Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Mary Evelyn Thurman, 1921-2005 (Sc 2834), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2834. Business and personal correspondence, receipts, and ephemera of Mary E. Thurman, an elementary school teacher abroad in the 1950s and 1960s. She later became a librarian at Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and authored several children’s books. Includes paper valentines from students, a letter in Japanese,and two Japanese floral prints.

Long May She Reign: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Gender Expectations In Disney’S Tangled And Disney/Pixar’S Brave, Caitlin J. Saladino

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

This project addresses messages about gender expectations in Disney princess narratives. The two films included in my project are Tangled (2010) and Brave (2012), which feature the most recently inducted princesses to the marketed Disney Princess line (Rapunzel and Merida, respectively). Using genre as an organizing principle, I argue that Rapunzel and Merida are different from the past Disney princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, etc.) because their narratives reflect new ideas about gender expectations in modern society. The central tension appearing in both films is the opposition between the image of woman as traditional, domestic, and dependent and woman …

Women Unafraid Of Criticism: An Annotated Bibliography Of Women Journalists Of The Neue Freie Presse 1920-1933, Carl Hayden, Dr. Robert Mcfarland

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Though women may have hidden behind masculine façade’s as indicated by Ann Tizia Leitich’s chastising remark, they definitely were not remaining as quite as they once did. Compared to the late 1800’s where one would be lucky to find five articles written by women in a given month, one can easily find about thirty in a given month during the 1920’s. Women expressed not only views about fashion in these articles, but also critiqued Freud, submitted literary analyses, created wonderful allegories and shaped the views of the United States of America and Japan. Through Professor Robert McFarland’s and my efforts, …

The Dinner Guest A Film Exploration Of Motherhood, Kenneth Merrill, Jeff Parkin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project began as a poorly-written draft of a script about a woman struggling against the strict social pressures of the 1950’s. I took on the task of turning it into a film because I liked the setting, the action, the tight dialogue, and I really thought that it could go some very interesting places. Of course, as the script got better, with the help of Martha Rallison (the writer), it breached the wall of generalities and evolved into a personal story about Hazel and her love for a wayward son, Allen, and the mad moments that every single one …

Restoring Life-Giving In A Life-Taking World, Melissa G. Cone

Senior Honors Theses

“Restoring Life-Giving in a Life-Taking World” examines women’s roles as life-givers in Exodus 1-2. The stories of the Hebrew midwives, Jochebed, Pharaoh’s daughter, and Miriam are paradigmatic of God’s use of unlikely characters to accomplish His creational plan. Through the life-giving actions of each of these women, God preserved His plan to deliver His people by preserving the life of their deliverer, Moses, and in turn, preparing for the ultimate deliverer, Jesus Christ.

This thesis reveals the life-giving actions of the women in Exodus 1-2 and their strategic position to influence change in their society. The paradigm of God giving …

Elaine Cannon Papers, Melissa Kotter, Dr. Mary Jane Woodger

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Elaine Cannon Papers project involved deep research through primary sources (Elaine Cannon’s journals and papers) about Elaine Cannon’s life. Once the research is completed, a proposal for a biography appearing in Richard Turley’s Women of Faith in the Latter Days volumes will be written. The Women of Faith in the Latter Days volume featuring modern-day women will not be ready for a few years (this biography would appear in volume 6), so the Elaine Cannon biography will not be published until a few years later. However, the proposal for the biography will be submitted once the deep-research is finished.

Warren County, Kentucky - Equity Court Records (Sc 2824), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2824. Record of the Warren County, Kentucky Equity Court of an action by Ann Davis against her son, James Davis, pertaining to the estate of her husband, Robert Davis. Ann claims that James has failed to administer estate funds for her benefit as agreed to by all her children, and driven her from homes she shared with him in Virginia and Warren County. The record consists of the plaintiff’s complaint and a summons to James.

Coming Into Consciousness Women’S Empowerment Projects In Chinandega, Nicaragua, Brittany Wightman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nicaraguan people are gridlocked into various oppressive hierarchies. Those who find themselves at the bottom of these hierarchies face what Paolo Freire calls “dehumanization”, because they are unable to engage in the inquiry and praxis of their realities. Through my independent study project, I address the hierarchical system of patriarchy in Nicaragua, and highlight the ways in which women empowering themselves are reclaiming their humanity through increasing consciousness. I was fortunate enough to work with two organizations in Chinandega: El Movimiento de Mujeres de Chinandega, and El Grupo Crecer. In working with these organizations I became immersed in the the …

An Exploratory Study Of Diversified Mentoring Relationships Among Graduate Students And Their Advisors In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Fields, Krystin R. Bodden

Open Access Theses

Minorities and women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In graduate education, factors such as racism, prejudice, discrimination, sexism, stereotypes, tokenism, and a lack of role models can all plague students and contribute to uncompleted degrees and non-entrance into STEM fields. One of the tools being used to combat these barriers is effective mentoring. Graduate students and their advisors generally have close working relationships and advisors serve in a tremendously important role in the development of the graduate student, so an effective mentoring relationship is vital.

The purpose of this study was to explore …

The Patriarchy’S Role In Gender Inequality In The Caribbean, Erin C. O'Connor

Student Publications

While gender equality in the Caribbean is improving, with women’s growing social, economic, and political participation, literacy rates comparable to those in Europe, and greater female participation in higher education, deeply rooted inequalities are still present and are demonstrated in the types of jobs women are in and the limited number of women in decision-making positions. Sexism, racism, and classism are systemic inequalities being perpetuated in schools, through the types of education offered for individuals and the content in textbooks. Ironically, the patriarchy is coexisting within a system of matrifocal and matrilocal families, with a long tradition of female economic …

A Changing Force: The American Civil War, Women, And Victorian Culture, Megan E. Mcnish

Student Publications

The American Civil War thrust Victorian society into a maelstrom. The war disrupted a culture that was based on polite behavior and repression of desires. The emphasis on fulfilling duties sent hundreds of thousands of men into the ranks of Union and Confederate armies. Without the patriarchs of their families, women took up previously unexplored roles for the majority of their sex. In both the North and the South, females were compelled to do physical labor in the fields, runs shops, and manage slaves, all jobs which previously would have been occupied almost exclusively by men. These shifts in society, …

Gender Stereotypes In Leadership: How Threatening Are They?, Valerie N. Streets

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Women's persistent underrepresentation in management has prompted a considerable body of research to better understand how gender stereotyping contributes to this disparity. One possible explanation for the impact of stereotyping on women in management is stereotype threat (i.e., the risk of confirming negative stereotypes as true). Experimental research concerning stereotype threat as it affects women within the domain of leadership has been limited, with no published study specifically manipulating stereotype threat and testing effects on subsequent leadership performance. This thesis expands upon the current literature by replicating classic stereotype threat experimental designs and applying such a design to a leadership …

A Case Study Of Melita Maschmann: Women And The Third Reich, Lynda Maureen Willett

Graduate History Conference, UMass Boston

The case study of Melita Maschmann shows that despite the deep manipulation and gender discrimination she was subject to in her youth by National Socialism Maschmann made her own free choices as an adult and chose to zealously absorb its political ideology. The general assumption is that National Socialism, and fascism, were male dominated political ideologies in which women played a passive role, such as that professed by Gertrude Scholtz-Klink. However, many women found National Socialism appealing and became active supporters of its ideals. The purpose of this paper is to explore that appeal and analyze why certain women such …

Love For Sale: Prostitution And The Building Of Buffalo, New York, 1820-1910, Rachel V. Nicolosi

The Exposition

Generally referred to as “the oldest profession in the world,” prostitution often earns nothing but derision when spoken about in mainstream media. Women who find themselves in this line of work are often thought to be classless, uneducated, and sexually promiscuous outside of their occupation, and are generally considered to be an example of morally unfit behavior. Despite evidence pointing otherwise, this view of prostitution is one which has unfortunately prevailed since the 1800s. On the American Frontier, prostitution was one of the only legal means a woman could survive, and in east coast cities like Buffalo, New York, one …

The 1876 Centennial Exposed: How Souvenir Publications Reveal Contrasting Attitudes Of Race And Gender In The Post-Bellum United States, Hope Hancock

Mellon Scholars' Works

The Centennial Exhibition of 1876 celebrated not only the 100-year anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence but the industrial innovation and reuniting of American society after the Civil War. Using two rare books about the Exhibiton, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Historical Register of the Centennial Exposition, 1876 and The Illustrated Historical Register of the Centennial Exhibition by James Dabney McCabe, Jr., this project compares the portrayal of women and African Americans in the late 19th-century United States.

Women’S Municipal Leadership In Massachusetts: Snapshot Of Cape Cod, Center For Women In Politics And Public Policy, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Publications from the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy

The center tracks the status of women at all levels of government in New England. It also provides dynamic web resources to inform and support the public leadership of women of color.

No Blood In The Water: The Legal And Gender Conspiracies Against Countess Elizabeth Bathory In Historical Context, Rachael Leigh Bledsaw

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explains and discusses the conspiracies reported against the Hungarian noblewoman, Countess Elizabeth Bathory, regarding her confinement and the arrest of her accomplices in December 1610. The conspiracies state that the Countess was unjustly targeted and charged not because she was guilty of the deaths of several dozen girls from torture, but because she represented a threat to the Hapsburg Empire due to her wealth, her political influence, and her widowhood. This thesis explores the rationality of these two conspiracies using historical context regarding the position of noblewomen in Central and Eastern Europe and the function and use of …

Work-Life Balance, Family-Friendly Policies And Quality Of Work Life Issues: Studying Employers' Perspectives Of Working Women In Oman, Shweta Belwal, Rakesh Belwal

Journal of International Women's Studies

Family-Friendly Policies (FFPs) aim to help employees manage their family responsibilities, create flexible-work conditions and enable women to perform better on both domestic and work fronts. In comparison to other countries in the Gulf, women in Oman are joining the workforce in large numbers. This trend continues as educational and vocational institutions within the country consistently enroll a higher proportion of women. Currently, women comprise 55% of the total workforce in Oman and contribute significantly in education, health, media, banking and other business sectors. Challenges such as work-life balance (WLB) constrain their Quality of Work Life (QWL). Omani Labor Law …

"You Keep Yourself Strong": A Discourse Analysis Of African Women Asylum Seekers' Talk About Emotions, Maria Clare, Simon Goodman, Helen Liebling, Hannah Laing

Journal of International Women's Studies

The current study investigates how asylum-seeking African women use talk about emotion to construct empowered roles for themselves. A discourse analysis was conducted on interviews with African asylum-seeking women. Participants used two interacting repertoires, ‘rejecting pity’ and ‘being strong’, to resist inferior positions. By constructing themselves as strong and not needing pity, participants positioned themselves as in control of their lives, and thus presented as responsible and capable mothers, a role they are accountable for. Clinical implications and findings for future research are discussed.

Educating And Mobilizing The New Voter: Interwar Handbooks And Female Citizenship In Great-Britain, 1918-1931, Véronique Molinari

Journal of International Women's Studies

British women’s access to the electorate in 1918 and 1928 triggered off a series of efforts to reach out to the new voters both on the part of political parties and of women’s groups. New organisations were created, the role of women’s sections within political parties was reassessed and a wealth of propaganda material was published at election times that specifically targeted women. While some of these efforts were avowedly aimed at mobilizing the female vote in favour of a political party or around an ideological (feminist) agenda, others were seemingly simply intended to arouse women’s interest in politics and …

Women’S Needlework In Eighteenth-Century England And America: A Cross-Cultural Comparison, Hilary Pothier, Dr. Martha Peacock

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In the past eight months, I have completed a great deal of research in a cross-cultural comparison of women’s needlework in England and America during the eighteenth century. The majority of my research focused on women’s embroidery in England during the time period, because I had already spent considerable time researching the American portion of my project. My research revealed that on both continents, the religious subjects of embroidered wall hangings were quite similar. However, a greater amount of England’s population had leisure time to complete such activities. The more vigorous frontier lifestyle of the settlers in New England did …

Preserving A Heritage: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study Of Weaving And Women, Ellen O'Neil, Dr. Martha Peacock

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The original concept for my research was to compare weaving between cultures and the roles of women in the creation of woven art. I approached the subject with much excitement, as woven art has been a part of my life since birth. In having the opportunity to go to France, my study of weaving consisted of tapestries and the history of textiles. Upon returning home, I was able to spend six glorious weeks with my grandmother learning how to weave.

Ruth Berlau: A Talented Author In Her Own Right, Julie Kalani Smith, Dr. James K. Lyon

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As I began researching Ruth Berlau’s life, I encountered repeated references to Berlau’s beauty, always accompanied by the suggestion that it was her looks that attracted German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s attention. Berlau was one of a long line of women whom Brecht drew into his orbit, but most critics seem to agree that Berlau lacked the literary and secretarial skills of her predecessors Elisabeth Hauptmann and Margarethe Steffin. In contrast, Berlau is often regarded as an eccentric, overly aggressive woman, who was Brecht’s lover and follower, but not his equal. Despite, or perhaps because of this widespread but superficial assumption, …

The Effect Of The Sub-Saharan African Gender Divide On The Rights And Status Of Women In A Globalized World, Toni Shoola

International ResearchScape Journal

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to a substantial gender divide that encompasses numerous aspects of life. Though this divide is a historic reality for Sub-Saharan Africa, the recent and current process of globalization has also had both negative and positive impacts on the gender divide. This paper provides a look at the gender divide in Sub-Saharan Africa from a theoretical and historical framework that goes on to explore various facets of life including economics, education, land tenure, legal rights, political participation, and health rights. In addition, one countermovement to the pervasive gender divide, African feminisms, is analyzed.

Mistress As Metaphor: The Written Woman In Martial, Elizabeth L. Long

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Martial features women as his subjects in roughly twenty-five percent of his epigrams .I Just as his other epigrams explore a wide range of subjects and themes, these poems differ in the ways that they use women. Some are merely crude jests2; others explore mythological or historical subjects3; still others, such as l 0.35 and 1 0.38, written about Sulpicia the satirist, are encomiastic. In addition, some of the poems about women can be read as programmatic statements about Martial’s and others’ poetry. Martial employs various programmatic devices to explain his epigrams. Although these types of poems occur throughout the …

The Brethren Speak – About The Women: 1850-1870, Katie Farnsworth Bitner, Jill Mulvay Derr

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During fall semester 2000 I had the opportunity to study some of the ideas taught about Eve and the role of women among Protestant Americans in the 19th century. While doing this work I became curious about what the brethren of the LDS Church were saying to and about the women during that time. I also wanted to know how the statements they made changed over time, that is whether they followed cultural trends or not. I did my search in the Journal of Discourses, which is a compilation of many conference talks and other speeches by the brethren from …

John A. Widtsoe’S Contribution To Higher Education For Women, Aurelia W. Lau, Dr. Alan K. Parrish

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Dr. Widtsoe encouraged many women throughout his life to obtain the benefits of higher education.

Dorothea Schlegel (1764-1839): Uncovering An Unheard Voice In The German Romantic Literary World, Amanda Rose Bingham, Dr. Cindy Brewer

Journal of Undergraduate Research

While women have received focused attention in the recent decades, the early romantic German writer, Dorothea Mendelssohn Veit Schlegel, has not had proportionate consideration from literary critics. Modern readers of German literature are likely to be most familiar with the canonical texts such as Goethe, Schiller, Lessing, primarily written by men, whereas these texts may have received less attention when published. Texts by many women writers of that same time period are considered by many scholars today to be trivial literature although they had much wider readership. The texts resonated with the general public and can provide greater cultural insights.

Career, Education, Home & Family: Decision-Making Among Lds Women, Jennifer M. Vigil, Dr. Bonnie Ballif-Spanvill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As women are given more and more options about the course of their lives, the choices become more complicated. When a woman’s level of religiosity becomes a factor, the decision-making process becomes even more complex. This paper will show how young women who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) make their decisions. It will look at their commitment to a single role, how they plan to follow in their mothers’ footsteps, the knowledge and certainty women feel about the decisions they make, how involved they are in the decision-making process, and the influence of …

The White Women's Experience In Arkansas During The American Civil War, Ellen M. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

When war came to Arkansas there were few, if any, troops left in the state. As a result the women were left to defend themselves. While economics and geographic location were responsible for the culture of the women, it was the individual fortitude that made survivors of the female population. Arkansas was very diversified and so were the women. When Union soldiers occupied the state they interacted with the women in many different ways, from pleasant social activities to barbaric terrorism. When Confederates occupied regions of the state, they also met a variety of women and had just as varied …