Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Beyond Capitalist Realism: Indigenous Worldviews As Critique And Alternative, Celine Jessup

University Honors Theses

This paper engages Mark Fisher's Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? as a foundational critique of late capitalism's ideological dominance, and proposes Indigenous worldviews as both a critical lens and a generative alternative. Fisher defines capitalist realism as a pervasive structure that colonizes imagination, depoliticizes systemic crises, and renders other ways of living unthinkable. He illustrates how capitalism commodifies resistance, pathologizes dissent, and obscures accountability, particularly through institutions like the call center and discourses on mental health and climate change. In contrast, the paper turns to Indigenous political theories—drawing on thinkers such as Kim TallBear, Daniel Heath Justice, Ocean Ripeka …

At Home In Horror: Women And Body Horror, Brooklynn Kreps

University Honors Theses

While most discussion around the subgenre of body horror focuses on its birthplace of film, the richest iterations come from women writing body horror fiction to explain the experience of womanhood. As body horror focuses on fear of painful or absurd mishap with the body. Women experience pain or absurdity in their own bodies every day with processes like menstruation, pregnancy, puberty, and heightened chances of becoming a victim of sexual assault. Furthermore, women experience society's forceful shaming and fear about natural processes of the body and experiences such as anger and sexual desire. Using this idea as a framework, …

Negotiating The Canon: Arab Women Romantic Poets Jamila Al-ʿAlayli And Zahra Al-Hurr, Osama Amer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the engagement of two Arab romantic women poets, Jamila al-ʿAlayli and Zahra al-Hurr, with the Arabic literary canon, focusing on how they negotiated their positions within the canon. Despite being active contributors to the Arabic romantic movement, their works remain overlooked in literary histories and anthologies. The study explores the modes of canonization, such as gender essentialism, exceptionalism, and socio-political engagement, by which the canon operates. Through a feminist lens, this research analyzes selected poems, autobiographical texts, articles, interviews, and critical writings by both poets, highlighting their distinct strategies for challenging and reshaping their literary status. Al-ʿAlayli …

Methodological Memorandum For Michelle Llado-Wrzos' Phd Dissertation, Michelle Llado-Wrzos Ed.D., Cristo Leon Ph.D.

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

This methodological memorandum outlines the research approach for Michelle Llado-Wrzos' PhD dissertation, which explores the underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Despite multiple efforts to reduce the gender disparity, female students remain significantly less likely to pursue STEM majors compared to their male peers. The research focuses on assessing the impact of extrinsic motivators—specifically financial incentives and exposure to female role models—on the STEM major choices of female high school students. By adopting a mixed-methods approach, this study thoroughly integrates quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to examine these motivators.

A quasi-experimental design will assess the …

Transmedialidad E Intertextualidad En El Caso De Five Nights At Freddy's Desde La Semiótica De La Cultura, Daira Pando Tamayo

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

El presente artículo busca establecer, notar y delimitar que la intertextualidad y la transmedialidad juegan un papel de gran importancia al momento de crear narrativas en los videojuegos en la contemporaneidad. Enfatizando la creciente complejidad (y por lo tanto remarcando la diferencia de estructuras narrativas convencionales) que existe en las narrativas de los videojuegos y necesidad de interacción y configuración no lineal dentro de las historias de los mismos.

La Representación Del Sistema Nocional De La Estructura Bélica En Videojuegos De Multiplataforma: Una Discusión Semiótica, Alfonso Rincón Vaquero, Edgar Ávila González

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

En este estudio de reflexión discutimos la manera en que los videojuegos de guerra multiplataforma potencialmente refuerzan estructuras de poder dominantes en la actualidad. Para ello, recurrimos a la semiótica (Eco, 1977) y, particularmente a la teoría de la segmentación de la cultura y producción de sentidos de González (2012), por medio de la cual contemplamos a los videojuegos como subespacios de la cultura que proporcionan visibilidades específicas sobre el mundo. Asimismo, nos apoyamos brevemente en la concepción del poder establecida por Michel Foucault (1978), pues llama la atención su concepción sobre las relaciones de poder como una red productiva …

Narrativas Transmedia, Fandom Y Convergencia Mediática: La Reconfiguración Contemporánea De La Industria De Los Juegos De Rol En Brasil, Diogo De Almeida Camelo

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Este artículo analiza cómo la industria de los juegos de rol (JDR) ha evolucionado en Brasil en respuesta a los cambios tecnológicos, culturales y económicos. El objetivo es investigar cómo la convergencia mediática, las prácticas de narrativa transmedia y el fandom han remodelado las dinámicas de producción, circulación y consumo de los juegos. La metodología utilizada fue cualitativa, fundamentada en análisis documental de fuentes primarias y en revisión histórica, con base teórica en Jenkins (2006) y Fine (1983). El estudio es parte de una tesis de maestría, y muestra que en Brasil el rol se ha transformado en un ecosistema …

Of Modern Monsters And Scientific Magic: The Design Challenges Of Simulating An Enchanted World In Dungeons And Dragons 5th Edition, Leonid Moyzhes

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

This article analyzes the magical system of Dungeons and Dragons 5 edition in the context of an idea of the enchanted world, highlighting controversial relationships between this concept and the rules of the game. On the one hand, D&D’s magic constantly borrows the imagery and ideas from different texts that follow the logic of enchanted world, starting with the idea of magic itself and ending with particular spells being grounded in the fundamental traits of enchanted world like ubiquitous of liminality and the anxiety about agency. On the other hand, broader logic of D&D’s rules inadvertently influences the way those …

Narrativas Y Convergencias Transdisciplinarias: Contribuciones Académicas Relevantes, Desafíos Y Horizonte Editorial, Cristo Leon Ph.D.

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

La Revista de Estudios sobre Juegos de Rol y STEAM (JRPSSTEAM) se ha consolidado como un espacio transdisciplinario, multilingüe y de acceso abierto que articula investigación, práctica y comunidad en torno a los juegos de rol. En esta editorial, se reflexiona sobre los aprendizajes y patrones emergentes de los tres volúmenes y cinco números publicados hasta la fecha, abordando tanto aciertos como áreas de mejora. Se ofrecen lineamientos prácticos para autores potenciales, destacando errores comunes, criterios de relevancia temática y aspectos que enriquecen la comunicación entre disciplinas. Además, se revaloriza el carácter abierto e inclusivo del JRPSSTEAM, que acoge desde …

Journal Of Roleplaying Studies And Steam (Jrpssteam) Vol. 4 [2025], Número 1 (Issue 1), Ivan Ávila González Phd, Cristo Leon, Romano Ponce-Díaz Phd, Diogo A. Camelo, Alfonso Rincón Vaquero, Edgar Ávila González, Daira Pando Tamayo, Michelle Llado-Wrzos, Leonid Moyzhes, Andrea A. Echeverría Barrios

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

La cultura es un diálogo constante con el pasado, el presente y el futuro. Todos nuestros objetos culturales son el resultado causal de las personas que estuvieron antes que nosotros, se actualizan en nuestro proceder en el presente y, les proyectamos al futuro con la esperanza de que aporten algo positivo a las generaciones que estarán delante de nosotros; de tal forma, este Volumen 4 [2025], número 1 (Issue 2) es el resultado directo de la labor de los editores fundadores Mauricio Rangel Jiménez, Miguel Angel Bastarrachea Magnani y todas aquellas personas que trabajaron antes que nosotros para que existiera …

Exploiting Vulnerability: Human Trafficking As A Tool Of Genocide, Madison Bryant

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis examines the relationship between human trafficking and genocide, arguing that when trafficking is used with the intent to destroy a targeted group, it should be understood and prosecuted as an act of genocide. While international law traditionally treats genocide and human trafficking as distinct crimes, historical and contemporary evidence reveals significant overlap in their mechanisms, motivations, and outcomes. Through a thematic analysis of three case studies, this research demonstrates how trafficking has been systematically employed to further genocidal objectives, including displacement, exploitation, cultural erasure, and the destruction of communities. The case studies are the genocide of Indigenous peoples …

Cunning Commies, Dumb Democrats, And Exiled Germans: A Holistic Postmortem Of The 1948 Czechoslovak Coup D'État, Douglas Joys

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

The role played by the post-WWII expulsion of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia in catalyzing the 1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état has been underexplored in favor of the traditional narrative of an East-West clash between Czechoslovak democratic and communist parties backed by the United States and Soviet Union, respectively. Scholarship on the expulsion and the coup has on occasion brought up connections between the two events, albeit briefly and only as a small part of larger examinations of one of the two. The Eastern and Western forces at play in Czechoslovakia were undoubtedly key factors in the coup’s outcome: the end of …

Artistic Exploration Of Synesthesia, Lexi James

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis investigates synesthesia as both a neurological condition and a broader sensory perception shaped by culture, cognition, and creative practice. Although not a synesthete in the medical definition of the condition, I explore how sensory overlaps particularly between sound, sight, touch, taste, and smell can be simulated and explored through art. Through historical research, theoretical analysis, and personal experimentation, I examine synesthesia as a potential extension of universal perceptual pathways rather than an isolated anomaly. Drawing from semiotic theories by Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce, the project considers how meaning is made through sensory signification and how …

Narrating The New Cold War: Investigating Chinese Cyber Propaganda And Sino-American Tensions On Bilibili, William G. Highfill

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis examines Bilibili, a Chinese video-sharing platform originally known for its anime, comics, and gaming (ACG) content, as a critical site for the formation and circulation of nationalist discourse in the context of a “New Cold War” between the United States and China. As ideological rivalry increasingly shifts from traditional state media and military posturing to decentralized digital platforms, Bilibili offers a unique case study in how propaganda evolves in participatory online spaces. Through a combination of digital ethnography and discourse analysis, this research explores how Bilibili’s algorithmic infrastructure, comment culture (弹幕), and remix-oriented design allow users to not …

The Magdala Moms Of La Jolla, Rebecca Shepard

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The Magdala Moms of La Jolla is a satirical novel set at The Magdala School, an elite Christian academy in La Jolla, California, where social status, curated faith, and community performance are indistinguishable. The story follows Mitzi Madigan, a brash, ambitious mother whose carefully constructed persona hides a troubling past. Her world begins to unravel when Caroline—a single mother working in construction—is granted a scholarship for her daughter, Emma, to attend Magdala.

As Emma enters the private school’s polished social ecosystem, she begins to uncover the secrets buried beneath the sun-drenched surface. The Mag Moms, a clique of hyper-polished, scripture-quoting …

Willie "Bill" Ellis

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Knowing Remembers Joe Christmas: An Exploration Of Trauma In William Faulkner's Light In August, Kendall Boyd

University Honors Theses

William Faulkner wrote Light in August in 1932, during the American prohibition and national Jim Crow laws. As a southern gothic/American modernism text, Light in August is a fictional story that takes place in the southern states of the U.S. and primarily relies on memory and ambiguity to reveal its dark themes of racism, sexual violence, and collective trauma. The novel features two separate narrators as main characters: Lena Burch and Joe Christmas. Joe Christmas, a man of mysterious heritage who lives a life of tragedy and violence, is the focus of my analysis of Light in August. Using …

Bernice Thompson Eliga

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

News Clippiing, Summer Graduating Class Of Edward Waters College

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Newsclipping: Image of the summer high school graduating class of Edward Waters College. Mrs. R. A. McGill listed in graduating class. Undated.

Programme. Howard Academy Closing Exercises And Newsclippings

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Program: Howard Academy closing exercises, held in Bethel A. M. E. Church, May 25th, no year given. Program reference to: "...Class 1908." Handwritten note on reverse of program: By virtue of the authority, vested in me by the board of public instruction, of Jeff. Co. State of Fla. Includes scrapbook page of news clippings: one references Dummer Academy. One has date of May 23, 1903, written on top, and Fla. Recorder written on bottom of article. Undated.

History Of The Clara White Mission

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Typed history of the Clara White Mission, "A Red Feather Agency". Handwritten note on reverse. Undated.

History Of The Clara White Mission

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Booklet: Typed history of the Clara White Mission. Undated. R-203A

Clara White Mission Free Meal Ticket

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Card: Free meal ticket at the Clara White Mission, 233 W. 1st Street, Jacksonville, Florida. Handwritten note on reverse: Nov 17/30. Undated.

News Clipping, May Pole Party Next Friday. - Movement For Boys' Home

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Newsclipping: Clipping regarding May pole party, State Board of Health building. Article mentions Eartha White, and Boys Home meeting. Undated.

Free Soup And Bread Meal Card

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Card: Free soup and bread, Daily 12 to 1 P.M., 233 West First St., for the hungry unemployed, white and colored. Undated.

Memorial Day Services Program

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Program for a Memorial Day service. Undated.

Tentative Memorial Day Service Program

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Tentative activities for Memorial Day services. Undated.

In Loving Memory Of Mrs. Clara White, Mother, Memorial

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Memorial: Memorial for Mother (Clara White), image of Eartha M. M. White standing next to her mother, Clara White. With poem appended. Undated.

Clara White

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Image of Clara White with biographical information. Undated.

Break Thou The Bread Of Life, Poem, Eartha M.M. White

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

Document: Poem written by Eartha White in memory of her mother. Handwritten notes on reverse. Undated.