Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Reclaiming The Body: A Womanist Bioethics Approach To Christian Authoritarianism, Laron Bryant Dowdell

Yale Divinity School Theses

This paper uses womanist bioethics as a theoretical lens to explore how authoritarian leadership practices violate Black women's well-being and autonomy. Womanist bioethics uniquely centers Black women's lived experiences, integrating spiritual, historical, and social dimensions of justice that mainstream bioethics often ignores. The womanist bioethics framework is applied to critique religious authoritarianism and to propose alternative leadership models rooted in shared leadership and communal accountability. The discussion unfolds in four parts: (1) how womanist bioethics critiques the bodily and moral harm authoritarian leadership inflicts on Black women, (2) testimonials of Black women who resisted high-control church systems, (3) an exploration …

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Realm Bound, Kailee D. Bal

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Kailee Bal paints stills from branching video games narratives to explore the anxieties reflected in everyday decision making. She photographs her everyday life that mimics the aesthetics of video games that blur the line between the escape to virtual worlds combined with the escape found in the act of painting and taking photographs. These are usually moments in a game where the player must make a choice that determines the next objective.

Bal uses imagery from video games within the horror genre as the landscape to explore difficulties of anxiety and apprehension in daily life. Her subject matter focuses on …

A Tale Of Two Women, Cassady Brown

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Descent Into The Wild: Nature, Nudity, And The Night, Mary E. Adams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

My work explores the intersection of vulnerability, autonomy, and the female form by placing nude self-portraits within expressive, psychological landscapes. Drawing from historical representations of women in art, I subvert traditional narratives that have romanticized and objectified the female body, instead presenting figures that exist on their own terms. The night, with its inherent intimacy and uncertainty, deepens this exploration, amplifying themes of exposure, solitude, and self-reclamation.

Through large-scale oil paintings, I engage with ecofeminist ideas, paralleling the exploitation of women and nature while resisting their passive idealization. These figures are not objects of consumption but active presences navigating the …

The Camera’S Sanctuary: Photographing The Queer Gardens Of The Vieux Carré, Tyler Rosebush

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the French Quarter courtyard as a site of queer sanctuary, memory, and community through a lens-based artistic practice. Drawing on historical and contemporary photographs, installations, and collaborations with friends and community members, the work examines how gardens and courtyards have long functioned as both physical and metaphysical spaces of refuge for the queer community in New Orleans. The project is grounded in both archival recovery and contemporary practice, combining the still image with sculptural installations that reframe the visual vernacular of gay clubs within these historic spaces. By slowing down the photographic process and attuning to both …

Familiar Faces Of Young Adulthood, Ashleigh A. Gaude

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Exploring the connection between myself and my subjects through portraiture, I focus on capturing the fleeting, uncelebrated moments of everyday life. My work reflects my desire to document intimate, spontaneous experiences shared with friends, often recorded through candid iPhone photos. These seemingly mundane moments, such as shared laughter or quiet reflection, are immortalized through painting and elevate the ephemeral to something worth considering. Influenced by artists like Alice Neel, Jordan Casteel, and Nan Goldin, I utilize portraiture as a tool for recording the emotional and social zeitgeist of my generation. I emphasize the power of painting to preserve the essence …

Foodways As Agentive Response To Disaster In Colonial New Orleans: The French Quarter Fires Of 1788 And 1794, Helen V. Bouzon

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Disasters have plagued the City of New Orleans since its foundation in 1718. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Most locals have personal memories of Hurricane Katrina or have friends and family who experienced the storm. The effects of Hurricane Katrina were far-reaching and often life-changing. However, Hurricane Katrina is not the only major disaster to have left an indelible mark on the landscape and culture of New Orleans. Two fires in the eighteenth century destroyed significant portions of the colony and left approximately seventy percent of the population homeless. And yet, we know very little about …

A Forgotten Incident In A Forgotten War: The Military, Political, And Social Effects Of The No Gun Ri Incident Of The Korean War, Gabriel Robert Evans

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In late July 1950, a company from the 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry Regiment fired on a refugee caravan near the village of No Gun Ri, resulting in the deaths of many Korean civilians. The story of No Gun Ri was published by Associated Press reporters on September 30, 1999, prompting Army investigators within the Clinton Administration to spend nearly two years verifying the AP’s claims. While the Inspector General’s No Gun Ri Review confirmed that U.S. troops had killed Korean civilians, it was not a conclusive report. This thesis analyzes the No Gun Ri Incident and the Clinton Administration’s efforts …

Avenging Chief Sam: A Missed Opportunity In Galveston’S Commemorative Landscape, Eddie L. Brown Jr.

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This work centers on Chief Alfred Sam and the Oklahoma Blacks who were followers of his 1914 Back-to-Africa Movement. While public memory has portrayed return to Africa movements as disconnected moments in Black history, my work reinterprets Sam’s movement as foundational and revisits Galveston as the space utilized by nearly five hundred of his followers. It further asserts, that Galveston should be considered as the historical extraction point for the United States’ only Back-to-Africa movement of the twentieth century. While the Galveston landscape holds more than 200 historical markers and is the commemorated home of Juneteenth, no commemorative markers exist …

Divine Ecstasy And Erotic Submission: Pauline Réage’S Story Of O And The Medieval Mysticism Of Mechthild Of Magdeburg And Margery Kempe, Lauren A. Crawford

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the thematic and conceptual intersections between Pauline Réage’s Story of O and the medieval mystical writings of Mechthild of Magdeburg and Margery Kempe, focusing on the intertwined dynamics of divine ecstasy and erotic submission. By analyzing the textual representations of bodily suffering, erotic desire, and female submission, this study argues that Story of O—a modern work of literary erotica—engages with a mystical-erotic tradition that echoes the visions and devotional experiences of medieval women mystics. Through close readings, this project examines how both Réage’s protagonist and medieval mystics navigate the paradox of submission as a pathway to …

Flatter Or Annihilate, A Focus On The Act Of Collaboration In A Production Of Jen Silverman's Gothic Comedy The Moors, Madison C. Smith

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This Thesis is an exploration of the methods of collaboration employed while directing a production of Jen Silverman’s The Moors at The University of New Orleans. I will discuss my work as the director, leading a team of designers that included both faculty and students, as well as working with a cast of actors whose skill set ranged from professional performers to an actor making their stage debut. I will examine various methodologies of collaboration and directing I employed throughout the process, determine in what areas I was successful or not, as well as the overall response to the production.

"River", John Renshaw

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Woman Of Saint-Domingue: Intimacy, Endurance And The Perpetuation Of Saint-Domingue’S Class-Based Social Order In Nineteenth-Century New Orleans, Lillian M. Legardeur, Lillian M. Legardeur

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This microhistory follows Eugenie Peneault (1774-1853) by means of a journal she kept during the Haitian Revolution and her subsequent relocation to New Orleans. Born the daughter of a baker, Peneault advanced through personal connections within the Creole elite to marry a member of the island-born planter class with ties to the minor nobility. With her fellow emigres, she recreated the patriarchal slave society of Saint Domingue in Cuba, then adapted its values to an urban setting in New Orleans, where she and her husband connected with local elites. This woman’s journal sheds light on experiences of pregnancy and childcare …

Dekonstruktion Der Afd: Eine Analyse Der Rechtspopulistischen Deutschen Partei Der„Alternative Für Deutschland”, Elizabeth A. Breckenridge, Elizabeth Breckenridge

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Die Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) ist eine rechtsextreme populistische Partei, die innerhalb eines Jahrzehnts rasch an Macht gewonnen hat, insbesondere in den ostdeutschen Bundesländern, aufgrund ihrer Betonung der Nationalisierung, ihrer populistischen Rhetorik und ihrer Anziehungskraft auf Wähler, die Ängste vor Einwanderung und kulturellem Wandel hegen. Die AfD hat es innerhalb von fünf Jahren geschafft, eine starke Wählerschaft zu mobilisieren, 2017 Sitze im Bundestag zu erringen und gilt nun als wichtigste Oppositionspartei zu den etablierten Parteien. Die AfD ist die erste rechte Partei seit 1945, die aufgrund des Aufstiegs rechtspolitischer Ideologien bedeutende Wahlerfolge erzielen konnte. Aufgrund des reaktionären Pendelschwungs nach dem …

Divine Achilles And His Raging Heart: Cannibalism In The Iliad, Lucca Crowe

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The story of the Iliad is one of identity. As Achilles struggles with whom to identify with, his divine mother or mortal father, he is consumed by an overwhelming rage that threatens to overpower him, dragging him down from both divinity and mortality into the very depths of monstrous savagery. This article examines the role that diet, particularly the act of cannibalism, plays in differentiating humans from gods and beasts. By examining Achilles identity struggle through the lens of cannibalism, this article sheds light on the broader ways Greek and Roman authors used cannibalism to express notions of otherness, situating …

Ambiguously Defined, Systematically Overlooked: The Mixed-Race College Student Experience, Sara Hukkanen

Education Theses

No abstract provided.

A Voice For Unity: The 1947 Freedom Train And Collective Memory Of The American Revolution, Joseph Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

One element of American Revolution memory is how united the colonists were during the Revolution. Many subsequent political groups, such as the American Heritage Foundation (AHF), utilized this idealistic collective memory to advocate for unity and legitimize their agendas. Through the 1947 Freedom Train, the AHF shaped and reinforced a unified, idealistic, national heritage to unite Americans against the perceived threats of communism, disloyalty, and disunity at home, partially by framing the American Revolution as a united endeavor. Some Utahns and Americans at large, while supporting the pro-capitalist message embedded in the train, applied its message to support the protection …

Making Peace Among The People: The Development Of Brigham Young's Political Thought And Activity, 1838-1846, Garrett R. Elkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Brigham Young assumed the role as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1838, as the Church began to face extreme persecutions by the state of Missouri. Although he was a mostly apolitical individual preceding his new role, over the next eight years Young would hold political office and help the Church navigate challenging relationships with local, state, and federal governments. By the time he led the Latter-day Saints to the Great Basin and became president of the Church in 1847, Young had gained significant experience over several years …

Developing Adaptive Clothing For Patients With Advanced Als Disease, Kadence D. Trosper

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 2017, over 30,000 people were battling with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells within the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord (ALS Association, 2023). The individual’s brain loses connection with muscles, slowly taking away one’s ability to walk, talk, eat, and eventually breathe. The currently is no cure for this disease or even treatment to halt the progression, however the treatment available can help ease the symptoms. Despite the physical challenges associated with ALS, there is a significant lack of adaptive clothing options that provide comfort, functionality, and …

Color Expressions In Euripides’ Ion, Erik Shelley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This analysis explores color expressions in the play Ion by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. Because the ancient Greeks experienced color differently, I examined words used in the play, including light, dark, fire, green, water, blood, and gold. These expressions imply different themes and concepts that Euripides uses to portray the duality between his two main characters, Ion and Creusa. This thesis showed how the mother-son pair acts as a foil for the different aspects of color found throughout the play that reflect ancient Greek culture.

Desert Drowning: A Short Story Collection, Steve Shumway

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As many young men born in Utah, I grew up Mormon, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. While this is not out of the ordinary in this state, my connections within the history of the church were. My grandfather's great grandfather Charles Shumway was one of the first Mormon settlers to cross the plains and settle in what would become the state of Utah. Not only that, he was one of Brigham Young's most trusted lieutenants, instructed to scout ahead of the main wagon trains, and later settle parts of Northern Arizona, where the town …

Nature Vs Nurture: Place In Perceval, Zoe Fosbinder

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Perceval’s identity as a Welshman has its roots deep in his character, even if he is not aware of it. Raised in ignorance by his mother in an attempt to keep him safe from the dangers of his knightly heritage, Perceval represents a fascinating blend of culture and instinct that makes the crux of his character the age-old argument: nature versus nurture. Has his blood, heritage, and genetic history had more of an impact on him? Or has it been how he was raised, what he was taught as he grew? Much like Perceval himself, the answer is complicated, and …

Bathrooms As Borders: Moms For Liberty And The Policing Of Women’S Spaces, Eva Burklund

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

As debates about transgender identity and inclusion influence discussions and policy across the United States, it is important to understand the rhetoric and manifestations of transphobia and trans exclusion. One organization advocating for the exclusion of transgender individuals is Moms for Liberty which is dedicated to preserving parental rights. On their official X (formerly Twitter) account Moms for Liberty often voices their opposition to the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports and women’s private spaces, justifying their exclusive stance by denying transgender women’s womanhood. They additionally cast themselves as the authorities on who is a woman and who is …

The Effectiveness Of International Courts In Contributing To Rebuilding And Resolving Conflicts In Societies Post-Genocide, Garrett Connely

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

In the aftermath of mass atrocities, international courts have emerged as key mechanisms for delivering justice and fostering post-conflict reconciliation. Rooted in the precedent set by the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, these institutions aim to prosecute crimes that often go beyond national legal systems. However, their effectiveness remains contested, largely due to their dependence on state cooperation and the complexity of post-conflict environments. This project examines the societal impact of international courts in two significant cases – Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Through a comparative analysis of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal …

Sprachlerner Aufbauen, Eine Studie Zu Us-Amerikanischen Und Deutschen Lehrplänen, Kyley Bishop

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Das Sprachenlernen ist eine Fähigkeit, die nicht nur dabei hilft, das Gedächtnis, die Aufmerksamkeit und die Entscheidungsfähigkeit zu verbessern, sondern auch Türen zu einer Vielzahl von Karrierewegen und Lebenserfahrungen öffnet. Das Nutzen des Sprachenlernens wird seit Jahren als eine entscheidende Lebenskompetenz von Wissenschaftlern unterstützt. Der Wert des Sprachenlernens wird im Lehrplan der US-Schulen jedoch nicht berücksichtigt. Die Frage ist: wie können Länder mehrsprachige Menschen erziehen? Wie unterscheiden sich diese Lehrpläne von denen in den USA? Wie kann das US-Bildungssystem das Fremdsprachenlernen besser fördern? Deutschland gehört zu den Ländern, die durch ihre Bildung zwei- und mehrsprachige Menschen ausbilden. Durch die Untersuchung …

Die Weltwettbewerbsvorteile Deutschlands, Theresa Isbilir

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Der Weltwettbewerb ist schärfer als immer. Im Jahr 2020 wurde China der Erste im Maschinenbau auf der Welt. Früher war das Deutschland. Die vier Branchen der Wirtschaft Deutschlands sind die Elektro- und Digitalindustrie, chemische Industrie, Maschinenbau und Kfz-Industrie (Automobilindustrie). China begann, Deutschland in all diesen Anteilen zu überholen. Der Staat hat fast keinen Plan darauf zu reagieren, und die technologische Infrastruktur Deutschlands liegt hinter anderen Ländern. Diese sind die ersten Zeichen einer sterbenden industriellen Ökonomie, besonders für ein Land, dessen Exportquote 48,9 Prozent ist.

Cavedivers: A Multi-Media Visual And Musical Release, Emily J. Langford

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

For my graduating UNO Honors Program capstone project, I have chosen to undertake a creative project that involves recording and releasing an album with my band, Cavedivers, while also designing the visual media and advertising graphics to accompany the release. The songs we have recorded were all written and developed before the start of this project. Therefore, this project is less of a songwriting endeavor, since most of that process is already complete, and more of an experimentation and workshop in communicating music through recording and identifying effective trends within graphic design.

As an art major and musician, this has …

Animation Gumbo: Stirring Up Style, Story, And Self, Miguel Caffey

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

This project explores how animation can serve as a space for blending identity, culture, and artistic techniques. Drawing inspiration from layered works like Arcane and Spider-Verse, I fuse 2D and 3D animation methods to reflect my experience growing up mixed-race Black American and Puerto Rican. Through frame rate manipulation, layered aesthetics, and the use of 2D visual effects within 3D spaces, I experiment with storytelling that embraces contradiction and complexity rather than smoothing it away. This paper traces the evolution of my creative process, the technical challenges of merging 2D and 3D, and the broader cultural significance of hybrid storytelling. …

A Fond Retrospective: A Personal Journey Into The Worlds Of Professional Videography, Editing, And Motion Graphics, Ben Caroll-Garrett

Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience

In this paper I recount my beginner journey into the worlds of professional videography, editing, and motion graphics without a formal portfolio. This is a personal paper, lightly academic in nature, and mostly diaristic. There is some technical discussion around camera and software usage, as well as navigating freelance client acquisition. I recommend it for anyone looking to decide if they want to swap career paths and explore an artistic field for the sake of financial or, perhaps more profoundly, personal fulfillment.