Cultural History Commons^™

1999 Aaa Jrpg Quality And How A 2019 Indie-Game Developer Can Meet It, Kailynn Haskell-Harbert

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper is a delve into 1999 JRPG AAA video games and how small developers can make something of similar quality with contemporary technology. This is explored by using Final Fantasy VIII and Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete as a 1999 AAA standard, then comparing that standard to modern indie-games as well as my own experience in indie-game development. The ultimate goal of the paper is to prove that small indie-game studios can create 1999 AAA quality JRPGs with relatively minimal investment.

From Spacewar! To Twitch.Tv: The Influence Of Competition In Video Games And The Rise Of Esports, Robert Boyle

Senior Theses

Since their inception in the 1950s, video games have come a long way; with that advancement came more popularity, a growing demand, and an evolving culture. The first person shooter (FPS) video game genre and the competitive scene that was born out of it is an ideal case study to analyze this change over time. To understand how video games became so popular, one must examine their history: specifically, their development, impacts the games have had on society, and economic trajectories. Similar to traditional professional sports, video games experienced a cultural shift around their lucrative profit margins and unfolding professionalization …

"A Trained And Trustful Soul" : Life And Literature Of A Black Louisville Artist In Minstrel America., Emma Christine Bryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the century-long theatrical expression of blackface minstrelsy within the larger context of the United States, but specifically studies its popularity in Louisville, Kentucky from 1878 to 1925. This study is meant to bring to the fore the pervasiveness of blackface minstrelsy, and how it was used to demean, degrade, and oppress African American populations before, during, and well after Emancipation. This work is not meant to memorialize the craft of minstrelsy, however, but rather attempts to show how black individuals of the time were actively working to both reclaim the detrimental stereotypes of blackface minstrelsy, while also …

Thinging : Powerful Objects., Tammy M. Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The works in "Thinging” are inspired by desire, the genuine and the false, systems of real and perceived values, the quest for immortality, the allure of things, our use of them to make ourselves, and imagining pasts and futures via objects. The following concepts are threaded through the work: cathexis, ritual as a value builder, collections, hoarding, display, object history, exchange, use, and sign values, and vibrant materiality. At the heart of my investigation is the quest to examine the origins of object power, and by what measures it can be evaluated: value from belief, market value, and something perhaps …

Resistance To Statism In Frontier Era Upper East Tennessee, 1760-1820, Casey Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes efforts among frontier settlers of Upper East Tennessee to resist particular elements of state-craft from the 1750s until 1820. Building on the work of James C. Scott, this study suggests that some residents of the area may have resisted acceding to what they considered the negative aspects of residing within state sovereignty. These included, taxation, land enclosure, organized religion, and regulation of economic activity. Analyzing from outside the lens of the state, this study attempts to explore why organized government remained largely ineffective and widely disregarded in the Upper East Tennessee region even as governance rapidly and …

Children Of A One-Eyed God: Impairment In The Myth And Memory Of Medieval Scandinavia, Michael David Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using the lives of impaired individuals catalogued in the Íslendingasögur as a narrative framework, this study examines medieval Scandinavian social views regarding impairment from the ninth to the thirteenth century. Beginning with the myths and legends of the eddic poetry and prose of Iceland, it investigates impairment in Norse pre-Christian belief; demonstrating how myth and memory informed medieval conceptualizations of the body. This thesis counters scholarly assumptions that the impaired were universally marginalized across medieval Europe. It argues that bodily difference, in the Norse world, was only viewed as a limitation when it prevented an individual from fulfilling roles that …

Cultural Heritage Preservation In The Context Of Climate Change Adaptation Or Relocation: Barbuda As A Case Study, Martha B. Lerski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This case study introduces an arts camp methodology of engaging communities in identifying their key cultural heritage features, thus serving as a meta study. It presents original research based on field studies on the climate-vulnerable Caribbean island of Barbuda during 2017 and 2018. Its Valued Cultural Elements survey, enabling precise identification of key tangible and intangible art forms and biocultural practices, may serve as a basis for further studies. Such approaches may facilitate future research or planning as climate-vulnerable communities harness Local or Indigenous Knowledge for purposes of biocultural heritage preservation, or towards adaptation or relocation. I report on findings …

Casualties Of War? Refining The Civilian-Military Dichotomy In World War I, Eric Grube

Madison Historical Review

Throughout the First World War, newspapers around the world mocked the British state for its lavish spending on captured German officers kept at Donington Hall, a refurbished English estate. Why was this camp such a controversial space of perceived decadence? I argue that its comforts seemed to linger from an earlier era, one in which military men exuded genteel civility as integral to their supposedly heroic service. The British state essentially enabled such treatment, and the public decried this space for sustaining the anachronism of aristocratic privilege in the face of a globalized total war. However, the German inmates expected …

Unraveling Ethos: The Commodification Of Ethical Clothing, Oliva Hanson

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

In the last decade there has been a noticeable attempt to subvert traditional modes of clothing production. The recent emergence of “ethical consumption” in the fashion industry is a case in point. This project argues that these new formations and practices around ethical consumption are mere appropriations of anti-corporate politics and sentiments for consumers in the West. Signification of ethical consumption through language and cultural capital give more value to individual articles of clothing and branded entities. This reformation of the clothing industry towards an ethical attitude is a rebranding tactic that avoids the source-issue altogether. Through advertising and normalization …

Collective Political Action And Activism On Twitter: The Merits And Limitations Of The Framing Tactics And Strategies Of The 2018 National Prison Strike, Philip Wasserburg

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

The success of any collective political action relies heavily on public opinion. The leaders of these actions use framing techniques to optimize the reach of their message and convince broader portions of the population to sympathize with their cause. Today, most political conversations and debates about pressing social issues takes on social media platforms such as Twitter, which could be conceptualized as a virtual public sphere, where different individuals meet and discuss political events and issues as equally empowered citizens and active members of society. However, in practice, some individuals remain unable to participate in these discourses and conversations. Philip …

Everything I Know About Gender I Learned From A Little Golden Book!, Chandler Clifford

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

This feminist cultural intervention examines the power children’s literature has in its ability to interpellate its readers and normalize dominant gendered identities for them. It draws on the work of feminist theorists, such as bell hooks, Judith Butler, and Sandra Bem to interrogate the politics of gender and sexuality in The Little Golden Book series and to examine how the latter has actively worked to create specific cisnormative gender identities for its readers. In this project, Chandler Clifford shows how children’s literature is used as an ideological tool to teach children how gender is performed in the outside world and …

Through The Looking Glass: The Perpetuation Of Homelessness Through Awareness Media, Ashley Lauren Knight

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

The definition of who the homelessness are has historically been defined by media. This project performs a genealogical analysis influenced by the work Foucault has done in Madness and Civilization to contextualize the way different forms of media through the years has constructed the homeless stereotype we live with today. By zeroing in on awareness media that is produced by independent documentarians, it becomes apparent the goal is not to educate on the systemic issue of homelessness, but more so to create an empathy-based connection between the subject and the viewer. This paper argues that an empathy-based production is not …

Looking At People Watching People- A Comparative Approach Of American And British Advertising, Kyle Heger

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

Advertising reaches millions of audiences every day, yet some of the most impactful ads only appear once, while other advertisements thrive in a world where audiences are most receptive to what the campaign is feeding to the masses. Spaces like the Super Bowl, ads created for the wonders of television are the bridge between artificial realism and situational experiences that most people can relate or aspire to, but what if one person’s experience is leaning towards misrepresentation? In this paper, I’ll be using media studies to dissect American advertising, through its construction of non-profit advertising and responding to the form …

Pasión De Juventudes: La Reforma Universitaria Y La Emergencia De La Literatura Latinoamericana, Fernando Degiovanni

Publications and Research

Resumen: Este artículo analiza el rol que tuvo la Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA), y especialmente la actividad cultural de los exiliados apristas, en la emergencia de un latinoamericanismo literario inspirado en los ideales de la Reforma Universitaria. En particular, explora la incidencia del crítico peruano Luis Alberto Sánchez, responsable de la labor propagandística del APRA en el exterior y autor de la primera historia literaria latinoamericana publicada en castellano, en la articulación de la disciplina en la primera mitad del siglo XX. Su Historia de la literatura americana (1937) no solo cuestionará el proyecto latinoamericanista esbozado por Pedro Henríquez …

The Grizzly, April 25, 2019, Courtney A. Duchene, Sienna Coleman, William Wehrs, Sam Rosenthal, Madison Rodak, Johnny Myers, Thomas Bantley, Daniel Walker, David Mendelsohn, Gabriela Howell

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Coffee Shop and Brew Pub Aims to Open Second Location Near UC • In Memory of Dorinda Ma, 1993-2018 • New History Professor Makes Her Mark • Ursinus Student's Internship Takes Her to Yellowstone • Sesquicentennial Celebration Continues with Minerva Term • Ursinus' First Pride Festival • Opinions: Restructuring the Tax Process Might Benefit Americans; Notre Dame Tragedy Speaks to the Necessity of Historical Preservation • UC Golf Ready to Make Noise in CC • The "History! With an Exclamation Point!" Award: Alex Mumme • Baker and Lyons Reflect on UC Careers

Two Poems: Stop Time Before; Forsaken Ones, Ánh-Hoa Thị Nguyễn

Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement

This creative work features two poems: Stop Time Before; Forsaken Ones

A Look Into The Tuskegee Study Of Untreated Syphilis In The Negro Male In Macon County, Alabama, Austin Valentine

Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In the 1930’s there was growing concerns over a disease known as syphilis. With 300,000 new cases each year, coupled with the disease’s ability to create blindness, arthritis, heart disease and instances of premature death, the search for a way to stop the epidemic quickly was expanding. With such numbers the United States Department of Health needed answers fast (DiIanni 1993).

At this time, the United States was in an economic crisis left by the Great Depression. As a result, the U.S. Department of Health needed to find cheap test subjects in an effort to combat syphilis and prevent its …

The Grizzly, April 18, 2019, Courtney A. Duchene, Shelsea Deravil, Sam Isola, Rosalia Murphy, Sienna Coleman, William Wehrs, Daniel Walker, David Mendelsohn, Peter Desimone, Mark Leduc

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Largest Number of Prospective Students Ever Visit Ursinus on Admitted Students Day • Board of Trustees Gets More Diverse • Ursinus Alumna Comes to Discuss Her 45-Year Career in Education • French Hangs up the Baton After 40 Years of Service • Planned Parenthood Club Aims to Increase Awareness of Reproductive Rights and Health on Campus • Q&A Senior Feature: Brittani Schnable • Opinions: Transgender Soldiers Should be Respected; What Contemporary Indie Could Learn from the Post-Punk Movement • The "Nice Job Scoring the Game-Winning Goal in Overtime" Award: Sam Mutz • Mopkins! Bears Pull Off Historic Sweep of Blue …

Series Of Identities: Bob Dylan In The 1980s, Sarah Shade

Undergraduate Research Conference

Research Questions

• How does Bob Dylan compare to other artists?

• How do visuals affect the lyrics of songs?

• How do other artists portray themselves during this period?

• How do people frame their own identities?

Tiger Woods At The Masters, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

As all the world knows by now, Tiger Woods won the Masters yesterday. Without a doubt, it was one of the most remarkable achievements in recent sport history, completing a long climb back from the bottom following the collapse of his marriage, his body, and, indeed, his life.

The Grizzly, April 11, 2019, Courtney A. Duchene, William Wehrs, Lillian Vila Licht, Sam Isola, Rosalia Murphy, Sienna Coleman, Jen Joseph, David Mendelsohn, Tom Cardozo, Thomas Garlick

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Legendary Ursinus Professor Remembered • Q&A with Lantern Editor • Three Students Make Their Voices Heard • Speaker Combines Focus on Jewish History and Jewish Humor • Senior Spotlight: Biology and Neuroscience Double Major Katherine Madden • "The Medusa Play" Premieres at Ursinus • Opinions: My Memories of Professor Doughty; Looking Back at the (Awesome) Original "Twilight Zone" • The "Intestinal Fortitude" Award: Morgan Comfort • The "I'm the New Career Goals Record-Holder" Award: Peter DeSimone • Football Duo Share Their Experience Abroad • Bradford Gearing Up for Big Senior Season with UC Football

The Grizzly, April 4, 2019, Courtney A. Duchene, Sam Rosenthal, Matthew Trainor, Johnny Myers, Rosalia Murphy, William Wehrs, Skylar Haas, Sienna Coleman, Lillian Vila Licht, Shelsea Deravil, Thomas Bantley, Daniel Walker, David Mendelsohn, Peter Desimone, Tom Cardozo

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Holocaust Survivor Shares Story with Ursinus • New Interdisciplinary Course Brings Biology and African American History Together • Talk on Free Speech vs. Censorship • Ursinus Students Travel to Attend 63rd Annual UN Women's Conference • Period Product Drive Raises Awareness • Pinata Party: Students Celebrate Heritage • New Summer Programs at UC • Opinions: Negative Consequences of Automation Must be Addressed; Mueller was Never Going to Save You • The "Loves Giving Length" Award: Nick DeFeo • Women's Hoops Reflects on Historic Season • Nolan Murt Named Finance Valedictorian

April 2019, Temple Shalom Synagogue Center

Newsletter Archive

Contents: Café shalom; From the Rabbi; President's Message; Announcents; Book Group; Community Notices

The Rebel Made Me Do It: Mascots, Race, And The Lost Cause, Patrick Smith

Dissertations

Public memory is commonly tied to street names, toponyms, and monuments because they are interacted with daily and are often directly associated with race, class, and regimes of power. Mascots are not thought of in the same manner although they are present as part of everyday life. The childish or sometimes comedic nature of the mascot discounts it from many considerations of its influence, symbolism and history. Nonetheless this research focuses on the term “Rebel” as a secondary school mascot. The term possesses the trappings of race because the American vernacular ties the word to the Confederate States of America …

Amjambo Africa! (April 2019), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In This Issue...

Editorial: Migration ................Page 3

Senegalese Storytelling .......Page 12

Mapping The Presence Of Latin American Art In Canadian Museums And Universities, Alena Robin

Hispanic Studies Publications

This essay overviews how Canadian museums and universities have historically accessioned Latin American visual culture and identifies potential ways of sustaining interest, streamlining initiatives, and promoting access. The larger project aims at contributing to a hemispheric and transnational understanding of the history and growth in Canada of the field of Latin American art and its subfields of Pre-Columbian, colonial, modern, and contemporary art. While the study of art history among Canadian museums and universities has kept up with the decades-long interest in Latin American art and visual culture, there remain considerable challenges in bringing Latin American art to the forefront …

Sympathetic Physics: The Keely Motor And The Laws Of Thermodynamics In Nineteenth-Century Culture, Robert Macdougall

History Publications

In Philadelphia in the 1870s, John Worrell Keely announced the invention of a fantastic new motor that could, he promised, drive locomotives, power factories, and even defy gravity without fuel or heat. The Keely Motor became the most notorious perpetual motion scheme of the nineteenth century, attracting believers and investors for nearly thirty years. This article explores the “work” the motor performed for Keely, his supporters, and his critics—not physical work, but financial, cultural, and psychological. To investors, the Keely Motor represented a dream of riches without effort. To Keely’s critics, the motor offered an opportunity to defend the legitimacy …

Social Egalitarianism: How Does Marginalization Affect An Individual’S Support For Welfare Recipients?, Brodie W. Edgerton

Student Publications

This work examines how identification in a historically marginalized group in the United States affects individuals' opinions towards welfare recipients. Using three marginalized groups: African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, and Women, this study compares how each group views welfare recipients while discussing how people in general view welfare recipients. This study finds that there are some statistical differences between the opinions of welfare recipients between certain groups, but not amongst other groups, indicating the importance of society on American politics in the present day.

Positionality Matters: School Choice Decisions Based On Ethnographic Accounts Of African American Parents, Dr. Stacy L. Thomas

Dissertations

This research delves into experiences with reasoning and selected criteria for choosing the right school for their children. Beginning with a series of vignettes that assist with recognition of parental empowerment, this research archives acknowledgement of their own positionality when it comes to making life changing decisions. As selected parents of African American children grapple with the strategic balance and possibilities of educational outlets, family and finances, they offer ethnographic accounts of their successes and failures with school choice. Individual accounts of parental school choice decisions posing as data ascertained from interviews provided research that explored the critical frequencies and …

3rd Place Contest Entry: Aesthetic Activism: Protest Art In The Delano Grape Strike, Felicia Viano

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Felicia Viano's submission for the 2019 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won third place. It contains her essay on using library resources, a three-page sample of her research project on the use of art as a social movement tactic by the United Farm Workers during the Delano Grape Strike, and her works cited list.

Felicia is a senior at Chapman University, majoring in History and Peace Studies. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Robert Slayton.