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“Nor Cruel and Unusual Punishments Inflicted”: A Look at the Eighth Amendment and the Evolving Standards of Decency: Paper discusses constitutional interpretation and focuses on the evolving interpretation of the Eighth Amendment through Supreme Court cases.
Association of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Syndrome in Older African American, Mexican American, and Non-Hispanic Caucasian Women: A Comparison: Paper examines the relationship between osteoporosis and metabolic syndrome in different racial/ethnic groups.
Style and Emulation in the Renaissance of New Spain: Paper explores the relationship between artwork created during the Renaissance in Italy and in New Spain 150 years later.
Hail Mary: The Effect of the 1972 “Linebacker” Bombings on the Paris Peace Accords: Paper discusses the “Linebacker” bombings of 1972 in Vietnam, and explores what the North Vietnamese attendance at the 1973 Paris Peace Accords and their return to conflict two years later says about the effectiveness of American air power alone.
Complexities of Career Development: Paper explores the increasing roles and services provided by career counselors and career development services.
Folk Concepts and Cultural Constructs of the Flu among College Students: Paper examines college student perceptions of the flu, and how these perceptions are influenced by other conditions with similar names, such as the "stomach flu".
On the Line in the Motor City: Narratives of Latina Auto Worker Culture: Paper explores the experiences of the Latina auto-worker community, their struggles in family life, and the effects of marginalization.
The “Real” New Orleans: Perceptions of Katrina Survivors: Paper describes a project seeking to provide photos that better reflect the lives of residents directly affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans after the hurricane.
Electronic Undergraduate Research Journals: A Survey of their Characteristics: Paper survey's the characteristics of undergraduate student journals which are published electronically.
Hurricane Katrina: Survivors’ Perceptions of a Social Disaster: Paper discusses research attempting to identify communication gaps between survivors and the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Modeling and Optimization of Deflection Slits for Fast-Pulsing a Low Energy Ion Beam: Paper discusses an experiment that a set of deflection slits for fast-pulsing a keV ion beam.
Insulin-Like Signaling and Tissue-Specific Requirements of Anoxia Survival in Caenorhabditis elegans: Paper examines the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, an organism which can normally survive a day of anoxia (oxygen deprivation) and longer with mutations in the daf-2/daf-16 pathway. Examines how these mutations affect anoxia survival and the potential benefit to the development of anoxia-related therapies in humans.
The Production of Cultural Boundaries: The Influence of Participatory Journalism on the Immigration Debate in Texas: Paper uses a content analysis of the editorial section in a major Dallas-area newspaper to demonstrate a shift within American public discourse toward moral and cultural arguments against illegal immigration, and argues that this is due to the inclusion of participatory journalism in newspaper editorial pages.
Radio Frequency Identification: The Current and Future Solutions for Privacy and Security: Paper discusses standards, protocols, security, and privacy concerns related to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
Soft Power and International Public Opinion: U.S Presidents and the Treatment of Prisoners of War: Paper discusses the international effects of the policies of a nation in the form of soft power.
Professor Mom: Surviving the World of Academia and Motherhood: Paper explores the challenges faced by women faculty members with children who work at colleges and universities in North Texas.
Human Trafficking: An International Study: Paper analyzes the factors that contribute to human trafficking worldwide.
The Verdant Gospel: A Hispano Moresque Charger and its Correlation to the Gospel of John: Paper proposes that the Hispano Moresque charger correlates to the Gospel of John.
The Impact of the Appropriation and Commodification of “Art” on the Cultural Identification of American Indians in the States of Texas and New York: Paper examines American Indian artists’ self-identities and the factors that affect the way they identify, focusing on two artists that live in Texas and New York.
According to the Goal: How Eliyahu Goldratt Helps Organizations Examine Their Processes to Achieve Maximum Results: Paper analyzes Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints and discusses how it's proposed business model has helped companies who implement it.
Contextualizing Effects of Public Spheres on Community Socialization: Paper discusses the changing role of public spaces in community socialization, with a focus on coffee shops serving as work environments.
Self-Identity Among African American Women: Paper examines the impact of social environments on the development of self-identity in young African American women.
Grandparents Raising Children with Disabilities: Paper analyzes the experiences of and difficulties faced by grandparents who are raising grandchildren with disabilities.
Market Evolution: Marketing to the Mexican American Female: Paper examines the effectiveness of advertising techniques used in print magazines that target Mexican American consumers.
Morality, Religion, and the Lure of the Ascetic in Halevi’s “The Kuzari”: Paper analyzes Judah Halevi’s The Kuzari and what it has to say about the philosophic and religious ways of life.
Survival Strategies of Mexicanas: Paper seeks to identify and describe the coping strategies of Mexicanas, Mexican woman living in the United States.
Broadening access to books on Texas and Oklahoma: Final report, best practices, and lessons learned: This white paper provides a summary of grant activities and provides some best practices and lessons learned for other efforts to make out-of-print humanities books available in ebook format.
Puerto Rican Feminist Discourse: Culture through Narratives: Paper examines Puerto Rican national identity through the lens of stories by women and feminist discourse.
Understanding the Health Care Needs of the Medically Indigent of Grayson County: Paper examines the issues faced by residents of Grayson county who lack medical insurance.
Cultural Hybridity: Arab/Latino – A Reflexive Approach: Paper discusses the experiences of being multi-ethnic and multicultural, focusing on three people of Arab and Latino heritage.
Dynamic Assessment as an Approach to French Pronunciation Instruction: This thesis is focused on dynamic assessment (DA), an instructional approach based on Vygotskian sociocultural theory, applied to French pronunciation instruction, which can be neglected or inconsistent in the foreign language curriculum. DA aims to combine instruction and assessment into a cooperative, mediated approach in which the mediator works with the learner to identify and develop emergent abilities. These emergent abilities can appear in what is often referred to as the zone of proximal development (ZPD), or the difference between what a learner can do independently and what he/she can do with mediation, which in the present study was the difference between what the participant could pronounce correctly with or without mediation. In carrying out an individual DA session with a learner, the author aimed to find suggestions of potential benefits by applying DA to French pronunciation instruction and gain a more detailed understanding of the learner's performance than is generally possible from a traditional assessment, which is totally devoid of mediation for the sake of validity and reliability. The study includes a discussion of some potential benefits and limitations related to the use of DA for teaching French pronunciation to intermediate L2 learners based on what was observed in the DA session, for example suggestions of increased awareness of pronunciation, suggestions of increased independent performance, and suggestions of decreased errors in specific problem areas.
Use of a Virtual Reality Gaming System to Improve Balance in Individuals with Chronic Brain Injury: Wii Fit U games utilize a Wii Balance Board™ (WBB) in a manner that can provide precise feedback contingencies similarly to some forms of balance rehabilitation, thereby potentially increasing the dose of quality therapy with or without the presence of a therapist during post-brain injury rehabilitation. Additionally, an engaging video-game could improve treatment adherence, a critical aspect of making positive functional gains, by potentially increasing the rate and quality of reinforcement embedded in therapy. The present study had three aims: (1) develop a rigorous behavioral therapy for improving balance in individuals living with chronic brain injury using a Wii Fit U game and the WBB; (2) evaluate the program's effects on balance measures using a within-subject experimental design; and (3) assess social validity of behavioral gains by evaluating the program's effects on participant's "subjective balance confidence" (i.e., their Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scores). A reversal design is proposed for use with primary study participants, wherein the experimental gameplay condition and no intervention condition are alternated for 6 to 10 weeks. A similar design was used in a truncated fashion with pilot participants, and a multiple baseline design was used with follow-up pilot participants. It was expected that participants would exhibit greater performance in the game as well as better balance score improvement when the Wii Fit U game was administered at a high therapeutic dose, and that increased ABC scores would correlate with directly measured balance scores.
The Relationship between Self-Directed Informal Learning Videos and Financial Literacy: The purpose of this convergent mixed method study was to determine whether or not there is a difference in the perceived and actual financial literacy scores of millennials. Exploring the following research questions and hypotheses helped to expand knowledge around actual financial literacy and several other characteristics, including perceived financial literacy, especially among millennials (individuals born between 1981 and 1996): RQ1: What is the difference between millennials' actual and perceived financial literacy scores? RQ2: To what extent do socioeconomic status, gender, and having a bank account predict millennials' financial literacy scores? H0: There is no relationship between millennials' socioeconomic status, gender, banking status and their financial literacy scores. RQ3: What video delivery methods (if any) are millennials using to gain financial literacy knowledge in informal learning environments? Millennial participants (N = 207) were asked to complete a survey. Participants' perceived financial literacy scores were higher than their actual financial literacy scores. While males had higher perceived financial literacy ratings, females accounted for the majority of participants who scored four or above on a 5-point scale for actual financial literacy. Although, the null hypothesis was incorrect, the independent variables used in the ANOVA tables accounted for less than 15% of financial literacy scores. One hundred twenty-one millennials (58.5%) reported viewing a financial video versus 86 (41.5%) who reported not viewing financial videos. Eighty-one percent of participants reported watching financial videos at their homes. To create a lasting impact that can progress financial literacy and informal learning, more knowledge is needed.
Freight Forwarder Satisfaction: A Conceptualization and an Empirical Test of Effect on Airport Customer Loyalty and Competitiveness: In 2018, global gross domestic product (GDP) was US$86.3 trillion, and almost a quarter of that value was due to international trade with a value of US$19.6 trillion. Air cargo accounts for about 35 percent of that trade value (approximately US$6.86 trillion). Moreover, from the perspective of the airport sector, air cargo revenue contributes between 20 to 70 percent of airport revenue. The global airport revenue for freight in 2018 was US$250 billion. Despite the interest and research activities surrounding competition and competitiveness of airports and specifically among airlines and passengers, it appears scholars have overlooked research concerning the competitiveness of airports when it comes to air cargo. This study attempts to fill the gap in the supply chain and logistics literature by putting forward a framework and ultimately operationalizing the framework highlighting the pivotal role of air cargo in the supply chain domain and within the global economy. Specifically, the framework is operationalized within the freight forwarding air cargo supply chain domain – providing insight into this important yet understudied phenomenon. The population of interest is freight forwarders from the Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates. The Middle East represents 18 percent of the world's air cargo volume and the region's air cargo volume has been growing three times faster than worldwide air cargo making the Dubai International Airport an appropriate and novel setting for the study. A sample frame obtained from the National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) provided the final sample of 187 respondents. The survey was undertaken during the fourth quarter of 2019. The data are analyzed using structural equation modeling. The dissertation contributes to the supply chain and logistics literature by synthesizing and operationalizing a framework that measures freight forwarder satisfaction specific to air cargo. Relying on Porter's theory of industry structure and competitiveness, …
Water Shortage in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh: Causes, Perceptions, and Impacts: Climate change is a growing problem for those living in the Himalayas, threatening water availability and livelihoods. This research seeks to explore the various factors contributing to water shortage and the factors leading to perceptions of water shortage in Himachal Pradesh, India. This thesis explores data collected from 50 interviews conducted in summer 2019 and seeks to understand why participants of these interviews indicated that they do not experience water shortage. The research highlights the importance of further research and needed action in terms of addressing and mitigating the impacts of climate change in the Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh.
An Introduction to Contemporary Violin Techniques: A Practical Guide with Exercises for Students and Teachers: Violin repertoire composed in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries placed new demands on performers. While numerous pedagogues have written etudes and treatises analyzing traditional techniques, far fewer have thoroughly examined contemporary techniques. Many of the existing etudes and exercises inspired by contemporary violin repertoire are of a very high difficulty level and may seem unapproachable to students with little to no experience performing the music of recent decades. As a result, many violin students are unacquainted with the language of new music. This dissertation is intended to help fill a gap in the pedagogical literature by serving as a resource that familiarizes advanced students with the notation and proper execution of the non-traditional techniques commonly found in contemporary violin music. This document includes a survey of violin repertoire written since 1970, an analysis of the non-traditional techniques used most often in the works examined, methods for approaching specific technical problems that arise in them, and nine etudes originally composed by this author. The etudes focus on nine contemporary techniques, ranging from contact point variations to changing subdivisions, and are intended for study by advanced violinists interested in performing contemporary music.
No Place Like Home: Exploring the Adjustment Experiences of Black Graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities Who Attend Graduate School at a Predominately White Institution: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the experiences of Black graduates of historically Black colleges and universities who attend graduate school at predominately White institutions as they adjust academically and socially at these institutions. In-depth interviews provide knowledge as to what this special population of students' experience. Recommendations for faculty and administrators to assist with the recruitment and retention of these graduate students is also provided.
A Survey of LGBT Educational Policy and Interventions/Practices of Educators in Texas: This research project sought to holistically understand how educators in Texas understand educational policies that impact LGBT students, their practices, and interventions in the classroom. The project looks at two policies: anti-bullying and sexual education policies, and provides evidence that they are intrinsically linked through the discourse surrounding LGBT issues in Texas schools.
François Couperin's Neuvième Concert, "Ritratto Dell' Amore": A Performance Guide and Edition for Flute and Keyboard: François Couperin (1668-1733) was one of the earliest French Baroque composers to merge the Italian style into the French tradition. He had great influence on the development of French Baroque music from the end of the seventeenth century until his death. Couperin's four Concerts Royaux and the ten Concerts Nouveaux (published in 1722 and 1724) were written for the enjoyment of Louis XIV. Those suites were popular in the court before they were published, as they were requested to be performed every Sunday during the years 1714 and 1715 to give pleasure to the king. Rittrato dell'amore is the ninth suite out of the fourteen suites. The purpose of this study is to provide a performance guide and a practical edition of François Couperin's Neuvième Concert Ritratto dell' amore. It also contrasts Italian style and French tradition in the Baroque period, and how Couperin blended both styles together in his Neuvième Concert. In addition, this dissertation summarizes the general principles of Baroque performance practice that one may encounter in Neuviéme Concert, including notes inégales (unequal notes), ornamentation, over-dotting, and other issues. It is especially important for one to understand the performance style of French Baroque music in order to perform these works appropriately, since its notation did not adequately notate rhythmic expectations as traditionally understood and the realization of ornamentations in this period and style is highly specific. The tradition was indeed lost in terms of aural transfer and has been reconstructed through published scholarly work in the last century that is based on treatises of the time. Ongoing scholarly and artistic work should bring us ever closer to the ideals of the period.
Crystallization and Lithium Ion Diffusion Mechanism in the Lithium-Aluminum-Germanium-Phosphate Glass-Ceramic Solid Electrolytes: NASCION-type lithium-aluminum-germanium-phosphate (LAGP) glass-ceramic is one of the most promising solid electrolyte (SEs) material for the next generation Li-ion battery. Based on the crystallization of glass-ceramic material, the two-step heat treatment was designed to control the crystallization of Li-ion conducting crystal in the glass matrix. The results show that the LAGP crystal is preferred to internally crystalize, Tg + 60%∆T is the nucleation temperature that provides the highest ion conductivity. The compositional investigation also found that, pure LAGP crystal phase can be synthesized by lowering the amount of GeO2. To fill gap of atomic structure in LAGP glass-ceramic, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was used to build the crystal, glass, and interfacial structure LAGP. The aliovalent ion substitution induced an simultaneously redistribution of Li to the 36f interstitial site, and the rapid cooperative motion between the Li-ions at 36f can drop the activation energy of LAGP crystal by decreasing the relaxation energy; furthermore, an energy model was built based on the time-based analysis of Li-ion diffusion to articulate the behavior. The glass and interfacial structure show and accumulation of AlO4, GeO4 and Li at the interface, which explains the Li-trapping on the intergranular glass phase. An in-situ synchrotron X-ray study found that, by using two-step heat treatment, the nucleation of Li-ion conducting crystal in the glass-matrix induced large strain from interfacial tension, which can also promote the incorporation of aliovalent ion substitution in the NASICON crystal and enhances the ion conductivity.
Viability Study of Nylon-12 Carbon Fiber Filaments for Use in the Construction of a Powered Lower Body Exoskeleton via Fused Deposition Modeling by Means of Computer Simulation: Members of the elderly population is disproportionately prone to experiencing mobility impairment due to their aging bodies and as a result have frail bodies that are at a higher risk of grave injury due to falling. In order to combat this assistive mobility devices such as exoskeletons have been developed to help patients enhance their range of motion. With additive manufacturing techniques, such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), becoming a more mainstream form of design, the inclusion of lightweight polymers such as nylon 12 as primary construction materials for these devices has increased. In this thesis computer aided design (CAD) software was used to design a prototype lower body exoskeleton and simulation software was used to give the device the characteristics of Stratasys' nylon 12 carbon fiber FDM material to verify it if could be used as the primary construction material for this device when extruded from a FDM printer on either the XZ or ZX printing plane. From the simulations it was found that the material printed along the XZ plane could create a device that could withstand the weight of an average elderly male patient (200 lbs.) as well as the 35 lbs. of force applied to the device by a linear actuation motor that would be used to extend and contract the exoskeleton leg.
Campus Leader and Teacher Perceptions of Campus Administrator Actions in Support of Core-Content Professional Learning Communities: The implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) has led to systemwide reform within school districts and campuses regarding how campus leaders support the teachers' collaborative work and continued professional learning. Current research emphasizes the importance of campus administrators cultivating an environment where PLCs can flourish and ensuring that PLC teams have the resources to work effectively. However, campus administrators simply putting these supports in place does not make them effective. This study sought to explore campus leader and teacher perceptions of administrator actions that support PLCs for teachers in core-content subjects at two suburban north Texas high schools. An explanatory sequential mixed methods research design was utilized, and three data collections tools were used: an electronic survey, interviews with campus administrators and teachers, and the analysis of campus and PLC artifacts. Survey data indicated that participating teachers had an overall positive perception of the current campus practices which support PLC teams. Teacher interview data revealed that teachers preferred that campus administrators take a neutral role in PLC team meetings, that administrators ensure PLC teams are meeting the established campus PLC expectations, and that administrators observe the team, listen, and ask questions to help the team. Campus administrators viewed their actions within PLC teams to include listening and questioning, having difficult conversations, and helping teams brainstorm or offering ideas when needed. Teachers and administrators also identified supports for PLC teams they felt were missing. Recommended actions for campus administrators and recommendations for further research are also included.
The Strategic Use of Religion in a Secular State: The Impact of Religious Organizations on Japanese Politics: How do religions and nationalism interact in secular democracies? With its history of nationalism based on religious ideologies, and the subsequent forced separation of state and religion, Japan provides a valuable case to examine how religion and nationalism interact and affect the politics of a secular state. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand and synthesize the divide within the literature regarding the idea that Shinto is fundamentally nationalist in nature. Due to Shinto's historical ties to Japanese nationalism, it is clear that religion and nationalism played a role in Japanese politics in the past. However, with Japan's transition to democracy and the constitutional provision of the separation between religion and state, religion's effect on nationalism in Japan has become blurred contemporarily. In order to explore these relationships between Shinto, nationalism, and Japanese politics, I investigate how political groups and religious organizations influence nationalist sentiment in political institutions and public opinion in Japan using the Japanese Value Orientations survey and an original dataset. I find that even though the evidence is mounting against the accuracy around the idea of State Shinto and the fundamentally nationalist nature of Shinto, the narrative persists. The existence of nationalist circles perpetuates these narratives, regardless of the truthfulness of the association between Shinto and nationalism because this narrative serves as a benefit to some groups. Shinto may not be automatically nationalist, but there are still nationalistic Shinto practitioners. The description of Shinto as inherently nationalist is not likely to go away while that description still serves a purpose.
Collaborative Roles of Nonprofits in Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: Institutional Collective Action Framework: The dissertation examines factors influencing nonprofit organizations' contribution to collaborative governance for climate change adaptation and nonprofit roles in the collaboration. Why an organization collaborates with others has long been a concern of scholars. However, in a majority of empirical studies, collaboration has been considered as a dichotomous concept. To fill the gap, this study considers organizations' contribution to collaboration, i.e., collaboration level in terms of power, joint activities, human resource, funding, and information sharing. To understand contribution of nonprofits to collaboration for climate change adaptation, this research employs the institutional collective action framework suggesting that organizations work together when expected benefits are greater than collaborative risks. Survey data from 101 nonprofit private organizations (beyoungri mingan danche) in South Korea, which are legally defined in the Assistance for Nonprofit, Nongovernmental Organizations Act, are analyzed. Finding is that government funding and social relationship are strongly associated with nonprofit contribution to collaboration, highlighting that the financial stability of nonprofit organizations and mutual trust among entities based on routine interaction are critical motives for nonprofit collaboration. Finding also reveals that Korean nonprofits mainly play a role as social capital creators in climate change adaptation. The finding also highlights that Sang Bu Sang Jo (相扶相助) among community members is a key concept to encourage nonprofit engagement in climate change adaptation in the Korean context.
Attachment to God: Pathways to Resilience and Posttraumatic Growth: Having a secure attachment to God may act as a buffer against stress. Secure attachment to God has been positively associated with adaptive outcomes following stress, such as higher levels of stress-related growth and fewer maladaptive symptoms including depression, prolonged grief, and traumatic distress. However, relatively few studies have empirically tested the relationship between attachment to God and resilience and posttraumatic growth. Thus, the current study explored the potential associations and pathways through which attachment to God is associated with resilience and posttraumatic growth in a sample of 303 suddenly and/or traumatically bereaved individuals. The current study found that (a) God attachment avoidance is a unique negative predictor of resilience and posttraumatic growth even when controlling for adult attachment, (b) self-compassion and meaning-making mediate the association between God attachment anxiety and resilience/posttraumatic growth, (c) secure attachment to God is associated with higher levels of resilience than insecure attachment styles, but not with posttraumatic growth, and (d) an increased number of secondary losses is associated with lower levels of resilience. I conclude by discussing my findings in light of the extant literature on attachment to God, resilience, and posttraumatic growth. By better understanding attachment to God and how it may relate to resilience and posttraumatic growth, clinicians will be better equipped to interact with clients of diverse religious/spiritual (R/S) identities, potentially utilizing R/S as a strength or addressing maladaptive aspects of R/S in the wake of life stressors.
The Amalgamation of Western and Eastern Influences in Julius Schloss's "First Chinese Rhapsody": The dissertation seeks to rediscover Julius Schloss, a German Jewish composer victimized by the Nazis. Except for the promising start of his career in his early years, Schloss suffered a hard life as an exiled refugee. However, his unusual experiences inspired him to compose two Chinese Rhapsodies during his last years of exile in Shanghai, in which he synthesized Western composition techniques and Chinese folk materials, amalgamating influences from both Western and Eastern music cultures. Focusing on Schloss's First Chinese Rhapsody, the dissertation explores how Schloss links the new to the old, the West to the East, through an analysis of the way he employs Chinese folk song material and serial polyphonic voice-leading in his post-tonal musical language. Since the Rhapsody has both serial and polyphonic voice-leading aspects, both are analyzed, showing how they are integrated in the form.
"…Threaded Through": The Multitextuality of Site-Specific Music Composition: The two fields of acousmatic music and site-specific conceptual art take strikingly different approaches to the notions of space and place. In this document, I describe how these two areas of aesthetic research diverge and relate to each other, focusing on how their unique approaches can be implemented in the practice of site-specific music composition. The first part of this document surveys the distinctive features of each of these fields, describing the particular differences between them in their approach to space and place. The contradictions between the two approaches are then briefly analyzed in reference to Georgina Born's understanding of music as fundamentally multitextual. In the second part of the document, I describe in detail how I implemented a site-specific approach when composing "…threaded through," a 16-channel audio, 6 video, site-specific installation for the UNT College of Music Main Building. In this, I describe how both the space and place of the UNT College of Music Main Building influenced my musical choices, visual content, and approach to audio and visual spatialization. The final part of the document contains a detailed score for realizing "…threaded through" in the location of the UNT College of Music Main Building.
Chicago Renaissance Women: Black Feminism in the Careers and Songs of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds: In this thesis, I explore the careers and songs of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds—two African American female composers who were part of the Chicago Renaissance. Price and Bonds were members of extensive, often informal, networks of Black women that fostered creativity and forged paths to success for Black female musicians during this era. Building on the work of Black feminist scholar Patricia Hill Collins, I contend that these efforts reflect Black feminist principles of Black women working together to create supportive environments, uplift one another, and foster resistance. I further argue that Black women's agency enabled the careers of Price and Bonds and that elements of Black feminism are not only present in their professional relationships, but also in their songs. Initially, I discuss how the background of the Harlem and Chicago Renaissances and racial uplift ideology shaped these women's artistic environment. I then examine how Bonds and Price incorporated, updated, and expanded versions of these ideals in their music and careers. Drawing on the scholarship of Rae Linda Brown, Angela Davis, and Tammy L. Kernodle, I analyze Price's "Song to the Dark Virgin," "Sympathy," and "Don't You Tell Me No" and Bonds's "Dream Variation," "Note on Commercial Theater," and "No Good Man" through a Black feminist lens. I contend that although Price and Bonds depicted harsh realities of Black women's experiences, they also celebrated Black women's resistance in spite of intersectional oppression. Ultimately, analyzing Black feminism in these composer's careers and songs opens a path for further exploration of how Black women's agency can facilitate activism through art.
What Does It Mean to Go Super Saiyan: Gender Identity and Fandom in the Toonami Release of Dragon Ball Z (1998-2003): The intention of this thesis is to analyze the representations of masculinity in the anime series Dragon Ball Z as it aired on Cartoon Network's programming block Toonami, specifically the nature in which they were framed and how oppositional interpretations in the fandom became prevalent as a result. The series emphasizes the evolution of its central characters Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan into performing a sensitive masculinity, but there are a prevalence of images in the series that discredit this. Similarly, the way the series was advertised on Toonami placed emphasis on images of superficial violence and reinforced the masculinity that the series was attempting to move beyond. Understanding the ways fans have interpreted Dragon Ball Z on Toonami helps reveal that there is much more to a media text's influence than its themes and representations of gender.
Environmental Philosophy after Standing Rock: In 2016, An estimated 15,000 people representing 400 Indigenous Nations and non-indigenous allies gathered at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in solidarity against the Dakota Access Pipeline to protect Mni Sose, the Missouri River. They became known as the Water Protectors. This dissertation analyzes the response in environmental philosophy journals to the #noDAPL protest at Standing Rock. Even though the Stand at Standing Rock became one of the most important and monumental environmental protests of the last decade, neither Standing Rock nor the Water Protectors appear in environmental philosophy journals at all--not once. Why? I suggest a possible answer by exploring the Stand of the Water Protectors as a moment in a much longer continuous history of resistance to settler colonialism. Settler colonialism attempts to facilitate the erasure of Indigenous populations by colonial ones, in order to gain access to territory—to land. The omission of Standing Rock from environmental philosophy journals represents the ease with which environmental philosophy can become complicit in the project of settler colonial erasure and replacement through absence. Drawing on Indigenous land-based philosophies of kinship, Latin American decolonial philosophy, settler colonial theory, and frameworks of Indigenous environmental justice, I show how the geo-politics of colonialism have come to produce environmental injustice and planetary ruin. I work to break the silence on Standing Rock in environmental philosophy and allow the Water Protectors example to guide the project toward an environmental philosophy which centers colonialism and Indigenous resurgence as core concerns.

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