Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Returning To The Third Place: For Mental And Spiritual Well-Being, Angela M. Creason

Masters Theses

This study investigates the impact of Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) digital immersion and post-COVID lifestyle patterns on their interpersonal relationships. The literature shows that anxiety, continuous online connectivity, and pseudo-relationships developed through social media hinder their ability to form and maintain face-to-face connections. Using case studies, visual analyses, and research-grounded graphic design, the project examines how Gen Z utilizes coffee shops as a hybrid space for work and selective social interaction. The analysis shows that this generation is open to in-person engagement when environments feel convenient, low-pressure, and aligned with their values. These findings inform the development of Percolate, a …

From Concept To Creation: Writers Are The Builders Of Worlds, Rosalyn A. Fletcher

Masters Theses

This paper examines the disparity between the monumental success of the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise and the epic failure of its 2016 film adaptation, and how to avoid those missteps in the screenplay, The Chemist. The analysis argues that while Ubisoft masterfully integrated worldbuilding into every stage of the games' production – blending factual history with the high-concept lore of the Animus – the film faltered by treating these elements as mere set dressing. By prioritizing cinematic spectacle over narrative substance, the film alienated its core fanbase with jarring changes to established technology and a lack of meaningful character …

What Cannot Be Returned Witnessing Forgotten Wrongs Against Native Americans Through Narrative And Historical Memory, Haley Marie Cranman

Masters Theses

What Cannot Be Returned is a hybrid creative nonfiction thesis that examines forgotten and often minimized injustices committed against Native American communities throughout American history. Through a combination of historical research, witness literature, and fictionalized narrative, this project explores events including the California genocide, the Long Walk of the Navajo, Osage oil exploitation, Indian boarding schools, forced sterilization, the Sand Creek Massacre, the Trail of Tears, and Wounded Knee. The thesis argues that while these losses—land, language, family, identity, autonomy, and life—cannot be undone, they must be remembered with honesty and care. Grounded in archival records, government documents, survivor accounts, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Participation In Low-Threshold Choirs With The Lenses Of Flow Theory And Neuroscience, Jessie Mae Rajala Chapin

Masters Theses

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore participant perspectives on the multi-faceted benefits of participation in low-threshold choirs toward health and well-being as interpreted through the lenses of flow theory and neuroscience. The results of this study can inform the practice of choral directors to maximize the benefits of choral participation for the individuals they serve. The researcher interviewed twelve participants and analyzed data from thirty-two online survey respondents and two observations. Thematic analysis incorporated inductive coding of the data combined with deductive application of flow theory. Themes developed aligned with current research on the benefits of choral …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Clergywomen In In New York City, Rosa Queen-Allen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

In this century, there has been a notable escalation in the tally of African American women purporting the imperative in their lives to serve within the Black Church in clergy oversight positions. Despite overt inequities in clergy leadership regarding the percentage of males versus females, there is a dearth in the ministerial leadership literature concerning African American females. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of African American females in senior ministry in New York City. For this study, African-American clergywomen will be generally defined as African-American women who lead a church or are called/ordained …

Recovering Persuasion In A Post-Truth Classroom, Lydia James

Masters Theses

Modern composition pedagogy embraces pluralism and expressivism that in turn reduces persuasion to mere self-expression or genre performance rather than disciplined inquiry. This thesis argues that the historical shift in composition’s values has created a civic gap. Within this gap, students adopt either powerful or reluctant attitudes due to the lack of ethical responsibility attached to their agency. Surveying the negligence of classical definitions of persuasion in modern models, this research traces the collapse of ethical deliberation through the movements of expressivism, pluralism, and postmodern skepticism. While these movements intended to avoid the rigid dogma that existed over time, they …

Fanning The Flames: Incorporating Faith Into Fantasy, Rachel E. Noonan

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the integration of Christian themes into fantasy literature through critical analysis and original creative work. The critical component traces the tradition of Christian fantasy from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene to C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, arguing that faith achieves its greatest literary impact when woven organically into character and world-building rather than imposed upon the narrative. Contemporary novels by Shannon Dittemore and Chuck Black illustrate the dangers of didacticism and shallow characterization. The creative manuscript, Fanning the Flames, applies these principles through Kian Sai, a young conscript navigating an authoritarian military …

Elementary Music Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Class Size On Tonal And Phonemic Awareness In Second-Grade General Music Classes, Ariel A. Supinger

Masters Theses

The purpose of this non-experimental, quantitative study was to investigate elementary music teachers’ perceptions of the impact of class size on tonal and phonemic awareness in second-grade general music classes. The researcher-designed questionnaire was sent to elementary music teachers who teach second-grade general music in elementary schools within urban, suburban, and rural school districts.

Behind The Lines In The Balkans: U.S. Military, Intelligence, And Diplomatic Operations In Romania During World War Ii And The Early Cold War, Timothy W. Brophy

Masters Theses

U.S. involvement in Romania during World War II was significant. This involvement began with a U.S. Army Air Forces bombing campaign against the country’s oil refineries, which provided approximately 25% of Nazi Germany’s oil supply during the war. Initial bombing raids occurred in 1942 and 1943, but it was not until April 4, 1944, that the Fifteenth Air Force (15th AF) launched a sustained bombing campaign against Romania. By August 1944, the American bombing of Romania had successfully crippled Romanian oil production and export to Nazi Germany, paved the way for the Soviets to drive German forces out of Romania, …

Modern Visual Solutions For Established Brands: Making Graphic Design Accessible To Legacy Businesses, Emma R. Shanton

Masters Theses

Legacy businesses, often family-owned shops or companies that have been around for decades, have real history and loyal customers, but many look old-fashioned and struggle to attract new people today. Outdated logos, hard-to-read designs, and the habit of using ready-made templates or AI-generated images lead to branding that feels generic, turns customers away, excludes people with disabilities, and can even cause legal trouble.

This study asks a simple question: How can small, long-running businesses update their look in a way that is affordable, easy for everyone to use, legally safe, and still feels true to their story, without high costs, …

The Names We Carry, Christan Hickman

Masters Theses

The Names We Carry explores the weight of the labels and expectations we carry from others and sometimes from ourselves. It tells the story of moving from exhaustion, self-doubt, and trying to be everything for everyone to discovering rest, boundaries, and a sense of wholeness. The book looks at identities people have given us and asks whether these names show who we really are or who we had to become to survive. It is about learning to live fully, care for ourselves without guilt, and embrace authenticity in work, relationships, and faith. At its heart, The Names We Carry is …

Societal Sickness: An Exploration Of The Racially Biased Stereotypes Found Within American Historical Fiction Novels, Josephine Robbins

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the complicated nature of stereotypes in American historical fiction, particularly around black oppression and the Civil Rights Movement. The artist statement explores the personal and literary influences that led me to explore and further research this topic. The critical paper explores how historical fiction novels over the last few centuries have used black suffering as a vehicle to promote white moral development, causing a rise in the white savior character archetype. Finally, the creative manuscript, The White Washing, is a novel that develops African American characters morally and gives them a central role in their own story, …

Cinematic Biblical Translation: An Introduction To Narratological Screenwriting Through Genesis 38, Wesley Newman

Masters Theses

CBT draws from three areas of study: screenplay analysis, biblical narratology/narrative criticism, and screenplay adaptation to evaluate specific Hebrew narratives into a screenplay. Biblical narratology offers insight into the literary structure and narrative logic of ancient Hebrew storytelling, while contemporary screenwriting explains how narrative functions within modern audiovisual media. The marrying of these two fields creates a new methodology for translating biblical narratives into a form that remains faithful to the text while also being engaging on screen. This allows me to establish the guidelines necessary for crafting an accurate and compelling screenplay translation while also laying the foundation for …

Dialogue In Screenwriting: Developing The Character Through Conversation, Madalynn Ruth Shiderly

Masters Theses

The purpose of this document is to highlight the importance of dialogue in a screenplay, discuss specific examples of dialogue from well-known films, and analyze how words affect the characterization of a film’s protagonist. First, the document explains the importance of having strong characters in a story for it to be compelling enough for audiences to engage with it. Then, the question of whether character or plot is more important in a narrative is discussed. Finally, the document introduces the concept of dialogue in a screenplay, forming the argument that dialogue is just as important as plot structure. For this …

Man's Modern Need For God: A Literary Apologetic, Matthew G. Jones

Masters Theses

This thesis argues that modern man’s attempt to dispense with God inevitably results in psychological, moral, and existential collapse, a reality most powerfully revealed through the literary works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Leo Tolstoy. Before Nietzsche proclaimed the death of God and called humanity to transcend traditional morality through the rise of the Übermensch, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy had already responded, not merely with philosophical counterarguments, but with stories that exposed the devastating consequences of life divorced from the divine. Through literary apologetics, this thesis examines the broader cultural and spiritual conversation taking place between these nineteenth-century thinkers and …

Adam, The First Scientist: Unlocking The True Foundation Of Scientific Thinking, Thomas E. Lohman Jr.

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the complex relationship between scientific thought and theological perspectives, proposing that God breathing life into Adam symbolizes a full divine inspiration for both scientific and theological understanding. The perceived conflict between science and theology arises from a shift in human thinking at the fall, which altered humanity's ability to rightly grasp both realms. After this crucial event, science shifted to a more naturalistic approach, while theology often downplayed God's sovereign power over creation.

The alterations to the original functions and purposes of science and theology have led to a fragile relationship between the two. According to Scripture, …

From Christology To Ontology: A Diachronic And Exegetical Evaluation Of A Maximalist Sacramental Interpretation Of John 6:51–58, Andrew R. Johnson

Masters Theses

John 6:51–58 occupies a central place in the debate regarding the ontological nature of the Eucharist, frequently serving as a primary scriptural warrant for sacramental realism such as articulated by the Council of Trent as it concerns the dogma of transubstantiation within the Roman Catholic tradition. This thesis conducts both an evaluation of historical reception and a critical exegetical analysis to determine whether the Evangelist’s primary intent was to establish sacramental doctrine in this passage or to further develop already pervasive Johannine soteriological and christological themes.

Methodologically, this study bridges the gap between historical reception and synchronic exegesis. The first …

Refuting Ruscism: A Critique From Biblical Social Ontology, Paul Miles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that the ideology of Ruscism is incompatible with biblical Christianity on the basis of God’s design for the individual, the family, and the country. Indeed, the extent of incompatibility between these two worldviews renders any attempt to syncretize them a significant departure from biblical Christianity. God’s design for society is an absolute standard by which political ideologies may be evaluated, and these three societal units will suffice to demonstrate that Christians must reject Ruscism.

This dissertation will describe these three societal units—the individual, the family, and the country—as they are described in biblical Christianity and contrast their …

Crisis Of Command: Shaef, Strategy, And The War In Northwest Europe, Fall 1944, Josh Glover

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the strategic debates among the Supreme Allied Commander, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and his subordinate commanders, British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and U.S. Generals Omar Bradley and George Patton, in the fall of 1944. Most historians have focused specifically on the military campaigns throughout the fall of 1944, the commanders who executed them, and the missed opportunities and failures that occurred. The question left unanswered is why the Allies missed the opportunity to end the war in 1944. To answer this, I analyzed the numerous strategic debates among these four commanders and many others that took …

Winning Formula: The Life Of Colonel Edward R. Bradley, Lorraine Potter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Edward R. Bradley was a towering cultural icon of the early twentieth century. He is best known as the owner and breeder of four Kentucky Derby winning horses and as the owner and operator of the longest-running illegal casino in American history. However, Bradley's story has rarely been told, due to both his characteristic humility and the dubious nature of his profession. Bradley worked, lived, and invested in nearly every pivotal American region during the Progressive Era, plying his trade as a highly successful gambler, speculator, and horse breeder. Though his accomplishments were immense, his demeanor remained dignified, plainspoken, and …

From Tradition To Transformation: Cultural And Musical Inclusivity In Sda Worship Practices, Alicia Raquel Jones-Lumbuz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines worship inclusivity within multicultural Seventh-day Adventist congregations in the greater Houston, Texas, area, focusing on the experiences of migrants, first-generation Americans, and long-standing members. It highlights how their diverse cultural backgrounds, theological beliefs, and worship expectations shape congregational life. The study fills a gap in Adventist worship scholarship by exploring the lived experiences of worshippers in multicultural settings, particularly the perspectives of migrants whose attitudes toward worship are influenced by cultural heritage and traditional views of reverence. Data were collected through surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observations. Thematic analysis reveals eight interrelated themes, showing that …

Transformational Leadership And Its Impact On Cultural Identity, Musical Excellence, And Legacy In Select Historically Black College And University Marching Bands., Cortrell Le'jon Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research examined the role of transformational leadership in shaping cultural influence, musical excellence, and community engagement in Historically Black college and university (HBCU) marching bands, with a focus on Southern University’s Human Jukebox and its leadership legacy. The researcher investigated leadership styles of band directors from Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College, Baton Rouge, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Grambling State University, and Tennessee State University. The researcher examined transformational leadership styles in marching band directing and their influence on character development, culture, and musical excellence. Ten music majors and alumni, along with fifteen band directors provided their perspectives …

Covenantal Allegiance In The Epistle Of James: An Integrative Critical-Covenantal Interpretation, Lorpu Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that the Epistle of James presents faith as covenantal allegiance enacted through communal practices under social and theological pressure. While scholarship on James has frequently separated socio-historical analysis from theological interpretation, this study proposes an integrative reading through the Integrative Critical-Covenantal Method (ICCM). ICCM employs a three-step procedure comprising close textual analysis, text-triggered socio-historical diagnosis, and theological analysis, with integrated adjudication. The dissertation examines seven strategically selected “pressure texts” in James: 1:9–11; 1:27; 2:1–13; 2:14–26; 3:13–18; 4:1–10; and 5:1–6. These passages reveal how James addresses status competition, patronage expectations, economic vulnerability, partiality, rivalry, and injustice within diaspora …

Factors Influencing High School Band Enrollment For Eighth Grade Students In Ohio Small Town School Districts, Jon Steven Kauffman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many factors influence the choices of eighth-grade students as they decide whether to enroll in high school band. While musical ability and achievement can play a role in this decision, research suggests that social influences, such as peer relationships, a sense of belonging, and the band program's cultural environment, often have a greater impact on students' decisions. The Ohio Department of Education classifies school districts into four categories: Urban, Rural, Suburban, and Small-town. Although similar to other designations, small-town districts require a distinct label because of the unique mix of factors in these locations. They lack the population density of …

Social-Emotional Learning In A Middle School Band Program: A Qualitative Case Study, Edward J. Anthony Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Social-emotional learning (SEL) supports students’ development of interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, and responsible decision-making during adolescence. Although music education provides collaborative learning environments, limited research has examined how participation in middle school band programs contributes to students’ social-emotional development. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore how participation in a middle school band program contributes to the development of social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies among students. Through interviews, observations, and document analysis, this study seeks to understand how students and educators experience and perceive the social and emotional dimensions of ensemble participation within the middle school band setting. …

Ethnicity And Evangelism: Understanding The Crucial Role Of Ethnic, Social, And Cultural Factors In Proclaiming The Gospel, Bernardo Salcedo

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the pivotal role of ethnic and socio-cultural backgrounds in proclaiming and expanding the gospel to the nations during the early church's formative period. Building upon the theological foundation of God's overarching mission plan throughout Scripture, the research examines how these factors influenced the development of early Christian evangelism, particularly concerning the context of Jewish, Samaritan, and Gentile cultures. The study argues that the early church’s approach to spreading the gospel was profoundly influenced by the ethnic and cultural contexts of the people it encountered. Thus, the dissertation proposes that understanding these cultural dynamics is essential for a …

Given The Systematic Theological Analysis With A Practical Theological Target Of Creation Care, A Christian Worldview Provides Robust Reasons For Protecting And Promoting The Fecundity Of Non-Human Animals, Joshua Forystek

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

When a systematic theological analysis with a practical theological target of creation care is taken, a Christian worldview provides robust reasons for protecting and promoting the fecundity of non-human animals. This multifaceted approach brings cohesion and specificity into the area of Christian stewardship toward creation care.

The Problem Of Evil: Theodicy Of Afterlife, Christian C. Anyanwueze

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem of evil has remained a central issue in philosophical theology, prompting both ancient and contemporary scholars to propose various theodicies and defenses concerning the existence of evil in a world created by an omnipotent, omniscient, and wholly good God. While Plantinga’s Free Will Defense, Hick’s soul-making theodicy, and the Augustinian-Thomistic greater-good tradition offer significant contributions to the discussion, each faces important limitations. Plantinga’s model functions primarily as a logical defense and leaves unresolved questions concerning transworld depravity and eschatological fulfillment, while Hick’s instrumental use of evil as a means of soul-building has been criticized for potentially compromising divine …

Women In Ministry Leadership: Balancing Work, Personal Life, And Family Responsibilities, Coretta Shawn Thompson Siler

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Women in ministry leadership experience specific difficulties managing professional ministry, personal health, and family obligations (Frederick, T. V., Dunbar, S. B., & Hargrove, D. S., 2023). This paper focused on the specific struggles of women in ministry leadership, despite the numerous challenges women face across various fields. Its purpose was to examine the obstacles, interactions, and repercussions of these issues in faith-based groups and church leadership. The Dissertation-in-Praxis addressed these difficulties and offered a one-day workshop as a real-world solution. It aimed to educate women in leadership on biblical concepts, leadership styles, and methods for juggling their obligations. With servant …

A Brief Historical Survey Of The Use Of Traditional Hymnody In Select Baptist Churches In Texas, Christina N. King

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research set out to understand the past, present, and future value of hymnody in select Baptist churches in Texas. The research addresses the critical concerns in Baptist worship: the shift from traditional to contemporary music and the potential loss of theologically sound songs that have historically grounded the faith of believers. The primary purpose of this study is to discover the depth and breadth of hymn usage in worship and understand how hymnody is perceived to shape believers theological understanding and spiritual formation. This study was undertaken as a multi-site case study of five select churches, with five people …