Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Plague Of Athens, Cameron Drylie

Student Academic Conference

The purpose of this study is to use historical analysis, biology, and linguistics to evaluate the reason one of early humanity's greatest civilizations fell. 449 BC marked the end of the Greco-Persian War and the crowning of two new dominate city-states in the Mediterranean, Athens and Sparta. The tensions of these two ideologically different civilizations rose for eighteen years before the two clashed in the bloodiest conflict the world had ever seen at the time. Led by the great Pericles, Athens struggled to resist the most powerful land force of the time, causing him to retreat into the city walls. …

"The Most Hopeful Time": A Contextualization And Evaluation Of Northern Irish Student Activism On The Cusp Of The Troubles, Sadie M. Deshon

Senior Honors Theses

Many Americans are familiar with the history of student riots in the U.S. in the late 1960s—from marches against the Vietnam War, to those advocating civil rights for African Americans. Far fewer Americans, however, realize that nearly the entire western world was concurrently embroiled in similar student-led movements, most of which converged in 1968. Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom that seems to defy definition as a political entity (particularly among its own people, who may describe it as a country, region, or province, depending on their respective political ideologies), was not immune to this trend. The Catholic …

Full Issue

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Ever-Advancing To World Revolution: Soviet Children's Literature From 1925 To 1927, Amy Daniel

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

During the third all-Russia congress of the Russian Young Communist League in 1920, speaking to revolutionary youth, Vladimir Lenin laid out what he saw as the mission of the youth leagues and described his new vision of children's education: "The entire purpose of training, educating and teaching the youth of today should be to imbue them with communist ethics . . . [which] stems from the interests of the class struggle of the proletariat." Even before the end of the Russian Civil War, Lenin was conscious that to build communism, he first had to teach it to the youth. In …

The Dynastic Duo: A Tale Of Two Monarchs, John Martin

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

With good reason, Sparta is often considered on of the most influential classical Greek poleis. The Spartans led the combined military forces of Greece during the Second Persian Invasion of 480 BCE, and led the Peloponnesian League for over a hundred years. They brought down the Athenian Empire and ruled much of Greece, until they themselves were defeated by the Thebans. Their success is usually attributed to the unique nature and strength of their army. However, there is another key, but often overlooked, contributing factor to Spartan predominance: its unique system of government, ruled by rwo kings. This diarchy enabled …

"Something Sounder, Nobler, And Greater": Neo-Gothic Architecture And National Identity In Confederation-Era Canada, Susannah Morrison

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The morning of 1 September, 1860 was unseasonably warm for Cananda, but the heat did not deter the thousands of spectators gathered on the southern banks of the Ottawa River to catch a glimpse of the young prince of Wales. As the crowning moment of Prince Albert's royal visit to Canada, the eighteen-year-old prince laid the cornerstone for the new government buildings in Ottawa. Keen to use the Prince's tour as an opportunity to show the colony off at its finest, Canada's leaders had outdone themselves in organizing an unabashedly imperial public reception for their future king. The Union Jack …

"A Sufficient Security": British Public Discourse On Proposals For Reconciliation With The Thirteen American Colonies, 1778-1780, Katie Richards

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

"The storm of their malice is now ready to burst upon our heads," wrote John Cartwright of the allied relationship between British North America and France, Britain's "ancient enemy." With the signing of the Alliance Treaty on February 6, 1778, the French began officially extending their support to the thirteen American colonies fighting for independence from Great Britain. Such an alliance was bound to provoke many responses within England. In his pamphlet "The Memorial of Common-Sense," Cartwright wrote that the very act of France entering into a treaty with the American colonies admitted those colonies to the rank of independent …

The Boys Behind The Backwoods Bigots: A Microhistory Examination Of The 1950s Ku Klux Klan, Erin Schill Facer

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

On January 18, 1958, A young Baptist preacher named James finalized his preparations for an important rally to be held that night. He was bolstered by the anticipation of hundreds, if not thousands, of fellow activists uniting in solidarity for their shared cause. They planned to rally peacefully for their God-given rights and the protection of those whom they loved-but, fearful of violent resistance, they requested federal protection.' As the sun set, James, along with a few friends, drove out to the large field he had rented for the rally on the outskirts of a small town in North Carolina. …

Chasing Freedom Runaway Slaves And Soldiers During The War Of 1812, Lane Lisonbee

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

On the morning of September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key made an indelible contribution to United States patriotism. Through the night he had witnessed the British bombardment of the American Fort McHenry while aboard the H.M.S. Tonnant, a British ship on which he had been detained after helping to negotiate the release of an American prisoner of war. He and his companion, Colonel John Stuart Skinner, had anxiously kept their eyes on the flag flying over the fore, and when in the early light of day they could see chat the stars and stripes stripes of che American banner …

Friction And Fog: The Chaotic Nature Of Defeat For The B.E.F. In The Fall Of France, Carson Teuscher

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Bursting from the thick Ardennes Forest on the morning of May 10, 1940, Hitler's Panzer armies pounded across the French countryside. Not only did his armies strike through what Marshal Petain had deemed the "Impenetrable Ardennes," in doing so German forces bypassed the Maginot Line, France's most formidable defenses. As they poured through the gap, other German armies simultaneously attacked Belgium, sweeping downward through the Low Countries to merge with the primary thrust towards Paris.

Blacks Depicted As A Symbol Of European Power Through The Ages, Lydia Breksa

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Only twenty-seven years ago, Japanese marketeing experts explained that viewers of their advertisements "respond favorably to blacks because they seem more full of energy than whites," and "appear to have a wild side chat seems beyond normal human strength."' In 1988 Japan, this Western-inspired image was not uncommon.2 Such depictions of blacks did not come from thin air. Blacks have been portrayed in European art in various ways throughout history; however, there are recurring themes that persist even today. Such portrayals not only represent society's perceptions but also strengthen them. As such, a study of how European art depicted blacks …

The Economy: The Heart Of The Brazilian Quilombo, Benjamin Passey

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Over Centuries of slavery in Brazil, thousands escaped enslavement in search of freedom and a new life. Fugitive slaves seldom survived more than a few days on the run before they were captured and returned to their masters. Those who avoided capture made their way to one of the many fugitive slave settlements called quilombos, hidden throughout the Brazilian countryside.

Karl May's Amerika: German Intellectual Imperialism, Seth Cannon

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

What is America? European misconceptions with regard to the Americas can be traced back to the beginning of transoceanic contact in 1492. From Columbus to the Spaghetti Westerns of the 20th century, Europeans have taken America, their "West," and manipulated and sculpted ic. A plethora of contradictory voices have contributed to the construction of a complicated and paradoxical Western mych. Each voice offered a different vision of the West. The versions are grounded in a shared Western setting, but the stories are dramatically different, even foreign. Such transnational perceptions of the American West have attracted the attention of several contemporary …

Elmer: The Shepherd Statesman, Cathy Hulse

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Plato quoted Socrates when he said that "The unexamined life is not worth living," He referred to self-examination for the purpose of self-improvement. In a broader sense, it is also important to study the lives of others to identify ways to improve ourselves. Life is a shared experience no matter where or in what era our individual paths lie. Today's society is often fascinated by extreme heroics or infamous people. It gives unbalanced attention to glamorous, athletic, or wealthy celebrities. Despite this trend, valuable wisdom can be learned from the lives of common folks.

Foreword, Taylor Rice

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

Last year I had the distinct privilege of serving as an editor for this fine publication. As the year was brought to a close, Elise Peterson, last volumes Editor-in-Chief, asked me if I would like to stay on with the 7hetean and be its next Editor-in-Chief. I readily agreed, though I was not convinced I was fully qualified. Elise left big shoes to be filled.

Front Matter

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Headlines: Media And Information Literacy (Mil) In Times Of Conflict, Anna Kozlowska-Barrios, Lusine Grigoryan, Michael Hoechsmann, Andzongo Menyeng Blaise Pascal

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The wars of the 21st century are not the first media wars, and many tropes and schema have long histories, particularly propaganda and the othering of a purported enemy. What is new today is that although mass media remains a central and hegemonic source of insight and perspective, citizen journalism, social media, spreadable media, and surveillant, data-driven media have grown in significance at an exponential level, adding a layer of complexity. In this article, we focus on disparity in media coverage and make the point that media and information literacy provide a valuable set of lenses from which to view …

Mapping The Media Education Approaches In Instructional Materials Development: Conjunctions And Disjunctions, John N. Ponsaran

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This qualitative inquiry centered on the critical exploration of media education approaches that guided the praxis of student assessment reform, particularly textbook task design. Correspondingly, this instructional media research is predicated on the fundamental premise that textbooks and the student tasks contained therein are informed and shaped by the academic authors’ positionalities, paradigms, and pedagogies. By focusing on the purposiveness of designing textbook tasks as a social practice, this research was able to identify and unpack the conjunctions as well as disjunctions of what the academic authors as media producers intend the students to learn, answer, perform, tackle, and act …

"A Secessionist And French Red": The Life Of Pierre Soulé In Transatlantic Context, Caedmon P. Kollmer-Dorsey

History Honors Projects

This thesis analyzes the life of Pierre Soulé (1801-1870), a US Senator representing Louisiana and Minister to Spain who began his political life as a liberal political exile from Restoration-era France. It argues that Pierre Soulé’s fights for slavery and US expansion were in fact not as contradictory with his radically democratic liberalism as they appear to contemporary observers. The particular social, economic, cultural, and political conditions of the 19th century Atlantic World created an environment where liberals such as Soulé engaged in a transnational struggle for increasingly democratic governance which did not necessarily draw them into conflict with the …

The Reproductive Politics Of Maiolica: Birth, Abortion, And Gendered Authority During The Italian Renaissance, Rose Brookhart

Honors Projects

In the aftermath of several plagues that decimated the population of the Italian peninsula since 1348, men and women from all socioeconomic backgrounds safeguarded their individual corporeal health and collective societal well-being through a variety of routines and rituals, which were prescribed but at the same time extremely personalized. This increased attention in personal and civic health promoted new trends in both literal and material consumption during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Purgative drugs and medicines were a common facet of medicine during the Italian Renaissance and were ingested regularly to alleviate commonplace bodily discomforts in addition to more serious …

First Comes Love, Then Comes Disparage: How The Production Code Impacted Women’S Roles In Romantic Comedies, Emma Hoback

Honors Projects

Through the analysis of twelve films, I looked to see how the creation and dissolving of the Motion Picture Production Code impacted women’s representation on screen. I looked at six films from the pre-Code era of film (1930-1934) and six films from the newly defined post-Code period (1968-1972). In this paper, I break down the Production Code itself and conduct genre research. The romantic comedy sub-genre was selected for this project. The romantic comedy creates a space for women to have leading roles and have comedy make fun of or reinforce gendered stereotypes. This paper looks at how women went …

Two Worlds And In Between: Becoming Goth In The Virtual Spaces Of Tiktok, Marlie Unger

Honors Projects

This research explores how the initiation processes of goth subculture have changed with the introduction and implementation of social media. Using a textual analysis of social media content from TikTok, this research identifies themes present in the virtual community that provide greater insight about how someone becomes goth and the factors which influence the transformation. I highlight the importance of subcultural capital in its creation of a social hierarchy and the goth status of members which fall under the categories of "elder goth," "seasoned goth," and "baby bat." Furthermore, this research examines how commodification, education, and gatekeeping influence the lines …

The Author And Apartheid: Building Pro-Blackness At Bgsu Through James Baldwin And The Anti-Apartheid Movement, Noah C. Fitch

Honors Projects

The stories of anti-apartheid and James Baldwin at BGSU provides a basis for a building of pro-Blackness in the on-campus community. Through the contextualization and narrative building through a historical sociological framework, these two events show the extent of activism in the 1970s and 1980s rather than the traditional narrative that is discussed. By expanding that narrative, it also expands the narrative surrounding the history not just of BGSU, but the way universities frame their own histories. Additionally, these events take place in the era when the transition from looking at Civil Rights to Human Rights is more prevalent and …

The Legal Culpability Of Emperor Hirohito In The Outbreak Of The Second Sino-Japanese War, Joseph Castellano

Honors Projects

An analysis of the legal culpability of Emperor Hirohito in the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War based on primary source evidence. Combines an examination of primary and secondary sources to demonstrate that Emperor Hirohito was legally responsible for his role in the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War.

A Cryptid For Catholics And Communists: The Asuang As An Apparatus For Socio-Political Control In The History Of The Philippines, Alexandra Eckhart

Honors Projects

This essay explores the utilization of folklore beliefs in psychological warfare through a comparative analysis of General Edward Geary Lansdale's tactics during the Hukbalahap insurgency at the beginning of the Cold War and the historical exploitation of the asuang myth by Spanish Catholic missionaries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. While both instances involved leveraging local superstitions to influence behavior, their motivations and approaches diverged significantly. Unlike the missionaries, Lansdale's actions stemmed from a strategic imperative to combat communism rather than a sense of racial superiority or religious domination. Drawing parallels between Lansdale's methods and centuries-old patterns of oppression, this …

Labritta Michelle Whye

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Travis Jovan Davis

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

The "Indian" Alexander: Reworking Nationalism, Myth, And Sikandar, John Sexton

Madison Historical Review

This article seeks to expand scholarly inquiry regarding the Alexander Romance into twentieth century India and away the Near East of Antiquity and the Europe of the Middle Ages where it is usually confined. In particular this article will discuss the Alexander Romance’s impact upon and connection with the modern invention of the cinema. Besides the usual cinematic culprit of analysis, Oliver Stone's Alexander (2004), there is another less-discussed cinematic work regarding Alexander the Great. That being Sohrab Modi's Hindustani historical epic Sikandar (1941) from British colonial India. Regarding the Macedonian conqueror and his reputation among Indian scholars such as …

Considering The “Special Considerations”: The Treatment Of Female Inmates In The People’S Republic Of China Since 1994, Niklas Berry

Madison Historical Review

The purpose of this paper is to historicize contemporary gendered legal practices in the People’s Republic of China and to demonstrate that, despite rhetoric to the contrary, paternalistic assumptions rooted in Confucianism still inform the treatment of female prisoners today. Though China underwent massive political and economic shifts after the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, certain longstanding societal principles were preserved in modern China, including long-held paternalistic stereotypes about the physical and mental fragility of women. These precepts undergirded the PRC’s reforms of its judicial and criminal systems …

Toros, Moros, And Empire: The Sixteenth-Century Spanish Bullfight, David A. Gonzalez

Madison Historical Review

Toros, Moros, and Empire: The Sixteenth-Century Spanish Bullfight

By David A. González-2023

Relying on the methodological tools provided by New Historicism and Critical Race Theory, this paper evaluates the primary texts of Franciscan minor Francisco de Alcocer’s Tratado del Juego (1559) and the Spanish aristocrat Luis Zapata de Chaves’ Carlo Famoso (1566) and Varia Historia: Miscelania (c. 1595) to assess the extent of non-Europeans’ role and impact on the development of the early modern bullfight. These texts highlight the conflicting views over the bullfight’s European legitimacy. As such, they shed light on the larger debates between church and aristocracy over …