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Apocalypse Across Contexts: Reactions To Sudden, Unwanted, And Comprehensive Change, Patrick Morrison Jun 2022

Apocalypse Across Contexts: Reactions To Sudden, Unwanted, And Comprehensive Change, Patrick Morrison

Honors Theses

For much of human history, people have maintained a fascination with the end of the world. The apocalypse refers to the final moment in human history, with apocalyptic thought focusing on questions of how and when this will occur. The apocalypse is among the most durable transhistorical phenomena, adapting to changes in technology, social structure, and theology. Apocalyptic thought often arises from conditions of “relative deprivation,” where subjugated members of society envision the apocalypse as deliverance from their present hardship. The Biblical works of Daniel and Revelation, among other notable apocalypses, fueled the anxieties and imaginations of Europeans during the …


Ethnicity And “Women Religious”: How Irish-American And Other Ethnic Nuns Were Presented In American Newspapers From 1865 To 1915, Lydia Hursh Jun 2021

Ethnicity And “Women Religious”: How Irish-American And Other Ethnic Nuns Were Presented In American Newspapers From 1865 To 1915, Lydia Hursh

Honors Theses

While Catholicism in America has had a turbulent history of mixed rejection and acceptance, the American Catholic Church prior to World War One was not considered a monolithic institution by the American clergy or in certain contexts by the American press. Women religious, such as nuns, were considered unnatural and malevolent at the worst, although this characterization in popular opinion declined after the Civil War, to unusual but benevolent at the best. Moreover, ethnicity was a determining factor among male authors for where on the sliding-scale of social alienation a nun or her convent might fall, although the degree of …


Combatting Human Extinction: Biblical Archetypes And Environmental Apocalypse In Contemporary Dystopian Fiction, Elizabeth Hurley Jun 2017

Combatting Human Extinction: Biblical Archetypes And Environmental Apocalypse In Contemporary Dystopian Fiction, Elizabeth Hurley

Honors Theses

This project examines through recreations of Biblical archetypes the cause and effect of environmental apocalypse and potential human extinction in contemporary dystopian novels. The goal of this thesis is, in part, to argue that near-future dystopian fiction is speculative, since the fictional reasons behind the downfall are akin to Anthropocenic (that is, pertaining to the age of the Anthropocene, the contemporary world where humans have severely altered the Earth) environmental and ecological concerns. In examining The Year of the Flood (2009) by Margaret Atwood, Parable of the Sower (1994) by Octavia Butler, and The Maze Runner (2009) by James Dashner, …


Une Analyse Des Réponses À La Montée De L’Islam Radical En France, Austin Bannister Jun 2016

Une Analyse Des Réponses À La Montée De L’Islam Radical En France, Austin Bannister

Honors Theses

My study begins with a close look at the Parisian “banlieue” and popular imagery associated with it. When the large wave of immigrants came to France in the 1950’s, they were very poor and settled in the outskirts of Paris. Today, even some sixty years later, this “banlieue” is roughly synonymous with “slums” or “shantytowns” and is associated with criminal activity, very poor inhabitants, and violence. A distinction between beautiful Paris and the rundown banlieue is defined not only by the appearance of their respective buildings, but by the lives of their inhabitants as well. There is a clear social …


Constructing A Narrative Of Irish Republicanism 1913 - 1921, Christopher Graff Jun 2016

Constructing A Narrative Of Irish Republicanism 1913 - 1921, Christopher Graff

Honors Theses

The Easter Rising of 1916 and subsequent Anglo-Irish War were two seminal events in contemporary Irish history, and are especially pertinent as the 100th anniversary of the Rising approaches this year. In this thesis, I examine the underlying causes of the Easter Rising, specifically the growing influence of the Irish Republican Brotherhood and an increase in Irish Nationalism. I then trace the planning, preparation, and execution of the Easter Rising, which was not a popular uprising, but rather an armed insurrection led by a small group of militarized radicals. I also analyze the political, social, and economic consequences of the …


Unveiling Laïcité: Secularism Algerian Muslims And The Headscarf Affair In Modern France, Coleen Nugent Jun 2016

Unveiling Laïcité: Secularism Algerian Muslims And The Headscarf Affair In Modern France, Coleen Nugent

Honors Theses

The historical relationship between the French state and its form of secularism, laïcité, and the French Muslim population is fraught with conflict, misunderstanding, and ambivalence. Laïcité, is a form of secularism unique to France, thus why it refuses to be translated from its native French. France also has a unique colonial relationship with Algeria, which was considered an integral part of France during France's colonial empire. Both the history of laïcité and the history of this colonial relationship help to explain the modern relationship between laïcité and the French Muslim population. In order to analyze this conflict, the "Head Scarf …


Ecumenical Trends: Three Forms Of Ecumenism Within Christianity, Peter Donnelly Jun 2014

Ecumenical Trends: Three Forms Of Ecumenism Within Christianity, Peter Donnelly

Honors Theses

This paper broadly discusses the concept of ecumenism based off of my personal experiences as a Christian and a series of interviews that were conducted. To understand ecumenism, I introduce ecumenism in relation to other concerns of a congregation and detail its historical and biblical groundings. I also introduce a framework by which to understand faith, and draw on this to make sense of the different ecumenical trends that I noticed within Christianity. These three trends are the governmental faith and order ecumenism, the service-oriented life and action ecumenism and the more exclusive biblical ecumenism. I conclude by speculating on …


Japan And The Ancient Western Classics: The Role Of Divine Intervention In Greek Roman And Japanese Literature, Christian Garcia Jun 2014

Japan And The Ancient Western Classics: The Role Of Divine Intervention In Greek Roman And Japanese Literature, Christian Garcia

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the reasons for divine intervention in Greek, Roman, and Japanese literature and how it impacts the cultures and traditions of ancient Greece,Rome, and Japan. In the first chapter, I discuss the main motivations of divine intervention in human affairs in Homer’s Iliad. In the second chapter, I examine the lack of divine intervention in Lucan’s Bellum Civile and the changing attitudes toward the role of divinities. In the third chapter, I examine divine intervention in both the ancient mythology and contemporary folklore of Japan, and ask whether or not we can find its impact on traditional values …


Happiness And Anxiety As A Function Of Gender And Religiosity, Kara Kaufman Jun 2014

Happiness And Anxiety As A Function Of Gender And Religiosity, Kara Kaufman

Honors Theses

The current research intended to extend upon previous research on the relationship between happiness and religiosity by looking at the role gender plays in this relationship. It was hypothesized that while there would be a positive correlation between religiosity and happiness in both genders, the correlation would be stronger for women. The study also aimed to test if different aspects of religion mediate this relationship for men and women. It was hypothesized that for women, the aspects of religion that would be most closely related to increased happiness and decreased anxiety would be aspects that allow for a sense of …


Why Are We So Interested In Buddhism?, Victoria Leach Jun 2013

Why Are We So Interested In Buddhism?, Victoria Leach

Honors Theses

Buddhism in American mainstream society and an identification of the categories of the New American Buddhist. The introduction is a critical look at the type of Buddhist practitioner including demographics and their personal history that introduced them to the Buddhist tradition, discovered by previous researchers. This also takes into account Buddhism in popular culture. Then to continue that research I employed my own methods, influenced greatly by phenomenology, to go out into the field to conduct my own qualitative study on local Buddhist groups to see if my experience corresponds to previous research. I collected data on demographics, religious history, …


You Saw You See: Wrestling With And Learning To Trust God Through 1st And 2nd Samuel A Collection Of Poems, Paul Stack Jun 2013

You Saw You See: Wrestling With And Learning To Trust God Through 1st And 2nd Samuel A Collection Of Poems, Paul Stack

Honors Theses

This collection of poems reflects my engagement with the stories and themes in 1st and 2nd Samuel, including forgiveness, God’s will and promises, sin, relationship between man and God, and transformation (I also respond to Psalm 51, in which David responds to events in 2nd Samuel). My engagement involves reinterpretation of Biblical passages, connections to modern contexts and personal stories, and getting inside the stories and moments of Biblical characters such as Samuel, Hannah, Saul and David. Other modern poets doing similar work, like Mark Jarman and John Berryman, explore similar themes but do not focus on 1st and 2nd …


More Catholic Than The Pope: An Analysis Of Polish Devotion To The Catholic Church Under Communism, Kathryn Burns Jun 2013

More Catholic Than The Pope: An Analysis Of Polish Devotion To The Catholic Church Under Communism, Kathryn Burns

Honors Theses

Poland is home to arguably the most loyal and devout Catholics in Europe. A brief examination of the country’s history indicates that Polish society has been subjected to a variety of politically, religiously, and socially oppressive forces that have continually tested the strength of allegiance to the Catholic Church. Through the partition period, the Nazi and Soviet invasions during World War II, and the institution of communist power following the close of World War II, the Polish people met religious hostility that threatened to permanently sever Polish faith to the Catholic Church. However, despite attempts to break Polish allegiance to …


Different Branches Of The Same Tree: A Comparative Analysis Of Sunni And Shia Theological Disparities And Their Implications For Democracy And Democratization, Alexander Porter Jun 2012

Different Branches Of The Same Tree: A Comparative Analysis Of Sunni And Shia Theological Disparities And Their Implications For Democracy And Democratization, Alexander Porter

Honors Theses

This thesis initially examines the historical roots of the Sunni and Shia split and discusses how the different theological and governmental values that emerged out of the divide have the potential to change how each sect approaches ruling, hierarchy, and government. It then traces the development of these theological differences into their solidification in modern‐day usage by the two branches, and provides real world examples of how the history of the Sunni/Shia split both has and has not become realized in today’s world. Finally, this thesis discusses the democratic proclivity of each specific relevant theological difference.


Les Catholiques Et Les Huguenots Au Seizième Siècle En France: Un Conflit De Religion Ou Une Lutte Pour Le Pouvoir?, Olga M. Borodulina Jun 2011

Les Catholiques Et Les Huguenots Au Seizième Siècle En France: Un Conflit De Religion Ou Une Lutte Pour Le Pouvoir?, Olga M. Borodulina

Honors Theses

Although the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew and the French Wars of Religion are well-known historical events, there remain some mysteries as what led to such violent tensions between fellow French people. Were religious differences to blame, or was the bloodshed caused by the political intrigues of nobles like Catherine de Medici? Perhaps the economic climate of the age added to the discontent of the common people and the Huguenots were a convenient scapegoat? Then again, it might have been all of those factors and more than led to decades if not centuries of tension in France. This thesis explores the …


Governing Religion: A Study Of Religions Function Across Three Distinctly Different Societies, Sky Kochenour Jun 2011

Governing Religion: A Study Of Religions Function Across Three Distinctly Different Societies, Sky Kochenour

Honors Theses

Religion’s place in political order is a controversial subject. How does the function of religion compare to that of political order? Can it support a society in the same way? My research attempts to answer these questions by investigating three distinct time periods and cultures. I first examine the primitive people of the Azande tribe in Africa, an example of a society based mainly on religion. My research then turns to the fifth and sixth century Greeks, a society in flux, attempting to hold on to religion in the throes of a logical revolution. Finally, I turn to America to …


The Impacts Of Terror Management And Self-Monitoring On Religiosity, Caitlin M. Silvia Jun 2011

The Impacts Of Terror Management And Self-Monitoring On Religiosity, Caitlin M. Silvia

Honors Theses

Previous research has shown that the cultural worldview a person holds has an impact on his or her attitudes and behaviors throughout life. Terror management theory posits that this worldview functions as a cultural anxiety-buffer from the overwhelming anxiety and terror that results from a person becoming aware of his or her own mortality. In particular, terror management theory suggests that there is a master motive behind religion, and that when placed in a mortality salience condition, a person’s beliefs and worldview will strengthen. Another personality variable that requires a strong worldview or framework is self-monitoring, which allows a person …


The Role Of Religious Orientation And Religious Emphasis On God Attributions, Rebecca S. Hoffenberg Jun 2011

The Role Of Religious Orientation And Religious Emphasis On God Attributions, Rebecca S. Hoffenberg

Honors Theses

Religion exists as one of the greatest driving forces for a person’s political beliefs and overall outlook on life. In an attempt to understand such a complex phenomenon, researchers have examined factors that influence a person’s likelihood of acquiring religious beliefs. Past research has suggested a relation to religious emphasis in the home and future religious tendencies. This present study examined the role of acquisition of religious beliefs (via religious emphasis in one’s childhood home) and religious orientation on a person’s likelihood of making god attributions. It was hypothesized that religious emphasis and intrinsic religiosity would increase a person’s likelihood …