Higher Education Commons^™

The Paradox Of Loss, Abby Pugsley

English Senior Capstone

The Paradox of Loss is a collection of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry that leans into the tension humans experience as eternal beings in a world marked by impermanence. We encounter loss in countless ways throughout our lives, and yet we also look toward a future where all is restored. This collection is an exploration of the losses I have experienced, presented in both fictional and nonfictional forms. My hope is to show the life that pervades even in loss, both through our attachment to the physical world and in the way our grief points toward our desire for permanence, …

The Effects Of Trauma On Identity Formation: Pursuing And Obtaining Individual Freedom In Emerson’S Nature And Creech’S Chasing Redbird, Mckenzie Hershberger

English Senior Capstone

Nature and Chasing Redbird provide poignant examples of the restorative power found in the natural world, and a thorough analysis of the works and lives of the authors reveal past trauma created the need for this restoration. Traumatic experiences shape an individual’s thought processes, as each decision the individual makes is based upon fearing an uncertain outcome. Throughout Nature, Emerson references a child’s innocence, demonstrating that a child’s perspective has not yet been tainted by experience. Emerson idealizes his past childhood as he endured grievances that motivated him to confront his trauma while in nature himself. An example for Emerson’s …

Gothic Determinism: The Interplay Of Atavism And Hope In "The Old Nurse's Story" And "The Fall Of The House Of Usher", Madison Howland

English Senior Capstone

No abstract provided.

Note To Self: Don't Forget To Title Your Project!, Abby Wilson

English Senior Capstone

Note to Self: Don’t Forget to Title Your Project! is a collection of creative nonfiction, poetry, and visual art reflecting on the author’s ADHD diagnosis. With an approachable and direct tone, I become a tour guide for my readers as they explore the landscape of my neurodivergent brain. These readers will discover aspects of ADHD that can be strengths or drawbacks, such as executive dysfunction, outside-the-box thinking, emotional dysregulation, and hyperfixation. They will also briefly peek into the way that ADHD intersects with aspects of my identity, such as other neurodivergencies, gender, and spirituality.

Stories That Bark For Themselves: The Fall Of A Rooster And A Princess From Pride To Repentant Humility As Depicted In The Book Of The Dun Cow And The Light Princess, Ella Harris

English Senior Capstone

Walter Wangerin Jr. and George MacDonald, authors of The Book of the Dun Cow and The Light Princess respectively, created the self-serving characters Chauntecleer the Rooster and the cursed princess. Both characters, ignorant about the subtle strength of those around them and the power of a sacrificial act against encroaching evil, are shown their own insufficiency through the sacrifice of their humble and believed-to-be inconsequential companions. Both companions, Mundo Cani Dog and the prince, willingly sacrifice their lives to conquer the evil powers that threaten lands and to save those whom they love. The actions and behaviors of all four …

Our Firm Foundation: A Biblical Theological Study Of Hebrews 2:5-18, Jenna King

Biblical Studies Student Projects

Hebrews 2:5-18 highlights the passage's emphasis of the relationship between Christ and man, as well as how this interacts with the ideas of suffering, glory, and atonement also present in the passage. This paper examines the text itself as well as its broader context within Biblical canon, concluding with an application of the content for modern-day Christians.

Looking From Yesterday: Taylor University At 175, Ashley Chu, Tesia Jurasheck, Elizabeth Hammond, Alyssa Lykins

Faculty-Mentored Undergraduate Scholarship

“Looking from Yesterday” is the title of Dr. Milo A. Rediger’s 1970 address about the importance of Christian higher education during times of uncertainty and volatility. In this address, Rediger references the “Taylor concept,” which included symbols of oil (light) and the cross as a hopeful sign to the world. Despite its delivery more than 50 years ago, the theme of Rediger’s address still rings true today as we continue to seek to fulfill the mission of Taylor University during our own challenging times. This year (2021-22), Taylor University will recognize its founding 175 years ago. This research project will …

“Nothing Much Happens”: The Process Of Constructing Coherent Selves In A Tree Grows In Brooklyn And I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Laytham

English Senior Capstone

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, respectively, Betty Smith and Maya Angelou vividly paint the places, people, and customs that contextualize Francie and Marguerite’s growth. In fact, the societies to which both the protagonists and the authors talk back contribute greatly to how they express themselves. The interplays between past and present and between personal and public all inform how Smith and Angelou describe and develop the stories of their younger selves. While it might sound strange to find such dynamism in something as apparently inert as written word, the works …

Schedule Of Events, Joel Olufowote

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Programs and Schedules

Theme: It's a Time for Hope

Chapel Address: Dr. Joel Olufowote, Executive Director for Inclusive Excellence, Indiana Wesleyan University

Workshop: Katara McCarty, "Emotional Well-Being for Black Indigenous Women of Color

Taylor Talks:

• Dr. Michael Hammond, Provost & Executive Vice President
• Dr. Jeff Aupperle & Dr. Ben Wetzel, "Hope for African Americans during the Civil War (1834-1877)"
• Dr. Jesse Brown & Rev. Greg Dyson, "Conversations of Hope across the Racial Divide"
• Dr. Jakob Miller, "Expressions of Hope in the Future of Democracy"
• Dr. Laura Edwards, Emcee

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Taylor University

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Programs and Schedules

The emailed schedule for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

The Blessed Bread Of Life: A Biblical Theology Perspective And Research Of John 6:30-35,44-58, Adina Shabe

Biblical Studies Student Projects

John 6 is a passage that can seem confusing, graphic even. However, through concepts of Biblical theology, exegesis and application, one can come to a greater understanding of the teaching of Jesus in this passage. Throughout John 6:30-35,44-58 Jesus defines Himself as the bread and blood in which we are to eat and drink of and the great importance that lies within eating and drinking of Him.

A Biblical Theological Analysis Of Hebrews 3:7-14, Caleb Rolling

Biblical Studies Student Projects

In Hebrews 3:7-14, the author of Hebrews encourages his distraught audience to persevere in faith while also warning of the consequences of apostasy. Throughout this paper, the text is examined in its canonical and immediate contexts, its meaning is explained within these contexts, and finally, the text is applied to the lives of contemporary Christians.

Biblical Theology Exegesis Of 1 Timothy 4:1-5, Samuel Hardy

Biblical Studies Student Projects

This research paper takes a close look at Paul's theology from a short excerpt of his letter to Timothy. It is applicable to the lives of believers still today. Paul's letter touches on topics such as prophecy, apostasy, eschatology, and creation theology which are overarching themes throughout all of Scripture and this paper attempts to make those connections.

Brief Introduction To Numbers And Deuteronomy; Conclusion On Leviticus, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Sermons

No abstract provided.

Deuteronomy, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Sermons

No abstract provided.

Exodus (1st Lecture): Review Of Joseph And Introduction To Exodus, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Sermons

No abstract provided.

Exodus (3rd Lecture): Plagues, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Sermons

No abstract provided.

Exodus (4th Lecture): Passover, Milo A. Rediger

Milo Rediger Sermons

No abstract provided.

Seeking The Tomato: Encounters With Beauty In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God And Zadie Smith's On Beauty, Jessica Dundas

English Senior Capstone

When Zadie Smith was first given a copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, she was reluctant to read it. But once she did, she found herself captivated by the beauty protagonist Janie Crawford is seeking and encountering throughout the novel. Later in Smith’s own novel On Beauty the protagonist Howard Belsey becomes the inverse of Janie as he intellectually rejects the idea of beauty and ignores the encounters he has with it. Thus while Janie finds that beauty decenters her from thinking herself the center of her world, Howard stubbornly refuses to allow himself to be …

Broadening The Feminist Ideal: Female Expression In Kate Chopin’S The Awakening And Kathryn Stockett’S The Help, Hannah Funk

English Senior Capstone

Feminist criticism can be difficult to navigate, especially given the sociopolitical contexts connected to feminism all throughout history. In literature, idealized feminist characterizations can often leave less dramatically feminist characters behind, relegating them to a category of characters who are “not feminist enough.” But it is important to understand that these characters are still just as validly feminist as their dramatically feminist counterparts. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, readers see wonderful examples of women who operate in feminist ways, some within the roles that traditional feminist criticism would see as roles which trap them and …

The End Of Art Is Peace: Memory, Witness, And Restorative Imagination In Anna Burns’S Milkman And The Poetry Of Seamus Heaney, Sarah Davis

English Senior Capstone

Northern Irish writers Seamus Heaney and Anna Burns both explore the suffocation and trauma of living in civil conflict as informed by their time spent living in Belfast during the Troubles. In her 2018 novel Milkman, Burns depicts a beleaguered community that has succumbed to hypervigilance and learned helplessness. Burns’s characters try desperately to establish normality by twisting memory and refusing to witness the present, resulting in an inability to imagine a future unmarred by violence. In his poetry collections North and Field Work, Heaney wrestles with the responsibility of an artist to such a community, to his art, and …

Searching For Understanding: How Hamlet And Frankenstein Inform Humanity’S Response To Trauma, Jonathan Knippenberg

English Senior Capstone

By looking at trauma narratives we are able to learn about the nature of trauma as well as the effective and ineffective ways it has been handled by literary characters. Hamlet by William Shakespeare tells of the young prince Hamlet who, in repressing his trauma, unwittingly falls victim to repeating the anger reinforced by his father’s ghost while he continually allows no one to see anything but the mask of his antic disposition. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley portrays the turmoil between Dr. Frankenstein and his monster—a rejected creation scorned by a tortured creator—which not only consumes them but also tears …

Learning Or Not Learning To Overcome Trauma: Jane Eyre And A Farewell To Arms, Jessica Cutter

English Senior Capstone

In the novels Jane Eyre and A Farewell to Arms, Charlotte Brontë and Ernest Hemingway both display characters that have experienced devastating trauma. In both novels, female characters demonstrate strength and mental support that their male counterparts are unable to reciprocate because they cannot move on from their past. Jane learns that letting go of past trauma will lead to her growth and success in life, which ultimately influences Mr. Rochester to be like Jane, and the novel ends with them happy and mentally healthier. On the other hand, Henry can’t let go of his past traumas and leans heavily …

Authenticity In Glimpses: Framing Art And Identity In Virginia Woolf’S To The Lighthouse And Zadie Smith’S Swing Time, Taylor Budzikowski

English Senior Capstone

In their novels To the Lighthouse and Swing Time, Virginia Woolf and Zadie Smith communicate that art frames reality for those who choose to pay attention. Art provides a glimpse of permanence and stability for Lily Briscoe, a young woman who paints her reality while visiting Isle of Skye, and Zadie Smith’s unnamed narrator, a young woman who contemplates her mixed-race background through the lens of dance in London and Africa. These observations encourage Lily and the narrator to consider the perspectives of others amid their own visions. Gradually, Lily and the narrator find and foster their identities by sorting …

The Adventures Of Mousy And Jasper, James Schantz

English Senior Capstone

In my senior project I wanted to explore the world of children's literature that is meant specifically to be listened to. The project is in audio-script form and it is the tale of a dog and a mouse who become unlikely friends, share a nemesis in an evil cat named Mr. Bojangles, and need each other's help in order to get back home.

Metaphors Of Mental Illness: How Emily Dickinson And Vincent Van Gogh Understood And Expressed Their Personal Battles With Depression, Samantha Moss

English Senior Capstone

Both the poet Emily Dickinson and the artist Vincent van Gogh wrestled with mental illness in their adult lives. There are indications that both suffered from major depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder. Both lived in a time when there was no real understanding of mental illness and there was no language through which people could interpret and explain their pain. Dickinson used her poetry to create metaphors, metaphors centered around death and winter. Van Gogh created nature metaphors – and some centered around dying like Dickinson’s – in his paintings and in letters to his brother. These metaphors …

Schedule Of Events, Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Programs and Schedules

Theme: Remaking, Reshaping, and Restructuring

A Celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Chapel: Remaking, Reshaping, Restructuring our World, Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds

Rev. Dr. Reynolds is an author, church pastor, and journalist who knew both Martin and Coretta King. Reynolds' book, No, I Won’t Shut Up: 30 Years of Telling It Like It Is, includes a forward written by Coretta Scott King. Her latest book is co-written with Coretta Scott King, My Life, My Love, My Legacy (2017), a memoir focusing on King.

Reynolds attended Howard University Divinity School in 1988, graduating in 1992 and …

Writing Contest (Winning Piece), Katie Ito

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Programs and Schedules

This piece was the winning piece of writing submitted for the Writing Center's MLK Day writing contest. Submissions responded to the following prompt:

Coretta Scott King addressed the class of 1968 at Harvard University’s commencement just weeks after her husband was assassinated. Please read the entire speech (it’s brief and easy-to-read) @ https://harvardmagazine.com/2011/05/coretta-scott-king-urges-students-to-speak-out-with-righteous-indignation.

In her speech, Coretta Scott King challenged the graduates by saying, “In this period of social, political, economic and religious transformation, not one of us can be spared the luxury of withdrawing from the arena of action. As members of the family of mankind we have an …

Writing Contest (Runner-Up Piece), Mica-Abigail Evans

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Programs and Schedules

This piece was the runner-up of writing submitted for the Writing Center's MLK Day writing contest. Submissions responded to the following prompt:

Coretta Scott King addressed the class of 1968 at Harvard University’s commencement just weeks after her husband was assassinated. Please read the entire speech (it’s brief and easy-to-read) @ https://harvardmagazine.com/2011/05/coretta-scott-king-urges-students-to-speak-out-with-righteous-indignation.

In her speech, Coretta Scott King challenged the graduates by saying, “In this period of social, political, economic and religious transformation, not one of us can be spared the luxury of withdrawing from the arena of action. As members of the family of mankind we have an inherent …

Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2020 Schedule, Taylor University

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Programs and Schedules

The schedule for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.