Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Designing And Building An Action Figure Of Alexander The Great To Better Engage Young Learners In History, Patrick Sandoval

All Theses

This paper discusses creating an action figure of Alexander the Great as a means of garnering a child’s interest in a specific setting of human history. Physical mediums have merit as supplemental tools for traditional learning methods for children, with action figures providing an outlet for role-playing and enhanced engagement. Topics include the significance of Alexander the Great, as well as the process of creating an action figure of him using production methods of digital character sculpting and 3D printing. Its design takes inspiration from the Street Fighter series, Classical and Hellenistic Greek sculpture, and professional wrestling action figures.

The Role Of Dynastic Marriage In The Reigns Of Mary I And Elizabeth I Of England, Regan Vann

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My project will cover the role gender and dynastic marriage played in the reigns of Mary I of England Elizabeth I of England, and the differences they caused in their reigns compared to a reign of a male monarch. The historical question I am exploring is how Mary and Elizabeth’s gender impacted their reign by means of dynastic marriage. Marriage was important for the English royals as the prospect of marrying foreign royal created opportunities for alliances with other realms. Royal marriages were often arranged by the monarch, usually a king, for his children, especially his female children. Mary and …

Downtown Hattiesburg: In History And Memory, Joseph Reosti

Honors Theses

This paper explores how public memory of Downtown Hattiesburg has been shaped by race, class, and historical change, drawing primarily on oral history interviews conducted by the author. Once the heart of the city, Downtown Hattiesburg experienced significant decline from the 1970s onward due to suburbanization, white flight, and demographic shifts. In response, the 1970s saw the emergence of a historic preservation movement focused on revitalizing memories of the city's early 20th-century prosperity (1910-1929), often idealized as a period of economic success even despite racial segregation. Many interviewees identified this era as the city’s "golden age," despite its deeply inequitable …

First Latter-Day Saint Women Baptized In Europe And Oceania: Ann Cottam Dawson (1785-1849) And Terii (Ca. 1800-Ca. 1860), Robyn Shahan Spears

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a study in the backgrounds, Latter-day Saint conversions, and ministries of two early nineteenth-century women: Ann Cottam Dawson in Lancashire, England and a woman known simply as Terii on the island of Tubuai in the Austral Islands (now French Polynesia). Because these two women did not leave behind diaries, this study relies upon evidence such as missionary diaries, newspapers, church records, vital records, genealogical records, sermons, and even a mutiny narrative. The discussion is organized in three parts: Dawson’s biography, Terii’s biography, and a comparison of the two. Both women fed and housed the missionaries, performed women’s …

Cultural Memory And The Search For Identity In Victorian Fantasy Fiction, Sadie Boggs

Honors College Theses

Fantasy literature's origins can be traced through myths and folktales, medieval romances, enlightenment fairy tale fantasy, and Romanticism, before finally taking firmer root in the Victorian period and blooming into its own genre in 20th century modern fantasy. Victorian thinkers reacted to the Enlightenment’s realism and technological innovation by “rediscovering” the Middle Ages as a time of beauty, simplicity, and moral virtue. Simultaneously, Psychology developed as a recognized field of study, and theories emerged about the psychological process of memory formation and retrieval, as well as its reliability and relation to identity.

Considering these psychological theories, Victorian fantasy's cultural memory …

Understanding The Performance And Perception Of Odawa Warfare, 1615–1700, Eric P. Morningstar

Masters Theses

This research employs the ethnohistorical method to explore how the Odawa people perceived and carried out warfare from 1615 to 1700. While historians have examined the Odawa, these Native peoples have frequently not been the central focus in the secondary literature. Many primary sources also offer a vague answer as to how the Odawa conceived and carried out warfare. This study aims to clarify historiographical inconsistencies by quantitatively analyzing a database, constructed by the author, of specific primary references to known hostilities between the Odawa, other Native groups, and Europeans. The analysis includes specific variables germane to hostilities such as …

Westward Words: An Exploration Of Western Beats And Their Legacy, Brenna Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis examines the art, poetry, and experiences of western Beats or Beatniks. Also known as the Beat Generation, this literary movement is traditionally associated with East Coast writers. However, a prominent Beat culture was also present on the West Coast throughout the 1950s and 1970s. The thesis explores how the West influenced the literature and art produced by Beats during this time.

God's Laborers: Missionary Work And Imperialism In The Congo From 1878-1908, Ana Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In 1878, Henry Craven opened the first Protestant mission in the Congo. The Livingstone Inland Mission created multiple stations along the Congo River to reach the interior. It stayed active for six years before transferring its stations to Swedish and American missions. Five years after its closure, a sister mission, the Congo Balolo Mission, resumed efforts to teach the people living in the interior. This thesis explores the evolving reaction of the missionaries to state violence. It argues that these missionaries initially supported imperial violence that enforced laws that aligned with their beliefs, such as removing the slave trade. Once …

Vavanga, Vavalo, And Fakakaukau With Vā-Tā, Siosiua F.P. Lafitani

Pacific Studies

This article addresses the profound cognitive and cultural significance of vavanga (contemplation) and vavalo (contemplation), which are contempla- tive frameworks deeply rooted in the concept of vā (space) within Tongan language and culture. These frameworks serve as gateways to expansive cogni- tive exploration, stretching the boundaries of imagination and contemplation. Fakakaukau (thinking), double or dual actor (named because it bridges the realms of cognition and practicality), uses instrumental concepts such as fifili (inquisitiveness) and fekeli (meticulous exploration) to navigate the landscapes of inquiry. Throughout this exploration, a critical distinction emerges between tā as tempo and the cognitive concepts of contemplation …

Redefining Religion: Challenging Eurocentric Narratives Through Conjure, Naomi Love

Undergraduate Student Research Fellowship

No abstract provided.

Machine Realism: The Collapse Of Bring Chicago Home And Chicago's Radical Black Politics, Joseph Aidan Tennant

Undergraduate Student Research Fellowship

No abstract provided.

Viking And Native North American Interactions: The Spread Of Disease In The Norse Discovery Of North America, Sarah N. Haughawout

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper evaluates the potential for spread of disease in the Norse and Native North American interactions around 1000 CE. At this time, the Vikings were expanding their territory in search of land and natural resources following the Viking Raids in mainland Europe. They traveled to Iceland, then Greenland, and finally the eastern coast of northern Canada. Norse explorers faced numerous obstacles on their journeys, but they still prospered in North America for a time. The Vikings hunted the land and sea mammals, used the land, and found ways to thrive while having hostile relations and contact with the Native …

The Pagan Reception Of Judaism From The Sibylline Oracles: Insights From Pseudo-Seneca’S Octavia Regarding The Creation And Circulation Of Oral Sibylline Oracles By The Plebs, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

According to tradition, the original collection of Sibylline Books ac­quired by the Roman monarch Tarquinius Priscus, which were kept in the Temple of Jupiter in the capital, were lost in the fire of 83 BCE. In 76 BCE, the Senate ordered the college of the quindecimviri to travel to the traditional centers of Sibylline activity in the East to find Sibylline Oracles to replace those destroyed in the fire. According to Lactantius, these officials collected many Oracles from private individuals. This reference suggests that Sibylline Oracles circulated widely. However, based on the witnesses regarding their consultation, it appears that the …

Roman History In Sibylline Oracle 13: A Palestinian Jewish Perspective On Emperors, Usurpers, And Saviors During The Third Century Ce (Part One: From Maximus I “Thrax” To Philip I “The Arab”), Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

The period commonly known as the “Crisis of the Third Century” (235-284 CE) began with the assassination of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (222-235 CE), the last ruler of the Severan dynasty. This turbulent era was marked by nearly fifty years of civil war, barbarian invasions, rebellions, and political and social unrest caused by approximately twenty-six claimants to the imperial throne. Although the end of this age of disorder under Diocletian (284-305 CE) is well-known, we have little information about much of the third century CE, particularly its first decades. This study examines book 13 of the Sibylline oracles, which …

Señoritas On And Off The Silver Screen: How Chicana Women Organized For Equality And Challenged The Cultural Prison Of Sexualized Media Representations In The First Half Of The Twentieth-Century, Rossandra Paloma Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research is personal for me due to lived experience and day-to-day situations where I have felt the pressures of unattainable beauty standards and society’s fluid definition of beauty and femininity surrounding Chicana, Latinas, Mexican, and Mexican-American women. What inspired me to pursue these issues and topics was the work of Dr. Vicki Lynn Ruiz in her book From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in Twentieth-Century America. This research focuses on rival and contested images of Chicana, Mexican, Mexican-American and Latina labor advocates and activists from the early twentieth as opposed to sexualized and eroticized packaged caricatures that Hollywood …

Greenwood 'Cokie' Cocanougher, Chandler Howard, Brennan Ison, Zoey Rounsville

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

Greenwood ‘Cokie’ Cocanougher participated in the War Service Training Program where she taught 250 students. She was the first woman to pin wings on a graduate, who was her son. After the war she became the leader of the Civil Air Patrol and Aero Club of Louisville. She served on UK Board of Athletics.

Gladys Veronica Stamper Meyers: "The Hornet", Emma Crouch, Kaitlyn P'Simer, Arwen Sergent

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

Gladys Meyer came from a long line of military servicemen. She’s the first female in the Stamper family to enlist in the United States military. She was deeply inspired by her three brothers, Clarence, William, and Theodore who all served in World War II. She served in the Women's Air Force during the Korean Conflict.

Greenwood "Cokie" Cocanougher: "A Mother Doing Her Part", Chandler Howard, Brennan Ison, Zoey Rounsville

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

Cokie Cocanougher participated in the War Service Training Program where she solo taught 250 students how to fly. She was the second woman to land a plane on an army airfield and the first woman to pin wings on her son who graduated flight school.

Paul Raymond Griffith, Isabella Anderson-Huseman, Allison Ferguson

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

Seaman 1st Class Paul R. Griffith joined the Navy despite ‘not being able to swim’ according to his son. He served at the Fleet Post Office, the USS Samar and USS LST 505 in the mail rooms. Griffith received the Asiatic Pacific Area Ribbon and the World War II Victory Ribbon. After leaving the Navy, he worked for the US Postal Service until his retirement.

Gladys 'Hornet' Meyers, Emma Crouch, Kaitlyn P'Simer, Arwen Sergent

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

Corporal Gladys ‘Hornet’ Meyers serviced in the Women’s Airforce during Korea. She worked at the Defense Plant in Dayton, Ohio and took care of her family as teenager. She is the first woman in her family to serve – three of her brothers – Clarence, William, and Theodore - served in World War II one of which also served in Korea. Her father, Link Stamper, served in World World I.

Kentucky's Flying Leader: John Thomas Daugherty, Christina Lambert, Bryce Tackett

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

On July 31, 1943, Colonel John Daugherty and his bomber group were sent to Espiritu Santo Island to prepare for the Japanese along their acquired territory of Rabaul in the Pacific. In February 1944, it was assumed Japan was preparing a possible navy attack. Daugherty was ordered to begin a bombing attack on Rabaul. On March 4, 1944, the crew destroyed seven Japanese ships, with Daugherty sinking one while flying a Grumman "Avenger" torpedo bomber plane. He would receive a Flying Cross.

Homer 'Smokey' Davis, Walker Anderson, Jeremiah Brown

Impact of World War II in Eastern Kentucky

Private Homer ‘Smokey’ Davis operated the M26 Pershing T26E3 tank. His Division, called Spearhead, was at the Battle of Cologne. After serving in the war, he became an electrician at Morehead State University.

Soldiers In The Sideshows: The 409th Infantry Regiment In World War Ii, Nicholas Garrett

Master's Theses

In the European Theater of World War II certain battlefields or campaigns such as Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge are core aspects of American memory. However, the men of the 409^th Infantry Regiment of the 103^rd Infantry Division do not fall into this image. This unit fought as part of the U.S. Seventh Army across eastern France through the Vosges Mountains, defended against the German Operation Nordwind and broke through the Siegfried Line into southeastern Germany. Though the 409^th represents a small portion of the men of the 103^rd, …

Limitation For Liberty: A Commentary On Federalism And The Tenth Amendment, Riley Banker

Senior Honors Theses

The concept of Federalism is essential to the very survival of the United States. However, recent decisions by the Supreme Court have illustrated attempts by the federal government to expand its authority and undermine the balance of power created by Federalism. This thesis will explore the concept of Federalism to demonstrate how it can best be protected. First, this thesis will address the origins of Federalism. Second, it will show how the principles of Federalism are manifested within the founding documents of the United States. Finally, this thesis will analyze current events including Supreme Court cases to demonstrate a concerning …

Joseph Moxon: Fueled By Science, Extinguished By Class. How A Forgotten Middle-Classed Early Modern English Puritan Printer Mathematician And Globe-Maker Helped Forge The Scientific Revolution And Democratize Knowledge Among The Trades, Kenneth L. Macro Jr.

Master's Theses

Joseph Moxon, raised within the trades, elevated into the middle-class, was an inducted Fellow of the Royal Society, Hydrographer to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, Printer, Author, Translator, Maker of Globes and of Spheres, Maker of Maps and of Mathematical Instruments, Engraver, and Entrepreneur. Moxon was the quintessential Renaissance Man. A tradesman living in a time of great scientific intrigue and discovery, Moxon, acknowledged by few mid-seventeenth century historians, rightfully contributed his scientific discoveries—in the forms of tutorials and manuals written for the common man—as a testimony to all printers who have helped in the progression of the Scientific Revolution. …

Communication In War: How Harper's Weekly Reported On Andersonville From 1864 To 1865, Pamela Budinger

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The unifying theme of this thesis is human communication in war, specifically the American Civil War. History can be seen as studies of past communications and the actions that preceded and followed such communications. Scholars of the Civil War era are limited with regard to their source material compared to scholars that might be studying the twentieth century, or today. Today’s historians can tap a plethora of media that hold traces of human communication: videotape, television, tape recordings, letters, and other forms of written communication. Not all of these are available to scholars studying the Civil War. This thesis adopts …

Victory Gardens: Helping On The Home Front, A Curriculum Outreach Project, Kelly Hoomes

Master's Theses

The Victory Garden: Helping on the Homefront traveling trunk outreach project links past, present, and future by introducing students to the historical significance of World War II victory gardens and emphasizing the continued relevance today. Partnering with Kennesaw State University’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education (MHHE), the traveling trunk focuses on a fifth-grade audience, aligning with Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies, Health, and Science. The traveling trunk designed as a “museum-in-a-box" includes primary sources, artifacts, and a practical gardening activity that fosters critical thinking and analysis. By encouraging an understanding of the past and the connections to …

Roman History In Sibylline Oracle 13: A Palestinian Jewish Perspective On Emperors, Usurpers, And Saviors During The Third Century Ce (Part Two: From Decius To Odenath Of Palmyra), Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

Sibylline Oracle 13 is a remarkable historical document that contains a unique perspective on the poorly documented period of Roman history known as the “Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 CE), which began with the assassination of the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (222-235 CE), the last ruler of the Severan dynasty. This turbulent era was marked by nearly fifty years of civil wars, barbarian invasions, rebellions, and approximately twenty-six claimants to the throne. Although the end of this turmoil under Diocletian (284-305 CE) is well known, we have little information about much of this century, particularly its first decades. The …

Authenticity And Genre In Old-Time Music: 1958-1965, Lara Ressler-Horst

Masters Theses, 2020-current

From 1961-1965, in response to the growing commercial success of the Folk Revival, a small group of New York City-based folk musicians and folklorists began promoting what they viewed as a more ‘authentic’ version of folk music. Calling themselves the “Friends of Old Time Music (FOTM),”[1] these musicians and folklorists put together a series of 14 concerts between 1961 and 1965 to promote ‘traditional musicians’. The decision by this small group of musicians and folklorists to use the genre name ‘old-time’ rather than ‘folk’ in their concert series was a direct engagement with and response to Folk Revival era …

Antillia, Kelsie Ogden

English Undergraduate Honors Theses

History, Mythology, and Fantasy are all considered to hold different ideas surrounding truth. More often than not, it is harder to draw this line than one might think. Through this thesis, an argument is made surrounding the legendary island Antillia and where this mythical island falls into more categories than one. Through the carefully crafted journal writings of the Viking, Ragnar, and the wondrous diary entries of Medieval widow, Ivette, the search for this island comes to a head. What waits upon this island, however, is a cure to the very essence of these two characters and others like them– …