Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Farm A Hippie Commune As A Countercultural Diaspora, Kevin Mercer

HIM 1990-2015

Counterculture history is often divided, with a focus on either the turbulent 1960s or the "back to the land" exodus of the 1970s. A study of Stephen Gaskin and his followers' founding of The Farm, a rural commune near Summertown, Tennessee, provides a unique insight into the commonalities and connections of these two periods. It will be the aim of this thesis to weave the separate narratives of this demographic into one complete idea. The idea that the hippies constituted a counterculture suggests that once that culture went into exile, onto numerous communes, they existed as a diaspora. The Farm's …

Embodied Abstraction In Cinema Virtual Prosthesis And Forests Of Light, Jon M. Perez

HIM 1990-2015

Our impressions of this lifeworld are contingent upon our ability to see (in every conflicting meaning of the word). This paper reviews a body of scholars who often share disparate, "incompatible" ontological commitments in effort to examine how their ordering of concepts may reveal a deeper fluidity and permeability between all states of inquiry, creation and investigation into Being and Time. It begins with perspective, examining our subjective presence in the context of the camera apparatus and considers how the mirroring of mechanical instrumentation, namely the rotary shutter and optics of the camera has limited the true function of the …

The Effect Of Music On Physiological Responses And Self-Perceived Mood, Robert-Christian Sanchez

HIM 1990-2015

Music is often studied in terms of its artistic value and expressiveness. While these are important characteristics, there are other observations we can make of scientific value, such as the effects of music on the human anatomy. At present, however, there is a general lack of scientific studies focusing on the effect music makes on specific physiological responses in the body. A limited range of these studies has included examinations of music preferences and correlating personality characteristics of participants, while some others have investigated the effects of music lessons on intelligence. While the previously mentioned research has contributed to some …

American Revolutionary Thinkers Unjust Wars, Limited Government And Natural Rights, Adam Spera

HIM 1990-2015

Historically unjust wars have never improved the standard of living for the American citizen and have served to suppress the inherent natural rights of the human beings involved. In conclusion, I combine contemporary and historical arguments to highlight the continuing stream of injustice that exists in American foreign policy.; The conceptual bases of this thesis include the philosophical constructs of Just War Theory, limited government, and natural rights as applied to foreign policy. Just War Theory was originally articulated by St. Augustine and represents the requirements a nation must satisfy to wage war justly. Building upon the basis of Just …

Resurrecting Inanna: Lament, Gender, Transgression, Kimberly Torres

HIM 1990-2015

This essay, which is at once a literary critical examination and a theological exploration of the Hebraic scriptural book of Lamentations in relation to ancient Sumerian lament, employs a mixed critical approach (e.g., form, feminist, postmodern, reader response), to address various lyrical, contextual, and thematic elements common to both the biblical Lamentations and the older Sumerian compositions. Specific focus is given to issues of gender and gender-malleability, as well as the notion of "transgression" and the various meanings that may be attached to this word in various contexts, theological or otherwise. Also addressed is the means by which the lament …

The Pastel Medium Communicating Sexuality And Promiscuity In Late Nineteenth-Century Paris, Adee S. Benartzy

HIM 1990-2015

Throughout the history of art, the pastel medium has been considered a medium of secondary interest. Despite its pulsating textures, vibrant colors, and unique receptivity to touch, this medium has been recognized above all for its swiftness in stroke and subsequent ability of the artist to record images of fleeting moments and ideas almost instantaneously. The focus on the advantageous rapidity of the pastel, however, hindered the pastel medium's potential as a mere preliminary technique to working with grander mediums, such as oil paint, thus failing to recognize the prominence of pastel in capturing character. This research endeavor focuses on …

The Mayor And Early Lollard Dissemination, Angel Gomez

HIM 1990-2015

During the fourteenth century in England there began a movement referred to as Lollardy. Throughout history, Lollardy has been viewed as a precursor to the Protestant Reformation. There has been a long ongoing debate among scholars trying to identify the extent of Lollard beliefs among the English. Attempting to identify who was a Lollard has often led historians to look at the trial records of those accused of being Lollards. One aspect overlooked in these studies is the role civic authorities, like the mayor of a town, played in the heresy trials of suspected Lollards. Contrary to existing beliefs that …

The Nature Of Love A Phenomenological Approach, Samantha Schroeder

HIM 1990-2015

As I hope to show, a philosophical study of love is highly relevant today, since the sciences have not adequately answered the perennial question: What is love?; Since the time of Socrates, the idea of love and the conception of the human heart have been devalued by thinkers who, by definition, are known as "lovers of wisdom." Considered pejoratively as "the passions," the subject of emotion was deemed inferior to thought centered upon the human faculty of reason. Many studies in the sciences, from biology to psychology, claim to have pointed us to the source of the human experience of …

And It's Also The Smell Of Laundry, Rachel Miranda

HIM 1990-2015

This collection of poems brings to life the idea that in a poet's world, every day life and every single occurrence is a possible subject. Included are works brought on from the worst of circumstances, the youngest of memories, the happiest moments, and even the simplest of thoughts. The collection is autobiographical and reflective, a re-creation of the events taken place with the addition of present knowledge. The work here gives proof to the idea of cohesion between content and art form--it proves the notion that how something is being said is just as, if not more, important than what …

A Crimson Trail, Caitlin Mcgill

HIM 1990-2015

Willing to overstep literary conventions in order to ensure that meaning and purpose reign over structure, cross-genre writing works to push boundaries of genre and tear down the walls of limitation. This cross-genre thesis aims to test literary restrictions of structure and style and, as literary endeavors often do, to rattle our existence. In this thesis, nonfiction and fiction work together to drive meaning to the surface of the page, meaning that is universal in the individual stories as well as in the human experience. Although some characters are fictional and some real, they often intersect, their journeys and discoveries …

Samphire A Novella, Hillary Casavant

HIM 1990-2015

Engulfed by the tumultuous 1960s, seventeen-year-old Katherine Dayes conceals her pregnancy from the conservative seaside community of Samphire, her hometown. The novella traces a year in Katherine's life, from her summer of love through a winter stained by blood and moonlight. Throughout the story, Katherine endures the push and pull of a culture torn between tradition, represented by community leader Margaret Blythe, and modernism, embodied by the free spirit Evelyn Partridge. Inspired by the life of an actual eighteenth-century woman, Samphire explores the complexities of the 1960s feminist movement. Using vivid imagery of natural elements, it examines opposing views of …

Towards The Finite A Case Against Infinity In Jorge Luis Borges, Esteban Santis

HIM 1990-2015

The role of infinity as an antagonist in Jorge Luis Borges's oeuvre is undeniable. His stories in El jardi­n de senderos que se bifurcan (1941), Ficciones (1944), and El Aleph (1949) exhibit Borges's tendency to evoke dreams, labyrinths, mirrors, and libraries as both conduits for infinity and sources of conflict. Oftentimes, Borges's characters experience discomfort upon encountering the limitations of secular temporal succession. This discomfort is rooted in Borges's pessimism about the subject which is explored in Borges's most comprehensive essay on the issue of time: "A New Refutation of Time." Consequently, this thesis considers Borges's attitude towards the issue …

Summitt, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

From across the nation, from the world of basketball and the world of sport, the reaction to Pat Summitt relinquishing her position as head basketball coach at the University of Tennessee has been overwhelming in praise, admiration, and volume. Those who played for Summitt talked of the tremendous impact that she had on their lives, praising her as a coach and human being, often referring to her as a mother-figure. Those who knew her in other capacities talked about her strength in the face of adversity. This quality distinguished Pat Summitt throughout her career and not just in the past …

Ucf Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter Spring 2012, Megan M. Haught

UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter

This is the Spring 2012 edition of the UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay Newsletter which celebrates the accomplishments and community activity of the faculty, staff, and students from the University of Central Florida Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses.

• Palm Bay Psychology students placed at the UCF Showcase of Undergraduate Research
• Brevard Community College was presented with the University of Central Florida Partnership Award for their joint effort with WUCF, region’s primary public broadcasting channel
• Al Davis, Business Services Office Manager, was recognized as the UCF April Employee of the Month
• 21 faculty and staff members attended the Diversity Certificate Series …

Marchmad, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

For the past six weeks if you were around anything even vaguely connected with college sport, you were subjected to repeated references to “March Madness.” The only phrase that even remotely approaches “March Madness” in frequency of use is “student athlete.” If you prefer hyperbole over hypocrisy then, no doubt, you prefer “March Madness” over “student athlete.”

Bounties, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The shocking news out of the NFL this past week was that football is a violent game and that violence is encouraged by coaches. I suspect most American boys learned this basic truth about football when they were six or seven years old.

Braun, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

From the time the story was leaked in early December, I had a feeling that Ryan Braun was going to be the first player to successfully appeal a positive drug test. I based this on two notions. First, someone sometime was going to be the victim of a false positive or some breach in the security of the urine sample. Second, I had a difficult time believing that someone of Braun’s obvious talent and public image, who did not exhibit a huge jump in his offensive numbers, was taking performance enhancing drugs. In most of the power categories (doubles, triples, …

Bcs, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The Alabama Crimson Tide football team is now officially the BCS National Field Goal Champion. This was achieved despite the fact that the Tide did score a touchdown in the waning moments of the game and then watched their kicker miss the extra point. The Alabama coach, Nick Saban, must have been quite proud of this achievement, as it obliterated the loss to LSU in the Field Goal contest of November to determine which team was number one in the nation at that point in the season.

Simulations For Financial Literacy, Angela Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Financially literate consumers are empowered with the knowledge and skills necessary to make sound financial decisions that ensure their long-term economic well-being. Within the context of the range of cognitive, psychological, and social factors that influence consumer behavior, simulations enhance financial literacy by developing consumers’ mental models for decision-making. Technical communicators leverage plain language and visual language techniques to communicate complex financial concepts in ways that consumers can relate to and understand. Simulations for financial education and decision support illustrate abstract financial concepts, provide a means of safe experimentation, and allow consumers to make informed choices based on a longitudinal …

Exiled As The Ship Itself: Liminality And Transnational Identity In Malcolm Lowry's Ultramarine, Under The Volcano, And Dark As The Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid, Spencer Tricker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The themes of empire, nationality, and self-imposed exile constitute underexplored topics in critical discussions of modernist author Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957). Until recently, most academic studies have approached his work from biographical, mythological, and psychoanalytic perspectives. While a few studies have performed historical readings of his novels, such investigations tend, primarily, to focus on his engagement with western literary and theoretical movements of the early twentieth century. Of the few studies that address the cross-cultural reach of his novels, most are limited to discussions of Mexican history and traditions, thus prioritizing a specific geographical region when they might, instead, illuminate the …

Please Don't Interrupt Me While I'M Ignoring You, Sherard Harrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A collection of short stories and personal essays, Please Don’t Interrupt Me While I’m Ignoring You weaves a lamé of humor and private desperation on the page. An actor in one story craves career gratification, while a United Nations coordinator in another finds herself attracted to a nervous NGO. A housewife attempts to convince her husband to commit an infidelity, while an architect finds that his new pet companion isn’t helping him to get over his ex-girlfriend. Having a difficult time relating, these characters often find themselves stuck in a miscommunication loop, and their journey to get what they want …

The Gender Gap In Technical Communication: How Women Challenge The Predominant Objectivist Paradigm, Nathan Bower

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women are currently underrepresented in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how this underrepresentation translates to a gender gap in the field of technical communication and how this gap causes women to challenge the predominant objectivist paradigm in the field. Through an investigation of peer-reviewed journal articles, periodicals, critical theory, and articles published in online magazines such as Slate, I identify the gendered nature of modern technology and discuss to what extent a shift in the predominant paradigm has occurred in the professional arena. In looking at several theoretical approaches …

Evidence Of Lives, John Cummings

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evidence of Lives is a novel that deals with themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families. The book opens with the main character, forty-two-year-old Mark Barr, who has returned home from New York to West Virginia after eleven years for his older brother Steve’s funeral. Steve, having died of a heart attack at forty-six, was mentally ill most of his adult life, though Mark has always questioned what was “mentally ill” and what was the result of their father’s verbal and physical abuse during their childhood. When Mark discovers that there is to be no funeral, but a …

Technology Implementation In K-12 Schools: A Research Study Of Perceptions And Practice, Kaitlin Martinez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, even though 97% of classrooms have at least one instructional computer available, only 40% of teachers in public schools (including elementary and secondary) report using computers in the classroom often. My project aims to illustrate the barriers that are keeping K-12 teachers from integrating technology in their classrooms, such as the lack of availability for training, teacher’s lack of knowledge or schooling, or a lack of IT support. It also discusses possible solutions to the problem, such as teacher training and better resources. By assessing the Level of Technology Integration, or LoTi, …

Stuffmobile: A Novella, Ted Greenberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The leitmotif of Stuffmobile, a modern day Florida-based novella, is that of relational healing: a son with his father, ex-lovers with one another, and, even more challenging perhaps, a son making peace with his dead mother. New beginnings are explored, both as resurrection of long dead feelings and as starting afresh after loss. A husband finds distraction in a covert project after his wife’s death, so much so that his preoccupied isolation worries his two adult children. The son comes to investigate, and his malfunctioning car leads to a reunion and the beginnings of reconciliation. Hours later, an accident nearly …

Maria De Zayas: Lo Paradojico De Una Escritora Del Siglo De Oro Espanol, Nancy Vinces

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a study about María de Zayas y Sotomayor, a seventeenth century Spanish writer who has slowly but surely started to become one of the most read and researched female writers of her time among current scholars. Zayas’s work is that of a baroque writer and as such her critics are notorious for having divergent views about her work. The purpose of this study is to discern the reason behind the controversy that exists about her narrative. The present study is an attempt to elucidate the ambiguity around the feminist views Zayas has been adjudicated. Taking into consideration her …

Aliterate College Students: A Neglect Of Reading Or A New Type Of Literacy?, Crystal Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the literacy practices of college students in order to determine whether their reading habits are likely to detract from their future professions. Based on reports that many college students and individuals in general do not read regularly, this study examines numerous studies that focus on the reading habits of students and their attitudes toward reading. Findings show that a considerable number of students do not practice what many educators consider to be “good” reading habits; that is, they do not read approved print literature and texts regularly. This study also introduces the idea that perhaps students are …

Evaluating Teaching Grammar In Specific Constraints Of Context: A Pilot Study In The Developmental Writing Program At Seminole State College, Joshua Roney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a supplemental Active Learning intervention that was administered with grammar workbook software in remedial-level composition classrooms at Seminole State College. The study analyzed student response data in a pre-test and post-test instrument in four classrooms; two followed standard methods while two incorporated the additional experimental intervention. The groups are identified in this study as either “Standard” or “Experimental,” according to the method administered in the classroom. The intervention was designed based on five grammar topic areas which correspond with content assessed in the pre-test and post-test. The Active Learning method required students to …

The Fabricated Shopping Experience: An Impersonal Impression On Consumerism, Sherri Nienass

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I have a compulsion to document my surroundings. I do this in all forms possible; through a picture text-message, a point-and-shoot camera, or through a high end camera. Like most women in contemporary society, I feel an expectation to be gorgeous. While I do not feel this pressure directly from my boyfriend or close friends, I am constantly surrounded by advertisements for beauty products enforcing the importance of being attractive. My current occupation as a cosmetic counter makeup artist relies on convincing women to enhance their appearance. I am fascinated by how easily I can persuade clients to purchase unnecessary …

Behind The Mask Of Time: Memory And Loss As Evolutionary Forces Upon Memory, Tommy Bartolillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For the past decade, I've been developing a body of work based on the concept of time, in all of its various forms. My medium varies, but my work maintains its steady, overarching philosophies and core aesthetics. The ideas of entropy, growth, decay, evolution, arrested development, fragmented memories, and fugue states; all are considered through a personal filter that borders upon the dark and macabre.