Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Black Box Series (May 1-4, 2025), Lindenwood University

Student Music Performance Programs

Event program for the Black Box Series (May 1-4, 2025), Lindenwood University.

Making Of A Musical Meme: Wendy Carlos & Hector Berlioz, Alexander Ludwig

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Rights Of Nature: The White Earth Nation's Rights Of Manoomin Court Case, Kathryn Schug

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

Leading the rights of nature movement worldwide are Indigenous communities aspiring to enshrine legal protections for Indigenous values and create an environmentally sustainable future. This poster explores the first Tribal court case in the United States by a federally recognized tribe, The White Earth Nation in Minnesota. By examining the achievements of White Earth, the challenges they face in the context of the global rights of nature movement, and with the perspective of Joe LaGarde, founder of the Niibi Center for the Rights of Nature, we find future success depends on strategic partnerships with communities in the global south and …

Treading Lightly: The Ethics Of Instructor Il/Legibility And Neutrality In The Classroom, Marcus A. Woodman

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Instructors in the classroom often describe their experiences teaching as being a performance, which often combines authenticity with boundaries to keep certain aspects of the instructor’s life out of the classroom. For queer instructors, their performance may be especially complicated; since queer identity is less visible than other types of identities, instructors must also weigh whether or not to come out to their students. In our current political moment, where queerness has yet again become a scrutinized topic (especially when in proximity to youth), teachers have an even more difficult decision to make.

This thesis uses queer theory and queer …

Kansas City, Kansas, Vida Davidović

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS is a thesis that operates in the tradition of expressionist dramaturgy and playwriting, taking up themes of abuse, imperialism, war, trauma, womanhood, Balkan identities, history of the Balkans, as well as the discourses of psychoanalysis and postcolonial theory. The use of different theoretical frameworks related to both international and personal politics, which are shown to be intertwined, suggests a strong relationship between political processes in the Second World Countries that had experienced many occupations throughout their history and the way women in those countries relate to the questions of body, authority, feminity, and interpersonal relationships. The play …

Melanated Reflections Through Testimonios: Centering The Experiences Of African American Women Teachers Turned Leaders And Their Implications On Recruitment, Selection, Hiring, And Retention Of Women Of Color In Leadership Positions, Tanya Rochelle Santos

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), during the 2017–2018 academic year, only 7% of all teachers identified as Black or African American, with approximately 76% of that group being women. This qualitative study investigates the lived experiences of African American women educators who have transitioned into leadership roles within P–12 educational settings across the Great Plains Region of the United States. The research explores how their experiences intersect with issues of racial and gender equity, particularly within the broader discourse of social justice in education and educational leadership.

Framed within the theoretical lens of Black Feminist Thought, …

“As If The Devil Was In Her”: Fanny Fern’S Remaking Of Authorship In The Nineteenth Century, Rowan S. Q. Havranek

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Fanny Fern revolutionized nineteenth-century literature with her unapologetically blunt and insightful commentary on social norms, education, women’s rights, and more. As a columnist for The New York Ledger, Fern challenged the conventional boundaries placed on women, blending her personal observations and experiences with sharp social critique. Because of her unflinching style and writings that addressed a wide range of topics, she became one of the most well-paid and widely read authors of her time. Yet, she was also subjected to harsh judgment. The media, particularly in the hands of her second husband, was used to damage her reputation, yet Fern …

He's A Pirate: Greco-Roman Pirates In The Eastern Mediterranean, Nathan Hill

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For as long as people have traveled by sea, pirates have looked to rob and steal from them. This danger was especially true for travelers in Ancient Greece and Rome. While many ancient sources mention pirates, it is usually just in passing. However, even those few small references allude to a far more important role in history. Through the use of the ancient written sources, inscriptions, and archeological evidence, it becomes apparent that the pirates were an integral part of local economies and politics. Many city-states employed their own sailors in piratical raids against their enemies in and out of …

The Ballad Of The Wheel, John Kosch

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The Ballad of the Wheel is a piece for voice, percussion, and electronics that examines the cyclical nature of humanity. It draws texts from existential literature that spans almost all of recorded history, from antiquity to present day. In this work, a single narrator poses the same concerns about the nature of existence in different texts, revealing that questions about the meaning of life transcend boundaries of time and space. The prevalence of the theme of reincarnation also suggests that each movement of the piece presents a different manifestation of a single being. The Ballad of the Wheel implies a …

Belly Dance In Nebraska: Identity, Social Acceptance, And Perseverance, Alex R. Mohr

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Belly dance is an art form as well as an often-contested practice due to tensions over dress, terminology and cultural practices within the belly dance community because the dance originated outside the United States. Additionally, there is often a need to prove the legitimacy of the dance to those outside its sphere because it is often stigmatized due to the early association with exotic dancing. Belly dance is inherently geographic, as seen through its places of origin, music and movement styles, global spread, practitioners, and spaces of practice. However, it has not been well-represented in geography, and there is also …

“Re-Storying” Anne Shirley And The Adhd Child: A Crip Genealogy Of Anne Of Green Gables, Darian Aleyna Wilson

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores the contested nature of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), focusing on its cultural and historical constructions. While ADHD has been included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders since 1980, its legitimacy remains a subject of debate across medical, disability studies, and historical scholarship. Using Eli Clare’s critique of diagnosis as a tool rather than a fact, this project examines how ADHD is both pathologized and re-storied within societal and medical discourses. It highlights the tension between medical classifications and lived experiences of those diagnosed with ADHD, particularly in the context of girlhood.

The central …

Queered Tradition: Disidentificatory Practices Of Queer-Affirming Religious Space, Amanda R. Peterson

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Responding to high rates of religious trauma in the United States, particularly for LGBTQ people, this study investigates the rhetorical moves made in protestant Christian spaces to consider what makes these spaces safe and affirming for queer people. Specifically, I consider the rhetorical impact these churches make through not only their space but also their liturgy and online presence, which informs the embodied experience of the space.

Through autoethnographic research, I look at three local churches—Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha, Urban Abbey, and Elevate Church–the first two queer-affirming and the third conservative. Findings show the various church elements negotiated with …

Reflections On Linear B, (Part 11): Linear B Sign 55 And The Ancient Egyptian Wish For An Eternity Of Life Or Rule, Gerald Leonard Cohen

Arts, Languages and Philosophy Faculty Research & Creative Works

Linear B sign 55 (pronounced /nu/) is evidently of unknown origin, and the present article suggests a possible solution. As with several other Linear B signs I have treated, the solution is sought in Egyptian hieroglyphs, only this time two hieroglyphs are required for the solution (one for the shape, one for the pronunciation).

The shape of the Linear B sign is explainable as a simplified and somewhat altered form of a similarly shaped Egyptian hieroglyph which was pronounced /ḥeḥ/ and meant ‘a great but indefinite number;’ then by extension: ‘eternity’ and from there to Ḥeḥ, a god symbolizing eternity. …

Apala Best Of The Best Booklist 2023 - 2024, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, Family Literacy Focus Committee, Education Subcommittee, Jessea Young (Chair), Zoë Bowlus, Nicole Fernandez, Erika Fitzpatrick, Cathy Lin, Kim Nguyen, Patty Sumire Mcgowan, Yer Vang

Librarian Publications & Presentations

Started in 2022, the Best of the Best Booklist celebrates stories from across the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) diaspora. All APALA members were invited to nominate picture book titles about AANHPI communities and experiences that were published in the 2023 and 2024 calendar years. To curate the final list, members of the APALA Family Literacy Focus Committee evaluated the nominations, guided by the mission of Talk Story and APALA Rubric to Evaluate Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Literature. The committee is grateful to all the members who nominated titles. Eligible titles that earned a …

Apala Family Literacy Committee Recommended Picture Book List, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, Family Literacy Focus Committee, Education Subcommittee, Jessea Young (Chair), Zoë Bowlus, Nicole Fernandez, Erika Fitzpatrick, Cathy Lin, Kim Nguyen, Patty Sumire Mcgowan, Yer Vang

Librarian Publications & Presentations

The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Family Literacy Committee's Recommended Books List features our "Best of the Best" Booklist, along with notable books that, while not making the top list, were still enjoyed by the committee. In 2024, the APALA Family Literacy Focus Committee evaluated 130 books. The Recommended Picture Book List includes additional titles the committee believes will be a great addition to readers' collections.

Urinetown: The Technical Direction Process, Ashley N. Faulkner

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

The Nebraska Repertory Theatre, in partnership with the Johnny Carson School of Theatre, Film, and Emerging Media Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, chose to produce Urinetown: The Musical by Greg Kotis as the fourth and final show of the 2024-2025 season. The production was scheduled to be mounted on the Howell stage, a 300-seat proscenium theatre located in the Temple Building on the University’s downtown Lincoln campus. As technical director, I was responsible for budgeting materials and labor, drafting and engineering scenery, managing personnel, maintaining safety, installing and removing scenery from the stage, communicating and collaborating with other …

Reconstructing Art And Evidence: Forensic Architecture In Institutional Settings, Makenzie Smith

Honors Scholar Theses

Forensic Architecture (FA) is a London-based multidisciplinary research collective and human rights agency that uses digital modeling, architectural and spatial analysis, and open-sourced images to investigate and present visual evidence of human rights violations committed by state governments, militaries, and corporations. The team of architects, software developers, filmmakers, investigative journalists, scientists, and lawyers, collaborates with civil society groups, witnesses, and victims to establish a counternarrative in the service of human rights and social justice, exhibiting their investigations in institutional settings as varied as legal courts and parliamentary tribunals, citizen assemblies, mass media, universities, and art museums. My research focuses on …

The Politics Of The Black Womb: How Education And Power Reinforce The U.S. Black Maternal Health Crisis, Foluke Akinkunmi

Honors Scholar Theses

This study investigates the alarming maternal mortality rates among Black women in the U.S. today first by exploring the historical exploitation of Black maternal bodies during enslavement and with the rise of professionalized gynecology. It challenges the narrative that attributes these outcomes to individual choices or supposedly inherent biological factors, arguing instead that the devaluing of Black women’s well-being and authoritative knowledge have been constructed along with the United States itself. To advance a constructive response, the paper analyzes curriculum competencies for obstetric and midwifery healthcare providers, surveys of Black women's birthing experiences in the previous 20 years, and interviews …

Deadly Choices: Political, Legal, And Moral Understandings Of U.S. Supreme Court Death Penalty Decisions, Anabelle S. Bergstrom

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis explores the political, legal, and moral factors that influence Supreme Court justices when penning capital punishment decisions. It also examines the evolution of thinking toward the death penalty by former justices John Paul Stevens and Harry Blackmun throughout their tenure on the Court. Cases are analyzed through fact-pattern analysis and the jurisprudential regime theory, which quantitatively build upon existing literature detailing the theoretical background of judicial decision-making through the attitudinal model. An analysis of Justices Blackmun and Stevens’ papers at the Library of Congress focuses on rhetoric that reflects utilitarian and retributive theories of punishment. Findings show that …

Nudging Creativity In Typography With Font Pairing Prompts, Thomas Jockin

Masters Theses

Graphic designers face an overwhelming abundance of font choices in the digital marketplace, leading to difficulties in creating innovative typographic pairings and a tendency to rely on familiar options. Current industry practices and typography education lack effective methodologies to foster creative and diverse font use. This thesis addresses this knowledge gap by introducing Font Flow, a web application designed to enhance typography creativity through randomized font pairing prompts.

The proposed system leverages structured constraints to challenge designers, prompting them to work with unexpected font combinations that may initially appear incompatible. By engaging in this problem-solving process, designers develop a deeper …

Augustine And Jerome: 2 Distinct Views Of Peter And Paul, Preston Sherman

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

This project dove into a conversation between Sts. Augustine and Jerome about Peter and Paul's disagreement at Antioch. The effects of each saint's beliefs about the incident impacts the role of papal authority in the Church, the use of Scripture, and how the Church is to see itself in the modern world.

Literature As A Tool For The Introduction Of Mental Health To Children, Kira Ott

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In childhood, literature is a quintessential learning tool, so it is imperative it is used in the introduction of mental health. Around the ages of seven to nine children begin to become aware of their own needs and comprehend others' perspectives (Short et al., 2017, p. 13). At this time non-fiction books can be used to present information when it is organized, accessible, and informative (Short et al., 2017, p. 13). This can be effectively paired with fiction which can help contextualize abstract ideas, and develop self-monitoring skills (Gunawardena, 2023; Short et al., 2017). Mental health, which encompasses thoughts, feelings, …

Better Than Home: Abiding In Christ, Silvia Bacchiocchi

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reaching Generation Z With The Gospel, Rodney Palmer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Blessings Of True Greatness, John Peckham

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Recipe To Remember: An Exploration Of Self-Publishing Creative Agency, Janet L. Gerges

Honors College Theses

As a poet, I have learned some of the ins and outs of traditional poetry publication—which is anything but conventional—through other research endeavors. Majoring in creative writing at Pace University has given me access to a plethora of resources regarding ways to publish, including the atypical route of self-publishing zines, through the Pace Zine Library. Zines are an ultimately free creative outlet that many artists use to display multimedia work and produce a publication of a different, more homemade quality than that of traditionally published work.

The traditional, more harrowing approach to poetry publication is to break out by publishing …

Earth As Archive: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Possibility And Understanding, Alissa Petrizzo

Honors College Theses

This thesis takes the reader on a journey through the process of literary analysis to uncover new considerations of our past, present, and future. Living in the climate crisis, we are in dire need of the humanistic presence within solution-making conversations. I introduce scholarly voices from anthropologists, environmental scientists, and novelists before diving into Pitchaya Sudbanthad's novel Bangkok Wakes to Rain. While you hear my voice throughout the journey, I exist more so as a tour guide, helping you along the way to new possibilities of understanding. We dig up and analyze evidence of the Earth as an archive …

Dancing In The Digital Age: How Social Media Shapes The Commercial Dance Industry, Luke Lisowski

Honors College Theses

Social media has fundamentally transformed the commercial dance industry, reshaping how dancers establish careers, connect with industry professionals, and promote their artistry. This thesis examines the impact of social media platforms – such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube – on career growth by facilitating networking opportunities, increasing visibility, and redefining industry standards. The research explores how digital platforms have shifted the traditional pathways to success, enabling dancers to showcase their work independently while also creating challenges related to self-promotion, competition, and mental health.

Through a series of in-depth interviews with professional dancers and choreographers actively working in the industry, this …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Individuals Who Participated In Pastoral Counseling And Discipleship Within The Assemblies Of God In Washington State, Jonathan J. Burger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of individuals who participated in pastoral counseling and discipleship within the Assemblies of God in Washington State. The first focus of this study was to describe congregants’ experiences with pastoral counseling in Assemblies of God churches in the state of Washington. Secondly, this study sought to understand and uncover any themes, trends, or influences that emerged from participants' experiences within pastoral counseling and discipleship. Four themes emerged from this study: Theme One: There is Power in Relationships, Theme Two: Pastoral Counseling is Foundational to Healing and Growth, Theme Three: The Impact of …

Evaluating The Influence Of Self-Determination In Secondary Writing Instruction On Post-Secondary Academic Success, Mary A. Peach Partridge

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to discover what components of secondary education writing instruction develop adequate self-determination for post-secondary academic writing success for first year university students at Central midwestern metropolitan area universities. The theory guiding this study was Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory as it connects the idea of developing adequate relatedness, competence, and autonomy with successful development of critical thinking and social cognitive skills for success beyond secondary education. The Central Research Question asked, “what methods of secondary writing instruction adequately develop self-determination for first year university students in the Central midwestern metropolitan area to enable …