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“Presence into absence”: the production of national identity in The Emperor’s Babe and Girl, Woman, OtherBernardine Evaristo's artistic project includes establishing, uncovering, inventing, and expanding a Black British literary canon. While growing up, Evaristo did not encounter any Black British women "who were born or raised here and writing our stories from this perspective" (72). Instead, Evaristo's literary inspirations "came from African Americans: Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, and Alice Walker were foremost among them, and of course Ntozake Shange…These were the writers who foregrounded black women's lives and in so doing gave me permission to write" (72). This canon of African American feminist and womanist writers informs the purposeful tensions in Evaristo's novel, such as the struggle between collective power and individual subjectivity, and universality and particularity. Although these authors provide that foundation for Evaristo, their presence also denotes a significant absence of representations of Black British women in novels…Faced with the dismissal of her own experience, Evaristo is conscious that her writing must unsettle the difference between how the literary market conceives of Black British readers and how Black British readers interact with fiction. To address the precarious presence of Black British writers in the British literary market, Evaristo foregrounds activism in her writing career.
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Ann Radcliffe's female counter-publicsWe know so little about Ann Radcliffe's life that it is difficult generate a complete image of who she was. We can, however, situate the few facts of her life within the context of her gender, class, and historic moment. First, while Radcliffe achieved notoriety and influence within the dominant, male-centered, bourgeois public sphere, she began and ended her life in country retirement. Her fiction, often contrasted with the "low" Gothic of Matthew Lewis, features smaller public spheres of women--what I will call counter-publics--that speak to her real-life subject position as a woman writer of the middling class. Unlike other scholars, who restrict their critical frames to categories such as male/female or horror/terror Gothic, this thesis will turn its attention to the nuances of Radcliffe's work, examining the ways in which the women of these counter-publics engage in education, commerce and politics--all in opposition to the patriarchal public. When we examine these counter-publics outside of the binary constructions that have come to dominate literary criticism about the Gothic, new readings of Radcliffe can emerge. In particular, the marriage plots of A Sicilian Romance and The Italian begin to look less stereotypical and more political, linking women's happiness to alternative communities made possible only by the unique dynamics of Radcliffe's counter-publics.
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From John Reed to Jane Addams: or what time will it be when the last El crashes? Nelson Algren’s proletarian roots, the FWP, and the granular naturalism of Never Come MorningAs a literary figure, Nelson Algren draws small change. While there is certainly a modestly respectable drip of scholarship that flows down through the decades since the height of his success in 1949, with the publication of his magnum opus, The Man with the Golden Arm, it rarely emits more than the babble of a backyard brook. Algren himself, in a 1963 interview with H.E.F. Donahue, referred to his legacy as that of “the tin whistle of American letters” (Donahue 151). It comes as no surprise then that his work pre-The Man with the Golden Arm receives all the attention due to a squeaky penny whistle. While Algren’s first two novels, Somebody in Boots from 1935 and Never Come Morning from 1942, received their share of plaudits and support from critics and authors that traveled similar political and literary circles, the timing of their publication did the author no financial favors – one arriving amidst the Great Depression, and the other during a paper shortage resulting from America’s participation in World War II.
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“This Image of My Humiliation”: writing and reading embodied illness in John Donne’s Devotions upon Emergent OccasionsThe great paradox of illness is that embodied suffering is an inevitable shared experience of mortality, but at the moment suffering occurs, the embodied experience appears unshareable. Sickness is profoundly ordinary, in the sense that any one of us will experience it in multiple iterations, many times over, but each experience of sickness is unique and particular to the perceptions and interpretations of its host. When the sick patient attempts to communicate their experience, language mediates and transforms the experience. In spite of the distance created between the experience of illness and the experience of witnessing another’s illness, however, many writers turn to sickness as a motivating theme of personal narratives, as does John Donne in his prose work, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. Donne’s Devotions constructs a container of one speaker’s isolating experience of illness that transports the reader, through formal moves that create an extended present tense to reflect the consuming effect of illness on the body, as close as possible to the experience of illness itself.
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Do time perspectives moderate the link between Covid-19-related anxiety and excessive smartphone use?The COVID-19 pandemic forced a major shift in how we use technology. During the early context of lockdown, many of students' social and academic activities predominantly took place online, with laptops and smartphones becoming indispensable tools in navigating daily life. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had given rise to a significant increase in social media use, particularly during the early stages of the crisis. Weekly screen time has shown a notable rise from pre-pandemic levels, with platforms like Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram accounting for a big chunk of daily use. The emerging behavioral patterns associated with excessive social media use have raised concerns among researchers investigating the psychological impact of Covid-19 in young adults. Although the threat of COVID-19 has been diminished due to vaccines and rapid testing, this research aimed to explore the prevalence of Covid anxiety and assess whether this residual anxiety can lead to an increased dependence on social media platforms as a means of alleviating such distress. By investigating the relationship between COVID anxiety and overreliance on social media, this research aimed to shed light on the coping strategies individuals employ and their reliance on digital platforms in response to COVID-related anxiety.
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The self-care experiences of Chinese music therapy graduate students in the United States: a thematic analysisThis research aimed to explore the self-care experiences and emotions of Chinese graduate students studying music therapy in the United States. Through thematic analysis of interviews, the researcher identified various benefits associated with self-care. Participants reported a sense of pleasure, release, and venting during the self-care process, as well as feelings of support and vitality. Moreover, some participants were motivated to further develop their own self-care strategies through the interview process. The research also highlighted the stress and challenges faced by these students, including academic pressures, internships/fieldwork, and cultural and language barriers. The findings clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of self-care as a coping strategy, which can take diverse forms based on individual preferences. Engaging in self-care activities facilitated self-awareness, catharsis, and a sense of calm and support. Furthermore, participants found that practicing self-care enabled them to differentiate between their personal and clinical lives, allowing them to focus more effectively on their clinical responsibilities. Self-care also played a significant role in fostering personal identity and breaking cultural barriers, providing opportunities for self- reflection, personal growth, and progress. Recognizing international music therapy students as valuable assets to the profession, it is essential for the field to become more aware of their challenges and implement the research's recommendations for practical improvements. Collaboration and mutual understanding among international students, educators, supervisors, and administrators are crucial to achieving this goal. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of self-care as a valuable tool for Chinese graduate students studying music therapy in the United States, enabling them to navigate the challenges of their academic and personal journeys while promoting overall well-being and professional development.
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The neural effects of music on anxiety: a rapid review with implications for music therapy practiceThe use of music as a therapeutic tool for reducing anxiety has been extensively studied. This rapid review includes forty studies that provide neural evidence for the effects of music on anxiety-related brain structures, specifically the amygdala, hippocampus, and insula. The results indicate that to relieve anxiety, music therapists can tailor their musical selection to the client's preferences, focus on music with a steady rhythm to engage the clients, ensure musical continuity and integrity for each session, utilize instrumental improvisation to shift clients' perspectives, avoid dissonant and unexpected sounds when incorporating voices, and combine music with physical exercise.
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Music and mindfulness: a rapid review of music and music therapy’s implementation with mindfulness practiceThe modern practice of mindfulness has been used to clinically treat stress, active depression, depression relapse, addiction recovery, and eating disorders, and to promote self-awareness and acceptance. Mindfulness skills and mindfulness meditation have been used in conjunction with theoretical applications, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy, and positive psychology, as well as creative arts therapies, such as dance/movement therapy, Insight Improvisation, and art therapy, to affect change. Though mindfulness has also been used with music and music therapy to achieve similar goals, a minimal amount of literature exists that directly discusses this. This rapid review summarizes the quantitative research published between January 2012 and July 2022 investigating the implementation of music with mindfulness practice. Recommendations for research are also included.
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Music-based stress reduction for undergraduate students: a program proposalThe proposed 8-week resource-oriented psychoeducational music therapy program intends to support undergraduate students in managing stress and promoting wellness. The program aims to teach undergraduate students at SUNY New Paltz through music therapy based stress reduction methods, such as music-assisted relaxation, song discussion, songwriting. The program is resource-oriented and psychoeducational. This program has the potential to improve the SUNY New Paltz undergraduate student population's mental health and well-being.
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Music therapy in the PICU: an integrated synthesis of the literature and recommendationsThere is an expansive amount of music therapy literature that discusses how music therapy may alleviate adult pain, but there is limited research dedicated to pediatric pain management and music therapy. Even more scarce is how, why or when music therapy is provided for patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) suffering with chronic or acute pain. An integrative review was conducted to create a synthesis of the literature on music therapy being conducted for pediatric pain in the PICU. A total of 7 research articles and 3 book chapters met the authors’ search criteria for final analysis. These articles discussed specific circumstances where music therapy was utilized, with some examples being biopsies, ultrasounds, dressing changes, cardiac care, and utilization of mechanical ventilation. This integrative review demonstrated that music therapy may be helpful in regulating and managing pediatric pain for patients in the PICU. Music therapists and medical professionals must continue researching how music therapy can be utilized for PICU patients experiencing pain in order for these patients to receive the highest quality of evidence-based care.
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An exploration of second-stage recovery through song collage: an interpretative phenomenological analysisAddiction continues to be a pervasive issue worldwide. Research indicates that music therapy is a promising treatment modality for individuals who struggle with addiction. However, most of the current music therapy and addiction research focuses on short-term interventions in early phases of recovery. Music therapy is uniquely suited to address the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs that often emerge later in the recovery process. The purpose of this study is to achieve a clearer understanding of one individual’s experience of the phenomena of creating a song collage, a specific music therapy intervention design, that was representative of his process of long-term recovery. This individual was interviewed about his retrospective experience of this process, which was then analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. The results revealed four main themes: Process, Role of the Music, A Musical Artifact, and Relationship. The results indicate that this intervention design facilitated a profundity and depth of experience that is not well represented in the literature and a sustained perceived benefit to the participant. It appears that song collage is well suited to address the needs of later recovery, has potential to address other phases as well. The results are discussed along with implications for music therapy practice and recommendations for future research.
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Layers of self - an unfolding conversation through painting, encaustics and doll making: MFA Thesis - Painting & DrawingDuring my studio practice, I wondered how my painting and making could be free and open, maintaining a sense of play from childhood, while also being an anecdote to this plague? Since I believe play and the spirit are deeply connected, was there any sacred imagery of woman-ness from history I could look to in order to release this burden?
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Creating a sustainable planet: how fast fashion is contributing to textile wasteConsumers have been trained by the fashion industry and capitalistic pursuits to buy items they do not need and may never use, yet the appeal to have that item in the moment is so overtly compelling, it feels like a need to survive. Clothing and textiles are a gold-mine for companies to target consumers' habits in over-consumption and drive the company’s financial success and profits. Between consumers' materialistic lifestyles and companies' pursuits to push over-consumption, humans are witnessing record levels of environmental damages with our waste accumulation. The fashion and retail industries' clear focus on monetary gain and success, leading to the increased interest in fast fashion methods of production, is fueling the destruction of our planet. We are reaching a point of irreversible climate deterioration and a major factor in that is the mass amount of waste produced. As we progress through a time where the success of fast fashion companies and its waste augmentation are simultaneously and exponentially on the rise, taking a closer look at your local communities and how personal decisions impact the bigger issues is imperative to spark the change that our planet needs.
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The role of visual art in improving the quality of life for people with Tourettes SyndromeIn this body of work, I will explore the application of visual art in mitigating symptoms and enriching the quality of life for people with Tourettes. I will draw upon personal experiences, medical and psychological research, others’ experiences, and broader understandings of social dynamics to inform my argument. I will present what I have learned through a series of drawings and paintings, which will summarize the contents of my research paper and illustrate my progress as I deepen my understanding of my topic. I will conclude my body of work with an argument in favor of accessibility in the arts, providing more individuals with my neurotype an avenue of healing and productivity.
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Evolutionary explanations of the trolley problem: evolutionary origins of human moralityThe Trolley Problem was originally described by philosopher Phillipa Foot (1967). The problem starts with a runaway train that could go one of two ways; if you (the operator) do nothing, then the trolley will kill five people (track A), but if you switch the tracks (track B) it would kill one person. There has been further research about the individual used for the action based track that only would kill one civilian. Past research using this paradigm has examined various factors, such as the age of potential victims and the relationship to the operator. From an evolutionary perspective, advancing one’s genes into the future is something of a bottom line. This can happen directly, through reproduction, or indirectly via helping kin. Past studies have shown that various factors come into consideration when choosing track A or B: age, gender of the person on the track and the participant, genetic relatedness, and relationship status. The evolutionary moral perspective provides a powerful framework for examining all the different factors that affect these decisions within one model.
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The end of Roe: how the conservative legal movement eroded protections for abortion and contraceptive careMany battles over reproductive rights have occurred in the legal sphere, behind the scenes of mainstream politics, through litigation and interest group influence over politicians and the courts. This research will focus on the conservative legal movement against the rights to abortion and contraception. The paper will be divided into three sections: the first will establish the major organizations and religious influences involved in the conservative movement, their coalition-building strategies, and the challenges they have faced. The second will examine the incrementalist approach of slowly chipping away at abortion and contraception rights, with focus on limiting financial access and increasing allowance for government regulations. The third will discuss the movement’s attempts to completely overturn Roe v. Wade (1973), culminating in the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) decision, and the future of reproductive autonomy in law. The conservative legal movement has been incredibly successful in limiting access to reproductive healthcare and reversing Roe, but now faces an uncertain future.
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The artistic influence of American Deaf culture and heritage, explored through visual arts educationThis thesis examines the combination of visual arts education with deaf studies. It explores teaching art lessons about deaf culture and heritage to students of all ages. There are three lesson plans included each with a Deaf artist as the inspiration for the project and the focus of the lesson. These lessons have been taught to students ranging from kindergarten up to college students. This exploration led to the discovery of my teaching philosophy which is included in the end to discuss what I will take away from this thesis into my future career. Keywords: Bachelor of Science Visual Arts Education, Ceramics, Deaf studies, Deaf culture and heritage, American Sign Language, Ceramics, Collage, Mixed Media
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A depiction of Black people as villains in western cinema - an examination from the 1920's to present day on how these roles have shaped the perception of Black peopleThroughout the years, media has been, and continues to be, a powerful tool used to spread knowledge and awareness about different groups of people, cultures, social issues, and other topics of societal importance. This study aims to examine the perception of members of the Black community because of stereotypes endorsed and encouraged by Western cinema from the 1920’s to present day. By further countersigning the misrepresentation of Black people, Western cinema has impacted the ways in which the Black community is negatively viewed in the present and has encouraged other forms of media, such as magazine advertisements and children’s cartoon shows, to adopt the misconceptions of the members of the community. As a result of early depictions of the Black community in Western cinema, we see the significant damage done by various forms of media in how Black people are perceived, damage that is still trying to be corrected, even now.
