Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring Social Studies Teacher Self-Efficacy: Development Of A Valid, Reliable, And Fair Social Studies Self-Efficacy Scale, Leona Calkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social studies education provides unique opportunities for students to learn about the democratic process and, more importantly, how to engage in civic life to become active citizens. It is through meaningful social studies education that students are deliberately helped to understand the world, and are provided space to discuss, deliberate, and inquire about problems in the world, both past and present, and then learn how they can work to solve these problems (NCSS, 2013a; Parker, 2008). Considering the role of social studies education in helping develop active citizens, there has been a call for social studies teachers to provide instruction …

Student-Athletes’ Career Adaptability, Academic Motivation And Athletic Motivation, Alexandria N. Petrolia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many Division I student-athletes find the transition of graduating college, leaving the athletic arena, and entering the workforce to be extremely challenging to navigate. Due to the high demands of being an elite athlete and the prospect of continuing to compete professionally after graduation, an overwhelming majority of student-athletes expend little to no effort in exploring potential careers and are unlikely to take advantage of the opportunities available to them prior to graduation. This study aimed to examine the relationship between athletic career motivation, athletic motivation, and academic motivation to the skills necessary to navigate work responsibilities in career adaptability. …

Locating A Marketplace At The Ancient Maya City Of Lakamha’, Mexico Using The Configurational Approach, Jonathan Roldan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In some cases, plazas that undergo archaeological testing for marketplace activity are identified using a method known as the configurational approach. This preliminary research method compares plaza locations to a list of associated features, often treated as a list of criteria. However, this approach has been criticized for its speculative nature and the equifinality of the results. Additionally, some argue that these “criteria” are only a list of assumptions. Until now, the configurational approach has received little attention due to its limitations and speculative nature, yet it remains an integral part of the preliminary process in marketplace research. This project …

Personifications Of The Sacred And The Sovereign Represented In The Art Of The Sala Del Maggior Consiglio In Palazzo Ducale, Susan Sholar Hanny

Theses

The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of why the Venetian Republic incorporated specific personifications in the art of the Sala del Maggior Consiglio (Chamber of the Great Council) (fig. 1) in Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) (fig. 2) created after 1577 (when a fire destroyed most of the existing artwork in the room) to promulgate the sacredness and sovereignty of the Venetian Empire. In addition, the research seeks to connect the personifications to events in Venetian history that influenced the use of specific figurative images within the artwork and to the message the Venetian Republic was …

The Taxonomy Of Extinction: Brian Jungen’S Tombstone, Jasen Evoy

Theses

This thesis focuses on the recent work (Tombstone, 2019) by Brian Jungen, a Canadian artist of mixed European and Dane-zaa heritage. The work is explored in detail, leveraging concepts present in Jungen’s existing body of work to extract intent and meaning through Jungen’s complex use of space, materiality, and iconography. Tombstone is a large scale, multimedia sculpture consisting of white plastic Rubbermaid stepstools cut and assembled into the form of a turtle or tortoise shell resting on a bank of thirty-seven black filing cabinets. While Tombstone initially presents itself as aesthetically sparse, it is a deeply-layered commentary on inequity, power …

Women’S Influence In Cerén’S Architecture: Weaving Patterns In Classic Maya Art, Nicole Rosalia Lazo

Theses

This study aims to disclose how Classic Maya commoners utilized weaving patterns in small village architecture to highlight female power and status in the highlands of Mesoamerica. There are two primary goals for this project: first, to demonstrate how the weaving patterns in Maya highlands architecture stood as a symbol for female authority; second, to add equity and diversity to the field of art history by studying the Maya with a feminist lens, which is typically an underrepresented culture and gender in comparison to other civilizations, such as those from Europe and the United States. Furthermore, the Classic Maya farming …

The Effects Of Therapeutic Arts On Black Mental Health, Alicia Newsome

Theses

This project focuses on black mental health that encompasses mental wellness education through social media and builds community connection by sharing stories. It reduces social exclusion and creates positive change in black communities. The final deliverable will be a short video poem compilation via YouTube that gives insight into what it is like living with depression and anxiety. It will include motion graphics, photo manipulation, and graphic art covers titled Misconceptions, Beautiful Temptations, Relentless, and Old Abuse. It is about implementing healthy coping mechanisms and bringing together a community that is often overlooked and/or stigmatized regarding mental health. It enhances …

Kurt Vonnegut, Modernity, And The Self: A Guide To The Good Life., Josh Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

What are people for? This is a question Kurt Vonnegut raises in his first novel, 1952’s Player Piano. Over five decades later, when he concludes a career with 2005’s A Man Without a Country, he is still asking, “What is life all about?” (66). These are the central questions for Vonnegut, and his novels, short stories, essays, interviews, correspondence, and commencement addresses offer a singular, life-long attempt at an answer. In this dissertation I offer a reading of Vonnegut not just as a writer concerned with philosophical questions, but rather, on a deeper, more personal level, as a …

The Glass Coffin: Gothic Adaptations And The Formation Of Sexual Subjectivity., Colton T. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is now an almost foregone conclusion that classic depictions of vampirism resonate with contemporary queer audiences. A sympathetic response to the monster’s persecution is often the key factor in these arguments, yet little attention is paid to the textual details that prompt such a process of identification. This study posits that the iconography used to establish a connection between monstrosity and non-normative sexuality has its origins in Victorian Gothic fiction, whose descriptions of vampirism were assimilated into the discourse of the fin-de-siècle medical field known as sexology. Theories that defined homosexuality as an illness with physical and psychological symptoms …

Putting Colorism On Trial Intraracial Colorism And Its Impact On Crime Trajectory Among African Americans., Shaderica Ta'shawn Sibley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of experiences of colorism on the crime trajectory of African Americans. It is qualitative in nature and utilizes semi-structured interviews with incarcerated African American people. As previous research has shown the painful impact of colorism on its victims, this study ultimately seeks to unearth if that pain translates into crime commission and trajectory. The primary purpose of this research is to contribute to the existing body of research that seeks to support “colorism healing” in the African American community. If this indicates that colorism contributes to crime trajectory, such an outcome would have practical implications: …

Resisting Dominican Motherhood Across Julia Alvarez’S How The García Girls Lost Their Accents And Junot Díaz’S The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Ana Hilario

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper endeavors to explore the distinct ways in which the Dominican motherhood ideology promoted by Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina’s regime is resisted by women of different social classes and race through a close reading of the characters Laura and Beli in Julia Alvarez’s How the García Girls Lost Their Accents and Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, respectively. Using Adrienne Rich’s concept of motherhood ideology as a theoretical framework and engaging in discussion of how these ideologies were constructed, engendered, and enforced by the Trujillo regime, I found that these texts depict voluntary and involuntary resistance …

Hospitality Art: A Research Note On The Main Factors Affecting Attractiveness Of Visual Art In Airbnb Settings, Maksim Godovykh, Carissa A. Baker

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The hospitality sector has a long history of creating aesthetic landscapes. Artworks, from paintings and photographs to sculptures and architectural features, have received prominent placement in hospitality spaces. Decades of discussion in the industry and academia exist on art in hotels as well as the aesthetic communication present in a service- scape, or the physical environment of a service landscape that influences image, brand perception, and emotional and cognitive processes (Bitner, 1992; Lin, 2004, 2016; Wakefield & Blodgett, 2016). Art-based initiatives function as a form of value creation that strengthens emotional attachment and relationships with brands (Koronaki, Kyrousi, & Panigyrakis, …

Contextualizing The 2019 “Chile Despertó” Movement: The Impact Of Historical Relational Processes On Mobilization And Repression, Tanya Leon

International Studies (MA) Theses

To expand our theoretical and empirical understanding of mobilization and repression in Latin America, this thesis asks three critical questions. Are economic indicators sufficient predictors of social movement emergence in Latin America? What other factors contribute to large-scale mobilization in Latin America? How do government’s respond to large-scale Latin American social movements? Specifically, when, and why do democratic governments choose to employ repression against social movements? Accordingly, I construct a quantitative model to test the correlation between rise in protest and worsened economic conditions. I apply it to a comprehensive dataset of political events in multiple South American countries throughout …

Making Meaning Of The Shared Experience Of Participants In An Undergraduate Lgbtq+ Mentorship Program, Brendan Corbett Csaposs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the ways in which LGBTQ+ students at the University of Miami make meaning of their shared experiences in the LGBTQ+ Mentorship Program that the university offers, in order to explore ways in which higher education institutions might consider better supporting this key group of students. This study draws upon a variety of theories of sexual identity development, building on the work of Rosario et al. (2011) in looking at the ways that students make meaning of their sexual identity based on self-identification, association with the larger community, and engagement in a …

Teaching Pedagogy Of Online Vs In-Person Learning: Relative To Osteology, Erik M. Schulz

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

With the COVID-19 global pandemic and the increasing need for a better way to teach on a global scale, this study focuses on a possible alternative to standard teaching that would address these issues. This research study examines the effectiveness of using 3D-scanned images vs cast bones in teaching human osteology. There are two main teaching concepts examined: the first examines the pedagogy of teaching and assessing if a 3D or online virtual classroom assessment compares favorably to a more traditional method of teaching osteology and other similar courses in a hands-on setting. The second consideration is to assess the …

Land Rich, Cash Poor: Hispanic Subsistence Agri-Culture On Acequia Farms Of Northern New Mexico, 1880-1950s, José A. Rivera Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Acequia-based agriculture in Hispanic northern New Mexico originated with the arrival of settlers from the central valley of Mexico in the late sixteenth century and later following the Camino Real into the upper Río Grande and its tributaries. The high desert environment required irrigation for food production and survival. Land parcels in the rural villages of northern New Mexico were small, and crop yields were limited to home consumption on a subsistence basis, an economy that lasted well into the territorial period and statehood of New Mexico. Despite a wage economy introduced with the arrival of the railroad around 1880 …

Zinā In The Criminal Legislation Act (1999-2000): An Evaluation Of The Implication For Muslim Women's Right In Nigeria, Paul Orerhime Akpomie

Theses and Dissertations

The research engages in an exploration of human rights in Islam. Human rights issues are then contrasted with international law positions. The data gotten is then used for investigating women’s human rights issues in Shariʾa penal tradition regarding zinā (adultery) in Nigeria. The re-emergence of Sharia penal codes adopted by 12 Northern states in Nigeria in 1999 as an operative Islamic law has sparked concerns about rulings amounting to stoning to death in several cases of zinā. These events raised concerns about Shariʾa penal traditions’ legality and relationship with other legal traditions operational in Nigeria, a secular political space. …

"When The Tide Is Out, The Table Is Set": Shellfish Harvesting Throughout The Holocene At Labouchere Bay, Southeast Alaska, Mark R. Williams

Anthropology ETDs

“When the tide is out, the table is set” is a familiar saying among Native communities on the Northwest Coast of North America. This phrase encapsulates traditional ecological knowledge passed down for generations concerning intertidal marine resources. Recent archaeological excavations of shellfish gathering camps at Labouchere Bay confirm that ancient people may have followed similar principles throughout the Holocene (c.9,500 -2,500 years ago). For millennia, shellfish have been a highly reliable food source that helped support sedentary fisher-hunter-gatherer settlements. Although shellfish habitats represent highly predictable foraging opportunities, optimal foraging strategies must be carefully managed to avoid overharvesting. Collecting just enough …

"A Beauty In The Kitchen": The Introduction Of The Cookstove As A Mechanism Of Change In Charleston's Historic Kitchens, Maria Short

All Theses

While Charleston’s historic houses have long captivated visitors, scholars, and preservationists, the architecture of these properties’ kitchens and the ways people cooked in these historic spaces have long been overlooked, in part because their historic fabric has often been obscured by later alterations or demolition. While interpretation of these historic spaces in certain house museums, such as the Nathaniel Russell House or Heyward-Washington House, now include information on the lives of the enslaved who cooked in these kitchens, the understanding of cooking technology, specifically the transition from hearth cooking to cooking on cookstoves, in Charleston remains largely unstudied. In the …

A Survey Of Indicators Of Zionism, Antisemitism, And Their Convergence With American Christian Nationalism, Jessica Liberman

All Theses

Since the 1970s, the American Christian right has favored U.S. involvement with the state of Israel, supporting it through decades of conflict with its Muslim-majority neighbor, Palestine. Antisemitism in the United States has surged since the 2016 election of Donald Trump, along with growing research interest among sociologists in a theopolitical phenomenon called Christian nationalism. Building upon research documenting the civic, racial, and ethnic exclusivism of Christian nationalist ideology as well as theory suggesting Christian Zionism, despite appearing philosemitic, is structured by antisemitism that views Israel and Jews as artifacts of biblical prophecies, I theorize that such factors are associated …

Examining How Current Higher Education Outdoor Experiential Education Program Structure Impacts Inclusion Of African American Students, Albert Mitugo

Education Policy and Leadership Theses and Dissertations

Outdoor Experiential Education (OEE) in higher education is a common and important method of student learning and engagement in the curricular and co-curricular arenas. Because of its importance, many institutions have an OEE program, usually housed in campus recreation for co-curricular student engagement or in academic units for credit-bearing OEE undertakings. The importance of OEE in higher education is widely documented for its impact on college students’ change in environmental attitudes, interpersonal development, resilience, risk management, self-efficacy, self-esteem, sense of belonging, and transition in college. Little has been studied about African American students’ engagement in higher education OEE programming and …

The Experience Of Immigration And Aging On The Health Of Older Adults In The El Paso, Texas, Border Region, Sonia Lizet Ramos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Healthcare access continues to be a problem for immigrant populations in the United States, especially for Latino immigrants at the US-Mexico border. There is limited social research examining the experience of access to health care of older adult Latino immigrants during their life course in the U.S. In U.S.-Mexico border communities, documented and undocumented residents face unique experiences when accessing health care. This thesis focuses on understanding the intersectionality of the immigration process and health care access of older adult Latino immigrants on the U.S.- Mexico. Using qualitative data collected from participants living in the County of El Paso, Texas, …

The Shaping Of Ethnic Mexican Identity In The Segregated Schools Of Presidio, County, Texas, 1867-1947, Aurelio Saldana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The work conducts a sociological analysis of the historical record documenting segregated school settings in a rural area from 1867 to 1947 using socialization theory. The sociological theory of schemas will provide a lens from the Americanization process students in the U.S., specifically ethnic Mexican students, underwent to shape "American" identity. The analysis ventures into the intersectionality created by the social constructs of gender, sex, race, and class and how these factors combined as part of the Americanized socialization of ethnic Mexican students. Gender inequality, or patriarchy, was a leading factor in shaping the contested U.S.-Mexico borderlands and U.S. society. …

Rethinking Metaphor In The Rhetoric Of Alzheimer's Disease, Evelyn Saru Jimmy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the metaphors that early onset Alzheimer's blog authors use to make meaning of their experiences living with Alzheimer's disease (AD). To complicate the study, I also compare whether early onset Alzheimer's blog authors use the same metaphors with those who serve as caregiver to late-stage AD patients. This research project is situated within the overlap fields of Disability Studies (Dolmage, 2006; Lewiecki-Welson, 2003; Yergeau, 2014; Kerschbaum, 2014), Rhetoric of Health and Medicine (Segal, 1997: Price, 2011; Molloy, 2015) Rhetoric of Mental Health (Chrisman, 2008; Uttapha, 2017, Reynold, 2008), and Technical Communication (Meloncon, 2014). Following the principles of …

Reducing Children's Exposure To Traffic-Related Pollution: Evaluating Policies And Strategies Used By Texas School Districts, Laura Schwanke

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Children are most vulnerable to the effects of traffic-related air pollution because of their developing respiratory systems, amount of time spent outdoors, and faster rates of breathing. As one of the largest states in the U.S. in terms of both total population and number of children, Texas is a particularly important place for studying policies and strategies used by school districts to reduce childrenâ??s exposure to vehicular pollution. No previous study had examined how public school districts in Texas are attempting to mitigate the effects of traffic-related air pollution on childrenâ??s health. This thesis sought to address this knowledge gap …

Race, Science, And The Language Of Drug Control In The Americas, 1870s - 1920s, Freddy Mauricio Jaimes Jaimes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the origins of the language of drug addiction and drug control in the American hemisphere during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by analyzing the intersection between the scientific study of race and eugenics and the cultural and political reaction to the Chinese global diaspora across the Pacific. I argue that Chinese immigrants perfectly embodied European "scientific" ideas of national or racial degeneration in the minds of scientific and medical elites while exemplifying the publicâ??s predominant stereotypes of addiction. Chinese immigrants became the first and perhaps most powerful symbol that intrinsically associated drug consumption with degeneracy. …

No One Leaves The Stage: An Analysis Of How Queer Dance Strengthens Individual Identities And Communal Bonds, Katie Milligan

Honors Theses

The senior choreographic project Isolated Together focuses on the way in which creating a safe space to share individuals’ authentic selves allows for the growth and development of the entire community. Within the live performance of this work, all individuals are essential to the unified whole; therefore, once visible to the audience, no dancer leaves the stage. Along with the choreographic intentions, the choreographer develops a unique understanding of queer dance based on Clare Croft’s ideas to frame a proposal for how dance practices can be inclusive of all individuals. This paper explores how the project allowed the choreographer to …

Movement As A Way Of Knowing Earth: An Ecosomatic Approach To Developing Movement Choices, Brittany Tolbert

Honors Theses

The senior choreographic project The Spirit of Gaia aims to not only build awareness for individuals about the impact humans have on the climate crisis but also to inspire change in the way in which humans utilize movement practices for the benefit of Earth. As a creative process based in somatic exploration and a performance contingent on a live audience, The Spirit of Gaia exists as a living moment of dance. Acknowledging the power movement has to be the progenitor of a larger environmental consciousness and an eco-friendly change on the individual level, the dance acts as a means of …

Effect Of Coastal Environments On The Post Mortem Interval Of A Pig Carrion: Implications For Human Decomposition, Morgan Hough

Honors Theses

Forensic taphonomy involves the use of forensic techniques to determine the post mortem interval of a corpse. There are many factors that are known to influence the rate of decomposition, such as the temperature, season, soil type, moisture potential of the soil, and presence of insects or other decomposers. Previous studies in this field have focused primarily on decomposition patterns in mountainous environments in terms of terrestrial habitats or strictly aquatic environments, leaving this particular aspect of coastal settings to be unexplored.

To study these effects, the superior portion of a female pig was buried in sandy soil in mid-October …

Belief, Unbelief, And Rebelief In Santa Claus: A Theory Of Cyclical Belief Or A Belief Cycle An Introduction, Steven G. Merrell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Every single person, no matter who they are; what they look or sound like; where they are or come from in space and time; their sex, gender, and/or orientation; their age or maturity; their culture; and/or their background, has one or multiple belief(s) and/or belief system(s) of some kind. Such belief may be temporary, transient, fleeting, or long lasting. It/they may be superficial or deeply rooted. It/they may be (considered) or seem rational or irrational. It/they may be encouraged or discouraged, romanticized or pathologized. It/they may be conscious, subconscious, or unconscious; or, such belief(s) may exist somewhere in between. It/they …