Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Making The Invisible Visible: How Contemporary Artists Depict The Climate Crisis Through Visual And Conceptual Strategies, Isabella Ray

MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations

This dissertation examines how contemporary artists depict the environmental consequences of climate change through visual and conceptual strategies. Through the examination of different artworks: Olafur Eliasson’s Ice Watch (2014-2018) and Your Waste of Time (2006), John Gerrard’s Western Flag (Spindletop, Texas) (2017), and Mary Mattingly’s Waterpod (2009) and Swale (2016-2020), this research analyzes how site, material choice, and civic participation create ecological awareness and model possible futures. Eliasson’s installations prompt phenomenological engagement with melting glacial ice and temporalities beyond human perception; Gerrard’s real-time simulations critique humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels through the digital presentation of a perpetual burning flag; Mattingly’s …

Unmaking The Anthropocene: Colonial Violence, Racial Visuality, And Extractive Capitalism, Jiwon Ko

MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations

This dissertation examines how the works of Sammy Baloji, Otobong Nkanga, and Anna Boghiguian—specifically …and to those North Sea waves whispering sunken stories (II) (2021), Solid Maneuvers (2015), and The Salt Traders (2015)— offer critical reconfigurations of the Anthropocene. Bringing together the frameworks of Black Anthropocenes and the visuality of the Anthropocene, the study argues that the environmental crisis cannot be understood as a universal human condition but must be read through the racialised geologies, extractive histories, and visual regimes inherited from colonial modernity. Through strategies of installation, performance, and speculative narration, these artists reveal the uneven material and perceptual …

Playing In The Field: Carrie Mae Weems Exploration Of Black Mobility, Through Diasporic, Temporal, And Visual Movement, Tobi Alexandra Falade

MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the notion of diaspora, as a framework to explore the use of movement within the lens-based work of Carrie Mae Weems. This study is largely carried out through Leave! Leave Now! 2022, a twenty-five-minute video installation sectioned into five parts and staged within a traditional movie theatre. The artwork explores the journey, real-life disappearance and reappearance of sharecropper Frank Weems—the artists grandfather—through a diasporic tale interwoven with critical questions about migration and its historical and future consequences. The first chapter “Diasporic Journeys”, explores enforced journeys and the diasporic experiences at large. The second chapter, “Temporal Movement”, explores …

On Liminality: Rachel Whiteread & Archiving The In-Between, Natalie Emmerman

MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations

This dissertation examines the sculptural practice of Rachel Whiteread (b. 1963) through the lens of liminality, the uncanny, and the archive. By casting the negative spaces of everyday objects, domestic interiors, and monumental architecture, Whiteread materializes absence and transforms overlooked objects and spaces into solid, lasting forms. Her work destabilizes binary categories such as presence and absence, private and public, representation and abstraction, and permanence and ephemerality, exposing memory as fragile, discontinuous and often ghostly. Drawing on theoretical frameworks rooted in psychoanalysis, photography, time and space, this study explores Whiteread’s practice as a form of sculptural archivization.

Analysis is structured …

To What Extent Can Scent Enhance, Translate And Democratise Contemporary Art Exhibitions, While Simultaneously Creating Mutual Commercial Benefit?, Cosima Davenport

MA in Luxury Business Dissertations

This dissertation explored the under-examined integration of scent within contemporary art exhibitions, projected to be a market of significant growth. At present, scent’s neurological impact within memory recall and emotional stimulation are well documented by supporting physiological literature, however in the historical context of art integration it has had a complex and often marginalised relationship perceived as both a promising innovation and an over-commodified disruptor. The research sought to explore to what extent the addition of perfumes may enhance the overall experience, accessibility, and commercial potential with a range of industry professionals and consumers. Using purposive and volunteer sampling a …

Art & Luxury: Perceiving Value: How Generation Z Interprets Cultural And Social Meaning In Luxury And Art Collaborations, Michele Saad

MA in Luxury Business Dissertations

Luxury and art collaborations have evolved from rare creative experiments into a familiar part of brand storytelling, yet most research still focuses on what brands want to communicate rather than how audiences perceive these projects. This study explores how Generation Z (GZ) interprets the cultural and social value of such collaborations.

A qualitative approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews supported by visual prompts with 16 participants aged 19 to 29. The analysis is structured around six recurring themes: artistic expression and aesthetics, social engagement and philanthropy, sustainability and environmental awareness, experiential and immersive encounters, commercial and hype-driven partnerships, and architectural …

Good Girl Bootcamp: Performative Femininity, Purity Culture, And Other Things Girls Are Taught, Kiersten Holland

Masters Theses

Performative femininity is a dangerous and controlling idea that subjugates women and places their inherent worth on how well they can conform to societal standards in male dominated spaces. Consequently, the reactionary messaging that surfaced as a result of these social pressures created a series of stereotypical female characterizations often depicted in the material and visual cultures of each period. By comparing contemporary literature with literature from the Victorian time period, it emphasizes the longstanding and controlling gender stereotypes pervasive throughout the past few centuries. This thesis attempts to understand and analyze the way that literature both critiques and supports …

Earth As Medium: Land Art And The Human Experience Of Connection To Nature, Charlotte Johnson-Watts

MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations

This dissertation examines how the Land Art of the 1960s and 1970s engaged the earth as both medium and site, foregrounding the ways in which artists constructed experiences of connection to the natural world. It focuses specifically on the practices of Michael Heizer, Robert Smithson and Richard Long, who each emerged as central figures during this period, turning to the earth itself as their primary material and rejecting traditional, commodifiable forms of art. For these artists, earthworks functioned not only as a critique of the social and political conditions of the time but also as an innovative way of re-engaging …

Urban Fieldnotes: Rematerialization, Ecological Handicraft, And Participatory Sustainability In Contemporary Art, Qihan Fu

MA in Contemporary Art Dissertations

This dissertation explores how the intertwined practices of rematerialisation and ecological handicraft can reorient contemporary art toward social, ecological, and ethical renewal. It argues that in the aftermath of Conceptual Art’s legacy of dematerialisation, where ideas eclipsed material engagement, art must rediscover its tactile, communal, and ecological intelligence to respond meaningfully to the crises of the Anthropocene. Drawing upon theorists including Lucy Lippard, Jane Bennett, Tim Ingold, and Glenn Adamson, this research proposes a triadic framework of rematerialization, ecological handcraft, and participatory sustainability that restores continuity between making, environment, and community.

The accompanying practice project, Urban Fieldnotes, situated in …

To Become More Fully Human, Mandy Luszeck, Rachel Knecht

The Utah English Journal

On September 10th, 2025, I joined a club I never wanted to join—the club of teaching at a school where an act of senseless gun violence took an individual’s life during hours meant for open dialogue and education. On the same day, the teachers at Evergreen High School also joined that club.

Engagement Is Not A Checklist, Michael S. Bowden

The Utah English Journal

A Familiar Classroom Scene

A teacher stands at the front of her classroom, mid-lesson, and scans the room to check for understanding. She sees what many teachers recognize in their classrooms every day: a sea of students, each seemingly in a different place. In the projector’s glow, she sees a few students intently taking notes on the lesson; a couple are scratching doodles on their page, one is staring straight ahead but not really interacting, and she can hear two more click-clacking on their keyboards as they are looking at something on their Chromebooks.

Four Feedback Tips For A Fifth Year, Annika Nielson

The Utah English Journal

Over the past four years of teaching writing, I’ve picked up a few lessons. One is that students will wait until the very last minute to submit a piece, no matter how much in-class drafting time I build into the schedule. Another is that many students see writing as big, bad, and boring: they have been trained to think that their writing will be corrected with red pens and long lists of mistakes.

Book Review: The Bletchley Riddle, Tiffany Bills

The Utah English Journal

Protagonist Lizzie Novis has many labels: half-Jewish, half-American, half-Polish-British, and precocious little sister. One label she refuses to adopt is orphan. The news of her mother’s presumed death upon Hitler’s invasion of Poland reaches her in 1939 London, but she refuses to let it reach her heart. She can’t believe her vibrant, independent mother Willa is not returning from an embassy assignment in Warsaw. She is determined to find out what happened to her, whether or not her older brother Jakob, busy with a mysterious new job, will help or not. But perhaps Jakob isn’t as clueless about Willa’s disappearance …

The Utah English Journal, Volume 54, 2026: Full Issue

The Utah English Journal

No abstract provided.

Book Review: From The Editor, Jace Brown

The Utah English Journal

As I have worked with the reviewers on this edition of the Utah English Journal, I have found myself thinking often about community. I grew up in what was once a small town in central Utah, then moved to Ohio to pursue my PhD in Education. After graduating, I was beyond thrilled to accept a teaching position at Weber State University and return to my Utah community. It was with this perspective—of leaving, returning, and re-entering—that I began reflecting on the many communities in our lives: the communities where we grow up, the communities where we work, and the communities …

Book Review: A Most Perilous World: The True Story Of The Young Abolitionists And Their Crusade Against Slavery, Mercedes Allen

The Utah English Journal

A Most Perilous World brings the reader into the chaotic, tumultuous, and important days leading into the Civil War, during the war itself, and the Reconstruction Period (1854–1872). The book follows four lesser-known but vital historical figures: Lucy McKim, daughter of generational abolitionists; Lewis Douglass, the son of Frederick Douglass; George Garrison, son of abolitionist and journalist William Lloyd Garrison; and Charlotte Forten, daughter of free Blacks living in the north helping slaves to freedom. Though history remembers their parents more clearly, these young people prove that anyone, regardless of age, can make a difference—even when it seems hopeless.

Book Review: When We Ride, Madalynn Belliston

The Utah English Journal

What do you do when someone you love makes choices that can harm your future? This is the challenge for Diego Benevides in Rex Ogle’s novel in verse, When We Ride. Nicknamed by his best friend Lawson, he goes by Benny to everyone but mom. The novel opens with Benny’s life flashing before his eyes as a gun is pointed directly at him.

Book Review: The Ballerina Of Auschwitz, Kourtney Amodio

The Utah English Journal

Dr. Edith Eger’s young adult memoir, The Ballerina of Auschwitz, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of choosing how we respond to life’s darkest moments. As a sixteen-year-old Jewish ballerina, Edith was torn from her home in Hungary and sent to Auschwitz, where she endured unimaginable horrors, including being forced to dance for Josef Mengele on the night her parents were sent to the gas chambers. Yet this harrowing beginning is only part of her story. Edith’s journey from concentration camp survivor to renowned psychologist offers readers profound insights into trauma, …

Book Review: The Other Side Of Tomorrow, Adam Hellewell

The Utah English Journal

Yunho and Myunghee, the young protagonists of The Other Side of Tomorrow, written in verse by Tina Cho and illustrated by Deb JJ Lee, have not experienced a traditional happy childhood. For them, North Korea is the backdrop of their impoverished, lonely, and brutal adolescence.

Book Review: Pursuing Language And Metalinguistics In K-12 Classrooms: A Framework For Critical Engagement, Leah Day

The Utah English Journal

The linguistic diversity that exists in many classrooms in the United States, and Utah more specifically, creates the perfect opportunity for teachers and students to discuss the intersection between power, language, and identity. As the number of multilingual learners in our classrooms increases, the need for these talks grows more and more urgent. This book offers extensive professional development for practitioners hoping to incorporate more discussions of language and linguistic awareness in their classrooms with their students. It is an overview of a wide variety of research as well as practical applications in a teaching context. Throughout, there is an …

Book Review: Under The Same Stars, Sara Tesch

The Utah English Journal

On the front of the hardcover edition, acclaimed YA author Libba Bray intrigues the reader with three simple, telegraphic sentences: “Three rebels. Two murders. A century of secrets.” Using three distinct timelines, Bray creates a young adult novel perfect for fans of historical fiction and mysteries. Elements of young adult realism are also present within Bray’s 2025 novel, a Good Morning America Young Adult Book Club pick. Under the Same Stars brings the reader on a journey of self-discovery, mystery, and sacrifice in 1940s Germany, 1980s West Germany, and 2020 New York, stricken with COVID-19.

Book Review: J Vs. K, Miranda Folau

The Utah English Journal

J Vs. K is an engaging story about two fifth-grade boys who find themselves in a rivalry over the school competition to create the “best story”. The story begins when K, a new student, gains attention for his natural writing abilities. This is a threat to J, who dislikes reading and writing, but loves to draw. J has been so excited to enter the storytelling contest at school and has been dreaming of his year to shine and win, bringing fame to the fifth-grade class. The boys quickly find themselves in competition, and become very self-conscious as outside acknowledgements of …

Beyond The Book Report: Finding Student Voice Through Podcasting, Gaby Dawson, Johnny Allred

The Utah English Journal

“Mrs. Dawson, I never want to write another essay again,” a student groaned after class, clearly worn out by the end-of-term pileup of assignments. As a student teacher in a ninth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) classroom, Gaby could relate to her student’s fatigue— she only had one last reading unit to plan and teach before the end of the semester. However, with thoughts of winter break at the forefront of her students’ minds, Gaby noticed it was getting increasingly difficult to keep them engaged. To finish the semester strong, she needed a high-interest project and summative assessment that could reenergize …

Ode For An Empath, Reginald Bess

The Griot - Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc.

No abstract provided.

The Suppression Of The Opelousas Massacre Of 1868: The Blackleg Hunt Or “La Chasse A’ La Jambe Noire”, August Malveaux

The Griot - Southern Conference on African American Studies, Inc.

This article examines the suppression of the 1868 Opelousas Massacre—also known as “la chasse à la jambe noire” or the Blackleg Hunt—and situates it within the broader landscape of Reconstruction-era racial violence in Louisiana. Malveaux argues that the massacre was not an isolated riot but a premeditated act of political terrorism designed to eliminate Black electoral participation and reverse Reconstruction gains. Triggered by Black political mobilization and white supremacist resistance, the violence unfolded over several days in September 1868 and resulted in widespread murder, intimidation, and property destruction. The essay challenges the historiographical minimization of the event, emphasizing how organized …

Out In The Arena: Examining The Lgbtq+ Experience In Ihsa, Katharine C. Didier

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated factors influencing Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) LGBTQ+ riders’ perceptions of inclusion, safety, and belonging, with the hypothesis that teams with diversity and inclusion policies would be perceived as more accepting. An online survey was developed to gather information from self-identified LGBTQ+ IHSA students. Questions covered demographics, team environment, and perceived inclusivity within their equestrian programs. Question types included multiple choice, Likert-type, short answer, and open-ended. IHSA coaches were asked to share the survey link with team members. Students were able to respond anonymously. The survey was open for 8 weeks. Reminders were sent out at 3 …

Expressing Experiences Of Being Gender Non-Conforming In The “Ladies” Restroom Through Autoethnography-Based Research Poetics, Ellen D.B. Riggle

Gender and Women's Studies Faculty Publications

Three research poems are created as an autoethnographic response to feedback on a research article on the author’s experiences as a gender non-conforming person in women’s public restrooms. The feedback loop includes the sharing of lived experiences by others and theoretical (why?) discussions in the context of the gendered policing and politicalization of women’s restrooms. The first found poem includes words, phrases, and descriptions of images used to label spaces designated as women’s restrooms. The second prose poem recounts the author's experiences through a reframing of risk to women’s health, understanding the cultural context of male entitlement and White supremacy, …

Guide To The Gospel Sheet Music & Songbook Collection, Columbia College Chicago

CBMR Collection Guides / Finding Aids

The gospel sheet music & songbook collection contains published music donated to the CBMR from individual donors, gathered into one collection for better access and research use.

Can Love Bloom On A Battlefield: An Analysis Of Queer Militaristic Fanfiction, Brandon Bost

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

It is noted that readers and fans hold unique and valid interpretations of texts, interpretations that become expressed in fan works like fan art, memes, or the subject of this study, fanfiction. This study performs textual analysis on queer fanfiction in Metal Gear Solid and Code Geass fandoms. It examines the unique relationship militarism holds with intimacy, and how intimacy intersects with violence and control in unique ways in these fan texts. Within these fanfics, militarism can serve as a barrier to intimacy, forcing relationships to adapt to militaristic structures within these fan interpretations.

El Cristo Del Camino Hindu, E. Stanley Jones

Spanish Resources/Recursos en Español

No abstract provided.