Digital Commons Network^™

Writers And The State: Heterotopias Of Exclusion In The Works Of Sonallah Ibrahim And Gholam-Hossein Sa'edi, Sherine Nabil El Taraboulsi

Theses and Dissertations

In undemocratic regimes, the cultural space is expected to align with the structure of domination, and cultural production is deemed an arm of the state, a vehicle for conformity and indoctrination. Under such circumstances, the personal and artistic choices of writers and artists become highly politicized. This thesis looks at the politics of interaction between writers and the state, specifically focusing on the heterogeneous literary space created by the author in which structures of domination are unveiled, and those placed on the periphery by the state are brought to the center of the literary space. A writer as citizen negotiates …

Navigating Multiple Sites: Religion And Women's Ngo Activism In Cairo, Emma Sundkvist

Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I explore and problematize the demarcation of religious versus secular based women's activism in Egypt. In doing so, this thesis accompanies the body of literature that contests liberal feminists' assumptions that Islam and gender justice are incompatible and that Muslim women's lives are linked to religious and cultural factors only. Through fieldwork at the Cariene women's NGO, Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA), this thesis reveals that women's rights work can operate within frameworks, which are rooted simultaneously in liberal secular ideas, and Islamic discourses of gender justice. CEWLA is an organization that aims to establish …

The Rescuer In Danger: A Scholarly Performance Edition Of Franz Xaver Süssmayr's Secular Cantata, Der Retter In Gefahr, Mark Nabholz

Theses and Dissertations

The central objective of this document is the production of a scholarly performance edition of Franz Xaver Süssmayr's secular cantata,Der Retter in Gefahr. The editing was accomplished through careful comparison of the manuscript full score, the manuscript orchestral and choral performing materials used in the first performances, and the published piano-vocal score used by choristers in post-premier performances.

Franz Xaver Süssmayr, whose name is today remembered almost exclusively for his completion of Mozart's Requiem, was a popular and respected Viennese composer in his own right. His opera, Der Spiegel von Arkadien (1794), was performed throughout Europe, and was favorably compared …

"Play Your Fan": Exploring Hand Props And Gender On The Restoration Stage Through The Country Wife, The Man Of Mode, The Rover, And The Way Of The World, Jarred Wiehe

Theses and Dissertations

The full irony and wit of Restoration comedies relies not only on what characters communicate to each other, but also on what they communicate to the audience, both verbally and physically. Hand props help foster this important relationship with the audience as props provide moments of dramatic irony where the visual meaning portrayed through the object complicates the verbal text. Specifically, gendered props such as the fan, the sword, and the pistol visually establish conventions for the sexes, yet are also used to subvert these conventions through gesture, appropriation, or misuse. Thus far, the critical conversation concerning the possibility of …

Pomp And Circumstances: A Film, Danielle Melissovas Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Since this is a thesis project about film, I thought it appropriate to acknowledge wellknown films about film in my chapter titles. In their own way, each of these films enhance audiences' understanding of the film industry and the creative and technical skills required in filmmaking. Writing about making my own film has had a similar effect on me because it has made me more aware of my choices and expectations about the film, as well as the collaboration that made it all possible. My thesis project began with a desire to experience every stage of the independent filmmaking process: …

Space: A Discovery Of Visual Language, Kelley White

Theses and Dissertations

Space is a visual communicator. The act of perceiving space is a neurological soiree that projects and negotiates meaning in our constructed world. The poetry that we observe within space is tied directly to our emotions and to previous experience. Within ourselves, we each have particular feelings, unconscious or not, relating to height, length, and depth, as well as light and shadow. For example, a long, narrow hallway may elicit anxiety, while an open, sunlit nave in a cathedral may bring about feelings of serenity and joy. Our observations and interactions within the perceptual confines of space reveal clues to …

The Recipe For The Highest Level Performance Arts Experience Communicating The Five Arts Senses, Chanel L. Myers

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

No Country For End Men : A Re-Evaluation Of Small Ensemble Blackface Minstrelsy, 1843-1883, Dorothea J. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

How To Succeed In How To Succeed : Creating The Character Mr. Biggley In The Musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Daniel L. Walstad

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Geek Vaudeville : Creating Community Through W00tstock, Tyler J. Sheeley

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Fire Safety Programs, Ronald Kunda

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Culture And Class In Theatre : Analysis And Direction Of Lucy Thurber's Scarcity, Benjamin J. Klipfel

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Creating Collaborative Meaning : Using Viewpoints And Composition Towards An Imagistic Staging Of Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Antholoogy, Larisa Marie Netterlund

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

View From The Virtual Pocket: Using Virtual Simulation And Video Game Technology To Assess The Situation Awareness And Decision Making Of Ncaa Quarterbacks, Burnie Bristow

Theses and Dissertations

View from the Virtual Pocket is a proof of concept study in which a theoretical proposition about situation awareness in time constrained decision making is wedded to the affordances of a computer based simulation to ascertain if the real world decision making in the pocket of an NCAA quarterback can be modeled successfully for simulation based learning. The researcher used the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) for the purposes of (a) analyzing the situation awareness requirements for expert decision making and (b) to empirically assess the viability of using a computer based football simulator as a SAGAT simulation tool. …

Identifying Demand For Private Education At An Urban Catholic College Preparatory High School: A Study Of Similarities And Differences In Parental Motivation, Tara M. Rolle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and compare the factors that motivate parents/guardians to enroll their admitted student in Catholic College Prep: an urban, Catholic, college preparatory high school, with factors that motivate parents/guardians of admitted students to enroll them elsewhere. This quantitative, cross-sectional study, conducted by the researcher over one admissions cycle (September 27th to January 7th) was used to restructure and improve Catholic College Preparatory High School's marketing planning and action. The researcher investigated this topic using the following questions as guides: 1. What factors, if any, do parents/guardians perceive to be very important in motivating …

Simple Rules Leaders Use To Guide Their Organizations During Times Of Rapid Change, Kristine Quade

Theses and Dissertations

Few leaders would refer to their organization as a complex adaptive system (CAS)--one that is irreversible and unpredictable. They might say their organization contains diverse elements and is constantly learning--the other two aspects of a CAS. Few top leaders rarely are able to identify the self-organizing patterns as they emerge. This study involved 58 senior leaders in five 5 market sectors who were guiding their organizations during times of rapid change. Using a Delphi method, the intent was to identify what simple rules the leaders used to shape the speed, direction and outcomes of self-organizing patterns. A simple rule expands …

A Plantation Family Wardrobe, 1825 - 1835, Jennifer Lappas

Theses and Dissertations

An examination of the Shirley Plantation Collection, Hill Carter, Mary B. Carter, their children, the plantation workers and their wardrobe between 1825 and 1835.

Modern Public Library Building, Rineta Jashari

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pierced Through The Ear: Poetic Villainy In Othello, Kathleen Emerald Somers

Theses and Dissertations

The paper examines Othello as metapoetry. Throughout the play, key points of comparison between Iago and Shakespeare's methodologies for employing allegory, symbolism, and mimetic plot and character construction shed light upon Shakespeare's self-reflexive use of poetry as an art of imitation. More specifically, the contrast between Shakespeare and Iago's poetry delineates between dynamic and reductive uses of allegory, emphasizes an Aristotelian model of mimesis that makes reason integral to plot and character formation, and underscores an ethical function to poetry generally. In consequence of the division between Iago and Shakespeare as unethical and ethical poets respectively, critical contention concerning the …

A Comparative Analysis Of Parallel Revisionism In The Plays Rabinal Achí And Zoot Suit, Matthew C. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

This study draws parallels between the dramatic works Rabinal Achí­, an anonymous ancient Mayan text, and the Luis Valdez masterpiece Zoot Suit. The parallel that I seek to establish is one of the strong trend of historical revisionism in both works as well as a parallel development of plot and characterization. This work does not claim to be representative of revisionism as a whole, nor does it seek to establish a new official history, but it does to demonstrate how both works, even though they are separated by hundreds of years, share a common bond of subversion and …

“Sustainable Design – A Holistic Approach To Sustainable Planning And Living”, Nexhmije Kryeziu

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

"Macabre Parables: The 'Slasher' Film As Morality Play", Brad Scott Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

Many film genres have experienced their periods of popularity and eventual fallout, some to their demise. The horror genre, on the other hand, has never lost its audience. Many times, critics have declared horror "dead" and yet have been amazed to see its resurgence again. What makes terror so much fun for America? This project seeks to understand the continual popularity of the often maligned genre known as "horror" and asks if there are rhetorical implications in these films that reach far beyond exploitation. Does horror tap into certain religious paradigms that have spiritual resonance within our American culture? Do …

Improving Information Products For System 2 Decision Support, Neal Gibson

Theses and Dissertations

The creation, maintenance, and management of Information Product (IP) systems that are used by organizations for complex decisions represent a unique set of challenges. These challenges are compounded when the purpose of such a systems is also for knowledge creation and dissemination. Information quality research to date has focused mainly upon treating IP independent from the actual users, despite the obvious interdependency between the two. Research in cognitive psychology has established a dual-process model for human cognition. Designing IP systems in recognition of these differing methods of human cognition represents a new approach to improving their quality. Education data and …

The Roads Are Bumpy Ones: A Study Of Body Image Through Abstract Performance, Alexis Goldstein

Theses and Dissertations

An overwhelming number of contemporary adolescents struggle with difficult issues. Many of these problems are socially related whereas others can be directly related to the degradation of the family unit. Among the most damaging of issues is distorted body image, which infect youth, often causing them to communicate aggressively, and even landing them in compromising situations. I have sought to challenge my students to redefine themselves through expressive movement and the creation of abstract rhythmic sounds. In teaching these techniques, I have given my former students the means to combat negative thoughts and actions, as well as an excellent tool …

The Creativity Loophole: Needlework, Social Conventions, And The Permissibility Of Creative Expression For Early American Women, Alyce Graham

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates creative expression through needlework by wealthy or elite women in the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century, focusing on women in the United States South. This inquiry begins in broad terms and proceeds to the close examination of one particular needlework sampler held in the collection of the Valentine Richmond History Center. The first chapter uses prescriptive literature popular in the eighteenth century to establish the restrictive, obedient, and subservient expectations for women’s behavior. The second chapter explores the reasons that the same books that prohibited many forms of pleasure promoted needlework as an acceptable activity for women. This …

A Midsummer Night's Dream On The Radio: Technology In Voice And Speech, David Becker

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in sound technology have had significant implications for the teaching of voice and speech that are only now becoming apparent. As more students become “plugged in” it becomes more difficult, both for the instructor and the student, to communicate, let alone find a voice. We are becoming increasingly addicted to communicating through our devices, rather than through the traditional and accepted modes of the past: using the human voice. In light of these rapid and various new developments, voice training, especially at the introductory level, needs to be examined anew. A number of traditional approaches and teaching methods …

Adherence To The American College Of Surgeons (Acs) Recommendation On Double Gloving, Hand Free Zone And Blunt Suture Needle Use Among Surgeon Ranks, Akbar Nassiry

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The American College of Surgeons guidelines suggest the use of intact gloves, double gloving, hands-free zone technique to pass sharp instruments, and blunt tip suture needles to protect patients, as well as the surgical team. This study estimates the extent to which these guidelines are followed in a large academic health system. Methods: Over a two-month period in the spring of 2010, 320 general surgical attendings, subspecialty surgical attendings, and surgical resident physicians practicing at a large academic health system, were approached during or after surgical conferences to participate in a cross-sectional study. Nearly 1/3rd completed an anonymous and …

Nursing Simulation: A Literature Review Of Integrating Education Into Clinical Practice, Marco D. Moser

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Vaudeville: A How To Guide, Evan Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

At the turn of the twentieth century vaudeville was the most prevalent form of theatrical entertainment. With more than 1,500 houses across the country, vaudeville reached in excess of 30 million audience members each year. It directly led to the advent of film and radio. Yet barely one hundred years later vaudeville has been forgotten by the once loyal masses. This guide is meant to help counter vaudeville’s fall. By adding together a basic script consisting of comedy and dramatic sketches, original works and classic vaudeville acts with music and information on the how and whys of vaudeville, this guide …

Physicians, Society, And The Science Fiction Genre In The Film Versions Of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Or Doctors With A Serious Pod Complex, Brett S. Stifflemire

Theses and Dissertations

Close textual analysis of the four extant film versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers reveals that each film modifies the original story such that it reflects changing societal attitudes toward physicians and the medical profession, as well as depictions of military and government in the science fiction genre. The changing depictions of characters and events in these films respond to changes in medical history, social history, and the science fiction genre across five decades. Each film reflects the contemporary anxieties of its time and the perceived ability of physicians to relieve those anxieties. Doctors are important semantic elements of …