Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Diabetes Prevention Program: Exploring Spirituality And Spiritual Interventions On Outcomes, Sharon E. Plutko Long

Dissertations

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore a relationship between a modified Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) for adults with pre-diabetes (pre-DM) or type-2 DM with variables of spirituality and religiosity (S/R) to illuminate the potential religion-health connection based in changes in participant weight, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity. A secondary purpose is identifying spiritual interventions used by faith-based DPP coaches in a group setting.

Methods

A mixed-methods study was conducted with 34 DPP participants and 11 DPP coaches who completed the core section (weeks 1-26) of DPP courses held in Macomb Country, Michigan. Independent variables are …

Stifling The Subversive Swing: An Austrian Perspective On The Nazi Jazz Ban, Colin J. Rensch

Masters Theses

This research investigates the rationale behind the Nazis’ suppression of jazz music during the Second World War. Existing scholarship explains the circumstances surrounding this suppression, but it does not explore why the Nazis did not completely eradicate jazz. The goal of this research is to reveal which aspects of jazz the Nazis particularly disdained and why they allowed this music to continue while they so vehemently suppressed other forms of art that they deemed undesirable.

In order for the arguments to be viewed in their proper context, the thesis first discusses the rise of jazz in Austria and the Austrian …

A Survey Of Perceptions And Professional Boundaries Between Music Therapy And Speech-Language Pathology, Jennifer Rose Fromius

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between music therapists and speech-language pathologists in order to gain a better understanding of professional boundaries within each profession, frequency of co-treatment between the two professions, and perceptions of referral in clinical practice. Data for this research were collected through two online questionnaires with parallel sets of questions, which were distributed to a sample of boardcertified music therapists (MT-BC) and speech-language pathologists (CCC-SLP). Quantitative and qualitative data collected from the survey (N= 283; n = 45 MT-BC, n = 238 CCC-SLP) are analyzed to determine if there are correlations and …

Confidential Publics: Digital Reconciliation And Queer Muslim Identities, Mariam Mustafa

Masters Theses

In this paper, I trouble constructions of community through exploring temporal spatial configurations of support for queer-identified Muslims living in America. I assert that when community is not something one can physically access, use of the internet to create temporary spaces of community is critical in assessing identity reconciliation between intersectional conflicting identity. As it relates to queer Muslims, where there is a distinct lack of public community, the level of crisis some individuals face is explored through their use of online vehicles to establish social support systems that would otherwise not be available. My paper provides a framework in …

Punks In The Church: The Relationship Between The Punk Subculture And Church In East Germany, Ruth A. Aardsma Benton

Masters Theses

A punk subculture emerged in East Germany during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was an expression of their disillusionment with life, their frustrations with the government, and their pessimistic view of a future that seemed pre-planned. The subculture refused to conform, disengaged from the established system, and expressed their views through song lyrics and other acts of defiance. In the eyes of the state, punks were a threat. The subculture turned to the East German Protestant churches for shelter. The churches occupied a unique place within East German society because the government had granted the churches limited free …

Further Exploration Into The Coma Recovery Scale - Revised And The Music Therapy Assessment Tool For Awareness In Disorders Of Consciousness, Alika D. Seu

Masters Theses

Due to the high rate of misdiagnosis of individuals with disorders of consciousness (DOC) it has been a priority to develop clinical tools to accurately diagnose and assess these individuals (Seel et al., 2010). The Coma Recovery Scale – Revised has been regarded as the gold standard assessment for this population, however, a recent pilot study has shown that the Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Awareness in Disorders of Consciousness (MATADOC) may have increased sensitivity in several assessment domains (auditory, visual, arousal, and verbal commands) in relation to the overall diagnostic outcome. The data sets from this pilot study were …

A Study Of The Effect Of Socio-Cultural Demographics, Health Status, And Use Of Music On Music Preferences, Kaitlin Mckinley

Masters Theses

There have been varying studies seeking to find links between a wide range of individuals’ personality, gender, age, or well-being on one’s musical preferences. These studies have brief suggestions of some characteristics, however, the amount of studies are scarce and have limited results to show substantial influence of specific demographics on music preferences. The present study aimed to explore possible similarities between one’s music preferences and the sociocultural background, their use of music in daily life, and their health status. 173 respondents participated in a brief online survey which consisted of rating seven music samples and then followed by 12 …

Professional Preparedness: A Satisfaction Survey For Music Therapists In The United States, Xueyan Hua

Masters Theses

This study investigates the satisfaction level among undergraduate or equivalency students, who have completed their degree program, in regards to their professional education and preparedness for professional practice in the United States. Out of a sample of 7,183 Board- Certified Music Therapists (MT-BC) invited to complete an online research survey, 777 (n=777) MT-BCs completed the survey. Due to time limitations, qualitative data was not analyzed.

Major findings include: (1) 8.79% of respondents completed no more than two preinternship clinical practica; (2) 88.46% of respondents were satisfied with their clinical practicum settings; (3) 92.72% of respondents were satisfied with the relevancy …

The Sunlight Cycle, Michael Flynn

Masters Theses

The Sunlight Cycle is a work in four movements which evokes certain time periods within a 24-hour day. In order of number, the movements are meant to represent dawn, daytime, twilight, and night, respectively. Each movement transitions seamlessly into the next, with Mvt. 4, “Nocturnal,” transitioning back to the beginning of Mvt. 1, “Matutinal”. This cyclical nature allows for a performance of the cycle to begin with any of the four movements. Theoretically, the work can repeat indefinitely.

Musically, the work develops in three main areas: harmony, rhythm, and timbre. Harmonically, the work is tonal, featuring extended and altered triadic …

Effect Of Social Feedback On Emotions And Preferences In Music, Megan Dillon

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research project was to investigate whether social feedback had an effect on individuals’ emotional ratings of and preferences in music. The current study recruited 173 participants and was based on a study by Egermann, Grewe, Kopiez, and Altenmüller (2009a) that surveyed individuals on their reactions to music when presented with falsified social feedback. The research hypothesis was that participants who were exposed to manipulated social feedback would report emotional ratings and preferences more closely aligned with the social feedback than when not exposed to the feedback. Results showed significant differences in participants’ reported ratings of music …

A Collection Of Three Pieces For Solo Instrument And Electronics, Carolyn Borcherding

Masters Theses

This collection of three musical compositions for solo instruments and electronics explores the interaction between acoustic instruments and electronic media with a specific focus on musical form. The musical form is apparent due to clear musical segmentations, and the coherence of each work is maintained by the inter-contextual relationships evident in the musical material. Each piece is divided into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. Each beginning sets up a strong relationship between the two media by using closely timed action-reaction gestures. The middle section diverges away from these reactionary gestures, while the ending then brings about a short return …

Spenser’S Narrative Figuration Of Women In The Faerie Queene, Judith H. Anderson

Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture

Concentrating on major figures of women in The Faerie Queene, together with the figures constellated around them, Anderson's Narrative Figuration explores the contribution of Spenser's epic romance to an appreciation of women's plights and possibilities in the age of Elizabeth. The figures she highlights encompass the idealization of Una, humanized by parody; the historicized fixation of Belphoebe; the cross-dressed complexity of Britomart; and the psychological misery of Serena, a throwback to Amoret. They range from cartoons to a fullness sharing numerous features with the Shakespearean women salient in recent debates about character. The critical lens most revealing for each …

The Third Gender And Ælfric's Lives Of Saints, Rhonda L. Mcdaniel

Richard Rawlinson Center Series

In The Third Gender, McDaniel addresses the idea of the "third gender" in early hagiography and Latin treatises on virginity and then examines Ælfric's treatment of gender in his translations of Latin monastic Lives for his non-monastic audiences. She first investigates patristic ideas about a "third gender" by describing this concept within the theoretical frameworks of monasticism provided by the four Latin Doctors and illustrated in the early Latin Lives of Roman martyrs, revealing the importance of memory in the construction of the monastic "third gender." In the second section McDaniel turns to creating a historical and theological cultural …

A Written History Of The Western Michigan University Department Of Dance, Amy Russell

Honors Theses

This historical, introspective telling of the Western Michigan University’s Department of Dance examines its development in relation to dance in higher education and dance across the United States. An analysis of the development of dance at Western Michigan University in comparison to other universities and the dance field was conducted by studying professional influences in the field and evolving social, educational, and industry trends. Research from texts written by respected dance scholars was collected, and trade journals were consulted for information regarding current trends in the dance field. Archival research at the Western Michigan University Zhang Legacy Collections Center: Archives …

Portraits Of Human Monsters In The Renaissance: Dwarves, Hirsutes, And Castrati As Idealized Anatomical Anomalies, Touba Ghadessi

Monsters, Prodigies, and Demons: Medieval and Early Modern Constructions of Alterity

At the center of this interdisciplinary study are court monsters - dwarves, hirsutes, and misshapen individuals - who, by their very presence, altered Renaissance ethics vis-à-vis anatomical difference, social virtues, and scientific knowledge. These monsters evolved from objects of curiosity, to scientific cases, to legally independent beings. Although many images of and writings about these individuals depict them as jokes of nature or indices of courtly wit, others transcend these categories, combining a vocabulary of courtly self-fashioning with close observations akin to dissections that humanize monsters, while simultaneously stressing their anatomical difference. More importantly, the works examined in this book …

The Gawain-Poet And The Fourteenth-Century English Anticlerical Tradition, Ethan Campbell

Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture

In this fresh reading of the Gawain-poet's Middle English works (Cleanness, Patience, Pearl, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), Ethan Campbell argues that a central feature of their moral rhetoric is anticlerical critique. Written in an era when clerical corruption was a key concern for polemicists such as Richard FitzRalph and John Wyclif, as well as satirical poets such as John Gower, William Langland, and Geoffrey Chaucer, the Gawain poems feature an explicit attack on hypocritical priests in the opening lines of Cleanness as well as more subtle critiques embedded within depictions of …

Shakespeare, Antony And Cleopatra, And The Nature Of Fame, Robert A. Logan

Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture

Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, and the Nature of Fame is a characterological study, presenting new perspectives on Antony and Cleopatra, the most ambiguous of Shakespeare's plays. It offers fresh insights into Shakespeare's understanding of the attributes of fame, the process by which it occurs, and the significance of being famous—and into the origins and nature of the playwright's own imperishable fame. Inclusive and enlarging, the study considers a fresh method of dealing with the longstanding difficulties theater-goers and readers have had in responding to the characters of Shakespeare's plays, the seventeenth-century contexts of the play that the playwright …

Epic Of The Commander Dhat Al-Himma, Melanie Magidow

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Information Literacy For Music Graduate Students: A Framework Application, Michael J. Duffy Iv

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

The syllabus for a graduate-level bibliographic research course in music at Western Michigan University (WMU) provides an opportunity to link Frames of ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, as reflected in the WMU Libraries’ recently developed Information Literacy Core Competencies (ILCCs), to graduate instruction in music. I have had multiple opportunities to teach this graduate-level bibliographic research course, Introduction to Research in Music. Over the course of the semester, the course includes activities related to each of the Frames in the Framework.

These activities include in-class evaluation of reference and research resources, comparison of articles from Grove Music …

Berhtgyth's Letters To Balthard, Kathryn Maude

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Intersex And The Pardoner’S Body, Kim Zarins

Accessus

Most scholars today have retreated from reading into the Pardoner's body in favor of more figurative readings that emphasize his lack of masculinity, and such lack is then linked to his dejection and despair. Other, more affirming readings center the Pardoner's performance, which allows him to model any sort of body desired through figuration. While such positions dominate and older theories like Beryl Rowland's proposal of an intersex Pardoner are dismissed, in fact, an intersex reading might be a more life-affirming interpretation, not only in terms of reframing the Pardoner's body as manifesting variation as opposed to lack, but also …

Foreword, Georgiana Donavin, Eve Salisbury

Accessus

The co-editors of Accessus are pleased to present "Intersex and the Pardoner's Body" by Kim Zarins.

Mlk Celebration 2018 - What Is Your Position In Times Of Challenge And Controversy? Flyer, Western Michigan University

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan. 10 to April 14, 2018.

Mlk Celebration 2018 - What Is Your Position In Times Of Challenge And Controversy? Poster, Western Michigan University

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Jan 10 to 24, 2018.

Technology Then And Now 2: Glass Beads, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

People at Fort St. Joseph used glass beads to embellish their appearance in the eighteenth century.

Technology Then and Now was developed by the students (Nicole Aquino, John Campbell, Patrick Dwyer, Abby Floyd, Jacob Kowalczyk, Allie Lewis, Amanda Owens, Brendan Sapato, and Callisto Wojcikowski) in the Museum Studies class (HIST 4080) at Western Michigan University under the direction of Professor Michael Nassaney. The research, contents, and design of the exhibit were made possible through the support and assistance of Christina Arseneau, David Brose, Mary Ellen Drolet, Joe Hines, Larry Horrigan, Cori Ivens, Erika Loveland, Meghan Williams and Michael Worline.

Full …

In Old Bruges: Two Pieces For Chromatic Carillon, Emmanuel M. Dubois

Emmanuel Dubois Compositions

Op. 15/54: 1 score (iii + 6 pages) ; includes foreword

The two carillon pieces Op. 15/54, "In Old Bruges", are written for a non-transposing chromatic 48-bell instrument, ranging from c3 to c7, where c#3 is omitted, or, in organ notation, ranging from c to c4, where c# is omitted.

Movements:

1. Prelude – Sunday market (Three-part canonic palindrome)
2. Allegretto – Promenade

2018 School Of Music News, Wmu School Of Music

School of Music News

• Oboist joins percussion duo in free concert
• Tom Rainey Trio to entertain audiences in free recital at WMU
• Distinguished alumnus joins free University Symphony Orchestra concert
• Jazz performance will feature digital processing and live electronics
• Chicago-based Kontras Quartet returns for free performance
• 'Fantasies for the Piano' presented by new faculty member
• Student and faculty join forces to offer varied musical program
• Critically acclaimed jazz and world music all-star band comes to Dalton Center
• Horn Day open to anyone who wants to learn more about the horn
• Alumnus Matt Giraud joins Gold Company's 40th-anniversary show
• Trombone alumnus returns for solo recital …

Bruno: Modern Europe's First Free Thinker, Edward Jayne

English Faculty Publications

First paragraph: By most accounts Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) was by far the most controversial Renaissance philosopher. He published at least sixty texts upon a large variety of topics including mnemonics, hermetic religion, Copernican astronomy, and the renewed possibility of materialism as suggested by this major breakthrough in astronomy. For the most part his notoriety resulted from his defense of heliocentric theory, but also from his pursuit of its theoretical implications toward a modern renewal of ancient secular philosophy. Just as Bacon bridged the gap between Aristotelian philosophy and modern science, Bruno no less effectively served the same purpose between ancient …

College Of Fine Arts 2017-18 Year In Review, College Of Fine Arts

College of Fine Arts Year in Review

• From the Dean's Desk - news and updates from Dean Daniel G. Guyette
• By the Numbers - numeric highlights from the 2017-18 academic year
• Milestone Moments - 10 defining events and memories from this dynamic year
• A Time for the Arts - a preview of the 2018-19 excitement that is just around the corner

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project 2017 Annual Report, Michael Nassaney

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

In 2017, the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (hereafter the "Project") continued its focus on discovering and sharing the history of Fort St. Joseph while emphasizing the importance of community partnerships. This was a logical theme for 2017 since the Project has long been a collaboration between Western Michigan University (WMU) faculty and students, the City of Niles, the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee (see Appendix A), interested stakeholders, supporters, members, and community volunteers in the greater Niles area. In addition, the Project has embraced a community service-learning model to guide our field, laboratory, and outreach activities. Students learn …