Arts and Humanities Commons^™

"Fulfil In Beauty My Imperfect Prayer": Mythologization In Santayana's Aesthetics Of Religion, India M. Johnson-Mccauley

Honors College Theses

This thesis addresses George Santayana’s theories of art and religion in the context of turn-of-the-century religious thought and introduces the concept of the mythologization of religion. Santayana, the Spanish-American turn-of-the-century philosopher, poet, and novelist, took a naturalist, pragmatist, and religious non-realist approach to understanding the world that prompted works regarding the nature of art, The Sense of Beauty (1896), and the nature of religion, Interpretations of Poetry and Religion (1900). Within these two works, Santayana proposes a theory of aesthetics and a theory of religion that seem to function in tandem with each other. According to his theories, art, particularly …

A More Modern Prometheus: What Frankenstein Tells Us About Genetic Modification, Allison M. Ambrose

Honors College Theses

Mary Shelley’s famous novel, Frankenstein, is often hailed as the first true science fiction novel. In my thesis, I use the premonitive lens towards creation of life provided in Frankenstein to evaluate the morality of genetic modification of children. CRISPR-Cas9 is quickly emerging as the most important development in reprogenetic technology of our time, and many argue for its merits as a method of designing our children. I argue against this trend of “designer babies,” specifically raising questions about the soundness of modifying non-disease traits in future children and encouraging a more cautious attitude in both the scientific and philosophical …

Subjectivity In Circulation: Jean Baudrillard And The Image As Objective Reality, Jacob Crawley

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine Jean Baudrillard’s theory of the image in both historical and philosophical terms and propose that his understanding of the image as disconnected from any sort of objective reality is an important starting point for further discussion of the photographic image. This thesis seeks to answer the question – how does Baudrillard’s theory of the photographic image shape our contemporary understanding of images, and what are the implications of his removal of the referent to reality within photographic images on mass culture, society, and the current state of image creation? This paper seeks …

A Holistic Approach To Animal Farming: Integrating Bioregionalism And Socialist Ecofeminism Within The Context Of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, Sarah R. Spears

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper addresses the harmful effects of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) within animal farming systems, including poor animal welfare, environmental damage, and environmental injustice. I argue that bioregionalism and socialist ecofeminism can help inform a holistic approach to mitigating these harms and evoke ethical and sustainable animal farming systems. Bioregionalism emphasizes local resource use, community engagement, and ecological knowledge within a specific region, while socialist ecofeminism critiques oppressive systems and seeks to uplift the viewpoints of all beings, including animals, nature, and humans of various identities. Through a scaffolded hypothetical case study informed by the CAFOs-practicing hog farms in …

Shame Clogs The Arteries Of Love: How To Love In The Face Of Shame And Conditions Of Oppression, Theodore J.M. Siasat

CMC Senior Theses

Love and shame, on its face, are at odds with one another. Love tends to foster connection while shame makes one want to hide and isolate oneself. This thesis aims to resolve this tension, particularly in cases of mistaken shame, where the ashamed agent need not feel ashamed, such as in cases of internalized racism, sexism, etc. To do so, this thesis begins by exploring similar cases of love driving people away, looking at (1) love under conditions of oppression and (2) love as seen in Vida Yao’s “Grace and Alienation,” where she is also concerned with ashamed beloveds. …

Decolonizing Yoga: Historical Perspectives And Contemporary Practices, Archana Ram

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Over the last few decades, yoga has become a multi-billion-dollar industry in the West. This industry is typically represented by glossy photographs of thin white women in physical postures. Given its religious origins in South Asia, this mass marketing of yoga has raised important questions about Western commodification and cultural appropriation. As a result, counter-movements have emerged to “Take Back Yoga” and “Honor the Cultural Roots of Yoga.” This thesis analyzes a range of critical-constructive responses to the commodification and colonization of yoga. It focuses on two case studies: Susanna Barkataki, an American yoga teacher of Indian descent, and Kallie …

Augustinian Composition Pedagogy And The Catholic Liberal Arts In The Time Of Generative Ai, Gavin F. Hurley

Journal of Catholic Education

This article proposes a theoretical basis of Augustinian composition pedagogy by tracing the symbiotic relationship between writing and knowing found within St. Augustine’s Letters, The Trinity, Soliloquies, and Confessions and connecting them to modern writing-to-learn composition pedagogies. Given today’s trying times of generative AI, this article argues that Catholic schools revitalize the writing arts in a manner proposed by Augustine—that is, to enrich inward contemplation and outward love for others. In embracing such philosophy of writing and applying it across the disciplines, Catholic schools can enrich their distinctively Catholic liberal arts mission—and ward off dangers found in …

Inquiry, Value, And Some Peculiarities Of The Pyrrhonist’S Psychology, Chelsea Bowden

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Organic Inquiry Into Teacher Experiences Of Self-Healing, Alison Davis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation engages the spiritually-inspired methodology of organic inquiry to investigate how teachers practice self-healing in order to become available to students. Self-healing is a vital part of freeing up the teacher’s perceptive capacities to more deeply and fully attend to the needs of students. Self-healing work includes a variety of practices and modalities, including spiritual ones, in order to work through trauma, adversity, dis-ease, stress, and one-sidedness. Research shows that self-healing, especially in regards to mindfulness and meditation, equips teachers to confront compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, burnout, illness, and more. There is also ample evidence that training one’s attention …

An Investigation Into Perception Of The Correlation Between The College People Attend And Their Long-Term Happiness, Gary F. Madvin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated perceptions about the correlation between the college people attend and long-term happiness. Its inquiry into whether college graduates believe where they go to college affects the chance for long-term happiness is a response to the growing concerns of high school students who are anxious about acceptance into an elite undergraduate college. There is substantial literature demonstrating that graduates of elite schools earn more money and professional success than graduates of standard schools (Rumberger & Thomas, 1993). At the same time, there is evidence that individuals who attend a lower tier school while having similar characteristics to those …

The Anatomy Of Physician Fulfillment: Strategies Beyond Burnout, Brook Hale

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The persistent tension and power struggle between healthcare executives and physicians is a prevalent issue in healthcare organizations, often leading to a culture of organizational mistrust. This dynamic stems from perceived conflicting goals: executives are frequently seen as primarily focused on financial outcomes, while physicians are viewed as resistant to change. This study explored how physician fulfillment is experienced at work, with the ultimate goal of identifying potential interventions to bridge the gap between these groups. There is vast research and literature available regarding burnout in healthcare; this research focused on understanding what physicians find fulfilling in their work and …

Compassion Cartography: Mapping The Psychological Landscape Of Altruistic Equity And Effectiveness, Kyle Fiore Law

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Psychologists and philosophers have often championed deliberative reasoning over empathy as a better approach to overcoming parochial biases and guiding altruistic equity and effectiveness. Advocates of the effective altruism (EA) philosophy even advise philanthropists to downregulate empathic responses to maximize the impact of their donations. However, recent research reveals that extraordinary altruists (XAs), such as those who donate organs to strangers, are driven primarily by empathy. This dissertation explores whether empathy necessarily impedes altruistic equity (impartial regard for others’ welfare) and effectiveness (prioritizing impact), revealing a more nuanced reality that challenges this perspective. Across two phases of research involving three …

Andrew Tate, Matt Walsh, And The Discursive Production And Policing Of Gender, Alan J. Bandyk, Alan J. Bandyk

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis utilizes the works of Judith Butler, Simone de Beauvoir, Frederic Jameson, and Edward Said in a discourse analysis of influencers and writers in the right wing "manosphere." The figures analyzed herein are Andrew Tate and Matt Walsh. Their rhetoric aims to create a discursive woman who embodies traditional notions of gender and sex that de Beauvoir critiqued in 1949. The constant adherence and reference to a mythical past exhibits ways of thinking that coincide perfectly with Jameson's own theoretical work with the term and its inherent false nostalgia. Tate's and Walsh's efforts also fall into discursive attempts at …

Professionalism In Culinary Arts: An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Mature Part-Time Degree Students In Industry And Academia In Ireland Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Orla Mc Connell

Doctoral

The purpose of the research is to explore the experiences of mature part-time culinary arts degree students in Ireland to examine the phenomenon of professionalism. While other researchers have sought the views of culinary arts educators and practitioners, the student voice is underexplored. The research focuses on a particular context: a major transition in the participants’ lives: their return to education, while working full-time as chefs. Their experiences are considered unique since they, as a group, navigate between two worlds: industry and academia. Notably, a recent study in Ireland found that professionalism is an important career success factor for chefs. …

Recognition, Subject Formation, And Agency: Marginalization And Agency In Feminist Dystopian Narratives, Samantha J. Quade

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Though more frequently discussed in regard to freedom and intersubjectivity, subject formation and recognition have significant potential in helping us understand the structures of power, domination, and resistance in our lived experiences. Through the portrayal of recognition within literature - particularly within feminist dystopian literature - we can see significant examples of not only recognition experiences between characters, but also the acknowledgement of or resistance against unjust and oppressive power structures through recognition. To explore this phenomena, I begin by assessing the experience of empathy – or moral imagination, according to Martha Nussbaum – in reading and in writing, along …

Death And Grief In 21st Century America: A Literature Review On Bereavement & Attitudes Toward Death, Jordan Whitney

Honors Program Theses

In modern Western society, death has been dissected and neatly packaged like meat at the grocery store. The unsavory aspects are hidden and our discomfort around dying has turned death into a commodity. In typical consumerist fashion, we are sold the “proper way” to die and grieve as a result. Funeral homes guide us through this new experience with the goal of assisting us through our grief. While most report positive experiences with funeral directors’ services, there remains evidence of overcharging and pressuring into the purchases of unnecessary additional services. This thesis explores modern attitudes and practices towards death, grief, …

Educating Good Moral Values Through Video Game: Harvest Moon Back To Nature Perspectives, Fikry Prastya Syahputra, Mahmud Arief Albar

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Globalization makes cultural absorption faster, but this also has a negative effect if the culture exposed is unsuitable. This will also affect the morale of a generation. One media that can spread culture and moral values is video games. For example, in a role-playing game genre which makes the players act like it is their real life, they can grasp many valuable experiences. Therefore, this study aims to identify the moral values in a video game called Harvest Moon: Back to Nature. Harvest Moon: Back to Nature or HM BTN is a role-playing game in which the player acts as …

Generation Z’S Perception Of Javanese Oral Tradition Of Myth And Taboo Ora Ilok In Javanese Society, Tira Nur Fitria

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The various myth and taboos of ora ilok are familiar among several Javanese groups. The objective of this research is to understand generation Z’s perception of the Javanese myth and taboo ora ilok in Javanese society. This research employs the descriptive qualitative method, involving 76 respondents from various regions of Java such as Central Java, East Java, West Java, and the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The respondents were born between 1996 and 2005. Results show that the majority of respondents do not believe in the ora ilok myths. However, there is a different opinion from Generation Z. Some consider myths …

Embodiment Of Regional Cultural Resilience Through Preservation Of Traditions: A Study On The Tumpeng Sewu Tradition In Kemiren Village, Banyuwangi Regency, Agus Danugroho, Siti Murtinigsih, Paramitha Dyah Fitriasari

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This study aims to find out how the preservation of the Tumpeng Sewu Tradition in Kemiren Village, Banyuwangi Regency, has direct implications for regional cultural resilience. The preservation of the Tumpeng Sewu tradition in Kemiren Village, Banyuwangi Regency, is an interesting phenomenon because it has various impacts. In the midst of a global era that demands modernization, the preservation of traditions is very necessary so that they remain sustainable. However, it is also at risk of losing its local culture as a result of modernization. This is a descriptive qualitative study. The findings of this study suggest that the preservation …

How Covid-19 Affects Libraries In Mongolia, Tseren Ganbaatar Dr., Associate Professor, Narantuya Otgondoo, Zolboo Mashbat

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all spheres of the education industry, including libraries. The absence of emergency plans for unforeseen situations like COVID-19 disrupted regular operation and demanded the adoption of new operational protocols. The objectives of this paper are to examine the impact of COVID-19 on library operations, to identify the challenges encountered in libraries, to examine the changes in users’ service preference, and to reflect on the best practice for library operations in the future. To achieve these research objectives, both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. Surveys and interviews were conducted to understand changes …

Collection-Based Research On A Kampilan Sword In Jambi People’S Struggle Museum, Irsyad Leihitu, Ujang Hariadi

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This article discusses the kampilan sword in Jambi People’s Struggle Museum. Kampilan is a traditional weapon originating from the Philippines but has spread to several regions in Indonesia, including Jambi. The kampilan sword collection is often overlooked, and there is not much information regarding these objects, despite the museum’s primary function is research and communication. Therefore, we conducted a study of a collection of kampilan swords to explore information related to these objects, allowing the museum to utilize and develop them in the future. The research model was based on the material culture study, using the social life of things …

Brand Activism And Democratic Legitimacy: Exploring Pitfalls Through A Habermasian Analysis, Roxan Degeyter

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

Brand activism has emerged as a prominent practice among corporations, as they publicly take a stand on contentious socio-political issues such as gender inequality, climate change, or discrimination, often through advertising. While extensive research has been conducted on the impact of brand activism as a marketing tool, examining its effects on sales, brand image, consumer attitudes, and authenticity, only a limited number of studies have studied its influence on public debate and processes of democratic legitimation. The latter have portrayed brand activism as an empowering force for the supported social movements, the public sphere, and democratic legitimacy, largely ignoring the …

In An Animal’S Shoes: Facing Animal Suffering As A Difficulty Of Reality, Konstantin Deininger

Between the Species

This paper examines the challenges posed by confronting the topic of animal suffering in animal husbandry. The predominant positions within animal ethics mainly focus on the moral status of humans and animals, arguing that killing farm animals is morally wrong due to specifiable intrinsic properties that grant farm animals significant moral status. Such positions are derived from a detached perspective that advocates for rational consistency. This paper opposes this detached perspective. By drawing on Cora Diamond’s concept of a difficulty of reality, it contends that facing animal suffering, including changing one’s habits and attitudes towards this suffering, is instead best …

The New Old Logic Of Ai: A Review Of Mark Coeckelbergh’S The Political Philosophy Of Ai And Calvin Lawrence’S Hidden In White Sight, Steven Wandler

Critical Humanities

The New Old Logic of AI: A Review of Mark Coeckelbergh’s The Political Philosophy of AI and Calvin Lawrence’s Hidden in White Sight by Steven Wandler, St. Catherine University

Algorithmic Reason: Tobias Blanke Interviewed By Puspa Damai, Tobias Blanke, Puspa Damai

Critical Humanities

Algorithmic Reason: Tobias Blanke

interviewed by Puspa Damai

On Chatgpt And The Forces And Relations Of Production, Matthew Rellihan

Critical Humanities

ChatGPT and artificial intelligence more generally are transformative technologies capable of liberating humanity from the necessity of burdensome toil. Recent discussions have neglected this possibility because they suffer from the sorts of cognitive distortions catalogued by Marx and the Marxist tradition. Technology fetishism, understood on the model of commodity fetishism, occurs when the use and development allowed by a certain mode of production appear as intrinsic features of the technology itself. Naturalistic mystification occurs when the socially contingent use and development of these technologies is made to appear natural and therefore inevitable. To those suffering from either distortion, it will …

Llms And Crisis Epistemology: The Business Of Making Old Crises Seem New, Mich Ciurria

Critical Humanities

Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have set in motion a series of crises. These include disruptions to the labor force, education, and democracy. Some people believe that rich technocratic ‘saviors’ should solve these crises. Naomi Klein, however, argues that this is a neoliberal fantasy. Tech CEOs will not solve AI-related crises because they have a vested interest in perpetuating disaster capitalism and the social inequalities that keep wages low. Who, then, can solve the AI crisis? I submit that the answer is: oppressed groups with experiential and intergenerational knowledge of crises. To oppressed folks, technological crises are not new, …

Humanities In The Time Of Chatgpt And Other Forms Of Ai, Puspa Damai, Barbara Postema

Critical Humanities

Humanities in the time of ChatGPT and other forms of AI

Community Resilience And Creating Capacities For Risk Reduction In First Nations Communities, Case Study In Minegoziibe Anishinabe (Pine Creek First Nation), Brittany S. Lavallee

Capstone Collection

The colonization of Indigenous peoples in Canada has serious consequences on First Nations, including forced removal and displacement from their ancestral lands, environmental degradation, declining resources and capacities, and human rights violations. First Nations communities are currently facing the amplified effects of human-driven climate change. Sustainability of the environment is not just a concept, but a practiced way of life, that recognizes the interdependence of all living things. This deep respect for Aki (earth) is at the foundation of First Nations cultures and continues to guide their actions to insure better futures for Seven Generations. The community of Minegoziibe Anishinabe …

The Difference In Team-Based Clinical Practices Among Healthcare Professionals When Controlling Years Of Experience, Tonya Fuller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research has demonstrated that future examination of individual’s personal contextual factors concerning interprofessional collaboration is yet to be determined. This quantitative causal-comparative study analyzed the team-based practices of nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists. The primary examination of the study was to determine the differences among healthcare professionals’ interprofessional collaboration experiences by the Assessment Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS). The AITCS scoring system presents on a scale of 1-5 and measures three key collaborative practices: partnership, cooperation, and coordination. A total of 118 healthcare professionals, cutting across three professions: nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists, were involved in this study. The independent …