Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Capturing Tradition: The Business, Branding, And Personal Identity Of Senior Portraits In The Modern South, Xenia R. Minton

Honors Theses

The rise of college students starting photography businesses, particularly in graduation portraits, has transformed the creative and entrepreneurial landscape in the South. This thesis explores the senior portrait culture at the University of Mississippi, analyzing its rapid growth through the perspectives of photographers and academic experts in Southern Studies. Grounded in eight years of experience as a photographer, this study examines the evolution of the industry, business strategies, and cultural significance. Through interviews with seasoned senior portrait photographers and Southern Studies professors, this research investigates how regional traditions, social media, and consumer expectations have shaped the profession. By analyzing these …

Strike Up The Band!: Examining The Marching Arts Activity And Its Relationship To Music Education In America, Harmony Rutherford

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to re-introduce the history of the marching arts activity to the upcoming generations of music educators through a historical analysis that thoroughly examines the marching arts activity from the early twentieth century to the present. This analysis will seek to uncover the musical and visual concepts that contribute best to a well-rounded education in music, as well as personal and professional growth in students. This analysis will also seek to expose the concepts that impair students’ growth, both artistically and personally. The information from this analysis will inform a single arrangement designed for a …

Beyond The Stars: 2001: A Space Odyssey And The Philosophical Dimensions Of Science Fiction Film, Angela Stalcup

Honors Theses

Science fiction (SF) films are typically some of the most popular movies that are released each year. They tend to be blockbuster phenomena, raking in millions or even billions of dollars. Examples of modern SF hits include Avatar (2009), which grossed $2,923,710,708 worldwide and Avengers: Endgame (2019), which grossed $2,799,439,100 worldwide (“Avatar”; “Avengers: Endgame”). The SF film genre itself has a history that begins as early as the 1890s when film as a medium developed alongside technological advances in image and sound. Throughout the genre’s long history, several tropes have remained prevalent, such as a concern with the future, along …

Becoming Effie White: A Journey Of Evolution, Aniya Thompson

Honors Theses

This thesis paper is a reflection of Aniya Thompson’s process playing the role of Effie White in the Western Michigan University School of Theatre and Dance production of Dreamgirls. The Dreamgirls’ book and lyrics are by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger. This story is of a young Black female trio whose story brings light to the challenges of the music industry. As their fame grows, they face heartbreak, a shift in loyalty, and blatant exploitation while exploring themes of race, beauty standards and perseverance. Aniya reflects her artistic journey of stepping into Effie’s shoes emotionally, vocally, and …

The Laureate, Brooklyn Hoover

Honors Theses

The Laureate’s mission is to provide undergraduate students at Western Michigan University a medium through which to publish their fiction, poetry, nonfiction, photography, graphic novels, and other creative works. The Laureate strives to be a professional and engaging journal that appeals to all. The 23^rd edition of The Laureate is unique in that, despite having no strict guidelines on themes, mediums, or styles, we found that many students expressed themes of grief, recovery, self-discovery, and new beginnings. Together, these works create a complex story of introspection and reflection.

Co-editors, Grace Cieslikowski and Brooklyn Hoover facilitated the launch of the …

The Art Of Craft: An Inquiry Into The Illusion Of Difference, Abigail Cancel

Honors Theses

The art of craft: an inquiry into the illusion of difference is an exploration of why art and craft have been historically separated and the ways in which this idea pervades into the modern world. It touches on the importance of art to society overall, as well as the undeniable significance of craft to the art world.

Unearthing The Hidden Transcript In Greta Gerwig’S Little Women (2019), Madison Vath

Honors Theses

In her film adaptation of Little Women (2019), Greta Gerwig expounds upon the subject of womanhood through her version of the character Jo March, specifically with the film’s portrayal of emotions and Jo’s authorship journey. Gerwig peels away the layers of the novel’s public transcript, as stated by anthropologist James C. Scott, centering instead the hidden transcript which suggests that a woman cannot thrive in a patriarchal society without community and connection with other women. The methods for my research include close reading, theoretical frameworks from feminist criticism and anthropology, and the use of secondary academic sources.

Religious Fundamentalism, Motivation, And Empathy Towards Sexual Minorities, Nora Martin

Honors Theses

In the United States, political and social opposition to sexual minorities is often associated with high religiosity — in particular, Christianity (Bjork-James, 2019; Toorn et al, 2017; Westwood, 2022). However, the relationship between religiosity and prejudice is complex, with religiosity being both positively and negatively associated with prejudice towards marginalized groups (Laythe et al., 2002; Liht et al., 2011). One aspect of religiosity that is correlated with prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals is religious fundamentalism (Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 1992; Fisher et al., 2017; Laythe et al., 2002). Religious internalization, a related concept, assesses the degree to which an individual ‘adopts’ an …

The Significance Of The Malvinas Issue In The Politics Of President Javier Milei, Reagan Mccain

Honors Theses

This research investigates the Malvinas (Falklands) issue within contemporary Argentinian political discourse, focusing on the rhetoric of Javier Milei, the recently elected president. Known for his populist and provocative style, Milei has surprisingly adopted a more moderate approach to the Malvinas, raising questions about how this aligns with his broader political agenda.

This study analyzes public statements from Milei from the presidential campaign to the present, analyzing them in the context of Argentinian politics and his political ideology. Javier Milei reframes Argentina’s sovereignty claim over the Malvinas by shifting public frustration away from the territorial dispute and toward criticism of …

Senior Clarinet Recital, Canon Cochran

Honors Theses

My honors thesis was presented in the form of my senior clarinet recital. My recital was performed on Saturday, March 29th at 6:00 pm. The program of music consisted of the following: Introduction et Rondo Opus 72 by Charles-Marie Widor for Clarinet and Piano, Phoenix Rising by Stacy Garrop for solo Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Zwei Concerstücke Opus 114, Number 2 by Felix Mendelssohn for Clarinet, Basset Horn, and Piano, and then the first and third movements from Concerto for Clarinet K.622 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for Clarinet and Piano. This recital contains music from different centuries such as the 18th, 19th, …

The Elephant Brain In The Room: A Lecture Recital On Neurodivergent Advocacy, Koda Moss

Honors Theses

This is a lecture recital; an event where live, performed art music is combined with lecture, with both parts being related. In this case, my lecture was on neurodivergent advocacy and accommodations, and the selected musical pieces were composed by neurodivergent composers.

In Between The House Light And The Sun Rise, Xinyi Zhang

Honors Theses

In Between the House Light and the Sun Rise is a research project that includes a 20-minute performance and a written thesis. The research uses the framework of relationality to explore the relationship between humans and houseplants. Although houseplants live in a human-constructed environment, they have their own influences on people and the space around them. Learning from the ways plants move through time and space and the connections plants make with each other and with other living and non-living things, this project aims to use movement to reimagine the way we think about time, space, and community. This project …

“Off To Greek Camp”: A History And Examination Of Greek America And Its Adaptation Of American Summer Camp Culture, Julia J. Walsh

Honors Theses

Camps are one of the most distinct institutions of American childhood, offering children a place to socialize and explore their identities. Since the late 19th century, camps have been used to inspire religious, social, and ethnic identity. Extensive research has been done into some kinds of summer camps, this thesis attempts to add to this literature through analysis of Greek Orthodox Summer Camp programs run under the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (The Metropolis of Boston Camp and Ionian Village). This dissertation examines the role of the modern religious summer camp in building and maintaining Greek American and Greek Orthodox …

Mortal Rivers: A Case Study Analysis Of Indigenous Water Sovereignty Within The Penobscot And Lakota Nations, 19th Century To Present, Moya S. Stringer

Honors Theses

Indigenous water sovereignty has long been a contested problem within the continent of Turtle Island. In 2016, the Lakota Nation globalized the message Water is Life through their movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline, an oil infrastructure that would put one of the continent’s largest watersheds at risk. The revolutionary fervor of the Water is Life movement travelled all the way to the Penobscot Nation in the Dawnland, a place we now call Maine. In an adjacent vein to the Lakota, the Penobscot people have spent the 21st century addressing damming projects and rampant pollution from the 1900s in a …

From Living With The Land To Vacation Timeshares: The Impact Of Outdoor Recreation On The United States’S Recognition Of Shoshone, Timpanogos, And Havasupai Ancestral Homelands, Harry T. Robison

Honors Theses

The romantic view of the Western United States from the perspective of a US resident is fueled by the thought of adventure and expansion. The phenomena of the "Wild West," frontier ideology, and manifest destiny have kindled a love of being outside and pursuing new and "unexplored" territory. Long before those ideologies came into play, people already inhabited these landscapes. As colonists moved West, many of those inhabitants were forcefully moved onto reservations. Those people include the Shoshone people of Wyoming, the Timpanogos people of Utah, and the Havasupai people of Arizona. Alongside this history of displacement, the United States …

Asian American Navigation In Higher Education: Do We Belong At Colby College?, Amanda Rose Alpert

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how Asian American students navigate their belonging at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), specifically a case study at the higher educational institution Colby College. In understanding how Asian American students navigate the spaces around them, this thesis dives into the history of Asian immigration to the U.S., the Asian American politicized label, and the different diasporas and cultural nuances Asian Americans experience that make up the complicated, diverse, and misunderstood label. Through exploring global racializations of Asian bodies and legacies of Western imperialism and colonialism, this gives a basis of how Asian Americans understand themselves as persons living …

The Imperial Origins Of Genocide: Colonial Discourses And The Genocides In Timor-Leste And Rwanda, Zoe S. Appio

Honors Theses

This project aims to compare the ideological and structural colonial legacies that created the tensions for genocide to occur in Timor-Leste and Rwanda. It also aims to understand how these colonial legacies inhibited the international community's response and exacerbated the genocides. The genocide in Timor-Leste occurred from 1975 to 2002 and was perpetrated by the Indonesian government against the native Timorese population. The genocide in Rwanda occurred from April to July of 1994 and was perpetrated by the Hutu majority against the Tutsi minority. Throughout this thesis, I argue that colonial legacies like nationalism, racial hierarchies, and the maintenance of …

Once Upon Another Time: Retelling Fairy Tales & Legends With Inclusive Identities For Modern Young Adult Audiences, Hailey Drapcho

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how modern young adult (YA) fairy tale retellings can act as interventionist works as part of the mythopoeic YA fantasy sub-genre, where they enfold traditionally excluded identities into the archetypal role of the fairy tale female protagonist who is expected to embody an idealized form of girlhood. Fairy tales have a profound impact on self-image and how individuals create expectations of their role in the world. By fracturing the archetypes maintaining restrictive and exclusionary expectations, mythopoeic YA fairy tale retellings affirm the young adult girl to embrace her own individual identity and determine her role in the …

A Phenomenological Approach To Addiction, Zollie Foss

Honors Theses

This paper proposes a phenomenological investigation of addiction, with the goal of describing how it is experienced from within, as an embodied and existential phenomenon. I begin by establishing a conceptual framework—drawn from the works of existential phenomenologists Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty—outlining the key structures of everyday experience such as being-in-the-world, freedom, embodiment, bad faith, and sedimentation. I then turn to a description of the lived experience of addiction by drawing on various first-person addiction memoirs, showing how the aforementioned existential structures are experienced in active addiction and how pathways to sobriety reflect and are experienced as targeting these structures. …

From War To Walls: U.S. Intervention And The Rise Of Carceral Society In El Salvador, Xochitl Granados

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the historical and contemporary impact of US foreign policy on El Salvador’s security landscape. El Salvador’s gang crisis, largely driven by the deportation of gang members from the US in the 1990s, is rooted in a complex history shaped by US intervention during the Salvadoran civil war, which intensified political, social, and economic inequalities. These inequalities, along with the rise of international gangs such as La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and 18th Street, have contributed to El Salvador’s ongoing security challenges. This thesis demonstrates how US involvement in the Salvadoran civil war indirectly fueled the growth of gang …

Reading Nietzsche As A Tool For Feminist Politics, Juliana I. Fedorko

Honors Theses

My Honors Thesis in Political Science builds upon the scholarly tradition of reading beyond Friedrich Nietzsche’s explicit discussions of women, which are oftentimes blatantly misogynistic. As a philosopher typically included in the Western existentialist canon, Nietzsche’s ethics of self-transcendence is relevant to one of the vital feminist objectives: individual autonomy. His commentary in Beyond Good and Evil, The Gay Science, On the Genealogy of Morals, and The Use and Abuse of History for Life prescribe ways of being that disrupt traditional moral systems and their accompanying social conditioning. If we examine patriarchy as one of these value …

Integral But Forgotten: Metics In Ancient Athens, Morgan Haros

Honors Theses

Every civilization has contained foreign residents, and Ancient Athens was no exception. In Classical Athens (489-323 BCE), these foreign residents and freed slaves were known as metics. The “metic” label came from the tax they had to pay: the metoikion, or metic tax. While foreign resident status most likely existed throughout city-states across Greece, Athens is the location best documented. Many of these documents come from wills and court cases, giving glimpses of the daily life of Athens’ non-citizen residents. Metics commonly worked as craftsmen, bankers, and people of commerce. Those working class metics helped supplement the Athenian labor force, …

A Phenomenological Approach To Addiction, Zollie Foss

Honors Theses

This paper proposes a phenomenological investigation of addiction, with the goal of describing how it is experienced from within, as an embodied and existential phenomenon. I begin by establishing a conceptual framework—drawn from the works of existential phenomenologists Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty—outlining the key structures of everyday experience such as being-in-the-world, freedom, embodiment, bad faith, and sedimentation. I then turn to a description of the lived experience of addiction by drawing on various first-person addiction memoirs, showing how the aforementioned existential structures are experienced in active addiction and how pathways to sobriety reflect and are experienced as targeting these structures. …

Breaking The Boundaries Of The Binary: Non-Normative Gender Expression And Rebellion In 19th-Century Literature, Anna Marie Wingard

Honors Theses

This thesis explores non-normative expressions of gender in three nineteenth-century novels: Valperga (1823) by Mary Shelley, The Hermaphrodite (c. 1846) by Julia Ward Howe, and The Awakening (1999) by Kate Chopin. Each novel’s protagonist displays gender expression that rejects nineteenth-century British and American ideals and is consequently exiled from society and faces death. The project diagrams trajectories of gender expression and identity by tracing adherence, failure, and consequences to illustrate how non-normative gender expression directly leads to social exclusion and death. The findings of this literary analysis suggest that nineteenth-century understandings of gender were rigidly policed and the novel served …

Tracing The Lines In Comics And Life: Genealogies And My Place Within Them, Audrey M. Loo

Honors Theses

My thesis is a hybrid English Lit/Creative Writing project on comics. The English Lit half is an Artist’s Statement comprised of scholarly research and both analytical and personal writing, and this work will necessarily inform and be informed by the Creative Writing half, in which I create my own comics.

A Long Way Home: Postcolonial Migration Between Cameroon And France, Elizabeth Greenberg

Honors Theses

This project grew from an observation that despite exhibiting strong national pride, most young Cameroonians express a fervent desire to emigrate. Through a combination of interviews and a review of past literature, I discovered a unique narrative among upper middle class Cameroonian migrants whose stories are generally underrepresented in migration literature. This study investigates how history and sociocultural dynamics help explain the Cameroonian decision to choose France (specifically the Île de France region) as a migration destination. France is particularly relevant because it previously held control of many parts of Cameroon and is one of the most popular migration destinations …

“Women Who Don’T Know How To Stay Married”: The Poetic Afterlives Of The 1927 Bristol Sessions, Aubrey R. Adkins

Honors Theses

This project begins from the understanding that song lyrics can have lasting impacts on the poetic work that proceeds from them, and can and should, therefore, be read as literature. In the cultural context of Southern Appalachia, a historically underserved and academically underrepresented region, this understanding is intertwined with Audre Lorde’s idea that “For women...[poetry] is a vital necessity of our existence.” The women of Southern Appalachia, denied access to particular modes of expression as a result of external circumstances such as poverty and sexism, need poetry, according to Lorde, to take “tangible action” in their lives. What came before …

Prophets Instead Of Priests: Diagonal Orientations & Coming-Of-Age Queerness In Jane Eyre And Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Emily G. Flanders

Honors Theses

This project asserts that the moment in which a girl leaves the trajectory of the expected in favor of the unknown in order to pursue her discovery of self is when her coming-of-age narrative becomes queer. This is demonstrated through Jane in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Jeanette in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson. Jane and Jeannette’s respective coming-of-age narratives–that is, them creating their fully embodied selves, the girl they believe and know themselves to be–happen off the expected life path in the liminal, in-between, undefined space of the queer oblique. There are moments …

Decentralized And Divided: Philadelphia’S Public Assistance System And Community-Based Initiatives, Gianna Casey, Shari Orisich

Honors Theses

Public assistance programs and community-based initiatives have aided Philadelphian’s residents in a cohesive effort to fill the gaps of community-needs. While both are inherently different in their methodologies and executions, their structures are built upon a collective foundation of legislative principles and policy-based ordinances in Philadelphia. These concepts, first began with poor laws and religious organizations in the 19th century, have turned into a complex system that has fallen tremendously short of sufficiently addressing the specialized needs of Philadelphian families. The surrounding laws for public assistance program administration (e.g. TANF and WIC), are founded within the objectives of these poor …

Fictional And Historical Narratives Of African American Soldiers Of Wwii, Abigail Rae Stewart

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the experiences of African American soldiers during World War II through the dual lenses of oral histories and fictionalized accounts, arguing that both are essential to fully understanding their multifaceted journeys at home and abroad. Oral histories provide direct, personal narratives from veterans themselves, capturing their voices, emotions, and reflections on the discrimination, camaraderie, and resilience that defined their wartime and postwar lives. These firsthand accounts offer invaluable insights into the structural realities of systemic racism within the military and society, as well as the personal sacrifices these soldiers made in the name of a country that …