Arts and Humanities Commons^™

An Analysis Of Contextual Conditions As First Year Ras Train In And Implement The Phase One Safe Zone Program, Cameron Carrara

Masters Theses

Since the 1990s, safe space initiatives, such as Safe Zone, have been developed on college campuses across the United States as a way of educating participants on LGBTQ-related issues and how to become a better ally/advocate for the LGBTQ community. While little qualitative research has been conducted on safe space initiatives to begin with, there is even less research on the perceptions participants have of these types of programs. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of the Phase 1 Safe Zone training among first year RAs in the residence halls. A secondary purpose was …

An Analysis Of Four Compositions For Wind Band, Michael R. Pond-Jones

Masters Theses

Intended as a resource for conductors, this document provides short backgrounds, composer biographies, and brief, selective theoretical analyses of four compositions for wind band. The compositions include two recent pieces, as well as two pieces that have maintained a strong presence in band literature for over 50 years. The pieces include Pacem: A Hymn for Peace by Robert Spittal, The Jig Is Up by Daniel Kallman, Bagatelles for Band by Vincent Persichetti, and Rhoseymedre by Ralph Vaughn Williams. Topics addressed include diatonic motivic development in Pacem, a comparison of Daniel Kallman's The Jig Is Up to the compositional styles of …

Survey And Analysis Of Four Works For Wind Band, Bryan Chesi

Masters Theses

Intended as a resource for band conductors, this essay provides background information, composer biographical information, and salient features of four wind band compositions. The compositions include two works composed for band by award winning composers. Two others are transcriptions and arrangements of works originally composed for orchestra or other mediums. The pieces include Colorado Peaks composed by Dana Wilson, Commando March composed by Samuel Barber, Blessed Are They by Johannes Brahms - Arranged by Barbara Buehlman, and Spoon River composed by Percy Grainger - arranged by Glenn Cliffe Bainum. Topics include an examination of flexible scoring and compositional style in …

Woodlawn: A Collection Of Working Class Poems, Anthony Travis Shoot

Masters Theses

This thesis includes a collection of working-class poems that explore such issues as poverty, work, racism, family, and substance abuse through the lens of class. It also includes a critical introduction that gives a brief overview of the history and current state of working-class studies, specifically poetry. In this thesis I relate the work of contemporary poets such as Jim Daniels and Simon J. Ortiz to my own work, while explaining the themes of contemporary poets compiled in anthologies such as Working Classics: An Anthology and American Working Class Literature.

Creative Writing Pedagogy: The Autobiographical Narrative In Hybrid Projects As A Means To Explore Intersectionality, Tana G. Young

Masters Theses

My thesis addresses the role of creative writing methods in fostering close observation, attention to detail, critical thinking and a keener awareness of intersectionalities in writing classrooms across disciplines, but most especially the humanities and social sciences. I contend that the "real work" of the academy is critical thinking. Further, using creative writing, specifically autobiographical narrative in FYC, anticipates multimodal projects and digital storytelling, all of which fosters creative and critical thinking.

The Problem Of Love And Codes Of Conduct For The Younger Courtiers In King Lear, Debora L. Pfeiffer

Masters Theses

The courtiers Edmund and Edgar are critical to the action of King Lear, yet there has been little scholarship which has treated these characters in depth. I argue that one way to comprehend them and their significance in the play's action is to analyze their behavior according to the standards of the Renaissance conduct books that were circulating in England at the beginning of the seventeenth century when the play was written. Baldassare Castigligone's The Book of the Courtier, Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince, and Desiderius Erasmus's The Education of a Christian Prince each sheds light on important themes …

Yeah You Write: Authenticity And Authority In Katrina Literature, Terri Coleman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Between Heaven And Hell And Heathens, Gabrielle Knock

Masters Theses

This work of fiction explores the relationship between worshipped and worshipper by dually depicting it as a child/parent relationship and as a relationship between lovers. Written in the tradition of parodies like Don Quixote and re-imaginings of myths like The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee, I use humor and a contemporary setting in my book about a child who could be the second coming of Christ, but who cares more about his mother' s approval than he does about God.

Perceptions Of Historically Black Greek Letter Organizations Impact On Leadership Development, Sherry Gunn

Masters Theses

Historically Black Greek - Lettered Organizations (HBGLO) have an impact on Black students at a Predominantly White Institution. As student affairs professionals, it is important to understand how these organizations affect our students and their development. This study aimed to learn how these Historically Black Greek - Lettered Organizations assisted with members gaining leadership skills, members experiences versus non - members, and members connection/ retention to the institution. The researcher conducted interviews with members of Historically Black Greek Lettered Organizations to examine the perceptions of seven participants. These participants represented four of the six Historically Black Greek Lettered Organization at …

"Fine Dignity, Picturesque Beauty, And Serious Purpose": The Reorientation Of Suffrage Media In The Twentieth Century, Emily Scarbrough

Masters Theses

Throughout the first half century of the woman's suffrage movement, the women of the movement were depicted as dastardly, masculine women who usurped the family structure with their penchant for politics. In the twentieth century, a new generation of woman's suffragists took command of their appearance in the media. Instead of controversial figures, woman's suffragists were envisioned as normal, beautiful women and mothers. Through the use of mass media, woman suffragists restructured their campaign to convince the general public that society needed women to clean up politics. In doing so, suffragists sacrificed their goals of sexual equality in favor of …

The Perception Of Black Male Students Of Black Faculty/Staff Involvement In Mentorship At A Predominantly White Institution, B. James Griffin Jr.

Masters Theses

This research study explored the perception African American men had of mentorship, its value to their education and the effects it had on their college success at a predominantly White institution. The study further focused on the impact mentorship had on the student when the mentor was of a different race versus the same race of the student. The research was guided by the following questions: (1) What is the value of mentorships related to attending a higher education institution, (2) What factors lead Black male students to seek mentorships, (3) What are the perceived differences between mentorship with cross-race …

The Effectiveness Of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies For Teaching English Reading Skills To Hispanic English Language Learners, Michelle Watson

Masters Theses

The present study was designed to assess the effectiveness of the Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for teaching English reading skills to Hispanic English language learners (ELL) in the third grade. The current literature shows a rapid increase of Hispanic students in the U.S., however, due to a lack of exposure to the English language at an early age, many ELL students are behind their non-ELL peers in academic achievement, especially in reading. The PALS program was designed as an alternative approach to teacher-led instruction to help ameliorate reading difficulties, and although its effectiveness has been demonstrated with a variety …

The Shadow Of The Hyperobject In Thomas Pynchon's V. And Gravity's Rainbow, Trevor Martinson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

For Quality And Training Purposes: Stories, Sean Towey

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Troubled, Solomohn Nallshi Ennis-Klyczek

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Characteristics Of A Modern Ballet: The Adoption Of Sonic Vocabulary And Textual Treatment In The Earth Without Water (2014), Mark Luke Rheaume

Masters Theses

The modern ballet, as an orchestral genre, owes much of its status and value to composers of the early 20th century. Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky’s groundbreaking works, Prélude à l'apres-midi d'un faune and Le Sacre du Printemps respectively, revolutionized the sonic landscape of ballet and expanded the ideas of interaction with texts and scenarios. This paper demonstrates the continued use of these innovations in the author's composition, The Earth Without Water. This analysis identifies three categories—harmonic vocabulary, rhythmic/formal organization, and textual treatment—by which The Earth derives content or technique from Prélude and Le Sacre.

The Lyric And The Lathe: Dreams Of Perfect Poetic Efficiency, 1800-1917, Steven A. Nathaniel

Masters Theses

This study examines patterns of efficiency in the poetry and theory of William Wordsworth, Hilda Doolittle, and other figures from the Modernist and Romantic periods. I begin by defining perfect efficiency as occurring when energy transforms, without loss, inside a closed energy system, and I offer perpetual motion machines as hypothetical examples of this impossible state. I then demonstrate the process of efficiency in William Wordsworth's poetry, which begins with circumlocutory poetic cycles but contracts into terse repetitions. Since technical efficiency is calculated by the formula output/input, poetry's subjectivity makes poetic efficiency difficult to measure. However, I suggest that repetitions …

Same-Sex Peer Influence On Female Undergraduate Body Image Perception, Caitlyn Buchanan

Masters Theses

Regardless of age, race, or socioeconomic class, women throughout western cultures are well documented for having body image related insecurities. These insecurities can be the result of pressure to look and behave a certain way from a variety of sources including media and peers. This study explored the role that same-sex peers play in undergraduate women's perception of body image. Four undergraduate women at a public, Midwestern university who lived within campus housing were interviewed. Results of the study showed that same-sex peers did not play a significant role in the women's perception of body image. The results of this …

Mental Illness In Early American Fiction: Charles Brockden Brown And The Sentimental Novelists, Katie E. Walk

Masters Theses

The late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries witnessed the development of the United States of America as a new nation. This development brought with it new ideologies and social and political change; included in these changes was the way that sexual conduct outside of marriage was dealt with. Because the emerging legal system became less concerned with matters of morality, some people became frightened that sexual promiscuity would become rampant. The sentimental novel or seduction tale became a means of attempting to control sexual behavior when the law was not able to step in.

The way that madness, a term …

A Study Of The Symbolic Clothing Disposition Behaviors Of Generation Y, Patti A. Borrello

Masters Theses

This qualitative study explored symbolic clothing disposition behaviors of Generation Y. The disposition of their wedding gowns was investigated using material possession attachment concepts. The study explored the following research questions: (1) What did Generation Y wedding gown owners do with their wedding gowns after the wedding?, (2) What disposition method was used and why the disposition method was chosen?, and (3) How is attachment to a wedding gowns related to the disposition method selected? Subjects were recruited using a non-probability, chain referral or snowball purposive approach. Within the broad categories of keeping and disposing of, many of the specific …

The Status Of, Teacher Attitudes Towards, And The Lmpact Of Music Therapy Lnclusive Music Education In Michigan, Ann E. Armbruster

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Michigan music teachers' attitudes and perceptions regarding their training for and experience with special learners in their classrooms, and their collaboration and consultation with music therapists. Eighty-six music educators completed a 51 item questionnaire. Results showed that music teachers' attitudes and perceptions are generally positive toward inclusion. Mean scores for attitude and perception were not influenced by whether participants had or had not taken a course in special education as a student, whether they had access to continuing education regarding inclusion through their school district, or participants' predominant teaching area or degree …

The Efficacy Of Music As A Non-Analgesic Method Of Reducing Pain Perception During Cold Pressor Trials, Amanda Lynn Ziemba

Masters Theses

The purpose of this project was to investigate the impact of differentiated onset of self-selected music on pain perception and pain tolerance during a cold pressor test. Subjects participated in four trials during which music was presented at different points of time in relation to their exposure to the cold pressor test. Results indicated that listening to music prior to and concurrently with the onset of the pain resulted in lower self-reported pain (F(3, 66) :3.25, p < .05). Behavioral results indicated that subjects were able to tolerate an average of 25s longer (F(2.04,44.81): I.56,p > .05.) when music was presented after the onset of painful stimuli. Both results have positive implications for the clinical use of music as …

A Suryey Of Music Therapists' Use Of Music To Facilitate Reading Development In Children, Cynthia Cross

Masters Theses

This study utilized Naturalistic Inquiry methods to investigate how music therapists use music elements to impact reading development in school-aged children. Eleven Board-Certified Music Therapists were interviewed providing information regarding music therapy interventions, reading skills targeted, theoretical influences, and professional influences. Transcripts of interviews were analyzedto determine themes, coÍtmon use of language related to the subject, common perceptions, and techniques and uses for music to impact reading development. In general subjects did not report specifically using music elements to target reading behavior. Rather, most subjects identified reading objectives determined by classroom teachers and developed music interventions to accommodate those objectives. …

Choices In The Editing Room: How The Intentional Editing Of Dialogue Scenes Through Shot Choice Can Enhance Story And Character Development Within Motion Pictures, Jonathan Pfenninger

Masters Theses

This study examines the content of six feature length films, which showed in theaters in 2010 and 2011, from a communication perspective. Five of the scrutinized films are Academy Award winning and nominated films for Best Editing. The sixth film was the top grossing Christian feature film to be widely released within the two years. Utilizing Foss's rhetorical schema for the evaluation of visual imagery, this study examines and evaluates the composition of dialogue scenes within each film, identifying the functions of shot composition and movement choices within each film, individually. Through identification of a function, assessment and support found …

Material | Adventure, Diana Wagner

Masters Theses

With the generous support of the RISD Grad Studies|Grant I traveled to London, England to deepen my thesis research of material libraries. This opportunity allowed me to visit the resources that inspired my enthusiasm for materials and to challenge the questions I posed in my thesis research, How we, artists and designers, learn from materials in the context of the library? The sources explored within this book highlight a growing community of academic and research based material collections in London, along with some exceptional exhibitions of materials and process in the context of the museum and archive.

The Lord Is There: Christian Views Of The Temple In The First Century Ad, Jonathan Wells

Masters Theses

During the first century, Yeshua (Jesus) and the original Christians viewed the temple as God's dwelling place on earth. Informed by the Hebrew Bible, which they saw as the Holy Scriptures, they continued to hold the temple in high regard. The writings of the New Testament display the thoughts of the first Christians and the teachings of Yeshua concerning their understanding of the Jerusalem temple. This study explores the views of the temple in the New Testament and other Christian writings from the first century to demonstrate that most Christians and especially the writings of the New Testament continue to …

Southern Black Gospel Music: Qualitative Look At Quartet Sound During The Gospel `Boom' Period Of 1940-1960, Beatrice Pate

Masters Theses

The purpose of this work is to identify features of southern black gospel music, and to highlight what makes the music unique. One goal is to present information about black gospel music and distinguishing the different definitions of gospel through various ages of gospel music. A historical accounting for the gospel music is necessary, to distinguish how the different definitions of gospel are from other forms of gospel music during different ages of gospel. The distinctions are important for understanding gospel music and the `Southern' gospel music distinction. The quartet sound was the most popular form of music during the …

Rhetoric Of Revolt In Thirteenth-Century Castile And England, Jillian M. Bjerke

Masters Theses

This thesis studies the rhetoric of revolt in the thirteenth century by comparing documents and chronicles from the Barons War against Henry III of England (1258-1265) and the revolt of the Castilian nobles against Alfonso X of Castile (1271-1273). By undertaking close readings of these Latin and Castilian texts, I uncover many similar approaches to writing revolt in two roughly contemporary and little-compared rebellions. The first comparison of the two briefs submitted by the rebelling English barons to Louis IX of France for arbitration in 1264 with the purported agreement between the Castilian nobles and Alfonso X presented to Enrique …

Gesture-Sensing Technology For The Bow: A Relevant And Accessible Digital Interface For String Instruments, Zachary Boyt

Masters Theses

Technological advances in powerful, miniaturized electronics have created a growing potential to continue the evolution of string instruments through an accessible digital interface. Although many new types of instruments and controllers have explored this goal, gesture-sensing technology, when paired with the expressive nature of the bow, has provided the most eligible solution towards bridging technology and tradition. Through a selective showcase of technical development, artistic application, and future possibilities, this thesis traces the evolution of gesturesensing bow technology as an accessible digital interface in string instrument performance.

The Pagan Pudicitia Of Early Christian Roman Women, Iris Rebecca Petty

Masters Theses

Accessing the everyday experiences of late antique non-elite Roman women in the Latin west is limited by sources and issues of authorship. Interdisciplinary scholarship, however, has opened up new avenues in recent years through which these women’s experiences may be studied. When literary-historical questions are asked of these sources’ authors, audiences, motives and intents, the answers provide insight into the roles women and femininity played in early Christianity. By examining an array of late antique Roman representations of good classical women, a unique continuity is seen in the transition from pagan to Christian Rome. The Latin patristic writers capitalized on …