American Studies Commons^™

The Rise And Fall Of Female Stereotypes In Looking For Alaska, Alina Zabolotico

Audre Lorde Prize

No abstract provided.

Popular Culture And Individual Empowerment In The Global World, Rama Alapati

Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies (2015-2021)

Popular culture studies are central to the study of Liberal Arts, which enhance the spirit of the academia. They help people to understand their own culture, appreciate it, and grow up as participating members of the community. The present study focuses attention to analyze popular culture in relation to the domains of governance and self-help literature. The study is significant because it helps understand the trajectory adopted for individual empowerment.

Existence of multicultural societies across the Globe is more in the present day as the world has become a global village. It can, therefore, be understood that popular culture studies …

Thomas Savage’S Queer Country, O. Alan Weltzien

Western Writers Online

Novelist Thomas Savage (1915–2003) grew up in the lonely world of the northern Rockies during the twentieth century’s first half and in eight of his thirteen novels continually re‑inhabited it as a scene of gender protest. He left Montana, his native state, at twenty‑two, only periodically visiting after that and returning only once after the 1960s. His daughter said he “hated Montana” and wanted to get as physically far away from it as possible, but that’s not the whole story. In those eight novels Savage critiques the limited roles available to men and women in the high landscapes between his …

Using Historic Maps From The Congressional Serial Set And Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Creative Materials

Historic maps can be used to document all kinds of history: political, military, economic, business, scientific, religious, cultural, genealogy, diplomatic etc. Databases such as ProQuest Congressional and Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO) offer many ways to help users study the past through maps.

February 2015, Temple Shalom Synagogue Center

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Café Shalom; From the Rabbi; President's Message; Announcents; Book Group

Consuming Poverty: The Unexpected Politics Of Food Aid In An Era Of Austerity, Maggie Dickinson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation tracks the remarkable growth of food assistance in the U.S. over the past fifteen years and asks what this expansion of food aid means for poor people living in New York City. Much of the scholarly literature on welfare policy in the U.S argues that social programs have become more stingy and punitive, particularly since the passage of welfare reform in 1996. On the surface, this does not seem to be the case for the food stamp program or for emergency food providers like soup kitchens and food pantries. Since 2001 food stamp rolls have risen 120% in …

Dark Matter: Susan Howe, Muriel Rukeyser, And The Scholar's Art, Stefania Heim

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Instead of describing poetry as a set of constraints or history of practices, Muriel Rukeyser calls it "one kind of knowledge." Dark Matter heeds Rukeyser's call, theorizing a poetics of the "scholar's art," in which documentary investigation, autobiographical exploration, and formal innovation are mutual, interwoven concerns. The dissertation pairs American poets Susan Howe (b. 1937) and Muriel Rukeyser (1913-1980), reading their hybrid works not through the received categories of American poetry, or through common generic and disciplinary divisions, but using an inductive methodology that takes its lead from the poets. Understanding Howe and Rukeyser's literary experiments as serious interventions in …

Loosening The Critical Corset: New Approaches To The Short Fiction Of Kate Chopin And Ruth Stuart, Kathryn Erin O'Donoghue

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

My dissertation uses the works and lives of two popular late-nineteenth-century writers, Ruth McEnery Stuart and Kate Chopin, as a heuristic to solve the literary mystery of how "fiction by women" became "women's fiction." While feminist scholars resuscitated Chopin, Stuart remains ignored. The realism and irony of Chopin's novel The Awakening resonate with modern readers, but the sentimental aspects of Stuart's work and Chopin's short fiction remain problematic. The aesthetic movements of realism and naturalism influenced literary taste to the extent that sentimentalism is anathema to contemporary critics. I participate in recent scholarship that explores how sentimentalism has been used …

The American Aspasia: The Woman Lecturer In American Women's Rights Fiction, 1839-1915, Angela Ridinger-Dotterman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is the first comprehensive study of the figure of the woman lecturer/speaker that appeared in American women's rights fiction in the period between 1839 and 1915. I argue that examining the figure of the woman lecturer/ speaker in a wide variety of texts and over an extended period of history reveals that the figure served as a dynamic vehicle for women writers to advance a broad range of social and political interests; writing in a social and historical context that discouraged women's participation in public speech, women authors used fiction as a rhetorical space to articulate different visions …

The Literary Legacy Of The Federal Writers' Project, Sara Rendene Rutkowski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Established by President Roosevelt in 1935 as part of the New Deal, the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) put thousands of unemployed professionals to work documenting American life during the Depression. Federal writers--many of whom would become famous, including Ralph Ellison, Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, and Dorothy West--collected reams of oral histories and folklore, and produced hundreds of guides to cities and states across the country. Yet, despite both the Project's extraordinary volume of writing and its unprecedented support for writers, few critics have examined it from a literary perspective. Instead, the FWP has …

St. Nicholas Magazine: A Portable Art Museum, Mary Frances Zawadzki

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In November 1873, St. Nicholas Magazine: Scribner's Illustrated Magazine for Girls and Boys made its publishing debut. While it was intended to be a literary magazine, visual imagery was an important component of the monthly. Illustrations and reproductions of fine art and architecture from Antiquity, the Old Masters, and contemporary academic artists illustrated fictional serials, accompanied art historical information, and stood alone as art work for the reader to visually consider. Innovative page layouts took their inspiration from the aesthetic theories and art styles popular among those associated with the American genteel tradition. By choosing certain styles for illustration and …

Twelve Years A Terror: U.S. Impact In The 12-Year Civil War In El Salvador, Cara E. Mckinney

International ResearchScape Journal

This essay explores the impacts of the United States government and military in the civil war in El Salvador in a comprehensive historical study. Through the presence of monetary aid, a disregard for the human rights of people in El Salvador, and the presence of U.S. trained soldiers at the then School of Americas and the current Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, the U.S. prolonged and augmented the negative effects of the Salvadoran Civil War.

The Novel Of Sentiment In A Short Story: Reflections On Teaching “Theresa”, Adam Kotlarczyk

Faculty Publications & Research

I introduced “Theresa” in between units on “The Age of Reason” and “American Romanticism.” Thus it was foregrounded by works like Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Phyllis Wheatley’s “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” and followed by stories by Irving, Hawthorne, and Poe. Strictly speaking, this puts “Theresa” slightly out of sequence; its serialization in 1828 precedes by at least ten years the works of Poe, Hawthorne, and Irving that we study. Despite this, the text functioned well as a transitional piece, although I would consider moving it deeper into the Romantic unit. The exotic setting, relative to our other …

Beyond Domestic Empire: Internal- And Post-Colonial New Mexico, John R. Chávez

History Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to outline the connections between internal colonialism and post-colonialism, two dimensions of an evolving colonial paradigm. To test these theories against historical reality, they are applied to ethnic Mexicans and Indians, especially Navajos, in New Mexico in order to ground them and colonialism in general at the regional level. This paper claims that internal colonialism continues effectively to explain the historic subordination of indigenous and mixed peoples within larger states dominated by other groups. This condition understood, the paper sees postcolonial theory as providing ideas to end internally colonized societies since the theory critiques …

Features Of Independence: Teaching “Theresa - A Haytien Tale”, Michael P. Dean

Faculty Publications & Research

One of the core beliefs of the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) states that we believe that “diverse perspectives enrich understanding and inspire discovery and creativity,” and in keeping with that aim, I chose to participate in the Just Teach One: Early African American Print project. As a school primarily focused on STEM subjects, IMSA still offers a robust English curriculum that values and supports a diverse literary canon, and our incoming sophomores are asked to complete a two-part Literary Explorations course that features America texts from colonial era up to the 21^st century.

Neglecting The Subjects Of The Drag Performance In White Chicks, Hannah Sylvester

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

As a temporary transvestite film, White Chicks tackles racial issues as well as gender issues and performance. While the statements made on behalf of racial issues are strong, the statements concerning gender are much weaker. The paper will give a summary of the film followed by a description of it as a temporary transvestite film alongside other films within the genre. Issues concerning gender roles--specifically the concept of femininity--are addressed within the film, but are never challenged or changed. Indeed, society's heterosexual hegemony are upheld within this film as they are in similar films in the genre. Homosexual instances in …

The City Is Full Of Bugs, Michael Stanley

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

This essay explores the use of symbolism and metaphor in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, focusing on a particular scene inside Mary Rambo’s apartment in the middle of the novel. The use of symbolism in the novel is extensive, and many objects and characters serve as metaphors for social classes and groups, and often these representations also function as direct satire for various political groups, folkways, and the expectations or prejudices of the time period in which the novel is set. The objects and events that take place in Mary Rambo’s apartment go beyond symbolism to include a forecast of …

Tale Of The Whale, Joel Schlaudt

Aidenn: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal of American Literature

In his critique of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, A.N. Deacon accurately captures one of the main tenets if not the central theme of the book; however, he also makes several claims about the novel that do not seem to fit with the evidence seen in the actual story. For example, Deacon holds that Melville is attempting to show that the power and attributes of Moby Dick are the source, symbolically, of truth and meaning. However, this is not the impression we get when we look closely at the work itself and note Melville’s treatment of the subject. Furthermore, Deacon …

I Would Prefer Not To Help You, Christen Dunn

Aidenn: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal of American Literature

Bartleby, the Scrivener recounts a story of a scrivener who would prefer not to do anything, whether that be parts of his job, changing his location, or eating his dinner. The narrator’s reaction to Bartleby’s lazy desires seem to be admirable, but his selfish motivation and false compassion are evident. The way the narrator views and treats Bartleby is consistent with the standards of philanthropy of the wealthy during the mid-nineteenth century. The narrator truly believes he has helped Bartleby to the best of his ability, yet fails to connect with Bartleby outside of offering him money and future assistance …

In The Hands Of The Reader, Allie J. Kapus

Aidenn: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal of American Literature

“In the Hands of the Reader” is an analysis of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” integrating the views of Michael Jay Lewis in his article “Contingency, Narrative, Fiction: Vogler, Brenkman, Poe.” “The Black Cat” is a narrative penned by a man reflecting on his life as he awaits his own death. As the narrator is mentally unstable and therefore unreliable, the reader is brought into the story to interpret the truth or falsehood of the narrator’s story. Lewis is accurate in his strong acknowledgment of the unreliability of the narrator, yet he fails to address in-depth the reason for …

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow: An Ambiguous Ghost Tale, Elisa R. Jacobs

Aidenn: The Liberty Undergraduate Journal of American Literature

Abstract

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Booth Tarkington Materials., Booth Tarkington, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials relating to the life and work of Booth Tarkington. Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) was a writer from Indiana, well known for his novels of life in the midwest. Pulitzer Prizes were awarded to him for The Magnificent Ambersons and for Alice Adams. He attended Purdue University and Princeton, where he was a well-known literary and social figure. In later life he divided his time between Indiana and his estate, Seawood, in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he became friends with neighbor Kenneth Roberts.

Finding Aid To The Collection Of Waldo Peirce Materials., Waldo Peirce, Colby College Special Collections

Finding Aids

The collection comprises letters, scrapbooks, and manuscript items by Waldo Peirce, an American painter, bohemian, and expatriate born in Bangor, Maine. Waldo Peirce (1884-1970) was born in Bangor, Maine, and educated at Phillips Academy in Andover and Harvard University. He later studied at the Art Students League in New York City and at the Julian Academy in Paris. As an expatriate American, he drove ambulances for the French Army in World War I and led a bohemian life with notable companions such as Ernest Hemingway and John Reed. His later life was spent in Searsport, Maine, and Newburyport, Massachusetts, where …

Making It In Maine: Stories Of Jewish Life In Small-Town America, David M. Freidenreich

Faculty Scholarship

There are countless stories of Jewish life in Maine, stretching back 200 years. These are stories worth telling not only for their enjoyment value but also because we can learn a great deal from them. They reflect the challenges that confronted members of an immigrant community as they sought to become true Mainers, as well as the challenges this ethnic group now faces as a result of its successful integration. The experiences of Jews in Maine, moreover, encapsulate in many ways the experiences of small-town Jews throughout New England and the United States. Their stories offer glimpses into the changing …

Texas General Land Office Parcels: El Paso, Hudspeth, And Reeves Counties, Texas, William F. Stanyard, Larissa A. Thomas, Laura Voisin- George

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In June 2015, Natural Resource Group, LLC conducted Phase I cultural resource investigations within eight parcels that are managed by the Texas General Land Office. The tracts are located in El Paso, Hudspeth, and Reeves counties, Texas and the studies are associated with Phase 1 of the Roadrunner Gas Transmission, LLC (Roadrunner) Roadrunner Project. Roadrunner has entered into an operating agreement with ONEOK WesTex Transmission Company, L.L.C. (WesTex), a subsidiary of ONEOK, to construct, operate and maintain an intrastate pipeline in the State of Texas under the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission. WesTex plans to construct approximately 205 miles …

Intensive Archeological Survey For Proposed East Pecan Street Widening, City Of Pflugerville, Travis County, Texas, Haley Rush

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In January 2015, an intensive archeological survey was completed in order to inventory and evaluate archeological resources within the footprint of proposed improvements to East Pecan Street in Pflugerville, Travis County, Texas. The proposed project would provide base repairs and include widening a portion of East Pecan Street. The portion of the project area that includes the widening extends from State Highway (SH) 130 to Weiss Lane; base repairs would include a concrete underlay that would extend east of Weiss Lane toward the intersection of Cameron Lane. The maintenance activities associated with the concrete underlay east of Weiss Lane would …

Paisano Drive 48 Inch Transmission Waterline, Archeological Monitoring El Paso County, Texas, Russell Collett, Adam Graves

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board (EPWU) contracted ARCADIS U.S., Inc. to perform preconstruction investigations for cultural resources as part of their proposed Paisano Drive 48 inch Transmission Waterline Project (PTW) in El Paso County, Texas. The PTW is located at the west base of the Franklin Mountains in northwest El Paso and can be found on the Smeltertown 31106G5 (1994) USGS 7.5’ topographic quadrangle (Figure 1). The project area encompasses 3.07 miles between -106.529548, 31.792403 (northwest) and -106.504871, 31.764421 (southeast). The northwestern and southeastern limits of the linear project area lie near the northern bank of the Rio …

Cultural Resources Survey Of The Cross Roads Special Utility District Us Hwy 259 Water Well And Pump Station Rusk County, Texas, Victor Galan

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In July 2015 Deep East Texas Archaeological Consultants (DETAC) conducted a cultural resource management survey of the proposed Cross Roads Special Utility District’s US Highway 259 water well in Rusk County, Texas under Texas Antiquities Permit #7433. Proposed construction includes clearing and leveling a 0.4 hectare (1.0 acre) property to drill a water well and associated pumping structures. The visual inspection of the area found a dilapidated building which was used as a plant shop in the 1970’s or later. The building appears to be made of modern materials and is surrounded with debris associated with potting plants. A total …

An Intensive Cultural Resources Survey Of The Proposed Crabb River Road Widening Project Fort Bend County, Texas, Dana Brown, Mary Jo Galindo

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In June 2015, Atkins archaeologists conducted an intensive cultural resources survey of the proposed Crabb River Road Widening Project near Rosenberg, Texas, which is sponsored by Fort Bend County and involves right-of-way (ROW) owned by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This investigation provides a basis to identify and assess cultural resources that could be impacted by construction of the proposed undertaking in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act and the Antiquities Code of Texas.

The proposed project would widen Crabb River Road from approximately 0.40 kilometer (km) (0.25mile) south of Sansbury Boulevard to approximately 152.4 meters (m) (500 …

Cultural Resources Survey Of The Proposed Bonnie Wenk Park Phase Ii, City Of Mckinney, Collin County, Texas, Kevin Stone, Joshua Hamilton

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This report documents the substantive findings and management recommendations of a cultural resource inventory conducted by Integrated Environmental Solutions, LLC (IES) for the Bonnie Wenk Park Phase II project in McKinney, Collin County, Texas. As the City of McKinney is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, the proposed project will require coordination with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) prior to construction, per the provisions of the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). In addition, as the project will require a Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), it will …