Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Cinematic Biblical Translation: An Introduction To Narratological Screenwriting Through Genesis 38, Wesley Newman

Masters Theses

CBT draws from three areas of study: screenplay analysis, biblical narratology/narrative criticism, and screenplay adaptation to evaluate specific Hebrew narratives into a screenplay. Biblical narratology offers insight into the literary structure and narrative logic of ancient Hebrew storytelling, while contemporary screenwriting explains how narrative functions within modern audiovisual media. The marrying of these two fields creates a new methodology for translating biblical narratives into a form that remains faithful to the text while also being engaging on screen. This allows me to establish the guidelines necessary for crafting an accurate and compelling screenplay translation while also laying the foundation for …

Dialogue In Screenwriting: Developing The Character Through Conversation, Madalynn Ruth Shiderly

Masters Theses

The purpose of this document is to highlight the importance of dialogue in a screenplay, discuss specific examples of dialogue from well-known films, and analyze how words affect the characterization of a film’s protagonist. First, the document explains the importance of having strong characters in a story for it to be compelling enough for audiences to engage with it. Then, the question of whether character or plot is more important in a narrative is discussed. Finally, the document introduces the concept of dialogue in a screenplay, forming the argument that dialogue is just as important as plot structure. For this …

Man's Modern Need For God: A Literary Apologetic, Matthew G. Jones

Masters Theses

This thesis argues that modern man’s attempt to dispense with God inevitably results in psychological, moral, and existential collapse, a reality most powerfully revealed through the literary works of Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Leo Tolstoy. Before Nietzsche proclaimed the death of God and called humanity to transcend traditional morality through the rise of the Übermensch, Dostoevsky and Tolstoy had already responded, not merely with philosophical counterarguments, but with stories that exposed the devastating consequences of life divorced from the divine. Through literary apologetics, this thesis examines the broader cultural and spiritual conversation taking place between these nineteenth-century thinkers and …

Adam, The First Scientist: Unlocking The True Foundation Of Scientific Thinking, Thomas E. Lohman Jr.

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates the complex relationship between scientific thought and theological perspectives, proposing that God breathing life into Adam symbolizes a full divine inspiration for both scientific and theological understanding. The perceived conflict between science and theology arises from a shift in human thinking at the fall, which altered humanity's ability to rightly grasp both realms. After this crucial event, science shifted to a more naturalistic approach, while theology often downplayed God's sovereign power over creation.

The alterations to the original functions and purposes of science and theology have led to a fragile relationship between the two. According to Scripture, …

From Christology To Ontology: A Diachronic And Exegetical Evaluation Of A Maximalist Sacramental Interpretation Of John 6:51–58, Andrew R. Johnson

Masters Theses

John 6:51–58 occupies a central place in the debate regarding the ontological nature of the Eucharist, frequently serving as a primary scriptural warrant for sacramental realism such as articulated by the Council of Trent as it concerns the dogma of transubstantiation within the Roman Catholic tradition. This thesis conducts both an evaluation of historical reception and a critical exegetical analysis to determine whether the Evangelist’s primary intent was to establish sacramental doctrine in this passage or to further develop already pervasive Johannine soteriological and christological themes.

Methodologically, this study bridges the gap between historical reception and synchronic exegesis. The first …

Linguistic And Cultural Analysis Of Divine Command In 1 Samuel 15: Implications For Biblical Interpretation, Timothy Arnell Dunn

Masters Theses

This thesis argues that ḥērem in 1 Samuel 15 is not a relic of ancient warfare but a sacred act of covenantal devotion that reveals the tension between divine holiness, human obedience, and Israel’s identity as a people set apart for YHWH. Through historical, philological, narrative, and canonical analysis, the study demonstrates that ḥērem functions as a ritualized declaration of divine sovereignty in which destruction becomes consecration and obedience becomes worship. Saul’s partial compliance is therefore not strategic misjudgment but a rupture in covenant fidelity that exposes the costliness of holiness and the danger of selective obedience. Yet the canon …

Fiction Novel Chapters: Ghost Orchid, Ronald C. Whetsell

Masters Theses

There is a natural tension between governments whose structures are maintained by strong, centralized control like those of Russia and China, and one built on a decentralized, constitutional democracy such as the United States. Although Russia and China have functioned on the global stage in a manner largely reflecting their own self-interests since the early twentieth century, that configuration will change within the fiction novel, Desert Orchid. The narrative will detail their agreement to combine their resources which will better enable them to compete with the free economy of the United States. Their goal is to usurp the global economic …

The Law Of Christ As Eschatological Nomism: Paul’S Halakhic Framework For Gentile Inclusion In The Covenant Community, Jason Bagwell

Masters Theses

This thesis examines Paul’s “Law of Christ” as a halakhic framework for Gentile inclusion in the covenant community. It argues that Paul does not reject the Torah as God’s covenant instruction, nor does he replace it with a vague or subjective ethic. Rather, Paul reorients Torah through the Christ event and applies it to Gentile believers through Spirit-empowered covenant fidelity. By analyzing key Pauline texts, especially Galatians 6:2, 1 Corinthians 9:21, 1 Corinthians 7:17–20, and related case studies involving idolatry, sexual immorality, food, and table fellowship, this study demonstrates that Paul’s instructions to Gentiles function as concrete legal and communal …

Running For Home: Approaching Feminist Literary Theory Through A Biblical Lens In Women's Fiction, Tabitha Joy Lawson

Masters Theses

“Undeterred, Stephanie’s frown deepened. ‘Too bad you don’t have a mom. Maybe she could teach you how to be pretty’” (Lawson). These lines from the creative manuscript, Running for Home, capture a prevalent gender norm as eleven-year-old Eli attempts to navigate life in a new school. Gender norms as they apply to women, such as submissiveness versus independence, are a central theme of Women’s Fiction and is the genre of my creative manuscript. Written from the point of view of two characters, the story begins when Teresa is in her early twenties in 1974, and Eli’s begins in 1991. The …

Music Education For Diverse Learners: An Undergraduate Curriculum To Prepare Pre-Service Educators To Adapt Music Instruction, Phoebe Winey

Masters Theses

Music educators are required to work with students of all levels and abilities. Christian music educators understand that all students are created by God fearfully and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14, English Standard Version) and that humanity is Christ’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). Christians in education must perceive all students as the workmanship of Christ and work to provide them with fidelity and excellence in education. Music education has proven to be a critical method for developing the minds of learners with exceptionalities; therefore, music educators must be adequately prepared to educate students with diverse exceptionalities through accommodations that improve cognitive abilities and …

Artrepreneurs & Business Survival: Bridging The Gap To Creative Success, Ryan Michael Moore

Masters Theses

Artrepreneurs — freelance artists and small studio owners within creative industries — frequently lack training in essential business management skills in financial management, client pipeline development, and business sustainability. These factors exacerbate already statistically high business failure rates, adding to the burdens experienced by creative entrepreneurs. Conventional wisdom and guidance for entrepreneurs is found in experience-based advice from books, blogs and business mentors. While these offer valuable insights, the lack of data-driven advice highlights an opportunity to close the knowledge gap. This research investigates visually engaging educational systems to guide the creation of new visual solutions which address these challenges. …

The Other Summer Soundtrack: Mass Bands, Hbcu Influence, And The Future Of Culturally Relevant, Community-Driven Music Education, Thomas L. Jones Jr.

Masters Theses

This study examines the roles of mass bands, community bands, and all-star bands and explores how they can offer culturally relevant, community-driven alternatives to traditional summer music education programs. This is especially important for students from diverse and lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Traditional marching musical arts programs require students to have access to sufficient funding and transportation, effectively locking out low-income and culturally distant groups. This research explores how alternative band models offer a viable option for supporting young students in music education, social skills development, and leadership. The multiple-case study focused on three diverse program types. Over the course of …

From Concept To Creation: Writers Are The Builders Of Worlds, Rosalyn A. Fletcher

Masters Theses

This paper examines the disparity between the monumental success of the Assassin’s Creed video game franchise and the epic failure of its 2016 film adaptation, and how to avoid those missteps in the screenplay, The Chemist. The analysis argues that while Ubisoft masterfully integrated worldbuilding into every stage of the games' production – blending factual history with the high-concept lore of the Animus – the film faltered by treating these elements as mere set dressing. By prioritizing cinematic spectacle over narrative substance, the film alienated its core fanbase with jarring changes to established technology and a lack of meaningful character …

Trauma, Myth, And Sacred Memory: How Narrative Gives Form To Suffering, Theology, And Meaning, Jacob M. Tannehill

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between trauma, myth, and narrative meaning through academic and creative works. Drawing upon trauma theory, cultural memory studies, and mythopoeic fantasy, this thesis examines how communities remember catastrophes, preserve identity, and struggle to transform suffering into coherent narratives. The critical portion focuses on J. R. R. Tolkien’s account of Númenor’s destruction in The Silmarillion, reading the Downfall as a model of cultural trauma whose meaning persists through inheritance and contested narration. The creative portion, drawn from excerpts of The Adia, extends these concerns into a mythic world in which language, memory, and theological inheritance shape …

Silent Invaders: Stopping The Spread Of The Spotted Lanternfly, Sloane Z. Hall

Masters Theses

The Spotted Lanternfly, an invasive insect originating from China, has rapidly spread across the United States, harming agriculture, forestry, and surrounding ecosystems. It’s destructive feeding behavior severely impacts grapevines, fruit trees, and hardwoods, which directly affects wine production, farm communities, and local environments. The aim of this research was to investigate the biological, ecological, and economic stakes of the infestation, as well as the methods currently used to monitor and control its spread. Specifically, it examines how communication frameworks, design practices, and extension approaches influence producers’ adoption of recommended Integrated Pest Management (IPM) protocols. Through the research, a literature review, …

Recovering Persuasion In A Post-Truth Classroom, Lydia James

Masters Theses

Modern composition pedagogy embraces pluralism and expressivism that in turn reduces persuasion to mere self-expression or genre performance rather than disciplined inquiry. This thesis argues that the historical shift in composition’s values has created a civic gap. Within this gap, students adopt either powerful or reluctant attitudes due to the lack of ethical responsibility attached to their agency. Surveying the negligence of classical definitions of persuasion in modern models, this research traces the collapse of ethical deliberation through the movements of expressivism, pluralism, and postmodern skepticism. While these movements intended to avoid the rigid dogma that existed over time, they …

Fanning The Flames: Incorporating Faith Into Fantasy, Rachel E. Noonan

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the integration of Christian themes into fantasy literature through critical analysis and original creative work. The critical component traces the tradition of Christian fantasy from Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene to C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, arguing that faith achieves its greatest literary impact when woven organically into character and world-building rather than imposed upon the narrative. Contemporary novels by Shannon Dittemore and Chuck Black illustrate the dangers of didacticism and shallow characterization. The creative manuscript, Fanning the Flames, applies these principles through Kian Sai, a young conscript navigating an authoritarian military …

What Cannot Be Returned Witnessing Forgotten Wrongs Against Native Americans Through Narrative And Historical Memory, Haley Marie Cranman

Masters Theses

What Cannot Be Returned is a hybrid creative nonfiction thesis that examines forgotten and often minimized injustices committed against Native American communities throughout American history. Through a combination of historical research, witness literature, and fictionalized narrative, this project explores events including the California genocide, the Long Walk of the Navajo, Osage oil exploitation, Indian boarding schools, forced sterilization, the Sand Creek Massacre, the Trail of Tears, and Wounded Knee. The thesis argues that while these losses—land, language, family, identity, autonomy, and life—cannot be undone, they must be remembered with honesty and care. Grounded in archival records, government documents, survivor accounts, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Participation In Low-Threshold Choirs With The Lenses Of Flow Theory And Neuroscience, Jessie Mae Rajala Chapin

Masters Theses

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore participant perspectives on the multi-faceted benefits of participation in low-threshold choirs toward health and well-being as interpreted through the lenses of flow theory and neuroscience. The results of this study can inform the practice of choral directors to maximize the benefits of choral participation for the individuals they serve. The researcher interviewed twelve participants and analyzed data from thirty-two online survey respondents and two observations. Thematic analysis incorporated inductive coding of the data combined with deductive application of flow theory. Themes developed aligned with current research on the benefits of choral …

Societal Sickness: An Exploration Of The Racially Biased Stereotypes Found Within American Historical Fiction Novels, Josephine Robbins

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the complicated nature of stereotypes in American historical fiction, particularly around black oppression and the Civil Rights Movement. The artist statement explores the personal and literary influences that led me to explore and further research this topic. The critical paper explores how historical fiction novels over the last few centuries have used black suffering as a vehicle to promote white moral development, causing a rise in the white savior character archetype. Finally, the creative manuscript, The White Washing, is a novel that develops African American characters morally and gives them a central role in their own story, …

From Classroom To Conference: A Branding Toolkit For Educators, Danyel Burgett

Masters Theses

From Classroom to Conference: Branding the Educator investigates how design methodology and research-based instructional frameworks can support educators in developing cohesive professional identities. As educators are increasingly expected to present, publish, and maintain digital presences, formal preparation in visual communication and professional branding remains limited within teacher preparation and professional development. This thesis addresses that gap through the development of an instructional design solution. Grounded in John Hattie’s Visible Learning framework, adult learning theory, and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, the project applies principles of clarity, reflection, feedback, metacognition, and experiential learning to professional identity development. The resulting design solution includes …

Returning To The Third Place: For Mental And Spiritual Well-Being, Angela M. Creason

Masters Theses

This study investigates the impact of Generation Z’s (Gen Z’s) digital immersion and post-COVID lifestyle patterns on their interpersonal relationships. The literature shows that anxiety, continuous online connectivity, and pseudo-relationships developed through social media hinder their ability to form and maintain face-to-face connections. Using case studies, visual analyses, and research-grounded graphic design, the project examines how Gen Z utilizes coffee shops as a hybrid space for work and selective social interaction. The analysis shows that this generation is open to in-person engagement when environments feel convenient, low-pressure, and aligned with their values. These findings inform the development of Percolate, a …

What Better Means: A Full-Length Album By Fake Baseball, Maggie Heeren

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Haunted By A Cheap Ghost: Objects As Identity, Caitlin Zachow

Masters Theses

I am haunted by a cheap ghost, surrounded by inherited memories that are not my own, preserved in heirlooms that leave little room for me to create souvenirs of my own experience. In response, my practice centers on the personal significance of collections as outward expressions of identity, personality, and lived experience. Rooted in themes of Midwestern Americana, this exhibition presents narrative tableaus and curated collections that examine how personal identity is constructed through objects of memory, and display.

Informed by research into the history of kitsch, Sigmund Freud’s concept of the uncanny, and the “outmoded,” my work considers how …

Scholarship As A Means For Musical Performance: An Exploration Of Johannes Brahms Violin Sonata In G Major, Op. 78, Josh Zallar

Masters Theses

Developing a quality musical performance is a complicated and time-consuming endeavor. Endless hours are spent learning a musical instrument, developing technique, and growing into a mature sound. Learning the notes, rhythms, dynamics, and basic musical markings of a score compound this task, not to mention the preparation for performing by managing nerves, among other areas of concern. Amidst the undoubtedly enormous amount of work, however, often focus gets lost. Musicians forget that, despite the inherent fact that our inner voice is heard when we perform, that it is ultimately the composer whose voice and musical meaning must be conveyed in …

Grace And Generosity: A Nt Defense Of Christian Giving And Stewardship, Jermaine Mcinnis

Masters Theses

This thesis holds that Christian stewardship and giving remain divinely appointed activities in the NT, despite growing skepticism in modern ecclesial and academic circles. Firmly grounded in biblical theology and canonical exegesis, the research argues that the disciplines of tithing, giving, and sacrificial stewardship are not eliminated by grace but are redirected and intensified with Christ. The research examines OT assumptions, Jesus’ instruction, and apostolic instruction to illustrate consistency in God's expectation of His people's obedience regarding finances. Drawing on current scholarship, the thesis refutes assumptions that giving is optional or less culturally relevant, underlining its vital importance to church …

The Sacrificial Vs. The Luzhinian Figure: Comparing Sacrificial Love In Crime And Punishment, Pride And Prejudice, And A Tale Of Two Cities, Natalie Rose Kubala

Masters Theses

Many works of art and literature exploring the theme of love focus on trying to define what love is; in contrast, this thesis dives deeper into defining what love is not, specifically focusing on the relationship between love and sacrifice. This thesis argues that love is not the same as sacrifice because a true sacrifice requires that love is already present prior to the sacrifice being made. This thesis will compare those who perform true sacrifices to those who perform sacrifices for their own personal gain by exploring grandiose narcissistic characters who perform (or attempt to perform) sacrifices without love …

Rhetorical Strategies In Writing-Based Suicide Prevention: A Qualitative Study For Navy Chaplains And Command Leadership In Region East, Herode Jean-Vilien Thomas

Masters Theses

Suicide prevention remains a critical challenge within military environments, particularly in operational settings where communication between leaders and service members often occurs under conditions of stress and urgency. While the United States Navy has implemented numerous prevention initiatives, limited attention has been given to the role of written communication as a relational and persuasive tool in crisis response. This study examines how rhetorical strategies influence writing-based suicide prevention communication within Navy Recruiting Command Region East. Drawing on classical rhetorical theory and contemporary communication research, the study explores how tone, clarity, message structure, and audience awareness shape the effectiveness of crisis …

Destination: Love And Redemption In The Underworld, Alexis P. Johnson

Masters Theses

This essay serves as an artist’s statement for Alexis Johnson, outlining her journey as a storyteller and the development of her MFA thesis work, focusing on her feature film screenplay, Destination. Johnson details her lifelong connection to Arizona and the desire to propose storytelling on film that moves outside the stereotypical standard the state is known for. Through Destination, she aims to expand the Western genre by weaving in elements of magic and imagination, showcasing Arizona as a place rich in narrative potential. The screenplay explores themes of death, identity, and transformation. She reflects on how her life’s challenges have …

The Intermediate State: Scriptural, Philosophical, And Scientific Evidence For Conscious Existence After Death, Timothy R. Perry

Masters Theses

This thesis examines whether Scripture and supporting evidence affirm that believers enter the immediate presence of Christ in a conscious and possibly embodied state prior to the resurrection. It argues that compelling scriptural, scientific, and philosophical evidence supports the doctrine that believers enter the presence of Christ immediately after death, in a conscious and possibly embodied state until the final resurrection. The study employs a multidisciplinary argument drawing upon biblical exegesis, philosophical reasoning, and relevant scientific insights from the emerging field of near-death experiences. This study uniquely frames the intermediate state as an apologetic issue, offering hope to Christians who …