Arts and Humanities Commons^™

What Happened To Rosie The Riveter?: Media Portrayals Of Women In The Workforce, 1942-1946, Vivienne Cookmeyer

Honors Theses

Rosie the Riveter is a common feminist icon; however, few people know what happened to the Rosies after the war. Due to the Veterans Preference Act, women lost their jobs and went back to their home lives, which is contrary to the belief that women were incorporated into the workforce after World War II. Many women were laid off and had to fight to keep their jobs, resort to stereotypical female work, or revert to the caretaker of the home. While these women struggled for equality, there was a sustained increase in the number of women in the workforce in …

Self-Efficacy Development In Elementary-Aged Learners Through Dance As An Algorithmic Thinking Tool, Niva Shrestha

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a transdisciplinary approach in teaching computational thinking through dance to elementary-aged learners, with primary attention to females. With limited literature available on how pre-adolescents begin to construct conceptions of computer science and other engineering domains, including potential career pathways, the incentive of this project was to leverage a day camp for about 20 rising 3rd - 5th-grade learners to assess their identity development in computer science. Modules that teach computational thinking through dance paired with Unruly splats (block-based programmable electronic gadgets) were implemented. By conducting pre-and post-surveys and a …

“Though She Be But Little She Is Fierce”: Playing Hermia On The Virtual Stage, Taylor Alleman

Honors Theses

This thesis displays an undergraduate theatre performance student’s process for portraying the character Hermia in the University of Southern Mississippi’s Spring 2021 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The student completed a detailed script and character analysis, practiced specific vocal and movement techniques, and explored various choices in rehearsals in order to create a profound character that best fit the production.

Keywords: Theatre, Analysis, Vocal, Movement, Performing, Shakespeare

Song Lyrics In The Hobbit: What They Tell Us, Thalia Mcinnis-Trussell

Honors Theses

Tolkien is argued by many to be the author of the century, a legend, and the kickstart to the fantasy genre. Despite these claims, there is very little research done about the song lyrics in his works, especially not in The Hobbit. I have analyzed how the song lyrics show the relationship with time and history of each race—dwarves, elves, hobbits, and goblins—and how their values are shown through their lyrics.

Keywords: Tolkien, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Songs, Music, Hobbits, Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Values

Movement As A Way Of Knowing Earth: An Ecosomatic Approach To Developing Movement Choices, Brittany Tolbert

Honors Theses

The senior choreographic project The Spirit of Gaia aims to not only build awareness for individuals about the impact humans have on the climate crisis but also to inspire change in the way in which humans utilize movement practices for the benefit of Earth. As a creative process based in somatic exploration and a performance contingent on a live audience, The Spirit of Gaia exists as a living moment of dance. Acknowledging the power movement has to be the progenitor of a larger environmental consciousness and an eco-friendly change on the individual level, the dance acts as a means of …

Authors As Figures, Functions, And Persons: Theories On Intention, Tyler M. Preston

Honors Theses

My honors thesis is an exercise in which I approach a singular work with three different theories on authorial intent and analyze how the author figure exists along with the work through the lens of each theory. After providing background for the discourse on authorial intention, I explore the theories of Michel Foucault, Alexander Nehamas, and Reed Way Dasenbrock and then demonstrate what each theory looks like in practice by applying each theory to Maxine Hong Kingston’s novel The Woman Warrior. I consider how the different theories fit together, where they differ, and how practical they are as standards of …

Social Change Through Rhetorical Action: Case Studies Of Two Tennessee Women In The Archives, Dalton Burks

Honors Theses

In conversations about social change and activism, the American South is rarely represented as a place where such change occurs. However, this analysis will focus on two unlikely activists who used their writing and voices to advocate for change on a local scale in their individual communities. These activists are Emma Bell Miles, an artist, naturalist, and creative writer from Chattanooga, Tennessee who wrote a persuasive column in the Chattanooga News on feminism and naturalism, and Mary Cunningham, a local librarian and mother from McMinnville, Tennessee who created the Magness Library and Community House. This thesis argues that Miles and …

Speech Acts As Contingent Encounters: Realizing Agency In Contaminated Worlds, Zachary Cross

Honors Theses

Agency is realized in the act of speaking, an act which is always contingent on a collaborative process that transforms all parties involved. We think and act with one another and our concepts, there is no act of speech prior to encounter. In this paper I explore different ways which language shapes our thinking and play with those structures to use them as models for realizing agency. This exploration became personal insofar as exploring ways of thinking transformed my own sense of agency in the speech act. The completion of this paper is thus essential to its conclusion.

Two Marching Band Directors’ Insights About Their Bands’ Musical Achievement And Satisfaction In The American Deep South: A Qualitative Analysis, John Klee

Honors Theses

High School marching band is an intricate facet of music education that operates in several varieties across the United States. Depending on the style as well as many external and internal factors of a marching band, marching bands can have goals and definitions of musical achievement that can vary drastically. This qualitative study aims to assist those in the world of marching music education to better understand these distinct types of marching bands on a deeper level. The study gathered detailed perspectives of two directors in juxtaposed marching programs to a view of what drives these bands and directors to …

"Freedmen Not Freemen": The Freedmen's Bureau And Black Land Ownership In Arkansas, Eric Johnson

Honors Theses

When slavery ended at the close of the Civil War, there was no universal answer for where former slaves were to live. The type and quality of freedom Black Southerners would experience during Reconstruction would be largely determined by where they lived. Many freedpeople and Republicans desired for widespread Black land ownership across the South. “Forty acres and a mule” was a common phrase that spread throughout the South and represented the hope that the United States government would ensure that all former slaves would be given land to own and live on. The Freedmen’s Bureau, which was created under …

Blurred Realities: Aids Plays As Activism, Maya Lieberman

Honors Theses

The AIDS epidemic in 1980s and 1990s America can—and must—be read not simply as an epidemic of disease, but also as an epidemic of hateful discourse that perpetuated the damaging perceptions of HIV/AIDS and those it most severely impacted. The onset of an epidemic has a way of unmooring society from the structures that it has built itself on. The indiscriminate spread of a deadly disease exposes, amplifies, and unsettles divisions of class, race, sexuality, gender, and perceived morality. In the sensory experience of living through the HIV/AIDS epidemic, a virus may seem to take on an almost magical component, …

Moctezuma And The Emergence Of Sixteenth-Century New Spain’S Historical Dialogue., Charlie Tabor

Honors Theses

In August 1521, Hernan Cortés entered the city of Tenochtitlan, declared it conquered, and announced the creation of the new colonial territory New Spain. Over the course of the subsequent sixteenth century Spain would rapidly expand its influence across the American continents.

Spanish colonialism in the Americas is historically distinct for a rapid process of globalization which linked previously isolated European and indigenous societies. Analysis of chronicles documenting the Conquest of Mexico written in the later half of the 1500’s reveal that colonialism corresponded to new ways of thinking informed by, but also distinct from, Aztec and Spanish world views. …

Il Complesso Allontanamento Di Boccaccio Dal Cristianesimo E Dal Giudizio, Olivia Jane Lomax

Honors Theses

Il Decameron di Giovanni Boccaccio presenta un gruppo di giovani che fuggono da Firenze per rifugiarsi nella campagna nel 1348 durante la Peste Nera. La brigata, come viene chiamato il gruppo, è composta da 7 giovani donne e 3 giovani uomini. Boccaccio introduce questo gruppo in fuga dalla peste di Firenze attraverso il commovente discorso di Pampinea. Lei sottolinea alle sue amiche l'importanza di proteggere la propria vita. Boccaccio inizia il Decameron con la proposta di una giovane donna forte, che implora altre giovani donne di prendere controllo delle loro vite: “ ‘Donne mie care, voi potete, cosí come io, …

“A Short History Of An Overlooked Genre: How And Why Horror Can Be An Effective Tool In A Classroom And For Creating Social Change”, Hunter King

Honors Theses

Horror as a genre tends to be overlooked by the public eye, especially when it comes to critical analysis and its value as literature or educational film. As a future English teacher, I have made it a mission to promote literacy, and horror has been a tool that has encouraged me to read, so I figured there must be some connection between the genre and the promotion of literacy. The thesis in whole is able to address why the horror genre tends to spark more interest in readers than other genres, highlighting that the genre is built to unite readers …

Noble Pagans And Satanic Saracens: Literary Portrayals Of Islam In Medieval Italy And Iberia., John Spencer Jones

Honors Theses

The medieval Christian world is generally associated with a kind of religious zealotry that would seem to preclude the development of nuanced understandings of the religious Other. The heightened interreligious contact in regions such as Iberia and the Italian Peninsula, however, made room for relationships with members of other faiths that resulted in more developed ideas about these other creeds. This honors thesis examines the portrayal of Islam in the Christian literature of medieval Italy and Iberia, dating from the late 11th century to the middle of the 14th century. It categorizes a few types of the literary “use” of …

I Am Because You Are, Avree Gundersen

Honors Theses

As a performer, I am honored to be trusted with the message that each choreographer decides to share. It is important that I keep an open mind, body, and soul which allows me to be a versatile mover. I find that my passion for dance is rooted in the essence of community and in sharing the space and energy with those around me. This builds a mutual trust and understanding that dance allows us to be vulnerable with each other. From that state of vulnerability comes strength, challenges, healing, and curiosity. I find that when fully immersed in the authenticity …

Candace Mcmurray Senior Jazz Voice Recital, Candace Mcmurray

Honors Theses

This senior jazz voice recital is aimed to convey the artistry that has blossomed from studying jazz music as a vocalist. The repertoire included in this recital spans music written as early as 1923 and as late as 2017 encompassing a wide variety of jazz styles to reflect all the different jazz eras as well as how other genres in those times have influenced those compositions. The recital includes ten songs with a variety of instrumentation that are aligned with the jazz idiom. Some songs include a typical jazz combo of voice, piano, guitar, bass, and drums while others also …

Refuge: Seeking Solace Amidst Chaos, Andrew Deur

Honors Theses

“REFUGE: Seeking Solace Amidst Chaos” is an eight-movement suite composed for small jazz ensemble that explores the book of Psalms and the recurring idea of refuge in God that the psalmist describes. Featuring original compositions and arrangements by Andrew Deur, the suite tells the story of humankind’s relationship with God over the course of their creation and their fall into brokenness. As danger, adversity, struggle, and pain become prominent figures in humanity, the psalmist cries out to the Lord for help, and while the response does not always match their expectation or timeframe, God hears their prayers and answers with …

Empower! A Poetry Curriculum For The 21st Century Learner, Misty Maina

Honors Theses

By providing today’s high school students with a multimodal curriculum centered around critical inquiry, worldview, personal relevance, and by providing students will many opportunities to respond to these principles with their own writings, students will be empowered to engage with their learning and the world in meaningful and intentional ways. Empower! poetry curriculum is designed to help students ask questions about themselves, their immediate surroundings and influences, and about the world around them. Students will be encouraged to take the time and energy for deeper thinking and reflection as they engage with the activities of Empower! While there will be …

The Rebrand Of Sheamoisture, Anna Lechard

Honors Theses

I would like to start with why I chose the company SheaMoisture to rebrand. SheaMoisture was introduced to me by a hairstylist. I was looking for a product that was affordable and healthy for my hair. Before knowing of this company I would not have picked it off the shelf for myself. Not many hair care companies are affordable, hair type specific, and ethically sounded meaning they have good company values, an interesting origin story, and contain clean ingredients. However, with all these good things said, I did not understand that with the current branding in place which is why …

The Gibbs House: Visual Storytelling Through Brand Identity And Placemaking, Elizabeth Tran

Honors Theses

Managed by Western Michigan University’s (WMU) Office for Sustainability, the Gibbs House has a rich history of existing as the functioning university urban farm since the late 60s. Throughout the years, the location has transformed into a learning laboratory as well as a permaculture research and demonstration site for WMU students and the Kalamazoo community. As individuals scramble to come up with solutions to combat climate change, the two-acre plot becomes a vital resource where students are able to participate in sustainable practices that are both hands-on and outdoors. It pushes forward transformative ideas like composting, food forestry, and permaculture …

Teaching Language Variation In K-12 Schools, Samantha Phillips

Honors Theses

The language used in most classrooms throughout the United States is standard American English (SAE). Although this language is difficult to define, it is often perceived as the correct or proper usage of the English language. Students grow up learning that there is one correct way to speak and write, and consequently, they learn that any variation from this standard must be incorrect or improper. Student speakers of stigmatized variations of English face academic, social, and personal consequences such as poor academic performance, isolation from peers, and assimilation. The ideology that promotes SAE as correct also ignores the connection between …

A History Of Skydiving In West Michigan, Garrett Mohney

Honors Theses

My Lee Honors College Thesis project will coincide with my degree in Multimedia Arts Technology to create a documentary production surrounding the sport of Skydiving. The film will have a run time of approximately 20 minutes, including introductions and the credits. The project will consist of historical background on the sport, real jump footage taken by myself and other experienced camera flyers, and interviews with influential people in the greater Southwest Michigan area involved with the sport. The project will involve video capture and interviews, video editing, and advanced technical video creation. After the completion of the video, I will …

Exhuming Franco: Polarization In The Debate Over Historical Memory In Contemporary Spanish Politics, Stephanie Gardiner

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I examine political media to show the different ways that the Spanish right and the left have framed historical memory about Franco. In Chapter 2, I give an overview of the development of the HML and political reactions to the law. I then look at the progression of the law’s goals under the leadership of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Chapter 3, and in how the law was utilized in exhuming Franco, referenced in Chapter 4. Chapter 5 showcases, through quantitative and qualitative data, the overall relationship of how changing historical memory through exhumation elicited reactions from …

Influences: Eight Songs/Artists That Impacted My Musical Journey, Ava Lynch

Honors Theses

A song is often recognizable by catchy melodies, creative lyrics, and/or the rhythmic groove and feel of the overall song. Within the melody, there are catchy movements between notes that engrains it in the mind of its listeners for hours or days. When it comes to lyrics, if there is something resonating it will stick with the consumer forever, allowing them to sing along for years after the fact. Finally, the factor of rhythm is what gets people up and out of their seats to dance along, sway, or nod their heads to the beat. There is a lot of …

A Walk Through Western Michigan University's History, Melissa Paduk

Honors Theses

This thesis project examines the history of Western Michigan University’s East Campus and its expansion during the 20^th and 21^st centuries. The project is made up of a digital walking tour on the website Clio and a research paper. The walking tour was created on Clio.com and consists of photographs and textual information about twenty buildings and sites that played a significant role in the development and the transformation of the Western State Normal School. The tour can be accessed at the following link: https://theclio.com/tour/2169. The research paper serves as a supporting resource that works in partnership …

"Contemporary Audio Software Designs And Applications", Jacob Wolfe

Honors Theses

This study was an ear-first investigation into the spatial fidelity of binaurally rendered Ambisonic content, which is a technique currently in wide use to create multi-dimensional sound for virtual and augmented reality. 4 participants compared sounds played back on a 2-dimensional horizontal acoustic loudspeaker configuration, and a replication of an identical sound field that has been binaurally rendered for headphone playback. The final goal of altering the headphone program to align more closely with the original acoustic loudspeaker sound field has been realized and proven with improved localization results for participants.

The discovered improvements of this investigation consist of a …

Black-Eyed, Abigail Sipe

Honors Theses

Black-Eyed tells the story of Rowan Mae Baker, a ten-year-old girl dealing with too-big-for-a-ten-year-old problems. In the past year, Rowan moved from Jackson to Winona after the unexpected arrest and sudden death of her father. Then, almost a year later, Rowan is sexually assaulted by an older boy from her school. Rowan understands neither of these things. Throughout Black-Eyed, Rowan spends twelve hours running away from home while trying to figure out how to talk to her mom about the assault. Alone for the first time, she begins to observe and question the world around her, to process her …

Sound For The Cinema: A Senior Composition Recital By Lindsay Dills, Lindsay Dills

Honors Theses

Sounds for the Cinema involves the exploration of all elements encompassing the creation of film within one composition recital. Pieces were written with the intention of pursuing effective storytelling in writing the music, sound design, foley sound art, and directing videography. Every composition explores different facets of the filmmaking experience. The Batman, Spring, and Lord of the Rings: Two Towers are all rescorings opening the recital showcase to exhibit how altering the music of an already created scene can change the entire tone of a movie. Following this, the composition utilizing a clip from Antman and the Wasp …

Stories In Song, Lauren Kowal

Honors Theses

Accompanying her senior recital performance, Stories in Song, Kowal writes a form of extended program notes and analysis in which she relates each piece of music to their original storytelling form. She compares the intention of the composer in their retelling of these famous stories, or how the stories were adapted to music, and to how best portray the stories in their performance.