Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Phenomenological Study: Exploring The Importance Of The Holy Spirit Experience Among Non-Cessational Church Leaders In South Carolina, Amelia J. Simmons

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Over time, many movements have influenced the theological foundations of Western Christianity and culture. For example, modernism has influenced Western culture leading to a rejection of supernaturalism, causing many individuals to overlook the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in personal and social life. Few theological works focus specifically on the Holy Spirit, and what is often proposed lacks a unified synthesis of empirical evidence. The foundation guiding this study is the biblical New Testament, which expresses the importance of the Holy Spirit and how He changes believers into diehards for Christ Jesus. Some church leaders today exhibit reluctance toward …

From Recovery To Restored: A Thesis Action Project Developing Addiction Restored Groups Transitioning Individuals Out Of A Recovery Cycle And Into A Church Small Group, Scott Kingsley Schneiderman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

People at New Beginnings Church (NBC) who suffer from addiction currently do not have an intentional path into a life-giving Core Group without the need for ongoing support groups. This DMIN action research project aims to design, implement, and evaluate Restored, at NBC, an eight-week addiction recovery process. Restored utilizes individual self-evaluation through Scripture, collective discussion, and tailored sin-cycle diagrams. The innovation in this project focuses on the transitional phase, unlike other addiction recovery programs, and the integration of Christians into a church small group. This DMIN action research project will enable Christians struggling with addiction to identify their sin, …

A Phenomenological Study Of String Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Development At Three Career Stages, Michael James Hanf

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This hermeneutic phenomenological study aims to understand the perceptions of elementary and secondary string teachers’ experiences with quality professional development from early-, middle-, and late-career stages. This study analyzes perceptions of quality professional development for music teachers, including content-related, evidence-based, applicable, relevant, collaborative, providing feedback, actively involving teachers in learning, longitudinal, coherent, and allowing for reflection. It follows a hermeneutic phenomenological research design guided by the theory of human motivation and aims to understand how professional development affects teacher needs. Participants include elementary and secondary string teachers across the United States from early-, middle-, and late-career stages. String teachers sampled …

Investigating The Influence Of Modern And Traditional Instructional Practices On Creating Lifelong Habits Of Music Engagement In The Prospect Mountain Schools System, Thomas D. Stevens Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of modern and traditional pedagogical approaches on student development of music engagement and learning in the Prospect Mountain Schools system during and after high school. Student retention is critical to maintaining music programs; therefore, educators must discover ways to motivate students to continue participating in general music and ensemble courses. Combining modern and traditional pedagogical approaches creates learning experiences that inspire students to continue playing music throughout their lives, both during and after high school. One of these pedagogical practices is incorporating popular music into the classroom, which can enhance …

Leadership Training And Development For The Purpose Of Biblical Literacy In The Christian Fellowship Church Membership, Bancroft Augustus Battick

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem at Christian Fellowship Church in Anguilla is the high rate of biblical illiteracy due to the lack of trained leaders to preach and teach the Word effectively. The purpose of this action research project is to train and develop five leaders to preach and teach the Word effectively. If leaders are trained and developed to preach and teach the Word effectively, the biblical literacy of the CFC membership will increase. The goal of this leadership training is to create a cadre of leaders who will be qualified to preach and teach the Word. During the action research, the …

Identity Restored: High School Students Overcoming Social Media’S Influence To Embrace Their Identity As Sons And Servants Of God, Daniel M. Christiaans

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The research question for this action research project relates to the impact of social media on the identity formation of believers through their high school years. As a youth pastor of 20 years and father of four teenagers, I’ve noticed that high school students maintain many of the social media habits and addictions seen in the secular world. This regular interaction with social media is detrimental to their identity formation; they are not adopting the identity provided for them in Christ as communicated by the Word of God. This project will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the believer's identity …

The Rise Of The Soviet Economy: How American Capitalist Corporations Helped Build The Soviet Communist Economic System, Craig A. Helf

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the depth and scope of the relationship between American capitalism and Soviet socialism during the period of Soviet industrialization in the timeframe around the First Five-Year Plan. The research focuses on the significance of American involvement and how American corporations, personnel, and methods of innovation provided the Soviet Union a comprehensive and robust foundation to build a competitive economy not only to Europe, but to the U.S. as well. An important question of the research examines how two diametrically opposed economic concepts embodied by these respective nations partnered to achieve the goals …

The Relationship Between Education And Entrepreneurship Within African American Women’S History As Evidenced By Eight Exemplary Success Stories, Louise C. Mckinney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The educational and economic achievements of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions of learning parallel the rise of black entrepreneurial history in the 1900s. They contributed to the historical context of the African American narrative through individual development, political and social changes, educational advancement, and national and regional changes in the concept of black wealth. These institutions provided a new platform for African Americans to rebuild their lives and futures in the post-Reconstruction era. This study analyzes the connection between African American educational leadership and entrepreneurship by assessing the impact of black female educators and leaders who …

Jet: The Engine That Changed Everything What, When, How, And Why, Richard Kazares

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation poses the question of just how important the introduction of jet engine technology was and is to the aviation industry and its place within the military and civilian segments of society. A corollary to that question is the premise that jet engine technology was virtually as crucial to the growth and impact of aviation as the introduction of the airplane itself. That is not to denigrate the importance of any means of flight and propulsion but to emphasize that aviation would not be anywhere close to where it is today without the jet and the level of its …

Exploring Holistic Interventions: An Approach To Addressing Problematic Substance Use Among Adverse Childhood Experience And Early Life Stress Survivors Through The Lens Of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model, Barbara De Oliveira

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE), and early life stress (ELS) impact neurodevelopment and heighten susceptibility to mental health disorders, including substance use disorder (SUD). This study explored how religiosity and/or spirituality (R/S), framed through Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model, supports holistic recovery options for ACE and ELS survivors. Neurobiological changes, such as hippocampal atrophy, can be common among trauma survivors and have been found to contribute to maladaptive behaviors. Emotional maltreatment, beyond physical or sexual trauma, has been found to have a strong link to addiction. Despite existing literature, standard treatments have been known to overlook the unique needs of trauma-impacted individuals, …

The Sound Of Young America/The Soul Of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry Into 1965 And The Music Defining A Generation In Crisis, Jessica Dyche

All Dissertations

The Sound of Young America/The Soul of Young America: A Sonic Rhetoric Inquiry into 1965 and the Music Defining a Generation In Crisis builds a case for sonic rhetoric theory that sees sonic rhetoric move outside of pedagogy, becoming a valuable tool for rhetorical analysis outside the classroom. To this end, The Sound of Young America/The Soul of Young America employs sonic rhetoric concepts and methodology grounded in cultural rhetorics, social history, and sociomusicology to inquire into the cultural and social relevancy of rock music, specifically to this project, in 1965. Sonic rhetoric sees sound and music as underexplored, but …

Sidewindings, Jeff Marvel

Graduate Thesis Collection

A memoir cataloguing the impacts of my late-onset Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at the age of 26, in which I attempt to realize the ways in which my sense of self, and sense of the world around me, has been altered or disfigured by this hardly-visible disease.

Songs Through Statues: The Mask Of Sorrow For Baritone, Accordion, Guitar, Piano & Wind Duo, Alexander T. Schmidt

Graduate Thesis Collection

The Mask of Sorrow is a twelve-minute song written by me, Alexander Schmidt, that utilizes a variety of techniques that I have learned over the course of my study in graduate school. The piece utilizes leitmotives in a unique and interesting way via the usage of set theory to represent the text in musical form, produce a constant development of material, and encourage a musical narrative to supplement the text. This analysis moves through the whole of the form and documents its usage of timbre, motive, harmonic set, and much more, to showcase the means of which all the techniques …

Social Connections: The Role Of Community In Johannes Brahms's Viola Writing, Alex Beauchamp

Graduate Thesis Collection

Despite a negative opinion of the viola held by musicians and audiences alike in the nineteenth century, Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) wrote orchestral, chamber, and solo pieces that highlight the viola. We can trace an affinity for this black sheep of the string instrument family beginning with his Serenade No. 2 in 1859—which uses the viola as the primary melodic voice—and extending through his Clarinet Sonatas in 1894, which Brahms also authorized for viola performance.

Throughout his life, Brahms was close with several violists, three of whom inspired Brahms to write substantial music for the viola. Joseph Joachim (1831–1907), a famous …

I Am (Me)Dicine: An Analysis On The Influence Of Humanities Courses Within The Construction Of Internal And External Identities Within Pre-Med Students At Uno, Alix Barnes

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The purpose of this project is to investigate how arts and humanities coursework may enhance the development of internal and external identities for premedical students beyond their traditional scientific coursework. A literature review shows positive findings on identity development and the influence of arts and humanities coursework on medical education. This investigation will take place through a mixed-method survey distributed to UNO premedical students and will explore themes of self-reflection, personal and professional growth, and understanding of external perspectives. An optional question prompts respondents to reflect further on their work within arts and humanities courses and their impact on these …

Predicting Steroid Concern Through Tiktok Use And Self-Esteem, Adam Lorio, Brandon C. Bouchillon, Sisi Hu, Jennifer Mortensen

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examined student perceptions of steroid use through a survey of 154 participants. While self-esteem did not directly predict steroid concerns, specific TikTok engagement patterns revealed complex relationships. Using TikTok to pass time correlated with viewing steroids as a public health issue, whereas surveillance-based use was associated with lower self-esteem. Using the platform to interact was positively related to self-esteem, highlighting how different modes of engagement can shape perceptions about individual and collective health.

To Turn To Wind, Savannah Butler

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The thesis is a poetry collection, titled To turn to wind. Each poem is distinct but connected, in turn creating a narrative, serial poem that explores an individual’s relationship with poetry and nature. There are four sections where the speaker a metamorphic journey, and the end of each section leads to the beginning of the next. The poems are written in free verse, and each individual line is indicative of the poet’s breath and wind patterns to further develop the themes of unity and poetry, as well as “form as an extension of content”.

The poems are inquisitive and seek …

Some Sonnets, Caleb Merritt

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This thesis, titled some sonnets, is an exploration of generative practices, language gathering, and experimental fragmentation that manifests in a “cacophony of voices.” Parallel to and estranged from the traditional sonnet form, these poems emerge from a collaged and sculpted approach to Poetry, which places the work more on the side of conceptual art than traditional collection of verse.

The sonnets are recursive, referencing their own making, their own debatable status as “poems,” and the language that populates them. Here, meaning is offered in fragmented ways, inviting a small readership to attempt to parse these quasiautobiographical viewings and compositions. The …

The Wicks They Stimulate, Adam Ray Wagner

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Wicks They Stimulate is a collection of poems and translations. Through a variety of forms and images, the poems were written with a predominant attention to concentration, clarity, and persona. The poems use tone and rhythm to work through different phenomenological perspectives to see words or phrases from changing angles, often employing spare language and short lines, but sometimes using longer, more prosaic forms.

Engaged with the philosophies of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Emmanuel Levinas, these poems pair subtly changing rhythms with shifting pronouns to engage questions about rhythm and alterity. Fragmented syntax and heavy enjambment draw attention to the …

A Wicked Game, Andrew Nikonowicz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A Wicked Gameis an installation comprised of a video game in an arcade cabinet, photographs, sound, and sculpture. The installation explores the complexity of play and personal memory. Working from the concept of “wicked” (Epstein) learning environments – domains with hidden rules, unstable structures, and inconsistent feedback – the project constructs a playable space, where players must navigate an inhospitable environment, echoing the experience of living in a world that resists accommodation.

The installation centers around an all-black arcade cabinet placed in a darkened gallery space, inviting visitors to play A Wicked Game. The game demands the player …

A Word From The Writing Team (May 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Hemma Murali, Ms

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Publication Spotlight
• Two Ways to Fund Open Access Fees
• Mark Your Calendar for the Drs. Theresa and Charles Yeo Writing Prize Reception & Reading (See Flyer)
• Citation Manager Updates
• Check out the Instructional Design Team’s Podcast, The Learning Curve!
• Looking for Your Next Read?
• The OPWPC Canvas Page Offers Helpful Tools

A Love Letter To Puerto Rico: Reggaetón As A Platform For Anti-Colonial Protest And Bad Bunny's Advocacy For Indigenous Sovereignty, Skye L. Gonzalez

Honors College Theses

This study explores the intersections of colonial history, cultural identity, and musical resistance through a rhetorical analysis of Bad Bunny’s 2025 album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Grounded in the context of Puerto Rico’s colonial relationship with the United States, I examine how reggaetón — a genre historically rooted in resistance — continues to serve as a platform for political expression and cultural reclamation. As reggaetón moves into the global mainstream, questions arise around the tension between commercial success and cultural authenticity. Focusing on Bad Bunny as both a cultural icon and political figure, this thesis considers how Debí Tirar …

“But Where Are Those Good Old-Fashioned Values?”—The Racial Politics Of Animated Satire In Family Guy, Jordanne Greenidge

Master's Theses

Few animated shows have shaped American pop culture quite like Family Guy. Known for its rapid-fire cutaway gags and irreverent humor, the series has remained a television mainstay since its debut in 1999, despite frequent criticism and even two cancellations. Created by Seth MacFarlane and based on his 1995 student film The Life of Larry, Family Guy has built its reputation on pushing the boundaries of taste, especially when it comes to race, gender, and politics. Though often defended as satire, the show’s use of racial humor raises questions about its true impact: Do its portrayals of Black characters challenge …

The Adirondack Frontier: Reclaiming A Vital Role In Shaping The Nation, Peter Nelson

Master's Theses

The traditional version of Adirondack history from the revolutionary period to the middle of the nineteenth century, which portrays the region as unexplored primeval wilderness, is nineteenth-century romantic mythology. It ignores thousands of years of Indigenous habitation and misrepresents early Euro-American activity in the region as well. In fact, from the earliest days of colonial exploration of North America until the middle of the 19th-Century, New York's Adirondack region was a dynamic American frontier, as important in shaping the destiny of the nation as the Northwest Territory or, later, the West. Activities in the Adirondack frontier contributed to the decimation …

Reclaiming The Body: A Womanist Bioethics Approach To Christian Authoritarianism, Laron Bryant Dowdell

Yale Divinity School Theses

This paper uses womanist bioethics as a theoretical lens to explore how authoritarian leadership practices violate Black women's well-being and autonomy. Womanist bioethics uniquely centers Black women's lived experiences, integrating spiritual, historical, and social dimensions of justice that mainstream bioethics often ignores. The womanist bioethics framework is applied to critique religious authoritarianism and to propose alternative leadership models rooted in shared leadership and communal accountability. The discussion unfolds in four parts: (1) how womanist bioethics critiques the bodily and moral harm authoritarian leadership inflicts on Black women, (2) testimonials of Black women who resisted high-control church systems, (3) an exploration …

Double, Double, Toils And Troubles: Analyzing The “Magical” Relationships Between University Leaders’ Personality Traits And Their Self-Efficacy In Leadership Situations, Fay Ludvine Boudreaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This present study investigated the relationship between higher education leaders’ personality traits and their self-efficacy in leadership situations. A total of 151 leaders employed across the nine institutions within the University of Louisiana System completed a survey that prompted them to identify their personal values, traits, and skill sets, as derived from the online Pottermore quiz, the official Harry Potter Hogwarts House sorting instrument. This niche personality metric was chosen to cater to higher education’s evolving landscape, as it welcomes an influx of Millennials into leadership positions. Participants’ responses were eventually recoded to “sort” them into their respective Houses: Gryffindor, …

Realm Bound, Kailee D. Bal

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Kailee Bal paints stills from branching video games narratives to explore the anxieties reflected in everyday decision making. She photographs her everyday life that mimics the aesthetics of video games that blur the line between the escape to virtual worlds combined with the escape found in the act of painting and taking photographs. These are usually moments in a game where the player must make a choice that determines the next objective.

Bal uses imagery from video games within the horror genre as the landscape to explore difficulties of anxiety and apprehension in daily life. Her subject matter focuses on …

A Tale Of Two Women, Cassady Brown

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Descent Into The Wild: Nature, Nudity, And The Night, Mary E. Adams

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

My work explores the intersection of vulnerability, autonomy, and the female form by placing nude self-portraits within expressive, psychological landscapes. Drawing from historical representations of women in art, I subvert traditional narratives that have romanticized and objectified the female body, instead presenting figures that exist on their own terms. The night, with its inherent intimacy and uncertainty, deepens this exploration, amplifying themes of exposure, solitude, and self-reclamation.

Through large-scale oil paintings, I engage with ecofeminist ideas, paralleling the exploitation of women and nature while resisting their passive idealization. These figures are not objects of consumption but active presences navigating the …

The Camera’S Sanctuary: Photographing The Queer Gardens Of The Vieux Carré, Tyler Rosebush

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the French Quarter courtyard as a site of queer sanctuary, memory, and community through a lens-based artistic practice. Drawing on historical and contemporary photographs, installations, and collaborations with friends and community members, the work examines how gardens and courtyards have long functioned as both physical and metaphysical spaces of refuge for the queer community in New Orleans. The project is grounded in both archival recovery and contemporary practice, combining the still image with sculptural installations that reframe the visual vernacular of gay clubs within these historic spaces. By slowing down the photographic process and attuning to both …