Arts and Humanities Commons^™

To Protect The Sky From Falling, Charles Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

Using ceramic, found objects, metal and wood, my practice is a meditation and questioning of care, efficiency, repair, structure and place. Architectural elements of support rendered in clay are the initial point of entry to give a soft, lived-in quality to a built environment that is often devoid of the mark of the hand and body. Imprints of the hand are left, and the objects are often deformed in ways to subvert the perceived functionality. The focus on ceramics centers around a play with the binary of soft and hard and the external changes that create its transformation. The work …

A Limit That Recedes, Chloe Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

In "A Limit that Recedes", I discuss my art practice in terms of accumulation and techniques of reproduction, such as casting, printing, and repetitive actions. I contextualize my work among artists such as H.C. Westermann, Isa Genzken, and Paul Thek. The work featured in this thesis explores ideas of aspiration, longing, and failure, and explores themes of the fraught relationship of the human and nature.

To What Extent Is Social Media A Tool For Political Mobilization?, Bridget Westrum

Political Science Theses and Capstones

This study looks at the potential impacts of social media advocacy on mobilizing the pubic. Drawing from the Pew Research Center’s 2018 American Trends Panel, I look at Americans’ views of technology, political involvement, and their perceptions of social media and online engagement. I found that younger respondents view social media as more important to their political engagements. I find a significant relationship between census region and perceived importance of social media on issue involvement, as well. Respondents from the southern United States who consider themselves to be "very liberal" report a greater influence of social media on their involvement …

Know Thyself: A History Of Ancient Neuroscience, Alex Delano

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Neuroscience is often described as one of the youngest bodies of science, but documented study of the brain begins as early as the Neolithic period. The ancient Mediterranean was a hub for science, mathematics, philosophy, and literature, all disciplines necessary for the study of the brain. Evidence of neurosurgical procedures like trepanation and craniotomy began in the Neolithic period and were practiced and improved upon throughout the ancient Mediterranean. The first detailed studies on brain anatomy were carried out in the 3^rd century BCE in Greece which created a necessary structure for future scientists to build on. While many …

Storytelling Or Telling Stories: An Analysis Of Disnarration In Music Videos, Victoria Garrett

Honors Theses

Music videos have grown in popularity in recent years and have begun to augment the stories being told by the lyrics of their songs. This is done by using narrative techniques, such as disnarration, to develop complex narratives that can conflict with the lyrical content. Through analysis of the videos "Willow" (2020 dir. Taylor Swift) by Taylor Swift, "The One That Got Away" (2012 dir. Floria Sigismoni) by Katy Perry, and "One Beer" (2020 dir. Justin Clough) by HARDY, the distinction between the plots of the videos and the lyrics can be brought into focus. This distinction in the stories …

The Importance Of Being Earnest: A Costume Designer’S Process, James Hunter Rock

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

This thesis is a comprehensive breakdown of the costume design process for Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde during the fall semester of 2024. The author logs the production’s processes in collaborating on the concept and aesthetic of the play to present the Victorian era story for a modern audience. In this thesis, insights into the costume designer’s conceptualization, research, previsualization, and final design process are explored, providing an in-depth look into the creation of characters that remain true to the director’s original vision while being engaging for contemporary theatre. The various challenges …

Women’S Mud Cloth Skirt (Bogolanfini), Abigail Jane Westhead

Department of Anthropology

The Bogolafini mud cloth is made by and for the Bamana people. This mud cloth is made to be a woman's skirt. It shows through art of the many patterns, the Bamana culture, history, folklore, values, and everyday life of the Bamana People

The East La Walkouts Of 1968: How A Community Came Together For The Fight Of Chicano Educational Rights, Cynthia Castro

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The Walkouts of 1968 occurred from March 1st to March 8th when thousands of Chicano students from 5 East LA high schools marched to have their voices heard by the school board and people across the United States of America

Issues:

Chicano youth and student movement was determined to find a new identity and radical forms of political power that were different from past generations (Munoz Jr., 75)

Chicano students were major contributors to the Chicano movement • The Walkouts were a foundation point for other educational movements in the Chicano community

Student Unrest And The Growth Of Repression On Campus: A Comparison Of Administrative Responses To Student Activism At The University Of Connecticut, Maryam Abu-Hasaballah

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper sheds light on how university administrations have historically used instruments such as police, policy and punishment in order to deter and control student protests on campus. Students at the University of Connecticut’s Storrs campus have an undeniable relationship with activism that integrates global issues at the local level, allowing them to play visible roles in international anti-war and anti-racist movements of different eras. The University of Connecticut (UConn) is used as a case study by assessing the ways the administration has responded to anti-Vietnam War and Civil Rights movements of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in comparison …

Instrumental Teachers And Their Musical And Pedagogical Decisions Around Gender, Caroline Shadman

Honors Scholar Theses

This study investigated how secondary-level band teachers navigate musical and pedagogical decisions related to gender in ensemble classrooms. Prompted by the author’s personal experiences as a female trombonist and the observed underrepresentation of women in band settings, the research explores the ways gender influences repertoire selection and classroom practices. Drawing on semi-structured focus groups with practicing band teachers, findings reveal that while educators generally prioritize student needs in repertoire selection and classroom management, explicit consideration of gender is often limited. Teachers reported that music publisher offerings and district policies significantly influence repertoire choices, frequently resulting in a continued predominance of …

Negotiation, Expression, And Microlanguage: The Processes Of Student Welfare And Identity In High School English Language Arts Classrooms, Jencarlos Feliciano-Ponce

Master's Projects

In this study, I will explore negotiation and expression as processes that educators can utilize (or continue to intentionally engage with) to empower the student body of the current high school English classrooms to counteract current pressures and negative trends in ELA. Negotiation and expression are not topics that should be explored in only a single ELA unit, either. The small moments that students experience with language, culture, and power all culminate to the processes explored in this research study; they guide English educators in their lesson instruction, curriculum design, and student engagement. By managing negotiation and expression as undercurrents …

Flexing In Popular Songs From 2024 - 2023, Jasmine Ayon, Sky Romeo, Christian Casaerez, Alexa Adame, Kesi Land

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Purpose:

Music is a major agent of socialization. As an art form, music carries with it messaging and rhetoric capable of reaching people en masse. With this in mind, it is vital that we pay a careful eye to music in order to understand what messaging is reaching the public at large. This project is intended to build off of the current literature on music, rhetoric, and socialization by understanding what artists in music brag about - flex - as a means of gaining cultural capital.

The Development Of Liking And Familiarity Responses To A Novel Musical Scale, Maya Velazquez, Dan H. Berkowitz, Nicholas Kathios, Psyche Loui

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Musical preference is shaped by listening experience

Listeners tend to like music they’ve heard before familiarity correlates with liking (1).

As listeners acquire knowledge of how music is structured, they make better predictions about events as they unfold.

Familiarity and prediction are key drivers of musical pleasure (2,3).

Present study aims to characterize the relationship between listening experience/exposure and preferences during childhood

The Coso Paradox: An Additional Perspective Of Indigenous Identity, Leeanna Sueno

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The Coso Mountain Range in Inyo County, California is an archaeological site rich with evidence of human interactions throughout prehistory. One of the most striking features is Coso’s abundance of rock art, estimated at over 100,000 etchings, with over half depicting Ovis canadensis (Bighorn Sheep). Coso’s rock art has been long-debated as a site of “shamanistic” prevalence, including vision quests, rain god worship , and interpretations of fertility. While spirituality is an integral part of many Indigenous cultures, it is highly unlikely that such a mass creation spanning hundreds of years and multiple cultural groups would be solely spiritual.

Araki Hirohiko: Elevating The Craft Of Manga Through Art Nouveau And Art Deco, Andre Polidoro

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Araki Hirohiko is a mangaka for one of the longest running manga in history, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (1987–present). Throughout his several decade career, he has drawn over 20,000 pages for his manga by hand.

The art for his manga was inspired by 20ᵗʰ century fashion illustration. Through his rigorous practice he was able to secure many collaborations with high end fashion brands, and even a temporary exhibition in the Louvre.

Through this practice, he has become a contemporary artist of Art Nouveau and Art Deco which he portrays through the illustrations for his manga.

The Demise Of Fossil Cycad National Monument As A Consequence Of Paleontological Resource Mismanagement, Nathaniel Valentine, Vincent Santucci, Justin Tweet, Aubrey Bond

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota (Figure 1), Fossil Cycad National Monument boasted well-preserved specimens of cycadeoid fossils from the Cretaceous and concentrations of these fossil plants were greatest at the site’s location (Santucci and Hughes, 1998). I studied historical records to estimate the number of fossils removed by paleontologists at the site between 1890-1957.

Sounds Of Hidden Agents: The Development Of Causal Reasoning About Musical Sounds, Minju Kim, Adena Schachner

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Listening to music activates representations of movement and social agents. Why? We test whether causal reasoning plays a role, and find that from childhood, people can intuitively reason about how musical sounds were generated, inferring the events and agents that caused the sounds. In Experiment 1 (N = 120, pre-registered), 6-year-old children and adults inferred the presence of an unobserved animate agent from hearing musical sounds, by integrating information from the sounds’ timing with knowledge of the visual context. Thus, children inferred that an agent was present when the sounds would require self-propelled movement to produce, given the current …

Colin Cha Senior Cello Recital, Andrews University

Student Degree Recitals 2024-2025

Colin Cha presents his Senior Recital featuring works by Barriere, Smetana, Handel-Halvorsen, and Prokofiev.

An Exploration Of The Economic And Social Impacts Of The Grupo Social Once, Annalaura B. Swinea

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the economic and social impacts of Grupo Social ONCE, a Spanish institution that operates at the intersection of business, philanthropy, and social inclusion. ONCE has evolved from a small lottery initiative for the blind into a multifaceted organization comprising JuegosONCE (its lottery operation), Fundación ONCE (a philanthropic foundation), and ILUNION (a business group promoting inclusive employment). Through historical analysis, organizational review, and employment statistics, this study evaluates whether ONCE successfully fosters economic inclusion for people with disabilities. It argues that the hybrid model of Grupo Social ONCE creates a self-reinforcing cycle of social and economic empowerment …

Cultivating Confidence, Curiosity, And Motivation In The Second Language Classroom, Janelle Carter

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio documents the author's journey through the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University, highlighting the evolution of their teaching philosophy and pedagogical practices through theoretical exploration, hands-on classroom experiences, and reflective practice. It details the integration of current research, collaborative learning, and innovative assessment strategies, such as self-created rubrics, to foster student engagement and agency in teaching German as a second language. Additionally, the portfolio includes a co-authored research study that examines the motivational factors influencing university students’ decisions to continue learning Arabic, French, and German. This study explores how personal, academic, and social …

Second Language Acquisition For Adults, Sara Santos Costa

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The process of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) has been explored by several scholars, who start with fundamental questions such as: “Does second language acquisition work in the same way as first language acquisition?” “What are the differences in the processes each individual experiences?” “Is it possible to become fluent in a second language at an older age?” This paper aims to show some key research conducted on this topic and provide a clear understanding of the processes that second language learners face.

This paper will delve into three main approaches to SLA: Behaviorist Theory, Universal Grammar (UG) and Interactionist Theory. …

Witch Aesthetics In Film Music & Sound, 1927-2024: A Queer Feminist Analysis, Lisa Pollock Mumme

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

The witch persists across long spans of time and location. She is an unruly archetype, existing to trouble boundaries and power. However, the witch also emerges as a character with whom people identify, emphasizing her incredible flexibility as a signifier. I establish my intervention in the study of the witch as a cultural figure from the standpoint of sound and music studies. Based on my study of more than 140 films between 1927-2024, I argue that the witch is a profoundly musical and sonic creature, particularly as markers of her presence and power. I build on Carol Clover's work on …

Editor’S Introduction, Michael D. Pante

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

Womanist Pedagogy And Teaching Preaching: Black Women Preachers As Sources For Pedagogical Reflection, Courtney Buggs

Sermon Studies

The preaching classroom is a place of exploration, interrogation, and reflection. For Black preaching women, it is also a place for deep introspection and wrestling with questions of self-identity, religious authority, and theological (un)certainty. In this essay I show how womanist pedagogy functions to intervene and disrupt harmful assumptions in the preaching classroom, such as who can preach, who should preach, and how preachers engage with Scripture. Using Black women preaching students as sources for reflection, I explore political clarity, risk taking, teaching with tenderness, active listening, and instructional agility, to aid womanist-informed pedagogues in attending to the range of …

“True Disciple”: Minister Louis Farrakhan's Eulogy Of Pastor Clay Evans And The Emergence Of The Son Of Abraham Rhetoric, Eugene L. Gibson Jr.

Sermon Studies

In this essay, I examine Louis Farrakhan's eulogy for Pastor Clay Evans on December 7, 2019. Drawing from the work of Andre E. Johnson, the eulogy is an example of prophetic rhetoric that showcases the powerful emotional and spiritual connection that aligns with the tradition of prophetic speech. I argue, however, that Farrakhan, in producing this rhetoric, adopted a prophetic persona I call “Son of Abraham”– an African American prophetic rhetoric that is firmly grounded in the sacred teachings, beliefs, and subscriptions of one of the Abrahamic religions, that contains a bold truth of love and healing, that when intentionally …

Rhetoric Of Freedom: The Black Church And Jamal Bryant’S Sermon “Am I Ever Going To Get Out Of This?”, Konysha Wade

Sermon Studies

Homiletics is a branch of rhetoric and religion that is defined as the art of preaching. All too common in fields of academia, including Homiletics, is a lack of inclusivity of African Americans. This paper will extend research that integrates and further centralizes African American homiletics, focusing on the notion of freedom in Dr. Jamal Bryant’s sermon “Am I Ever Going to Get Out of This?”

A Case For Homiletical Aesthetics: The Adorned Rhetoric Of Martin Luther King Jr., Timothy Y. Rhee

Sermon Studies

Despite the growing support of aesthetics within the field of homiletics, undercurrents of suspicion remain, particularly in Western evangelical settings. The reasons for this suspicion are far-reaching, ranging from theological concerns to unmerited fears regarding the handling of Scripture. Given this background, the adorned rhetoric of Martin Luther King Jr. provides a compelling case study for the indispensability of homiletical aesthetics. This study briefly overviews King’s use of artful rhetoric, exploring its origins and sociotheological factors that compelled beauty and adornment in the pulpit. This paper will argue that aesthetics in Christian preaching should be considered essential, especially when addressing …

From Decay To Redemption: Exploring The Theological And Rhetorical Dimensions Of C.A.W. Clark’S “The Worms Got Him”, Daylan Woodall

Sermon Studies

The essay explores Reverend Caesar Arthur Ward Clark's sermon, "The Worms Got Him," as a remarkable representation of the black preaching tradition and a nuanced rhetorical masterpiece. Clark's vivid description of the Herod family graveyard, intricately woven with historical and biblical references, engages the audience in a nearly physical and moral journey. Through deft use of honed rhetorical techniques, Clark immerses the listeners in a journey through history and the Herodian graveyard, allowing them to witness the Herodian dynasty's moral decay personally.

Black Preaching As A Public Address To Cultural Trauma: The Eulogy Of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nicole D. Mcdonald

Sermon Studies

The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays delivered the final eulogy of his student and friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 9, 1968 at Morehouse College. This rhetorical speech addresses the cultural trauma of King’s assassination by persuading the audience to continue King’s legacy, the nonviolent Civil Rights movement for all of humanity. Also, Mays’ eulogy engages the communal grief of the African American community mourning the loss of their leader. As such, Mays models the Black preaching response to cultural trauma, which derives from Jeffery Alexander’s Social Theory of Trauma. The Black preaching response consists of the following …

“Jesus Is Integrated”: The Black Sermon As Rhetorical Exercise In Radical Worldmaking, Theon E. Hill, Tyran Laws

Sermon Studies

This essay analyzes Benjamin Mays' 1954 sermon to the World Council of Churches to argue that Black preaching offers a radical response to perspectives that portray racial justice advocacy as antithetical to the Christian Gospel. Through a close reading of Mays' sermon, the authors contend that Mays employs an implicit ontological metaphor, “Jesus is integrated,” to position racial integration and justice not only as civic responsibilities but as Christian duties. The sermon disrupts hegemonic ideologies that marginalize others, mobilizes the organizing power of the church, and positions churches as spaces for radical worldmaking around race. By drawing on metaphor theory, …