American Studies Commons^™

Initial Changes In Species Cover Following Savanna Restoration Treatments In Western Iowa, David A. Mckenzie, Thomas B. Bragg, David M. Sutherland

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Study areas in the Iowa Loess Hills were used to evaluate short-term responses of understory species to three treatment methods designed to facilitate restoration of Quercus macrocarpa savanna. Treatments included burning alone, burning with thinning, and burning with clear-cutting. Plant abundance and diversity were compared before treatment and one year after treatment. Ninety-nine plant species were identified during the study, of which 40 were new following treatment, although most of these were forest associates. Increases in diversity of understory species were observed after treatment, particularly in plots with combined burning and thinning. The forb group was most consistent in response …

Review Of Unsettling The Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, And Reconciliation In Canada. By Paulette Regan., Robyn Green

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The Canadian settler state has enacted egregious practices of assimilation, dispossession, and genocide against First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples throughout its history. Running contrary to these practices are the prevailing narratives found in Canadian historical texts and settler national myths. In Unsettling the Settler, Paulette Regan addresses this contradiction by analyzing the "peacemaker" myth, which she suggests is deployed by the state to construct a history of settler innocence. In light of this, any acknowledgment of historical injustices committed by Canada, such as Indian Residential School policies, is iteratively couched in the promise of reconciliation.

Seeking to navigate the …

Review Of Native Acts: Law, Recognition, And Cultural Authenticity. By Joanne Barker, Jo Carrillo

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Native Acts is organized in three parts. In the first ("Recognition"), Barker (correctly) argues that the United States government exercised its plenary power to coerce Native peoples to recognize themselves as "Indian tribes." In part 2 ("Membership"), she discusses tribal membership policies as a legal frame through which Native peoples-now organized into semisovereign states called "tribes"-define themselves in relation to the U.S. government. In part 3 ("Tradition"), Barker examines how "tribal traditions" can turn on racist, sexist, and homophobic policies that themselves become cultural acts of identity formation. Federal Indian Law-the body of federal law that governs the relationship between …

Review Of Trailblazers: The Lives And Times Of Michael Ewanchuk And Muriel (Smith) Ewanchuk. By John Lehr And David Mcdowell., Denis Hlynka

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Belonging to the genre of local history, Trailblazers explores the lives of two Canadians in the province of Manitoba spanning the 20th century. They were, as the introduction states, ordinary people, just like us. There is much here to interest the casual reader and the serious historian alike. Readers of Great Plains Research may need to be reminded that while the geographic designation "Great Plains" extends into the western Canadian provinces, the term is purely American. Canadians use the generic term "prairie." Michael Ewanchuk was a teacher, a principal, and finally a school inspector for 23 years; Muriel was a …

Clark, Otis Vernon, Jr., 1926-2006 (Mss 428), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 428. Chiefly letters from Otis Vernon Clark, Jr., while studying in Lexington, Virginia, to his parents Otis and Susie, Bowling Green, Kentucky, detailing university social life. Also included in the collection are miscellaneous photos, postcards, and biographical information.

Great Plains Research, Volume 22, Number 2, Fall 2012 (Complete Issue)

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Reconsidering National Park Interpretation of the Great Plains and TransMississippi West • Robert Pahre

Evaluating the Role of Latinidad and the Latino Threat in the State of Missouri • Joel Jennings and J.S. Onesimo Sandoval

The Right Call: Baseball Coaches' Attempts to Influence Umpires • Kevin Warneke and Dave Ogden

Documenting Change at Upper Hamburg Bend: Nebraska's First SideChannel Restoration • Brandon L. Eder and Gerald E. Mestl

Initial Changes in Species Cover Following Savanna Restoration Treatments in Western Iowa • David A. McKenzie, Thomas B. Bragg, and David M. Sutherland

Monitoring Standing Herbage of the Sands and Choppy Sands …

On The Verge Of Change: Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding, Mallary Taylor

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the effects of war on the southern plantation lifestyle depicted in Eudora Welty's Delta Wedding. This thesis focuses on the female characters who adapt to the absence of the husbands during wartime. Wars are the catalyst for societal change in the novel, and the women must adapt to the new social changes that are encroaching upon the plantation. The chapters explore each individual reaction of female characters in the novel. The female characters in Delta Wedding represent varying wars of reacting to shifting social norms brought about by war.

Monster Quest: Background Myth And Contemporary Context Of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Conqueror Worm", Farrah Senn

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Poe's short story "Ligeia" and its companion poem "The Conqueror Worm" have garnered little critical attention, though he believed them to be his best works. Considering the archetypal image of the worm, contemporary references, and Poe's other uses of the symbol, an analysis of the poem and its context within the short story reveals the identity of the "hero" described in the final verse. This paper explores the archetypal nature of the worm by looking at snake myths from across the globe and applying Platonic/Jungian ideas to the image and its function in the poem. This work also discusses the …

Social Learning Theory In The Frontline Documentary “The Merchants Of Cool”, Alixe A. Wiley

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

In the Frontline documentary The Merchants of Cool, the relationship between major media conglomerates and their hedonistic teenage customers is examined through exploring the different tactics industries use to discover and market the next “cool” thing. Industries maintain what the documentary refers to as a “feedback loop” with their customers, which is a cyclic, supply-and-demand relationship that blurs the line between fiction and reality. It has become impossible to tell which side is imitating the other: who do the products and trends that define popular youth culture belong to? What's more, are the sexual and aggressive hormone-fueled behaviors on …

The Kirchenleute Argument And The Evolving Language Of Protest: Popular Constitutionalism Or "Licentious Liberty?", Nathaniel Payton Conley

Student Theses and Dissertations

In 1798-99, the Kirchenleute, or "Church-People," in eastern Pennsylvania rebelled in response to the passage of the first direct tax on property and the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. Named Fries' Rebellion for the leader, John Fries, this rebellion happened due to the unique development and language of the Kirchenleute's popular constitutionalism. Fries' Rebellion contributed to a further understanding of the powers of the federal government under the Constitution of 1787 and also to the collapse of the Federalist Party in the election of 1800. "Popular constitutionalism" in the context of the Kirchenleute is the theory that groups of …

Western, William Wallace, 1834-1870 (Sc 736), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 736. “Prison Pastime: A Poem,” written by William W. Western, a Memphis, Tennessee Confederate while in Canada during the Civil War. Privately printed, updated, and dedicated to Henry H. Skiles, a lawyer friend of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Includes typescripted letters of Western, written from Canada, discussing his poems and his uncertain future.

Cloyd, Mary (Sc 31), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 31. Loom weaving drafts for Nine Snowballs and Pea Patch designs. On the back a notation from Washington County, Tennessee states: “This is the Cass and Butler drafts.”

Johnson, Keen, 1896-1970 (Sc 2607), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2607. Typescript copy of the last will and testament of Fielding Lewis, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Lewis was a brother-in-law to George Washington. This document contains information about Lewis’ land, slaves, and debts.

Grafton, Sue Taylor, B. 1940 (Sc 2601), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2601. Letter from author Sue Taylor Grafton, Santa Barbara, California, to Kim Nicholson, Franklin, North Carolina, enclosing autographed bookplates (not included), and commenting on her current work on her “alphabet series” of Kinsey Millhone crime novels.

When Hope Grows Weary: An Arkansas Delta Town In Place And Time, Cindy Lynn Grisham

Student Theses and Dissertations

Tyronza is a small community located in the Delta region of northeast Arkansas. It served as the birthplace of the nationally known and highly contested Southern Tenant Farmers Union that drew strong local attention because of its socialist party support and its use of interracial locals. The town served as the union headquarters for a very short time before they were moved to nearby Memphis. The union created an intense emotional response among the townspeople, and though instances of brutality were hinted at over the years, no one would ever confess to the crimes. In 2001, Arkansas State University launched …

Rothert, Otto Arthur, 1871-1956 (Sc 716), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 716. Letter written to Lida (Calvert) Obenchain, Bowling Green, Kentucky, from Otto Arthur Rothert, Louisville, Kentucky, in which he thanks her for a recent letter and invites her to visit him when she next comes to Louisville.

Halleck, Annie Jeanette (Ainslie), 1839-1915 (Sc 719), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 719. Letter written to Bessie Oates, Bowling Green, Kentucky, from Annie (Ainslie) Halleck, Louisville, Kentucky, replying to an inquiry for information for a research paper about her grandfather, Hew Ainslie.

Obenchain, Lida (Calvert), 1856-1935 (Sc 726), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 726. Letter to Frances Richards, Bowling Green, Kentucky, from Lida (Calvert) Obenchain, Dallas, Texas, an author and native of Bowling Green, stating that her publishers will send copies of two of her books for the Kentucky Library Collection. Also she relates her concern for the collection of textiles for the Kentucky Museum.

Allison, Young Ewing, 1853-1932 (Sc 723), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 723. Two letters written by Young Ewing Allison, journalist and author, Louisville, Kentucky, to Edward A. Jonas, editor, Louisville, thanking Jonas for his kind remarks.

Miller, Carl Haskell, 1889-1964 (Sc 2587), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2587. Daily diary and journal of Carl Haskell Miller, Tompkinsville, Kentucky. A manager on the Chautauqua circuit, Miller writes in a detailed but lighthearted way of his family, his life at home and of his travels in the United States and Mexico. He also reproduces some of his personal and professional correspondence, and writes of his mother’s death in 1927.

“Roses Are Planted Where Thorns Grow”: The 2012 Lion And The Unicorn Award For Excellence In North American Poetry, Michael Heyman, Michael Joseph, Joseph T. Thomas Jr.

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Bias In A Just World? Sexual Prejudice, Gender Self-Esteem, And Intimate Partner Violence, Crystal D. Mahoy

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Each year, approximately 835,000 men and 1.3 million women are victims of intimate partner violence (IPV; American Bar Association, n.d). Although the prevalence of same-sex intimate partner violence (IPV) is approximately the same as IPV in heterosexual couples (Alexander, 2002), fewer studies have examined perceptions of IPV in same-sex couples or of IPV perpetrated against heterosexual men compared to heterosexual women. In the current study, Just World Theory (Lerner & Miller, 1978) is used as a framework for understanding factors associated with perceptions of heterosexual and same-sex IPV, including sexual prejudice and gender self-esteem. Perceptions of IPV were examined in …

Hopkin, Rachel Claire (Fa 581), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 581. Illustrated paper by Rachel Hopkin titled “A Reel in a Bottle: The Bottle Art of Chris Wood.” This illustrated project provides insight into the art of creating bottle art, or bottle whimsies. Folk artist Chris Wood’s path from observer to artist is detailed and includes his interpretations of the work of several historical and modern artisans within the genre. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Chappell, Katherine (Fa 582), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 582. Illustrated paper by Katherine Chappell titled “Fine, Folk, or Functional? The Art of Mark Whitley.” This illustrated project provides insight into the art of furniture making and the distinctions between the artistic formation of furniture and mass production. The project details the journey of one craftsman, Mark Whitley of Warren County, Kentucky, from one who makes furniture, into an artist whose work is practical, functional, and enduring. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Faytullayeva, Shamira A. (Fa 584), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 584. Illustrated paper by Shamira A. Faytullayeva titled “A Great Tailor in My Family.” This illustrated project describes the economic benefits of the tailoring skills of a Russian emigrant, Samisiya Faytullayeva. Samisiya’s mother taught her to sew when she was a child, and the skill has provided an income for her family in the years since her husband’s death and their subsequent immigration to the United States. This project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Spraggins, Cody (Fa 585), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding Aid only for Folklife Archives Project 585. Video by Cody Spraggins titled “The Community of Dungeons and Dragons Players as a Folk Group.” The video is a compilation of interviews with three individuals who participate in the role playing fantasy game. The focus of the video is the sentiment that the “gamers” have created distinct folk groups within their community of play. Typescript of abstract only. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Hopkin, Rachel Claire (Fa 586), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding Aid and full text paper (Click on "Additional File" below) for Folklife Archives Project 586. Independent study project conducted by Rachel Hopkin on George R. Gibson, a banjo player from eastern Kentucky. The project, contained on two DVDs, includes photos, audio interviews and transcripts, a paper, bibliography, and field notes. Participating in the interview are Gibson and musicians John W. Haywood and Kevin C. Howard, who describe Gibson’s influence on them. This project was executed for the folk studies program at Western Kentucky University.

Callis, Mariah (Fa 583), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 583. Illustrated paper by Mariah Callis titled “Grave Decoration in a Bowling Green Cemetery: An Analysis of Children’s Grave Adornment.” This illustrated project provides a brief yet detailed description of the author’s first field work experience. The work, an analysis of children’s grave adornment, provides information specific to Fairview Cemetery, Bowling Green, Kentucky, and categorizes the types of ornamentation placed on children’s graves and the frequency of such decoration. The project was submitted for the 2011 Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Mccartt-Jackson, Sarah (Fa 578), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Folklife Archives Project 578. Paper by Sarah McCartt-Jackson titled “Narrative Compromise: African American Representation at Henry Clay’s Ashland Estate.” Paper provides analysis of the inclusion and accuracy of the history of slavery at Ashland, and slavery’s depiction in tour narratives, brochures, exhibit signage, advertisements, and websites. This project won the 2011Folklife Archives Award competition at Western Kentucky University.

Race, Memory, And Historical Responsibility: What Do Southerners Do With A Difficult Past?, Larry J. Griffin, Peggy G. Hargis

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

Newly emerging, transitional societies –– that is, societies that traded dictatorial or authoritarian rule for some form of open or liberal polity –– face at least three interdependent problems of what is called in legal scholarship and social science “transitional justice”: the first is how (if at all) to hold the old regime’s autocratic, often violence-laden leadership responsible for its wrongdoings while in power; the second is what (if anything) to do with thousands upon thousands of ordinary folk whose participation in, or compliance with, the old regime helped legitimate and thus perpetuate the wrongdoing; and the third task how …