Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Republicanism And Crime, Richard Dagger

Political Science Faculty Publications

These are but two of the difficult questions that arise when one examines the claim that crime is a public wrong. I take it, though, that their difficulty is an indication of the importance of thinking through the presuppositions and implications of this conception of crime, not a reason to abandon it. A thorough 'thinking through' is too large and complex a task for this chapter, but it is possible to make a case here for the right way to proceed with such an undertaking. That right way, in my view, is to look to the republican tradition of political …

The Experience Of War And The Construction Of Normality. Lessons From The Blockade Of Leningrad, Jeffrey K. Hass

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In this essay I use the example of the Blockade of Leningrad - an extreme example of the Soviet experience of World War II, and an extreme example of the experience of war generally - to address two issues. The first is a more general, theoretical issue: the importance of war to the construction of political and social normality and practices. Political science and sociology have examined the impact of war on structures and institutions, such as states or gender roles and relations; but the impact of war on meanings and meaning systems is addressed only empirically, often without much …

Othering The Other: The Spectacle Of Katrina For Our Racial Entertainment Pleasure, Mariana Ortega

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

The following essay examines visual representations of hurricane Katrina in popular media in order to show how photography continues to be enlisted in the production of the racial spectacle, the transformation of the plight of people of color into entertainment. The essay also analyzes how such a use of the visual serves to solidify the understanding of people of color by way of a black-white binary that does not do justice to current U.S. demographics. The essay provides a glimpse into the intertwining between the visual and racial thinking.

The Metaphysical Underpinnings Contemporary Attitudes In Consumerism: An Pontification?, Jason Stigliano

Honors Theses

Contemporary philosopher and activist, John Zerzan, critiques modern civilization, and then in hindsight the history of civilization, on two central grounds, which form the basis for the rest of his criticism and theory. Firstly, we are alienated from existence in as much as our experience is, in various ways, mediated rather than immediate. Through language (or symbolic thought), a sense of measured time, symbolic ritual, technology and all the other constituents of civilized culture, we become alienated. His ideal existence might be something like the state of animals as described by John Gardner in his novel Grendel, “he stares at …

One Generation Consuming The Next: The Racial Critique Of Consumerism In George Romero’S Zombie Films, Henry Powell

Honors Theses

The racial and economic hierarchies in Romero’s films are complex. Each film shows a strong connection between wealthy and white, which rules over the poor and black or Hispanic. In each of his films, the Americans he shows us are so ingrained in their consumer or racist identities that they cannot look past them even in a time when the characters should only be doing what is important to survive. In Night, Harry dies because of his blind selfishness and bigotry against the African American man who attempts to look out for the group. Stephen and Roger both die because …

Gender Specific Rules In Sport Are Based On An Outdated Idea Of Femininity, Carlie Minichino

Honors Theses

This work is meant to point out the disservice done to female athletes when they play the same sports as their male counterparts but are made to play with different rules. The differences are based on an outdated idea of femininity, as female docility and no longer apply today (if it ever did). This attitude, along with rules of sport, needs to be changed. This paper analyzes this social ideology from three different angles. First, it examines how the female is viewed in society and how this gaze can be changed as presented in the academic writings. Then there is …

Break The Sky: An Exploration Of Ethics With Swords And Superheroes, Kris Miranda

Honors Theses

In an extended piece of speculative fiction (specifically, a cross between the sword-and-sorcery and superhero genres), I try to explore the complexities of ethical deliberation in difficult circumstances. Through my protagonist I also present an “alternative” to Enlightenment ethics. I’ve referred to this alternative as an “ethics of the badass and the beautiful,” a little (but only a little) jokingly. The reason for doing all of this through fiction, and not a conventional philosophical paper, is that I believe my ethical education started in stories, and it’s still in good stories and the creative exploration of concretely realized personalities (as …

Contents

The Bridge

No abstract provided.

Excerpts From The Course Of My Life, Jens Hansen, Edward A. Hansen

The Bridge

Jens and Maren Stine Rasmusdatter came from the small island of Mom, Denmark. On a larger map of Denmark, Mon is a scarcely discernible plot of separated land, with chalk cliffs on its eastern seaboard and sandy beaches on the other. Stege is its chief town, set by an inlet called Noret and surrounded by verdant fields and forests. It is an idyllic spot, with its own culture and legends. Residents love it. Present day tourists are charmed by it.

From this fabled island, Jens Hansen made his first journey to America. He remembers it as happening in the winter …

Utpa Undergraduate Catalog 2009-2011, University Of Texas Pan American

UTPA Archives - Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

"Ain't You Heard"?: The Jazz Poetry Of Langston Hughes, Kristin Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

It all began with a piano bench. At the age of four, I sat next to my first piano teacher, as she told me the names of the keys. 'This is C, D, E . . . ," she said, her finger touching each key. moving through the entirety of a C-major scale. Afterward she asked, "Now. which one is F?" Though I touched the incorrect key, A instead of F, I remember being fascinated by the realization that I could create music by depressing those keys, making little wooden hammers strike strings in the piano's hidden belly. That fascination …

Femicide In Mexico: From Malinche To Modern Women, Kindall Brooke Scarborough

Theses and Dissertations

Olga Perez was a typical 20-year-old Mexican girl (Valdez 7). Coming from a poor family, she worked at a local shoe store in Juarez to raise money for college (Valdez 7). Wanting to see her daughter attain her dream of receiving higher education, Olga's mother. Irma. also worked several jobs, including selling hamburgers and hotdogs in front of her house, selling used clothing, and serving as a part-time housekeeper (Valdez 7-8). One evening Olga did not return home after a meeting (Valdez 7). It can be assumed that Irma. being Olga's mother, experienced a wide variety of emotions, including sadness, …

Utpa Graduate Catalog 2009-2011, University Of Texas Pan American

UTPA Archives - Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Storytelling As Soul-Tuning: The Ancient Rhetoric Of Valmiki's Ramayana, Mari Lee Mifsud

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In this essay, I illuminate rhetorical dimensions of storytelling as soul-tuning in Valmiki's Ramayana. I explore how the story's historical, reflexive, and paratactic rhetoric invites experiencing it not just as Rama's story, but as the telling of Rama's story. The telling is the tuner of the soul, as it creates an indelible impression on human memory of divine revelation.

Racing Jesse Jackson: Leadership, Masculinity, And The Black Presidency, Paul Achter

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

In June of 1983, the New York Times published a survey revealing that nearly one in five white voters would not vote for a black candidate for president, even if that candidate was qualified and was the party nominee.² For some readers, such a revelation might have induced shock or even outrage; for others the poll would merely reflect an obvious and ugly reality. The survey was prompted by the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s attempt to become the first black, Democratic nominee for president.

A news story exploring the prevalence of white racism in the United States was not uncommon …

Translating Anglo-Saxon Poetry: Foreignized Translations Of The Seafarer And The Wanderer, Andrew Timothy Eichel

Masters Theses

Few scholars argue that medieval literature retains the same prestige today it once held as the foundation of almost every school's English literature/language department. One reason for this fall could be the lack of proper integration of newer literary approaches into the field. Why, despite the recent swell in the use of more contemporary schools of theory-Marxism, feminism, and deconstructionism, for example-do many medieval scholars still endorse traditional strategies of historical and empirical analysis? Focusing on the translation methodology of foreignization, I present Ezra Pound's translation of the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Seafarer" and my translation of "The Wanderer." Both serve …

The Letters Of Elizabeth I: Rhetoric For Ruling, Anna M. Patton

Masters Theses

This thesis is an investigation of the rhetorical skill of Elizabeth I of England, focusing primarily on her letters. Elizabeth's rhetorical prowess is well documented; scholars have spent ample time dissecting her political speeches as well as her historical significance in literary, political and historical studies. Although her speeches provide a firm foundation from which to examine Elizabeth and her relationships with her people, her letters are even more pertinent when examining those relationships Elizabeth sought to establish during her reign. Elizabeth's politics and relationships are enhanced and developed by her ability to manipulate those around her with her words. …

"Freedom In Working": Representations Of Working Women In Elizabeth Gaskell's Mary Barton, Ruth, And North And South, Amy King

Masters Theses

In my M.A. thesis, I explore Elizabeth Gaskell's representations of women workers in her three novels, Mary Barton, Ruth, and North and South through the context of Victorian domestic ideology and social class. I argue that Elizabeth Gaskell supported and challenged the accepted gender roles for women. Through a close reading of her novels and short stories, I analyzed the reasons behind her conflicting and ambiguous portrayals of working women. I argue that while Gaskell clearly advocated domestic work as the "natural" work for women, her views on wage-earning labor varied; however she suggests that women, regardless of class, could …

The Road To Post Apocalyptic Fiction: Mccarthy’S Challenges To Post-Apocalyptic Genre, Glenna Andrade

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

This presentation examines The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006) set in the United States after some undetermined apocalypse where an unnamed man and his son negotiate starvation and the devastated landscape. The novel presents several challenges to the Post Apocalypse genre. It foregrounds character development rather than plot and counterbalances horror with lyricism. The novel also confronts the more typical happy ending of a new family suggested by the religious imagery, instead predicting the inevitable approach of human extinction, but also promising a third, the long-term, rebirth of life (not necessarily human) through the mystery of re-evolution.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Table of contents for Volume 22.

Ecstasy And Nonduality: On Comparing Varieties Of Immanence, John J. Thatamanil

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

For the benefit of those who have not read my book, let me offer a few framing remarks. I begin by noting that my initial working title for the book was Ecstasy and Nonduality, not The Immanent Divine. Although somewhat technical, the earlier title had the virtue of stipulating that my book compares two specific types of divine immanence. I root each sort of immanence in a fundamental scriptural locus within the Christian and Hindu traditions. In the Christian case, the scriptural text is Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not …

Rethinking Advaita: Who Is Eligible To Read Advaita Texts?, Anantanand Rambachan

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

My most recent work, The Advaita Worldview: God, World and Humanity, exemplifies two related movements. First, I join the growing stream of scholars who are making efforts to distinguish the interpretations of Sankara from later Advaita exegetes. The uncritical equation of Sankara's views with those of later exegetes needs to be challenged. Second, I contend that Advaita reflection and scholarship cannot limit itself to the clarification of Sankara's interpretations. These interpretations must also be critically evaluated in order for the tradition to be relevant and creative. It is problematic to assume that Sankara was immune from historical influences, cultural …

An Interview With Sara Zarr, Mary Rice

The Utah English Journal

Sara Zarr is a California native who currently resides in Utah. She is the author of two critically acclaimed novels for young adults, Story of a Girl (a 2007 National Book Award finalist) and Sweethearts. Her third novel, Once Was Lost, will be published this fall. Mary Rice, current board member of the Utah Council of Teachers of English, recently interviewed her.

Persuasion At The Sentence Level: Teaching The Grammar Of Influence, Deborah Dean

The Utah English Journal

Why do we teach students to write persuasively, to craft arguments that assert a point, take a stand, propose a solution, or seek common ground? Isn’t part of it because the ability to formulate effective arguments is an “important literacy practice” (Beach & Doerr-Stevens, 2009, p.125), and our capacity to be persuasive is an essential part of our interactions with the world? It is also a kind of writing that is often found in state and district writing tests—another possible reason we might want to teach students to write for the purpose of persuading.

My Favorite Novel: A 7-Point Folkloric Reflection, Jacqueline S. Thursby

The Utah English Journal

This project, the 7-Point Folkloric Reflection Paper, has been successful and popular according to feedback from my English students in various folklore classes. It is based on a novel they have already read, and I suggest that they choose a novel they have enjoyed because they are going to spend a lot of time with it. This project is not a book report. It is a writing project that includes an introduction to the often misunderstood discipline of folkloristics. This assignment requires some groundwork by the teacher, but besides being interesting, it demonstrates that folklore is present in most of …

The Secret Realizations Of An Okay Teacher, Michelle Barney

The Utah English Journal

A Personal Narrative by Michelle Barney

As I collected the little writings we did every day, I realized something. These kids were good. These kids had style, voice, and something to say. And I was holding them back.

Thirteen Ways Of Looking At Poetry Writing (Minus Twelve): Using Bad Poetry To Make Good Poetry Accessible, Sheila Benson

The Utah English Journal

This article presents my effort to move students past their belief that poetry is inaccessible by requiring them to write bad poetry. My original goal was to bring back the fun of poetry by letting students play with words and sounds rather than obsessing over rhyme schemes. I wanted my students to see that they knew more about poetry than they thought they did, that poetry and language play are a natural part of how we think. As students created bad poetry and discussed what they believed poetry was (and wasn’t), we discovered together that much of our fear of …

How Can I Know What I Think Until I See [And Hear] What I Say? - Getting Students To Start Taking Responsibility For Their Own Writing Through Oral Revision, Joseph Anson

The Utah English Journal

Peer conferences and PVC phones are but two methods I’ve found to get students up to their elbows in their own revising, and for the most part, enjoy it. Both can be used effectively to reinforce the effectiveness of oral revision. Once they can see and hear what they have to say, their thoughts and writing become clearer.

Ready To Read: Incorporating A Reading Workshop, Amy Lavin

The Utah English Journal

As Kelly Gallagher (2009), the author of Readicide, states on the English Companion Ning (an online network for English teachers) during a discussion about his book, “There are two kinds of teachers in the world: those who have taught twenty years, and those who have taught one year twenty times.” Trying to be more like the former teacher, I attempt to incorporate something different in my classes each school year. As I started my sixth year of teaching, I wondered, what would happen if I offered my students more freedom? Certainly, I didn’t mean a free-for-all where fun and games …

Inquiring Into Ivanhoe: A Study Of Student-Teacher Collaboration, Caleb Mcclellan, Mary Rice

The Utah English Journal

This paper traces the individual and collaborative history of a student and his teacher in terms of their writing experiences, particularly with feedback. After sharing their own perspectives about writing, reviewing the current literature on writing feedback and discussing the ways in which the inquiry was conducted, the revisions of an in-class assignment are analyzed, revealing a new way for both authors to think about writing feedback.