American Studies Commons^™

“The Queer, Lonely, Intense, Inner Lives Of Their Children”: Psychoanalysis, Mysticism, And Mabel Dodge Luhan’S Narrative Approach To The Story Of Her Childhood, Lauren M. Franken

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores Mabel Dodge Luhan’s narrative approach to writing Background (1933), the first of her four published volumes of autobiography titled Intimate Memories. In the first section I lay the groundwork for this analysis with a brief examination of Background’s publication history. The succeeding two sections offer a historical framework for understanding late nineteenth and early twentieth-century American conceptualizations of childhood, Freudian psychoanalysis, and mysticism. Considering the various lenses through which Luhan analyzed her childhood memories provides a more complex awareness of her narrative approach. The fourth section engages in a close reading of the sections of …

Mental Health In M*A*S*H: An Analysis Of The Changing Portrayal Of Mental Health Topics In The 1970s And Early 1980s, Lyndsey Clark

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper studies all eleven seasons of the hit television show M*A*S*H (1972-1973) and examines how the portrayal of mental health changed in the show’s plotlines in response to changing guidelines and mental health policy in the 1970s and early 1980s. This study focuses on the association of mental illness with homosexuality, the changes made to the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in the 1970s and early 1980s, the rise and fall of mental health policies from the Kennedy Administration to the Reagan Administration, and the portrayal of several pertinent mental conditions, such as …

The American Debate Over Women’S Fashion In The Roaring ’20s, Hailey Downey

Development of Western Civilization Student Scholarship

Hailey Downey ’24
Major: Health Policy and Management
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Darra Mulderry, Center for Engaged Learning

After the Great War, Americans embraced change, especially women who had taken on a greater role at home during the war. As women gained more independence through the right to vote and roles outside of the house, their style choices reflected their lifestyle changes. Women would no longer be burdened by male-dominated government and societal restrictions. Their fashion cast of the added weight, demonstrated by lighter and shorter clothing styles, hairstyles, and a more liberal use of makeup.

Through the 20’s, women continued …

Ahab's Soul: An Exploration Of The Hero Of "Moby-Dick", Jaedon Wilkinson

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

Purposefully Feminizing Masculinity: Femininity In Male Rock And Metal Stars 1950s - 1980s, Maria Myer

The Compass

Traditionally in Western culture, men have had the privilege of promoting rebellion while women have had to be submissive and socially desirable. This expectation applied to all women but especially women in the rock ‘n’ roll scene. The overwhelming loudness of rock and the typical message of rebellion was connected to the power that men held within society.¹ The combination of loud and fast paced music with the electronic nature of the instruments is what sets rock ‘n’ roll and metal apart from other genres. The attention that rock ‘n’ roll music demands, both from the challenging nature of …

Disrupted Ambitions And Unmasked Identities: An Analysis Of Doubleness In Sylvia Plath’S The Bell Jar And Ralph Ellison’S Invisible Man In Cold War America, Laura Anderson

English Language and Literature ETDs

This thesis conducts a literary analysis on Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (1952) and Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar (1963) with a primary investigation on the protagonists and their convergence of identity in Cold War America. One of the critical discourses evaluated throughout the project’s literary analysis includes the protagonists’ complications of doubleness. This essay argues that since these two texts sit between W.E.B DuBois’s “Double Consciousness” and Kimberlé Crenshaw’s 1988 theory on intersectionality, these protagonists are forced to contend with an identity crossroads. Secondary to the context of this analysis is the use of “post-war” and “Cold War,”; neither are …

Intelligence Operations Conducted On Martin Luther King Jr. And His Loose Morals: The Changing Motivations For His Surveillance, Haley D. North Ms.

Madison Historical Review

The United States intelligence community took great pride in producing insightful intelligence for the protection of threats to their nation and its citizens. However, the government's intentions for surveillance under their administrations can be questioned when analyzing the individual governmental agendas for conducting surveillance against American citizens. One American consecutive administration targeted in particular was Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout Marin Luther King Jr.’s public career there was a constant effort on the part of the government to conduct surveillance of his every move. The National Security Agency’s (NSA) justification under project MINARET for the surveillance of King was claimed …

"'Joo Wa Dare?' Who Is The Queen?" Queen Contests During The Wartime Incarceration Of Japanese Americans, Bailey Irene Midori Hoy

Madison Historical Review

This paper examines beauty pageants held at incarceration centers during the Japanese-American internment. Although there has been literature created on beauty pageants before and after WWII, there is very little information on these war-era pageants, despite their prolific nature. Using mostly primary sources and material culture, the paper examines the coverage of the contestants, clothing, and presentation within the Center’s newspapers and in coverage by the Wartime Relocation Authority, whilst also problematizing uncritical readings of these documents. This paper highlights the difficulty in determining agency within spaces of incarceration, and calls for further research on the subject.

Still Lending You The World: The Toledo Lucas County Public Library In The 21st Century, Cade Clem

Honors Projects

This research paper focuses on how the Toledo Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL) has adapted to the 21st century, with an emphasis on the impact of digital materials and the Internet. This paper looks at these changes primarily through three lenses: official policies, services and programs, and internal culture. This paper uses quantitative data to determine if TLCPL has maintained overall growth in areas such as number of cardholders, customer counts, circulation, computer usage, and program attendance. These numbers show that, while not always maintaining growth, TLCPL has adapted quite well to the 21st century, bringing in record high numbers …

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 …

Times Of Crisis: A Comparative Discourse Analysis Of U.S. And Mexican Presidential Rhetoric, Kassandra Gonzalez-Ramos

LSU Master's Theses

Language is a communicative tool that in the possession of politicians holds the power to be persuasive and aggressive, empowering and uniting, or disruptive and dividing. Previous research has relied on numerous methodological approaches to analyze political discourse from different viewpoints to reveal the manner in which politicians as part of political institutions transform and manipulate language. The current investigation performs a critical discourse analysis (CDA) based on the framework developed by Van Dijk (1993,1997) in order to demonstrate the speech act realization in a total of 14 political speeches delivered by American presidents Biden, Trump, and Obama and Mexican …

Lg Ms 160 Dale Mccormick Gay Side Story Interview, Jill Piekut Roy

Search the Manuscript Collection (Finding Aids)

Description:

Collection includes two copies of an oral history interview (one edited) and an automatically generated transcript.

In the edited version of the interview, Dale McCormick recalls her role as producer of "Gay Side Story," an adaptation of the musical West Side Story, with Diane Elze, Miles J. Rightmire, Cheryl Ring, and others. The play was performed for two nights in Luther Bonney Hall at University of Southern Maine during the 10th Maine Lesbian & Gaymen's Symposium in May 1983. McCormick discusses her work on the writing team, the set design, and the positive reception of the production during a …

Tejiendo Historias, Construyendo Vidas: Un Capítulo Teotihuacano, Natalia Moragas Segura

Tejiendo imágenes. Homenaje a Victòria Solanilla Demestre

Este trabajo debe entenderse en el marco del Homenaje a la Dra. Victòria Solanilla visto desde mi punto de vista y con un toque personal comentando una parte de su recorrido académico y vital y los momentos en que nos cruzamos. Un capítulo teotihuacano que se focaliza en los años 2006-2008, con motivo de las investigaciones realizadas en el proyecto de colaboración científica impulsado por la Dra. Solanilla dentro del marco del Proyecto La Ventilla, Teotihuacan, bajo la dirección in situ del Mtro. Rubén Cabrera (INAH), y que sirve como excusa para hacer unos breves comentarios acerca de la problemática …

Cuando Las Vendedoras De Coca De Potosí Fueron Las Protagonistas De La Historia, Paulina Numhauser

Tejiendo imágenes. Homenaje a Victòria Solanilla Demestre

Los cronistas e historiadores mencionan a menudo a las mujeres indias, nobles, pallas o coyas. Sin embargo, fueron las mujeres pertenecientes al pueblo llano las que generaron un mayor número de documentos durante el Perú colonial. En los archivos potosinos nos encontramos con numerosos documentos notariales que registran sus transacciones económicas, inversiones en inmuebles, contratos de trabajo, testamentos y conflictos comerciales variados. Todo indica que la ruptura de las barreras de contención social que provocó la caída del régimen incaico las favoreció brindándoles nuevas oportunidades y retos vitales. El asiento minero de Potosí fue el escenario donde modestas mujeres vendedoras …

One Among Many: Charlotte Kolmitz, Assistant U.S. Attorney In Seattle, 1918–1925, Anna Synya

Digital Legal Research Lab

One Among Many: Charlotte Kolmitz, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Seattle, 1918–1925

Research poster prepared for Digital Legal Research Lab, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

La Botella Balzarotti Y La Danza De Los Guerreros Moche: Breve Ensayo Iconográfico En Honor De Victòria Solanilla, Carolina Orsini

Tejiendo imágenes. Homenaje a Victòria Solanilla Demestre

Un pequeño número de vasos de la cultura Moche (costa norte de Perú, 0-600 d.C.) representan figuras danzantes con pintura de líneas finas. En este breve ensayo se presenta una pieza inédita con este tipo de decoración, la botella Balzarotti. Revisando el repertorio iconográfico de esta pieza, avanzo algunas hipótesis sobre la ocasión de las danzas representadas y los contextos de producción y utilización de este tipo de botellas.

A small number of vessels from the Moche culture (northern coast of Peru, 0-600 A.D.) represent dancing figures with the fine line painting technique. This brief essay presents an unpublished piece …

"Are You Experienced'? The Life, Music, And Legacy Of Jimi Hendrix, Samuel K. Lavine

Student Publications

Jimi Hendrix is a household name for any fan of 60s rock music. His unique, effects-driven approach to music simultaneously revolutionized the genres of Rock and Blues. From his use of amplifier feedback, Wah Pedal, and hammer-on fingering in solos to his lyrics an outlet with which he processed his childhood, his music musicianship helped define a decade of music. He found success in England as a Black creator while African Americans continued their fight for Civil Rights back in America. England’s acceptance of Blacks and love of American Blues allowed him to hone his craft in London before leaving …

Media Exploitation Of Black Athletes: Challenges, Consequences, And Empowerment, Spencer K. Myler

Student Publications

This paper examines the issue of media exploitation of Black athletes and its detrimental impact on their lives, careers, and public perception. It explores the historical context, underlying factors, and consequences of this exploitation, while also providing empowerment strategies and potential solutions. Through an analysis of media representation, athlete experiences, stereotyping, endorsement deals, and social media influence, this paper aims to raise awareness about the issues impacting Black athletes. Media exploitation of Black athletes is a problem that needs immediate attention, and this paper provides a detailed look into the athlete experience to better understand the issues at hand, in …

Song Of The South: The Silence Of A Song, Magdalena E. Fernald

Student Publications

A persuasive essay explaining the history of the film Song of the South and the Uncle Remus stories that its based on, and why the film deserves to be re-released with educational materials.

2023 Cswr/Crs/Laii Graduate Fellows Colloquium, Joshua Heckman-Archibeque, Neider Andrey Devia Merchan, Gisselle Lydia Salgado, Hakim Bellamy

CSWR Public Programs

Graduate fellows from the Center for Southwest Research, funded by the Center for Regional Studies and the Latin American and Iberian Institute, gave public presentations on April 4, 5, and 6, 2023 on the work that they did for the academic year.

April 4, 2023

• Hakim Bellamy - A People's History: The Dr. Harold Bailey Collection

April 5, 2023

• Gisselle Lydia Salgado - Modernity within the Plutarco Elias Calles Archive

April 6, 2023

• Joshua Heckman-Archibeque - Land Struggles: FBI Surveillance of Alianza

• Neider Andrey Devia Merchan - Indigenous Affairs in the Archivo Plutarco Elias Calles 1919-1936 (FAPECFT)

Propp, Parables, And Paideia: What The Stories Of Jesus Teach Us About Cultivating Culture, Rachelle Bowman

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

The parables of Jesus are well-known and oft-repeated. They are commonly taught to children in Sunday school, but Jesus used them to reveal truth to his adult audiences. This paper explores the importance of Jesus choosing to use stories to teach adults, whether these stories qualify as folklore, and also whether they can be analyzed as literature. After drawing conclusions on these matters, this paper analyzes several of the parables of Jesus according to Vladimir Propp’s Morphology of the Folktale and looks to see if Jesus told stories that fit within Propp’s proposed functions. Finally, this paper asks what can …

Sherwood Anderson And The Industrial Corruption Of Midwestern Individualism, Hudson Rice

Senior Honors Theses

Sherwood Anderson’s literary Midwest reflects many of the idealistic characteristics resulting from the region’s frontier, agrarian origin. The most prominent of these characteristics is the region’s emphasis on and appreciation of human particularity. His novels Winesburg, Ohio and Poor White document the region’s unique relationship with individual particularity and how this particularity clashed with a new industrial lifestyle. The two novels reflect the Midwest’s unique understanding of individuality and offer an explanation for why the region’s response to an industrial cultural overhaul was so damaging for the Midwest’s identity, as the traditional identity was supplanted by an industrial one.

Discovering Dune: Essays On Frank Herbert’S Epic Saga., Edited By Dominic J. Nardi And N. Trevor Brierly, G. Connor Salter

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

G. Connor Salter reviews Discovering Dune: Essays on Frank Herbert’s Epic Saga, edited by Dominic J. Nardi and N. Trevor Brierly, considering its new contributions to studies of Frank Herbert's work. Essays included fit into four categories (Politics and Power, History and Religion, Biology and Ecology, and Philosophy, Choice and Ethics) and range from Herbert's use of ecology in Dune to how game theory may help explain certain characters' apparent ability to see the future. Discovering Dune also includes an appendix which contains the only up-to-date bibliography of Herbert's work (primary and secondary sources).

A New Atticus Is Afoot: The Portrayal Of Lawyers In Popular Culture, Anna Thrush

Senior Theses

This project analyzes the stereotypical image of lawyers in popular culture, focusing on either overly demonic or unrealistically heroic. Both stereotypes that are common portrayals of attorneys in popular culture are unrealistic and deny society a true comprehension of the profession. Popular culture has molded the image of lawyers to the characteristics that sell, rather than focusing on a realistic portrayal. Therefore, popular culture creates a falsely dramatized image of attorneys to generate revenue, putting the reputation and future of the profession as risk. These stereotypes are exemplified in this project through a close literary analysis of lawyer characters from …

Robert X House Collection, Dan Bonenberger, Brooke Boyst, Franklin Haywood, Carrie Malas, Jaclyn Panter, Ian Tomashik, Laura Waskiwicz, Taylor Williams, Austin Martin

Digital Heritage Preservation Collection

This collection examines the Robert X House at 18827 Keystone Street in Detroit, Michigan, a significant site in the history of the Nation of Islam and the broader narrative of Black empowerment and civil rights in mid-20th century America. Originally built in 1951 as a modest Federal Housing Administration (FHA) minimum ranch-style home, the property was purchased by Robert Davenport (later known as Robert X), an influential leader in the Nation of Islam. The house became a hub for religious instruction, community-building, and activism.

Robert X, a former boxer and musician, became a prominent figure in Detroit’s Nation of Islam …

Masculine Desire And Feminine Imitation: Contextualizing Heterosexual Relationships In Sister Carrie, Jennifer L. White

Master of Arts in Classical Studies

Theodore Dreiser is generally considered one of the greatest American naturalist authors across the genre. His depiction of life is gritty and harsh, his characters at the mercy of their natural impulses and their unforgiving environment. However, there is also a sentimental element to Dreiser’s work, especially in his portrayal of romantic relationships. In the face of unrelenting adversity, there is a glimmer of possibility in the longing for meaningful human connection, if only under different circumstances. While Dreiser’s naturalistic approach suggests that such relationships can never be truly fulfilling due to either the innate frailty of the participants or …

Still Lending You The World: The Toledo Lucas County Public Library In The 21st Century, Cade Clem

Honors Projects

This research paper focuses on how the Toledo Lucas County Public Library (TLCPL) has adapted to the 21st century, with an emphasis on the impact of digital materials and the Internet. This paper looks at these changes primarily through three lenses: official policies, services and programs, and internal culture. This paper uses quantitative data to determine if TLCPL has maintained overall growth in areas such as number of cardholders, customer counts, circulation, computer usage, and program attendance. These numbers show that, while not always maintaining growth, TLCPL has adapted quite well to the 21st century, bringing in record high numbers …

The Ambush At Saint Marys River, Micah P. Bellamy

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

At a critical time in the American Civil War, President Lincoln was up for re-election, concerned that he might lose re-election, President Lincoln desired the Union to secure Florida. As Col. Guy Henry led an advancement from Jacksonville, Florida, across the northwest, there came word that the Confederate Army had a significant number of soldiers stationed at Lake City. Col. Henry and his men began to make their way towards Lake City, but on February 10, 1964, they were caught in an ambush as they attempted to cross the St. Marys River. This paper seeks to provide an examination of …

Teaching With And For Gender Equity, Katie Dineen

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In this workshop, humanities educators will learn how to integrate primary sources, life stories, essays, and learning activities that center women’s voices, contributions, and experiences in their curricula and classrooms. Educators will pair provided resources to be meaningfully incorporated into existing humanities curricula, aiming to support students in recognizing their own agency, valuing diversity, and appreciating difference.

Utopian Promises, Dystopic Realities: Teaching Bell Hooks “No Love In The Wild”, Naimah H. Ford

Feminist Pedagogy

This original teaching activity discusses bell hooks’ film review of Beasts of The Southern Wild and explains how it can be used to encourage students to recognize how popular culture reproduces and reinforces disturbing paradigms. This original teaching activity, based on hooks’ review “No Love in The Wild,” encourages students to be informed while navigating visual images in popular culture. This activity also explains how hooks’ film review and the film can be used to empower students with strategies to analyze film and other visual images that are seemingly progressive but support the strictures and structures that reinforce patriarchy, racism, …