Arts and Humanities Commons^™

In Plain Sight Mural, Mahnoor Mamood

Calliope

No abstract provided.

Yeule Eko Poster, Edel Razo

Calliope

No abstract provided.

“Red” 40, Caroline Rivera

Calliope

No abstract provided.

The Bench, Tristan Allen

Calliope

No abstract provided.

For How I Should Bloom, Achish Enriquez

Calliope

No abstract provided.

Rise Within, Traveon Jefferson

Calliope

No abstract provided.

Empty Cups, Viiu

Calliope

No abstract provided.

Waihe‘E, Mōhailani Peloso

Calliope

No abstract provided.

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

Child Empowerment And Safeguarding In The Uae: The Role Of Picturebooks For Emirati Children, Sarah Laura Nesti Willard, Fawzia Gilani-Williams

CoHSS Faculty Work

This paper presents a reflective ethnography documenting the creation and use of picturebooks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aimed at supporting the safeguarding of children within English Language Teaching (ELT) contexts for primary and lower secondary students. It explores the collaboration between an author and an illustrator in developing books that align with the principles of Wadeema’s Law, the Child Protection Law of 2016. These picturebooks are designed to safeguard children’s psychological and emotional well-being, facilitate bibliotherapy, and promote learning across curricula. They serve as informational, inspirational, and discussion texts that contribute to raising awareness of child rights, particularly …

“How Close To The Edge We Are”: Ecologically Reading The Frontiers Of Joan Didion’S Early Nonfiction, Mia R. Speller

Honors Theses

Joan Didion’s work is heavily regional and rooted in place, whether that be the place about which she writes or, by contrast, the place she leaves in order to do her writing. This place-based context takes root in many American ideologies and mythos, like that of the frontier mentality and golden dream. For this reason, exploring Didion’s use of natural metaphor and description as she discusses various cultural phenomena is essential to understanding the layers of her social critiques of 1960’s and 1970’s American culture, especially as they reflect on the failures of the frontier ideology. Further, looking at her …

Urinetown: A Lighting Designer’S Process, Caroline Nowak

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

This thesis describes the design and production process of the lighting design for the musical Urinetown, written by Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann, featuring music by Mark Hollmann, produced by The Nebraska Repertory Theatre in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Glenn Korff School of Music, performed in the Howell Theatre from April 25th, 2025, to May 3rd, 2025. Urinetown was directed by Ann Marie Pollard, with musical direction by Suna Gunther. The creative team included scenic designer Sariah Roberts, costume designer Breeanna Pierce, and lighting designer Caroline Nowak. The production team included technical director Ashley Faulkner and stage …

A Phenomenological Study: African American Female Millennial Church Attendance And The Implications Of Spiritual Formation, Licia Williams-Hawthorne

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a quiet exodus from the church amongst African American female millennials. In church, Christians gather for corporate worship, a renewal of faith through sermons and songs, and to strengthen spiritual formation. This study aimed to highlight the lived experiences to connect church leadership with raw data from a subpopulation that the church cannot leave behind. The theory guiding this study is the Phenomenological Theory as defined by Husserl (1859-1938) and supported by Peoples (2021) as it allows the researcher to uncover the experiences that shaped this population's decision to no longer regularly attend church. Three research questions defined …

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 …

Transitions Of Faith: Navigating Pastoral Changes In Small African American Churches, Joshua O. Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of African American pastors aged 65 and older as they navigate leadership transitions within small churches in Florida. These churches, characterized by the absence of formal succession planning support from a parent organization, serve as critical pillars in their communities. Guided by Bridges' Transition Theory, this research investigated the emotional, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of pastoral transitions, focusing on the stages of 'Ending, Losing, and Letting Go,' 'Neutral Zone,' and 'New Beginning' (Bridges, 1980). Data collection methods included a pre-qualifying survey, individual interviews, and focus group discussions, analyzed through thematic analysis supported by …

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 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 …

The ‘Monuments Men’ And Art In World War Ii, Sylvester M. Felder

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research focuses on the 'Monuments Men,’ a group of civilian and military personnel from amongst the Allied Nations in World War II who dedicated themselves to protecting, preserving, and reclaiming Europe's artistic and architectural marvels. The thesis statement is art was highly valued by both sides during the war and fell into their operational and tactical planning and that the 'Monuments Men' were crucial to rescuing looted art and helping to establish some of the finest art institutions of the Western world, aiding in art provenance research and restitution. The dominant research question is why was art sought after …

Developing Divine Love Into Christoform Obedience: Understanding And Applying The Theological Framework Of Divine Love In A Measurable Growth Praxis, Jayson Pengra Derowitsch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to analyze the growth outcomes of participants from a curriculum intervention on divine love with the goal of Christoform obedience. The point of the curriculum was to define divine love properly by using synthesized vantage points derived from precedent literature. These vantage points were developed into a four-step praxis of transformation in divine love. This praxis was the capstone of the curriculum. Three methods of data retrieval were used throughout the intervention process to target intellectual concept improvement, self-assessment improvement, and praxis improvement. As a result of the data, it was determined that fifty …

Medusa's Metamorphosis: Art, Mythology, And The Changing Perception Of Female Power, Elizabeth Kehr

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

The evolution of Medusa’s iconography in ancient Greek art mirrors societal and cultural transformations. As attitudes shifted in relation to gender roles, power relationships, and morality changed, so too did images of the Gorgon. Following the course of development of Medusa’s image allows one to discover details of the thoughts and struggles the ancient Greeks had with concepts of power, womanhood, and monstrosity and otherness. Previous art historical research on Medusa has largely examined her function and evolution of visual depictions from the Archaic monster to Classical ideal. Few, however, have explored how and why these changes may be indicative …

Illustrating Identity: Ethel Reed’S Art Posters And Women's Claims To Public Space In Fin-De-Siècle Boston, Miranda R. Knofczynski

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

Much scholarship has uncovered the history of women illustrators during the late nineteenth century. The rebuilding of these lost histories calls for research which theorizes women’s contributions to the burgeoning arts scene of the fin-de-siècle. This thesis will examine the posters Ethel Reed created for different companies during the height of the 1890s poster craze and discuss how she articulated women in public space in them. Reed’s art offers an aestheticized yet feminist visualization of women engaging in leisure activities such as exploring the city, reading, or attending the theatre. Many have described the women in her posters as merely …

A Curriculum To Cultivate Whole Musicians: A New Approach To Aural Skills Instructions Promoting Student Success In Other Music Classrooms, Caden J. Hirsch

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, Student Creative Work, and Performances

The following thesis is founded on the construction of a new undergraduate aural skills curriculum. While many aural skills methods may exploit some varieties in exercise and assessment formats, this method attends to and prioritizes the advantages of those formats more purposefully, thus being more transparent toward students in their learning and introducing certain agency they may hold in their studies.

Students undergo a 5-semester curriculum in this method, organized into a fundamentals semester, and Aural Skills courses 1, 2, 3, and 4, the last of which is split into two modular options. Students who participate in this curriculum are …

Mediated Dwelling: Reconstructing The Contemporary Home Space, Nicholas Carraher

Masters in Architecture Program: Theses

As online social media platforms become dominant areas for self-expression, professional opportunity, and cultural exchange, the role of typical residential architecture in contemporary society is changing to meet the demands of this visually driven and performative culture. Social media’s emphasis on aesthetic appeal, shareability, and curated authenticity challenges traditional architectural paradigms that prioritize functionality, spatial quality, and privacy. This change coincides with the broader Western cultural shift in ideals and social dynamics of the contemporary user. The home space, a once-private refuge, has been redefined in the age of online social media, where physical space is endlessly curated to align …

Language, Equity, And Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Student Conduct Policies At Unl, Mandi Laib

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study conducts a Critical Discourse Analysis of student conduct policies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from 1977 to 2003 to examine how language reflects and reinforces institutional power structures. Utilizing Critical Race Theory and Queer Theory, this research investigates how conduct policies have historically marginalized Students of Color, LGBTQ+ students, and those facing economic hardship. Through a deductive coding process, themes such as institutional control, surveillance, and punitive framing were identified across four decades of student handbooks. While there are moments where student rights and restorative justice are acknowledged, these are often overshadowed by dominant discourse that prioritizes compliance …

A Descriptive Study Exploring The Role Church Leaders Have In Maintaining Liberty Within A Free Republic, Rashad R. Gibson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study explored the assumptions, perceptions, and understood responsibility of church leaders in New England to maintain liberty and virtue in a free republic. The theory that guided this study is transformational leadership, as it emphasizes morality in both the leader and the follower (Burns, 1978; Northouse, 2015). Within the last six decades, the United States Supreme Court has made rulings to remove from public schools, prayer, general Bible reading, and the Ten Commandments (Abington School District V. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963); Facts and Case Summary - Engel V. Vitale, 1962; Stone V. Graham, …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Individuals Who Participated In Pastoral Counseling And Discipleship Within The Assemblies Of God In Washington State, Jonathan J. Burger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of individuals who participated in pastoral counseling and discipleship within the Assemblies of God in Washington State. The first focus of this study was to describe congregants’ experiences with pastoral counseling in Assemblies of God churches in the state of Washington. Secondly, this study sought to understand and uncover any themes, trends, or influences that emerged from participants' experiences within pastoral counseling and discipleship. Four themes emerged from this study: Theme One: There is Power in Relationships, Theme Two: Pastoral Counseling is Foundational to Healing and Growth, Theme Three: The Impact of …

Using Technology Responsibly To Align Church Ministry With God's Plan, Sandra Rolon-Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The proliferation of digital technologies, including live-streaming services, online community platforms, and virtual events, is revolutionizing the operational dynamics of church ministries. Churches of all sizes are embracing these changes to expand their influence, engage with members in new ways, and enhance the impact of digital technology on their ministry. Implementing digital transformation has led to innovative approaches in worship services, outreach programs, and community engagement, enabling churches to meet the evolving needs of their congregation and the broader community.

This dissertation-in-praxis explores the broader biblical and theological significance to gain a deeper understanding and demonstrate the practical application of …

“What Is Good For The Children Of Man To Do”: Ecclesiastes And The Covenant Instruction, Elaine A. Higgins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The epilogue of Ecclesiastes may be considered an addition by a redactor in an attempt ensure theological orthodoxy to a writing which is often thought to have little in common with the remainder of Scripture. However, this research proposes that the concluding statements of Ecclesiastes cohere with the overarching message of the book and are based on connections to the covenant instruction in Genesis and Deuteronomy. Moreover, the concluding statement is consistent with the New Testament epistle of James. Thus, human beings should conduct their lives in reverent fear of the covenant making God who has given his people the …

Christian Nationalism: Comparing Sociological Critiques To Christian Political Theologies, Daniel Christopher Samms

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The definition of Christian Nationalism which attempts to link White Nationalism to Christian appeals to God as the basis for justice is not reflective of any prominent, contemporary version of Christian political theology. This is demonstrated through an analysis of the prominent definition of Christian Nationalism used by sociologists such as Samuel L. Perry, Andrew L. Whitehead, and Joshua B. Grubbs as well as an analysis of three prominent Christian approaches to Christian Nationalism and their respective approaches to the basis for civil law in the public square.