Digital Commons Network^™

Social Media: On Tech-Caves, Virtual Panopticism, And The Science Fiction-Like State In Which We Unwittingly Find Ourselves, Michael Major

Theses

Making use of three historic philosophical thought experiments, this paper blends psychological perspectives with philosophical reasoning to show how social media is corrupting our perception of reality, the result of which is ultimately detrimental to society as a whole. This is accomplished by first using Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to analyze and discuss the ways in which social media is limiting humanity’s access to real knowledge. Next, Michel Foucault’s analysis of punishment in its social context, Discipline and Punish, is used to discuss the ways in which social media is adversely affecting our behavior. Finally, Robert Nozick’s “Experience …

‘The Show Must Go On’: Amateur Musical Theatre As A Community Of Practice, Kevin Walsh

Theses

Amateur musical theatre has its roots in long-standing theatre traditions that include both professional and amateur production. Apart from the performance, which is the over-arching goal, participation in amateur musical theatre yields many other personal and social benefits in areas of learning, community and identity, aligning with Wenger’s concept of a ‘Community of Practice’.

Using an analytical framework based on previous studies in this area, this research investigates how amateur musical theatre functions as a ‘Community of Practice’. The research was conducted using an ethnographic case study of two contrasting local amateur productions. Experiential data and details regarding participant interactions …

An Exegetical Study Of The Annunciation Of Luke 1:26-38 Through Text And Art, Kellie Costello

Theses

In the Gospel of Luke, Mary of Nazareth’s encounter with the angel Gabriel has captured the attention and the imagination of theologians, scholars and artists for millennia, for in it the evangelist, communicates the announcement of the Incarnation of the long-promised Messiah. This exegetical study of the Annunciation through text and art examines how this good news was communicated to the first readers. Then following on from this acquired knowledge, this research seeks to discover if the understanding of the Annunciation has evolved over time by examining four artworks: two from sixteenth-century Europe and two from twentieth-century Australia. Each artwork …

Avant L’Appétit: An Augmented Reality Interactive Menu That Elevates The Gourmet Food Experience, Emili Koui

Theses

Restaurant businesses try to come up with ways to increase and maintain their clientele. In many restaurants, images of food often misrepresent the quality and quantity of the menu item. The results are a disappointment on the customer side, and a loss of clientele on the business side. Gourmet restaurants have the ability to provide consistency, which helps in maintaining their client numbers. However, new customers are hesitant in trying this experience due to reasons of portion size accuracy, ingredient identification, language barrier and dietary preferences.

This thesis investigated how the digitization of a traditional printed menu, can better enhance …

O’Whahsa’ - Protection, Comfort And Healing, Leah Shenandoah

Theses

Leah Shenandoah is an Oneida Nation multimedia artist, musician and scholar who conveys the concepts of protection, comfort and healing through music, sculpture, jewelry and fashion. On May 6, 2011, "O'whahsa'" which translates to "hood" in the Onya'ta:aka Oneida language, was presented at the Hungerford Building in Rochester, NY. Over 250 attendees witnessed a transcendental space consisting of: five sculptures made of fabric stretched over a welded steel rod armature-painted in a vibrant and impressionistic fashion; five sets of clothing and jewelry worn by Shenandoah and four dancers; smoke, fog, multi-colored lights and a 45-minute set of original songs written …

Victimization Rates Among Deaf And Hard Of Hearing College Students, Kristi Love

Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is receiving increased focus in society, with high profile examples of victimization involving athletes, actors, and politicians being discussed frequently. Society is more accepting of reporting issues of abuse and seeking help for victims. As awareness of domestic and intimate partner violence has increased, resources to address this issue are likely being utilized more. However, some populations are likely being overlooked, underserved, or excluded from accessing these resources. Deaf and hard of hearing individuals are among those who are underrepresented in the existing research on intimate partner violence. Research on victimization among Deaf and hard of …

The Power Of Word-Of-Mouth: A Study On The Impact Of Interpersonal Communication Using Arts Festivals As A Case Study, Holly Ní Ghráda

Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of interpersonal communication tactics in building and maintaining key relationships in the arts festival context, using two Irish traditional music festivals as its case studies. The main objective of this research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of word-of-mouth endorsements among stakeholders for small organisations.

This research undertook three stages of study. The first stage of this thesis took the form of a literature review - also known as the secondary research phase. Throughout this stage the author found relevant academic opinions and definitions based on selected public relations, culture, and …

Implementing Sensory And Emotional Intelligence Into Architectural Design Education In Ireland., Aoife Hayes

Theses

The 21^st century, as a whole, has seen massive developments in smart technologies, environmental strategies and architectural form. The 3D built environment is advancing on a daily basis, but has become a very two dimensional experience, frontloaded with screened imagery and visual stimuli, which has encouraged a trend of ocular-centric dominance. Unfortunately, as a result of this, the human experience is often lost. The prioritisation of the multi-sensorial human experience is not only at threat from this visual predominance, but also environmental concerns and economy seem to hold a greater place on the hierarchy. Research carried out by the …

Singing Exile: Music In Irish Emigration Literature, Christopher Mccann

Theses

Ireland possesses a cultural heritage that is particularly literary and musical. The island is also renowned for its extensive and ongoing history of emigration, and imagery of exile and return is as intrinsic to conceptions of Irishness as the island’s artistic lineage. The impact on the creation of a modern Irish identity by exilic Irish writers and musicians is testament to this relationship.

The act of emigration can be conceived as a narrative of individual identity framed by a wider cultural discourse. It is therefore natural that the themes of exile and departure are a frequent presence in Irish art, …

Funeral Home Or Ritualistic Edifice? An Assessment Of An Enigmatic Structure At The Late Pre-Hispanic Site Of Panquilma, Central Coast Peru, Alysia Ashley Leon

Theses

Mortuary remains within an archaeological context can illuminate the social and political aspects not only of the individual(s) buried, but also of the living who interred them. Although this is so, a consensus has not been reached in regard to the following questions: how can we determine the social identity of the living that interred the dead? What are the implications of the living-dead interaction, and how do mortuary practices alter social memory in order to fit political needs? This thesis constitutes an initial attempt to answer these questions while examining pre-internment mortuary practices, and associated ideologies regarding the afterlife …

7, 223 Between, Sarah Frances Weiss

Theses

This body of photographic artwork, 7,223 Between, explores the physical and emotional distance between my immediate family. This resulting dispersion created a shift in both my understanding, and experience, of family and home. The place that my family used to congregate around is now absent. These images traverse the surface of my relationships with family and speak to a universal experience of longing for family and home. Transient interior spaces, landscapes, and disconnected portraits of my parents come together in this non-linear narrative to suggest at the journey to rediscover a sense of Home, while winding through nostalgic failures, desire …

Voguing Gender: How American Vogue Represented And Constructed Women’S Roles From 1965-1974, Jenna Bossert

Theses

With the advent of inexpensive mass printing, specialized magazines, including those devoted to fashion, became commonplace. An example of such a magazine is Vogue, which has been in publication for 120 years and is produced today in 23 different countries and regions worldwide. Designed to disseminate high-end designer fashion, Vogue seeks to make these fashions, and the ideology embedded in them, accessible to a general public through the high quality styling in their fashion and editorial photography, and through their lifestyle articles. In this way fashion magazines are one of the cultural institutions that help women shape their definition of …

Music Uses And Gratifications Among Youth, Karen De La Rosa Herrera

Theses

This study identified the uses and gratifications of music genres and communication needs among young adults. An online survey of young adults in the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology was conducted. Seven communication factors were found to correlate with listening to 21 different music genres. A sense of identity was significantly related to alternative, indie, jazz, and new age music. Behavior was related to dance, easy listening, hip hop/rap, new age, pop, and world music. Interaction with others was related to easy listening and pop music. Knowledge was related to alternative, dance, easy listening, hip hop/rap, …

The Impact Of Dubai’S Architectural Wonders On The Daily Indigenous Performance In Light Of Cultural Modernity: A Comparative Case Study Between Burj Khalifa And Burj Al-Arab, Zulfat S. Al Kassim

Theses

In order to decrease the reliance on oil and create more economic opportunities, the UAE has witnessed a development boom over the last few decades in an effort to promote tourism. Dubai specifically has purposefully undergone dramatic architectural evolutions with the aim of transforming the city into a tourist hub and a global attraction. Over the last few years, iconic buildings including Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa have been built at different times to become prominent landmarks that promote the city’s global image and combine traditional/local elements in such a way as to form completely new unrecognizable forms i.e. …

The Material Forms Of Memory: A Creative Arts Praxis Examining Family Archive Materiality And The Performance Of Memory Through Installation Art, Emily M. M. Hornum

Theses

This Master of Arts by Research investigates the role of new media in influencing familyarchive materiality and what effect this has on the performance of memory. The aim is to examine through creative arts praxis how installation art illuminates the participatory engagement of family archive materiality to mediate our mnemonic processes. The source materials for this project stem from my family archives dating from the early 1900s to 2013, and include photographs, 35mm slides, VHS tapes, audiotapes and personal items. The significance of this research lies in the creative outcomes that have occurred through the investigative and critical dialogues between …

Thedor Kullak's "Scenes From Childhood," Op. 62, And Op. 81: A Pedagogical Guide, Jennifer Lynn Kottke

Theses

Theodor Kullak (September 12, 1818 - March 1, 1882) composed "Scenes from Childhood," Op. 62 and Op. 81 for young piano students. This thesis is a guide for teaching these pieces to intermediate piano students. Following Kullak's biography, aspects of note-reading, fingering, rhythm, technique, and musicality are discussed and illustrated in specific examples from the music.

Communication Risk And Strategy In Temporary Organizations, Shelley R. Mcivor

Theses

Communication is a critical and emerging metric for successful outcomes in the high-stakes field of project management. Professional management societies have quantified financial losses caused by ineffective communication. Consulting project management exemplifies a maximum communication risk environment - misunderstanding threatens project finances, strict deadlines, and technical benchmarks - exacerbated by the complexity of a temporary organization structure.

The context of work in a temporary organization adds layers of ambiguity to project communications - an ill-structured domain in technical communication terms. Formal study of communication in temporary organizations is relatively new. Recent studies are derived from engineering and business management perspectives. …

Leadership Cultural Values Of United Arab Emirates-The Case Of United Arab Emirates University, Ebtesam Ali Alteneiji

Theses

UAE is a young country with a young population that has witnessed tremendous changes over the past decades. There has not been much research about the cultural values of the UAE in generational perspectives, and there have been rapid changes. Therefore, this study aimed at exploring systematic changes in leadership cultural values among the older and the younger generations of the United Arab Emirates. The author utilized Hofstede’s (VSM08) instrument to survey undergraduate students, administrators and faculty at UAE University.

The study found no significant differences between the younger and older generations’ tolerance to unequal distribution of power (power distance), …

Battling With Monsters : Integrated Gamification In The First-Year Composition Classroom, Lee Hibbard

Theses

The study of games features in digital media and game design classrooms, but no research exists on a combination of gamification and bringing games as texts into the first-year composition classroom. Using the method of `integrated gamification', I created an innovative multimodal classroom that includes the study of videogame texts alongside literature, film, and television texts, and uses the mechanics of those videogame texts to create a deeper immersion in the course content. In my thesis research, I will demonstrate the impact integrated gamification has on students in the first year composition classroom as recorded from a semester-long case study …

Analysis Of The Correlation Between Media Consumption Behavior And Cultural Adaptation Of International Students In The United States, Solange M. Mercedes Checo

Theses

International students are a continuously growing population in the United States (Institute of International Education, 2013). Upon arriving in a new country, cultural differences often influence students' preferred media. This paper explores the association between cultural adaptation and media selection among international students in the United States. Uses and gratifications theory is used as a theoretical foundation. A survey was administered to collect data about motives for consuming news, entertainment and sports media content, and level of cultural adaptation among students from different cultural backgrounds. The results suggest the correlation is more relevant for sports, showing that when international students …

Computational Investigation Of Potential Failure Modes In Arterial Hemodynamic Flowpath, Praveen Kumar Koya

Theses

The formation of an arterial disease for large and medium size vessels is believed to be a multifactorial interplay of bio - mechanical - chemical processes in the arterial wall and the hemodynamic flow path. The present research presents the viewpoint of a mechanical engineer assuming that mechanical factors are of the key importance in the formation of aneurism, atherosclerotic plague and rupture. The repetitive pressure and shear stresses exerted by the blood flow on the weakened arterial wall may cause its progressive degrade, resulting in aneurism with the following potential rupture. Elevated blood pressure results in an elevated repetitive …

Museum Visitors’ Perceptions Of Mobile Games: A Case Study, Sarah Exley Ozimek

Theses

Previous research in mobile gaming focused on use among grade school students and heavy gamers (e.g., Groff, Howells, & Cranmer, 2010; Poels, Kort, & Ijsselsteijn, 2012), but little is known about museum visitor usage. This study examined museum visitors' mobile technology habits and perceived uses of mobile games in museums. A survey of individuals on a local museum's mailing list found a positive relationship between visitors' familiarity with mobile devices and their perceptions of enjoyment and learning experiences with mobile games. This indicates that mobile games may be a welcome addition to the museum experience for heavy users of mobile …

Aerobic Biodegradation Of 2, 4 Dichlorophenol In A Spouted Bed Bio-Reactor (Sbbr), Taghreed Tahseen Al-Khalid

Theses

Chlorinated phenolic compounds represent a major class of hazardous pollutants commonly encountered in wastewater generated by the petroleum and petrochemical industries. In this regard, biological treatment, as an economical and green technology, has been shown to be one of the most promising approaches for the removal of many organic water pollutants such as chlorophenols. Under aerobic conditions, bacteria utilize chlorophenols as a source of carbon and energy. This study aimed at developing an integrated system for biodegradation of 2, 4 dichlorophenol (DCP) in a specially designed spouted bed bioreactor (SBBR), characterized by systematic intense mixing, resulting in enhanced biodegradation rates. …

Design For Slow Living, Siyang Gong

Theses

"As speed is seemingly equated with efficiency and professionalism, however, slowness can become a way of signaling an alternative set of values or a refusal to privilege the workplace over other domains of life." (Parkins, W., & Craig, G., 2006)

This thesis defines what slow living is, its background and why it is becoming important today. Slow living can be defined as a way to improve socialization. It is a lifestyle that helps people slow down their pace and spend more time with their families and friends doing meaningful things together. As a reward, they can feel more relaxed and …

Understanding The Components Of Online Identity Disclosure : Trust And Risk, Casey Thomas

Theses

Disclosure of personal information online has been associated with identity theft. Effective warnings can potentially decrease identity theft by decreasing personal information disclosed online. The present experiment explored whether disposition to trust, trust beliefs in the warning, risk perceptions, perceived ease of use of the website, and the source of the warning could affect disclosure of personal information online. The model is unique to the literature because it has multidimensional constructs of trust and multifaceted constructs of risk that may explain disclosure as an online behavior. The model was tested using a 2 (identity: email address and driver's license) x …

The Oaxaca Barrio In Teotihuacan: Mortuary Customs And Ethnicity In Mesoamerica's Greatest Metropolis, Maria Teresa Palomares Rodriguez

Theses

This research examines the mortuary customs of the Oaxaca Barrio, one of the foreign settlements in the ancient city of Teotihuacan. The Oaxaca Barrio is associated with the Zapotec homeland in the state of Oaxaca, southern Mexico (roughly 290 miles); but many questions remain unanswered about its origins and development. The mortuary customs of the Oaxaca Barrio show how Zapotec migrants adapted to living in Teotihuacan over a considerable period of time, maintaining aspects of their homeland identity, but also generating a new cultural repertoire by which members of the enclave redefined themselves. The presence of Zapotec people in Teotihuacan …

Sobject, Warren Iii Lloyd

Theses

Attempting to find a solution to the problem of how to make art that is both critical yet participatory, sobject explores subject/object relations within the development of the medical gaze in the history of medico-clinical perception and Modern Art. Sobject works both analytically, tracing these apparently parallel developments, and synthetically as it forms a methodological approach from the interpolating spaces of each. It locates and analyzes histories of objective instrumentation between subjects and objects, then works to open and redistribute these into new possibilities. It does this by developing an artistic practice that engages with contemporary forms of institutionalized instrumentation, …

Towards Understanding Cytotoxicity And Cellular Uptake Of Engineered Nanomaterials, Komal Sudam Garde

Theses

With a widespread use of nanomaterials in various manufacturing applications including consumer goods, semiconductor industry and pharmaceuticals, the safety of Engineering Nanomaterials (ENs) is a vital area of research. It is extremely important to analyze the risks posed by ENs in order to optimize design and/or control their use. The overarching goal of this work is to understand the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake potential of specific EN of well characterized physicochemical properties. Towards this objective, the specific aims of this project are to (a) comprehensively characterize the physical and chemical properties of starting ENs, (b) study their dose and time-course …

Making Human Rosetta Stories: Museums And Foreign Langauge Learning, Bonnie C. Wilson

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Movement For Sustainable Agricultural In Japan: A Case Study Of Post 3/11/2011 Organic Farmers In Saga, Fukuoka, Kagawa, And Hyogo Prefectures, Seth A.Y. Davis

Theses

No abstract provided.