Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Moral Hygiene Movement In The United States, 1840s—1920s, Marissa Seib

History Theses

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the mental health care system in the United States underwent a series of reforms in an effort to better care for some of the country’s frailest citizens. This period, called the moral hygiene era of mental health care, emerged from a further understanding of psychiatry and psychology which led to structural changes in the mental health care system.

This thesis examines the beginnings of the Kirkbride system, which sought to reform the whole of American mental health care through landscaping and architecture as well as the specific treatment plan for each individual. Using case …

Lars Gustaf Sellstedt: Art In Buffalo And The Buffalo Fine Art Academy, Shannon N. Gilmartin

History Theses

This Master’s Thesis Project researches the life of a forgotten Buffalo artist, Lars Gustaf Sellstedt. He was born in Sundsvall, Sweden and started his life as a sailor when he became a cabin boy as an early teenager. For most of his young life until his mid-twenties, Sellstedt was a sailor traveling to all corners of the world. He started his journey as an artist while in between sailing jobs. Over many decades he portraits locally and abroad mainly in the Caribbean Islands. Sellstedt was one of the few artists in 19th century Buffalo, sharing the profession with William J. …

Your Country Needs You (And Also Your Resources) Britain And Her Colonies During And Shortly After Ww2, Anthony-Noel Cepe

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

No conflict has shaped the modern world more thoroughly than the Second World War. However, the retelling of this era, whether through mass media or more scholarly works such as books and journal articles, is one seen through a white, Eurocentric lens. This is strange; as the name implies, the Second World War was a truly global conflict, involving not only the major world powers at the time, but also their subjects. Great Britain was no exception; far from the popular image of it standing alone in the face of Nazi tyranny, the island nation drew vast amounts of men …

¿Cómo Se Dice...? The Spanish Use Of Hispanic College Students, Christopher Castaneda

Honors Theses

The Spanish language is very prominent in the United States. Millions of Spanishspeakers live there, and the use of the language in their day to day lives has augmented the presence of it in an otherwise Anglophone country. However, there are certain factors that may influence how often Spanish speakers actually use their language in this country. This study sought to analyze two: the existing anti-Hispanic attitudes in the United States and the parental/caretaker level of education of Spanish-speaking people. This study aimed to conduct an analysis of college-aged Hispanic students in order to conclude the extent to which those …

Depiction Of American Litigation In Movies, Bryson Reeves

Honors Theses

The legal profession is a crucial institution of American society that impacts the lives of millions of Americans each day. Films act as an agent of socialization that can shape the public’s expectations of the legal field and its lawyers. Therefore, this study focuses on the levels of accuracy, impact, and quality of the representations that are found in films portraying the legal profession. It does so through two methods. More specifically, practicing attorneys reviewed film clips and completed a survey indicating their perceptions of the accuracy and impact of film representations. Second, a content analysis was performed to determine …

Troubled Past, Golden Opportunity: Public Memory And Memorialization At The University Of Southern Mississippi, Hannah E. Arnold

Honors Theses

This thesis argues that The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) consciously chooses to present historical narratives in its history in ways that best enhance the university’s image. Examining the narratives of M.M. Roberts and Oseola McCarty using the theoretical frameworks of public memory and collective memory study reveals that the way they are memorialized within university history include both conscious and subconscious silences that impact how they are remembered by the public. This thesis identifies gaps within these two historical narratives and shows how these gaps were influenced by factors designed to enhance the university’s public image. Overall, the public …

The Meaning Of The Mask: Darth Vader On The Screen And The Page, Brenna Renfroe

Honors Theses

Masks can be found throughout popular culture, and their roots trace back through history. Whether on the screen, the page of a comic book, the stage, or in the halls of a Comic-Con, masked faces are intriguing. Among the numerous masked faces that populate our imagination, few are as iconic and instantly recognizable as Darth Vader from Star Wars. Despite his popularity, most of the research devoted to masked characters has been interested in why heroes such as Batman wear masks. There is little research on why a tragic hero turned villain does so, since the connotation of masks seems …

Emerging To Elsewhere: The Giver And The Concept Of “Elsewhere” In Secondary Curricula, Kayleigh Capers

Honors Theses

The Giver has maintained its popularity through its timeless commentary on universal human experiences like identity, maturation, and mortality. In this thesis I have established its universality, especially in how the concept of Elsewhere expresses mortality, maturation, agency, and free will, along with discussing the importance of including the novel in secondary curricula. I have also limited the focus of popularity to its continued use in classrooms despite its controversial nature. I address common reasons for the banning and censorship of the novel and discuss how to include the controversial topics in the classrooms.

Queer Representation: Revitilizing F. Scott Fitzgerald’S Place In The American Literary Canon, Olivia Wallace

Honors Theses

F. Scott Fitzgerald is colloquially known as one of the great American writers. His acclaim is most commonly attributed to his depiction of heterosexual romances set during the Jazz Age. However, under the surface, many of the male characters that he represents display queer behaviors that subvert this idea. The texts analyzed here include “The Rich Boy” (1926), Tender is the Night (1934), and The Great Gatsby (1925). These men commonly avoid perpetuating heteronormative culture, projecting a general air of cynicism towards the institution of marriage, and a subtle inclination towards feminine characteristics and queer love. Overall, the inclusion of …

Orientalism In Arthur Golden’S Memoirs Of A Geisha, Britany Castilaw

Honors Theses

Memoirs of a Geisha is a 1997 historical fiction novel by Arthur Golden. It is told as the fictional memoirs of the late Sayuri Nitta, a famous former geisha who worked in Gion in the 1930s as one of the most successful geisha in history. Since its publication, Memoirs has been criticized for an Orientalist and historically inaccurate depiction of geisha—particularly by Mineko Iwasaki, a real former geisha whom Golden interviewed when writing the novel. The first chapter of this thesis is dedicated to an explanation of Orientalism as the problematic, stereotype-driven depictions of the East made by the West, …

Basement Tricks, Alyssa Findley

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Props, Bianca Walker

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In their artwork Bianca Walker takes a refreshing and historically engaging approach to the act of painting. After researching through photographic references of black people from the early 1900s the artist reimagines these photographs as painted portraits using a drip painting method purposely eliminating paint brushes from their practice. Incorporating more utilitarian materials such as drop cloth and palms, the artist’s relationship to the traditional act of paintings versus their current practice mirrors the current point of view placed upon and change of view that they would like to be seen in conversations around black working-class people from this period.

Perceptions Of Sub-Saharan African International Students In United States: Mental Health Concerns And Help-Seeking Behavior, Adekemi L. Ekanoye

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

International students face a lot of challenges while studying abroad, with or without the supportive system that their families provide. Sub-Saharan Africa international students consists of 3.7 percent of the population, which indicates a 2.1 percent increase prior to previous year. While in the host country, this population is saddled with the self-responsibilities of maintaining their values, cultural identities, personality, language ability, self-perceptions, and attitudes. African international students adopt a masking behavior in the form of adaptive strategies that could hide the mental health concerns experienced.

The purpose of this constructivist grounded theory study was to explore the untold lived …

Voices In My Head: An Improvisers Approach To Becky Mode’S Fully Committed, Drew Stroud

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis will focus on improvisational theatre and its importance in my overall process in the creation of Becky Mode’s Fully Committed. I will explain my previous knowledge and theories that I brought to the University of New Orleans and run in tandem with the techniques and discoveries I learned during the process of my Master of Fine Arts, both in the classroom and on the stage. Fully Committed was performed in the Robert E. Nims Studio Theatre September 23^rd, 24^th, 25^th, 28^th, 29^th, 30^th, and October …

Lonergan’S Concept Of Conversion: A Path To Antiracism, Laura Boysen-Aragon

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Racism is Christian America’s original sin. Our country’s foundation was built with the hands of more than ten million kidnapped and enslaved persons. The Catholic Church was complicit as enslavers and beneficiaries of enslaved labor as well as the marginalizing of Black Catholics. Given the limited attention that has been given to these origin stories in our country and our church, it is unsurprising that systems of racism perpetuate today. Catholic theologian and ethicist Bryan Massingale provides a definition of racism as an ethos that lives on in U.S. society. Since the murder of George Floyd, a heightened awareness of …

Karl Rahner And Vatican Ii: A Sacramental Vision Of The Church, Geoffrey Watson

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This paper is an exploration of Karl Rahner’s theology, his relationship to Vatican II, and the legacy of the council. In it, I examine not only Rahner’s role in the council but also the way in which his thinking has helped move the church from a Eurocentric, hierarchical institution, concerned mainly with its own sense of authority and holiness, to a more collegial, global church that embraced its identity as a community of sinners. First, I examine the sources behind the council texts, specifically Rahner’s transcendental Thomist background, as well as his specific understanding of grace and the role of …

Nostra Aetate To Combat Anti-Judaism, Marjorie Shahani

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

This essay explores the reason the Catholic Church felt the need to release Nostra Aetate, specifically Article 4, and were they in fact successful. The intention to improve Catholic - Jewish relationship and to denounce anti-Judaism were primary. Christianity grew on the backs of centuries of anti-Judaism rhetoric expressed by Catholic Church leaders and anti-Jewish literature written by the Church fathers. All this negativity against the Jewish people contributed to the beginnings of anti-Semitism and purposely or inadvertently influenced the reality of the Shoah. These sentiments included the deicide condemnation of the Jewish people, the replacement theory or concept of …

Kenneth Tanaka And American Buddhism, Grace Laubach

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

In fairly recent history Buddhism has spread west to the United States. In doing so, it has faced many changes and transformations as people from different backgrounds have begun practicing and spreading its practices. In this process, many of the traditional aspects of Buddhism have been lost or traded for more modern ones, which has in turn led to the exclusion of many Buddhists of color from many primarily white, American Buddhist spaces. In analyzing the works of Kenneth Tanaka, the importance of utilizing both modern and traditional aspects of Buddhism within American Buddhism become clear as he discusses how …

Living As Past In The Present, Grace Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I will be discussing how I used my nine roles in A Christmas Carol at TheatreSquared to practice getting out of my head onstage and into the hearts of each character. I will also include the script of my original play, GORILLA, the composition and performance of which were some of the greatest challenges of my artistic career thus far. Additionally, I am including my artistic statement, show posters, program, photos, website link, headshot & resume, and proofs of permission for use of media.

One-Person Show: Field Notes On Writing, Producing, And Performing My Own Work, Riley Newsome

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination and journal for my process of writing my full-length one-person show Isolation, the organization and steps of producing it from scratch, and the preparation and performance of the show. It will also include the version of the Isolation used in the performance, a statement of artistry, some of my current acting materials such as a link to my website, a headshot, and a resume.

Poesis And Sympathy: Community Through Craftsmanship, Braden Dodds Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A community is no more than a mass of individuals that is held together by the objects that connect them. The independent spaces occupied by a craftsman or consumer become dependent on their counterparts. These connected environments create the ecosystem of the community. Objects originating from the craftsmen of the community allow for sympathy to flourish. When these objects are created by well-educated craftsmen of the community, they originate with natural understanding, further extending their reach. While nonnatural things such as plastic items have an intrinsic connection to modern life, they do not encourage folk to connect with others in …

The Theatrical Lighting Design For The Production Of The Moors., Austin James Bomkamp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper, The Theatrical Lighting Design for the Production of The Moors documents the process of the lighting design for the production of The Moors written by Jen Silverman and produced at the Fine Arts Center University Theatre by the University of Arkansas Department of Theater. This document includes the research, process, implementation, and evaluation of the theatrical lighting design for this play.

The Silence In America’S Classrooms: The Portrayal Of Women And Gender In United States High School History Textbooks, Allie Elizabeth Morris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the twenty-first century, the process of adopting statewide history textbooks has become a political battleground surrounding concepts of race, gender, and identity in American history. By contextualizing the current discussion surrounding content in American history textbooks, I examine the portrayal of women in secondary United States social studies textbooks from the 1960s to the 2010s. In doing so, I show how portrayals of women's history evolve in the most widely adopted high school post-Civil War American history textbooks in each decade from the 1960s through to the 2000s. By comparing the evolution of the women’s and gender historiography to …

Studies In The Ancient Israelite Cult Of Dead Kin, Joshua Jacobs

World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 1986, Klaas Spronk published a monograph titled, Beatific Afterlife in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East. Although many have criticized Spronk’s central thesis, his study began a new era in biblical scholarship on death and the afterlife in ancient Israel. More specifically, it sparked renewed interest in the study of the relationship between the living and the dead. Just three years after Spronk’s work, Theodore J. Lewis published his own study, Cults of the Dead in Ancient Israel and Ugarit (1989). Lewis affirmed and developed evidence for one of the foundational aspects of Spronk’s book: in …

Allegedly In Love: A Theatrical Production, Leah Christenson

Theatre Undergraduate Honors Theses

Allegedly in Love: A Theatrical Production details the process of producing and costume designing a fully-realized performance run of an original piece by Madelyn Marks.

From The Footlight To The Spotlight: An Examination Of Theatrical Lighting Design, Jackson Smith

Theatre Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper explores the question of how one could approach designing the lighting for a theatrical production. In doing this it covers foundational information about the science behind the medium, then it goes into a discussion of the types of artistry that lighting employs. It will explain what light contributes to a scene, how it can be manipulated creatively, and some of the methods and styles that have been developed over time. It culminates in an analysis of the author's lighting design for a production of Hedda Gabler.

The Beast Lives Here, Kelli Kirkland

Honors Theses

A staple of the bildungsroman, or coming-of-age, genre is a loss of innocence, often through trauma, so it is only natural for our protagonist to grasp at whatever coping mechanism may offer them comfort. As a coming-of-age novel, The Beast Lives Here asks: How does folklore and the supernatural interact with young, impressionable protagonists who are desperate to find explanations for their pain? The Beast Lives Here follows teenage narrator August (Aggie) Cain as she and her best friend move from junior to senior year of high school. Her excitement, however, is cut short by her best friend's lengthy trip …

Demigod And Delinquent: Percy Jackson And The American Teenager, Katie Weber

Honors Theses

Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, has achieved tremendous success with adolescent audiences nationwide since its original publication in 2005. Despite the widespread success of the books, the critical conversation about the novel and subsequent series remains fairly sparse. The existing critical literature on the series addresses its mythological aspects and adolescents’ reactions to the novel but does not analyze Percy’s status as an adolescent or what the novel suggests about adolescents as a whole through its portrayal of Percy. This thesis first provides an overview of the history of …

Lighting And Furniture In Higher Education: The Impact Of Classroom Environmental Features On Student Learning Perceptions, Robert Mcdonald

Honors Theses

Universities worldwide are undertaking extensive renovations and new construction projects to enhance their facilities. These efforts include upgrading flooring, repainting walls, purchasing new furniture, and updating lighting. With many outdated classrooms, institutions redesign older spaces and invest in more modern facilities to create comfortable and collaborative environments. Researchers and commercial manufacturers have studied the significant impact of classroom environments on students' mental well-being, perceptions, and learning performance. However, while research shows the effects of school environments on Pre-K - 12 students, limited studies have focused on the impact of classroom environments in higher education. This research aims to fill this …

Liberty Lettuce, Fertilizer Bombs, And The End Of Civilization: The American Far-Right’S Strange Relationship With Europe, Jordan K. Matthews

Honors Theses

In 2016, the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville came to a violent end. American news outlets were left with scraps of rhetoric to piece together what would become a popular narrative going forward. Their conclusion was that the American far-right is heavily influenced by European ideas of civilization, race, and immigration. European nativist ideology is what inspired the people at Charlottesville as well as the numerous attacks on different racial groups that were carried out in the years to come. This thesis rejects all of that. The American far-right does not and has never had to be influenced by …