Digital Commons Network^™

Blood, Tears, And Wounded Eyes: Holy Effluvia And The Compassion Of The Virgin In Early Modern Flemish Visual And Devotional Culture, Katharine Grace Davidson Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Images of the Mater dolorosa, the weeping Mother of God mourning over her dead son, are plentiful art of Northern Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and often foreground the shedding of effluvia—blood, sweat, and tears—in their depictions of the holy pair. This paper explores the visual themes of tears, blood, eyes, and wounds as vital actors in images that require close, meditative, and affective looking and engagement. Such image formats include small-scale pairings of the Man of Sorrows and Mater dolorosa as well as books of hours. In these contexts, the holy fluids and their bodily sources expand …

“I Like A Fight”: Margaret Sanger And The First Birth Control Clinic In The United States, Rebecca Linnea Hall

Theses and Dissertations

It is nearly impossible to read the news in the United States today without hearing the name Planned Parenthood, but few Americans know about the origins of this organization. Margaret Sanger founded the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau, the precursor to Planned Parenthood, in 1923, but this was not the first time she opened a clinic. In this paper, I assess Margaret Sanger’s 1916 opening of the Brownsville Clinic, the first birth control clinic in the United States, and the responses to this event from multiple historical perspectives. I use historical newspapers to demonstrate how popular media, legal experts, and …

British Colonial Strategies To Control The Influenza Epidemic Of 1918 To 1919 In Ashanti, Dennis Baffour Awuah

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to examine the strategies and policies that were employed by the British colonial administration to control the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 in Ashanti. I argue that the varying philosophies of both the colonial administration and the Native population in Ashanti on health and medicine influenced the response trajectory to the disease. It also explores the aspects of Indigenous medical practices which are largely concerned with the religion or beliefs of the people. Before the outbreak of influenza, the colonial administration started a campaign to promote Western medicine while antagonizing Indigenous medicine. To an extent, this made the …

Faculty Voices In Faculty-Led Programs Abroad, Tara M. Augspurger

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the experiences and perceptions of faculty members who develop and lead study abroad programs for students enrolled in higher education institutions. Through qualitative case study inquiry, four questions are answered. First this study explores what motivates faculty members to become involved in the development and implementation of short-term study abroad programs. Second, faculty identify what was involved in creating and leading the short-term, faculty-led program including what obstacles they encountered and how they overcame them. Third, these faculty shared their perceptions of what students gained from participating in the program. Finally, this study investigates what institutions …

Unwavering Loyalty: Greek Women In Resistance And Exile, Helen Drivas

Theses and Dissertations

The Greek Resistance during World War II enabled the induction of women within the public sphere en masse. The opportunities the young women found in the 1940s were rooted in the struggles of feminist and socialist women in the pre-World War II era. During the interwar years, women organized within trade unions and political parties, influencing the next generation. This dissertation explores women’s participation in national and radical social movements and focuses on female partisans who joined the antifascist struggle, who as a result of their actions were internally exiled on the Greek islands of Chios, Trikeri, and Makronisos between …

Ms. Pearl Irma Young: "Raising Hell" For Women In Stem Fields And Women At Nasa, 1914 - 1968, Caitlin Milera

Theses and Dissertations

Women are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields and at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Women’s underrepresentation in these fields is largely due to the countless barriers they face at K-12 levels, in higher education environments, and in the workforce. This historical analysis explored the academic and professional journey of a woman who persisted through these systemic and structural barriers, Ms. Pearl Irma Young.Through this research, I examined Ms. Young’s experiences in higher education, at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and at NASA. To do so required robust data collection of archival resources, …

The History Of Queer Resistance And Student Activism At The University Of North Dakota, Jeff Maliskey

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the queer history of the University of North Dakota from 1980 to present day and demonstrates how LGBTQ+ student activism lead to the development of LGBTQ+ programs and services at the University. Situated in a socially and politically conservative state, the University of North Dakota provides an understanding of how LGBTQ+ students organized in the 1980s out of necessity to combat social opposition and discriminatory state legislation. LGBTQ+ students were burdened with the responsibility to create their own support services and resources as there is no historical evidence of the university administration taking steps to improve the …

Peri-Implantitis Incidence And Effect Of Supportive Periodontal Therapy On Outcomes: Retrospective Cohort Study, Michael Ha

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Management of peri-implantitis is becoming an increasing component of dental practice. Dental implants can develop peri-implantitis lesions which occur in a non‐linear and accelerating pattern compared to a gradual periodontitis lesion. It is crucial to diagnose and treat this disease early, or ideally prevent it. Contemporary implants have a rough surface texture which is difficult to properly decontaminate as a crucial component for treatment prognosis. Evidence on the long-term effects of Periodontal implant maintenance therapy (PIMT) on implants is limited. This study aims to investigate the effect of periodontal maintenance on peri-implant tissue health.

Methods: A retrospective chart review …

Unveiling Migration Patterns Using Data And Network Science, Firas Aswad

Theses and Dissertations

Many real-world phenomena have recently been witnessed, motivating scientists to provide a comprehensive understanding of worldwide networks, such as the human migration phenomenon. Human migration research is multidisciplinary and has yielded work in social sciences, physics, and the new field of smart city designing and planning based on big data analytics. The importance of the research comes from the impacts on both countries, sources, and distention. Impacts occur at several levels such as economy, city planning, politics, and law enforcement, leading to changes in demographics. Thus, studies on human migration help policymakers prepare and handle crises when they occur in …

Millais’ Modern Christ: Religion And Critical Responses To The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood In Nineteenth Century England, Ashley Morse

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how the press reviewed Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the years 1849 and 1850 with a partial review of 1851. In particular, the focus is on the controversial painting Christ in the House of his Parents by John Everett Millais. This painting became a physical symbol of the many fears that the new modern age brought to Victorian England. Catholic, Irish, and Protestant tensions had been mounting throughout the nineteenth century in England prior to the debut of the painting. Politics and law were beginning to relax restraints on Catholicism in addition to the increased immigration of Irish Catholics. …

A Conductor’S Guide To J. N. Hummel’S Forgotten Oratorio: Der Durchzug Durchs Rote Meer, Rebecca J. Ostermann

Theses and Dissertations

Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s only oratorio, Der Durchzug durchs rote Meer, was lost to the musical world until around 2004. Hummel (1778–1837) was greatly esteemed during his life as a concert pianist and as a composer, and several of his choral works were among those highly regarded by his contemporaries. Interest in his works, along with Hummel scholarship, has increased in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Hummel’s oratorio is for Classical orchestra plus guitar, harp, and bass drum, four to ten vocal soli, and chorus. Its thirteen numbers run about 51 minutes, recounting the biblical story of Moses and Pharaoh, the …

Using Precision Agriculture To Identify Overlap In Conservation And Economic Opportunities In Agricultural Landscapes, Makayla Brister

Theses and Dissertations

Intense agriculture is detrimental to the environment and leads to nutrient runoff, decreased water quality, soil erosion, greenhouse gas emissions, and decreased wildlife habitat. In addition to negative environmental impacts, intense agriculture increases the financial strain on farmers. Farmers also face inconsistent yields from environmentally vulnerable lands. Due to these financial constraints and inconsistent yields, conservation goals are not always economically attractive to farmers and agricultural producers. One possible solution to this issue is the use of precision agriculture (PA) to inform strategic conservation efforts. We used PA technology to identify low-revenue field areas in the Mississippi Delta and Black …

Response Effort Attenuates Provoked Aggression In Men And Women, Michaela Patoilo

Theses and Dissertations

Previous efforts to manage aggressive behavior have generally focused on the emotion of anger, as opposed to aggressive behaviors. Several small-N studies have explored the promising approach of contingency-based interventions (e.g., the effort required to respond aggressively; Zhou et al., 2000), but have produced mixed results. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine whether experimentally-manipulated response effort effectively attenuates provoked aggressive responding using a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP; Berman et al., 2009). Participants included 123 (40 men; Mean age = 20.9, SD = 4.6) randomly assigned to either a low- or high-effort condition, crossed with a …

The Many Faces Of Schizophrenia Risk: Can Measures Of Risk Be Aggregated?, Thomas W. O'Kane

Theses and Dissertations

There are currently many different conceptualizations of schizophrenia risk, which we argue is detrimental to any efforts to build a cumulative science in this area. This paper sought to evaluate various conceptualizations of schizophrenia risk and the extent to which they overlap. This paper attempts to identify overlap by utilizing meta-analytic methods in conjunction with data collected from a sample of undergraduate college students (n = 80). To do so, we first collected estimates of various schizophrenia risk measures and risk correlates from the literature. These estimates were subsequently combined with collected data. This paper attempted to analyze review data …

Escaping Machismo: Educating A New Generation Of Mentors For Latina Students, Nayeli Elizavet Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Machismo has been a traditional reality for most Latino communities for much too long and unfortunately, it does not seem to be making an exit any time soon. To serve as a counteract for machismo, this thesis encourages for Universities to add onto training programs for faculty and staff so that they can serve as mentors for future Latina students. Creating future mentors that help guide Latina students may impact Latina students and their retention rates as well as encourage them to go beyond an undergraduate degree. To serve as a mentor, staff and faculty should be educated in the …

Agency Of Mexican/Tejano Union Recruits During The United States Civil War: An Archival Case Study Of Private Pedro Garcia, Andy Najera

Theses and Dissertations

During the United States Civil War, a Mexican national, Pedro Garcia, and hundreds of others like him came to Brownsville, Texas, looking for ways to strengthen their positions by joining the Union army. Eventually, the Mexican/Tejano recruits deserted in droves while the Union forces executed Pedro Garcia. The purpose of this research is to provide insight into the cultural clash of worldviews between the United States Union army and Rio Grande Borderlanders. This research will also provide awareness of the various methods the Mexican/Tejano used to create agency. This study uses a mixed methodology, such as Border theory as described …

Occupied: The Civilian Experience In Montélimar, 1939-1945, Cameron Zinsou

Theses and Dissertations

The vast literature of World War II in France contains a major gap. There is little on the daily life of civilians prior to France's defeat during the Battle of France or civilian life after the liberation of France from the German occupier. Most literature on France during the war focuses on the Vichy years from 1940-1944. This dissertation extends the timeline to encapsulate the whole war from 1939-1945. By doing so, historians can uncover other themes central to the French civilian experience besides the German presence. This dissertation shows the benefits of this chronological extension through its investigation of …

Titian’S Venus Of Urbino: A Comprehensive Art Historical Study With An Interpretive Consideration, Mary Melissa Miller

Theses and Dissertations

There have been numerous scholarly interpretations of Titian’s Venus of Urbino since Giorgio Vasari first named the work upon seeing it in 1548. Even so, problems remain in Titian’s hermeneutics and semiology relevant to the artist’s personal circumstances that places the Venus of Urbino in a unique genre. Biographers and art historians since the 16th century have written about and admired this work. Additionally, scholars of the 20th century have painstakingly sought to understand the work’s layers of meaning, but still the Venus of Urbino remains an interpretive mystery. Firstly, my thesis will examine the timeline of references to Titian’s …

The Alphorn In North America: “Blown Yodeling” Within A Transnational Community, Maureen E. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

Musicians in North America have adopted the alphorn as a tool that builds community, enhances musical training, and interprets the Swiss tradition for a new generation. Meaningful combinations of experiences and identities combine to create a robust relationship and kinship among alphorn players in an intentionally international community.

Quality And Simplicity: Rebecca Salsbury James, Folk Art, And Modernism In The United States, Caroline Seabolt

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the work of Rebecca Salsbury James and its contributions to the development of interwar modernism in the United States. Using mediums traditionally employed by folk artists, reverse painting on glass and the colcha stitch, James expressed her interest in quality and simplicity with a proto-feminist sensibility.

Bernice Lee Bing’S Art And Spiritual Practice, Lin Ma

Theses and Dissertations

Living and working in northern California between the late 1950s and 1990s, abstract painter Bernice Lee Bing practiced Zen, Nichiren, and Nyingma Buddhism. This thesis studies what the visual and conceptual impact of these spiritual practices had on her abstract and visionary paintings.

“They Know Too Much Already:” Black Education In Post-Emancipation Era Columbus, Ga, 1866-1876, William Dwayne Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Despite local histories that have been published on the history of Columbus, Georgia, and its school system, very little has been written about Columbus’s freedmen schools created after the U.S. Civil War. As a result, a comprehensive history of Columbus’s freedmen does not exist, and those written are fragmented. The focus of this study is to document the beginnings of Columbus’s freedmen school efforts in the post-emancipation era, through those African Americans’ own historical voices and experiences. Though an analysis of archived unpublished letters, local and religious newspapers, census data, government documents, and meeting minutes, this study recovers the authentic …

Assessing The Methodological Quality Of Aviation Research: A Content Analysis Of Articles Published In Subscription And Open Access Aviation Journals 2014-2016, Isa Tuncman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to determine to what extent aviation research articles were consistent with commonly recommended research protocols. Using a purposive sampling strategy, two subscription and five open access journals published from 2014 to 2016 were targeted, and 139 articles were reviewed using a category based, researcher-developed coding form grounded in commonly accepted research practices presented in educational research methods textbooks. The form reflected models from the medical research community and employed a 3-point scoring rubric: 0 = Not Reported, 1 = Inadequate, and 2 = Adequate. At least two coders reviewed each article, and corresponding Krippendorff …

Latino Suicide: Does Religious Contextual Influence Vary Between Latino Men And Latino Women?, Sierra L. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have examined aggregate associations between religious contexts and suicide rates among religious denominations. Most early research examined this relationship among white Christians; more current research has examined black Christians. Though this research tradition was established by Emile Durkheim long ago, religious context’s relationship with suicide rates remains understudied among U.S. Latinos. Few studies examine suicide among this group; those that do compare U.S.-born and foreign-born Latinos (see Barranco 2016; Barranco and Harris 2019). Nevertheless, these studies overlook how the religious context—suicide rate relationship differs between U.S. Latino men and women. This study fills this gap by applying two competing …

The Nature Of Primary Source Instruction In Social Science Methods Courses, Judith Loraine Bee

Theses and Dissertations

137 Pages

Teachers are the key to shifting the way learning happens in the classroom. However, teachers are not always skilled in inquiry, critical thinking, and historical impact. Teaching with primary sources provides a context from which to educate preservice teachers in these essential skills. This dissertation focuses on the nature of primary source instruction in preparing preservice teachers to teach social sciences at the K-8 level. This qualitative study explores education methods professors’ practices for educating preservice teachers to use primary sources in their classroom instruction. Social Science methods professors in Illinois were observed, interviewed and an analysis of …

Status Of Social Studies Within One Georgia School District, Tonya Fields Pinckley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this causal-comparative research was to examine whether differences exist between the time allotted for delivering content, the time allotted for lesson planning, the time allotted for student assessment, instructional perceptions regarding mandated testing, perceptions regarding pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), level of ease of planning, level of understanding of Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE), level of understanding of the teaching-assessment cycle, and usage of the system provided pacing guides within public elementary schools in one Georgia school district across the content areas of ELA/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies. The research also examined the differences in instructional strategies …

A Multi-Sensor Fusion-Based Underwater Slam System, Sharmin Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the problem of real-time Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) in challenging environments. SLAM is one of the key enabling technologies for autonomous robots to navigate in unknown environments by processing information on their on-board computational units. In particular, we study the exploration of challenging GPS-denied underwater environments to enable a wide range of robotic applications, including historical studies, health monitoring of coral reefs, underwater infrastructure inspection e.g., bridges, hydroelectric dams, water supply systems, and oil rigs. Mapping underwater structures is important in several fields, such as marine archaeology, Search and Rescue (SaR), resource management, hydrogeology, and speleology. …

Advising For High School Mathematics Course-Taking: Action Research Identifying And Describing Students’ Experiences, Selection Factors, Needs, And Preferences, Andrea Lynn Goodson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to identify and to describe the needs of students in the advisement process of mathematics course selections at a suburban high school in South Carolina, in order to make recommendations for effective advisement for mathematics course selections. This study addressed three research questions. The first research question explored students’ experiences in the advisement process of math course selections at a suburban high school. The second research question identified the factors affecting students’ math course selections. The third question investigated students’ needs and preferences in the mathematics course selection process. This action research …

How Can Sense-Data Processing Generate Perception?, Marian Reda Asaad Ghattas

Theses and Dissertations

Sensory perception is an experience that we get on a continuous basis. We live through the experience, we get introduced to things that we consider completely different from ourselves, we get through the event and sometimes recall the features of the entities that we encounter but at other times, we don’t. The study of sensory perception interests diverse disciplines and is a concern of epistemology, or the theory of knowledge. The question of if and how sense perception yields reliable knowledge has been a main subject matter in the study of knowledge throughout the history of philosophy. Different epistemological traditions …

Dear Elsa: 10 Letters + 10 Experiments, Amanda Madden

Theses and Dissertations

Dear Elsa: 10 Letters + 10 Experiments is a short form personal experimental documentary in which filmmaker Amanda Madden attempts to embody and communicate with the ghost of the radical poet, model, performance artist, sculptor, and time traveler, Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven (1874–1927) about living and creating as a womxn artist.