Digital Commons Network^™

Magic In Medicine, Jacob Mudd

Cohort 2024-2025

Jacob Mudd is a sophomore Creative Writing and Visual and Sound Media double major with a minor in English. His project is inspired by Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy, looking at the role magic played in medicine in the late medieval early Renaissance periods. It includes a creative grimoire that contains a variety of medieval illnesses and their magical cures and is accompanied by a paper that looks at answering the question of whether it would be moral to use magic in medicine from the perspective of someone living during that time.

Archival Collection Used: MSS 0029 Herbert Kraft manuscript …

Middle Eastern Studies Program Newsletter - V15, Middle Eastern Studies Program

Middle Eastern Studies Program - Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Genealib Archive 2025-01, Genealib

GENEALIB Archive

No abstract provided.

“These Are Probably The Worst Pies In London. I Should Know, I Make Them:” A Study And Reconstruction Of Properties In Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, Natalie Avery

Theses & ETDs

This thesis focuses on the materials and construction methods behind the pie props for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The first part of the thesis focuses on prop construction as a technical form and expands on what constitutes a consumable prop, as well as defines key words and vocabulary I use throughout my thesis. It also introduces the two productions I modeled my prop pies after. I focused on the 2023 Broadway production and the 2015 Vancouver Opera’s production, as well as a practical ‘cookbook’ as further reference. Here, I explore the materials and processes they followed …

Re-Fashioning The Working Woman: Using The Pattern And Decoration Movement To Create Femmage Designs On Female Work Attire, Hannah Joy Barker

Theses & ETDs

“Femmage”: or feminist collage, was defined by Miriam Schapiro and Melissa Meyer as an activity “practiced by women using traditional women's techniques to achieve their art”. In keeping with feminist ideals, their definition celebrates rather than denigrates qualities long associated with women's creativity: the personal, the collective, the decorative* Re-fashioning the Working Woman, an artistic body of work, calls out the hindrances that uniforms have imposed, undermining feminine identities, aesthetics, experiences, and empowerment. Looking to the Pattern and Decoration art movement for inspiration, my body of artwork reflects a plethora of themes that developed from this movement, including femininity, individuality, …

The Future With Holograms In The Music Industry, Brianna Barron-Moreno

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis some problems that were addressed was how the technology of holograms could serve as a dual-market enhancer: by being an experimental art form and aid with the lack of scalability in live performances. In order to address this, much of the research delved into the ways that holograms could help enhance live performances, connecting artists together through telematic performances, and the various of ways that holograms could be used as a tool in order to help ease behind the artist’s live performances without sacrificing quality. Further research was done on the business side as well, showing how …

Internship Experience With Sunbelt Basketball Association, Jordan Clark

Theses & ETDs

The internship provided a valuable learning experience centered around key professional goals. One primary objective was to develop networking skills and foster new professional relationships, an effort that began immediately through mentorship from the internship supervisor. Emphasis was placed on the long-term value of strategic networking and its application within professional contexts. Another objective was to gain practical tools and insights for entering the workforce, particularly in marketing and finance/sales. Creative marketing strategies were developed to increase league visibility, while financial insights were gained by analyzing revenue streams and proposing ideas to enhance profitability. Overall, the internship offered a deeper …

Rewritten Rhapsodies How To Write A New Story From Stories Already Written, Breanna Corley

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

Florida’S Shadow Of Shame: The Rosewood Massacre And State Identity, 1923-2024, Beaux Delaune

Theses & ETDs

Located in Levy County, Florida, the town of Rosewood was destroyed in 1923 after an accusation of rape against an African American man by a white woman. After a brief window of reporting, all but Rosewood’s diaspora, principally African-American, and rural communities in Levy County forgot the story. In the 1980s a St. Petersburg Times story broke this “silence,” culminating in 1994 with a compensation bill for Rosewood’s survivors and descendants. The bill, House Bill 591, was the first act of reparations for an African-American community in the United States. This thesis is an analysis of the memory of the …

Can Dance Be Used As An Organic Tool Of National Reproduction In The Basque Homeland And Across The Diasporas?, Irmak Demiroz

Theses & ETDs

No abstract provided.

Aphrodisiac Flesh : (Produce)Ing The Female Nude, Pénélope Donetti

Theses & ETDs

This essay examines the symbolic relationship between food, the female body, and societal perceptions of women shaped by the male gaze, connecting these themes to my own artwork. Drawing inspiration from religious and historical narratives, my work critiques the alienation and commodification of women through symbolic and cultural representations. Through the analysis of artist Sarah Lucas and art historian Linda Nochlin, I explore how food is tied to femininity and desire, reflecting societal expectations of women as both providers and objects of consumption. Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the alienation of women when …

I Live Where You Vacation: My Life Working, Living, And Analyzing Orlando, Florida, Molly Erickson

Theses & ETDs

This essay is derived from my interest in the Central Florida community and Disney’s eff ect on their lifestyle. The main interest was tourism's eff ect on Orlando. I used one small sociological practice, my experiences, media, and research papers, to discover more about what tourism hides in Orlando. I started by outlining my own experiences and addressing the privilege I had within the situation, then I analyzed the movie The Florida Project, which works as a good comparison to the true Florida experience for a lot of Floridians. I compared this all to the research I had done. The …

Faith, Fatherlands, And Fascism: A Warning, Sara Engels

Theses & ETDs

Utilizing the definitions, characteristics, and enabling conditions provided by four experts of fascism who have collectively contributed over 150 years of scholarship to the field, this study assesses environmental conditions prior to elections, espoused party ideologies, policies enacted (and attempted) once in power, and the rhetoric employed by the leaders of movements in Hungary and the U.S., which have both been labelled as fascist, to determine whether such a description is fitting. Extensive analysis of speeches and policies in the two countries makes it clear that Hungary has developed a fascist government and state, albeit one that is not fully …

Loving-Kindness Meditation, Christianity, And The Reduction Of Implicit Sexuality Bias, Annika Fuller

Theses & ETDs

Countless studies have found that many Chrisitan individuals hold bias towards LGBQ individuals. Many more have concluded how detrimental this bias can be towards the physical and mental well being of people who identify under the LGBQ umbrella. Studies have began to find ways to decrease implicit biases, and some have found that loving-kindness meditation can be an effective tool to reduce specifically racial bias. There is little to no research on how loving-kindness meditation can reduce implicit LGBQ bias. The purpose of this study was to fill that gap by examining if loving-kindness meditaion can reduce implicit LGBQ bias …

“Now Is The Time To Make Justice A Reality”: Religious And Political Frameworks Of Time In Martin Luther King, Jr.’S Theory And Practice Of Civil Disobedience, Ash Havel

Theses & ETDs

This thesis seeks to understand the ways in which Martin Luther King, Jr. uses religious and political frameworks of time in his theory and praxis of civil disobedience. Better understanding civil disobedience is crucial for effective analysis of social movements and for envisioning the political future. The racialization and segregation of time results in an uneven application of timeframes and a power imbalance regarding the ability to influence the political use of time. This extends to the popular representation of the civil rights movement, which shapes a series of events into the generic form of romance, obscuring significant causal relationships …

A Behavioral Analysis On The Orca (Orcinus Orca) Attacks In The Mediterranean Sea, Alexis Hollick

Theses & ETDs

The GLADIS pod of orcas inhabits the Strait of Gibraltar where the waters of the northern Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean sea intersect. This pod has initiated hundreds of attacks towards vessels in the Strait since May of 2020. Attacks consist of circling boats, ramming hulls, dismantling rudders, and other destructive activities. This review will examine four major hypotheses in an attempt to evaluate the cause behind these attacks. Play is assessed through five key criteria: the behavior does not result in food acquisition or physical reward, differs from functional activities like hunting or grooming, is repeated but not perfected, …

Between Repression And Revolution: Queer Resistance And The Fight For Change In Morocco, Nisreen Kalai

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the shifting dynamics of LGBTQ+ activism in Morocco, challenging the perception that queerness is foreign to Moroccan culture. It situates contemporary struggles within a broader historical context shaped by colonialism, Islamic conservatism, and today's culture. The legacy of French-imposed laws, particularly Article 489, continues to criminalize same-sex relationships and reinforce a culture of silence around queer existence. Despite this repression, LGBTQ+ individuals in Morocco are actively resisting, through grassroots organizing, digital platforms, feminist coalitions, and community-based care. The February 20th Movement marked a turning point, creating new spaces for expression and solidarity, even as queer voices remain …

Simplisite: Simplifying Website Management And Bookings For Small Businesses, Daniel Le

Theses & ETDs

Small businesses often face barriers when trying to establish an effective online presence. Many business owners lack the time, technical knowledge, or resources to manage a professional website, and existing platforms like Wix or Shopify often overwhelm them with features they don’t need, or hide essential tools behind expensive plans. SimpliSite was created to simplify the website-building experience for service-based businesses such as salons and barber shops. This project focuses on delivering a platform that not only helps users design and manage their websites without needing to code, but also supports essential business operations such as appointment scheduling, staff assignments, …

Humanities In The Biology Classroom: Cultivating Their Connection To Spanish-Speaking Students, Betzy Lopez

Theses & ETDs

With the increase in the Hispanic population, there has also been an increase in Hispanic students enrolled in school. Within this population of enrolled Hispanic students, some are considered English Language Learners (ELLs). Hispanic and ELL students in high school in Manatee County, Florida, United States, have low results in their science assessments, including the Biology 1 End of Course exams required to take to graduate high school in Florida. To help students engage and connect during their biology courses, this thesis provides four lesson plans with grading rubrics about infectious diseases and the immune system. In these lesson plans, …

Defending Zine Culture: Kathleen Hanna, Grrrl Punk And Collapsing The Private/Public Divide, Sarah Malickson

Theses & ETDs

Kathleen Hanna is an American singer, songwriter, artist, and activist who found herself at the forefront of the 1990’s punk feminist scene known as the Riot Grrrl Movement. Hanna is remarked as one of the founders of the movement. The movement (1989-1996), taking place during the third wave of feminism, inspired many young women, including Hanna herself, to retreat to their bedrooms to produce music, zines, and poetry to express political, societal, and emotional feelings and concerns. Through the lens of Hanna’s work, this study seeks to understand how women show up in both public and private political spheres and …

The Central African Republic And Russia’S Wagner Group: A Principal-Agent Analysis Of The Costs Of Proxy Use In Civil Conflict, Jasmine Mccastler

Theses & ETDs

This thesis presents an in-depth qualitative case study of the use of a foreign proxy, the Russia-based Wagner group, in civil conflict in the Central African Republic. The analysis is set in the principal-agent theory to examine this specific case of how states contract Private Security Companies and Private Military Companies and the dynamics that emerge from these relationships. Those dynamics ultimately shaped Russia’s foreign policy agenda in the Central African Republic and goals for the region as well as the limitations the government of CAR had to accept for this proxy support.

Medieval Solutions To Modern Pandemics: A Comparative Analysis Of Social Reactions To The Black Death And Covid-19 Pandemics, Ciara Mcilvenny

Theses & ETDs

This thesis explores the various social reactions to pandemics, particularly the Black Death and COVID-19. During the Black Death, people struggled with displacement, sickness, and death due to the pestilence, causing them to turn to their scientific and religious institutions for explanations. 673 years later, the world was struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the same consequences. The social reactions to the most recent COVID-19 pandemic are eerily similar to those recorded during the Black Death, revealing the consistency in human nature when responding and reacting to pandemics.

Between Belief And Bias: How Religious Priming Affects Impression Management, Olivia Mikkelsen

Theses & ETDs

This study works to understand the relationship between religiosity and impression management through use of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS). A total of 188 participants completed the study, representing 19 different faiths. Using priming methodology to make religion salient in one condition, participants were asked a series of 33 questions of socially desirable behavior, followed by measures on centrality of religion and religious orientation. The study did not find a general impact of religious priming on social desirability reporting. A significant positive relationship was found between participants scoring higher on extrinsic religiosity and social desirability reporting in unprimed participants. …

Anxious Flesh, Divine Machines The Body As A Canvas For Technology, Hanh Nguyen

Theses & ETDs

What remains of humans when we merge with machines? What is lost—and what is gained? I will examine the intersection between human and modern technology through a series of figurative paintings, prints and collages. Inspired by the critiques of Byung-Chul Han and the fiction of J.G. Ballard, the themes of alienation, hyper-connectivity, and the erosion of human agency are at the core of my works, I look at how technology has reprogrammed us, our bodies, or actions, our feelings and how this paradigm shift has influenced my artworks. Visually, I am interested in distorted depictions of human bodies; I draw …

Blue Ink: A Literary Arts Journal 2025 - 2026, Department Of Languages, Literature, And Philosophy, Tennessee State University

Blue Ink Student Literary Journal

No abstract provided.

Social Media Semantics: Enhancing Manipulated Media Detection Through An Artificial Intelligence Weakness, Regina Luttrell, Jason Davis, Carrie Welch

Media Studies - Open-Access Faculty Scholarship

As fake news and disinformation continue to proliferate in digital journalism, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) analytics to identify synthetic content inconsistencies is increasingly important. This study explores trained AI analytics’ struggle to detect semantic gaps within AI-generated media. Findings reinforce human semantic capabilities and a direction for detection tools. AI analytics designed for semantic detection-related tasks are evaluated through the application of the Theory of Content Consistency, with insights for combatting social media news truth erosion.

Review: Balthazar: A Black African King In Medieval And Renaissance Art, Karli R. Snyder

Quidditas

Western European medieval and Early Modem art history is full of representations of ethnically diverse peoples. However, there are relatively few examples of scholarly publications that coherently organize these visual representations into a complete analysis of the topic. One recent publication that aims to do just that is Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art. The slim paperback boasts 121 full-color illustrations and features a collection of essays and narratives edited by museum curator Kristen Collins and art historian Bryan C. Keene. The book was published as a companion to the 2019 exhibition of the same …

Foundations Of Business, 2nd Edition, Holly Jackson

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

No abstract provided.

Sea Dragons: Special Operations And Chinese Military Strategy, John Chen, Joel Wuthnow

CMSI Red Books

As China continues to rise as a global sea power, its maritime strategy continues to evolve. Among these critical evolutions is one of the People’s Liberation Army’s naval special operations forces’ most elite units: the Sea Dragons. A small yet highly specialized unit, the Sea Dragons entered the global spotlight and international consciousness with the 2018 film Operation Red Sea, raising several questions for Chinese naval experts. What does Chinese military strategy and doctrine require of special forces, and specifically naval SOF, to be able to accomplish the mission, particularly along the Taiwan Strait and in the South China …

Peaks Island Star : January 2025, Vol. 45, Issue 1, Service Agencies Of The Island

Peaks Island Star, 2025

The Peaks Island Star is the newsletter of the island's service agencies and other community news.