Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Classroom As Inquiry Learning Community: A Practitioner Study Of Adolescents’ Developing Critical Literacies, Sarah M. Fleming

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation presents findings from 10 months of practitioner inquiry (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1993, 2009) using qualitative data collection and analysis. Informed by communities of practice theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and critical literacy theory (Luke, 2000; Janks, 2010; Comber, 2016), the study asked the following research questions: 1) What characterizes a classroom learning community designed to support adolescents' experiences with inquiry learning? 2) In what ways do adolescents practice critical literacies when engaged with inquiry learning? and, 3) What roles do teachers navigate when working with adolescents developing critical literacies through inquiry learning? The study took place in an …

Early Childhood Literacy Training For Library Assistants In Public Libraries: An Exploratory Case Study, Alvina Mardhani-Bayne

Dissertations - ALL

Early literacy programs in public libraries are well positioned to support a variety of children in developing literacy skills, as libraries are geographically dispersed, free to use, and oriented to families. Indeed, such programs are frequently offered in North American public libraries, and are not always conducted by librarians. Instead, other library employees are tasked with planning and conducting early literacy programs, who have varying conceptions of how literacy learning proceeds. As such, the training they receive at their libraries likely informs their understandings and subsequent programming practices.

This qualitative, exploratory case study describes the content and instructional strategies of …

Special Report: History Day, Grady Moore

Tenor of Our Times

A special report over the events of History Day at Harding University on February 29th, 2020.

Super Heroes V Scorsese: A Marxist Reading Of Alienation And The Political Unconscious In Blockbuster Superhero Film, David Eltz

Kutztown University Masters Theses

As superhero blockbusters continue to dominate the theatrical landscape, critical detractors of the genre have grown in number and authority. The most influential among them, Martin Scorsese, has been quoted as referring to Marvel films as “theme parks” rather than “cinema” (his own term for auteur film). Despite this, these films often possess considerably challenging views in regards to social justice, and continue to interface with the pervading theme of alienation in increasingly abstract and progressive ways.

This thesis considers four films (1978’s Superman, 2000’s X-Men, 2013’s Captain America: Winter Soldier, and 2018’s Black Panther) from a Marxist perspective, viewing …

What Is The Function Of Theoretical Theatre Ideas, Given The Content Presented In Modern Theatre?, James Carson Jester, Robert Earnest

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

In this work, I will look at the implications and history of theatre theory, then lay the

ground work for what works will be used in this examination. Then, I look at the definition

of form and content in theatrical terms and introduce the issue of this work, what is the

function of Theoretical Theatre ideas, given the content presented in modern theatre?

Then, I will talk about the work of Aristotle, giving brief biographical information and

some of his theory on creating theatrical work, citing his work known as The Poetics. I will

then look at the implications …

Country Fun: A Cultural History Of Opryland Usa, Nashville, And The Suburban South, William C. Nieman

Honors Theses

This thesis centers around the history of Opryland USA, a theme park and “musical showplace” that existed from 1972 to 1997 in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. Using a variety of primary sources including park ephemera, newspaper articles, and songs, I show how, over its twenty-five years, Opryland became a country music theme park after initially presenting a seemingly diverse picture of American popular music. I reveal that, despite local businessowners’ and musicians’ reluctance to embrace Opryland at first, the park was accepted by many Nashvillians to the point where it is now nostalgically mourned. Then, putting those primary materials …

Educators’ Understanding Of Scientific Sensemaking And Literacy: A Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Analysis, Heather Elizabeth Waymouth

Dissertations - ALL

The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe a community of middle school science educators’ understandings of scientific sensemaking and literacy during their participation in professional development. Six teachers from Marksboro Middle School initiated and participated in a semester-long book study of Ambitious Science Teaching (Windschitl, Thompson, & Braaten, 2018). Three of these science teachers also participated in an interdisciplinary workshop series on sensemaking and literacy across the curriculum with three additional school colleagues from other disciplines conducted by a regional science professional developer and the author, a literacy education scholar. Two professional developers also participated in this study. …

Musical Ability And Accent Imitation, Maria Murljacic

Honors Scholar Theses

This study investigates the intersection of musical ability and accent imitation, more specifically defining what factors cause a relationship between the two. The study was run on 50 participants, who each completed an accent imitation ability assessment, a musical ability assessment, and an articulation ability assessment. The scores for the accent imitation portion were rated by anonymous online raters. Each participant filled out a questionnaire on prior musical experience and were either classified as a musician or non-musician. The analysis found that those in the musician group performed better on the musical ability, articulation, and accent ability assessment than non-musicians. …

A “Wokeness” That Never Was: The Affective Economy Of White Innocence And The Possibilities Of Shame, Hannah Murray

Theses - ALL

This thesis critiques white liberal subjectivity, primarily through the work of Claudia Rankine. In Rankine’s The White Card, she critiques white liberal subjectivity through the form of a play, a space of encounter. In the case of The White Card, the play’s primary encounter appears to be about white people encountering Black people, but in actuality the encounter resides in white people encountering their own white liberal subjectivity. In order to further conceive of how white liberal subjectivity functions, I draw from Gloria Wekker’s “white innocence” and Sara Ahmed’s “affective economies” to craft the lens of an affective economy of …

The Alchemy Of An Indeterminate Visual Matrix: Perception Within Light And Shadows, Brandy S. Boden

Theses - ALL

The primary objective of this thesis paper is to articulate the concepts, context, methodology, and materials within my artistic practice. As a document this paper offers an overview of my past work as it progressed through to the work as developed for my thesis exhibition. My artistic practice has its roots in themes relating to the phenomenological aspects of photography, specifically emphasizing the psychological experience of light and shadows within visual perception.

While the foundation of my work is rooted in traditional lens-based photography, my materials and processes of producing work have expanded to incorporate camera-less alternative processes such as …

The Land Of Five Races: An Illustrated Exploration Of An Imaginary World, Yunnan Tao

Theses - ALL

The aim of this thesis is to explain my illustrations of an imaginary world with five different races. It will explain how other artists inspired me in illustration, and how I further developed skills creating these illustrations. This thesis will also introduce my concept on how I made this background world believable to support these illustrations.

In the first part I will explain how I started this project. It will also include artistic inspirations and cultural influences on my personal art style and where my ideas came from.

The second part will describe my painting skills. It will explain how …

User Experience As A Rhetorical Medium: User At The Intersection Of Audience, Reader And Actor, Áine Doyle

English Honors Theses

The goal of this project is to demonstrate how digital interfaces are bodies of visual language that can be “close-read” and interpreted critically, just like any other traditional text; digital user interfaces, like poetry and novels, have form and content that complement and shape the meaning and interpretation of the other. It is meant to encourage academic discussions about digital interfaces to go beyond whether social media is “good” or “bad” to how digital interfaces are structured, why they are structured the way they are, and what effects these structures have on the way they communicate information and content to …

You Were There : An Exploration And Analysis Of The Filmmaking Process, Regan Emfinger

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the process of writing, shooting, and editing my short film You Were There. My process involved scriptwriting with several revisions, shooting with a cast and crew, and editing the raw footage. This paper will not only serve as a timeline leading up to the final product of the film but also will explain the function of each artistic choice. This paper will also outline the biggest lessons I learned about fictional narratives, and discuss the successes and failures of the film as a whole. I also plan on discussing how those lessons will further my academic and …

Prison Sights: Carceral Counter-Visions In Documentary Film, Christopher R. Barnes

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the shared politics of visuality that govern American domestic civilian and foreign military prisons. Though scholars have pointed to the interlocking systems of power that govern both spaces, this visuality renders them as fundamentally distinct in the public imagination. I argue that challenging and demystifying these power structures requires an interrogation of the visual regimes that help sustain them. This project builds on nascent scholarship by criminologists who have begun to theorize what has been termed “carceral visuality,” or the intertwined hegemonic ideological and visual frameworks that discipline how citizens see and think about incarceration. I examine …

Mobilizing Affect: The Rhetoric And Circulation Of Popular Political Satire News Shows, Crystal Hendricks

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation offers an analysis of how popular political satire news shows use humor, emotion, and circulation to critically respond to emergent exigencies and power dynamics. This project is grounded in the primary research question: how do these shows, through the affective processes of production and circulation, impart critical literacies uniquely suited for our current moment?

Drawing from classical rhetorical theory, feminist and queer affect studies, and rhetorical circulation studies, I analyze three popular political satire shows: Saturday Night Live, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. All of these shows highlight the everyday effects …

Antheleen Lamar Sneed

African American Funeral Programs

Antheleen Sneed and Elizabeth Sneed had a joint graveside funeral.

The Always And Never Seen, Linnea Ryshke

Graduate School of Art Theses

In my art practice, I strive to recover the value of non-human animals as fellow beings with whom we are in relation. In the last decade, “the animal question” has gained momentum across disciplines, and I situate myself as part of the effort to challenge the denigration of nonhuman animals that has led to the widespread exploitation of their labor and bodies. In my practice, I create paintings, drawings and mixed-media collages that recover the genesis of the word “animal” as meaning one with breath, one with soul. Through expressionist mark and material tactility, I create intimate and large-scale works …

Elizabeth Sneed

African American Funeral Programs

Elizabeth Sneed and Antheleen Sneed had a joint graveside funeral.

Unidad Didáctica, Ciencias Sociales, Cuarto, Ruby Martínez

Spring Workshop May 2020

Competencias y Aptitudes Esenciales del Estado de Texas (TEKS, por sus siglas en inglés): (E) Explicar cómo los avances tecnológicos en transporte y la comunicación han influido en las actividades económicas de Texas.

Objetivos de la lección: 1. Estudiar los motivos de la inmigración hacia Texas. 2. Comprender la importancia del sistema de regadío en El Valle del Río Grande. 3. Comprender la importancia de las empresas ferroviarias estadounidenses en El Valle del Río Grande.

Diferenciación de estrategias para necesidades específicas de un estudiantado diverso: Actividades participativas diversas de aproximación, reuniones y dominar las actividades en la sección de enriquecimiento …

Industrialización Y Auge De La Agricultura Comercial En Los Estados Unidos, 1880-1930, Sonia Hernández

Spring Workshop May 2020

No abstract provided.

Self-Guided Pumphouse Tour

Spring Workshop May 2020

No abstract provided.

Lesson Plan, Us History, 8th Grade, John Muñiz

Spring Workshop May 2020

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): 8.23(A) identify racial, ethnic, and religious groups that settled in the United States and explain their reasons for immigration. 8.28(B) identify examples of how industrialization changed life in the United States. 8.24(B) evaluate the impact of reform movements, including educational reform, temperance, the women's rights movement, prison reform, the labor reform movement, and care of the disabled.

Lesson objective(s): 1. The Learner will (TLW) identify and evaluate how industrialization changed life in the RGV (Rio Grande Valley), and reasons for immigration reform in the RGV.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: - The …

Lesson Plan, Texas History, 7th Grade, Sylvia V. Garza

Spring Workshop May 2020

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): The student understands how individuals, events, and issues shaped the history of Texas from Reconstruction through the beginning of the 20th century. The student is expected to: (B)identify significant individuals, events, and issues, including the development of the cattle industry from its Spanish beginnings and the cowboy way of life. (C)identify significant individuals, events, and issues, including the effects of the growth of railroads. (D)explain the political, economic, and social impact of the agricultural industry.

Lesson objective(s): 1. Describe how railroads affected life in rural and urban Texas. 2. Explain how new farming technology …

Visita Autoguiada Estación De Bombeo Fluvial

Spring Workshop May 2020

No abstract provided.

Old Hidalgo Pumphouse, Elizabeth Salinas

Spring Workshop May 2020

No abstract provided.

Lesson Plan, 11th Grade, Bernice Barrón

Spring Workshop May 2020

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): 16B Identify the causes of the Great Depression, including impact of tariffs and the world trade, stock market speculation, bank failures, and the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve System. 16C Analyze the effects of the Great Depression on the U.S. Economy and society such as widespread unemployment.

Lesson objective(s): 1.Students will analyze the impact of "The Port of Brownsville" on the Rio Grande Valley (RGV's) economy, and globalization (1936). 2.Students will analyze the impact of "Charro Days" in the RGV's culture and local businesses (1938-2020). 3. Students will create their own bell ringer, …

Industrialization & The Rise Of Commercial Agriculture In The United States, 1880-1930, Sonia Hernández

Spring Workshop May 2020

No abstract provided.

Lesson Plan, World Geography, 6th Grade, Nelson Muñoz, Lucy Garza, Melissa Moreno

Spring Workshop May 2020

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): (A) explain the geographic factors responsible for the location of economic activities in places and regions. B) identify geographic factors such as location, physical features, transportation corridors and barriers, and distribution of natural resources that influence a society's political relationships.

Lesson objective(s): 1. Identify the natural resources that lead to developing the agriculture industry in Rio Grande Valley (RGV). 2. Identify the key landforms that contributed to agriculture industry in RGV. 3. Identify the key leaders that contributed to the growth in agriculture.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: Graphic organizers, visuals, videos, …

Unidad Didáctica, Historia De Ee.Uu, Octavo, John Muñiz, Marc Garza

Spring Workshop May 2020

Competencias y Aptitudes Esenciales del Estado de Texas (TEKS, por sus siglas en inglés): 8.23 (A) Identificar los grupos raciales, étnicos y religiosos que se asentaron en los Estados Unidos y explicar las causas de la inmigración. 8.28 (B) Identificar ejemplos de cómo la industrialización cambió el estilo de la vida en los Estados Unidos. 8.24 (B) Valorar el impacto que tuvieron los movimientos reformistas, incluyendo la reforma educativa, el movimiento por la templanza, el movimiento por los derechos de las mujeres, la reforma penitenciaria, la reforma laboral, y el movimiento por los derechos de las personas con discapacidad.

Objetivos …

Lesson Plan, Us History, 8th Grade, Marc Garza

Spring Workshop May 2020

TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills): 8.23(A) identify racial, ethnic, and religious groups that settled in the United States and explain their reasons for immigration. 8.28(B) identify examples of how industrialization changed life in the United States. 8.24(B) evaluate the impact of reform movements, including educational reform, temperance, the women's rights movement, prison reform, the labor reform movement, and care for the disabled.

Lesson objective(s): 1. The Learner will (TLW) identify and evaluate how industrialization changed life in the RGV (Rio Grande Valley), and reasons for immigration and reform in the RGV.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs: - …