American Studies Commons^™

Historical And Self-Imposed Asylums In Samuel Beckett’S Murphy, Malone Dies, And “First Love”, Suzanne Desmond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the uses and implications of historical and self-imposed asylums in several of Samuel Beckett's works, most notably Murphy, Malone Dies, and "First Love." The first half of this study compares several historical Irish and British asylums to Beckett's frictional institutions in order to illuminate the recurring motifs of sanity, asylums as retreats for the wealthy, and the links between prisons and asylums. I also examine Michel Foucault's theory of the Panopticon guards as an alternate reading of Beckett's views on sanity. In Murphy and Malone Dies, for example, Beckett questions what it means to be …

Lewis, Mickey (Fa 291), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 291. Paper: "Folk Beliefs for Colds and Flu" written by Lewis for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Life On The Campaign Trail: The Political Anthropology Of Local Politics, E.J Ford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This document is an ethnographic account of one researcher's experience during an election season spent with one candidate. The document considers the history of political anthropology as a subfield of anthropology, the deployment of ideology and hegemony as theoretical concepts, and includes a brief history of Tampa and Hillsborough County politics. The document attempts to make connections between the practical necessities of campaigning, with reference to the processual approach of examining micro-political process, and theoretical issues related to the subject of political anthropology, notably the concepts of ideology, hegemony, and the subject of elites in human social organization.

Kentucky Save Outdoor Sculpture Project, 2005-2008 (Mss 217), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 217. Survey questionnaires and photos related to 15 outdoor sculptures in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Questionnaires also available in PDF format and photos in digital format.

Kelly, Rita Helen Roberts (Fa 248), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

KELLY, Rita Helen Roberts 248. Paper: "For a Cold or the Flu, Take..." written by Rita Helen Roberts Kelly for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Adams, Marigold (Fa 297), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 297. Paper: "[Proverbs Found in Magazine Advertisements]" written by Marigold Adams for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Elrod, Scott (Fa 309), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 309. Paper: "[Ten Examples of Folklore and Media Project Items on Proverbs in Print Advertising]" written by Scott Elrod for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Fanslow, Robin A. (Fa 308), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 308. Paper: "An Examination of the Act of Gift-Giving as an Example of the Folklore of My Family" written by Robin A. Fanslow for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Fitzgerald, Annamary (Fa 307), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 307. Paper: "One Family's Folklore: A Brief Analysis of Worldview Through Genres in Folklore" written by Annamary Fitzgerald for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Christensen, Barbara Ellen (Fa 315), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of collection (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 315. Paper: "[Folktales]" written by Barbara Ellen Christensen for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Phillips, James E. (Fa 278), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 278. Paper: "[Log] Rafting in Taylor County" written by James E. Phillips for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Fritz, Craig (Fa 287), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 287. Paper: "Proverbial Statements in Mountain Bike Magazines" written by Craig Fritz for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Opening A World From Categorial Intuition To Art, William Koch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My purpose, broadly construed, is a simple one; to interpret Heidegger's "The Origin of the Work of Art" in the light of his early work on the nature of phenomenology and philosophy. My method will therefore be to present certain key elements of Heidegger's early understanding of phenomenology and philosophy, and then to trace these elements, and certain challenges which arise from them, into their development in Being and Time. Following this I will enquire into how these considerations should guide our interpretations of "The Origin of the Work of Art" and evaluate how "The Origin of the Work …

An Exploration Of The Sensemaking Process During The Implementation Of Academic Tracking Systems At Three Public Universities, Jean Mccarthy Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Policy tends to be formulated at the upper level of an organization and handed down to policy actors on the frontline for enactment. Since policy can be vague, ambiguous, or send conflicting messages, it can create uncertainty about its meaning. Moreover, policy is rarely accompanied by explicit instructions for implementation. Therefore, when frontline workers, or streetlevel bureaucrats, are pressed to make sense of policy's meaning in realistic terms, they engage in what Weick describes as sensemaking (1995). Sensemaking is a cognitive process entered into during times of uncertainty or change. Streetlevel bureaucrats engage in sensemaking by drawing on cues in …

The Relationship Between Individual Differences In Cognitive, Social And Personality Development And The Increase In Complexity Of Children’S Alcohol Expectancies, Nicole M. Bekman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to simultaneously examine cognitive, social and personality development in a cross-sectional sample of 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grade children to explore the interplay among these processes and how they relate to changes in children's understanding of alcohol. To replicate previous work, this study comprehensively examined relative increases in types of expectancies as a function of development. Results demonstrated that children in higher grades held more positive, negative and sedating expectancies of alcohol and positive alcohol expectancies increased more than negative alcohol expectancies. Improved performance on cognitive measures were associated with positive alcohol …

Evangelical Students In American Higher Education, Joseph C. Fox

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of evangelical freshmen students attending the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Texas at Dallas during the spring semester of 2006 in the context of student alienation. The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility that evangelicals attending secular universities were perceiving alienation through their interactions with their universities. It was hypothesized that the modern university, having evolved into its present naturalistic worldview condition, might prove alienating to evangelicals from a worldview standpoint. Assuming the possibility that alienation might prove to be a reality for evangelicals, the subordinate purposes …

Thurber, Lucille (Kerr), 1900-1976 (Sc 1667), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1667. Copies of poems written by Lucille (Kerr) Thurber, a Bowling Green, Kentucky native. Several of the poems were apparently written while Thurber was a patient in an unnamed hospital in October 1930. Some biographical information also included.

Measuring Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of Service Quality In Higher Education, Richard Scott Kelso

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine undergraduate student satisfaction with college services and environment at a large southeastern doctoral/research extensive university (target university), with the long-term intent of minimizing detractors to providing exceptional service quality, positively influencing customer satisfaction, and building loyalty intentions among students.

The ACT Student Opinion Survey (ACT, Inc.) was used to find the level of student satisfaction with the college services and environment. A stratified random sample of 468 undergraduate students responded to the survey. Three research questions guided the investigation. The study examined the general level of satisfaction with the support services, compared …

The Role Of Extracellular Matrix And Matrix-Degrading Proteases In Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury, Christopher C. Leonardo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improvements in medical care over recent decades have increased the number of premature and low birth weight infants that survive hypoxic-ischemic (H-I) insults. Because there is a rising incidence in diseases associated with these events, it is critical to develop effective therapies to treat the various resulting neuropathies. Extracellular matrix constitutes the majority of brain parenchyma. Lecticans and matrix-degrading proteases including ADAMTSs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin repeats) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) exert effects on cell viability and may be associated with either protective or destructive processes after H-I. Both ADAMTSs (Cross et al. 2006; Tian et al. 2007) …

Framing In Leadership Communication: Strategies, Breakdowns And Outcomes, Slaheddine Mnasri

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined framing practices used by leaders who participated in the Capacity Day 2007 event, which is organized by the World Bank Institute, as part of its Leadership Development Program. The study examined strategic uses of framing as a meaning-making tool. The framing strategies identified in this study were accomplished through the strategic use of language. Furthermore, the study recognized the implied negotiations of frames made by the skilled 'framers' and found that situations are continuously 'reframable'. Unsuccessful framing attempts were correlated with the contradictions between what was said and what was eventually understood. The positive outcomes that followed …

The Competencies For Community College Leaders: Community College Presidents' And Trustee Board Chairpersons' Perspectives, Anthony M. Hassan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At a time when strong leadership is needed to guide community colleges forward, a major crisis seems to be stirring (Eddy & VanDerLinden, 2006). According to some estimates, 45% of community college presidents will have retired by 2007 (Shults, 2001) and an even worse prediction offered by Weisman and Vaughan (2002) predict 79% of community college presidents will be retired by 2012. Echoing this view, Amey et al. (2002) assert that there is much work to be done in preparing the younger generations of community college leaders with skills and competencies necessary to meet this leadership challenge.

There were two …

Teacher Efficacy And Student Achievement In Ninth And Tenth Grade Reading: A Multilevel Analysis, Anete Vasquez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More than 8 million of America's middle and high school students are struggling readers. Two-thirds of all eighth graders read below grade level, and the reading scores of high school students have not improved since 1974. Low literacy levels affect learning in all subject areas and impede student opportunity for future success. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the accountability measures associated with the Act have heightened public awareness of the deficiency in adolescent literacy. School districts are choosing to respond in one of two ways. Some school districts are opting to invest in teacher-proof curricula that …

Family Affairs Newsletter 2008-06-01, Jean Vermette

Family Affairs newsletter (2004-2016)

FAMILY AFFAIRS was a free, twice-a-month, social activities newsletter for the GLBTQI (gay/lesbian/bisexual/trans/queer/intersex) community, sent out around the 1st and 15th of each month. It covered the State of Maine only. The list was begun and maintained for many years by Jean Vermette in Bangor, and later operated by Zack Paakkonen of Portland. Over the years it evolved from a social activities newsletter into a business directory, classified ad service, and community bulletin board.

Epifaunal Assemblage Of A Newly Established Oyster Reef With Two Substrates, Ian M. Dow

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An artificial oyster reef constructed in Boca Ciega Bay, off of the War Veteran's Memorial Park, St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2005, was used to compare a mined shell material to the typical oyster shell substrate used in artificial reef projects as an alternative substrate and cultch material. Half of the reef's veneer was the fresh oyster shell and the other half was mined material. Experimental trays were deployed on top of the sediment along the leeward reef base and sampled quarterly to test the hypothesis that fresh shell is the preferential cultch material of the Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea virginica, promoting …

Error Related Negativity In Parkinson’S Disease: A Test Of The Validity Of Mesencephalicdopamine Contributions To Ern, Craig A. Siders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A model proposed by Holroyd and Coles (2002) stating that error related negativity (ERN) is caused by a decrease in mesencephalic dopamine output to the ACC was tested. A group of individuals with Parkinson's disease (N = 16) and an age and education matched group free from neurological disorder (N = 16) completed a card guessing task where the magnitude of monetary penalties and rewards for incorrect and correct answers was varied by block. Individuals with Parkinson's disease were tested after an overnight washout from dopamingeric medications.

The amplitude of the mid-frontal negativity elicited by feedback was analyzed with spatial …

Utilitarian Approaches For Multi-Metric Optimization In Vlsi Circuit Design And Spatial Clustering, Upavan Gupta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the field of VLSI circuit optimization, the scaling of semiconductor devices has led to the miniaturization of the feature sizes resulting in a significant increase in the integration density and size of the circuits. At the nanometer level, due to the effects of manufacturing process variations, the design optimization process has transitioned from the deterministic domain to the stochastic domain, and the inter-relationships among the specification parameters like delay, power, reliability, noise and area have become more intricate. New methods are required to examine these metrics in a unified manner, thus necessitating the need for multi-metric optimization. The optimization …

The Effects Of Depressed Mood On Academic Outcomes In Adolescents And Young Adults, Robert Christopher Jones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation investigates the relationship between depressed mood and academic performance (measured in terms of grade point average) in U.S. middle and high schools.

Utilizing data from AddHealth, the dissertation establishes Ordinary Least Squares, Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS), and individual and sibling fixed effect regressions that attempt to control for confounding factors, including student motivation, personality characteristics, and parental inputs that are unobserved but may influence both mental health and achievement.

Study findings indicate that students who report feeling depressed do not perform as well academically as non-depressed students. Additionally, the degree of GPA impact increases with the severity …

Beard, Tara (Fa 283), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 283. Paper: "Teenage Cruising and Hanging Out" written by Beard for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Foster, Jon (Fa 288), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 288. Paper: "[Cruising]" written by Jon Foster for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Growth And Characterization Of Nanocrystalline Diamond Films For Microelectronics And Microelectromechanical Systems, Sathyaharish Jeedigunta

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diamond is widely known for its extraordinary properties, such as high thermal conductivity, energy bandgap and high material hardness and durability making it a very attractive material for microelectronic and mechanical applications. Synthetic diamonds produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods retain most of the properties of natural diamond. Within this class of material, nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) is being developed for microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications. During this research, intrinsic and doped NCD films were grown by the microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) method using CH₄/Ar/H₂ gas mixture and CH₄/Ar/N₂ gas …