters Theses

The digital revolution has greatly affected the way we engage with each other.1 We choose virtual friends over real life ones as we go through our daily lives.2 According to the 2016 Nielson report, the average American spends four-five hours a day using social media, with teens spending an additional three hours a day.3 This is an average of 28-56 hours a week dedicated to Twitter posts, swiping on Tinder, Snapchatting, checking Facebook, or liking on Instagram, the equivalent to a part time job. According to countless studies, the digital age has made it hard for teens, young adults, and …

Hyperlink : Connecting Space, Time, Language, And Technology, Marie Otsuka

Masters Theses

This thesis constitutes a methodology for examining our use of systems and tools. We are constantly generating physical and digital residues, and tracing them can reveal an underlying syntax of structures that produced them. I work with these artifacts to highlight the capacities and constraints of language and technology, and what results is a transparency that draws us closer to the raw material. Once broken down into bare elements, new forms can then be resynthesized. Both critical and celebratory, this inquiry uncovers logical structures to reimagine means of making and to create alternate tools for thought.

Understanding Dwelling Beyond The Terrestrial, Sungkyu Yang

Masters Theses

One of the first places humans have lived outside of Earth is the International Space Station. However, the quality of life on the station is dehumanizing because it was designed to be a laboratory, not a dwelling. The condition of the existing space is monotonous and dooms residents to a boring and tedious life. The expression of beauty inherent in human nature is missing. The operation of the ISS as a space environment research laboratory is scheduled to end in 2024. This thesis explores how to utilize the adaptive reuse potential of the International Space Station to better understand human …

Radically Normal : The Menstruation Issue, Kathryn Smiley

Masters Theses

Hey readers, Periods are normal. But you’d never know that by checking out the average bathroom. The only menstruation-related public restroom fixture considered remotely standard is the trash, the one used to hide the evidence. A tampon dispenser is a rare sighting –a functioning, stocked dispenser, even rarer still.

Dispensers’ exclusion from public space reveals the ways that menstruation is not treated like other natural body functions. Instead, it has long been considered a sign of imbalance and weakness, discussed mainly in hushed tones and sly euphemisms. Historically, the medical profession has greatly contributed to cultural anxieties about women and …

Capes Make The Man, Khalid Mezaina

Masters Theses

‘Capes Make The Man’ is a project that provided me with the opportunity to grow as a designer and an artist. Over the last two years at RISD, I’ve frequently asked myself questions about my place and role as a man in the United Arab Emirates, and what awaits when I move back after graduating. Using personal narratives and cultural symbols from home, I bring to life the archetypes I carry as a mature masculine – my king, warrior, magician, lover and dancer. The end result is a series of bold, wearable capes, resembling stage costumes worn by pop stars …

Water Voyage From Quabbin To Boston, Ling Xia

Masters Theses

This thesis focus on investigating on revealing the powerful Quabbin to Boston water system. In Boston, whenever we turn on our tap, our shower head, there is water coming out. Being driven by the curiosity of want to know the source of the water, the research eventually get to know the Quabbin Reservoir. Being fascinated by the giant body of water which provides water for people of the big Boston, in phase one the research begins with finding the hidden story of the displaced people who lost their land because of Quabbin reservoir. However, the way of the researching cannot …

Guide The Flood : Miami Vulnerable Neighborhoods Flood Adaptation Design, Zhe Zhao

Masters Theses

When it comes to the future of Miami, what else could be instead of waiting to be swallowed by the sea?

This thesis starts with a group pre-research on different aspects related to the rising up sea-level in Miami. By analyzing the existed urban fabric and typologies, the author tries to use the current segregated open space in every block to create a new open space system to reduce the sea-level-rise influence. Therefore, the goal for the thesis is to provide a powerful and gynamic open space system to the rising sea-level.

The thesis is structured in three phases. In …

Home · Land : Olmsted's Legacy And Gentrification In Boston, Ma, Jessica Wilson

Masters Theses

Home • land is a master of landscape architecture thesis project encompassing an expansive body of trans-disciplinary research around the issue of gentrification and cultural displacement. The outcome is a proposal for a Community Land Trust (CLT) around Columbia Road in Boston, MA - the “missing link” of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace park system. This book examines the impetus of Olmsted’s Legacy and the mayor’s promise to complete the “final jewel” of the necklace, the vectors of gentrification acting on the site, and the strategies and tactics that might aid in combating rather than catalyzing gentrification in this neighborhood. …

Evoking The Divine : From Secular To Sacred And Back Again, Dragos Tiberiu Alexandru

Masters Theses

While creating for religious use, designers should ask what interventions will transform the secular into the sacred. Spaces used for worship should have qualities that enhance the mission of the church and the religious activities occurring within. These qualities include the use of light to suggest spiritual illumination, acoustics to enhance the congregation’s experience of music and sacred speech, materials that projects beauty within believers , and an environment separate from worldly distractions.

The client for this project is a megachurch congregation. Most of these churches are disinterested or in denial of church typology principles, resulting in spaces that lack …

Architecture As An Adapter : A Revolution In High-Rise Corporate Architecture, Nan Zou

Masters Theses

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, but the one most responsive to change” is the core of Charles Darwin’s Natural Selection theory. This relates not only to biology, but architectural typologies over time.

Office design has gone through many periods of evolution to reflect changes in industry and the workforce: from Ford’s assembly line to office cubicles to the open plan workplace and today’s anti-office. Designers have been mediating between workers and space for better performance for over 100 years -- though none of these anticipated the need for complete flexibility.

Through the development of automated …

Harmless Studio, David Thomas Pittman

Masters Theses

This thesis project is oriented around a vegan concept brand called “Harmless Studio.” The project recognizes that industrial design causes and supports the harm of animals through the use of animal materials. This book presents the historical, social, and scientific background of the human-animal relationship as it exists today, and it challenges the common acceptance of that relationship as it is— ultimately suggesting that industrial design need not harm animals to serve human needs. This vegan approach to design is presented through a selection of sustainable, non-animal materials and objects made from those materials. The objects are presented as part …

We Can Host! : Preparing Miami's Neighborhoods For An Amphibious Future, Dongning Huang

Masters Theses

HOST is a thesis investigation that seeks to understand the impact that rising water levels will have on the city of Miami. This investigation will take place within the larger context of global sea level rise and will examine a variety of events including flooding and hurricanes. The goal of the work is to promote a conversation about the types of adaptive strategies that can be applied to Miami, how they can be applied, and how to visualize the dynamic of the impact of rising water levels so that the people who live in, work in, or visit Miami will …

In A Distant Land, Ohad Sarfaty

Masters Theses

For the past few years I have avidly collected oral histories, family memories and imagery as a way to better understand and contextualize myself, my roots, and my own personal path. My recent paintings reference my first-hand experience as an immigrant, as well as my family's long and complicated history with displacement. The paintings were put together much like a game of telephone, their narratives transmitted through generations, stretched and skewed by family members and friends, rendering them fragmented yet crystallized. In the process of painting, seeing parallels between the past and the present has been frustrating and disturbing. The …

Woven Curvature, Yuhao Jiang

Masters Theses

It started with reading water,

I analog the water movement with water painting.(wet stripes on tracing paper) The wet strips attached on the tracing paper grow longer and shorter, Because of this surface tension, the surface creates certain wrinkle patterns(Wrinkle_from PIE root *wer” to turn, bend.”), which I call ‘breathing surface’ for its sense of life. It expresses the strength, durability, and continuity of water.

As I zoomed into the surface tension phenomenon, I started to think about a type of architectural experience which is a gradual change rather than dramatic. Through floor to floor, wall to wall, beginning to …

Designing For Disaster Resilience In Puerto Rico, Aislin Mac Donald

Masters Theses

Being hit by both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September 2017, Puerto Rico was left devastated economically, psychologically, and infrastructurally. After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico entered into what would become the longest blackout in US history, and the second longest blackout in global history. Forty-eight per cent of the island was left without access to clean water and the death toll has risen to over 1000 people. The lack of federal support and Puerto Rico’s depleted economy has become a dire human rights issue. Federal relief efforts were delayed, disorganized and underfunded. Many people did not know where or …

A Third Thing : An Exploration Of Black Hair In Architectural Design, Christina B. Schaller

Masters Theses

“African-American architects have been unable to articulate our own truth or vision of the future except as a reflection of the very culture that marginalizes us. We are so spent by trying to get into the system that there is little time remaining to critique the historical condition that make our climb so difficult. Rather than develop a self-defined praxis of architecture that would make a real difference in the lives of our people, we mimic the values and goals that have created our oppression.” - Sharon Sutton

By looking at traditions, art and architecture in the African American community, …