Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Under The Sun: Songs From Ecclesiastes, Emma Kay Smith

Honors Theses

Historically, artists in all spaces have gleaned inspiration from the text of the Bible in order to communicate meaningful stories. The book of Ecclesiastes is particularly rich in its images and themes, and it warrants profound creative contemplation. This project documents the process of crafting 1960s-style folk songs based on this often confounding and ever-beautiful text. This process included close, meditative listening to the works of great songwriters from the 1960s folk era such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen and culminated in the live recording of four folk songs, compiled in the demo-EP Under the Sun: Songs from Ecclesiastes. …

Of Spies And Assassins, Haddon Smead

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the possibility of a connection between the Shinobi of Japan and the Order of Assassins from the Middle East. There is evidence that these two secret societies of antiquity are related and that there might have been some level of interaction and/or connection between them. The aligning methodologies, the geopolitical circumstances, the transmission of culture, and the other organizations resembling these two groups establish a frightening level of similarity between them and support the existence of a historical connection. It is hoped that additional study will be undertaken with regards to this subject, and the author of …

A Musical Exploration Of 'Yes And...': History And Applications Of Free Musical Improvisation For College Students, Amy Lytle

Honors Theses

As music majors at universities, students often spend hours a day focused on improving their musical skills. They work on advancing on their instruments, further understanding advanced music theory, memorizing entire works for music history exams, improving their artistic interpretation, increasing their precision, and more. They spend so much time focusing on how much they need to improve while not appreciating where they currently are in their skills or the application of those skills.

It does not have to be this way.

I was inspired to further study free improvisation because I learned firsthand how truly freeing it can be …

Bruised But Unbroken: Cultural Responses To The Irish Troubles, Cassandra Young

Honors Theses

Music and art can be very effective mediums for individual expression, both in personal life and for political thought. It is something that many people can relate to, can reach the heart more directly than mere words, and carries a wide range of unspoken meaning and significance without being reduced to clumsy language. Where words are useful to express ideas, music and art can often convey emotion more effectively and can be very effective in inspiring action or shaping thought. For this reason, these mediums have been and are often used to engage with or reject political discourse great effect. …

Uncovering The Truth About Argentina's Dirty War, Macy Fouse

Honors Theses

Major historical events that blatantly defy human rights are typically common knowledge and recognized by most historians. For instance, everyone knows about the Holocaust. Even smaller-scale massacres, like Tiananmen Square, are included in most history textbooks. The Dirty War of Argentina, a brutal seven-year ordeal that violated the basic human rights of thousands of people, is not usually an era discussed by history textbooks. The society of Argentina is still healing from the effects of this war, but how can they be expected to heal when history will not even acknowledge their past or their pain?

While commonly referred to …

Danmono: A Type Of Japanese Koto Music, Jonathan Richard Besancon

Honors Theses

Sokyoku (koto music) in Japan before the end of the seventeenth century is represented by only two genres: sets of solo songs with koto accompaniment which are called kurniuta, and koto solos called danrnono. Danrnono and kurniuta were the beginning of the sokyoku tradition which developed through the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868). It is the solo genre of sokyoku, the danrnono, which is the subject of this study. This genre is the most important of the few examples of Japanese music which are independent of literary influence. The danmono repertoire is also rather curious because it is limited today to only …

Arkansas Politics And The Code Duello, Vincent C. Henderson Ii

Honors Theses

Many methods have been found by which two men may solve a dispute between them. The methods can be broadly divided as either violent or nonviolent. Among the violent methods, dueling was considered in the nineteenth century in Arkansas as a proper means of solving disputes concerning politics, honor, and family, as well as trivial matters.

Dueling was not common in Arkansas alone. People practiced it in many states. By 1819 dueling had become a Southern institution. As an institution, dueling had certain rules and regulations. Several books were published on the subject. Among these were An Essay on the …

A History Of The Arkansas Assemblies Of God 1908-1968, Earl R. Teeter

OBU Graduate Theses

Religious freedom has played an important role in the nation and state. Because of the freedom guaranteed by the United States Constitution, a colorful array of denominations and sects have arisen. One group, the Pentecostals, have been called the ''Third force in Protestantism." Of this group the Assemblies of God are the largest, not only nationally and world-wide, but also in Arkansas. In fact, the Arkansas District of the Assemblies of God is the largest district per capital of any of the Assemblies of God Districts in the United States.

For some reason a study on the Arkansas Assemblies of …

Boy's Choir, Shelby Earl Cowling

Honors Theses

Young boys first were trained for choir singing at a time when women were banned from participation in sacred services. "Actually, the first singing school for boys was founded in London, England, c. 1000 A.D." Soon other choir schools were started. Rome, Italy, soon became the headquarters for these establishments. During the residence of the Popes at Avignon from 1309 to 1377, Flemish singers were introduced into the choir of the Pope, the Schola Cantourm. For the next two centuries most of the choristers were recruited from Flanders.

An Investigation Of The Life And Works Of Phillis Wheatley, Rozelle Goodson

OBU Graduate Theses

This study is an investigation into the life and poetry of Phillis Wheatley, the first Negro woman to have her writings published. Its purpose was to discover Miss Wheatley's place in American literature. The background of Miss Wheatley's life in Puritan New England has been examined. For comparison, books on Negro culture, history, and literature have been studied.

In the study of Miss Wheatley's life an attempt was made to point out the correlation between the training, education and culture to which Miss Wheatley was exposed and the relevance of her writings to the era in which she wrote.

The …