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Greco-Roman Paganism And Women Leaders: The Foundation Of Early Christian Art, Rowan Murry

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I explore the impact of Greco-Roman pagan motifs as well as women leaders and officials on the development of Early Christian art by analyzing catacomb paintings, sarcophagi, and minor arts such as finger rings and carved gemstones. I also discuss surviving primary sources written by Tertullian, Eusebius, St. Jerome, and Clement of Alexandria, to gain a better understanding of anti-art views in the first few centuries of the Church’s rise to power. These anti-art sentiments were often rooted in attempts to disassociate themselves from pagan practices while Early Christian art was emerging amongst the lower classes who …

"The Unhappy Class Of Females": An Examination Of Non-Elite White Women In The Civil War-Era South, Reagan Elizabeth Whittington

Honors Theses

This thesis focuses on the perceptions and realities of non-elite white women in the South and how their lives and expectations changed from the antebellum years to the end of Reconstruction. There were many secondary sources consulted both before and during the research process for this thesis, and these sources are listed, alongside their significance, in the introduction. Most of the primary sources referenced for this thesis were newspapers printed in the South between 1850 and 1877, but United States census data and public records were also consulted. This thesis investigates how non-elite white women were expected to behave by …

Maternal Mortality Among Black Women In The United States, Joli Hunt

Ballard Brief

The chance of a Black woman dying in the US due to complications relating to pregnancy or childbirth is 2 to 3 times more than a White woman in the US-a disparity large enough to cause the national maternal mortality rate to increase at a steady rate. Challenges influencing this problem include implicit racial bias within the healthcare system that causes negligence, a lack of standardized healthcare to provide quality care in all parts of the US, and the stress caused by systemic racism and its effect on Black female bodies. Maternal death has detrimental effects on Black families and …

The Lived Experience Of Women With Head & Neck Cancer And The Impact On Close Relationships., Georgia Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Head and neck cancer (HNC) is emotionally and physically burdensome to people who are diagnosed with this disease. In the United States, nearly 30% of people diagnosed with HNC are women. Studies about depression and anxiety in this population have been conducted for decades; however, there are no studies that specifically examine the psychosocial implications of this disease from the perspective of women. Method: Women diagnosed with HNC were recruited from two academic medical centers in the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana tri-state area to explore the lived experience of women with HNC and how this disease impacts their close relationships. Semi-structured interviews …

From Governess To Wife: How Women On The Fringe Of Society Upset And Restore Victorian Homes, Elsa C. Torgersen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In middle-class Victorian homes, wives were responsible for the care of the home, the raising of children, and the maintenance and upward mobility of her family’s social standing. She was the heart of the home and her purity and commitment to the home would not only affect her family, but also society. Yet the women who were qualified according to societal standards were a small group, carefully chosen to maintain the standards of society. In the novels Bleak House and Jane Eyre, the authors push back against strict societal expectations. They ask the audience to consider if women should …

Strong Women Breaking Ground: Roles Of Women In Agriculture In Michigan, April L. Shirey

Masters Theses

Agriculture in Michigan is changing. While the number of farms and farmers continue to decrease, women are increasingly taking on the role of farmer instead of the “farmer’s wife”. The number of female producers increased from 8,275 to 26,059 where the number of producers in Michigan decreased from 56,014 to 47,641 from 2007 to 2017 (USDA, 2007, 2017). Women are becoming the face of farming in Michigan, yet little research examines the impacts of these shifts. In this research, I conduct semi-structured interviews with female farmers throughout lower Michigan beginning in the summer of 2020 to learn more about these …

Cultural, Political, And Choreographic Developments Of Feminism In Classical Ballet, Lydia Mariya Wirth

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This thesis was an exploration of how the female ballerina can be better represented in the culture, aesthetics, and politics of ballet. Despite the patriarchal and misogynistic traditions that this artform is steeped in, women have made significant strides in reclaiming ballet as a tool of female empowerment, rather than of suppression or objectification. A disparity of leadership positions, a traditionally disempowering training system, misogynistic ballet narratives, and patterns of abuse and harassment all combine to create a world which disempowers female dancers on multiple levels. Despite these realities, women have been at the forefront of narrowing wage and opportunity …

World War I And Its Lasting Political, Emotional, And Educational Effects On Women, Maggie Neupert

Honors Theses

This thesis navigates the political, emotional, and educational effects of World War I on middle- and upper-class British Women. Through this research, it becomes evident that the war created an opportunity for women to achieve suffrage through their political participation. Similarly, this thesis shows how the war emotionally impacted the wealthier women of Great Britain as they fulfilled different jobs for their emotional benefit as well as the wholistic benefit of society. Lastly, this research demonstrates the lasting educational impacts the war had on the women of the time, particularly as it relates to the university level. The information discussed …

Contemporary Women's Poetry And Leaning Into The Senses, Samantha Keebler

All Theses

This project reveals the ways in which contemporary women poets return to and embrace the senses. Sensory expression has long been a source of shame, especially for women. Our fear of embracing our bodies and their situation in the world is symptomatic of misogynistic tropes and the phallocentric order. By prioritizing the body, poets like Jorie Graham, Carolyn Forché, and Morgan Parker subvert the patriarchal order and make space for women in the literary canon. They also challenge us to recognize sensuality as a valuable facet of poetic expression, a locus of untapped information, and a great source of power. …

“You're In A Cult, Call Your Dad.” An Investigation Into The True Crime Podcast My Favorite Murder And Its Online Fan Communities, Kelsea Sierra Schulenberg

All Theses

The interest many women have in true crime has recently received widespread attention in popular media. For instance, a Saturday Night Live sketch that aired in late February of 2021 featured women singing about how their favorite way to unwind is to tune into the latest murder documentary or podcast. A leader in this true crime revolution, My Favorite Murder (MFM) is a true crime comedy podcast whose fan base—known as Murderinos—is massive in size and in passion. Despite the enormous popularity of true crime podcasts like MFM or Serial, research on true crime podcasts and their online fan …

“We Feminine Foresters”: Women, Conservation, And The Usda Forest Service, 1850-1970, Rachel D. Kline

Doctoral Dissertations

The traditional narrative of the Forest Service places the mythic “two-fisted” male ranger as the focus of its history. The reality is that without women he would not have gotten the job done. Women’s work as advocates, foresters, rangers’ wives, clerks, information and education specialists, scientific researchers, and lookouts reveals that although women were excluded from the male domain of forestry, they created a distinct female tradition within the Forest Service—what one called a “feminine forestry” that proved without women, the Forest Service would not have achieved its accomplishments or growth throughout the twentieth century. Throughout their work, women spread …

The Gender Epidemic: Intersecting Disease, Gender, And Sexuality In A Graphic Novel, Autumn Cejer

All NMU Master's Theses

For my thesis, I wrote a graphic novel set in a world where certain people possess powers that society tries to suppress by viewing them as a disease. The story focuses on two super-powered individuals on opposite sides of the law who handle this oppression very differently. Although these characters would easily be able to overpower the non-powered people in charge, they are too afraid to do so. Internalized guilt from possessing abilities they did not ask for adds an additional layer of conflict, just as women and disabled persons are constantly made to feel like they should apologize for …

Isolating Abortion Stigma From Women Who Have Had Abortions: A Look At Undergraduate Students At A Christian University, Mikayla Granger

Senior Honors Theses

Abortion has been subject to stigma due to violating cultural ideals of womanhood, sexism, attribution of personhood to the fetus, legal restrictions, perception as a dirty procedure, the pro-life community, being underreported, and religious beliefs. In order to cope with stigma-induced distress, individuals often resort to secrecy. Stigmatized women concealing their abortion may suppress thoughts about the abortion, leading them to suffer from obsessive and intrusive thoughts that repeatedly reappear simply because they are unwanted. Because of this harmful cycle, it is imperative that individuals understand the distinction between stigma towards abortion and post-abortive women. The current study examines the …

Changing The Script: An Investigation Of How Gender Roles And Stereotypes Influence Women’S Career Choice In Marketing, Skylar Laine Read

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the portrayal of gender roles and stereotypes have influenced young women growing up and how this representation has affected women’s career choices—specifically in sales. This thesis will explore the evolution of the Disney Princess, how the gender roles of these characters have influenced young girls’ perception of their role models, career choices, and perceptions of themselves in the workplace. This exploration is done through three different studies. The first is a case study of three Disney Princesses and the portrayal of women in their respective eras. The second study consists of …

Future Healthcare Professionals’ Attitudes About The Sexuality Of Women With Intellectual Disabilities, Noel N. Tolvanen

Honors Thesis

Women with intellectual disabilities (WID) experience a number of systemic barriers to healthcare related to their sexuality and sexual expression. Additionally, they are vulnerable to sexual abuse which could lead to conditions that would adversely affect their health and wellbeing. There is a need for healthcare professionals to be able to provide comprehensive sexual healthcare to WID, and this service is currently lacking. To begin to address this gap in available care, content on the sexuality of WID in courses taken by undergraduate future healthcare providers (FHP) needs to be developed. To provide the foundation of such a curriculum, this …

Cervical Cancer-Associated Suffering: Estimating The Palliative Care Needs Of A Highly Vulnerable Population, Eric L. Krakauer, Xiaoxiao Kwete, Khadidjatou Kane, Gauhar Afshan, Lisa Bazzett-Matabele, Danta Dona Ruthnie Bien-Aimé, Sarah Byrne-Martelli, Stephen Connor, Raimundo Correa, C R Beena Devi C R Beena Devi

Department of Anaesthesia

Purpose: To enable design of optimum palliative care for women with cervical cancer, we studied the most common types of suffering and their severity, prevalence, and duration.
Methods: We first reviewed the literature on the major types, severity, prevalence, and duration of suffering associated with cervical cancer. We then conducted a modified Delphi process with experts in cervical cancer care to supplement the literature. For each type of suffering, we distinguished between decedents (those who die from cervical cancer in a given year) and nondecedents (those who have cervical cancer in a given year but do not die). By applying …

Growing Female Leaders : Best Practices In Identifying And Mentoring In The Htb Network, Sarah Mcdonald Haden

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Addressing Health Disparities Among African American Women In Mecklenburg County : A Mixed-Method Study On The Village Heartbeat Health Promotion Program, Everdith Landrau

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Media’S Portrayal Of Women And Its Impact On Body Image And Self-Esteem, Hannah Bareis

Marketing Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project addresses the portrayal of women in media and its damaging effects on body image and self-esteem. It raises two critical questions: What negative impact is media creating on women? What can be done to combat these destructive effects?

According to a study done by Common Sense Media, "American teens use an average of 9 hours of media daily, not including for school and homework" (Common Sense Media, 2015). This data, along with many others, shows the severity of media exposure to teens. This has brought a valuable discussion to the table. How has this impacted female body image, …

Women In Stem: Exploring The Stereotypes, Doaa Khalil

All Student Scholarship

STEM is an abbreviation for four different disciplines: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Many great scientists started the path in the past and invented great theories to help set the foundation for our modern world. Today, innovations are continuing to rise. In fact, new developments are witnessed every day especially in the field of STEM. They are playing a significant role in influencing the current economy and the world's future vision. The only missing aspect of STEM and among those innovations is the presence of females. Historically, women’s education has varied depending on the region, time period, and culture (Min, …

Lowering The Bar: The Effects Of Misogyny In Rap Music, John-Paul Mackey

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

My senior capstone project will explore the reasons for the extreme prevalence of misogyny among African-American male rappers. More specifically, it will discuss the origins of rap, misogyny, and the insertion of the latter into the former; examples of common misogynistic themes in rap; and the effects of misogyny on society and individuals. Additionally, the paper will explore the comparison of misogyny in rap to misogyny in other genres and an evolving climate that respects black women. Also, this project includes an EP featuring songs uplifting black women and criticizing misogynoir among their male counterparts.

While the paper will align …

Big Community In Little Chinatown: How Asian Americans (Re)Present Their Community Today, Meghan Morrison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper looks at a series of modern Asian American pieces of media in order to analyze how women and LGBT+ depict and create their community, especially in relation to another marginalized ethnic group. By examining the relationship between these groups within popular media, we can uncover how Asian Americans choose to represent themselves and gain a deeper understanding on how marginalized groups choose to portray themselves.

“True Darkness And True Womanness” : A Study Of Sisterhood In Marlon James’ The Book Of Night Women, Jessica Schwartz

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This paper focuses on the obstacles to building sisterhood and community in Marlon James’ novel The Book of Night Women (2009). I examine the acts of violence that the enslaved women at Montpelier Estate perform against one another and consider the influence the plantation environment has on these relationships. The violence that takes place among the enslaved women is especially prevalent within the group of “night women,” which consists of Lilith, Homer, Pallas, Iphigenia, Hippolyta, Callisto, and Gorgon. Despite the biological and symbolic sisterhood between these women, they more frequently express feelings of enmity than ones of community. By highlighting …

Empowering Action Against Femicide: A Case Study Of Turkey An Integrated Literature Review, Ashley Simon

Thinking Matters Symposium

The primary purpose of this integrative literature review is to explore the relationship between culture and femicide within Turkey to empower action against femicide. Femicides within Turkey are on the rise, as a study done by Sage Journals in 2009 reported that 42% of Turkish women between the ages of 15 and 60 experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse from their husband or partner. Currently, there has been an onslaught of articles released that more and more women are being abused throughout the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research will explore cultural aspects that allow for women’s …

The Perception Of Motherhood Through The Smiles And The Spit-Up, Sydney M. Forsythe

Honors College Theses

This research examines how motherhood is viewed by women, particularly mothers, in the southeast of the United States today. The treatment of women compared to men in women's studies has been a popular topic, but there is less research on mothers. This qualitative study is designed to hear personal stories from mothers and potential mothers, both employed and unemployed, describing how they feel mothers are perceived in the southeast of the United States. Facing the overwhelming literature that describes motherhood as associated with numerous negative impacts on women’s lives, this study explores the weight of joy or the paucity of …

A Brief History Of Women In Sports, Grace Gronowski

Conspectus Borealis

No abstract provided.

Feminine Agency In Shakespeare's The Merchant Of Venice And Antony And Cleopatra, Grace Gronowski

Conspectus Borealis

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Women, Their Husbands And Healthcare Providers About Anemia In Rural Pakistan: Findings From A Qualitative Exploratory Study, Sumera Aziz Ali, Anam Shahil Feroz, Zahid Abbasi, Savera Aziz Ali, Ahreen Allana, K Michael Hambidge, Nancy F. Krebs, Jamie E. Westcott, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Robert L. Goldenberg, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Background: In Pakistan, there is a dearth of literature on the perceptions of anemia among women of reproductive age (WRA). This study was undertaken to explore the perceptions of women, their husbands, and healthcare providers about anemia, its possible causes, and how anemia impacts maternal and child health in Thatta, Pakistan.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in Thatta, Pakistan from September to December 2018. Using a pre-tested semi-structured interview (SSI), we collected data to understand their definitions of anemia through ten focus group discussions (FGDs) with women and their partners and ten primary informant interviews (KIIs) with healthcare providers. …

Bias-Related Attitudes Towards Black Women Of Transgender Experience In Nonprofit, Community, And Government Leadership, Ebony Kirkland

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

This study examines explicit attitudes and implicit biases that are learned and perpetuated against Black women of transgender experience. These behaviors and beliefs contribute to broader impacts around policy support and community safety. Long-term discrimination against Black women of transgender experience create various disadvantages in social, educational, and economic arenas. The primary research question will explore the ways in which personal and external experiences influence how society responds to Black transgender women. An additional research tool, which will involve qualitative and quantitative data sampling, this researcher will explore the experiences, attitudes and perceived behaviors of both Black transgender women and …

Women’S Self-Efficacy Before And After Hiring A Personal Trainer At The Bowling Green State University Student Recreation Center, Audrey Schweers

Honors Projects

Exercise is important to maintaining a healthy weight and decreasing the risk of health-related diseases. Self-efficacy is a psychological concept that, when increased, can help a person to overcome a particular situation. In exercise, a person with high self-efficacy is able to better adhere to a program. It is a goal of The American Council on Exercise (ACE) to educate their personal trainers on ways to increase their clients' self-efficacy. This study was conducted to determine if women who have hired a personal trainer at the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Student Recreation Center (SRC) in the past five years …