Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Tl;Dr - Communicating In The Age Of Social Media, Julia L. Czekaj

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This thesis uses a literature review and post analyzation to explore Facebook and Twitter as methods of communicating. This thesis examines social media history, genre, and rhetorical aspects.

A Merrier World:' Small Renaissances Engendered In J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium, Dominic Dicarlo Meo

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

After surviving the trenches of World War I when many of his friends did not, Tolkien continued as the rest of the world did: moving, growing, and developing, putting the darkness of war behind. He had children, taught at the collegiate level, wrote, researched. Then another Great War knocked on the global door. His sons marched off, and Britain was again consumed. The "War to End All Wars" was repeating itself and nothing was for certain. In such extended dark times, J. R. R. Tolkien drew on what he knew-language, philology, myth, and human rights-peering back in history to the …

Character Luck And Moral Responsibility: The Character Of The Ordinary Person In Aristotle's Rhetoric And Politics, Marcella Linn

Dissertations

There are many significant factors, such as one’s natural temperaments and upbringing, that are outside of one’s control and affect one’s character. This calls into question one’s responsibility for one’s character, and if we are not responsible for our characters, then it seems we cannot be held responsible for the many actions that stem from them. I will show how a person can be responsible for her character and actions stemming from it despite the pervasiveness of character luck. To do this, I develop an account of character and responsibility from various passages in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Rhetoric, and Politics. …

The Spirit Of A Weak God: Reimagining Divine Providence After The Critique Of Ontotheology, Wendy Theresa Crosby

Dissertations

The question of this dissertation is whether and how divine providence can function within the framework of a weak God theology. While theories of divine providence traditionally depend on a powerful God capable of bringing all to a good end, I argue that providence remains essential to Christian hope and participation even if God is rethought as weak. This dissertation develops a concept of providence within weak God theology through an understanding of the Holy Spirit which is non-totalizing and dependent on creation's response. Therefore, providence empowers human action rather than ensuring victory despite our actions.

The dissertation begins by …

Narrative Medicine And Health Care Ethics: Religious And Literary Approaches To Patient Identity And Clinical Practice, Tara Flanagan Tracy

Dissertations

This dissertation examines practices of narrative medicine and moral identity for end-of-life patients, with special attention given to Aristotle's Poetics and the work of Paul Ricoeur. While noting the genuine value of narrative medicine for clinicians, I examine the limits of self-narration for patients who are unable to offer a linear, coherent narrative of their lives due to cognitive deficits such as Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, the premise of narrative medicine, that being a close reader of texts can develop the ability to attend closely to patients, remains useful. When the sources used in narrative medicine are expanded to include those …

Love And Loyal Actions': Ritual Affect And Royal Authority, 1688-1760, Amy Oberlin

Dissertations

This project examines the changing emotional relationship between the English royal court and the public during the reigns of the last Stuarts (1688 - 1714) and the early Hanoverians (1714-1760), when the court was forced to abandon traditional representations of divine right. During this period, the rise of print, the growth of representative institutions and changing cultural attitudes to emotion created a new style of monarchy, one more emotionally accessible to its subjects. These changes signaled the death of rule by divine right and the birth of a modern monarchy. In essence, the monarch moved from heaven to earth, becoming …

Husserl And Community, Sean Stephen Petranovich

Dissertations

This dissertation is on Edmund Husserl's concept of personal community. I argue that Husserl's concept of community is based on his formal theory of parts and wholes. More specifically, it is argued that the terms Husserl uses to describe features of community in his later writings are already established early in his philosophical career. The first three chapters of the dissertation focus on Husserl's unique conception of community in general. The final two chapters turn to political communities from a Husserlian standpoint.

In the first chapter, I investigate how Husserl's account of the ontological structure of community is tied to …

The Master And The Midwife: Levinas And Plato On Teaching, Rebecca Glenn Scott

Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine the concept of teaching as it appears in the work of Emmanuel Levinas. In particular, I show how Levinas's notion of teaching arises out of both a retrieval and a critique of Platonic thought. On the one hand, Levinas embraces the transcendence of Platonism, but at the same time, he is often quite critical of Socratic education. I argue, contrary to Levinas, that Socratic education is, in fact, consonant with Levinas's philosophy, particularly when we recognize that Levinas's notion of a primordial teaching must involve a relation both with "absolute" alterity and with what he …

Being Wise Before Wisdom: The Historical Development Of Phronēsis From Homer To Aristotle, And Its Consequences For Hans-Georg Gadamer's Hermeneutic Ethics, Giancarlo Tarantino

Dissertations

Hans-Georg Gadamer claims that the Aristotelian concept of "phronesis" or "practical wisdom" plays a decisive role throughout the process of interpretation and understanding. Scholars have often been divided over just what this means or entails for hermeneutics. This dissertation argues for a strongly ethical reading of Gadamer's claim, based on (1) a Gadamerian view of the nature of concepts and conceptuality, and (2) an historical reconstruction of the development of phronesis from Homer to Aristotle. Recovering forgotten and underappreciated historical features of phronesis allows for a critical revaluation of Gadamer's philosophy as a whole, including the outlines of an "emotionally …

Seekers And Observers: Life Histories Of Three Female Antebellum Historians, Annmarie Valdes

Dissertations

This dissertation provides a history and analysis of the educational experiences and scholarly texts of three female historians. The study employs the combined frameworks of Haraway's €˜situated knowledges' and Life History for examining three female historians who were involved in three integrated aspects of knowledge production: scholar, educator and author. The three case studies examine the lives of Elizabeth Peabody (1804-1894), Caroline Dall (1822-1912), and Mary L. Booth (1831-1889), with an analytical focus on their Antebellum Era, mid-nineteenth-century historical publications. A core contention is that knowledge production by women and, in particular, historical texts produced for schools and public consumption …

Battle For Dominion Over Time: War Of The Calendars In Thailand, Ronald J. Brown

New York School for Career and Applied Studies (NYSCAS) Publications and Research

My annual January “get out of cold New York City” vacation was effectively ruined in the lounge of the Unification Theological Seminary. Shortly before I left for Thailand at the end of December 2016 I was describing my plans for a month in sunny Thailand when a student said “Oh, you’ll be in Bangkok for New Year’s. That should be wild!” Another student chimed in “And the Chinese New Year’s too!” “Double the fun and double the pleasure,” I responded, and everyone laughed.

The comment that ruined my vacation and turned it from a month of cheap red wine, beaches, …

Towards A Multilingual And Cross-Cultured Officer Corps: A Study Of Language And Culture Training Programs For Army Rotc Cadets, Elizabeth Marie Blowers

Theses - ALL

This thesis serves to substantiate the critical importance of language and cultural training for our nation’s military leaders, particularly those in the U.S. Army, in the ever-changing global security environment. Beginning with an overview of the inseparable relationship between language, culture, and society, the first chapter introduces this study surrounding two Army Reserve Officer Training Corps training programs that focus their attention on developing leaders capable of transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries. The second chapter presents a case study of post 9/11 military operational deficiencies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and delves into current Department of Defense (DoD) and Army policy …

A Home Away From Home: Empathy, Exchange, And Hindu Festivals On An American University Campus, Sujata Bajracharya

Theses - ALL

Every fall, the Syracuse University South Asian Student Society (SASA) hosts two major fall Hindu festival events: Navaratri and Diwali. SASA members understand their mission on campus to be providing a “home away from home” for South Asian students, particularly Indian international students. Through an ethnographic investigation of these events and the lives of SASA board members, this thesis explores the relationship between empathy, cycles of exchange, and transnational Indian identity. I investigate two types of exchange that occurred at SASA festival events: material exchange via food and charitable giving. Providing guests at events with food and working with non-profit …

The Power Of Pandi: Multiplicity, Ambiguity, And Intimacy At A South Indian Temple, Julie Ann Edelstein

Theses - ALL

This thesis is an ethnographic account of Pandi Koyil, a small temple located in the South Indian city of Madurai. The temple, its presiding deity Pandi Muneesvarar, and the devotees who worship there represent a diverse spectrum of narrative histories, ritual practices, and community identities. This thesis demonstrates how the multiplicity, ambiguity, and power of the deity Pandi fosters the multiple narratives, differentiated practices, and relationships of intimacy that surround him. First, this thesis presents the multiple origin stories people tell about the founding of Pandi Koyil and the mythological identity of its main deities, while also explaining the caste …

Educating The Whole Being: Yoga & Mindfulness In Schools, Trang Huynh

LMU Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Dark Reflection Of Society: Analyzing Cultural Representations Of State Control In Black Mirror, Carl Russell Huber

Online Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing the importance of visual criminology and media studies in contemporary academic criminal justice studies, I attempt to contribute to the field by analyzing three themes found in Channel 4’s Black Mirror in relation to cultural fears of state control and the progression of technology. The themes, including state power and coercion, the spectacle of punishment, and panoptic surveillance, are placed in a popular criminological framework in order to examine the attitudes and beliefs of the culture in which they were produced and for whom they are intended. I conclude that Black Mirror provides a social commentary on the themes …

The Devil In The Details: Popular Demonology, Addiction And Criminology, Kyra Ann Martinez

Online Theses and Dissertations

Theories of diabolism have, since antiquity, made manifest societal fears of the unknown. Demonology, as discipline, flourished within the West accordingly; to function, at the inception of early modern science and during the "transition" to capitalism, as a device to translate alterity. At this juncture, theories of the demonic were occulted under scientific methodologies and institutionalized across the structures of modernity. "Evil", as discursive paradigm, was politically incarnated, canonized, and absorbed under the auspices of the state towards the consummation of socio-political "diabolic" enemies of society. In continuity with the past, "evil" continues to operate in the contemporary as a …

Visual Processing Ability: Early Predictor Of Inferential Language And Phonemic Awareness Ability, Leanna Marie Rowlette

Online Theses and Dissertations

A group of 16 typically developing children were selected to participate in a study determining if there is a statistically significant relationship among visual processing, inferential language, and phonemic awareness ability. All participants attended Model Laboratory school, passed a visual and hearing screening, spoke English as the primary language in their household, possessed no history of disorder or disability as evidenced by passing a developmental screener, and ranged in age from 5;4 to 6;4. The study's 16 participants were administered three assessments split between two testing sessions, taking an average of 40 minutes each. Results indicated a quadratic effect existed …

Masks Of The Dark Goddess In Arthurian Literature: Origin And Evolution Of Morgan Le Fay, John Christopher Shearer

Online Theses and Dissertations

The world of Arthurian legend is one steeped in mythology and magic, reflecting ancient Celtic traditions and tales that long preceded it. Such tales often feature perplexing and seemingly contradictory characters who drive complex plotlines and frequently challenge primary figures, greatly impacting how the overall story unfolds. A primary example of such a character is Morgan le Fay, who, by the time Sir Thomas Malory writes Le Morte d'Arthur in the fifteenth century, has assumed a range of roles from sister to King Arthur, Queen in her own right, wicked sorceress, and healer. Using both Post-Colonial and Feminist lenses, this …

Bombs, Bikinis, And Godzilla: America's Fear And Fascination Of The Atomic Bomb As Evidenced Through Popular Media, 1946-1962., Joshua Samuel Scott Cornett

Online Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to illustrate the change in emotions white, middle class Americans experienced towards the atomic bomb during the nineteen forties to early nineteen sixties by examining the popular culture that they produced and consumed. These Americans described the bomb as being an object of beauty, a powerful savior, an object of prosperity, and a weapon of fear. Each of these depictions are examined in their own separate chapter with various popular culture items examined as evidence. A wide range of popular media were inspected for this study, including films, magazines, comic books, cartoons, novels, and even video games.

The Justified Lawman: Cowboy Killings In The Modern Era, Joel Franklin Harman

Online Theses and Dissertations

Stereotypes advanced by the popular media, do not necessarily have the power to directly determine an individual's ways of thinking, but do help frame and reinforce already existing cultural beliefs, particularly within the context of the seemingly innocuous narrative fictions of cable television. These narratives not only simplify complex ideas, but also can further entrench or justify harmful social relations. My contention here, is that the popular television program Justified does precisely this by normalizing police violence and the ways that the police underpin and reproduce profoundly disparate class and racialized social order. While in many ways a typical police …

Investigating Twenty-Five Volumes Of The Flutist Quarterly: A Content Analysis, Maile Delores Mills

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examines scholarly articles in twenty-five volumes of The Flutist Quarterly, which is published by the National Flute Association. Articles were specifically examined for emerging categories, and frequency and percentages of each was noted. In addition, major trends that have occurred within the periodical over the past twenty-five years were examined. Using a content analysis, N = 391 articles were coded to fit into ten prominent categories: artist profile, career-related, composition, health, historical, instrument, interview, pedagogy, performance practice, and other. Results indicated that "Artist Profile" (21.99%, n = 86), "Interview" (18.93%, n = 74), and "Historical" (16.11%, n …

Whitman And The Elegy: Mythologizing Lincoln And The Poetic Reconstruction Of Mourning, Brytani Raymond

Online Theses and Dissertations

In Walt Whitman's mind, Abraham Lincoln represented the very essence of America and, because of this, Lincoln and his assassination were the ideal subject through which Whitman could explore the art of mourning on both individual and collective scales. The regimented order of lament, adoration, and consolation of the traditional elegy were not enough to accommodate the complex, organic mourning that Whitman sought to capture in his poems. Whitman's series of elegies following the death of Abraham Lincoln mythologized the president in ways that still permeate our historical view of Lincoln today. This essay seeks to give an in-depth explication …

(Re)Writing Woman With "The Laugh Of The Medusa" And Antioedipus, Samantha Rodgers

Online Theses and Dissertations

The importance of tattooing as an area of feminist composition study lies in its challenge to male discourse concerning the subjectivity of sexed, particularly female sexed, bodies that feminism has long ignored due to fear of essentialization. Cixous argues: "…Censor the body and you censor breath and speech at the same time. Write yourself. Your body must be heard" (8). Tattooing has transitioned from writing masculine group identity (gangs, prisoners, sailors, etc.) into writing feminine embodied experience. It is a way for women to rewrite institutionalized norms of womanhood and humanity. Consequently, this paper argues that tattoos are a form …

Windows To The Divine: The Development Of Byzantine Art, Sam Klein

Tenor of Our Times

Byzantine art took significant inspiration form its Greco-Roman heritage but then distinguished itself through a shift in focus away from Hellenic realism and towards formal abstractions of Christian motifs. These conventions developed alongside political and theological turbulence to eventually influence a vast area of Asia Minor and Eastern Europe.

The Twentieth Century Reform Of The Liturgy: Outcomes And Prospects, John F. Baldovin S.J.

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(excerpt)

I want to situate my reflections on the outcomes of the 20^th century liturgical reform and our prospects for the future. This is how I propose to proceed. I will very briefly review the late twentieth century liturgical reforms and revisions of a number of churches. Then I will turn to reactions to the reforms of the past fifty years, some assessment of their success and failure, and finally prospects for the future, employing an analogy with curricular reform, specifically in theological education. In terms of assessment I will have to limit myself to the Roman Catholic experience …

The Work For The People Reforming At People's Church?, Timo-Matti Haapiainen

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(Excerpt)

The aim of this presentation is to give a picture of the place of liturgy in the life of an old folk church and in its identity process. What is the role of the Christian liturgy in ELCF today? How could liturgy reform a folk church that is confronting all the challenges of 21^st century?

'Dare To Be Different': How Religious Groups Frame And Enact Appropriate Sexuality And Gender Norms Among Young Adults, Rhys Williams, Courtney Ann Irby, R. Stephen Warner

Sociology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Purpose

The sexual lives of religious youth and young adults have been an increasing topic of interest since the rise of abstinence-only education and attendant programs in many religious institutions. But while we know a lot about individual-level rates of sexual behavior, far less is known about how religious organizations shape and mediate sexuality. We draw on data from observations with youth and young adult ministries and interviews with religious young adults and adult leaders from Muslim, Hindu, and Protestant Christian groups in order to examine how religious adults in positions of organizational authority work to manage the gender and …

Reforming Liturgy In A Re-Forming Age, Edward Foley

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

No abstract provided.

Where Do We Go From Here?, Lorraine Brugh

Institute of Liturgical Studies Occasional Papers

(excerpt)

Truth is, though, we need wise and discerning counsel in order learn how to be liturgists for our assemblies. Liturgists, whether worship leaders or planners, presiding or assisting, spoken or musical, all need a coherent sense of their assembly’s worship. I hope to demonstrate that such coherence emerges from both a broad interaction with the wider church, ecumenical partners and others, as well as a deep look into our own particular assembly’s cultural context. Deepening the specific and broadening our reach are challenging in and of themselves; keeping them in balance is always an ongoing project.