Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Incoherence Of Orientalists, Sarah Zaid Alafifi

Theses and Dissertations

Orientalism, the Western practice of fetishizing cultures, extends beyond mere misrepresentation of the “other;” it epitomizes the underlying structures of colonialism and imperialism, infiltrating everyday life and eroding the moral fabric of Islamic society.

This thesis analyzes colonial control through the exercise of political power and the production of knowledge, investigating key events related to Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign and the narratives of resistance that emerged in opposition to it.

Through the lens of this 18th-century expedition, the study examines how Western knowledge systematically contributed to the dismantling of Islamic systems of knowledge. Select phrases from Colonial-era printed proclamations are extracted …

Fundamentals Of Photography And Creative Practice, Jessica Labatte, Larissa K. Garcia

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

Photography has long been thought of as an accurate representation of the world. A tension, nonetheless, exists between photography as factual record and as constructed image. In this introductory digital photography text, students explore this tension by learning the basic functions of digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras and how to use them to create photographic images.

Advanced-Level Writing In The University Classroom And Beyond: Mindful Practices For Technical, Business, And Scientific Communication, Dawn Atkinson, Stacey Corbitt

Writing

No abstract provided.

The Nebulous Binaries Of C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, Amantia Menalla

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Much of C.S. Lewis’ novel Till We Have Faces can be examined through one of two binaries. The tension between rationality, or reason, and spirituality, or religion, is one of the core facets of both the text and its main character, Orual. Orual feels the pull of both ideas and thus spends most of the novel in a nebulous space between them. This tension is further complicated by the space between the feminine and the masculine which she also inhabits. By covering her face and body, Orual de-emphasizes her feminine identity and takes on a masculine role, dressing as a …

Exploring Positive Discourse Analysis In Selected Harvard Commencement Speeches: An Interactional Metadiscourse Analysis., Hala Shaker Hammad

English Language and Literature

Positive Discourse Analysis (PDA) shifts the focus of Critical Discourse Analysis from detecting injustices to finding and endorsing more positive alternatives. Commencement speeches are practical examples of PDA. Speakers employ metadiscourse markers in their speeches to inspire the audience in an attempt to modify their attitudes, sentiments and actions. The role of metadiscourse marks is more crucial in spoken genre as managing spoken interaction is greater in ‘real time’ in front of audience. The current study has examined the metadiscourse markers in six Harvard commencement speeches that offer inspiring messages of justice, courage, resilience, empathy as identified by The Harvard …

Foucault, Michel. Nietzsche: Cours, Conferences Et Travaux. Edited By Bernard E. Harcourt, Paris: Seuil/Gallimard, 2024 (In French) [Book Review], Dana Neacsu

Law Faculty Publications

Today, the defining event of our Western civilization is generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Philosophically, it might be grounded in Walter Benjamin’s The Metaphysics of Youth where Benjamin’s return to an age of eternal youth, which, due to its lack of memory,⁴ aligns with the ethos of GenAI. Memory seems enough for those who remember the subject matter, the color, or the sound of what they seek in GenAI chats. It becomes adequate as we grow accustomed to summaries of “unread” texts, such as those by Benjamin.⁵ Unlike the AI era of Google searches, which provided an unlimited sea …

Its Just A Ride, Pat Loricco

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis presents a detailed exploration of the Technical Director's role in a theatrical production through the experience of the production of Ride the Cyclone at West Virginia University. The author covers every stage of the process from budgeting, drafting, and the build, to load-in, technical rehearsals, and strike. Each chapter offers valuable insights into the challenges faced by Technical Directors, from coordinating personnel to managing resources effectively. The narrative is enriched by personal reflections, highlighting the author's growth and lessons learned throughout the production journey. Additionally, this document serves as a comprehensive resource for aspiring Technical Directors, providing guidance …

The Names Of All Wild Things: Field Guides And Environmental Thinking, Frank Izaguirre Phd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The project first traces the earliest origins of natural history writing, surveying how natural history writing from antiquity presented and categorized the living world, and then how the rise of print culture and growing popularity of natural history writing would facilitate the rise of European empires. Values and conventions emerged that would later feed into the field guide, like the pairing of text and illustration to aid identification and the decontextualizing of plants and animals from their environments.

Near the end of the nineteenth century, the field guide genre emerged. Some wildly popular books, mostly written by women, emphasized the …

The Line Between Man And Monster: A Theatrical Costume Design Of Caryl Churchill's The Skriker, Katrina Anne Lundquist

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Produced at West Virginia University, this is a record of the costume design process for The Skriker by Caryl Churchill. As a play about vicious folkloric faerie creatures in modern day England, there was a heavy emphasis on showcasing the difference between the human and fae characters. With such a fantastical script, there is a potential to take the design down any number of creative paths. Finding a way to cohesively costume the cast while not losing the intricacies of their individual stories became a personal priority. After coming to an agreement with the director and the rest of the …

Something From Nothing: Reimaginings, A Resource Guide For The Horn Sonata By Frank Gulino, Albert J. Houde Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since publishing his first work in 2006, American composer Frank Gulino has been the driving force behind some seventy new pieces of music. With music commissioned and performed by top professionals around the world, Gulino’s star has risen quickly backed by his prowess for writing music for brass instruments in solo works and chamber music. The subject of this document is a sonata for horn and piano entitled Reimaginings, a work commissioned by the author in 2020. This document presents a biographical sketch of the composer, an interpretation for performing the work, and suggestions for learning key skills needed …

Reconceptualizing South Asia: Bangladeshi Literature And The Politics Of Representation, Qazi Arka Rahman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I explore Bangladeshi literature’s specificity and contributions in the context South Asia. This project expands the existing oeuvre of South Asian literary and postcolonial studies by bringing Bangladeshi literature into current debates on nation, nationality, and identity. I investigate the role of literary texts in developing a national ethos by doing analysis of twentieth to twenty-first-century Bangladeshi novels – in English and Bangla – to argue the necessity of developing a temporal understanding of South Asia rather than a spatial one. The dissertation demonstrates how Bangladeshi novels have contributed to and subverted the idea of “imagined community” following Bangladesh’s independence …

Guiseppe De Nittis's Cityscapes Of Paris: Images Of Modernity 1875-1875, Catherine W. Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The artist Guiseppe De Nittis (1846-1884) created paintings between 1874-1875 reflecting his own experiences while living in and around the sixteenth arrondissment in Paris, France. De Nittis produced a distinctive perspective of Paris as it was being shaped by modernity and populated by the growing bourgeoisie. De Nittis’ interpreted fleeting views of Paris undergoing renovations. For example, De Nittis’ depicted freshly widened streets, public parks, and landmarks shrouded in scaffolding. De Nittis’ transient subject matter was further characterized by the portrayal of bourgeois figures in temporary Parisian moments. In summation, De Nittis’ compositions are a distinctive representation of Paris’s evolution …

Lgbtq+ Clothing Habits In Appalachia, Kirstyn Korte

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated clothing preferences among cisgender queer women within Appalachia and whether they used these preferences to identify their own peers. It also further investigated whether they use clothing as a tool to conceal or reveal their own LGBTQ+ identity. Participants were invited for two interviews each. Between interviews, there was a one-week rumination period for each woman. The women reported themes of using clothing to blend in with their hetero-normative surroundings as they grew up and now lean into a more alternative style and less narrow-minded view of clothing. Perspectives gained from interviewees lined up with current knowledge …

Historical Evolution Of The Late 20th-Century Maritime Claims, The Concept Of The Nine-Dash Line, And The Dispute In The South China Sea, Kamil Nowak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study discusses the origins and development of the South China Sea dispute. It briefly analyzes the overlapping maritime claims, their justifications and legal aspects, and key clashes between the actors across the second half of the 20th century. It uses a historical perspective to assess the present-day conflict. The study discusses the impact of international agreements, national policies, claimants' domestic factors, and external influences connected to the geopolitical situation of the period to determine how they influenced the dispute. The analysis reveals that amidst more pressing global events, the South China Sea issue was frequently overlooked by the international …

Extracting Meaning: Museums, Power, And Shaping The Story Of Coal, Danielle Marie Petrak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Organized into four case studies, this dissertation investigates how longstanding power relationships in the Central Appalachian coalfields have shaped the preservation and presentation of mining history at museums and historic sites. It contributes to scholarship in the fields of public history and Appalachian history by exploring how apolitical, noncritical, and biased narratives at mining history sites have obstructed the public’s acknowledgement of larger forces and systems that govern Appalachian society and often bring harm and misinformation to coalfield residents. To present more exhaustive, nuanced, and innovative interpretations of bituminous coal mining’s past and present, museums and historic sites must redirect …

Incorporating Keyboard Literature In The Undergraduate And Graduate Piano Performance Curriculums, Yangyang Cao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper presents suggestions for the incorporation of piano literature and performance practice courses into university curricula. The prevalence of piano literature in American universities is examined, highlighting the necessity to promote its inclusion in Chinese universities. The significance of piano literature and performance practice courses for piano performance students is explored for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Included are selected readings and detailed sample syllabi of potential courses to be offered by college and university music programs.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’S Sonata In C Minor, Wq. 65/31: A Study Of Performance Practice, Weiyang Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation discusses concepts of performance practice in Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's keyboard works, including historical instruments, fingering, articulation, ornamentation, dynamics, rhythm, and other related topics. It provides an interpretive analysis of C. P. E. Bach's Sonata in C Minor, Wq. 65/31, for keyboard, as a way to discuss the application of these issues. Additionally, this dissertation includes a brief biography of C. P. E. Bach, a list of his keyboard works, and a discography of current and historical recordings of the Sonata in C Minor, Wq. 65/31.

Political Agency In The Occupied House: Reconstructing Memory Through Squatter Resilience At Topf And Sons Historical Museum, Ebony Taylor Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the Holocaust the company of J.A Topf and Sons refocused their production to produce and improve a design for corpse incineration ovens. Their contributions streamlined the efficiency and performance of the death camps adding to the mounting death toll. Years after these evens the company grounds were abandoned and then given life again by a leftist youth movement. The squatter’s reinterpreted the history, led tours and utilized the grounds to create a third place for community, art and music. When the city decided to recognize the history of the company, the squatters were forcefully removed, and the building transformed …

Capacitación Para Padres Y Maestros Hispanos Del Ministerio Infantil En La Conferencia De Potomac De Los Adventistas Del Séptimo Día Respecto A La Transmisión De Creencias Y Valores, Ana Maria Benzaquen

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The author of this project perceived, during the more than 30 years she served in Children’s Ministry in various locations around the world, that Adventist parents (as well as Children’s Ministry teachers) generally want to pass on to their children and students the beliefs and values they themselves hold so dear. Even outside the church setting, the transmission of values has been touted as the hallmark of successful socialization (Danioni, 2024). However, the results are not always as desired in society, and even in the church. One study revealed in 2006 that 61 percent of young people around twenty …

Implementación De Un Seminario De Educación Sexual Para Matrimonios En La Iglesia Adventista Del Séptimo Día De Satélite, México, Josué Omar Martínez Grimaldo

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Satellite District is composed of four churches belonging to the Seventh-day Adventist Association the Central Mexican Union, which maintains a limited and reduced teaching on the topic of marital sex education, despite the availability of governmental information, denominational publications, and other resources which indicates that it has been omitted from church programming for the last ten years. Within this context, the following research question was formulated: How does the lack of guidance and information on sexual education impact the marriages of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Satelite District in the second semester of 2023?

Methodology

The researcher …

A Critical Event Narrative Analysis Of African Women Immigrant Entrepreneurs In The United States: Impacts Before, During, And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Damilola T. Fasinu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This doctoral research presents a qualitative critical event narrative study focused on African Women Immigrant Entrepreneurs (AWIE) in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aims to explore the unique challenges, coping mechanisms, and resilience strategies of AWIE by examining their experiences before, during, and after the pandemic. The research is driven by three guiding questions: (1) How do AWIE describe their experience before the pandemic? (2) During the pandemic? (3) After the pandemic? This inquiry provides a comprehensive narrative, capturing the challenges and successes experienced in the pre-pandemic environment, documenting the immediate impacts of the pandemic on …

The Perceived Effects Of Peer-Assisted Learning In A Collegiate Instrumental Pedagogy Classroom, Hannah Wagoner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) is an approach that teachers can use in the classroom to increase students’ ownership of their learning. Besides increased autonomy, PAL can provide several other academic and social benefits, such as increased achievement and fostering a sense of community. This study aimed to examine the effects of PAL on college students’ performance on a secondary instrument. Five students in a collegiate instrumental pedagogy course experienced PAL activities in class while learning secondary instruments. After a statistical and content analysis of all the data, results showed that 1) all but one of the participants improved in their performance …

Isabella: An Eternal Badass An Actor’S Exploration On Healing, Forgiveness, And Learning To Embrace The Messiness Through Isabella In William Shakespeare’S Measure For Measure, Shelby E. Garrett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis not only delves into the acting methods used to portray Shakespeare's Isabella in West Virginia University's spring 2023 production of Measure for Measure, but also examines the innovative approach of interpreting the character through the perspective of an older actor. It will examine acting techniques such as Meisner, Fitzmaurice Voicework®, yoga, and chakra work, detailing their influence on character development. From audition to performance, this document will track my journey, capturing personal insights through journal entries, sound bites, and images that helped in shaping a more mature Isabella. Additionally, it explores how actors navigate personal challenges during …

Does It Sound Like I'M Talking?, Justin E. Borak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, better known by his stage name, Molière, was widely known as one of the greatest writers in France. His biting satirical thoughts on French hypocrisy, as well as the brilliance in his verse, will be investigated through one of his most popular plays, The Misanthrope. Throughout these pages, I will explore this by diving into the character of Philinte, the trusted best friend of Alceste, the misanthrope, and take a deeper look into the empathetic character who is desperately trying to walk the line of truth and bootlicking. I will accomplish this by researching Molière himself, his specific …

From Class To Craft: An Investigation Into The Practice Of Acting Techniques Applied To Angelo In Shakespeare’S Measure For Measure, Charles Wesley Meeks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document examines the character development and performance process of Angelo in Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. This production was directed by Professor Jerry McGonigle and performed in the mainstage season of 2022-2023 School of Theatre & Dance at West Virginia University. The ensuing text will outline the production process from the actor’s point of view including preparations, auditions, casting, rehearsals, performances, and final reflection. This text will include historical research, personal and directorial notes, textual analysis, table work and discussion, acting techniques, training, and education applied throughout the production period, and reflections of these experiences and discoveries.

Tragedy Personified: Crafting The Role Of Carol In Alice Birch's Anatomy Of A Suicide, Josey Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the document is to chronicle the character creation of Carol in West Virginia University’s fall 2023 production of Alice Birch’s Anatomy of a Suicide. The following text will provide a detailed look at research on the playwright and my personal textual analysis in tandem with consultations with mental health professionals. It will also describe how those resources in collaboration with imaginative work via the techniques of Sanford Meisner, Fitzmaurice Voicework®, and intentional intimacy choreography were utilized in the rehearsal and performance process. In summation, it will also include post-production evaluations from loved ones and mentors as well …

Contentment And Control: The Stonega Coke & Coal Company & Pioneering Welfare Capitalism In Southwest Virginia, Christopher Lloyd Tomlinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Founded in 1902, the Stonega Coke & Coal Company was the largest coal operator in Virginia throughout the twentieth century, becoming even larger through its merger with the Westmoreland Coal Company in 1964. Over the course of this long history, the company used a brand of welfare capitalism aimed at keeping miners and their families satisfied enough with their living and working conditions that the workers would develop a sense of loyalty to the company. Management at SC&C termed these practices “contentment sociology.” While many coal operators began shifting away from such practices during the New Deal, SC&C maintained and …

At The Table, Payton Olivia Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts exhibition, At the Table. This document, as well as my artwork, investigates the profound impact that food has on one’s life by strengthening connections with others, upholding traditions, and cherishing memories. It also elaborates on the inspirations, research, and experimentation utilized in the process of creating the exhibition. Through an array of paintings, mixed media, and sculptural work, this exhibition is intended to depict my own personal experiences and memories in relation to food.

Although I am making autobiographical artwork, I am also trying to portray the …

Ask The Duke, Why: How Fabrications Can Undermine Impact In Shakespeare’S Measure For Measure, Spencer D. Hansen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following document recounts the observations and consequences that result from my attempts at justifying the actions of Duke Vincentio in Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure. By following my experience through the duration of West Virginia University’s 2023 production of Measure for Measure, I examine the ramifications of justifying the Duke’s actions and the potentially harmful consequences such justifications could create with regard to the play’s reception. Additionally, this text outlines performance techniques, audience responses, rehearsal strategies, and progressive interpretations for one of Shakespeare’s most challenging characters in one of his most divisive plays.

Uncovering The Emotional Line: An Analysis Of Three David Maslanka Wind Ensemble Works Using Formal Emotive Intensity Analysis, Michael John Kahle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

David Maslanka (1943–2017) was a prolific American composer who wrote most frequently for the medium of concert band/wind ensemble. His music is frequently performed by ensembles around the world. Due to his more intuitive and idiosyncratic compositional style, Maslanka would center what he described as the “emotional line” of the work, certain aspects of his music are undetected by traditional analytical models. Formal Emotive Intensity Analysis bridges that gap to focus on the supposed emotional line within Maslanka’s work. Through a case study of three of Maslanka’s works for wind band, The Seeker, Concerto No. 3 for Piano and Wind …