Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Shadows And Seduction: Exploring The Duality Of Night In Romeo And Juliet, Elizabeth Woelkers

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

This essay explores how societal perceptions of night evolved from a time of secret worship to a period fraught with fear and demonic influence. Further, this essay explores Shakespeare's use of night to frame the clandestine romance between Romeo and Juliet, highlighting the lovers' perilous engagement with darkness. By embodying the duality of night within the lovers, Shakespeare underscores the timeless struggle between the purity of light and the seduction of night. Additionally, this duality serves as a cautionary narrative, urging audiences to resist the allure of night's temptation and remain in the true light of God.

The Patronage Of Noble Medieval Women And Marie De France’S Yonec, Rex Wagner

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

Marie de France’s Lais emerged during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, reflecting the literary patronage of noble women. This paper focuses on the lai Yonec, a story that centers on a noblewoman trapped in a loveless marriage to an elderly king, exploring themes of romantic longing and the constraints of dynastic unions. By examining historical expectations of marriage alongside advancements in vernacular literature, the paper reveals how Yonec articulates the frustrations of women feeling confined by political arrangements. Ultimately, it argues that these women used literary patronage to express their desires for love and fulfillment.

Political Posters, Periperformativity, And Power: An Analysis Of The Connections Between An Activist Movement's Image And Sound, Adeline Navarro

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

This essay argues that we can gain a better understanding of the relationship between ACT UP’s image and sound, specifically its political posters and subsequent chants, by using Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s theory of periperformativity to examine the periperformative dimension of these chants and thus the power they lend ACT UP members during civil disobedience demonstrations. Second, it argues that the periperformative has the capacity to register historical change because it is an instance of, we-work.

Ballroom: An Exploration Of Queer Survival And Self-Sufficiency, Jet Mezini

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

The AIDs epidemic and its disinformation alienated queer people from U.S culture. As a result, queer people, especially queer people of color, began meeting together to express their self-made culture, a series of competitions among themselves, the underground scene of “ballroom.” Ballroom reveled in self-awareness and bordered on satire, being inspired by Western standards that were unable to be applied to a queer populous. This essay will analyze these cultural norms, understanding how they served as methods of reclamation for queer people, and how ballroom evolved to reflect social progression.

Created To Be Slaves: Reexamining The Doctrine Of Original Sin, William Daniel Gamble

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

One of the earliest debates in the church was over the nature of Sin, its transmission to subsequent generations, and its effects upon man’s nature. Two terms, “sin nature” and “original sin,” have become the prevailing terminology, yet there remains debate concerning the meaning or appropriateness of these terms. This discussion will examine and assess the doctrine of Original Sin through the prism of the metaphor of slavery as found and utilized throughout the OT and NT. Ancient Slavery, in its various forms, serves as the background for understanding the idioms and metaphors employed concerning the power and role of …

The Blessing And The Promise: Paul's Covenantal Framework As The Foundation For Galatians 3:14, Eric L. Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the relationship between the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit in Galatians 3:14. When Paul wrote these words to the Galatians, he did not intend to communicate two distinct, bifurcated concepts. Rather, he uses the two ἵνα clauses to bring depth of understanding to a singular idea. Paul spoke of the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit in a homogeneous manner, describing one main concept from two distinct angles, much like one would describe two sides of the same coin. It is argued that Paul was able to make such connections …

Book Review: Mayalogue: An Interactionist Theory Of Indigenous Cultures, Arcia Tecun

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Mayalogue: An Interactionist Theory of Indigenous Cultures by Victor Montejo

Albany: State University of New York Press, 2021. 248 pp

Arcia Tecun analyzes and interacts with Montejo’s discussions and logics, resulting in a postcolonial indigenous conversation between reviewer and book author.

Corazón De Maíz Un Tributo A Los Pueblos Mayas, Patricia López

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

English Abstract:

Corazón de Maíz gathers the stories and recipes for traditional Maya cooking in the regions of Huehuetenango, and is designed to promote the survival of the culinary system of the grand-mothers, and the food that they prepared with love for the whole family. This “culinary novel” contains myths, legends, stories of the origin of some foods, cooking tech-niques and methods. The foods prepared in the altiplano region developed from millenary traditions, the Hispanic invasion, the ravages of climate change bringing droughts and plagues that destroy life, and the various consequences and influences of migration. For the Maya, corn …

A Wīnak Perspective On Cosmovisíon Maya And Eco-Justice Education, Arcia Tecun

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

This article responds to questions of relational ethics in Indigenous mobility with a critically conscious approach to cosmovisíon Maya in Soonkahni (Salt Lake Valley). An urban and mobile Mayan positionality, identified as Wīnak, guides an analysis of complex Indigenous experiences, and possibilities found in Eco-Justice. The limits from the prevailing and dominant colonial logics of conservation and environmentalism are re-imagined through Indigenous approaches to ‘Earth Wellbeing’. The application of critically conscious cosmovisíon Maya reveals a simultaneous challenge to systems of power, and to formations of an Indigenous relational ethic that is both locally meaningful and globally relevant. This essay concludes …

Revisiting Men Of Maize: Historical Truths, Literary Distortions, And Asturias In Today’S Guatemala, Elaine Elliott

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

In 2024, a renewed appreciation for the Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner Miguel Ángel Asturias is taking place to mark the 50th anniversary of Asturias’ death. This essay examines the historical and literary context of the author’s groundbreaking novel Hombres de maíz (Men of Maize), and the book’s portrayal of indigenous Maya resistance against ladino landowners in Guatemala. Evidence indicates that Asturias obtained his views of ladino – Maya conflict from historic land conflicts in Ilom, Chajul. Asturias distorted the events, but his book inspired a generation of revolutionaries, some of whom organized and fought in the Ixil region and Ilom. …

Crises, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The last two weeks have seen a number of crises in college sport and one massive money drop in baseball.

The Apostle Paul's Teaching On Life After Death: A Model Of Christ's Life, Death, And Resurrection, Keri A. Thompson

Masters Theses

There are many questions and differing views surrounding what happens to the soul after death. Through his letters collected in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul offers insight into the existence of the believer's soul in an intermediate state following death and prior to the resurrection of the body. Through a brief overview of Old Testament teachings on the subject, Jewish views on life after death during the intertestamental period, and common Greek thought on the body and soul, the possible presuppositions and influences on the Apostle Paul's view of life after death and the intermediate state are uncovered. Detailed …

Mixed Race Futurity Through Contemporary Archetypes: Mutants, Cyborgs And Dhampirs, Kobe Jackson

Masters Theses

Analysis of Enlightenment philosphes reveals how the contemporary archetypes, mutants, cyborgs and dhampirs may be situated as sources for understanding mixed race positionality. Arranged on a trajectory of hybrid mythology reaching from ancient times into the present day, their contemporary relevance is put into context. Through modern speculative fiction, historical mythology and the theoretical frameworks of sociology, and philosophy, two tropes are revealed to be imposed roles for mixed race people. The first one, the tragic hybrid is a term which references a character specific to the context of American colonial slavery, the tragic mulatto. By reframing the term, tragic …

Expressive And Epistemic Pedagogies: A Blended Approach To Voice Development, Raquel Esma Haddad

English Department Theses

As contemporary basic writing courses lean on Current Traditional texts that emphasize the inductive nature of thought in its relation to truth, this thesis explores expressivist and epistemic pedagogical approaches complemented by metacognition in their contribution to the development of voice with respect to student disengagement due to a disconnect in the understanding of writing for the academy in the basic writing student. The elements of the expressivist methodology as embodied in Writing with Power by Peter Elbow and the epistemic in Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts by Dave Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky each contribute to the research of this thesis …

Unraveling The Link Between Language Barriers And Cancer Risk, Eman A. Toraih, Mohammad H. Hussein, Manal S. Malik, Alaa N. Malik, Emad Kandil, Manal S. Fawzy

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Purpose: Clear patient communication with the physician is an integral aspect of cancer treatment and successful health outcomes. Previous research has shown improved cancer screening in cases of patient navigator assistance to limited English proficient patients, but no research has analyzed the relationship between language isolation and cancer incidence rates in the United States. Methods: Using state-level data from the United States Census Bureau and the National Cancer Institute, we analyzed the correlations between language isolation and age-adjusted incidence rates across 19 different invasive cancers. Results: A complex relationship between language isolation and cancer incidence rates was found. States such …

Uni Symphonic Band, December 11, 2024 [Program], University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Music Recital Programs

Program of a music recital given by faculty, students, or guest artists from the School of Music at the University of Northern Iowa.

A Study On Private Piano Curriculum Using Edwin Gordon’S Music Learning Theory, Cody Chandler

Masters Theses

This quantitative descriptive research study addresses the deficiencies in modern piano educational literature pertaining to aural development at the earliest stages of piano education. Contemporary piano methodologies often prioritize music notation over aural skill development during the initial stages of instruction. This study addresses this imbalance, offering insights into curriculum selection based on its influence on competition performance scores, music theory exam results, and student retention. The participants in this study are 329 piano students who began lessons between kindergarten and twelfth grade selected from five qualified piano teachers from 2010-2024. Data was collected by recording competition and festival scores, …

It's Going To Be Okay: Experiences And Perceptions Of People Who Seek Reassurance At Work, Liana Bernard

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the experiences and perceptions of people who seek reassurance at work using a mixed methods (focus groups and experimental) approach. Reassurance-seeking is an attempt to elicit supportive communication from another person to help one reduce experienced anxiety. First, using focus groups with 32 participants, this study found that people seeking reassurance at work develop complex cognitive structures to reduce the prospective negative impacts of reassurance-seeking behaviors, particularly for those with marginalized identities. Then, in a 3x2 between-person experimental design in which employee gender and reassurance-seeking were manipulated, participants read a transcript of an interaction between an employee …

You're With Me While I Wait, Emily Williams

Masters Theses

The provided thesis is a compilation of an artistic statement, critical paper, and chapters of a novel which I have crafted during my MFA program. In essence, this thesis reflects all I have learned in my academic endeavors to this point and how those endeavors have encouraged my creativity.

For the artist statement, I share the creative process behind my manuscript, including the “why” of glorifying God with my writing that has fed the chapters for my novel. My critical paper highlights the craft element of medical theme weaved throughout the story. I examine the inclusion of medicine in literary …

Mindful Design For Adolescent Minds: Moving Away From Digital Hook Models To Mindful Innovation Models, Donald R. Hendriksen

Masters Theses

In the domain of digital technology, an ethical issue surfaces from the design of user interfaces and applications tailored for adolescent users. Techniques frequently incorporated into these targeted systems, such as continuous scrolling, rewards for uninterrupted use, and game-like features, are increasingly linked to addictive inclinations in adolescents. Central to this issue is the stimulation these apps provide for the dopamine system. Adolescents, being in a vital phase of psychological growth, are especially vulnerable to the dangerous consequences of such designs. These effects are extensive and include a perceptible drop in academic achievement, a weakening of relational skills, and an …

A Text-Linguistic Analysis Of Deliberative Discourse In Hebrew With Review Of The Lxx Translation, Timothy C. Lang

Masters Theses

This thesis intends to demonstrate that linguistics, specifically the text-linguistic (TL method), may be practically applied to biblical translation and interpretation. Consequently, one may use text-linguistics to discover the biblical author’s intended meaning expressed through the structure of the text. Foundationally, the work of Robert Longacre and Kenneth L. Pike is applied. Functionally, this thesis tests the process described in the dissertation of Ewell Ray Clendenon. While the word test is used, the test is not intended to validate or invalidate the TL method. Rather, the test is analogous to that of a mathematician whereby a proof test is applied …

What Makes A Great Movie Trailer?​, Bridget Hill

Honors Projects

This research analyzes four case study films across two genres to identify the best tactics used in trailer marketing and editing in order to create box office successful films that attract their identified target audiences. Existing research and a pre-existing interview were used to identify and define these tactics before then applying the strategies onto existing film trailers. The two genres chosen in this analysis include Romantic Comedies and Animated Action/Adventure Family Films. In each genre, a successful and unsuccessful film were chosen then compared against one another to determine if the successful film trailers utilized the previously identified tactics. …

Book Review: Hojas Sueltas., Emil' Keme

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Hojas sueltas. by Daniel Caño.

Quetzaltenango Guatemala. POE, 2024. 204 pp

ISBN 978-9929-732-17-9.

As an alternative to the standard book review, Maya America has reprinted the prologue to Hojas Sueltas, which was written by Emil’ Keme. Also, this year, Daniel Caño published another new book, Versos improvisados. Daniel can be reached at [email protected].

Document is in Spanish.

Maya America Vol. 6 Iss 2 - Front Matter, Maya America Editors

Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis

Front Matter includes the covers and Introductory Note

Design(Ing) Disruptions: Towards Intimacies Between Feminist Situated Knowledge, Gossip And Design, Senjuti Sangia

Masters Theses

This project highlights and problematizes the knowledge traditions and politics foundational to problem-solving paradigms in design education and practice. By emphasising the ontological nature and turn in design (Willis, 2006, Fry, 2012) , this thesis critically appraises the aforesaid formulations by extending intersectional feminist theories to dominant design epistemology. Drawing on the sociological framing of the matrix of domination, I investigate the dichotomy of the designer and user- as designers, users, and communities find themselves at different junctions in the matrix of domination. Further, I critique design frameworks from the analytical lenses of feminist situated knowledge, In so doing, I …

A Mission Simulation Retreat For Senior Youth Leaders To Train Adventist Young Professionals In The South Bahamas Conference, Jamal Doran Franklyn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The mission simulation retreat SDA action research project trains senior youth leaders of young adult professionals for urban ministry through their vocational orientation. To address the problem of only having a global youth day one-day mission drive, the Mission Simulation Retreat (MSR) equipped young leaders in local SDA churches to simulate mission projects matching their professional careers. By building on the Hebrew culture, the priesthood of all believers, and spiritual gifts, MSR customizes a spiritual gifts database that aligns with vocational careers to provide mission project options by vocational skills. Through focus group presentations, a questionnaire, and a survey, data …

The Development Of A Men’S Ministry At Remnant Church To Foster The Spiritual Leadership Development Of Men To Provide Leadership For Family, Church, And Community, Anthony L. Herron

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem this student seeks to address is that the Remnant Church in Midwest City, Oklahoma, does not have a men's ministry to develop men as spiritual leaders. The Remnant Church is a non-denominational church focused on growing and developing people to become more like Jesus Christ. The men of the Remnant Church do not meet regularly for discipleship or fellowship.

The men of Remnant Church are not organized to provide a network of support for men. Men need a support network within the church to develop spiritually. Men need a forum for discussing men's issues, such as leading in …

A Space For Healing: Spiritual Direction With Justice-Minded Evangelicals And Ex-Vangelicals, Erica Romero

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Unfortunately, when people hear the term Evangelical, they think of the current caricature of the white Evangelical Christian, standing firmly on the far right of the nation’s political spectrum, representing the 80% of those who voted for Donald Trump, and still defending MAGA and Christian Nationalism. There are many justice-minded Evangelicals, however, who, whether they still utilize the term Evangelical or not, have been struggling to hold onto their faith, as well as discern and act wisely. Many are seeking spaces of soul care, particularly related to questions of faith and justice, and Spiritual Direction serves as an important contemplative …

Literary Structure Of Proverbs And The Stages Of A Righteous Life, Craig W. Babcock

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The structure of Proverbs and the applied wisdom of the father and mother which begin with the son in the first chapter are present throughout the entire book of Proverbs creating an ongoing narrative literary structure connecting the individual proverbs. The narrative literary structure demonstrates the shifting nature of the moment of life for the son in life and beyond death. To demonstrate the more prominent literary structure, the son follows a hero’s journey, with the son ending as a sage. The theological understanding of the son and the fear of Yahweh guide him through the complex nature of life …

An Action Research Study Of The Spiritual Growth Among Veterans Within The Civilian Context, Long Tuan Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military-civilian transition (MCT) for Veterans has been commonly associated with negative mental health experiences as they had to go through the intercultural changes between the military and civilian life. The purpose for this DMIN action research project was to design, coordinate, and assess a chaplain model of care called Spiritual Growth Lectio (SGL) for recently discharged Veterans. Thirteen Veterans participated in this research project through purposive sampling. The SGL model comprised a pre-test survey, six-week intervention, posttest survey, and focus group interview guided by four research questions. Quantitative data was collected from participants’ pre-test and post-test surveys. Subsequently, qualitative data …