Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Stories From Life: A Collection Of Creative Nonfiction Shorts, Amanda Michelle Brucks

Theses and Dissertations

Stories From Life: A Collection of Creative Nonfiction Shorts deals with different aspects of and a different time periods in the author's life. The pieces in this collection are meant to stand alone, but when read together give a solid understanding of who the author is, where she comes from, and how she became the person she is today. The final piece deals directly with creative nonfiction as a genre, and defines both shorts and creative nonfiction for the reader.

Toward A Retention-Focused Compostion Pedagogy: The Composition Classroom As A Space To Promote Retention, Mark Isbell

Theses and Dissertations

Retention scholarship and theory is discussed, synthesized, and brought into juxtaposition with concepts and practices of composition pedagogy in order to elicit an understanding of the role that composition pedagogy might play in retention initiatives. Surveys conducted at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Creative Writing are drawn on to determine what practices might be seen as "retention friendly" in light of the review of retention scholarship. Empirical data is described that shows a correlation between participation in composition classes at UALR and increased student retention. A readily accessible theoretical model is offered for use by composition …

Identity As Performance And Narrative Within Facebook, Trent Michael Kays

Theses and Dissertations

How does a user construct and maintain identity within Facebook is the central question of this thesis. This question is approached from an identity as performance and narrative perspective. The available means for performance and narrative are examined in this work and formed into categories based on Facebook user types.

A Freelance Writer's Guide To Marketing Online, Rachel Leanne Deason

Theses and Dissertations

"A Freelance Writer's Guide to Marketing Online" describes and demonstrates how freelance writers can use the most current social networking tools and basic marketing principles to market themselves online and find freelance writing work. Potential users of this trade book are experienced Internet users who do not have an extensive business or marketing background. Accompanying the manuscript, provided on a cd, is an analytic cover piece.

Caught Between Two Paradigms: Changes In The Community Foundation Field And The Rhetoric Of Community Foundation Websites, Sarah Elizabeth Kinser

Theses and Dissertations

In this investigation, I analyzed the websites of three community foundations and interviewed communications personnel from each foundation to determine how and to what extent their websites address the rhetorical challenges implied by ongoing changes in the field that necessitate a more collaborative, community-oriented approach. The stated key messages of the personnel I interviewed emphasize community involvement and partnership, yet their comments indicate that they view their websites as tools for informing rather than interacting. The sites' structure and functionality foreground institutional information and push community-oriented and interactive content to the periphery. Additionally, the sites' formal language and use of …

Forgotten But Not Forgiven: The Legacy Of Governor Ben T. Laney, M. Melissa Laney

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the life and career of Benjamin T. Laney, Jr., the thirty-third governor of Arkansas, who, in full embrace of his conservative affiliation, left a progressive legislative legacy to the State of Arkansas. Little has been written about Laney, and this study attempts a comprehensive exploration of his political career, the legislative accomplishments of his administration, his involvement with the Dixiecrat movement in 1948, and career as a former governor. Using Laney's papers, including letters, speeches, and news clippings, this study also seeks to answer why Laney never fully committed to the Dixiecrat movement, a moniker that impacted …

Students Say The Darndest Things! A Conversation Analysis For Teaching Assistants In The First-Year-Writing Classroom, Meredith Mcmillan

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching writing is about more than just the writing itself. It's about effective communication between students and teachers, which should create a positive and productive writing environment. However, within conversations, challenges of authority are likely to occur. This project discusses the pitfalls of communication between teaching assistants and students in the first-year-writing classroom. These pitfalls are defined as discourse violations, and are further explained and analyzed using concepts of language theory. Case studies of discourse violation scenarios are presented for discussion. Each scenario illustrates various types of discourse violations, and creates an awareness of the need for classroom management. Ultimately, …

The Roads Are Bumpy Ones: A Study Of Body Image Through Abstract Performance, Alexis Goldstein

Theses and Dissertations

An overwhelming number of contemporary adolescents struggle with difficult issues. Many of these problems are socially related whereas others can be directly related to the degradation of the family unit. Among the most damaging of issues is distorted body image, which infect youth, often causing them to communicate aggressively, and even landing them in compromising situations. I have sought to challenge my students to redefine themselves through expressive movement and the creation of abstract rhythmic sounds. In teaching these techniques, I have given my former students the means to combat negative thoughts and actions, as well as an excellent tool …

The Creativity Loophole: Needlework, Social Conventions, And The Permissibility Of Creative Expression For Early American Women, Alyce Graham

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates creative expression through needlework by wealthy or elite women in the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century, focusing on women in the United States South. This inquiry begins in broad terms and proceeds to the close examination of one particular needlework sampler held in the collection of the Valentine Richmond History Center. The first chapter uses prescriptive literature popular in the eighteenth century to establish the restrictive, obedient, and subservient expectations for women’s behavior. The second chapter explores the reasons that the same books that prohibited many forms of pleasure promoted needlework as an acceptable activity for women. This …

Aesthetic Self-Reliance: Emersonian Influence On American Art, Adrienne Lynn Rumsey

Theses and Dissertations

This essay is an examination of the influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson on the development of American art through his essays, specifically his writings on nature and self-reliance. Through emphasizing individual potential, Emerson also influenced the visual arts. Instead of following the required formula in Europe of attending certain ateliers and seeking prestigious patronage, American artists, namely the Luminists and the Ashcan School, sought to address the issues of their day and portray life as it existed around them. Each of these groups formed during periods of time when American society was shifting and the American identity was evolving. Through …

A Midsummer Night's Dream On The Radio: Technology In Voice And Speech, David Becker

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in sound technology have had significant implications for the teaching of voice and speech that are only now becoming apparent. As more students become “plugged in” it becomes more difficult, both for the instructor and the student, to communicate, let alone find a voice. We are becoming increasingly addicted to communicating through our devices, rather than through the traditional and accepted modes of the past: using the human voice. In light of these rapid and various new developments, voice training, especially at the introductory level, needs to be examined anew. A number of traditional approaches and teaching methods …

[Aura], Stephanie Benassi

Theses and Dissertations

[AURA] is a collection of photographs of landscapes and objects that have been implicated in fringe beliefs, alternative narratives and the strange events that reside beyond the scope of our everyday experiences. These photographs represent the symbols used to describe phenomena and also concentrate on the areas surrounding the events. My investigation also examines how the affect of the landscape has contributed to the interpretations by those that witnessed it. As a photographic collection, [AURA] investigates issues related to truth, as well as the role of subjectivity versus objectivity in my photographic practice. By concentrating this discussion on issues of …

The Work Of Architecture In The Age Of Its Technological Reproducibility, Elizabeth Rae Guthrie

Theses and Dissertations

Dresden's historic reconstructions bring up questions that reach far beyond the city's new/old Neumarkt district. In this thesis, I would like to take a closer look at the current ideological discourse surrounding the reconstruction of destroyed historic buildings in Dresden and other cities in the former DDR. What seems at first to be a simple culture war between progressive and reactionary city planners is actually, I will argue, a unique historical moment that blurs the dogmatically held ideas of rationality and nostalgia, ornament and function, and high art and kitsch. From the uncanny shadow of a church recently raised from …

Dante Gabriel Rossetti And The Italian Renaissance: Envisioning Aesthetic Beauty And The Past Through Images Of Women, Carolyn Porter

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s knowledge and interpretation of the Italian Renaissance during the 1860s. I argue that there is a relationship between Rossetti’s Aestheticism and his understanding of the Italian Renaissance and that this relationship is visibly manifested in his images of women from the period. In Victorian England, Aestheticism and the philosophy of beauty for its own sake became increasingly popular throughout the 1860s. I challenge the idea that Aestheticism and an interest in Renaissance art are mutually exclusive aspects of the artist’s work. Rossetti’s images of women expressed both his understanding of Renaissance art and the …

Representations Of Remembrance: Literature And Memory In Borges, Pigila, And Fresán, Paul Michael Mcneil

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines three works by Argentine authors of the late 20th and early 21st centuries: Jorge Luis Borges's "La memoria de Shakespeare," Ricardo Piglia's La ciudad ausente, and Rodrigo Fresán's Mantra. These works explore the theme of memory directly, and provide insight into the role of memory in relation to literature, technology, and media. To understand memory and its functions and failures, I employ concepts from recent scientific inquiry into the nature of memory, particularly neuroscience and clinical psychology. Within this framework, I show how memory and narrative fiction share a number of similarities, and explore the …

Vaudeville: A How To Guide, Evan Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

At the turn of the twentieth century vaudeville was the most prevalent form of theatrical entertainment. With more than 1,500 houses across the country, vaudeville reached in excess of 30 million audience members each year. It directly led to the advent of film and radio. Yet barely one hundred years later vaudeville has been forgotten by the once loyal masses. This guide is meant to help counter vaudeville’s fall. By adding together a basic script consisting of comedy and dramatic sketches, original works and classic vaudeville acts with music and information on the how and whys of vaudeville, this guide …

24 Hour Portraits, Lee R. Cowan

Theses and Dissertations

I believe an individual can be profiled by their color preferences, but not indefinitely, for a shorter period of time, a 24-hour period of time. A person's state of mind will change continually based on their experiences. These experiences will affect their perception and preference of color. I developed a model that will map an individual's profile, a portrait, through color. Participants are given a worksheet and a list of terms describing personality traits and states of mind. The worksheet is categorized by event, time of day, duration, impact, and summed term. From midnight to midnight, a 24-hour period, the …

Defying Labels: Richmond Now’S Multi-Generational Dynamism, Schuyler Vanvalkenburg

Theses and Dissertations

In the late 1960s a group of women became interested in forming a chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in Richmond. These women, led by Zelda Nordlinger and Holt Carlton, followed a pragmatic, big-tent approach to women’s activism. This ideological and tactical openness defies traditional historical labels as these women fluidly moved through organizations and tactics in order to gain a stronger local following. Richmond’s NOW chapter, while staying attuned to the national organization’s platform, remained relatively autonomous and parochial in its tactics and pursuits. Further, Richmond NOW showed a marked change around 1974 with an influx of …

Earth Forms, Janelle Marie Tullis Mock

Theses and Dissertations

Earth Forms narrates and explains the Masters Project Exhibition by the same name. The sculptures included in the exhibition, Earth Forms, use a variety of personal symbols centered on one stylized human head. Some of the symbols included are antlers, branches, coral, leaves, plants and stones. Each of these symbols represents personal ideas of balance, growth and decay. They also represent the earth from which we are formed and the earth to which our bodies will return at the end of life.

Tensions Between Word And Image In Amalie Skram's Professor Hieronimus, Benjamin A. Bigelow

Theses and Dissertations

In her 1895 novel, Professor Hieronimus, Amalie Skram describes the struggle of Else Kant, a young mother and artist, against a tyrannical and apparently unfeeling doctor who keeps her at a Copenhagen asylum for more than a month against her will. Else feels terrorized by the constant surveillance to which she is subjected. This voyeuristic tendency in psychiatry is not only a reflection of Amalie Skram's own experience at a Copenhagen asylum, but is also indicative of a new psychiatric epistemology that understood visual observation as the key to ascertaining objective truth. Skram's novel is thus read against the …

Physicians, Society, And The Science Fiction Genre In The Film Versions Of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers: Or Doctors With A Serious Pod Complex, Brett S. Stifflemire

Theses and Dissertations

Close textual analysis of the four extant film versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers reveals that each film modifies the original story such that it reflects changing societal attitudes toward physicians and the medical profession, as well as depictions of military and government in the science fiction genre. The changing depictions of characters and events in these films respond to changes in medical history, social history, and the science fiction genre across five decades. Each film reflects the contemporary anxieties of its time and the perceived ability of physicians to relieve those anxieties. Doctors are important semantic elements of …

The Effect Of Free Movement On Preschool Students' Preference For And Recognition Of Classical Music, Emilee Keith Knell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in order to examine two questions: 1) Does free movement while listening to classical music influence a preschooler's preference for the music?; and 2) Does free movement while listening to classical music influence a preschooler's ability to answer recognition questions relative to the music? Subjects (N = 34) were 4- to 5-year-old students from two intact classrooms at the BYU Child and Family Studies Laboratory Preschool. After being involved in six lessons utilizing two different classical pieces, each identified by a prominent instrument and experienced either Actively (with free movement) or Passively (while sitting or lying …

Reinventing The Colonial Fantasy In The Post-Wwii Era: Jovita Epp's Amado Mio, Ivana R. Klammer

Theses and Dissertations

Austrian playwright Jovita Epp's German language novel Amado mí­o, which takes place in post-WWII Argentina, is a modern adaptation of the traditional colonial novel. As such, the romances between the female main character, an Argentine of German descent, and her two love interests, an Argentine of Spanish descent (Criollo), and an Austrian Argentine, reflect the hopes and fears of persons and/or cultures caught up in the imperialist dreams of their nation. In the wake of WWII, Argentina becomes a space in which European(-descended) settlers can look back at Europe's "barbarism," questioning the imperialist worldviews that brought Europe …

Contested Space: Mormons, Navajos, And Hopis In The Colonization Of Tuba City, Corey Smallcanyon

Theses and Dissertations

When Mormons arrived in northern Arizona among the Navajo and Hopi Indians in the late 1850s, Mormon-Indian relations were initially friendly. It was not too long, however, before trouble began in conflicts over water use and land rights. Federal agents would soon consider Mormons a threat to the peaceful Hopis because both the Navajo and Mormons were expanding their land claims. Indian agents relentlessly pleaded with Washington to establish a separate Indian reservation. They anticipated this reservation would satisfy all three parties, but its creation in 1882 only created more problems, climaxing in the 1892 death of Lot Smith at …

Paradox And Paradise: Conflicting Perspectives On Race, Gender, And Nature In Aminata Sow Fall's Douceurs Du Bercail, Catherine Gardner Guyon Van Uitert

Theses and Dissertations

In my thesis, I examine Aminata Sow Fall's sixth novel Douceurs du bercail "The Sweetness of Home" through three lenses: race, gender, and nature. I analyze the way Sow Fall approaches each of these three areas in terms of paradox to emphasize her understanding of the complexity of these issues and her reluctance to outline them rigidly. Instead of putting forth hard opinions about how race, gender, or nature should be understood, Sow Fall exhibits a propensity to allow each area to remain complicated. I study why she allows racial, gendered, and environmental paradoxes to circulate around one another in …

Sport As Art: The Female Athlete In French Literature, Christina Ann Tsaturyan

Theses and Dissertations

The modern conception of organized, codified sport originated in Europe during the 19th century. At this time, instructors began to institute the practice of certain physical activities at school as a means of teaching morals, forming character, and initiating social exchange. Sport is particularly appropriate for forming men because of its public, physical nature. The values it instills—courage, strength, leadership—are also decidedly masculine. What, then, is made of the female athlete? Are the noble qualities that sports affirm inapplicable to women? In this thesis, I argue that female participation in sports often leads to masculinization, unless the sport is transformed …

« Pour La Patrie, Par La Montagne » : Illustration De L’Imaginaire De La Conquête Dans Tartarin Sur Les Alpes D’Alphonse Daudet Et Là-Haut D’Édouard Rod, Anabelle Stephania Selway

Theses and Dissertations

La période 1870-1914 est une ère de paix relative pour la France. Apres la défaite de 1870, la politique revancharde française ranime les efforts impérialistes de colonisation en Afrique et dans les iles. Cet élan colonialiste se traduit dans la pratique du sport qui gagne de popularité et devient le moyen idéal d’acheminer les idéaux républicains. L’alpinisme et la course aux sommets des Alpes deviennent alors symboliques de l’imaginaire de conquête présent dans l’esprit de la bourgeoisie européenne.

Bien que ce phénomène soit l’objet de plusieurs études historico-culturelles, telles que celles d’Olivier Hoibian, Philippe Joutard et Dominique Lejeune, rares sont …

Making The Desert Blossom: Public Works In Washington County, Utah, Michael Lyle Shamo

Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis is a study of how communities of Washington County, Utah developed within one of the most inhospitable deserts of the American West. A trend of reliance on public works programs during economic depressions, not only put people to work, but also provided an influx of outside aid to develop an infrastructure for future economic stability and growth. Each of these public works was carefully planned by leaders who not only saw the immediate impact these projects would have, but also future benefits they would confer. These communities also became dependent on acquiring outside investment capital from the …

Doctrine And Covenants Section 110: From Vision To Canonization, Trever Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis answers the question of how a vision recorded in Joseph Smith's journal found its home in the Doctrine and Covenants and become recognized as canonized scripture. The April 3, 1836, journal entry became known as Section 110. Section 110 serves as a foundation for the current practices and doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, involving temple building and temple ordinances. Thus it is important to understand the history of this Section from journal entry to canonization because it is an example of recovering revelation. This thesis also explores contributing factors that could have led …

El Fin Del Mundo En El Aleph, El Aleph En El Fin Del Mundo: Alephs Apócrifos En Textos De Jorge Luis Borges, Jaime Collyer Y Rodrigo Fresán, Santiago Daniel Vazquez

Theses and Dissertations

La noción del infinito en un punto se entrevé en innumerables textos de Jorge Luis Borges. En ellos está el espectro del Aleph y sus variantes apócrifas, engendros homólogos que, en mayor o menor grado, abarcan el laberinto de la eternidad. Las revelaciones del Aleph, sin embargo, conllevan un fin irrefutable: el olvido, la muerte; dos caras del fin del mundo. El Aleph borgeano, además, se asoma de alguna u otra manera por algún resquicio de la literatura moderna. El presente trabajo se centra en dos ejemplos de escritores recientes: Jaime Collyer y Rodrigo Fresán. En la narrativa de ambos …