Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Sound And The Fury: Comparative Sociolinguistic Studies In German, Logan C. Pecinovsky

Honors Theses

The German nation has a long history of fragmentation, from the mini-states of the Middle Ages to the eastern and western republics of the recent past. These barriers affected the speech community in particular. Among the various borders that shifted through Central and Eastern Europe for centuries, dialects arose as a result of strong political and cultural identities. Without a strong centralizing force to integrate them, the many communities remained relatively homogenous, which provided fertile soil for unique linguistic development. The most recent partition of East and West scarcely lasted half a century and did not create a discrete speech …

The Evolution Of The Status Of Women In Korea: Colonial Times To The Present, Rebekah Thomas

Honors Theses

Korean women are treated as second rate citizens that have to depend on a man for their social status. With the passage of time, things are getting better for Korean women and the way society feels about women having significant authority in society is changing. The Japanese colonization of Korea (1910-1945) is at the foundation of postwar tensions between Japan and Korea. The Japanese mistreatment of Korean women is an important element in many of these disputes. Specifically, the Japanese government took advantage of the Korean women's low status within Korean society to erect a sexual military system. Since the …

So Please You: A Creative Project On Playing “Oswald” In King Lear, Darren Hayes

Honors Theses

This is a creative project displaying my process and journey through rehearsals—and eventually performances—as “Oswald” in the University of Southern Mississippi’s Theatre and Dance Department’s production of William Shakespeare’s King Lear. All of my research and preparation culminated in a final performance of the show which took place October 14th through the 23rd of 2011. This was the most important part of my creative project, as it showcased all of my hard work throughout the process. All of the documentation that follows was used to support my performance, as is the case in any particular role. If I did …

Playing Echo In Eleemosynary: A Creative Thesis Project, Hayley Barnes

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I will explain on paper my creative process of researching, rehearsing, and performing the role of Echo in Eleemosynary. Eleemosynary is a one-act play by playwright Lee Blessing about three women and how their lives intersect and affect each other. I played Echo, the youngest of the three; her mother is Artie and hergrandmother is Dorothea. The play takes place in 1985 and is non-linear in structure. It alternates between scenes in the present in which the characters are speaking directly to the audience, and scenes in various points of the past. Echo is raised almost entirely …

1st Mississippi Mounted Rifles: Mississippi’S Union Battalion In The Civil War, Beau Johnson

Honors Theses

In the Civil War era, Mississippi was a house divided. Secessionists were in a never ending conflict with pro-Unionists in the 1850’s and into 1860 over secession. These clashes even spilled over into the war as Confederates skirmished with pro-Unionists, as well as groups of people that became known as anti-Confederates (these being people that did not support the Union, but did not agree with the policies of the Confederacy). The division in Mississippi had become so bad that many men refused to join the army, some deserted after conscription, while others supported the Union in any way possible. In …

The Hero’S Journey: A Postmodern Incarnation Of The Monomyth, Sarah Hoffman

Honors Theses

‘Monomyth’ is the term coined by James Joyce and popularized by Joseph Campbell in his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Its structure is delineated by Campbell, and it follows that of the traditional heroic myths that permeate human culture and history. Margaret Atwood’s two companion novels, Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood, incorporate Campbell’s monomyth and transplant it into the realm of postmodern dystopia. In this way, Atwood offers an escape from the existential dilemmas that face the postmodern subjectivity through the self-perpetuated, neo-shamanic journey toward the recognition of immanence. The …

Questions Concerning Reasonable Religious Disagreements, Bradley Champine

Honors Theses

In this paper, I discuss Richard Feldman’s article “Reasonable Religious Disagreement”. In his article, Feldman argues that “reasonable disagreement” is not possible between two “epistemic peers” who have shared all of their evidence. Regardless of whether Feldman’s argument is valid, the two requirements (being epistemic peers and sharing all their evidence) he sets for ruling out a disagreement as reasonable could be impossible to meet in the very situations he is writing about. I argue that in situations of religious disagreements, from the outset the parties involved have reason to judge each other not to be epistemic peers, and that …

Matriarchal Monsters: Literary Villians Through The Lens Of Gender, Katherine Currie

Honors Theses

The exposure of American readers to the literary monster culminates at an incredibly young and impressionable age. The genre of children’s literature seems to rely heavily on the impact of the presence of villainous monster characters. From the “boogey man” to “Cruella de Vil” to “The Grinch,” children are presented at a very young age with the character of evil. As a result of our early experience with villains, we as readers accept the “bad guy” created in a novel to be classified under the category of “monster.” However, most readers have never even pondered or questioned the label of …

A Scenographic Transposition From The Stage To The Screen: An Excavation Of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Jordan Randall

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the distinction between the scenic design of A Streetcar Named Desire’s original Broadway production and 1951 film. Using Streetcar as a case study, I evaluated the differences in the choices made in the scenography of the two mediums as a way to evaluate whether there are inherent differences between theatre and film. I examined the scripts of both mediums and analyzed how the story was transposed and how that transposition affected the choices made by the director and designer in the making of the film.

The Influence Of Residence Hall Design On College Students' Grade Point Averages, On-Campus Involvement, And Sense Of Community, Katrina Rutledge

Honors Theses

Residence halls have a large impact on college students' experiences. Residence hall design can help foster higher GPAs, encourage more involvement on campus, and create a stronger sense of community among students. Colleges and universities should consider these factors when designing and constructing new residence halls or renovating existing halls. Different residence hall design styles can foster different results in the above mentioned categories. This study compares transitional style residence halls to suite-style residence halls. The purpose of this study was to gather results from surveying upperclassmen living in both types of residence halls to determine if one design style …

Stories Over Miles: Religious And Political Coping Among Tibetan Former Political Prisoners, Dylan Harris

Honors Theses

Tibetan former political prisoners suffer before, during, and after imprisonment; however, their distinct coping mechanisms, in this case, specifically Buddhist coping and political coping mechanisms, allow them to overcome suffering. By examining Tibetan culture and contemporary history and concepts of suffering and coping specific to Tibetan former political prisoners, this thesis will answer the question: to what extent do Buddhism and politics effectively aid coping in the lives of Tibetan former political prisoners exiled in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, India?

Variations In Myth: How Manipulations Of Topos Create Morality, Joel Huber

Honors Theses

The Homeric epics have inspired the Western world for three thousand years. The Iliad especially is complex and compelling, while the author himself is enigmatic. Both poem and poet have sparked several libraries worth of scholarship. The poem is traditionally considered to be transmitted orally with numerous extant variations within the text itself. In the 6th century BC, by tradition, the Athenian tyrant Peisistratus redacted the poem into a standard performance so that it could be performed in order from A to Omega. The Alexandrian scholars such as Aristarchus and Zenodotus published numerous works in the 2nd and 3rd centuries …

Virtue For Commercial Purpose: A Look At Production Code Censorship In The 1930s, Jacob Key

Honors Theses

This paper is a study of the conservative political bias inherent to the Motion Picture Production Code as it applies to Great Depression cinema. Many films in this period attempted to explore progressive themes but were edited or prohibited outright under the Code’s authority. Father Daniel Lord, the Code’s author, greatly feared cinema’s cultural and moral influences, but may have been unaware of the political ramifications of his work. On the other hand, his boss, Will H. Hays, was an ambitious man fully in support of the Code’s ability to censor politics that differed from his own. The unlikely partnership …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha And The United Houma Nation, Molly Richard

Honors Theses

This thesis offers an investigation of the factors contributing to the devotion of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha among members of the United Houma Nation. Previous religious and ethnographic studies have examined the veneration of holy figures among minority groups and have produced valuable writings that increase the awareness and understanding of the religious participants’ social, political, spiritual, and personal motives for devotion. Interviews with members of the United Houma Nation reveal several factors contributing to their veneration of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha including themes such as shared native heritage, emotional religious connection, recognition for American Indian peoples, opportunities to express indigenous spirituality …

“I Have Something To Say, If People Only Would Hear It”: The Voiceless Artist And The Idea Of Reform In The Work Of Rebecca Harding Davis, Kathryn Plunkett

Honors Theses

In her 1904 memoir, Bits of Gossip, American journalist and fiction writer Rebecca Harding Davis wrote that “nobody has sketched those uneasy, unsuccessful ghosts who haunt the gates and hedges of the scribbling world; always outside, yet always hoping to enter in” (142). In this remark, Davis reveals her desire to write about ordinary people in ordinary situations and to give her writings a sense of realism that had not been portrayed by the idealistic Romantic writers that preceded her. Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, American writers had emphasized emotion and imagination over reason, allowing them to …

“Critical Habitat” And Other Stories, Jon Michael Mitchell

Honors Theses

The nature of writing, that is, storytelling, is difficult to discuss in a technical manner. Often it is easier to demonstrate by example rather than theory how storytelling does and does not work. This thesis is a collection of short stories written to practice the art of writing and storytelling. They do not follow a central theme or motif; they are self-contained projects demonstrating the application of the theories discussed in the introduction. The point of this thesis is not to show the correct way to write or provide examples of perfect stories. It is to show the learning process …

What Makes A Man: Social Constructions Of Masculinity In The Works Of Stanley Kubrick, Michael Cory Taylor

Honors Theses

This study examines three male protagonists from films by Stanley Kubrick, and the original literary texts, with specific focus on the social influence of each character’s sense of masculinity. Much has been written about literature and film as a social critique, but there is a particular need for study through Kubrick’s lens. The original literary texts are Lolita, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. By considering the historical context of both the novel and its adaptation, it is possible to provide an indication of each protagonist’s effect on social constructions of manhood. It is also necessary to note the …

“Double-Crossed, So To Speak": Black Female Resistance To Gendered Oppression In The South, Amolie Egloff

Honors Theses

Despite the vast amount of research focused on slavery and the American South, studies focusing solely on the black female’s experience during this time period are a fairly recent development. In the existing literature, these women have been painted a helpless victim caught in the wrath of white men, black men, and even white women. This study presents the stories of black women courageously resisting oppression both while enslaved and just after emancipation from 1830 to 1890. The analysis of a handful of slave narratives taken by the Worker’s Progress Administration in the 1930s and 1940s established that because black …

Preparation And Performance Of William Bolcom’S Cabaret Songs, Sara Linger

Honors Theses

The Cabaret Songs Complete by William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein are true gems amongst the vast genre of twentieth century American art song. These songs are particularly unique because they meld the world of classical singing with modern styles, such as jazz, pop, and blues, as only William Bolcom can do. The songs are musically and dramatically challenging, making them less common in the traditional college student repertoire. Studying and performing these pieces has been a challenging and rewarding experience for me.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a resource for the preparation of a cabaret show, specifically …

Going Dutch: The Netherlands’ Maternal Health Care Framework As A Model For Sierra Leone, Emily Simmons

Honors Theses

The West African nation of Sierra Leone has received a large amount of attention for its especially high numbers of maternal mortality. Women in that country face a 1 in 8 chance of dying in childbirth or of related complications (WHO, 2011). In response, in 2010 Sierra Leone instituted a policy of free medical care to pregnant women and children under age 5. The Free Health Care Initiative, as it is called, emphasizes physician and clinical care, an approach that seems top-heavy considering the severe lack of physicians in the country. This study will compare the Free Health Care Initiative …

Understanding The Business Of Popular Songs, Jeremiah Stricklin

Honors Theses

This paper presents an analysis of Billboard Music Charts’ top twenty popular songs from the year 2011. These songs are studied to determine whether or not their songwriters adhere to hypothetical rules left by songwriting scholars from the past. The criteria for analysis include: length of introduction, length of the entire song, the presence of a memorable ‘hook’, the connection between tempo and key tonality, and the form of each song. The research concludes that, while songwriters typically adhere to a loose set of rules, they do not follow them exactly. Therefore, the success of a popular song cannot be …

Libertatem Religionis: Remembering Our Origins, Joseph Tramuta

Honors Theses

At a time when the Catholic Church in the United States is publicly berated with accusations of being an outdated, oppressive institution concerned only with depriving women of their reproductive rights and devaluing freedom of conscience, many contemporary Catholics and others see only the stubbornness and isolationism rather than the constructive good of the church or the scope, depth, and fluidity of the Catholic Church’s teachings about modern society. This paper will assess the extent to which American political thought is ingrained in the Dignitatis Humanae: The Declaration on Religious Freedom from the Second Vatican Council. It will include: a) …

Libertarian Acceptance Among The Students Of The University Of Southern Mississippi, Joseph Lebeau

Honors Theses

How can a potential libertarian portion of USM students be differentiated from the conservative and liberal segments? The most obvious method is to classify students by their respective demographic factors. Demographic categories such as gender, race, age, religion, field of study, etc. could prove to be extremely useful when attempting to identify patterns in populations. The connections between these variables and political ideology are further examined in the literature review. The demographics of a potential libertarian faction have yet to be defined, specifically at the University of Southern Mississippi. Therefore, the goal of my research will be to first locate …

Inside The Score In The 21st Century: Techniques For Contemporary Large Jazz Ensemble Composition, Tyler Dennis

Honors Theses

This study will attempt to de-mystify some of the techniques utilized in contemporary large ensemble jazz arranging. Large ensemble writing has morphed drastically from its earlier, more well-known inceptions, and yet there is no academic literature out there to explain exactly what this change entails. Through this study, I will attempt to break down the components of this music in order to provide insight for the non-musician and inspiration for the aspiring jazz composer. There is a wealth of knowledge to be found in the large ensemble music of the past decade, and I will attempt to systematically break this …

Relevant Jesus: A Study Of The Integration Of Popular Culture Into The Christian Church, Amie Guenard

Honors Theses

The Christian church today takes on the characteristics of many centuries past in style and ritual. Some churches are choosing to embrace the culture of our booming entertainment industry in order to gain the attention of a “sights and sounds” generation. This research contains a historical review of the relationship between the entertainment world and the Christian church as well as a case study of First Hattiesburg Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, MS. The results of this research show that the deliberate incorporation of secular communication and entertainment strategies into the regular functions First Hattiesburg Baptist Church has had more positive …

"So God-Damned Far Away": Soldiers' Experiences In The Vietnam War, Tara M. Bell

Honors Theses

This paper is based off of a collection of Vietnam War letters that I processed at the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections. They are all written to a local woman, Carol, by five soldiers, named Mitch, Dennis, Ron, Willis, and Kenneth. Carol’s responses are not included in the collection.

Carol, Mitch, and Willis all graduated in the same class from Vicksburg High School. From using databases and yearbooks, I learned that Carol knew each of the soldiers from organizations they both belonged in. Although I could not exactly determine how Carol knew Ron and Kenneth, it seems …

Double Take Project: Using Applied Theatre For Campus Climate Change, Christina M. Cody

Honors Theses

Despite research gathered in the Campus Climate Report, I believe that it underrepresented the student experience of the social scene. The document primarily served as an identification tool for four major problems on campus: binge drinking, sexual assault, diversity, and disengagement in the classroom. Double Take Project also identifies similar issues however, this project uses theatrical techniques to gather the anecdotal reality of the student perspective. Double Take Project expands beyond the Campus Climate Report to inspire dialogue in a variety of student-to-student interactions and, more importantly, the project seeks action and solution plans.

The social scene dominates our culture …

Simplifying Scholar Access - The Modernization Of The Lee Honors College Website, Sean E. Chiplock, Jeremy B. Conley

Honors Theses

As the undeniable breadth of the World Wide Web’s usefulness continues to expand at a rapid rate along with Western’s own marked growth in its faculty, buildings, and funding, so too does the demand to put that “wonder of the modern web” to use. Today’s rising scholars use the internet for their daily work now more than ever and this includes the rapid-fire atmosphere of college applications, visits, and considerations that go on near the end of high school careers. With dozens of college emails stuffing inboxes, students are accustomed to needing to learn a lot of information in a …

In The Garage, Christopher James Hart

Honors Theses

In the Garage is an audio podcast containing works by student writers at Western Michigan University who read their stories to be recorded. Coalescing stories, music, and connective segues, the three episode series seeks to explore the theme of nostalgia through the works of student writers. In doing so, a cohesive narrative arc is achieved through the use of theme and connection. Recorded on GarageBand, an apple sound editing product, the project endeavors to bring together disparate stories, poems, and essays together into a collective and cohesive whole accompanied by various musical interludes. The author of the project provides introduction …

Incorporating Hispanic Culture Into A Secondary Instrumental Classroom, Alexander Armstead

Honors Theses

For much of history, there has been a long-standing belief of the superiority of Western art music; that it is more natural, complex, expressive, and meaningful than other musics. This standpoint is being challenged more than ever as advances in musicology, ethnomusicolgy, global communication and media bring musics of other nations and cultures to the doorstep of the American people. There are many benefits to teaching cultural music in the instrumental classroom, including social and musical components. These components have the ability to open the minds of students to a higher sense of community as they enter the "world village" …