Digital Commons Network^™

Everybody Is A Critic: A Guide To The Critical Evaluation Of Visual Media For Generation Z, Cody Alexander Rusk

Masters Theses

The youth of today, especially Generation Z, lack the ability to think critically. An area that seems to be especially difficult for Generation Z to critically evaluate is visual media. This is an issue because visual media has an influential hold (both emotionally and mentally) over this generation and is a key factor in swaying the opinions and behaviors of these young minds. Visual media is a powerful tool that. should continue to be used by future generations, but with the knowledge that there will always be potentially negative influences, and more importantly, ways to identify and defend against them. …

The Stages Of Environmentalism And How The Movement Can Be Maintained Through Generation Z, Emma Jean Vanden Brink

Masters Theses

The state of a social movement is characterized by the stages through which it progresses. The environmentalism movement began hundreds of years ago when humans first noticed how significantly their actions influenced the nature around them. The movement advanced with the arrival of the industrial era and modern society. According to Stewart et al. (2012), there are five main stages through which a social movement proceeds: genesis, social unrest, enthusiastic mobilization, maintenance, and termination. Today, environmentalism is in the maintenance stage, as determined by the current organizational structure of the movement. The objective of this study was to determine how …

And The Lord Added To Their Number Daily: A Historical Overview Of The Growth Of The American Evangelical Church, Erica Morgan Wrench

Masters Theses

Curriculum Framework For Composing And Arranging For Contemporary A Cappella Choirs, Hillary Nicole Goodson-Spear

Masters Theses

As vocalists, it is important for us to understand techniques regarding current styles of vocal composing and arranging including voicing, beat boxing, and body percussion. The success of several mainstream television programs such as Glee and The Sing-Off, popular movies franchises like Pitch Perfect, and groups like Pentatonix and Straight No Chaser, demonstrate the rising popularity of contemporary a cappella music. It also reflects the need to be able to write unique arrangements of traditional or popular songs to keep up with recent trends. Current research suggests that there are very few resources available for music educators to teach this …

Tomb And Temple : The Poet’S Use Of Positive Body Imagery To Communicate Messages Of Psychological Wellbeing, Shelby Elizabeth Poulin

Masters Theses

Mary Oliver writes that imagery is the texture of a poem, and the “detailed, sensory language incorporating images . . . gives the poem dash and tenderness” (Oliver 92). Imagery brings poetry to life, offering the reader a whole-body experience over simple description. Oliver cautions, however, that imagery is powerful and should be used responsibility, further implying that this texture can also become jolting, harsh, or offensive if used incorrectly (Oliver 107-108). With this caution in mind, the purpose of my forty-six poem collection—Tomb and Temple: Letters to the Body—is to use images of the body responsibly, in a way …

Patrick Henry And John Jay: True Patriots And Advocates For Civil And Religious Liberty, Nancy Lynn Greenwood

Masters Theses

Patrick Henry and John Jay had a significant impact in the founding of the United States of America as two of the principal and most influential Founders. They were also among the most public Christians of all the Founding Fathers. Their dedication in their fight for civic and religious freedom as a means to maintaining liberty was well-known. Despite these similarities, they opposed each other on most every major issue. Each envisioned different governments in which to obtain liberty and to keep the American republic. This thesis seeks to explore the differences and similarities between Henry, as a leader of …

Quantifying Surface Water Capture By Municipal Pumping Wells In An Urban Watershed Impacted By Road Salt, Austen York

Masters Theses

The Spring Valley sub-watershed is located within the Kalamazoo Township contains Spring Valley Lake, a man-made impoundment that ultimately discharges into the Kalamazoo River. Elevated chloride levels in pumped water from the Kalamazoo Station 14 municipal wellfield, located along the shoreline of Spring Valley Lake, has resulted in less than ideal corrosivity values for the water distribution system. Specific project objectives include: (1) identifying the cause of elevated chloride, (2) assessing surface water capture by the Station 14 wellfield, and (3) characterizing of water quality in Spring Valley Lake. Monitoring along a series of sampling transects spanning the sub-watershed, focused …

Standard Operating Procedures (Sop): A Must For Non-Profit Organizations, Lolita Joyce Law

Masters Theses

Many times, non-profit organizations are very good at fundraising and running their organizations. Many non-profits have limited documentation on their daily procedures, such as operations, events, or fundraising. They have inadequate documentation of how their organization operates. Many non-profits lack an essential part of their policy and procedures, the Standard Operating Procedure manual (SOP). A non-profit organization should have an SOP for the functionality of their organizations. This thesis project discusses why non-profit organizations should develop and incorporate an SOP into their organization's policy and procedures. This thesis also discusses the validity, importance, and advantages of creating an SOP for …

Gendered Language In The Catalogues Of Saint Mary’S Academy, 1860-1871, Kylie Hamm

Masters Theses

This research builds upon studies that explore Catholic women’s and girls’ educational institutions in the nineteenth century. This case study focuses on one girls’ academy, Saint Mary’s Academy, precursor to Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, founded by the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1844. The research provided here analyzes the gendered language utilized by school leaders in the academy’s public catalogues during the decade of the Civil War, from 1860 through 1871. The language in these catalogues subtly changed over the course of the decade, reflecting changing white, middle-class gender norms surrounding women’s work and education. Leaders of …

"Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" Southern Baptist And Roman Catholic Relief Efforts During The Great Depression, Alyson Marie Fagan

Masters Theses

Before the Depression commenced, the Church’s role in society was beginning to teeter as various criticisms surfaced in their bodies, as well as from secular America. The churches then began reassessing their interpretation of Scripture in a changing environment, as well as their application of Gospel principles. Within these principles, the idea of providing for the needs of the “least of these” and being the Good Samaritan took on different attributes depending on their denomination as well as their location in America. In providing Christian charity, churches had to determine their ability, and willingness in some cases, to provide tangible …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Interactions With The Criminal Justice System, Sarah Elizabeth Rapp

Masters Theses

The connection between childhood traumas and subsequent detrimental adult behavioral issues has been well documented. In recent times, both the medical and psychological fields have turned their attention toward specific criteria of childhood traumas labeled Adverse Childhood Events, or ACEs. A threshold of ACE factors shows a significant connection to the later physical and mental health of individuals who have participated in such studies. Due to the connection between childhood traumas, mental health, and interactions with law enforcement, this study attempts to define the relationship, if such a relationship exists, between ACE factors and interactions with the criminal justice system. …

The Tarheel Victorian: H.H. Brimley And The North Carolina State Museum In Raleigh (1880-1946), Robert Alexander Stroud

Masters Theses

Following North Carolina's experience during the American Civil War and Reconstruction, the museum was born out of a desire to bring greater economic investment into the North Carolina economy. Its first director H.H. Brimley (1861-1946) transformed the museum into a thriving institution that attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors annually by the 1940s. The museum helped Raleigh's transformation from a backwater of the Old South into a thriving metropolis of Post-Reconstruction by kick-starting a wave of tourism and popular education with its exhibits on state history and science. This thesis argues that this museum played a critical role not only …

The Red Schoolhouse, The Military Machine And “Twk”: The Growth And Decay Of The Indiana Klan In The 1920s, Alexis R. Wilson

Masters Theses

“It is called the true story of the Northern side of the Civil War… The Birth of a Nation had forever wiped out the Mason and Dixon.”1 The film The Birth of a Nation (1915) captured the minds and imaginations of people across America. The phenomenally successful and popular film was based on the book The Clansman, A Historic Romance of the Ku Klux Klan (1905), written by Thomas Dixon Jr. The film romanticized the Civil War and skewed the view of the Southern Reconstruction. It portrayed the Ku Klux Klan as the figure who restored the South. The Birth …

An Analysis Of Effects Of Vicarious Trauma Among Attorneys: A Descriptive Qualitative Approach To Develop Training Programs Focused On Reducing Vicarious Trauma Among Attorneys, Kyla Eileen Gray

Masters Theses

Vicarious trauma refers to exposure to another person's traumatic experience. Professionals working within the criminal justice system, policing, courts, or mental health are regularly exposed to traumatic events. The idea or expectation that a person can be exposed to this every day and not be affected is unrealistic. A new approach to mitigating and preventing exposure to adverse impacts of vicarious trauma is vital to these employees' mental health. This article focuses on attorneys who work with vulnerable populations and how vicarious trauma affects their everyday professional and personal lives. This paper will discuss the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), what …

Apologetics And Science Instruction For Educators In Secondary Christian Schools, Brett Austin Craddock

Masters Theses

Without the incorporation of apologetic instruction into the science classroom students will be ill-equipped to defend the Christian faith. The academic world has seen a decrease of importance that is placed on the Christian mind and therefore the academic world and the majority of scholarly debates have been left to secular thinkers. Secondary Christian schools are in the optimal position to answer the need to raise up a generation of students that may apologetically and academically defend the Christian faith. Through including topics such as Intelligent Design, irreducible complexity, anatomy, and fine-tuning to various fields of science, secondary educators will …

Sight-Singing For Intonation In Band, Courtney Diane Vetter

Masters Theses

This curriculum study aimed to examine the effects of sight-singing activities on elementary band students' intonation. The curriculum is aimed at university teacher candidates who plan to teach elementary music. Activities and lessons offered in the curriculum are centered around sight-singing, ear training, and intonation. Additionally, singing activities are incorporated into every rehearsal to strengthen aural skills and inform students how to apply those skills to intonation fixes. Through this study, the researcher aimed to show the importance of singing and sight-singing activities on band students, particularly those in marginalized groups that have experienced trauma and are of low socioeconomic …

Bi-Musicality In Kenyan Education: An Irrevocable Impact Of Colonization On A Culture?, Tania Mae Molendyk

Masters Theses

In Kenya today, music at all levels includes both Kenyan music and Western music. The inclusion of Western music in the Kenyan curriculum began when Britain made Kenya a colony. Due to certain circumstances after Kenya became independent, Western music continued to be taught in the schools. This research addresses the question “is the inclusion of Western music in the curriculum today a conscious choice or a remaining impact of British colonization?” To gain insight into this question, a variety of Kenyans from different backgrounds were interviewed. Their answers helped reveal the desires of the people today and whether the …

Proper Understanding Of Freedom In Christ: An Apologetic Tool In The Modern World, Cindy Casalis

Masters Theses

Modern Christian apologists employ a variety of tools designed to aid communities in their understanding of God and salvation via Christ's atonement. One of the ways defenders of the faith add to their field is primarily in discerning the real significance of the treasures found in Christ. The freedom His sacrifice has afforded us is one of those great riches. With proper appreciation of this freedom the apologist is well equipped to clarify many misconceptions surrounding Christianity. This work begins by dissecting the true meaning of freedom in Christ from a Judeo-Christian viewpoint. Building on that foundation, then this thesis …

Importance Of Teaching Native American Music, Kimberly Lorene Fowler

Masters Theses

Music Education has always been the doorway to experiencing something new and wonderful. Music Education, before now in America, has always taught western-styled music. Today, culture has become an essential ingredient to being an American. The learning and appreciation of other cultures have become particularly important in a student's journey within music to ensure the feeling of community, respect for others, and the experience of different styles. Native American music has become threatened with extinction by the shortage of information available and the lack of instructors that can teach it. Generations upon generations have lost this opportunity to learn and …

Does Epa Cause A Decrease In Inflammation Of Bend.3 Cells Through Ffar4?, Clay J. Weidenhamer

Masters Theses

Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease initiated by low and oscillatory shear stress on the endothelium. The inflammatory process recruits leukocytes to the vessel wall by expression of the adhesion molecule VCAM-1. Activation of the NF-κB inflammatory signaling pathway is responsible for the increase in VCM-1 expression. Omega 3 FAs, such as EPA, reduce the risk of atherosclerosis by decreasing this inflammatory response. The pathway by which omega 3 FAs is proposed to inhibit inflammation includes activating FFAR4 to decrease NF-κB activation thereby reducing expression of adhesion molecules. We hypothesized that treatment of endothelial cells with 30 μM EPA would decrease …

Effects Of Shoreline And Watershed Development On Eastern Lake Michigan Drowned River Mouth Ecology, Megan M. Mader, Carl R. Ruetz Iii

Masters Theses

Lake Michigan’s drowned river mouths (DRM) are hydrologically unique systems with riverine and large-lake influences that create biologically diverse ecosystems. Serving as focal points for human development due to the ecosystem services they provide, DRMs have experienced a history of industrialization, urbanization, and are now moving towards an era of rehabilitation. Today, DRM shorelines have been hardened, their riparian zones have been severely altered, and their watersheds exist on a latitudinal gradient of less to greater anthropogenic stress (agriculture and development). The main goal of this study was to understand the current ecological state of DRMs related to anthropogenic development …

Is God Responsible For Sin?, John Wesley Holmes

Masters Theses

Does sin actually exist without the presence of divine commands? Without a rule can there be a violation? If sin results from violating a divine command, then the assignment of responsibility must fall on the one issuing the commands. However, if God is responsible for sin, then the core of Christianity must be questioned. This thesis confronts the accusation that God is responsible for sin by establishing commands that are foreknown to be violated. This paper will demonstrate that God is not responsible for sin and show humanity to be accountable for individual choices. Demonstrating human responsibility for sin will …

Improving Sight Reading Through Beginning Band Instruction, Joshua Earl Kohl

Masters Theses

Aural skills training needs to be included in the beginning band curriculum. Educators strive to help students reach their potential. At the same time, they continue to use method books that emphasize a visual approach to music education. To fully engage with music, students should not just see the music written on a page but should be able to hear it as well. Through aural skills training, such as audiation, students will be able to internalize and hear the music they see without the need for an audial stimulant. This study defines the current amount of aural training included in …

Teaching Biblical Development In Early Childhood Education Through Praxial Music, Cheryl Lynn Pearson

Masters Theses

Music has been deemed important since biblical times for both worship and music education and has made its mark in history from ancient philosophers to modern educators. Its value is determined according to individual experiences, be they aesthetic or praxial, for the purposes of entertainment, education, or worship. Music offers a connection to God granting a deepened sense of purpose in fulfillment of our call to worship. Music is valued because it leads to the development of ethical values through active participation and reflection. Music education and spiritual development are mutually beneficial as they develop students toward a greater spiritual …

A Proper Transition: Success After The Military, Jonathan Dain Martensen

Masters Theses

Military lifestyle, standards, and culture are developed and fortified throughout soldiers’ service, the decision to exit the military is often difficult, and challenges related to post-transition adjustment and employment are substantial. The U.S. Army’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP) attempts to alleviate these challenges by teaching soldiers about the obstacles they will face as well as the corresponding strategies that can enhance the likelihood of a successful career transition. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to understand the key factors both internal and external that allow service members to successfully transition from the military to the civilian employment sector. …

Funding A Middle School Technology-Based Music Class: An Investigation On Trends In Funding And A Proposed Curriculum, Shebbie L. Williams Iii

Masters Theses

This paper investigates trends of district funding in relation to music programs. The appendix contains a proposed technology-based music curriculum. The study is a convergent mixed-methods design that reviewed current literature on funding sources for music programs; literature about technology-based music courses was reviewed as well. The results revealed the many factors that play a part in a school board deciding to keep or terminate a music program. Findings also include a correlation in funding and music class quality, less funding usually meant lower quality. This paper can be a tool for educators that wish to make a change in …

The Importance Of Sight-Singing To Ear-Training And Musicianship Of Neurodiverse Students, Courtney Marie Stinson

Masters Theses

This curriculum project aims to recognize the importance of teaching students music with ear-training. The goal is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of ear-training methods. This paper will review existing ear-training methods research. The literature will be reviewed regarding the biology of how listeners hear music, how geographic location influences elements of sound, how emotion influences communication, and why people like the music they like. The second chapter of this article discusses how singing on solfège creates stronger musicianship in all musicians as ear-training is essential for teaching music. Ear-training helps students recognize sounds and sonic events they have …

How Reading, Writing, And Composing Music Enhances A Child’S Creativity, Marisa R. Robertson

Masters Theses

This thesis intends to prove that reading, writing, and composing music in elementary school can help children enhance their creativity. The project will contain recent research that shows how reading, writing, and composing music can enhance a child’s creativity. Research from this thesis will provide parents, educators, and administration with the necessary information to decide to incorporate music into their child’s school curriculum.

Wheels Of Love: Turning Souls To The Saviour, Amy Leah Berry Magaw

Masters Theses

This paper is written to explore the success of The Hallmark Movie Pattern. The famous female-lead romantic-comedy genre shines through their network when set against the backdrop of the Christmas season. Though many critics chastise the network for its cheesy repetitive storylines, the Hallmark Channel continues to hold the majority of the viewers every Christmas season. The franchise has, however, alienated some of their viewership by introducing the gay/lesbian agenda into some of their storylines, opening the door for Christian filmmakers to move into high demand. New Christian film streaming services such as PureFlix can now offer films that exceed …

Pedigree And Molecular Assessment Of Relatedness In A Captive Chimpanzee Population, Francesca Golus

Masters Theses

As a crucial component of biodiversity, genetic diversity contributes to variability among individuals, allowing populations of endangered species to be resilient in the face of changing environmental conditions. Zoological institutions have become a cornerstone of conservation efforts and a refuge for endangered species given threats imposed on wild populations by climate change, habitat fragmentation and degradation, and overexploitation. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are an endangered species experiencing drastic population decline in the wild, yet are common residents in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. To sustain long-term, genetically viable populations of species of concern, zoos use studbooks and paternity testing to …