Digital Commons Network^™

"The War Factor" In The History Of The Late Protestantism In Ukrainian Lands Via The Policy Of The Russian Autocracy, Roman Sitarchuk

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article explores the impact of war on the movements of late Protestantism on the territory of Ukraine. The study is based on the three largest Protestant denominations in Ukraine: Baptists, Pentecostals, and Adventists. Due to the refusal of the Protestants to do military service and fight with weapons, the Russian autocracy suppressed and created difficult conditions for believers of the Protestant denominations on the territory of Ukraine. Before the First World War, the refusal of Protestants to engage gave the state an argument for why the Protestants were not reliable members of society. This study uses as a basis …

Women's Marital Roles In Classical Athens: Male Understanding And Portrayal In Aeschylus' Agamemnon And Euripides' Medea, Elena Graf, Mary Boyes

Undergraduate Research Posters

Abstract

The Classical Period of Athens (500-336 BCE) was an era of sociocultural growth and stability for the ancient Greeks, renowned for its development of tragic theatre. While Classical Athens nurtured the public sociocultural success of male citizens, women adopted a submissive role, confined to their marital responsibilities. Women were forbidden from directly taking part in politics, philosophy, and above all, the theatrical scene of Athens. Due to these societal perceptions of traditional gender roles, the literature of the Classical Period was heavily influenced by a male bias. This study investigates the connections between women’s role in Classical Athenian society …

Our Journey To “Concourse D”: A Student-Developed Space For Creating, Collaborating, And Developing Community In The Library, Katy Kelly, Adrienne Ausdenmoore

Books and Book Chapters by University of Dayton Faculty

This case study describes an academic library’s student-developed communal space for the purposes of creating, collaborating, and project development. The story begins with an exciting process and partnership developed between University of Dayton (UD) Libraries and UD’s Institute of Applied Creativity for Transformation (IACT). An IACT experiential learning program led 12 students to research and reimagine the role of the campus library, which resulted in Concourse D, “where projects take flight,” a prototyped transdisciplinary project development studio. This mutually beneficial process led the library to a user-centric mindset as they reimagined space as service; patrons as creators; and a new …

Using Machine Learning To Predict Student Outcomes, Saba Fatima

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Predicting students’ performance to identify which students are at risk of receiving aD/Fail/Withdraw (DFW) grade and ensuring their timely graduation is not just desirable but also necessary in most educational entities. In the US, not only is the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) major becoming less popular among students, the graduation rate of STEM students is steadily declining. The lack of STEM graduates in the US is a serious problem that will place this country at a disadvantage as a competitor in international technological advancement. In order to secure its status as a technological leader internationally, the US institutions …

Fraternal New Member Processes: An Alumni Perspective, C J. Gibson

Masters Theses

Hazing has always been an issue in fraternities and sororities. Even though there has been a push to reduce the amount of hazing through research and trainings, it continues to cause harm to the community. The purpose of this study is to gain incite from fraternity alums toward understanding the use of hazing activities while orienting fraternity men to the organization. This study examined the issue from the individuals experience, to their role in inducting new members, and now as alums to gain insight in to why chapters continue to that cycle. Results showed that individuals in groups social construct …

Predictors Of Attitudes About Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Claire Sullivan

Masters Theses

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are far less likely to enroll in secondary education than neurotypical students and students with disabilities (White et al., 2016). There is little research on the factors contributing to the reluctance of young adults on the autism spectrum to seek higher education. This study aims to answer two research questions. The first research question aims to determine if there is a predominance of negative attitudes towards ASD amongst present undergraduate college students. The second research question explores whether this could be a determining factor in a college determination for students with ASD. This current …

"Killers Who Preach": Horror And The "Victorian" Culture Text In The Modern American Musical, Amy Erickson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines American Broadway musicals adapted from Victorian horror and mystery novels, investigating the ways in which the musical adaptations represent and critique modern American social problems and traditional American values and ideology. Specifically, it analyzes Stephen Sondheim’s 1979 musical Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a Musical Thriller, adapted from the anonymously published Victorian penny serial The String of Pearls; Rupert Holmes’s 1985 musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood, adapted from Charles Dickens’s unfinished 1870 novel of the same name; Frank Wildhorn’s 1997 musical Jekyll & Hyde, adapted from Robert Louis Stephenson’s 1886 novella The Strange …

Understanding Maternity Care Providers’ Use Of Data In Southern Tanzania, Regine Unkels, Fadhlun Alwy Al-Beity, Zamoyoni Julius, Elibariki Mkumbo, Andrea B. Pembe, Claudia Hanson, Helle Molsted-Alvesson

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Introduction: Health information management system data is collected for national planning and evaluation but is rarely used for healthcare improvements at subnational or facility-level in low-and-middle-income countries. Research suggests that perceived data quality and lack of feedback are contributing factors. We aimed to understand maternity care providers’ perceptions of data and how they use it, with a view to co-design interventions to improve data quality and use.

Methods: We based our research on constructivist grounded theory. We conducted 14 in-depth interviews, two focus group discussions with maternity care providers and 48 hours of observations in maternity wards to understand …

Transforming Costuming Design: Costuming For The Actor's Comfort, Lisa Evenson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis explores ways to transform costuming concepts for theatre productions that provide a more inclusive and comfortable environment for actors while still maintaining the essence of the characters they are portraying. This thesis examines theatrical bodies of work as case studies to illustrate options for incorporating costume designs that take into consideration the emotional and physical welfare of the actors. The purpose of this study is to inform theatre teachers how to create costumes that aid in psychological comfort of students regarding gender identity and age, as well as for flexibility in casting due to disproportionate gender ratios that …

Music Direction And Piano Accompaniment In Musical Theatre: A Practical Guide, Danielle Hayes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Music direction for musical theatre is not a topic that has been widely theorized, defined, or researched; there are a handful of resources available to the inclined reader, and a scant few universities that offer a degree in Music Direction for Musical Theatre. Due to this, many music directors, myself included, have had to piece together our educations á la carte, researching each aspect of the job individually. Thus, I have created a practical "how to" guide that can be used to advance you, the reader, through a production as the music director from booking the gig to closing night. …

Flow Theory In The Actor's Process: Can The Pursuit Of Optimal Experience Alleviate Anxiety?, Kimberly (Kimber) King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Using techniques from acting scholars and practitioners, this practice as research study seeks to lesson anxiety in actors by measuring the actor's preparation, rehearsal and performance process against each of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's conditions of flow. Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory describes flow as an "optimal experience" in which a person is so invested in their goals, there is "no threat for the self to defend against" (M. Csikszentmihalyi 76). His research identified conditions that when present, can induce a state of flow. However, actors can be plagued by negative thoughts and self-consciousness. While a certain amount of anxiety is expected and normal, …

Creative Collaborations: An Arts Integrated Educational Business, Michele Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

One of the main reasons I have been attracted to the world of theatre is its versatility. Theatre incorporates many other disciplines: Science, Mathematics, History, Language, Philosophy, and Psychology to name a few. I have always had daydreams about running a school program that utilizes a play as the unifying force behind the research and application of traditional academic subject. When I first started as an English teacher, I created many projects that incorporated other disciplines, such as creative writing, acting, and music. When I began teaching theatre, I began to focus solely on skills that applied to theatre. I …

Keeping The Ball Alive: The Marriage Between Sports And Acting, Giuseppe Pipicella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis examines the link between sports and theatre from the actor's perspective and concludes that these two practices should be used together to achieve optimal performance. Using context provided by great physical theatre practitioners such as Jacques LeCoq, Vsevolod Meyerhold, and Rudolf Von Laban, the candidate used his past experience as a gymnast and a soccer player, and the teachings of Timothy Gallwey's The Inner Game of Tennis, to craft a rehearsal and performance regimen for Theatre UCF's production of Paula Vogel's Indecent. This regimen included an experiment where he alternated days in which he swam to days in …

Play As A Means Of Connection, Charles Street

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis research and practical application focuses on rediscovering the playfulness of the actor's process and evaluating how that translates into an actor's performance. An actor's confidence can be found in their willingness to play with vocal placement, physical tensions, and emotional and mental patterns and depth. As an actor, my definition of play theory is the act of choosing to be spontaneous, creative, and explorative in the process of storytelling to ultimately lead to stronger choices that develop rich connections. Through the lens of play theory, I demonstrate how play affects our mind, emotions, body, and voice. This thesis …

Me And My Baby: Directing & Designing "Chicago" At The High School Level, Leo Arteche Arencibia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Directing a musical production in a high school setting under normal circumstances is a challenging undertaking – doing so in the throes and aftermath of a global pandemic, with its school closures, quarantines and general chaos, was an exercise in patience and creativity. For my Master's Thesis, I directed and designed a production of Chicago at Miami Arts Charter School, a performing arts high school in the Wynwood arts district, where I have taught for twelve years and served as the Theatre Director for the past eight years. Chicago made perfect sense as the first "post-pandemic" production. First, it is …

The Process Is A Journey, Victoria Micaletti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Actors are tasked with the opportunity to perform roles from multiple assorted styles of theatre performance throughout their career. How can performers best create an effective acting process that allows them to develop a pathway that is unique and dynamic across all styles to best embody the characters that they are cast as? I am seeking to refine and develop an approach that will be comprised of a series of steps which include exercises from the acting techniques of Jerzy Grotowski, Michael Chekhov, and Konstantin Stanislavski to create a character that is unique and dynamic. Through the investigation of the …

Theatrical Intimacy: Navigating A New Normal, Elizabeth Smith-Cortelyou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This thesis explores theatrical intimacy choreography and coordination during current significant social shifts. Covid restrictions, keen awareness of "correctness", and a desire to "do better" have allowed protective practices like theatrical intimacy to become not only generally accepted but expected in rehearsal spaces. Using techniques such as consent-based spaces, actor disclosures, and common language acquired through training with Chelsea Pace and Laura Rikard, the founders of Theatrical Intimacy Education (TIE), I explore choreographing close relationship moments through high school productions of Jane Eyre and Footloose presented in 2021-22 at Lake Highland Preparatory in Orlando and with older BFA/MFA student actors …

Professional Communication During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Corrie Eggimann

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In the early spring of 2020, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)1 pandemic spread across the planet, causing a scale of infection and fatalities that was unprecedented in modern times, and that was not well predicted by scientists, public health officials and government entities. Despite travel bans and quarantine requirements popping up across the globe, COVID-19 infections continued to spread. As of February 2023, more than 6.8 million people have died from COVID-19 (World Health Organization, 2023). In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 and the growing number of deaths, schools and businesses began closing down throughout the world …

Creating The Role Of Richard Iii For Richard Iii, Travis Grey Robertson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting. It is a detailed account of author Grey Robertson’s artistic process in creating the role of Richard III in Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Fall 2022 production of Richard III. This thesis follows the actor’s process through pre-production analysis, an historical and critical perspective, journals detailing the rehearsal and performance process, a post-production analysis, and process development. Appendices and works cited follow the process development.

Languishing Without A Human Touch: Directing In The Next Room Or The Vibrator Play, Sarah Belfrage Honerman

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Masters of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts at Minnesota State University, Mankato. It is a detailed account of Sarah Belfrage Honerman’s directorial process for In The Next Room or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl. The play was produced in the Andreas Theatre and ran from September 21 to 24, 2022. The thesis outlines the director’s artistic process from pre-production through the performance in five chapters that include a early production analysis, an historical and critical perspective, a rehearsal and performance journal, a post-production analysis, and a process …

Production Stage Management For A Christmas Carol, Jenna Atherton

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts: Production and Stage Management at Minnesota State University, Mankato. This thesis contains a detailed account of Jenna M. Atherton’s stage management process and research for A Christmas Carol. The thesis gives a chronological overview of the manager’s process in four chapters; a pre-production analysis, a historical and critical perspective, a journal detailing the process, and a post-production analysis. The fifth and final chapter provides the process development of the manager's career before and during her time in graduate school. Appendices feature technical paperwork, …

The Creation Of Choreography For Disney's High School Musical, John Greer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in musical theatre. It is a detailed account of author John Greer’s artistic process of creating the choreography for Disney’s High School Musical as a part of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s mainstage theatre season in the fall of 2022. The thesis chronicles the choreographer’s artistic process from pre-production through performance in five chapters: a preproduction analysis, an historical and critical perspective, a rehearsal journal, a post-production analysis and a process development analysis. Appendices and works cited are included.

Walking Journeys Into Everyday Climatic-Affective Atmospheres: The Emotional Labour Of Balancing Grief And Hope, Petra Tschakert, Chantal B. Du Coudray, Pierre Horwitz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The postapocalypse as a mobilising discourse for climate action operates largely out of anger over experienced and anticipated injustices as well as paradoxical hope that fuses loss and grief with freed-up solidarities in support of liveable futures. However, negotiating this emotional tension can be both draining and isolating. Here, we examine how white settler populations in Western Australia balance grief and hope in places they hold dear and the role emotions such as sadness, worry, disappointment, joy, and pride play in relational place making. Through an innovative in situ and mobile methodology we call Walking Journeys, we trace how participants …

The Prospero Of Wonderland; Or, Miranda Carroll, Author Of Station Eleven, Graley Herren

Faculty Scholarship

Analysis of Emily St. John Mandel's novel Station Eleven and its Shakespearean antecedents, particularly The Tempest. This article reads Mandel's character Miranda Carroll as an artist-figure comparable to Prospero. I argue that Miranda is the embedded author of the entire Station Eleven--both pre- and post-pandemic--in ways that mirror themes of revenge and forgiveness in The Tempest.

Haunted Forms: Intermediality, Trauma, And Literary Memory, Gabriella Graceffo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis considers contemporary literature’s use of intermediality as a method to heighten the affective embodiment of PTSD symptoms represented in text. Using the meaning-making structures of photography and film, the analysis examines how the writing of Georges Bataille, Annie Ernaux, Michael Ondaatje, and Bhanu Kapil use formal implicit reference—the type of intermediality in which the characteristics and semiotics of one medium are translated to another without direct reproduction—to represent both traumatic experiences themselves and the symptom domains of PTSD. Caroline Levine’s work on affordance theory from Forms: Whole, Rhythm, Hierarchy, Network provides a theoretical foundation as to how the …

Psychological Flow Training: Feasibility And Preliminary Efficacy Of An Educational Intervention On Flow, Cameron Norsworthy, James A. Dimmock, Joanna Nicholas, Amanda Krause, Ben Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Despite there being an increasing number of applied flow studies across scientific disciplines, there exists no consistent or broadly applicable intervention to promote flow experiences. This study provides a detailed account of a new educational flow training program developed following recent advancements in the flow literature that have provided a more parsimonious understanding of flow experiences and antecedents. Guided by CONSORT guidelines for feasibility trials, we conducted a single-group, non-randomized feasibility trial of an educational flow training program (N = 26). We assessed participant retention, perceptions about and experiences of the program, perceptions about the flow education training, and preliminary …

Careful And Curious: A Transformative Ethos For Artistic Evaluation, Vahri Mckenzie, Denise Thwaites, Cathy Hope

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The logic of government subsidy recognises that there are forms of value not suitably captured by exchanges of the free market. Yet there remains a growing impetus for arts organisations and individual artists to measure and articulate the specific value of their practices through formal processes of evaluation. In the context of government subsidy, evaluation typically misses opportunities to capture unforeseen insights that artists and communities may articulate through alternative forms of evaluation. This article offers a conceptual discussion and illustrative example of how more open and exploratory evaluation methodologies may intersect with existing government frameworks. We draw on the …

Risky Business: Policy Legacy And Gender Inequality In Australian Opera Production, Caitlin Vincent, Katya Johanson, Bronwyn Coate

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The field of cultural policy has seen a shift towards considerations of diversity, with government bodies increasingly leveraging funding to combat inequality within organisations. A barrier to this aim is a lack of quantitative data, which would provide a means to evaluate the impact of specific policies in practice. This article investigates the relationship between gender inequality at an organisational level and cultural policy at a sectoral level through a case study of Australia’s state-funded opera companies. Drawing on production data from 2005 to 2020, we consider women’s representation as conductors, directors, and designers at the state companies through the …

Timing Is Everything, But Does It Really Matter? Impact Of 8-Weeks Morning Versus Evening Iron Supplementation In Ballet And Contemporary Dancers, Caitlin Attwell, Alannah Mckay, Marc Sim, Cory Dugan, Joanna Nicholas, Luke Hopper, Peter Peeling

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The effectiveness of a morning versus evening oral iron supplement strategy to increase iron stores was explored. Ballet and contemporary dancers with serum ferritin (sFer) < 50 g/L (n = 14), were supplemented daily with 105 mg elemental oral iron in either the morning (FeAM) or evening (FePM) for 8 weeks. A control group (n = 6) with sFer > 50 g/L were given no supplement over the same period. Dancers’ sFer were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Assessment of daily training load, dietary intake, and menstruation were made. A significant interaction (p < 0.001) showed the within group sFer change over the 8-week intervention in FeAM (+25.9 ± 10.5 g/L) and FePM, (+22.3 ± 13.6 g/L) was significantly different to CON (−30.17 ± 28.7 g/L; both p = 0.001). This change was not different between FeAM and FePM (p = 0.778). sFer levels within FeAM and FePM significantly increased over the 8-weeks; however, they significantly decreased in the CON group (all p < 0.05). Post-intervention sFer levels were no longer different between the three groups (p > 0.05). Training load, dietary intake, and number of menstrual cycles incurred were similar between FeAM and FePM (p > 0.05). Oral iron supplementation in either the morning or evening appears equally effective in increasing sFer levels in dancers with sub-optimal iron status.

Calling Time: How To Remove Fossil Fuel Sponsorships From Sports, Arts & Events, Ashlee Morgan, Sophia Nimphius, Genevieve Stewart, Jennifer Rayner, Ashleigh Croucher, Simon Bradshaw

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Sports, arts and major events are deeply embedded in the Australian way of life. Weekend matches, concerts and festivals bring us together - to cheer, to share pride and excitement, to feel connected to each other and to keep building our national story.

When we barrack for our beloved teams, discover the work of a new local artist or laugh until our cheeks hurt at a comedy show, we are taking part in a ritual that has shaped social and cultural life in Australia for generations.

Climate change – driven by burning coal, oil and gas – is putting all …