Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Murder Becomes Her: Media Representations Of Murderous Women In America From 1890-1920, Emily M. Crumpton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis explores the relationship between the media, murderous women, and the concept of separate spheres. Murderous women challenged established gender norms. They did not conform to the societal expectations of their gender, therefore, they were not considered “normal.” As such, women like Alice Mitchell, Jane Toppan, and Amy Archer Gilligan became objects of media, medical, and public curiosity. As defined by medical science and society, newspapers policed the boundaries of “normality” by sensationalizing the lives, actions, and trials of deadly damsels. Newspaper coverage of murderous women reminded the public of the consequences of “abnormality” and non-conformity. This thesis argues …

"They Are Hiring The White Women But They Won't Hire The Colored Women": Black Women Confront Racism And Sexism In The Richmond Shipyards During World War Ii, Paige Tuft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Historians disagree about the lasting progress wartime defense work helped women and blacks achieve. Both gender and race historians explored the meaning of progress in terms of economic opportunities and social change. Ultimately, the progress debate centers on whether the war afforded women and minorities greater opportunities or whether remaining barriers limited these opportunities. This thesis complicates the progress narrative by looking at black women, a group largely overlooked by both gender and race historians. This thesis defines progress specifically as the ability to secure skilled jobs in the shipyards.

This thesis also takes an in-depth look at the reasons …

Women's Experiences During The Wars Of The Roses, Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper will discuss the lived experiences of women of the English nobility and gentry during the period between 1450 and 1485, which covers the end of the Hundred Year's War to the end of the Wars of the Roses. It will focus on the vulnerabilities associated with various stages of life of a medieval woman, including childhood, marriage, childbearing, and widowhood, as well as the added vulnerabilities associated with political affiliations at the time of civil war. A woman's experience in medieval England was highly dependent upon her social status, marital status, husband's political affiliations, and her legal rights. …

Pioneer Harmonies: Mormon Women And Music In Utah, 1847-1900, Jennifer L. Fife

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

By drawing on local newspapers and the diaries, journals, and autobiographies of nearly fifty pioneers, this thesis examined the varied musical experiences of Utah's Latter-day Saint women during the years 1847-1900, and sought to determine whether they followed national gender trends in music during this era. Women in nineteenth-century Utah participated in a wide variety of musical activities, including using music in their homes, taking lessons, and teaching. Women also composed and wrote song lyrics. Many women performed in community musical events, such as concerts and operas. Despite their accomplishments, women did face conflict over the demands of family responsibility …