Other History Commons^™

The Edge Of The World: An Examination Of The Wild West In California, 1840-1880, Chloe J. Cushing

Master's Theses

“The Edge of the World” revolves around the history of the Wild West in California through the lens of Richard Maxwell Brown’s Western War of Incorporation theory. Rather than being a mythology sensationalized by Hollywood and literature, for the Golden State, the Wild West was a very real and tangible part of its early-American era, characterized by U.S. imperialism, high murder rates, anti-authoritarianism, and other rampant forms of chaos that affected the state for generations. By examining the conditions and effects of the late Mexican period, the Gold Rush, Confederate sympathizers, and the Southern Pacific Railroad, this thesis highlights the …

History Of The Leaning Pine Arboretum, Angelica Hokunani Chidester

English

The Leaning Pine Arboretum, located on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, was founded in 1973 by a conglomerate of faculty of the horticultural sciences. The author sat with current and retired faculty to curate a written history based on oral interviews which investigated the development of the 5-acre garden across fifty years of volunteer work, student employees, class projects, and senior projects. Professor Emeritus Tom Eltzroth became the first director of the Arboretum and established the core design principle of celebrating the five Mediterranean climates of the world: Australia, California, Chile, the Mediterranean basin, and …

Jorge Ricardo Masetti: Journalist, Guerrilla, Cold Warrior, Brooks C. Martin Mr.

Master's Theses

The following thesis describes the life and activities of Jorge Ricardo Masetti, an Argentinian journalist who was assigned to interview Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution against dictator Fulgencio Batista. Masetti was responsible for broadcasting interviews with Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara to the rest of Latin America for the first time, allowing people to understand what was happening in Cuba through the words of the Revolution’s leaders. Masetti returned to Cuba to found the first international Latin American news agency, Prensa Latina, which still exists today. However, ideological factionalism within Prensa Latina drove Masetti to resign in …

American Media And Memories: How Visual Media Tells The History Of The World Wars In The 21st Century, Julian A. Rispaud

History

This paper examines how fictional digital media–film, television, and digital games–have both mirrored and influenced the American popular memory of the World Wars, establishing how visual media in the last 25 years has disseminated distinct historical themes and narratives to American audiences. Examining both World Wars together allow us to witness historical narratives of WWI and WWII intersecting across many works of media, applying critical elements of one conflict's memory to the other. This is accomplished through the process of historical thematic dissemination, through with creators off all three types of visual media pay homage to or draw on historical …

“Let's Hear It From The Girls”: Abortion Activism At Cal Poly, 1970-1980, Michelle L. Mueller

The Forum: Journal of History

No abstract provided.

Upending The "Racial Death-Wish": Black Gay Liberation And The Culture Of Black Homophobia, Kailyn Pope

Master's Theses

This thesis analyzes the origin and impact of Black homophobia found in activist spaces of mid- to late-twentieth-century American society. Black gay Americans were subjected to intersecting forms of systemic and cultural oppression that were exceedingly hard to escape due to both the homophobia in Black spaces and the racism in gay spaces. Black gay activists and artists thus had to create their own avenues of expression where they and others could fully embrace what it meant to be Black and gay. This work utilizes a Black feminist framework to explore the roots of Black homophobia and how this type …

Trudging The Road Of Happy Destiny: The Gift Economy In Early Alcoholics Anonymous History And The Creation Of The Big Book, Timothy J. Parker

History

In 1939, Bill Wilson and his peers published Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism, and in doing so, codified a spiritual gift economy through which millions of people have recovered from alcoholism and other addictions. This project examines the pragmatic formulation of this economy and argues its origins were driven as much by self-interest as altruism. It further explores the syncretic leadership of Bill Wilson and his mark on "The Big Book."

Send Them Your Heart: Usa For Africa, The Eritrea Shallow Wells Project, And A Song That Defined American Pop Culture, Charlie Williams

History

No abstract provided.

Pharaonic Occultism: The Relationship Of Esotericism And Egyptology, 1875–1930, Kevin Todd Mclaren

Master's Theses

The purpose of this work is to explore the interactions between occultism and scholarly Egyptology from 1875 to 1930. Within this timeframe, numerous esoteric groups formed that centered their ideologies on conceptions of ancient Egyptian knowledge. In order to legitimize their belief systems based on ancient Egyptian wisdom, esotericists attempted to become authoritative figures on Egypt. This process heavily impacted Western intellectualism not only because occult conceptions of Egypt became increasingly popular, but also because esotericists intruded into academia or attempted to overshadow it. In turn, esotericists and Egyptologists both utilized the influx of new information from Egyptological studies to …

The Power Of Friendship: Cal Poly’S Contract In Thailand And Reinterpreting Cold War Agency Through Relationships, Sean Martinez

History

From 1967 to 1973, Cal Poly was contracted by USAID to provide assistance to the Department of Vocational Education housed under the Royal Thai Government's Ministry of Education. This paper explores how the Cal Poly university administration and the members of the Cal Poly Team in Thailand expressed agency and decision making despite complex bureaucratic relationships and the larger international political conflict between the US and the USSR.

The Necessity Of A Revolution: The 21st Century Battle For Equality In The Classroom: An Examination Of The History, Critiques And Effectiveness Of Teach For America, Wyatt D. Oroke

History

This paper sets out to explore the controversy surrounding the program Teach For America. The paper sets out to argue whether or not Teach For America has been effective, in terms of its alignment with its goals and mission statement. I conclude that while TFA has been successful in some individual cases, the program as a collective has so far failed to make advancements within the opportunity gap experienced between low-income and high-income students within the American school system. The paper concludes by making several recommendations for the TFA program about how it can alter itself in hopes of being …

Gaman: How Japanese Americans Persevered In The Face Of Racial Injustice 1941-1988, Derek James Koehler

History

A look at the racial injustice of Japanese Americans during WWII including the internment camps and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.

Printing Trends In Board & Card Games, Jessica Lee Riddell

Graphic Communication

The board and card game industry are facing growing pressures from digital games, as video and social media games become more prevalent. Emerging print and media technologies, namely printed electronics and augmented reality, could provide a board and card gaming experience that would draw in gamers who typically play digital games. The expected outcomes of the literature research, industry and market surveys, and subsequent paper are an understanding of the history of games, the current state of the game manufacturing and publishing industry, and attitudes of gamers who would be playing games embedded with the emerging technologies.

An Analysis Of Preservation Versus Conservation: The Future Of Whaling, Elizabeth Paige Fennie

History

No abstract provided.

Rolling Stone And Stanley Mcchrystal: A Case Of Muck-Raking, Westley (West) Fletcher

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Growing Conflict: Agriculture, Innovation, And Immigration In San Luis Obispo County, 1837–1937, Douglas P. Jenzen

Master's Theses

The history of San Luis Obispo and its surrounding areas is complex. Agriculture, innovation, and immigration have all contributed to the formation of the region. The Spanish, Mexican, and early American periods established the framework successive waves of immigrants had to live within. Native Americans and immigrants from China, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, the Philippines, and other regions of the United States have all toiled in the fields and contributed to America’s tables at various points throughout county history. Many contingencies determined the treatment of successive waves of immigrants. Growth and development are taking place at exponential rates on the very …

(Re)Imagining Taiwan: Taiwanese Cultural Nationalism In Film And Literature, 1970-1990s, Keith Goodwin

History

The study of Taiwan's history is permeated by questions of identity. Since 1600, the island has been, among other things, a Dutch colonial outpost, a refuge for Ming loyalists, a provincial frontier of the Qing Dynasty, a Japanese colony, and, since the end of World War II, the home of the Republic of China (ROC). However, sixty years after Taiwan's "retrocession" to the government of Chiang Kai-shek, questions of Taiwan's cultural and national identity persist.

This paper takes the 1970s to be an important turning point in Taiwan's identity discourse. Beginning with a discussion of the various political and diplomatic …

Revitalizing The Shakespeare Press Museum, Alix Katherine Guyot

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to determine how the Shakespeare Press Museum could attract more visitors, what kind of programs the Shakespeare Press Museum can offer to those visitors and how the Shakespeare Press Museum can turn frequent and interested visitors into volunteers. The popularity of letterpress printing has grown significantly over the last few years and interest in the museum the has grown as well.

This study investigated the practices of other similar organizations and suggestions from experts with knowledge related to organizing and maintaining exhibits and knowledge of the Shakespeare Press Museum. Elite and specialized interviews were …

Computers For The Masses: The American Socio-Technological Change Of The 1970'S And 1980'S, Robert Bryan Goodman

Master's Theses

This thesis developed out of my personal curiosity on the subject of high-technological development. Specifically, high-technology’s shift from primarily a military tool to a consumer product raised several questions to answer since first taking an interest in the subject. My lifestyle, like many other Americans in my generation, incorporates computers, cell-phones, and video game consoles as not only an innovative tool, but a standard and necessary mode of production. In our contemporary society, technology is obtainable everywhere. As an entertaining tool in the form of video games to a productivity tool in our workplaces, most individuals have assimilated consumer electronics. …