Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Culture As A Tool Of Exclusion: An Analysis Of Mathieu Kassovitz's La Haine, Abigail Maccumber

Scripps Senior Theses

Using the film La Haine (1995), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, as an object of analysis, this paper explores culture as a tool of exclusion in France through sociological, architectural, and political contexts. It investigates La Haine as one of the first representations of the banlieue to mainstream French audiences, as well as the ways in which the film reveals how immigrants and children of immigrants struggle to find personal, cultural, and national identity in France.

Polarizing Narratives: Harmful Representations Of Mental Illness And Bipolar In Popular Media, Mary Jane Coppock

Scripps Senior Theses

Representations of mental illness in mainstream media have historically been infantilizing and dangerous. In the last century, dominant media has perpetuated inaccurate and damaging tropes about bipolar disorder in particular, perpetuating misunderstanding and stigma. Despite this fact, art can provide an outlet through which healthy images that promote understanding and sympathy can be dispersed. My project, Polarized, presents a more accurate representation of the disorder and its effects on individuals who struggle with it, as well as their loved ones. Bipolar disorders are a group of mental illnesses that cause dramatic shifts in an individual’s mood, energy, thinking ability, and …

Understanding The Effects Of Disgust And Political Ideology On Moral Judgment Through Photography, Xijia Yuan

Scripps Senior Theses

Feelings of disgust may have effects on one’s moral judgment; specifically that experience of disgust has linked to increased severity of moral judgments. Additionally, one’s political beliefs may also affect one’s moral judgment, such as conservatives tend to make harsher judgment toward moral situations and behaviors. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial quasi-experiment has been proposed to study 420 participants, legal adults from both conservative and liberal neighborhoods, randomly assigned to one of two conditions, disgust-eliciting versus neutral. Participants will view either four disgust-eliciting photographs or four neutral photographs, and then complete survey questions on disgust rating, moral judgment, …

Robert Parker’S Wine Advocate And The Consequential Pricing Of Provençal Wines, Gweneth Marter

Scripps Senior Theses

Robert Parker is an esteemed, somewhat controversial wine-critic. Since 1978, Parker has assigned every wine he tastes a score between 50 and 100. He uses this method to communicate to both consumers and producers his opinion of the quality, taste, and aging potential of the wine. Between the years 2005 and 2015, Robert Parker graded 115 wines from the French region of Provence. The goal of this thesis is to determine whether and to what extent Robert Parker’s grades affect the price of wine. Through descriptive statistics and regression analysis of Robert Parker’s grade and year of production on the …

Negotiating Mexican Citizenship: Examining Implications Of A Narco-State And Rebellions In Contemporary Mexico, Nereida Guadalupe Montes

Scripps Senior Theses

Neoliberal has bee largely responsible for the creation of a narcoestado. As the Mexican state abandon its previous cultural projects such as education, employment, and social services, economic void increased. Narco-traffickers have increasingly filled this vacuum. Arguably, the weaken pillars of Mexican society allowed narco-trafficking to penetrate the areas once fulfilled by the state. It has led to the recruitment of economically dislocated farmers and citizens to turn to narco-trafficking for financial stability. Although, the state and narco-traffickers at times compete with each other to fulfill some of these functions, they also at times co-exist and merge into what …

Re-Calling The Past: Poetry As Preservation Of Black Female Histories, Rachel Miller-Haughton

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper discusses the poetry of Audre Lorde and Natasha Trethewey, and the ways in which they bring to attention the often-silenced histories of African American females. Through close readings of Lorde’s poems “Call” and “Coal,” and Trethewey’s “Three Photographs,” these histories are brought to the present with the framework of the words “call” and “re-call.” The paper explores the ways in which Lorde creates a new mythology for understanding her identity as “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” in her innovative, intersectional feminist poetry. This is used as the framework for understanding modern poets like Trethewey, whose identity as a …

Structural Inadequacies, Poorly Crafted Legislation, Eroding Imperial Authority, Escalating Confessional Conflict And The Eventual Intractability Of Two Ruling Princes, Caused The Thirty Years War, Arthur N. Traver

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Europe in the 16th Century was experiencing radical social, political and economic change. Technological development was apparent in all aspects of society. Most noteworthy was the invention of the printing press which enabled rapid dissemination of information to a rapidly increasingly literate general population. Towns, the development of trades and the provision of specialized services were rapidly evolving. European commerce was changing from a feudal structure to a money based economy. That is, currency in return for goods and services was replacing a structure of peasants providing life essentials protected by aristocratic nobility. The centralized, complicated, hierarchical feudal political structure …

All Roads Lead To The Fair: How A 2022 Los Angeles World's Fair Would Accelerate The Implementation Of Sustainable And Innovative Forms Of Transportation, Isabella Levin

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the potential impact of a World’s Fair on urban mobility in Los Angeles County by 2022. A brief historical account of World’s Fairs, and their impact on technological innovations in transportation will be given in conjunction with the development of transportation in Los Angeles. These accounts will help to contextualize an analysis of current plans to provide Los Angeles with transportation solutions, in light of the oversaturated automobile landscape in place today. Specifically, my research has revealed that the further development of light-speed rail systems paired alongside a mass adoption of autonomous vehicles would both alleviate contemporary …

[Rebelution 17]: Gender Bender, Francesca Louise Inocentes

Scripps Senior Theses

Fashion embodies what is accepted and valued in a given culture or society and empowers individuals by building self-confidence, enabling them to express themselves authentically through their bodies and garments. The gender binary, perpetuated by the mainstream fashion industry, marginalizes individuals who do not conform to it. In Rebelution 17, I utilize clothing design and photography to empower and liberate individuals who do not conform to the standards of beauty in regards to gender identity and acceptability. The finished works are featured in a Lookbook – a digital and physical collection of photographs used to market fashion – designed …

A Choreographic Exploration Of Race And Gender Representation In Film And Dance, Sharon M. Keenan

Scripps Senior Theses

Through extensive research which culminates in a choreographic component, this thesis explores the lack of diverse representation within artistic and entertainment industries in regards to race and gender. In pursuit of a concise argument, most of the focus is on race and the conditioned view of gender as binary. Looking specifically at dance and film, it considers and analyzes why this absence persists, along with ways to ensure progress. The analysis and exploration unfolds in five central chapters: Research, Conception of the Dance, One and the Same, and Try It On Make It Fit. By detailing all that …

Daffodils: A Completely Unrelated Collection Of Short Stories, Sawyer E.P. Henshaw

Scripps Senior Theses

“Daffodils” is a collection of three fictional short stories without obvious thematic connection, yet all containing tenacious female characters. “The Winner” is told from the unflinching voice of a young wife in her struggle for control within the newfound environment of a Massachusetts boarding school. “The Seers” is a dystopian story, taking place in a world with months of “Sun” and months of dark at a time, intimately describing the effects of this phenomenon upon the civilization. Lastly, “Plastic Flowers” examines the loss of love and comfort within a relationship, depicting the insecurities of young adult life in New York …

Body, Blood, And Flood: The Ripple Of Kinesics Through Nature In Leonardo Da Vinci's Art, Rachael Herrera

Scripps Senior Theses

Leonardo da Vinci's art and science have a dynamic relationship that can be used to better understand the role of the individual and the human body within his art. Leonardo believed that movements of the body were expressions of the soul. He also thought that the body was as a microcosm of the physical world. The theories, based in ancient tradition, would be challenged by his work with the human anatomy. By studying his notebooks it becomes evident that Leonardo held nature to be the highest creator of the world but as he worked to understand the human body and …

Technological Disruption In Entertainment: Navigating The Film Industry's Dynamic Relationship To The Consumer, Samantha Mea Simon

Scripps Senior Theses

The following thesis acts as a critical cultural progression report surrounding the current technological disruption in the entertainment industry and its impact on consumers. This begins with a study of the history starting in 1910 and covers the urbanization of America during the Industrial Revolution, the developing fan experience, a history of consumer demands in relation to oligopolistic principles and the blockbuster method, the invention and influence of the television, and the current effect of technological advancement in the entertainment industry. Following this historical overview, four chapters will study different methods of analysis covering the intricacies of the current technological …

Developmental Measures: The Zika Virus, Microcephaly, And Histories Of Global Northern State Anxieties, Eden Noa Amital

Scripps Senior Theses

This project seeks to understand anxious and fearful responses to the Zika virus and microcephaly that began circulating widely in February, 2016. My project works to uncover racial histories embedded in the contemporary scientific and medical practice of measuring head circumference. By arguing that microcephaly is a racialized metric of civilizational and human development, I show that responses to Zika’s proliferation invoke state security because Global Northern states imagine microcephaly as a developmental, economic, and cultural lag. Dominant scientific and medical characterizations of microcephaly constitute modern, developed states as such by making political conceptions of normalcy and capacity seem natural: …

Walking In The City: Koji Nakano’S Reimagining And Re-Sounding Of The Tale Of Genji, Isabella Ramos

Scripps Senior Theses

Imagined Sceneries is a work written by composer Dr. Koji Nakano of Burapha University, Thailand for two sopranos, koto, light percussion, narrations, soundscapes recorded in Kyoto, Japan in December 2015, and digital projections of Ebina Masao’s 1953 print series Tale of Genji. Imagined Sceneries’ reimagining and “re-sounding” of Heian Kyoto relies on a balance between what is imagined and what is experienced in performance. Its many elements collectively explore multiple layers of Japanese histories, soundscapes, environments, and sensibilities. Using Michel de Certeau’s concepts of the city, this thesis journeys through Nakano’s imagined spaces.

Masculinity On Women In Japan: Gender Fluidity Explored Through Literature And Performance, Jessica M. Perreira

Scripps Senior Theses

The first half of my thesis are my translations from Yumi Hirosawa’s Onna O Aisuru Onnatachi. The first translation is excerpts from a high school girls journal documenting her realization and acceptance of being lesbian, and her time with her first girlfriend. The second translation is a report by a freelance writer on three different lesbian bars in Shinjuku Ni-Chome. The most notable bar is an onabe bar called Little Prince. Onabe in the simplest terms are women who dress and act like men. Onabe are important to the research portion of my thesis because they allowed me to research …

Spreading Seeds: Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds And His Performative Personality Received In The West, Wei Wu

Scripps Senior Theses

In 2010, Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds made its debut in Tate Modern, which promoted Ai to be one of the most famous and respected contemporary Chinese artists. This Conceptual art work has multiple layers of meanings, which all corresponds to the Western expectations for a successful contemporary Chinese artist. In fact, the Western art world has long held bias and stereotypes towards international artists. Ai chose to perform his personality to conform to the expectations and Western ideologies, which brought him international fame. On the other hand, other Chinese artists, including Cai Guo-Qiang and Zhou Chunya, don't totally agree with …

Amor Y Trascendencia En La Literatura De Carlos Fuentes, David William Hamilton

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In the literary works of Carlos Fuentes, transcendence of spatial-temporal reality is driven by the protagonists' desires. As a result, a multifaceted perspective of love is presented in the midst of moral conflicts and ambiguous endings. This study examines the roles of love and the instances of transcendence in nine of Fuentes' stories. In doing so, it establishes the connection between love and transcendence in these works, considers the implications of these connections, and identifies distinctions between six modes of transcendence that Fuentes employs. This research begins by presenting an overview of the multifaceted nature of love, as well as …

Assiduous Adaptation, Shelley Therese Caldwell

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Growing up in a rural environment, you both witness the wonders of the natural world and learn to be resourceful with what you already have. This lesson has had a profound impact on my work as an installation artist whose practice combines mixed media drawing with subjects from nature and daily life. Drawing spider plant (chlorophytum comosum) silhouettes upon legal pad pages then displaying them alongside actual plants—each accumulated to near absurdity—exemplifies the creative impulse behind the work; combining familiar items and imagery into large-scale installations transforms the space they inhabit as well as their ordinary meaning into something extraordinary. …

Chroma Pneuma, Shayna Tietje

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

I was conducting process trials based on water. As I reacted to what was being produced, I found myself having little moments of joyful discovery. I was fascinated to observe patterns and implied textures that were generated through natural process; these patterns mimic the fractal nature of repetitive structures on a micro to macro scale that we see within our natural world. Patterns whose resemblance ranges from formations found in semi- precious stones, such as jasper or agate; to satellite imagery of branching river systems and sites of massive erosion. While the implied texture of the work was being influenced …

Imágenes Fragmentadas Y Alucinantes: Encuentros Iconotextuales Y Diálogos Extraordinarios Hispano/A/Mericanos, Sandra Lucia Castaneda Medina

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Las series que componen mi tesis recrean, a través del arte mixto y la multimedia, los trabajos literarios de los escritores latinoamericanos Jorge Luis Borges, "El aleph" (serie "el bosque"); Juan Rulfo, Pedro Páramo (serie "reminiscencias"); y Ciro Alegría, "La sirena del bosque" (serie "insania humana"). Sus partes (esas imágenes del bosque y de los intramuros de insania, y los recuerdos del pasado que permanecen vivos) dialogan entre sí y dan una idea sobre aquellos puntos de yuxtaposición en donde lo extraordinario y el eterno retorno de lo mismo se hacen evidentes. Mi interés en la filosofía, la historia y …

Allowing Animal Rights: Contra Natural Law Arguments, Rachel Tobias

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Natural Law theories dominate the way in which humans view their relationships with other animals. Natural Law theories, commenced by Aristotle, claim that rationality is the morally relevant feature that differentiates humans from other animals. As a result, human beings often use non-human animals at their disposal, which has propelled factory farming and the mistreatment of animals. The term, "Speciesism" describes unjustified mistreatment of a species based on species membership. This essay examines the origin of Speciesism, as it relates to Natural Law theories. Additionally, the text discusses the negative consequences of Speciesism and the arbitrariness of omitting non-human animals …

The Knights Templar And The Freemasons: An American Myth, Elizabeth Persinger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project is an in-depth look at the influence and impact of the Knights Templar and the Freemasons on early American history. This thesis provides an overview of the conspiracy theories surrounding both groups and their involvement in United States history as well as the history behind these theories and how they formed, with the ultimate goal of comparing these popular culture myths with the verifiable influence of the groups.

Genocide Museums And Memorials: How The Politics Of Victimization And The Entertainment Factor Of Certain Institutions Cause Misinterpretations Of Genocide, Shauna Lachendro

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This piece analyzes the mission statements of four institutions that commemorate Genocide: The United states Holocaust Memorial Museum, Kaligi Genocide memorial, Tsitsernakaberd, and S-21. The paper first plays out serious topics, such as dark tourism, the politicization of museums, the entertainment factor of museums, the definitions of genocide, and the Americanization of the Holocaust. Each institution is critically examined independently following the definitions of terms in the introduction.

The Art Collector, Cesar Vladimir Ruiz Ledesma

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

La tesis The Art Collector es un libro de cuentos y no, simplemente, un libro de relatos. Por ello, se repiten personajes, escenarios y poética en todas las historias, de modo que están conectadas mutuamente. El detonante de la escritura es el contraste de lugares en un único protagonista, Alonso Quijano, escritor peruano que viaja y vive en Texas, México, New Jersey, New York y Lima.

Racial Injustice In Houston, Texas: The Mexican American Mobilization Against The Police Killing Of Joe Campos Torres, Melanie Rodriguez Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the Houston Police Departmentâ??s (the HPD) relations with the ethnic-Mexican community across four decades to consider how the police killing of Joe Campos Torres sparked a wave of protest that ensured that cityâ??s long history of police brutality against ethnic Mexicans and other minorities (especially African Americans) came to the forefront in Texas, if not the nation in general. The HPD was a mechanisms of the cityâ??s status quo that reinforced the racial dominance of white Houstonians. From 1940 to 1970, the HPD found it necessary to implement effective police models to control wayward minorities and uphold …

Babel Underground, Joyce Y. Butler

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Joyce Y. Butler, earned her Bachelor of Arts from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in English. Her short stories and poems have been published in Green Eggs and Hams, the literary and arts journal of Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She also writes inspirational essays which have been published on the online journal, Purpled Nail. She is currently in the process of compiling a book of inspirational essays. She has been employed as a Legal Assistant for 44 years.

This work is available at Amazon.

Seeds Of Neocolonialism In Development Discourse: A Study Of Neoliberal "Megarhetorics" Of Global Development And Ecofeminist Resistance, Moushumi Biswas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This paper is based on a case study of www.monsanto.com, the official website of biotech company Monsanto, and transnational voices of resistance as exemplified by eco-critical activist Vandana Shiva. My rhetorical inquiry concerns the future of the global farming sector and allows for an interdisciplinary exploration of transnational development discourse through the overlapping but complementary lenses of ecofeminism and critical discourse analysis (CDA). The purpose of my study – spanning rhetoric, composition, critical theory, cultural theory, communication studies, business ethics, and postcolonial studies – is to trace new notions of discourse creation in the 21 st century using a combination …

Aquí Se Habla Español: Cultural Identity And Language In Post-World War Ii Puerto Rico, Joanna Marie Camacho Escobar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The following study seeks to understand the process in which language and culture were linked together in order to institutionalize Puerto Rican cultural nationalism. In the decades after 1898, Puerto Ricans went through a U.S.-imposed process of Americanization. What the U.S. originally had in mind was that Puerto Ricans would become American colonial subjects through U.S. control over the curriculum that made English the language of instruction in public schools. With a vague explanation from the U.S. of what Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans meant to the U.S. American nation, Puerto Ricans from various backgrounds debated Americanization practices. However, after …

From The Fangs Of Monsters: Gender, Empire, And Civilization In The Pacific, 1800-1850, Michael David Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As the nineteenth century commenced, contact between Pacific Islanders and Anglo-Americans increased as did the concern for what resulted from those interactions. In the United States, antebellum restrained men––those who upheld their Protestant faith, self-reliance, and familial values––used ideals of gender to combat the perceived “savagery” of Pacific Islanders and the corruption of American sailors among them. In the mission field, restrained men consciously sought after Anglo-American women’s influence often believing them to be the moral authority of a softer form of empire. This particular form of empire was not government led; nor did it entail the immediate conquest of …