American Studies Commons^™

A Guide For The Everyday Woman Surfer: How Surf Culture's Patriarchy Marginalizes Ocean Lovers, Alexis S. Di Stefano

Women's, Gender and Queer Studies

Humans are naturally drawn to the water by wind and tide. It is a place of solace that we have a desire to know deeply, yet we have kept one another from experiencing it through biases that perpetuate inequality. White-supremacist hegemony has historically kept communities of color from coastlines, women from lineups, and queer communities from participating in surf culture. As more people from all social groups return to the water through surfing in the 20th century, surf culture needs to adapt to become more inclusive. This paper outlines surf culture's historical transition into whiteness and how female beauty standards …

Effects Of Stereotypes On Black Women Audiences, Darian M. Shorts

LSU Master's Theses

This study focuses on the effects that televised racial stereotypes have on the self-perception of viewers who identify as Black women. This paper lists three commonly used stereotypes for Black women in television and provides detailed background and analysis of each. There were three goals that I wanted to achieve with this study. The first goal of this study was to measure the amount of stereotyped entertainment these specific viewers consume. The second goal of this study was to understand the positive and negative effects that racial stereotypes have on Black women. The last goal of this study was to …

The Gender Epidemic: Intersecting Disease, Gender, And Sexuality In A Graphic Novel, Autumn Cejer

All NMU Master's Theses

For my thesis, I wrote a graphic novel set in a world where certain people possess powers that society tries to suppress by viewing them as a disease. The story focuses on two super-powered individuals on opposite sides of the law who handle this oppression very differently. Although these characters would easily be able to overpower the non-powered people in charge, they are too afraid to do so. Internalized guilt from possessing abilities they did not ask for adds an additional layer of conflict, just as women and disabled persons are constantly made to feel like they should apologize for …

The Expression Of The Hijab In American Sports Culture, Nicholas Duca

Sacred Heart University Scholar

Many sports in the West, specifically in American culture, permit religious symbols and practices. Yet Muslim women have been subject to discrimination, bigotry, and disrespect for wearing or wanting to wear a hijab. This study uses philosophical theory, data, and cultural information to explore the stigma behind Muslim women in America and their participation in the sporting activities that are held here. This piece explains how the hijab’s true meaning is dismantled through American culture and the religious meaning behind it, argues why it should be allowed in sporting events, and suggests ways to prevent discrimination against Muslim women who …

Gender, Race, And Class In Various Aspects Of American Literature: A Portfolio, Harry Olafsen

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

In this portfolio, Harry Olafsen takes a closer look at various texts in American Literature, including women in 1960s country music, Us directed by Jordan Peele, and southern women's diaries from the Civil War.

In Her Own Hands: How Girls And Women Used The Piano To Chart Their Futures, Expand Women's Roles, And Shape Music In America, 1880–1920, Sarah F. Litvin

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

American girls and women used the parlor piano to reshape their lives between 1880 and 1920, the years when the instrument reached the height of its commercial and cultural popularity. Newspapers, memoirs, biographies, women’s magazines, personal papers, and trade publications show that female pianists engaged in public-facing piano play and work in pursuit of artistic expression, economic gain, self-actualization, social mobility, and social change. These motivations drove many to use their piano skills to play beyond the parlor, by studying in conservatory, working as classical and popular music performers and composers, founding and teaching at schools, working as department store …

Black Models Matter: Challenging The Racism Of Aesthetics And The Facade Of Inclusion In The Fashion Industry, Scarlett L. Newman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The global fashion market is expanding every day, but often, the global fashion runways do not reflect that reality. On average, black models make up for six percent of models used on the runway during the fashion month calendar. This small percentage is also mirrored in advertisements and editorials featured in popular fashion magazines. In the 1970s, black models were met with great opportunities, and that success trickled down into the 1980s and the 1990s. As the 90s came to a close, top designers opted for an aesthetic that ultimately excluded models of color, but black models beared the brunt …

French Women In Art: Reclaiming The Body Through Creation/Les Femmes Artistes Françaises : La Réclamation Du Corps À Travers La Création, Liatris Hethcoat

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The research I have conducted for my French Major Senior Thesis is a culmination of my passion for and studies of both French language and culture and the history and practice of Visual Arts. I have examined, across the history of art, the representation of women, and concluded that until the 20^th century, these representations have been tools employed by the makers of history and those at the top of the patriarchal system, used to control women’s images and thus women themselves. I survey these representations, which are largely created by men—until the 20^th century. I discuss pre-historical …

Ms. Marvel: Changing Muslim Representation In The Comic World, Casey L. Trattner

What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World

Examines the representation of Muslim women in the comic book world, and how Kamala Khan (the titular Ms. Marvel) along with some other characters usher in a new wave of how Muslim women are depicted in comics.

Women And Death In Film, Television And News: Dead But Not Gone, Joanne Clarke Dillman

Joanne Clarke Dillman

Sacagawea: A Uniquely American Legend, Donna Jean Kessler

Donna J Barbie

In an examination of American texts produced from 1804 to 1989, this dissertation delineates that Sacagawea became a legendary figure because she has exemplified critical elements of narrative traditions recounting the nation's sacred beginnings. As a plethora of works have portrayed Sacagawea as the Indian princess of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, she became an important emblem of manifest destiny. Flexible within its mythic framework, the Sacagawea legend has additionally enabled proponents to confront timely cultural issues, such as women suffrage, taboos against miscegenation, and modern feminism.

Chapter one provides a review of American frontier myths, concepts of sacred mission …

Dan Subotnik, Toxic Diversity: Race, Gender, And Law Talk In America, Hannah Abrams

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Leg Up For Women? Stereotypes Of Female Sexuality In American Culture Through An Analysis Of Iconic Film Stills Of Women’S Legs, Lauren E. Smith

Senior Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Hines, Duncan, 1880-1959 (Mss 410), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 410. Materials relating to Duncan Hines and the marketing of the “Duncan Hines” brand of food products. Includes obituary notices for Duncan Hines, ice cream franchise agreement, stock certificate books for related companies, and a study on marketing the brand to consumers, especially women.

Eclectic Book Club (Mss 407), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 407. Minute book, yearbooks, and financial data of the Eclectic Book Club, a women's literary club in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Ladies Literary Club - Bowling Green, Kentucky (Mss 393), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 393. Minutes, correspondence, programs, historical sketches, and miscellaneous material of the Ladies Literary Club of Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Engendering Injustice: Drug Laws, Drug Economies, And The Marginalization Of Women In New York State, Kate Mcgee

American Studies Senior Theses

On November 8, 1983, Elaine Bartlett left her apartment in Harlem, and headed to Grand Central Station. There, she met her boyfriend, Nate. They were headed to the Monte Mario Hotel in Albany. To any bystander, they may have looked like any other couple. But Elaine Bartlett knew different. That’s because she had a four-ounce bag of cocaine stuffed down the front of her pants. In 1983, Bartlett was a twenty-six year old woman with four children. A male friend, George Deets—although she knew him as Chris at the time—told her that if she delivered the drugs, she could earn …

There’S No Crying In Baseball: Feminization, Sport, And Spectacle In The All American Girls’ Professional Baseball League, Dan Murphy

American Studies Senior Theses

My thesis focuses on the All American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Specifically, I explore aspects of femininity within the league and why Phillip Wrigley, the league’s first owner, and other league owners chose to accentuate femininity. In my research, I focus on certain features of the league, such as the league’s beauty school, player’s uniforms, sexuality, and race. I believe these and other factors played a role in how the league decided to market itself to Americans. Additionally I focus on how different members of the media wrote about the league. In writing about the AAGPBL, journalists from local …

Kinchlow, Gina Lloyce (Fa 4), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 4. Interviews conducted by Gina Kinchlow for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. Includes interviews with Carolyn Alexander and Vivian Glass about their lives as African American women.

Cain, Bevie Waughn, 1844-1883 (Sc 2251), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and typescripts (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2251. Letters (31) from Cain to James M. Davis, written mostly during the Civil War from her home and school in Breckinridge County, Kentucky, and from Illinois. A strong Confederate sympathizer, Cain responds to Davis’s support of the Union, criticizes President Abraham Lincoln, and opines freely on love, courtship and marriage. She also writes of mutual friends, family, and social and religious activities. Includes 3 additional letters to Davis from his father, sister, and a friend who writes of an opportunity to manage a store. Also includes …

Review Of Innovation In History: The New Woman Resources Book, Madeleine K. Charney

Madeleine K. Charney

No abstract provided.

Hawes, Susan (Fa 506), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 506. Paper: "Women in Mass Media" written by Susan Hawes for a folk studies class at Western Kentucky University. The paper examines how women and folklore are highlighted in advertisements. Project includes paper and supporting material.

Altrusa International - Bowling Green (Mss 702), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 702. Chiefly financial reports, minutes, yearbooks, newsletters, and correspondence of the Altrusa International Club in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1954 until dissolution in 2004.

Sacagawea: A Uniquely American Legend, Donna Jean Kessler

Humanities & Communication - Daytona Beach

In an examination of American texts produced from 1804 to 1989, this dissertation delineates that Sacagawea became a legendary figure because she has exemplified critical elements of narrative traditions recounting the nation's sacred beginnings. As a plethora of works have portrayed Sacagawea as the Indian princess of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, she became an important emblem of manifest destiny. Flexible within its mythic framework, the Sacagawea legend has additionally enabled proponents to confront timely cultural issues, such as women suffrage, taboos against miscegenation, and modern feminism.

Chapter one provides a review of American frontier myths, concepts of sacred mission …

Interview With Charlie Earl Coy (Fa 154), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Oral Histories

Transcription of an interview with Charlie Earl Coy conducted by Keith Smith for an oral history project titled "A Generation Remembers, 1900-1949." Coy discusses his life and times, including information about farms and farming, rural life, Prohibition, farm equipment, automobiles, rural electrification and other matters in Stanley, a small community in Daviess County, Kentucky.

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Vii, 1972-1973, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Vi 1971-1972, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Iv 1971-1972, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook V 1971-1972, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …

Betty Wiseman's Scrapbook Iii 1970-1971, Betty Wiseman

Scrapbooks

Betty Wiseman graduated from Belmont College and began teaching health and physical education in 1966. She was the founder and coach of the Belmont women’s basketball team, the Rebelettes (now Bruins), in 1968. At the time, it was one of the first women’s collegiate teams in the southeast. She was inducted into the Belmont Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. She was also inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. Wiseman coached the women’s team for 16 years (1968-1984) before moving into athletic administration at Belmont. She served as Assistant Athletics Director until her retirement in 2013. …