Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Developing Technical Communication Pedagogy For Nonnative Technical Graduate Students, David Sepulveda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to develop a pedagogy for teaching academic writing to nonnative graduate students of technical disciplines in order to give them the skills they need to write papers that they can submit to academic journals and conferences, thereby advancing their careers and gaining recognition for their academic institutions. The work draws on research from the fields of technical communication and second-language acquisition in order to develop pedagogical principles for a class in which nonnative technical graduate students write an academic paper that they can submit for publication. The thesis proposes an approach that incorporates content-based instruction, certain plain …

The Salzburgers' "City On A Hill": The Failure Of A Pietist Vision In Ebenezer, Georgia, 1734-1774, Ashley Elizabeth Moreshead

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A group of Protestant refugees from Salzburg founded the town of Ebenezer, Georgia, in 1734. The Pietists at the Francke Foundation in Halle sent two pastors, Johann Martin Boltzius and Israel Christian Gronau, to lead the religious immigrants in their new settlement. As other historians have shown, the Halle sponsors wanted Ebenezer to fulfill their own purposes: establish social and religious autonomy under British colonial rule, reproduce the economic structure and institutions of social and religious reform of the Francke Foundation, and establish a successful Pietist ministry in North America. This study examines journals and correspondence from Ebenezer's pastors, British …

The Sputnik Crisis And America's Response, Ian Kennedy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On 4 October 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, and the Space Age had arrived. While not an American achievement, Sputnik stands as a significant juncture in United States history. This thesis explores the resulting American political crisis, its development in the final three months of 1957, and the impact Sputnik had on American life. The thesis also examines the social and political context of the Sputnik crisis and will challenge some long-standing analysis of how America's reaction to the Soviet satellite developed. To accomplish this task, it was necessary to consult both primary and …

Bistro Girls, Vanessa Blakeslee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bistro Girls is an interconnected collection of short stories focusing on characters whose lives intertwine in the affluent Floridian town of Bellamy Park. In "Bistro Girls of Bellamy Park," a senior at a privileged college struggles to confront an old friend who has slipped into addiction. In "Bobby Blues," two women's stifling situations with live-in boyfriends give way to a small hope as Valerie casts aside her illusions and leaves to find a new apartment, temporarily freeing herself from the pattern of relying on a man. In these stories people wrestle with flawed concepts of personal identity that create outward …

Protestant's Guide To Catholic "Nunsense": A Performance Study And Analysis Of "Sister Mary Hubert", Anita Endsley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anita Endsley will portray the role of Sister Mary Hubert in the musical Nunsense at Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona Beach, Florida from October 28 through November 14, 2005. This parody of convent life in crisis written by Dan Goggin provides a breadth of material for analysis of the genre as well as character analysis. Dissecting the comedy will be the foundation for characteer development. The popularity of this musical among Catholic and non-Catholic audiences have created a market that inspired the writer to extend this theme through five sequels. The commercial success of these musicals suggest a strong connection …

The Mind Of A Sadomasocist:A Theatrical Role Analysis Of Orin Scrivello D.D.S, Mark Catlett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mark Catlett will portray the role of Orin Scrivello D.D.S., as well as various other "cameo" roles, at Seaside Music Theater in Daytona Beach, Florida from January 13- February 13 2005. The role of Orin Scrivello will provide me with several acting challenges as well as multiple subjects and themes to research. The most challenging aspect of creating, developing and embodying the character of Orin will be his sadomasochistic nature and his blatant abuse towards Audrey. Sadomasochism is defined as "the deriving of sexual gratification, from being physically or emotionally abused". It is also defined as "a willingness or tendency …

Stephen Sondheim's Gesamtkunstwerk: The Concept Musical As Wagnerian Total Theatre, Diana Louise Calderazzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stephen Sondheim, famous for writing such musicals as Company, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and Assassins, is often referred to as the originator of the modern concept musical. Despite varying definitions of the concept musical, it is generally agreed that the form embodies a specific identity or mood, which it communicates to an audience both emotionally and intellectually. As such it offers audience members a complete experience resembling in theory the idea of "total theatre" proposed in the nineteenth century by composer Richard Wagner. My thesis will argue that the similarity between Sondheim's concept musical and Wagner's total theatre is …

Elizabeth Tudor: Reconciling Femininity And Authority, Mark Rohrs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elizabeth Tudor succeeded to England's throne during a time when misogynist societal ideology questioned the authority of a female monarch. Religious opposition to a woman ruler was based on biblical precedent, which reflected the general attitude that women were inferior to men. Elizabeth's dilemma was reconciling her femininity with her sovereignty, most notably concerning her justification for power, the issue of marriage and succession, and the conflict over the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. The speeches Elizabeth presented to Parliament illuminate her successful solidification of her authority from a feminine gendered position. She established and reinforced her status through …

Designing For A Japanese High-Context Culture: Culture's Influence On The Technical Writer's Visual Rhetoric, Russell Carpenter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the challenges technical writers face when designing documents for high-context cultures, such as the Japanese. When developing documents intended to cross cultural gulfs, technical writers must take into consideration cultural expectations, preferences, and practices in document design and communication. High-context cultures, such as Japan, design documents using drastically different design strategies than those used in the United States. Japanese communication habits are more ambiguous than communication in the United States. Thus, the Japanese often use visuals for their aesthetic appeal, not for their ability to complement the text that surrounds the visual. The ambiguous nature of high-context …

Truly An Awesome Spectacle: Gender Performativity And The Alienation Effect In Angels In America, Allen Gorney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tony Kushner's two-part play Angels in America uses stereotypical depictions of gay men to deconstruct traditional gender dichotomies. In this thesis, I argue that Kushner has created a continuum of gender performativity to deconstruct these traditional gender dichotomies, thereby empowering the effeminate and disempowering the masculine. I closely examine Kushner's use of Brechtian and Aristotelian tenets in the first Broadway production of the play to demonstrate that Kushner sought to induce social awareness of gay male oppression, contingent on the audience's perception of Kushner's deconstruction of the traditional gender dichotomy. I also scrutinize the role of the closet and its …

Only Screen Deep? Evaluating Aesthetics, Usability, And Satisfaction In Informational Websites, Carrie Avery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the role aesthetics plays in informational websites. In commercial interfaces, aesthetics (the perceived visual appeal and appropriateness of an object) has shown to correlate positively with many aspects of usability and emotional satisfaction. This thesis examines whether aesthetics has similar positive correlations in informational websites. Heuristics or guidelines for evaluating informational websites are developed based on empirical research and practitioner expertise. Categories for heuristic evaluation include usability, credibility, visual clarity, visual richness, and emotional satisfaction. A class of graduate students browsed three academic websites, evaluated them, and critiqued the heuristics. Results indicate that aesthetics does correlate with …

Negotiating Place: Multiscapes And Negotiation In Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, Kevin Gladding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Murakami's Norwegian Wood, romance and coming-of-age confront the growing trend of postmodernity that leads to a discontinuity of life becoming more and more common in post-war Japan. As the narrator struggles through a monotonous daily existence, the text gives the reader access to the narrator's struggle for self- and societal identity. In the end, he finds his means of self-acceptance through escape, and his escape is a product of his attempts at negotiating the multiple settings or "scapes" in which he finds himself. The thesis follows the narrator through his navigation of these scapes and seeks to examine the …

Race Reform In The Early Twentieth Century South: The Life And Work Of Willis Duke Weatherford., Sara Trowbridge Combs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Willis Duke Weatherford, a liberal pioneer in Southern race reform, argued that the ethics of Christianity obligated Southerners to address the social and economic problems faced by blacks in the early twentieth century. His strategy for improving race relations centred on educating Southerners and promoting economic uplift for blacks. Weatherford advocated race reform through the Young Men's Christian Association, the Southern Sociological Congress, and other voluntary organizations. He published books, taught courses, preached sermons, organized conferences, and raised funds from Northern philanthropists. Through an analysis of Weatherford's published writings and of his papers archived at the Southern Historical Collection, the …

Type Image And The Art Of Protest., Wendy R. Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is the culmination of my work as a graphic artist thus far. I chose to investigate the use of type and image in the production of social protest art, as it relates to historical and contemporary art as well as my own. Methods used in gathering the data include references from books, periodicals, websites, and hands-on application of the artistic process. Conclusions found within this paper suggest that using type and image within a multimedia process, serves to communicate important messages and attempts to educate the viewer on important political and social matters. Protest art has and will …

Burnished Souls., Floyd Thomas Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, in support of the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled Burnished Souls at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 25- December 18, 2004, describes in detail three aesthetic themes that have informed my work; The Refined Sense of Beauty, A Newly Defined Function, and The Artistic Element of Smoke and Fire. These aesthetic themes are discovered and explained through both historic and contemporary influences and are described in relation to their influence on my current work.

Resorts In Southern Appalachia: A Microcosm Of American Resorts In The Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Centuries., Mary F. Fanslow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Five resorts in East Tennessee--Montvale Springs and the Wonderland Hotel in the Smokies, Tate Spring in the Holston River Valley, Unaka Springs on the Nolichucky River, and the Cloudland Hotel at the summit of Roan Mountain--stand testament to the proposition that their region engaged fully with areas outside southern Appalachia. Their origins, clientele, and health and leisure offerings followed those of other resorts of the same time period. Moreover, the effects of national socioeconomic trends on the hotels serve as a contradiction to the stereotype of southern Appalachia as an isolated region barricaded from the outside world by mountainous topography. …

Epoch Locale., Jonathan Hounshell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My explorations around the world are intertwined with my excavation of the layers of art history. My discoveries about the traditions of the printmaking medium are fused with the heritage I inherit as an artist. This is what is put into my current body of work. With this supporting manuscript, I hope to inform about the technical aspects of my unique aesthetic and to entertain with the ideas behind my current body of work by making connections between my personal visions and experiences and the significance of the artists and craftsman who inspire me.

Freedom Now!: Four Hard Bop And Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians' Musical Commentary On The Civil Rights Movement, 1958-1964., Lucas Aaron Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I examined musical recordings from the jazz idiom that relate to events or ideas involved in the Civil Rights Movement during the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s. The study focused on the four following musicians' recordings: Charles Mingus, Fables of Faubus; Sonny Rollins, The Freedom Suite; Ornette Coleman, Free Jazz; and John Coltrane, A Love Supreme. The study relies primarily on the aforementioned recordings, critics analysis of those recordings, and events that took place during the Civil Right Movement.

The study concludes that these recordings are not only commentary about ideas and events but …

Sexuality And Power In Elizabeth Inchbald's A Simple Story., Michelle Martini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Simple Story is controversial because of Inchbald's seemingly conflicting statements about women's "proper" education and because the most powerful character in the novel openly defies social norms. Miss Milner, the heroine of the first half of A Simple Story, overtly displays her sexuality and uses it to gain control of men. Her guardian Dorriforth, a Catholic priest, attempts to repress her sexual power. Miss Milner dies in exile, but Inchbald rewards her by saving her from a marriage in which her husband subdues her sexuality. Contrarily, Miss Milner's daughter Matilda represses her sexuality and conforms to eighteenth-century standards …

A Blending Of Purpose: The Juxtaposition Of Functional And Aesthetic Qualities In Pots Of Use., Jessica Lindsay Decker-Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition entitled A Blending of Purpose at East Tennessee State University, Carroll Reece Museum, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 4 – 22, 2004. It discusses the artist’s desire to create exceptionally crafted functional work which focuses on both compelling aesthetics and strong utilitarian considerations. Topics include the artistic validity of functional works, aesthetic and functional qualities, tactile sensation as a consideration, machine-made works versus hand-made works, a characteristic described as the Life Quality, and the piece’s completion in use.

The artist examines her influences including work ceramists Dan Finnegan, Nick Joerling and …

Inducing Knowledge By Enduring Experience: The Function Of A Postmodern Pragmatic Aesthetic In Linda Montano's "Living Art"., Alisa Anne Brandenburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Has Modernism Failed? (1984), Suzi Gablik calls for a postmodern art that has preserved the values that modernism lost over the 20th century, stating that only through "direct knowing" may we be shocked out of art-for-art's-sake. In Art As Experience (1934), John Dewey similarly proposes that "thinking is a kind of doing," recommending an instrumental art in one's drive to better him/herself.

Contemporary artist Linda Montano challenges the status quo by exploring the nature of art beyond its material value. In her Living Art performances (1970-1986), Montano creates a postmodern pragmatic aesthetic that is conducive to the unique …

The Meaning Of The Moment: A Collection Of Short Stories., Jonathan David Benton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of three short stories in very different genres but tied together by a intensely personal look at the lives of its protagonists culminating in epiphanies. One of these epiphanies is intended solely for the reader, but in two cases, the reader and character gains the insight. “The Tears of Angels” looks at the effect one person in a moment, even a stranger, can have on the protagonist’s life. “Climbing Heaven and Gazing on Earth” focuses on the haunting power of history and the need we as humans can feel to share a story, to make sense of …

Completing The Circle Around Rabaul: The Seizure Of The Admiralties, February To May 1944., David Osborn Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the operational history of the First Cavalry Divisions conquest of the Admiralty Islands during World War Two as the final phase of Operation Cartwheel. Cartwheel called a two pronged attack; one prong in New Guinea, by-passing large Japanese garrisons and the other in the northern Solomon Islands with the goal the isolation of the strong point at Rabaul.

The material is drawn primarily from U.S. Army records held by the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, records from the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama and other reports.

The study concludes that …

An Application Of Contemporary Technical Writing Standards To Benjamin Franklin's Works., Edward Robert Milhorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

West African Food Traditions In Virginia Foodways: A Historical Analysis Of Origins And Survivals., Lisa R. Shiflett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The degree of African cultural survivals in African-American culture has been debated since the Civil War. Convincing research that West African cultural traits did survive in African-American culture, particularly in African-Amercian foodways, focuses on the lower south, neglecting the upper south. This thesis fills that gap by identifying West African traits in African-as well as Anglo-America foodways in Virginia, focusing on four broad research areas: Native American and Anglo-American foodways during the colonial and early Republic eras; West African foodways; African-American foodways during slavery; and current trends in Virginia foodways. Primary sources consulted for this study included archaeological reports, eighteenth …

The Force Is With You: Dylan Thomas's Force As It Exists In His Poetry And Drama., Josh Archer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In Dylan Thomas's poetry, he refers to an inexorable, amoral force that exists within the universe. This force exists in all things, yet cannot be manipulated. His first collection, 18 Poems, serves as the premier source for defining and understanding the existence of this force. Two poems in particular, "A Process in the Weather of the Heart" and "The Force that Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower," provide the most comprehensive examination of the force. However, his idea of the force is not confined to his poetry. During the last years of his life, he completed a play …

Hugh Borton: His Role In American-Japanese Relations., Hitomi Kinuhata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes to examine Hugh Borton's role in American-Japanese relations. Three aspects will be explored: his work as a Quaker missionary, as an American government official, and as a leader in the development of Japanese and Asian studies.

In addition to Borton's Memoirs, the study is based on his papers at American Friends Service Committee Archives National Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Columbia University Oral History Collection in Butler Library in New York, Haverford College Quaker and Special Collection in Magill Library in Haverford, Pennsylvania, and the United States Department of State Records at the National Archives in College …

Russell Kirk's Column "To The Point": Traditional Aspects Of Conservatism., Thomas Chesnutt Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

From 1962 to 1975, General Features Corporation distributed a column by traditional conservative Russell Kirk. The column appeared on the political page of newspapers across the country under the title “To The Point”.¹ The column provided social commentary on a wide variety of topics ranging from foreign policy, to civil rights, to feminism. Papers that carried the column included Los Angeles Times (1962-early 1968), New Orleans Time-Picayune (late 1962-late 1971), Detroit News (early 1970-1975).² The research for this thesis included both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources included articles housed at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural …

Coming Home, Staying Put, And Learning To Fiddle: Heroism And Place In Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain., Heather Rhea Gilreath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In his novel Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier weaves an intricate web of human stories, all converging to make a memorable statement about love, war, life, and death. This study examines these stories and the mythological, literary, and folk models Frazier employs, and in some cases revises, to tell them. The first chapter explores how Frazier recreates Odysseus in Inman, his main male character, to depict the psychological trauma inflicted by war. The second chapter focuses on Ada, Inman’s pre-war sweetheart, and Ruby, a girl with whom Ada bonds, as challenges to the male pastoral tradition. Ruby’s father Stobrod as trickster, …

Theological Dualism In The Poetry Of George Herbert., Carolyn Elizabeth Woodruff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theological dualism is a primary element in George Herbert's poetry. Poems such as "The Flower," "Affliction I," "Affliction V," "The Banquet" and "Love III" illustrate the necessary tension inherent in the polarity of theological dualism. Abstractions such as joy, grief, pleasure, pain, birth, and death form the framework for Herbert's illustration of the Christian pilgrim in search of divine communion. For the searching Christian to understand one abstract principle, its opposite must be equally explored. In this journey to comprehend the duality of the Christian life, one reaches spiritual enlightenment and communion with God. Although several critics have recognized the …