Digital Commons Network^™

Boring Objects Bureau, Eric Fan

Masters Theses

The Boring Objects Bureau is an anti-sustainability design studio. Through its work, the Bureau is interested in developing new strategies that can challenge the stereotypes of what sustainability looks like for the products that underpin our modern lives.

The Bureau’s first investigation focused on the smartphone, a product where breakage and decay through obsolescence is inevitable. As a result, people are faced with either the expected sustainable approach of repair, which can be expensive and inconvenient, or replacement, which costs more and restarts the cycle. The Bureau therefore wanted to ask: could this breakage and decay instead be embraced as …

Care Ecologies Between Knots, Eliza R. Marris

Masters Theses

Discarded fibers like raw wool behave the way harm reduction does. Harm reduction resists stigma and works to move beyond assumptions and oversimplifications of substance use and addiction. Wool is irregular, complicated, and emotionally charged. It resists compression and maintains its own being even when pulled apart. Working with raw wool is in relationship with complexity, as is harm reduction.

At its core, harm reduction is grounded in thoughtfulness and empathy towards people, their lived experience, and its nuances. It is a witness to lives, memories, and imprints, acknowledging the entangled realities of addiction. Our detachment from fiber remainders, materials …

Through You I Will Feel, Mitchell L. Poon

Masters Theses

Through You I Will Feel is an installation exploring my family’s archive and my relationship with my ancestral heritage. An abstracted simulation of my childhood home’s dining room, it examines how revisiting the family archive can reveal new information not only about the past, but also about the present and the future. The installation consists of five works which integrate printmaking and print-adjacent processes: a set of four lithographic prints, cyanotype and natural toning on fabric, inkjet-printing on shrink plastic, UV dye-printing on polymer clay tiles, and digitally printed wallpaper.

The written thesis is a culmination of my time at …

Broken Picket Fences, Lori Ann Feeley

Masters Theses

Broken Picket Fences is a women's fiction novel that explores the bittersweet reunion of two young sweethearts who see each other again after twenty years. Love is reignited, old memories die hard, and dark secrets struggle to find the light of day in a maze of choices. Raeanne finds that what she thought she wanted may not be what she truly needs. She embarks on a journey through her past to rediscover the essence of who she really is. It has been so long since she viewed her own life through a clear lens. She desperately searches for who she …

A New Grounding, Corey Watanabe

Masters Theses

Amidst our climate uncertain reality, the question arises as to how we address the seemingly endless spiral of ecological degradation and loss we witness each and everyday? Through a cultural reframing of our relationship with invasive species, A New Grounding asks how collective ritual may serve as a vehicle to understand, heal through, and eventually embrace the trials and tribulations of ecosystem change.

Invasive species have become a major driver of the evolution of our landscapes. Research has shown their disturbance is often rooted in an underlying human environmental disturbance, however, for many these highly adaptive plants have become a …

Narrative Activism: Strategic Storytelling For Women’S Advocacy, Lili G. Morgan

Masters Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically widened existing spheres of gender inequality, increasing disparities related to poverty, forced marriage, maternal mortality, gender-based violence, economic vulnerability, and illiteracy. For organizations aiming to rectify these areas of inequality, storytelling is a powerful tool for advocacy. This thesis investigates the intersection of storytelling and advocacy, focusing on the writing strategies utilized by leading gender-equality-oriented organizations. Utilizing Grounded Theory (GT) methodology, this thesis explores the emerging patterns and themes that arise in organizational storytelling strategies across differing contexts. An introduction chapter provides insights into the subject matter, highlighting existing knowledge gaps and rationalizing this study’s …

Afrofuturism And The Reclamation Of Black Culture And History Within Science Fiction, Dawanda S. Hall

Masters Theses

This paper aims to delve into the key aspects of Afrofuturism, and to trace its evolution from its origins to its current expansive form. By examining the works of its most influential authors and their contributions to the genre, we can gain a deeper understanding of Afrofuturism’s legacy and its potential as a vehicle for Black liberation.

The Importance Of Being Your Authentic Self, Aleathea G. Higginbottom

Masters Theses

The vision for this paper is to encourage others through the references, expert advice, and a memoir full of experiences. Also, to dive into the realm of self-discovery and be the best version of the authentic self-possible and allow those beautiful pixels of gifted expression to shine through that have been pushed back or forgotten. There is a freedom that authenticity brings which cannot be described. Breaking free from a life of the expectations of others and living true to oneself brings forth a happier person, spirit, soul, and body.

The Need For Standardized Training For Volunteer Healthcare Chaplains, Dominic Anthony Korzecki

Masters Theses

For the past 50 years, many studies have examined the effects of Spiritual Care in medical environments. Though these studies have helped support the legitimacy and necessity for the presence of spiritual care in medicine, a lack of attention has been given to the level of professionalism of those who have been granted permission to administer care. The objective of my thesis is to determine the following: 1) if medical organizations that utilize volunteer-only spiritual care programs for their patients, and families, provide the same level of care as ones staffed by trained professionals, 2) if volunteer-only chaplaincy programs generate …

Addressing Chaplain Care And Resiliency As Protective Factors To Burnout In Community Chaplaincy, Robin Jonell Ratcliff

Masters Theses

This paper will address Chaplain Care and Resiliency as Protective Factors to Burnout in Community Chaplaincy. There will be a problem stated, literature review covered on the subject, the results of the assessments, scales, and screening used to address burnout. Then the author discusses training and interventions and shows analysis of said training and interventions.

A Word Fitly Spoken Is Like Apples Of Gold In Settings Of Silver: Removing The Veil From Inspirational Historical Fiction, Laura Louise Milcarzyk

Masters Theses

This thesis is about the importance of inspirational historical fiction writers to pen literary works that are more reflective of the diverse Kingdom of God on earth and the trials and tribulations the diverse community of followers of Christ endure in this life. The thesis also defines three literary techniques that will, if applied correctly, help lead a writer in creating novels that bring God, His love, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to life. The artistic statement explains how the novel originated and its process, as well as the novel’s literary and biblical significance. The critical paper is the …

Cuando Lloro, Melissa Medina

Masters Theses

There are moments where I am suddenly hit with a deep sentimental longing for a time that no longer exists, one that has transformed into a deep nostalgia, one that becomes more and more conflicted as time passes. Often thought of as a yearning for a recent past, or homesickness, nostalgia can be difficult to define. Although the concept and emotion associated with nostalgia may seem familiar, the word is in fact complex. Nostalgia, for the immigrant, is an escape from their marginalization; an opportunity to embrace the complexities. Painting then becomes an embrace, a direct connection between the present …

Talking About Death: Exploration Of The Impact Of Death Communication Norms On End-Of-Life Caregivers, Maureen H. Mckenzie

Masters Theses

This study seeks to understand the experience of end-of-life caregivers and how their subscribed communication norms regarding death impacted their caregiving experience and preparedness to make decisions on their person’s behalf. Eight participants were recruited from a Midwestern support group facility with a population of nearly 8,000 members that include cancer and grief support members. Criteria required adult participants that were less than 10 years out from their caregiving experience. Phenomenological research methods were used capturing eight opened ended interviews about participants death communication history, caregiving experience, and reflection on current death communication norms. Thematic analysis was utilized to assess …

Artful Healing: Exploring Creative Expression And Play In Children's Hospitals, Phoebe Strobino

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the role and accessibility of creative expression and play in children’s hospitals, and the impact these ideas have on patients. I explored these ideas through teaching four lessons at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Two of these lessons were taught in group sessions, and two were taught in one-on-one sessions, with participants ranging in age. Following an introduction to each lesson, I provide the plan itself along with general observations and reflections on teaching. Due to the nature of the setting, information is kept purposefully broad throughout my observations in order to respect the anonymity …

Dying Differently: Designing A Death-Oriented Psychedelic Treatment Center, Grace Caiazza

Masters Theses

In the context of therapeutic treatment for the terminally ill, psychedelic assisted therapy instigates a direct confrontation with a person’s experience of dying. Over the course of several weeks a patient will arrive at a facility, lay down in a room, and for up to eight hours at a time recommit themselves to the question: how do I comprehend death? Their answer will come in the form of sensations and sounds, visions and abstractions — things that are perhaps not immediately understood, but rather are immediately and vibrantly felt. The answer will follow a non-traditional logic unfamiliar to the empirical …

For A Moment, I Was Lost ; A Visual Reflection On The Process Of Grief And Mortality Within The Home, Adam Chiang-Harris

Masters Theses

Grief is typically experienced following a loved one’s unexpected death. It is human nature to experience grief or bereavement as a way of processing the end of a person's life and coping mechanism of the living. In cases where we have pre-knowledge of a person's inevitable departure due to illness, such as with terminal illnesses like Alzheimers, grief happens in a longer period preceding death. In this circumstance, caregivers, friends, and family, must endure a duration of hardship dictated by the progression of the disease while knowing the fated outcome of a person's life. Typically this period caused by the …

Holding Spaces, Zibby Jahns

Masters Theses

I’ve focused my graduate studies at RISD on the conceptual and social function of chairs as an investigation into comfort and grief. Grief is an apprehension: defined both as “to grasp” and as “anxiety/loss”.

With the multitude of deaths due to the inadequacies of our government and healthcare system, and the general anxiety everyone has been feeling through this pandemic, it has felt difficult to grieve for any individual person, in person. We have to grieve in the ways capitalism has taught us: silently, behind closed doors, without much time or fuss or drama, mourn with dollars and move on. …

From Soup To Nuts - The Efficiency Of Non-Profits: Evidence From U.S. Food Banks, Mary A. Mattingly

Masters Theses

Nonprofits are a growing part of America’s economy and play an import role in fulfilling the needs of society in addition to private firms and government agencies. Economists haven’t researched nonprofits as much as other firms in the past, but this is starting to change. This project looks at the efficiency of 20 food banks in the United States using Data Envelopment Analysis. The results show that American Food Banks appear to be using their funds efficiently, but others could learn to use their inputs and outputs in a more efficient manner. As more data becomes available, this area of …

Outcomes Of Music Improvisation Experiences: A Scoping Review, Julia Mccarren

Masters Theses

Music improvisation is a therapeutic music intervention utilized frequently by board-certified music therapists in various clinical settings. While music therapists frequently use music improvisation as a treatment intervention, research on music improvisation outcomes is limited. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize current knowledge about the outcomes of music improvisation experiences in music therapy and non-music therapy contexts. This review aims to identify and address gaps in the literature to provide suggestions for future research. The findings of this review will inform clinical music therapy methods. To conduct the scoping review, the researcher used the following five-stage framework: …

Mother Heart, Elisa Miriam Palumbo

Masters Theses

This memoir tells the story of a girl who lost her mom to cancer when she was eleven and how she learned to cope with her loss through writing.

A Study Analyzing The Practice Of Resilience Of The Chaplain/Self-Care And Wellness In The Ministry Of The Chaplain, Javier M. Torres-Chinea

Masters Theses

It may seem that chaplains are often put into a hard work as a care giver. The purpose of this study is to explore the importance of resiliency in facing depression and spiritual exhaustion in the life of the chaplain. Lack of resilience in the chaplaincy ministry can jeopardize not only the ministry, but also cause a mood disorder that appears as transient depression and unhappiness. Resilience is important in the chaplain’s ministerial life because it will determine the way chaplains recovers from suffering, trials, and burnouts that can affected their ministry. Based on research, resilience is viewed as a …

A Little More Like Water, Jacqueline Scott

Masters Theses

“The waves broke on the shore.” These are the final words of Virginia Woolf’s 1931 novel, The Waves, which follows the passage of a day at the ocean’s shore. The book serves as a backdrop for the life of six characters: Bernard, Susan, Neville, Rhoda, Louis and Jinny. Interludes are interjected between the chorus of these characters, depicting the arc of life from early childhood to old age and death. The relentlessness of the rhythm of the tide, at first pulsing and hard to ignore, becomes ceaseless white noise that eventually falls to the background. The day’s initial drama—a spectacular …

Unite The Divided : The Transition Between Death And Life, Qing Shi

Masters Theses

The modern era has marginalized death by professionalizing the care of the dying in hospitals and the dead in funeral homes. Today a growing number of families reject de-personalized, alienating funeral experiences and instead, seek rituals that are more related to pre-modern practices. Past practices developed when death was still omnipresent, and people performed their own authentic expression of the individual self and interpersonal relations. Bringing spatial, physical experiences of rituals back by personalizing a previously institutionalized occasion, the freedom of being able to choose the way we live has been extended to self expression in death and mourning.

By …

Fluid Urbanism, Huachen Zhang

Masters Theses

As we stepped into the 2020s, technologies keep emerging, such as the autonomous vehicle. We can already foresee some of the future cityscapes. Some of the largest vehicle manufactures have already road-tested their autonomous vehicles and shifted their focus to electronic powered vehicles. So what will the future city look like with new autonomous vehicle technology? What does an autonomous vehicle actually mean? What's the potential of this technology? In my thesis, I am not focusing on the impact of existing autonomous technology, but am trying to dig deeper and find its fuller potential. In my thesis autonomous technology as …

Final Opportunities For Healthcare Chaplains To Share The Gospel To Those Facing End Of Life, Michal Lynn Lee

Masters Theses

Spiritual care is a necessity for end-of-life care. Those with terminal illnesses and facing death are concerned about things of spiritual or existential nature. The National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care study indicated that most patients want to have their spiritual concerns addressed, and yet, spiritual concerns are not adequately addressed with the medical team and the current system of care. This paper builds on the role of the chaplain within a healthcare context for those facing end-of-life scenarios and reinforces the impact of the chaplain to fulfill his primary role of addressing eternal issues. Healthcare chaplains enter the …

The Hybrid Ensemble Model, Melanie Emily Riley-Gonzalez

Masters Theses

Music education plays a significant role within the public school and needs to be available to all students. Students should have opportunities to learn with voice or instrument and learn the art of performing for an audience. Students that are unable to attend music classes in a traditional class setting or have selected different pathways for their education other than a traditional classroom setting, may be excluded from opportunities to work with others in a collective music environment. Limited options are available for students to remain in their school ensembles when schedule conflicts arise for example, with advanced classes or …

Metal Mayhem To Music Theory: The Use Of Heavy Metal Music In Collegiate Music Theory Instruction, Weston Michael-Andrew Bernath

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Potential Implications For Music Therapy On Nursing Assessment Of Patients With Dementia In Hospice, Kamilla Akmuradova

Masters Theses

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) display symptoms that cause disturbances in memory, learning, language, motor ability, and behavior. Hospice medical professionals frequently experience difficulty when performing any treatment physical in nature, such as conducting a physical assessment, changing a wound dressing and wound care, and administering medications, since patients with (AD) often exhibit symptoms of agitation, anxiety, and combative behaviors before and during procedures. In addition, complex communication and cognitive impairments cause challenges with assessment and intervention planning. Music as a complex auditory modality can enhance state of alertness, physical movement, facial expressions, physiological responses (e.g., heart rate), and communication …

The Design And Development Of A Device To Assist In Boosting Patients, Taylor A. Rieckhoff

Masters Theses

A common task a nurse is required to perform is called boosting patients. Boosting a patient is defined as lifting or sliding a patient back up in the bed after having slid down (Mannheim, Zieve, & Conaway, 2017). The current method for boosting patients involves a minimum of two personnel and an 11-step process. The 11-step process requires the person to manually lift and pull the patient using an existing half sheet on the bed (Mannheim, Zieve, & Conaway, 2017). Patients who cannot move or support themselves are moved every two to six hours or upon request (Bihn, Rieckhoff, Burkman, …

Writing With Incarcerated Students Towards Humanization: A Christian Critical Perspective, Deanna C. Kabler

Masters Theses

This thesis centers on the intersections between critical pedagogy and writing instruction in a prison college program with the aim of humanization. A theoretical framework is constructed that relies on the pillars of tenets from Liberation theology, critical pedagogy, an anti-racist and multicultural praxis, and generative culture-making. Writing as the foundation of education is the medium for supporting a humanizing and liberatory education.