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Title: "At Home We Work Together": Domestic Feminism and Patriarchy in Little Women.
Creator: Wester, Bethany S., Moore, Dennis, Edwards, Leigh, Fenstermaker, John, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: For 136 years, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women has remained a classic in American children's literature. Although Alcott originally wrote the novel as a book for young girls, deeper issues run beneath the surface story of the March family. This thesis explores a few of these issues. Chapter One examines the roles of patriarchy and domesticity in Alcott's private life and in Little Women. Chapter Two emphasizes the Transcendentalist thinking that surrounded Alcott in her childhood, her own,...
Show moreFor 136 years, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women has remained a classic in American children's literature. Although Alcott originally wrote the novel as a book for young girls, deeper issues run beneath the surface story of the March family. This thesis explores a few of these issues. Chapter One examines the roles of patriarchy and domesticity in Alcott's private life and in Little Women. Chapter Two emphasizes the Transcendentalist thinking that surrounded Alcott in her childhood, her own, feminized Transcendentalist philosophy, and how it subsequently infiltrates the novel. Chapter Three explores the role of the struggling female artist in Little Women, as portrayed by the March sisters, especially Jo and Amy March, and how the fictional characters' struggles reflect Alcott's own problems as a female writer in a patriarchal society. Chapter Four discusses Alcott's reformist ideas and the reformist issues that surface in Little Women. Domestic feminism--the idea that a reformed family, in which men and women equally participate in domestic matters, would lead to a reformed society--emerges as the predominant reformist issue in Little Women. Alcott believed that women should be able to choose the course of their adult lives, whether that included marriage, a professional career, or otherwise, without the threat of being ostracized from society. In Little Women, the March family serves as an example of a reformed, egalitarian family in which women exercise self-reliance, employ their non-domestic talents, and still maintain femininity.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1144
Format: Thesis

Title: Graphic Imagery: Jewish American Comic Book Creators' Depictions of Class, Race, and Patriotism.
Creator: Yanes, Nicholas, Fenstermaker, John, Faulk, Barry, Stuckey-French, Ned, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Comic books printed during the 1930s and 40s contained stories and characters that supported the New Deal and America's entry into World War II. Though comic books are typically seen solely as reflections of the decades; the comic books, in actuality, were propaganda for political stances. Moreover, these were the political stances of the Jewish Americans who built the comic book industry. While much of corporate America was terrified by FDR's New Deal policies, comic books supported the...
Show moreComic books printed during the 1930s and 40s contained stories and characters that supported the New Deal and America's entry into World War II. Though comic books are typically seen solely as reflections of the decades; the comic books, in actuality, were propaganda for political stances. Moreover, these were the political stances of the Jewish Americans who built the comic book industry. While much of corporate America was terrified by FDR's New Deal policies, comic books supported the President. When war loomed on the horizon, comic book writers and artists sent patriotic superheroes to war long before the country became mobilized. Finally, the political dialogue taking place in comic books resonated with the American public because they were created in a time when patriotism was synonymous with sacrifice.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1162
Format: Thesis

Title: On Shaving: Barbershop Violence in American Literature.
Creator: Yadon, Ben, Moore, Dennis, Fenstermaker, John, Parrish, Timothy, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This thesis identifies and examines the trope of barbershop violence in American literature. Drawing on a wide range of literary, scholarly, and historical documents, I explore the way that certain authors subvert traditional ideas about barbershop discourse and use the quintessential American setting as a stage for failed nostalgia, tragic miscommunication, and outbursts of irrational violence in order to craft fictions that call on readers to strive for a more authentic and humanistic...
Show moreThis thesis identifies and examines the trope of barbershop violence in American literature. Drawing on a wide range of literary, scholarly, and historical documents, I explore the way that certain authors subvert traditional ideas about barbershop discourse and use the quintessential American setting as a stage for failed nostalgia, tragic miscommunication, and outbursts of irrational violence in order to craft fictions that call on readers to strive for a more authentic and humanistic identification with their fellow man. In the first chapter I take a close look at Herman Melville's tableau of barbering in the 1855 novella Benito Cereno within a socio-historic context and then trace allusions to this seminal barbering scene in a number of works to show how many authors depict barbershop miscommunication and violence in order to highlight the racial disparities at the heart of American society. In Chapter Two I borrow the sophisticated methodology of James Joyce scholar Cheryl Temple Herr to examine contemporary American novelist Don DeLillo's numerous depictions of the barbershop through the prism of Heideggerian ontology.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1177
Format: Thesis

Title: Louis J. Witte: Hollywood Special Effects Magician.
Creator: Snyder, Joanna Sumners, Fenstermaker, John, Moore, Dennis, Parrish, Timothy, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Louis John Witte is a man whose name is lost to time and whose work is overshadowed by flashier modern-day computerized advancements in movie wizardry. Nevertheless, he remains a cornerstone upon which a thriving scientific discipline has been built. Although he and his creations existed well before the advent of computer technology, he is credited with inventing devices that advanced the art of faking realism by replacing state-of-the-art crude facsimiles and dangerous replications with...
Show moreLouis John Witte is a man whose name is lost to time and whose work is overshadowed by flashier modern-day computerized advancements in movie wizardry. Nevertheless, he remains a cornerstone upon which a thriving scientific discipline has been built. Although he and his creations existed well before the advent of computer technology, he is credited with inventing devices that advanced the art of faking realism by replacing state-of-the-art crude facsimiles and dangerous replications with safer, hyper-realistic models. Witte's inventions erased the boundary separating audiences from the bona fide. His contribution to the science of entertainment coincided with the historic period 1896-1946, in which "movies were the most popular and influential medium of culture in the United States" (Sklar 3). Not only did Witte give his valuable civilian expertise to his country, but he also was a veteran of WWI, when during a "long lonely and dangerous mission," he was wounded (Leavell Appendix II). "Sergeant Louis J. Witte," a telegram written to his mother reads, "was wound [sic] in the Meuse-Argonne operation, on the night of Oct. 2nd., 1918, by an air bomb, and was evacuated to the hospital" (Leavell Appendix II). Witte's service and injury earned him the Purple Heart commendation for his involvement in that battle.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1653
Format: Thesis

Title: From Boom to Bust: Ghost Towns of Selected Florida Gulf Coast Communities.
Creator: Roberts, Rebecca, Davis, Frederick, Fenstermaker, John, Bickley, Bruce, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This thesis examines extinct or vanishing towns along Florida's northwest coast, specifically communities in Wakulla and Levy Counties, that experienced a boom to bust phenomena between Florida's territorial period and the early twentieth century. The exceptional growth of the selected areas prospered largely due to an abundance of seemingly inexhaustible natural resources. The towns withered and disappeared when industrialization depleted the natural resources or when populations shifted...
Show moreThis thesis examines extinct or vanishing towns along Florida's northwest coast, specifically communities in Wakulla and Levy Counties, that experienced a boom to bust phenomena between Florida's territorial period and the early twentieth century. The exceptional growth of the selected areas prospered largely due to an abundance of seemingly inexhaustible natural resources. The towns withered and disappeared when industrialization depleted the natural resources or when populations shifted according to changes in land availability and mandated land use. Lumberyards sometimes demanded specific wood for manufacture and harvested a species to decimation within a geographical area. Sawmill owners bought non-contiguous land or leased other nearby lands to meet the increasing need for production. Early Gulf Coast railroads tended to follow the path of high-yield lumber mills and commodified natural products. Newly implemented laws often changed the methods of available collection, and consumption of resources and became another factor in whether a town thrived or died. Small, independent commercial fishermen abandoned their livelihoods when new net bans challenged their authority. Hunting resorts closed in consequence of federal land purchases. The Civil War changed forever the labor force behind cotton production. Southerners who viewed slaves as just another limitless resource had to reevaluate their lifestyles. Even the old planters and slave owners who could readjust morally and socially were unable to realign themselves financially and the death of their beneficent town soon followed. Freedmen left their master's land when and if opportunity arose in favor of newer or black-cultured communities. An out-migration of freedmen could lead to the death of post Civil War towns. The demise of many southern ghost towns is often attributed to technological advances and progress bypassing the sleepier little villages, but this theory diminishes, if not totally dismisses the agency of a single person, or a select group of people, to make or challenge decisions contributing to the boom or bust of a particular settlement. It is true that the areas studied often witnessed a loss of transportation services and outward migration in favor of larger or newer sites, but a breach usually appeared in the town's power-structure long before population loss. Larger political, social, and economic forces working outside of the geographical area of a future ghost town were not truly as powerful as might be expected. Instead, the decisions of a relatively small group of citizens, who often had contacts with people connected to larger government forces, made decisions independently of a town council and greatly contributed to the sometimes gradual and sometimes swift extinction of their own districts. The town's lack of a powerful force could be equally devastating if the area received no external representation.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-1821
Format: Thesis

Title: Activism amid a Chaotic Era: The Underground Press of the 1960S.
Creator: Nelson, Hope, Jumonville, Neil, Fenstermaker, John, Coxwell-Teague, Deborah, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This thesis addresses the major activist and radical issues of the 1960s and early 1970s and illustrates the myriad shifts that take place within each of these social movements as depicted in the alternative press of the era. These movements serve as reflections of the shift of the collective American character throughout the 1960s, and while they propel America to adjust to new mindsets, they also reflect the desires – and fears – of a nation thrust into a chaotic postwar period. But despite...
Show moreThis thesis addresses the major activist and radical issues of the 1960s and early 1970s and illustrates the myriad shifts that take place within each of these social movements as depicted in the alternative press of the era. These movements serve as reflections of the shift of the collective American character throughout the 1960s, and while they propel America to adjust to new mindsets, they also reflect the desires – and fears – of a nation thrust into a chaotic postwar period. But despite their differences in goals and ideologies, the major movements of the era – the struggles for civil rights, women's rights, and peace in the face of war – bring with them many similarities, more than many historians are wont to depict. So often, such historians focus solely on one of the activist movements of the 1960s, seemingly overlooking other events of the decades that could perhaps be catalysts or results of a particular movement's actions. But the groups that formed and the events that took place within the decade did so with a high degree of interconnectedness, even in ways that are not readily apparent initially. This mentality is illustrated quite clearly within the alternative newspapers of the era. Specifically, the bylines and subjects showing up in a forum for one activist movement often echo those from other publications and other movements. More generally, the motives, tactics, and even slogans made successful by one movement often were employed by activists in other realms, adding much to the collective ideological shifts of the era. Through the alternative press, it is easy to see the tendencies toward chaos even within the movements themselves; rarely does a neat and tidy chronology of progression exist. These newspapers chronicled the transformations taking place with the times – indeed, a shift from semantics to activism, from a more passive ideology to one that was vibrant with action. But such shifts are not easily decipherable and are nestled among shades of gray rather than being decidedly black and white. And it is those gray areas, those areas of confusion, tension, frustration, and joy, that this thesis analyzes.
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Date Issued: 2004
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-2684
Format: Thesis

Title: The New Community School: Placing Informal Musuem Education into Historical Context.
Creator: Langham, Audrey Elizabeth, Jumonville, Neil, Wiegand, Wayne, Koslow, Jennifer, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Recently museums have begun to feature public programming that engages new audiences, they partner with a number of diverse community organizations, and they put the focus of their efforts on education. With these new focuses they have changed from didactic institutions to places where the visitor may confirm his experience, and at times may add his own voice to the discussion. This shift in focus has been swift, and scholarship is only beginning to catch up with the values being expressed in...
Show moreRecently museums have begun to feature public programming that engages new audiences, they partner with a number of diverse community organizations, and they put the focus of their efforts on education. With these new focuses they have changed from didactic institutions to places where the visitor may confirm his experience, and at times may add his own voice to the discussion. This shift in focus has been swift, and scholarship is only beginning to catch up with the values being expressed in the profession. It is my intention to offer a history of educational philosophy that is relevant and useful for museum professionals by closely examining two historical lines of thought. Progressive education provides a framework that museums can use to model their educational programming. Creating hands-on programming, and focusing on the individuality of the learner are important aspects of progressive educations that museum professionals can use for their own programming. The idea of the community school focuses on partnerships, the use of the physical building, and bringing a number of resources together in one place. This set of ideas follows the paths that museums use to receive funding and strengthen their relationships within their local community. Local history museums have begun to use these all ideas, and focusing their attention on similar work done in the past is an important step for the profession. Therefore these two concepts provide a historically relevant and important background for present day museum programming.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3287
Format: Thesis

Title: Ocean Hill-Brownsville and Changes in American Liberalism.
Creator: Childs, Andrew Geddings, Moore, Dennis, Wood, Susan, Jumonville, Neil, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This thesis explores the relationship of the confrontation at Ocean Hill-Brownsville and the change away from New Deal liberalism and toward separatism. Through historicizing this issue, I also critiquethe changing nature of professionalism, the push for community control and decentralization of schools, and how these ideas influence democracy in education. Various people involved in the confrontation during the summer and fall of 1968 represent the particular positions of each side of the...
Show moreThis thesis explores the relationship of the confrontation at Ocean Hill-Brownsville and the change away from New Deal liberalism and toward separatism. Through historicizing this issue, I also critiquethe changing nature of professionalism, the push for community control and decentralization of schools, and how these ideas influence democracy in education. Various people involved in the confrontation during the summer and fall of 1968 represent the particular positions of each side of the issue. Further, these two sides are also personified in the AFT (American Federatino of Teachers)and the advocates of community control and decentralization. Through my examination, I attemtp to locate the importance of the experiment in community control in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville district under the greater context of American liberalism.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-3815
Format: Thesis

Title: Kinking the Stereotype: Barbers and Hairstyles as Signifiers of Authentic American Racial Performance.
Creator: Freeland, Scott, Lhamon, William T., Anderson, Leon, Sommer, Sally, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: When Sherman Dudley's black barber character, Raspberry Snow, took to the stage in 1910, his pre-promoted "shiftless" personality fulfilled American audiences' conditioned, pejorative expectations for blackness. A closer look at the storyline, however, suggests Dudley fashioned Snow's predictability to be an example of the opportunity for subversion of power that exists for stereotyped individuals. Embodying the surface attributes of the stereotype designed to confine them, a number of...
Show moreWhen Sherman Dudley's black barber character, Raspberry Snow, took to the stage in 1910, his pre-promoted "shiftless" personality fulfilled American audiences' conditioned, pejorative expectations for blackness. A closer look at the storyline, however, suggests Dudley fashioned Snow's predictability to be an example of the opportunity for subversion of power that exists for stereotyped individuals. Embodying the surface attributes of the stereotype designed to confine them, a number of American performing personae escape persecution, and even profit by lulling their "audiences" (read: adversaries) into believing all is well. Quite often, performing the stereotype is as simple as donning a notably "black" hairstyle, or presuming the supposedly docile attributes associated with black barbers. Moreover, there is strong evidence to suggest that since at least the early nineteenth century, storytellers both black and white have contributed to the promotion of this powerful secret. Black hairstyles and barbers that subvert racist intentions are a recurring theme throughout American lore, and their inclusion in tales by Dan Emmett and Herman Melville resurface in later works by Charles Chesnutt and Sherman Dudley. This paper traces a lineage of characters who successfully subvert an imposed power structure, and whose messages continue to recycle themselves in modern-day performances that suggest black and white are not as far apart as conventional wisdom would have us believe.
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Date Issued: 2005
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4398
Format: Thesis

Title: The United States and the International Criminal Court: A Relationship That Can Redefine American Foreign Policy.
Creator: Swaisgood, Daniel Robert, Coonan, Terry, D'Alemberte, Talbot (Sandy), Jumonville, Neil, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In response to a heightening concern for international justice, in the late 1990`s in Rome, Italy over 160 countries deliberated on the most suitable approach to an international standard dealing with war crimes, crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity and genocide. In reference to the International Criminal Court`s jurisdiction, these four crimes have come to be termed ―core crimes.‖ Although the culmination was the establishment of the ICC a variety of countries stood against such an...
Show moreIn response to a heightening concern for international justice, in the late 1990`s in Rome, Italy over 160 countries deliberated on the most suitable approach to an international standard dealing with war crimes, crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity and genocide. In reference to the International Criminal Court`s jurisdiction, these four crimes have come to be termed ―core crimes.‖ Although the culmination was the establishment of the ICC a variety of countries stood against such an establishment and fought to weaken the Court`s jurisdictional reach. The United States of America took center stage during the deliberations in Rome as one of these countries, voting against the Court with such infamous human rights abusers as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iran, among others. Determined to undermine the Court`s ability to threaten national sovereignty the U.S. even went so far as to pass legislation enabling it to invade The Hague upon the possible arrest of any U.S. military representative. Despite U.S. objections though, the Court operates as a new standard for international justice and labors to hold war criminals accountable. Further, among the various movements, standards and ad hoc tribunals, the ICC stands alone as the first permanent international judicial composition with universal jurisdiction over core crimes. With the Court having a direct affect on international human rights standards and accountability, as well as being an important leader through its role on the global stage, this paper will detail the history of the aforementioned movements as well as their influence on the ICC`s creation. Further, the U.S. objections and reaction to the Court will be summarized and responded to with the conclusion that U.S. interests would be served by both signing and ratifying the Rome Treaty. Whereas a denial of ICC jurisdiction over core crimes seemingly protects national sovereignty, the same denial undermines the U.S. position of leadership in the world theatre. Finally, although more difficult to quantify, undermining the position of U.S. leadership in this manner invariably creates a far more dangerous threat to U.S. national sovereignty than does allowing the ICC to exercise complementary jurisdiction over the core crimes.
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Date Issued: 2011
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5217
Format: Thesis

Title: Distant Music: Recorded Music, Manners, and American Identity.
Creator: Attaway, Jacklyn, Faulk, Barry J., Jumonville, Neil, McGregory, Jerrilyn, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: This thesis discusses Derrida's theory of Hauntology, establishes a theoretical framework for an analysis of the hauntological aesthetic in recorded music, and explores the hauntological aesthetic in reference to Victorian spirit photography and contemporary recorded music of producer-musicians such as Greg Ashley, Jason Quever, Tim Presley, and Ariel Pink. By describing and analyzing the recorded music of said producer-musicians, this thesis reveals how aesthetically hauntological recorded...
Show moreThis thesis discusses Derrida's theory of Hauntology, establishes a theoretical framework for an analysis of the hauntological aesthetic in recorded music, and explores the hauntological aesthetic in reference to Victorian spirit photography and contemporary recorded music of producer-musicians such as Greg Ashley, Jason Quever, Tim Presley, and Ariel Pink. By describing and analyzing the recorded music of said producer-musicians, this thesis reveals how aesthetically hauntological recorded music expresses American anxieties concerning the effects of changing technologies and cultural transitions. In effect, this thesis shows how American ideologies operate as "ghosts," and how one can better interpret and understand these core values by combining aesthetics and history through the medium of recorded music.
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Date Issued: 2012
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-5315
Format: Thesis

Title: Losing Home: Why Rural Northwest Florida Needs to Be Saved.
Creator: Riley-Taylor, Zena S., Jumonville, Neil, Davis, Frederick, Koslow, Jennifer, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Land use in Florida has seen many changes since it became an American territory in 1821. But while land use can be a categorical term for classifying property, it can also take on a more valuable meaning. When the land was originally opened up for frontier settlers and wealthy planters to farm in the early years, it usually meant family and freedom as individuals and large kinship networks migrated south to establish homesteads and plantations. This population was mostly concentrated in...
Show moreLand use in Florida has seen many changes since it became an American territory in 1821. But while land use can be a categorical term for classifying property, it can also take on a more valuable meaning. When the land was originally opened up for frontier settlers and wealthy planters to farm in the early years, it usually meant family and freedom as individuals and large kinship networks migrated south to establish homesteads and plantations. This population was mostly concentrated in Middle Florida or the northern part of the state. Leading up to the Civil War, cotton was obviously a royal crop and a manufacturing movement emerged to support the momentum toward Southern independence. However, the aftermath of the Civil War seems to be a turning point for the dominantly agrarian region as timber, railroads, and tourism changed the way residents used the land. While Northwest Florida retained agriculture as a major part of the economy, the peninsula became more developed and populated, mostly with wealthy Northern tourists, and in effect, the state transformed into two distinct regions with very different environments and cultures. Comparisons between the two sections are made throughout the study to illustrate lessons that can be learned from one to the other. Sprawl, congestion, and overdevelopment's assault on the environment are common concerns. My focus for this study is to show how land use and essentially rural life changed for those individuals who were accustomed to subsistence farming in Northwest Florida. Land prices, a decline in farm acreage, population distribution, and suburbanization exhibit this transformation. In addition, the intention is to show the assets of the Panhandle through its environment, rural character, and agrarian heritage which equates into a revered quality of life. The rural places of Northwest Florida deserve protection from inappropriate and misplaced development using rural land conservation and land-use planning techniques while revitalizing towns and cities that have already been developed and preserving the region's vast historical resources for future generations.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-7577
Format: Thesis

Title: A Critical Evaluation of Alternative Methods and Paradigms for Conducting Mediation Analysis in Operations Management Research.
Creator: Malhotra, Manoj K. (Manoj Kumar), Singhal, Cherry, Shang, Guangzhi, Ployhart, Robert E.
Abstract/Description: Mediation as a theory testing approach has witnessed considerable adoption among Operations Management (OM) researchers. Although mediation-testing methods have evolved tremendously in the past decade, their dissemination in the OM field has not seen parallel growth. These advanced techniques facilitate the testing of existing and complex hypotheses in a more precise manner. With the intent of critically evaluating existing and alternative methods for conducting mediation analysis needed to...
Show moreMediation as a theory testing approach has witnessed considerable adoption among Operations Management (OM) researchers. Although mediation-testing methods have evolved tremendously in the past decade, their dissemination in the OM field has not seen parallel growth. These advanced techniques facilitate the testing of existing and complex hypotheses in a more precise manner. With the intent of critically evaluating existing and alternative methods for conducting mediation analysis needed to support sophisticated empirical research, this paper first reviews OM studies that tested for mediation in the past eleven years (2002-2012) from top-tier OM journals. Four commonly used mediation approaches were identified. Based on principles of good theory building, type of mediation model, and properties of empirical data, we evaluate the existing methodologies and make recommendations on how to improve the rigor of OM mediation testing. Using published OM studies in top journals as examples, we then illustrate the relevance and advantages of these recommendations, as well as their ease of use. Furthermore, we empirically show that more robust and insightful results can be achieved by adopting these techniques, which in turn have the promise of leading to better theory building and testing in the field of operations management.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_dm_faculty_publications-0024, 10.1016/j.jom.2014.01.003
Format: Citation

Title: Resisting the Civil-Rights Movement: Race, Community and the Power of the Southern White Press.
Creator: Edmonds, Willard T., Jumonville, Neil, Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala, Jones, Maxine Deloris, Koslow, Jennifer Lisa, Frank, Andrew, Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreEdmonds, Willard T., Jumonville, Neil, Milligan, Jeffrey Ayala, Jones, Maxine Deloris, Koslow, Jennifer Lisa, Frank, Andrew, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
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Abstract/Description: When conservative politicians captured Washington in the 1980s and 1990s, they brought with them a style of rhetoric rooted in the South of the 1950s and 1960s. The three core elements of this Southern style are clear: * Strong beliefs -- firmly held, loudly proclaimed and adhered to at the risk of becoming dogmatic. * Learning not to see -- a practiced avoidance of complications or distracting issues, an ability to turn a blind eye, to deny the obvious. * Policing of the public square --...
Show moreWhen conservative politicians captured Washington in the 1980s and 1990s, they brought with them a style of rhetoric rooted in the South of the 1950s and 1960s. The three core elements of this Southern style are clear: * Strong beliefs -- firmly held, loudly proclaimed and adhered to at the risk of becoming dogmatic. * Learning not to see -- a practiced avoidance of complications or distracting issues, an ability to turn a blind eye, to deny the obvious. * Policing of the public square -- strict enforcement of the ruling beliefs, at times becoming a bullying of allies to keep them in line, paired with quick and sharp public attacks on dissenting opinions. The Southern style is now an ingrained element of the conservative movement, and it operates with, and relies upon, active cooperation of the conservative press. This, too, has roots in the South. During the decades of civil rights activism, Southern newspapers instilled Southern ideology and allegiance among white readers, turned a blind eye to injustice and other weaknesses of Jim Crow culture and cleared the public square of dissenting opinions and alternative points of view. This study examines how the Southern style operated in the 1950s and 1960s, focusing on the work of journalists in Richmond, Virginia, Tallahassee, Florida, and Jackson, Mississippi, and on their interactions with political leaders, activists and the public.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9169
Format: Thesis

Title: Anna Sokolow’s Rooms: A Case Study of Dystopic Americana Synthesizing Historical Research, Movement Analysis, and Restaging from Labanotation Score.
Creator: Patel, Bhumi B., Young, Tricia Henry, Atkins, Jen, Phillips, Patricia H., Belman, Rodger, Florida State University, College of Visual Arts, Theatre, and Dance, School of Dance
Abstract/Description: Cement skyscrapers, the smell of automobile exhaust, turned down faces of strangers. New York City during the Great Depression was at odds with the founding fathers' vision of America as a shining City Upon a Hill. Anna Sokolow's feelings about the modern urban landscape, the deadening isolation that often accompanies it, and its forsaken twentieth century anti-hero inspired her to create her celebrated and influential 1955 piece, Rooms. In this dance, Sokolow explores the uncanny loneliness...
Show moreCement skyscrapers, the smell of automobile exhaust, turned down faces of strangers. New York City during the Great Depression was at odds with the founding fathers' vision of America as a shining City Upon a Hill. Anna Sokolow's feelings about the modern urban landscape, the deadening isolation that often accompanies it, and its forsaken twentieth century anti-hero inspired her to create her celebrated and influential 1955 piece, Rooms. In this dance, Sokolow explores the uncanny loneliness that can affect those living in close quarters to others, specifically in busy, gritty, urban post-war America. During the first half of the twentieth century dancemakers and artists alike were creating a growing body of work that we can now refer to as Americana. These were works that self-consciously drew upon a wide range of American themes and stereotypes. While the politics and aesthetics of Americana are diverse, including work based on such themes as the American Frontier, and African American heritage, this thesis explores Rooms as a case study of a sub-genre I refer to as Dystopic Americana. This thesis represents the use of the Labanotation score of Rooms and historical research. I begin with introductory and contextual information about the study in general and Rooms specifically, followed by a general definition of Americana. I then explore three broad types of Americana: Mythic America, the African American Experience, and Dystopic America. Sokolow's Rooms is a work of Dystopic Americana. I then go on to explain three major themes characteristic of Dystopic Americana and present in Rooms: the modern, urban landscape, isolation and loneliness, and the anti-hero. From these investigations I draw conclusions about the experience of embodied research and argue for the synthesis of history and dance reconstruction as a model of best practices in the field.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9227
Format: Thesis

Title: Ideological, Dystopic, and Antimythopoeic Formations of Masculinity in the Vietnam War Film.
Creator: Stegall, Elliott, Kelsay, John, Bearor, Karen, Erndl, Kathleen M., Edwards, Leigh H., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Program in Interdisciplinary...
Show moreStegall, Elliott, Kelsay, John, Bearor, Karen, Erndl, Kathleen M., Edwards, Leigh H., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation argues that representations of masculinity in the Hollywood war/combat films of the Vietnam film cycle reflect the changing and changed mores of the era in which they were made, and that these representations are so prevalent as to suggest a culture-wide shift in notions of masculinity since the Vietnam War. I demonstrate that the majority of the representations of masculinity in the Vietnam War film cycle (an expression that includes all films on the Vietnam War but...
Show moreThis dissertation argues that representations of masculinity in the Hollywood war/combat films of the Vietnam film cycle reflect the changing and changed mores of the era in which they were made, and that these representations are so prevalent as to suggest a culture-wide shift in notions of masculinity since the Vietnam War. I demonstrate that the majority of the representations of masculinity in the Vietnam War film cycle (an expression that includes all films on the Vietnam War but particularly those produced in Hollywood) have achieved mythic status--accepted truths--but are often exaggerated and/or are erroneous to the point of affecting how historical events are understood by subsequent generations. Such is the power of cinema. This dissertation, then, adopts a cultural-political-historical perspective to investigate Hollywood's virtual re-creation of the Vietnam War and its combat participants as dystopic, anti-mythopoeic figures whose allegiance to patriotism, God, and duty are shown to be tragically betrayed by a changing paradigm of masculinity and has thus created a new mythos of the American male which abides in the American consciousness to this day. All of which is to ask, why was there such a significant change from admirable cinematic representations of America as a nation that represents the ideology of freedom and liberty for all and U.S. soldiers as the hallmark of strength and goodness in the WW II movies to the mostly wretched representations of both in the Vietnam War cycle? While each chapter of my dissertation will attempt to identify plausible answers to these questions, I will also seek to explore why and how these alterations from the regnant traditions of American values--honoring the military, respecting the government and other traditions, such as the nuclear family, marriage as a sacred institution, monogamy as the respected norm, children as inviolable, gender roles as fixed, separation of the races, etc.--came to such a tumultuous head in the 1960s and resulted in the significantly altered constructs of values and masculinity that have become the norm in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. In order to investigate historical cinematic representations effectively, it is necessary to consider the actual events of the times and challenge the subsequent various mythopoeic formations of the Hollywood Vietnam veteran.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9251
Format: Thesis

Title: Schism and Sacred Harp: The Formation of the Twentieth-Century Tunebook Lines.
Creator: Kahre, Sarah E., Brewer, Charles E. (Charles Everett), Porterfield, Amanda, Seaton, Douglass, Eyerly, Sarah, Florida State University, College of Music
Abstract/Description: This dissertation explores tunebook revisions in the broad Sacred Harp tradition during the period from 1879 through 1936. My work focuses on the split of Sacred Harp singing into three competing sub-traditions during the early twentieth century, forming singing communities in the South with diasporic traits. I will argue that, if one views all of Sacred Harp singing as a diasporic culture, then the center is the antebellum tradition of tunebook singing, embodied in the four original editions...
Show moreThis dissertation explores tunebook revisions in the broad Sacred Harp tradition during the period from 1879 through 1936. My work focuses on the split of Sacred Harp singing into three competing sub-traditions during the early twentieth century, forming singing communities in the South with diasporic traits. I will argue that, if one views all of Sacred Harp singing as a diasporic culture, then the center is the antebellum tradition of tunebook singing, embodied in the four original editions of The Sacred Harp published by B. F. White between 1844 and 1870. Sacred Harp singers were "exiled" when other tunebook compilers modified their styles after the Civil War in reaction to the growth of seven-shape and gospel style music, and then disagreements primarily related to stylistic issues caused the dispersal into three related tunebook lines during the early twentieth century. My ultimate goal is to better understand both this under-studied period of Sacred Harp history and the diasporic culture it produced. To that end, I will clarify what was valued (and devalued) and why by different editors and singing communities during the period from the death of B. F. White in 1879 through the publication of the first Denson edition in 1936. "Boylston" will serve as a case study to examine how different editors approached revising a stylistically problematic tune. I will also explore how musical styles found in different tunebooks may reflect particular cultural, political, and religious values associated with parts of the South after Reconstruction, with particular attention to the changing role of women. Ultimately, I will show how these different values fractured what had been a single tradition and promoted the formation of three distinct tunebook lines, a division that is still a feature of Sacred Harp practice today. Through the lens of diaspora theory, I will illuminate how, why, and along what lines this division occurred within the context of Southern history. Although Sacred Harp singing may not fit intuitively into classical conceptions of a diasporic culture, this perspective provides a way to understand the singers' alienation within the broad tunebook singing practice and highlights the importance of history, tradition, and nostalgia to the formation of the identity "Sacred Harp singer." Different responses to these values are key in the development of these new tunebook lines. Post-Reconstruction attitudes toward the antebellum past were generally mixed and complex across the entire South, so the metaphor of exile applied to this relatively small group could also contribute to larger conversations about Southern identity at the time, especially Southerners' relationships to their history and the legacy of previous generations. This sense of diasporic identity within Sacred Harp singing cultures has continued to the present day, producing anxieties documented by contemporary ethnomusicological studies of the now-international singing community.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9365
Format: Thesis

Title: The Resurgence of Cold War Imagery in Western Popular Culture.
Creator: Van Jelgerhuis, Daniel, Wakamiya, Lisa Ryoko, Romanchuk, Robert, Edwards, Leigh H., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Modern Languages and...
Show moreVan Jelgerhuis, Daniel, Wakamiya, Lisa Ryoko, Romanchuk, Robert, Edwards, Leigh H., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics
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Abstract/Description: The portrayal of Russia in Western popular culture has served various purposes, particularly between 1945 and 1991. With a few exceptions, Soviet citizens, particularly Russians, have been shown as, alternatingly, backwards peasants and cunning enemies. In the post-1991 period, this tradition of showing Russia as the enemy continued in film and television, but tapered off in favor of more seemingly relevant foes on the world stage. While film analyses focusing on the portrayal of Russia and...
Show moreThe portrayal of Russia in Western popular culture has served various purposes, particularly between 1945 and 1991. With a few exceptions, Soviet citizens, particularly Russians, have been shown as, alternatingly, backwards peasants and cunning enemies. In the post-1991 period, this tradition of showing Russia as the enemy continued in film and television, but tapered off in favor of more seemingly relevant foes on the world stage. While film analyses focusing on the portrayal of Russia and Russians have been done, the renewal of focus on Cold War imagery in reference to Russia and the West has not been commented on. Because of the so-called Illegals Program uncovered in 2010, the attempted "reset" between the United States and the Russian Federation, increased Western media coverage of human rights issues in Russia, and many other types of exposure, including the annexation of Crimea and the conflict with Russia-backed anti-Kiev militias in eastern Ukraine, Russia has taken center-stage and is subject not only to international scrutiny, but also to rehashed prejudices and outdated knowledge of the country that stems from old antagonisms. The television programs The Americans, Archer, and Doctor Who all look at Russia and the relationship of Russia with the West through a Cold War lens. I argue that this resurgence is in response to both Cold War nostalgia and a renewal of Russia's relevance on the world stage. By analyzing these programs, it will be shown that the types of information and impressions that are being promoted by popular culture of late at once serve to provide nuance to an ordinarily one-sided and limited portrayal of Russia and its people, and at the same time reinforce old, stale images of the "Evil Empire" that only serve to prevent understanding and cooperation between the citizens of the West and of Russia.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9476
Format: Thesis

Title: Industrial Modernization and the American Civil War.
Creator: Gray, Corey Patrick, Creswell, Michael H., Doel, Ronald Edmund, Piehler, G. Kurt, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
Abstract/Description: What explains why and how America fought the civil war? This thesis argues that industrial modernization can be a useful analytical tool for understanding the causes of the American Civil War. The argument is developed by analyzing the social, political, and military events of the era through the lens of industrialization. This study will show that the American Industrial Revolution lay at the core of the social, political, and military events that shaped this great conflict. Understanding...
Show moreWhat explains why and how America fought the civil war? This thesis argues that industrial modernization can be a useful analytical tool for understanding the causes of the American Civil War. The argument is developed by analyzing the social, political, and military events of the era through the lens of industrialization. This study will show that the American Industrial Revolution lay at the core of the social, political, and military events that shaped this great conflict. Understanding the causes of human events is as critical as understanding their effects. By grasping the root causes of the war, we can better understand how and why it was fought. This analysis of American society, American politics, and the country's military establishment will provide the rich context needed to apprehend the reasons for the American Civil war beyond the dichotomy of slavery and economics.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9605
Format: Thesis

Title: Music, Morality, and the Great War: How World War I Molded American Musical Ethics.
Creator: Church, Lucy Claire, Seaton, Douglass, Buchler, Michael Howard, Brewer, Charles E. (Charles Everett), Jackson, Margaret R., Florida State University, College of Music
Abstract/Description: In 1917 America found itself embroiled in a worldwide battle concerning the identities and rights of nations. It was all of a sudden required to re-think its ethnic and cultural identity in the light of both its "melting pot" origins and the new nationalized standards for moral goodness and badness (enemy countries were now seen as unquestionably morally bad, allies morally good). One aspect of American culture that was particularly confused by this transition was the music world. American...
Show moreIn 1917 America found itself embroiled in a worldwide battle concerning the identities and rights of nations. It was all of a sudden required to re-think its ethnic and cultural identity in the light of both its "melting pot" origins and the new nationalized standards for moral goodness and badness (enemy countries were now seen as unquestionably morally bad, allies morally good). One aspect of American culture that was particularly confused by this transition was the music world. American music culture, and especially art or "classical" music culture, had been founded on a deep-seated appreciation for the German tradition. German performers, composers, theorists, historians, critics, and, most of all, repertoire were embraced and beloved by Americans. In fact, many musicians were what we might call "hyphenated" Americans, first- or second-generation German immigrants who made music their livelihood in America. What's more, in the years leading up to the war, America had developed a widespread understanding of the moral nature of music that was based largely on national musical styles. Popular thought proclaimed that music was a distinctly moral art and that Italian and French styles represented its lowest moral output. German musical style, on the other hand, fulfilled music's highest potential to be morally good. When in 1917 this understanding collided with the unwavering declaration that Germany (and its cultural output) was the enemy, the embodiment of evil, American music culture responded with understandable confusion and vehemence. Robberies, lootings, bomb threats, riots, trials, restraining orders, police presence, mass demonstrations, internments, and deportations plagued German-American and German musicians, as well as those who dared to perform German repertoire. Many of these incidents can be seen within the sociological framework of "moral panic," Stanley Cohen's description of cultural events that represent disproportionate responses to supposed moral threats. To study them adequately is to see them not only as interesting stories but as signposts pointing to deeper cultural issues and insecurities. In the wake of these wartime and post-wartime moral panics, America was forced to re-examine its conceptions of musical morality, as well as its relationship to German performers and repertoire. Although it reincorporated German culture quite quickly following the war, it did so self-consciously, with a newfound desire to expand its national boundaries to include American, British, and French repertoire and performers into its core. This diversity of styles found its greatest success as part of the new valuing of plurality that came with modernism. Furthermore, America's distinct ability to incorporate and celebrate pluralism helped it to become the new world center for art music in the twentieth century despite its long-term struggle to create its own distinct musical style.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9572
Format: Thesis

Title: Dancing Americana: Choreographing Visions of American Identity from the Stage to the Screen, 1936-1958.
Creator: Boche, Kathaleen E. R., Sinke, Suzanne M., Phillips, Patricia H., Frank, Andrew, Koslow, Jennifer Lisa, Young, Tricia Henry, Florida State University, College of Arts and...
Show moreBoche, Kathaleen E. R., Sinke, Suzanne M., Phillips, Patricia H., Frank, Andrew, Koslow, Jennifer Lisa, Young, Tricia Henry, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
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Abstract/Description: This dissertation examines concert dance, Broadway musicals, and film musicals from the mid-1930s to the early Cold War period, exploring how choreographers, directors, and performers expressed American nationalism through dance. Nationalism in dance transferred from the ballet stage during the buildup and early years of World War II to Broadway and Hollywood musicals in the mid-1940s to late 1950s. This shift brought Americana dances to a wider audience--the concert dance audience was small...
Show moreThis dissertation examines concert dance, Broadway musicals, and film musicals from the mid-1930s to the early Cold War period, exploring how choreographers, directors, and performers expressed American nationalism through dance. Nationalism in dance transferred from the ballet stage during the buildup and early years of World War II to Broadway and Hollywood musicals in the mid-1940s to late 1950s. This shift brought Americana dances to a wider audience--the concert dance audience was small and elite, but the audience for movies was larger and more diverse. In addition to analysis of the dancing, this dissertation utilizes the papers of choreographers, Broadway publicists' scrapbooks, the records of the Production Code Administration, film preview audience surveys, reviews, letters, and interviews. Frontier figures and servicemen were already a part of American identity before cowboy ballets and tap dancing sailor movies; however, dancing made these figures come to life for audiences, wrapping up ideology in attractive, virtuosic performance. Nationalism in dance intersected with personal artistic expression, censorship, government policy, critical response, and audience reaction. As the audience grew, so did concerns over mediating the messages presented. Dance was a part of U.S. diplomacy, propaganda, and identity. This dissertation contributes to the current scholarship on dance and nationalism because it spans across concert dance, popular culture, and mass media, linking multiple disciplines in the process.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9144
Format: Thesis

Title: Vernacular Mormonism: The Development of Latter-Day Saint Apocalyptic (1830-1930).
Creator: Blythe, Christopher James, Corrigan, John, Luke, Trevor S., Porterfield, Amanda, McVicar, Michael J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religion
Abstract/Description: This study examines the development of apocalypticism in Mormon culture from the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Specifically, it argues that a major shift in apocalyptic thought in the twentieth century was essential for the Americanization of Mormons during the period of transition (1890-1930). The early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints possessed a radical eschatology, emphasizing dualism and the imminence of the apocalypse. Following the murder of their...
Show moreThis study examines the development of apocalypticism in Mormon culture from the nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Specifically, it argues that a major shift in apocalyptic thought in the twentieth century was essential for the Americanization of Mormons during the period of transition (1890-1930). The early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints possessed a radical eschatology, emphasizing dualism and the imminence of the apocalypse. Following the murder of their prophet, Joseph Smith, Mormons came to see themselves as a distinctive people from other Euro-Americans, which they referred to as Gentiles. They expected the soon collapse of the American government as a result of their culpability in Smith's death, as well as other examples of persecution. Throughout the nineteenth century, the relationship between Mormonism and their fellow Americans was defined by this millenarian logic. It was only after Utah was received as a state in the Union that Mormons began to embrace a more moderate millenarian thought. In addition to historicizing the subject of apocalypticism in Mormonism, this study examines how the regulation of apocalyptic prophecy ultimately resulted in a new understanding of how lay Mormons should properly experience and narrate the experience of their faith. Throughout the nineteenth century, it was popular for Mormons to narrate visions, dreams, and prophecies, often including narratives of the apocalypse. During the period of transition, the Church hierarchy did not directly refute previous understandings of millenarian thought. Instead, they opposed popular vernacular prophecies, which continued to promote a nineteenth-century Mormon worldview. By regulating these prophecies and marginalizing those who shared them, Church leaders articulated new rules for the sharing of charismata.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9294
Format: Thesis

Title: Systems of Slavery in the United States, 1860.
Creator: Burris, Gregory David, Mooney, Katherine Carmines, Blaufarb, Rafe, Doel, Ronald Edmund, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
Abstract/Description: This thesis studies the causal factors of US slavery prior to the Civil War. My main data set is the 1860 census from the National Historical GIS (nhgis.org), which is aggregated to the county level. Historians have traditionally broken the slave owning South into vague regions, called "belts" based on the dominant cash crops of those regions. There is no spatial demarcation of these boundaries, and this regionalization completely ignores areas that are not conceptualized as cash crop...
Show moreThis thesis studies the causal factors of US slavery prior to the Civil War. My main data set is the 1860 census from the National Historical GIS (nhgis.org), which is aggregated to the county level. Historians have traditionally broken the slave owning South into vague regions, called "belts" based on the dominant cash crops of those regions. There is no spatial demarcation of these boundaries, and this regionalization completely ignores areas that are not conceptualized as cash crop production areas. As old territories exhausted their soil and evolved from slave societies into societies with slaves. Slavery is seen as a single system migrating across the South, with new territories being brought into the monolithic system. As a result, there is limited qualitative or quantitative understanding of regional diversity within the South, and the existing regions have not been questioned for over a hundred years. I use county level census data to study the entire slave owning South. This allows the study of the interrelation of the various cash crop producing regions as well as the areas that were not involved in these industries. I will also be able to gauge the impact of the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem and the impact of autocorrelation on my models of different study areas. The result is the rejection of the null hypothesis based on traditional historical conceptualizations that slave density was dependent on cash crop cultivation. I present a new alternative hypothesis that explains slavery as a more generic phenomenon, capable of deriving profits from a wide variety of crops and industrial products as well as the more traditional cash crops. This thesis argues that there were many facets to slavery, and that necessitates the discussion of these facets. Profitability from slavery was more general and not just from cash crops. Cash crops had become less labor intensive by 1860. Money could be made from slaves in many economic pursuits, including cash-crops, grain crops, urban industry, and rural industry. These products were not substitutes for each other. Most of them, especially cash-crops, were only capable of growing in certain locations under certain conditions. Cotton could not have substituted for tobacco in the tobacco belt any more than sugar could have been grown in the colder climate of Virginia. Because a profit could be made off of slave labor in many agricultural and industrial activities, the value of putting a slave to work in a corn field in Kentucky was competitive with putting that same person to work in a cotton field in Mississippi or an iron blasting furnace in Virginia. By 1860, the supply and demand for enslaved people was at equilibrium across the South and the Upper South was not diminishing or economically dependent on the slave trade. The slave population of the Upper South was not decreasing in the antebellum period or even stagnating. It was instead growing while still supplying the Lower South with slaves through the domestic slave trade. The Upper South had not and was not transferring to a society with slaves, nor was it moving in that direction. This was not even true within urban settings.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9300
Format: Thesis

Title: Northwest of Slavery: Illinois's Long Struggle to Prevent the Introduction of Slavery.
Creator: Clift, William D., Gray, Edward G., Jones, James Pickett, Mooney, Katherine Carmines, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
Abstract/Description: This thesis investigates the impact the Missouri controversy had on the political of slavery within Illinois. The purpose is to define whether the Missouri Compromise directly impacted the debates upon slavery in Illinois. The issue of slavery was initiated because of the Virginia Cession in 1783 and the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. From these documents the subject of bondage produced a number of laws throughout the territorial period enacted to restrict blacks; the debate came to a point of...
Show moreThis thesis investigates the impact the Missouri controversy had on the political of slavery within Illinois. The purpose is to define whether the Missouri Compromise directly impacted the debates upon slavery in Illinois. The issue of slavery was initiated because of the Virginia Cession in 1783 and the Northwest Ordinance in 1787. From these documents the subject of bondage produced a number of laws throughout the territorial period enacted to restrict blacks; the debate came to a point of contention in 1818 when Illinois created a constitution and joined the Union. The Missouri controversy provided a platform for the Congressmen from Illinois to engage in the national debate, and once a compromise was reached, the political economy that emerged was no different than before. The study of the politics of slavery in Illinois can help to explain that the Missouri Compromise did not change the political landscape of the nation, rather it nudged the Union closer to sectionalism and the antebellum era.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9308
Format: Thesis

Title: Environmental Religion and the American Transcendentalist Legacy.
Creator: Dillard, Daniel C., Porterfield, Amanda, Kirby, David, Corrigan, John, McVicar, Michael J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religion
Abstract/Description: In the nineteenth century, American Transcendentalists and other environmental religionists redefined notions of religion, nature, and humanity as a creative and sometimes effective means to manage the various social, cultural, and intellectual crises of their age. They attempted this largely through their literary output, scientific undertakings, and political discourse - all of which served as strategies and tactics to compensate for areas where they found institutionalized religion to be...
Show moreIn the nineteenth century, American Transcendentalists and other environmental religionists redefined notions of religion, nature, and humanity as a creative and sometimes effective means to manage the various social, cultural, and intellectual crises of their age. They attempted this largely through their literary output, scientific undertakings, and political discourse - all of which served as strategies and tactics to compensate for areas where they found institutionalized religion to be lacking. The result - what I coin environmental religion - was a non-reductive ecological materialism that replaced the German idealism of American Transcendentalism's metaphysical forebears. Moreover, the environmental religion they fashioned provided the framework for today's radical environmentalists and other likeminded groups. This dissertation calls for a reconsideration of the disciplinary horizon of nature religion in North American history and culture. In support of this call, I analyze the historical underpinnings of what I term environmental religion by focusing on the first and second generation of American Transcendentalists. By environmental religion I refer to an integrated network of beliefs, practices, and lifestyles by which individuals and groups gave meaning to (or found meaning in) their lives by orienting themselves to nature - the physical planet as well as that perceived to be "natural" and therefore authentic, pristine, unmanufactured, unspoiled - which they believed to be of the highest value. This work therefore seeks to draw connections between aspects in America's religious history that have remained thus far unearthed. Defining environmental religion as I have done - by focusing on a reverent orientation to nature that conceives the "natural" to be of the highest value - provides for the study of a wide range of subjects, groups, and individuals who were nonetheless connected by a deferential and awe-inspired response to nature, the environment, and the material world. In short, by concentrating on what I call environmental religion, I provide a new perspective on American Transcendentalism. However, I also trace powerful and prevalent - yet largely unexamined - trends, themes, and movements coursing through American history and culture.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9324
Format: Thesis

Title: Birthing Bodies and Doctrine: The Natural Philosophy of Generation and the Evangelical Theology of Regeneration in the Early Modern Atlantic World.
Creator: Gray, Lauren Davis, Porterfield, Amanda, Gray, Edward G., Corrigan, John, McVicar, Michael J., Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Religion
Abstract/Description: In the Atlantic world of the eighteenth century, revivalists in Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean centered their theology around the doctrine of the new birth. The new birth was the unifying, if contested, theme of the transatlantic revivals. Although prominent evangelical theologians like Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and Nikolaus von Zinzendorf each conceptualized rebirth a little differently, the surprising unity of the doctrine across geographic and institutional...
Show moreIn the Atlantic world of the eighteenth century, revivalists in Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean centered their theology around the doctrine of the new birth. The new birth was the unifying, if contested, theme of the transatlantic revivals. Although prominent evangelical theologians like Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley and Nikolaus von Zinzendorf each conceptualized rebirth a little differently, the surprising unity of the doctrine across geographic and institutional boundaries stemmed from the fact that they all sought to ground the spiritual metaphor of the new birth in the natural philosophy of childbirth. Before the early modern Atlantic world saw a sudden increase of this evangelical preaching on the doctrine of the rebirth, there was a sudden increase of writings by natural philosophers on new findings about conception and childbirth. This seventeenth-century fascination among natural philosophers with the process of "generation," as it was called, led to the eighteenth-century preoccupation with "regeneration" among evangelical leaders. Edwards, Wesley and Zinzendorf were each exposed to the mechanism of Descartes, the empiricism of Locke, and the theory of preformationism at early ages, long before their theological systems had solidified. Employing this natural philosophy of generation was not simply a way to legitimize the idea of the new birth; it was the method by which this doctrine was produced. The main question of this dissertation, then, is one of epistemology: where do religious knowledge and values come from? How is a theological doctrine formed? As this case study of the new birth shows, theology is oftentimes produced from the body--from embodied experiences, bodily metaphors, and empirical information about the body. Bodies--as much as sacred texts, charismatic leaders, ecclesiastical institutions, etc.--are sites of religious values and truths. The experience of being born again, Edwards, Wesley and Zinzendorf agreed, was instantaneous and sometimes accompanied by convulsions of the body and terrors of the mind as in the pangs of childbirth. To learn about the spiritual mechanisms of this new birth experience, one could study the physical process of childbirth as explained by natural philosophers. Revivalism relied heavily on enlightenment philosophy for the development of its values and worldview, and in turn enlightenment movements relied on transatlantic revivalism for the transmission of its ideas to those who would not otherwise have had access to them. Evangelical preachers like Edwards, Wesley and Zinzendorf were the cultural mediators between what Wesley called "plain people" and natural philosophers like Malebranche, Descartes, and Locke. The sermons and treatises written by these preachers were the medium through which knowledge about the natural and supernatural worlds was conveyed. Rather than viewing evangelicalism as opposed to the heady intellectualism of enlightenment empiricism, this dissertation shows how these revivalists consistently drew from the findings of natural philosophy in the creation of their theology. For them, the body was a site for the formation of such theological knowledge. Early modern natural philosophy put human bodies into discourse, transforming bodies from an experiential reality into a natural phenomenon worthy of academic study. This in turn opened up the body as a site of theological inquiry for clergy across the Atlantic who believed that divine truths could be gleaned from the natural world. Several of these clergy birthed the first evangelical movement by translating the natural philosophy of childbirth into a streamlined metaphor that both united those who had had the experience of the new birth and radically divided them from those who had not. If the body was the epistemology that revivalists drew knowledge from, then religion was the medium through which such knowledge was conveyed.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9341
Format: Thesis

Title: Strategic Bombardment as an Obstacle to Strategic Airpower: Why the Early American Airborne Was Shortchanged.
Creator: Klimek, Sean, Piehler, G. Kurt, Souva, Mark A., Gellately, Robert, Grant, Jonathan A., Jones, James Pickett, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department...
Show moreKlimek, Sean, Piehler, G. Kurt, Souva, Mark A., Gellately, Robert, Grant, Jonathan A., Jones, James Pickett, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
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Abstract/Description: The popular narrative surrounding the creation and development of American airborne forces maintains that Infantry officers were in a constant struggle with Air Corps officers over control of the project. The archival record suggests a much different story. Instead of actively pursuing control of the airborne, between May 1939 and August 1940 the Air Corps repeatedly offered excuses to justify their lack of effort in and concern for the project. The record shows that Air Corps leadership at...
Show moreThe popular narrative surrounding the creation and development of American airborne forces maintains that Infantry officers were in a constant struggle with Air Corps officers over control of the project. The archival record suggests a much different story. Instead of actively pursuing control of the airborne, between May 1939 and August 1940 the Air Corps repeatedly offered excuses to justify their lack of effort in and concern for the project. The record shows that Air Corps leadership at the highest levels openly refused even the most minimal of material and intellectual support for the program. Despite the numerous military attaché reports emanating from Europe describing both the growing likelihood of war and the German airborne advances, the Air Corps continued to resist all efforts to assist the project even after it became evident that the German Air Force (the Luftwaffe) was in control of the German airborne. American air officers simply saw no purpose in the airborne. The consequences of such negligence would be far reaching. After the war U.S. Generals George C. Marshall and Henry H. Arnold both expressed regret that American airborne forces were not utilized in a "strategic" fashion during the war. Both men alluded to the belief that a large-scale strategic airborne operation could have resulted in an earlier end to the war in Europe. What is perhaps most ironic about these post-war revelations was that General Arnold was in a unique position as Chief of the Air Corps in 1939 to impact how the airborne would be used during the impending war. Yet Arnold and his air officers repeatedly refused to help create and develop the airborne forces. As a result, ultimate control of the airborne was given to the Office of the Chief of Infantry in August 1940. After the Infantry was given control of the project, airborne forces were destined to be used piecemeal as supporting elements of ground forces and would not be used in a strategic and independent fashion during the war. The lack of interest by the Air Corps in 1939 was not only a setback for the airborne but it also restricted the definition of American airpower. By mid-1940 the Germans had demonstrated the effectiveness of airborne forces being under the control of air forces. Had the Air Corps recognized this potential and seized the project, then American airborne forces could have been used in an independent manner and a powerful argument supporting air force autonomy would have been presented. But, mostly because of an institutional infatuation with aerial bombardment, the Air Corps did not identify any potential in the airborne until after the project was given to the Office of the Chief of Infantry. Consequently, the Air Corps did not capitalize on a tangible opportunity to possess a very real type of independent air operation. Air officers, wittingly or not, thus revealed the hierarchy within airpower theory: that independence was less important than aerial bombardment. As a result, both the airborne and the idea of airpower were restricted, reduced, and rendered less potent.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9375
Format: Thesis

Title: Escaping the Mechanism: Soldier Fraternization Throughout the American Civil War.
Creator: Thompson, Lauren Kristin, Jones, Maxine Deloris, Montgomery, Maxine L., Koslow, Jennifer Lisa, Frank, Andrew, Mooney, Katherine Carmines, Piehler, G. Kurt, Florida State...
Show moreThompson, Lauren Kristin, Jones, Maxine Deloris, Montgomery, Maxine L., Koslow, Jennifer Lisa, Frank, Andrew, Mooney, Katherine Carmines, Piehler, G. Kurt, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of History
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Abstract/Description: "Escaping the Mechanism: Soldier Fraternization throughout the American Civil War," contributes to the rich scholarship on Civil War soldiers because one cannot fully understand the nature of the war experience, without also knowing how soldiers controlled some conditions of their existence. Although it was strictly forbidden, Union and Confederate soldiers fraternized with each other often as an escape from the monotony and routine of encampment, drills, and marching. When citizen soldiers...
Show more"Escaping the Mechanism: Soldier Fraternization throughout the American Civil War," contributes to the rich scholarship on Civil War soldiers because one cannot fully understand the nature of the war experience, without also knowing how soldiers controlled some conditions of their existence. Although it was strictly forbidden, Union and Confederate soldiers fraternized with each other often as an escape from the monotony and routine of encampment, drills, and marching. When citizen soldiers experienced war, and its limits, they perpetuated this behavior by testing restrictions. As an outlet of resistance and an expression of choice, a "culture of fraternalism" formulated as soldiers attempted to grasp control after the psychological and physical damage of war shattered their metaphysical world. Because mental and physical challenges chipped away at soldier morale, men found ways to push back against the system. Soldiers needed an escape. Thus, enemies organized ceasefires, truces, and a trading network in order to remain in control of their world and escape the "mechanism" of military life. Fraternization deserves its own attention both in terms of its frequency in soldiers' manuscripts and implication as a coping mechanism, but also because its significance is dismissed or minimized by leading Civil War scholars. Several Civil War historians acknowledge that fraternization happened but either categorize soldiers who did as uncommitted or bypass the reason why it occurred so often. Based on my extensive reading of soldiers' letters and diaries from eleven archives in seven states, I argue that soldiers fraternized in order to fight the war on their own terms through subtle forms of dissent. In viewing fraternization as a method by which soldiers reaffirmed their own control and escaped the military mechanism, the implications of fraternization are worthy of further investigation and can no longer be sidestepped. Just because soldiers remained ideologically committed, does not suggest they were without physical and mental privation. Soldiers found alternative ways to assert their own autonomy in order to cope with the harsh realities of army life. To understand how soldiers shaped their circumstances through fraternization, the points where it happened most frequently and the challenges particular to that campaign will be analyzed in detail. Chapter 1 depicts how soldiers developed a culture of fraternalism. An accurate study of Civil War soldiers cannot begin in 1861. Men came to war with traditions, experiences, and values from a world before they were soldiers. In particular, soldiers embodied two important cultural notions of antebellum society. When men faced limits to their potential or independence they dealt with them through outlets of fraternity and resistance. Because soldiers' ability to fraternize was dependent upon their tactical position, on picket duty in proximity to one another or in trenches during a siege, the culture of fraternalism waxed and waned throughout the war. The points where extensive fraternization occurred merit its own attention. Chapter 2 focuses on the first, and arguably most documented, instance of widespread fraternization which took place during the Fredericksburg Campaign. Men who fought in armies throughout the Western Theatre of the Civil War also created and upheld a culture of fraternalism. Chapter 3 analyzes the major occasions of fraternization which occurred along the vast territory between the Mississippi River and the eastern foothills of the Appalachian Mountains particularly during the Siege at Vicksburg, Tennessee Campaign, and Atlanta Campaign. This chapter illustrates that although men in these armies came from different states and encountered different obstacles, their development of fraternization occurred simultaneously to their comrades in Virginia as a means to shape their environment. Chapter 4 shifts focus back to eastern Virginia in the summer of 1864. When the Overland Campaign resulted in a siege at Petersburg, Virginia, the armies of Northern Virginia and the Potomac experienced a new set of conditions. While gridlocked at Petersburg for eleven months, men on both sides dealt with side effects of siege warfare. The culture of fraternalism continued through the trade of commodities and newspapers but most importantly during this siege was a continual and intricate arrangement of ceasefires to placate the constant sense of anxiety and necessity to "be on guard." Chapter 5 follows soldiers into their lives as veterans in attempt to understand how they shaped the remembrance of their service. Just as men constructed ways to fight the war on their own terms, veterans used their "power of the pen" to document their experience. Rather than dismissing postwar soldier accounts of fraternization as a consequence of reunionist propaganda, perhaps soldiers wrote about their interaction with the enemy because they deemed it worthy of remembrance. In synthesizing the broader historiography on masculinity, identity, and military experience with fraternization, this study demonstrates not simply why soldiers fought but rather how they utilized tactics, terrain, and commodities to make their service more manageable. What these chapters contend is that regardless of campaign or theatre, ideologically committed soldiers were able to remain dedicated because of opportunities, like fraternization, to assert their own control over the war.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-9469
Format: Thesis

Title: Music Scenes in America: Gainesville, Florida as a Case Study for Historicizing Subculture.
Creator: Vandegrift, Micah, Jumonville, Neil, Gunderson, Frank, Faulk, Barry, Program in American and Florida Studies, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The history of music scenes is a topic that has been misunderstood. Scholarship has tended to focus on sociological theory as a basis for understanding how and why music scenes exist and motivate youth. While accomplishing important work and connecting the study of scenes to academia, theory has left uncovered the narrative history of music scenes. Setting scenes in their specific historical, social and cultural context allows them to be examined by a different set of research goals and...
Show moreThe history of music scenes is a topic that has been misunderstood. Scholarship has tended to focus on sociological theory as a basis for understanding how and why music scenes exist and motivate youth. While accomplishing important work and connecting the study of scenes to academia, theory has left uncovered the narrative history of music scenes. Setting scenes in their specific historical, social and cultural context allows them to be examined by a different set of research goals and methods. In this paper, I outline a historiography of music scenes, from the original implications of subcultural research to ethnography in the early 1990s. Tracing the literature on scenes, I argue that studying scenes from my position in 2009 must be accomplished with a historical point of view, not ignoring theory, but placing narrative history as the primary methodology. The growth of post-punk music scenes in America throughout the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s had extensive effects on popular culture, and through understanding the history first, I propose researchers will have a better grasp on what a scene is, why it functions in society, and how it has affected regional and national subcultural identity. I used Gainesville, Florida as an example of this method. The social characteristics of Florida and the shifts in the national subculture throughout the 1990s are two essential points I bring to bear in the case study of Gainesville. Overall, I hope to introduce Florida's scenes as anomalous instances of subcultural activity and to spur further inquiry on the topic of (re)writing music scenes into the history of youth culture, especially in the 1990s.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: FSU_migr_etd-4589
Format: Thesis

Title: Liability of teachers for school accidents.
Creator: McKinley, David, Parker, Edna E., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this study is to gather and to present information on the liability structure of our legal system in such a manner as to help the classroom teacher to understand more fully his legal responsibilities and thus relieve him of unwarranted fears regarding accidents and injuries resulting from classroom activities. It is hoped that this study will ultimately contribute to the security of those who read it and give encouragement to those who seek to enrich their classes by means of...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to gather and to present information on the liability structure of our legal system in such a manner as to help the classroom teacher to understand more fully his legal responsibilities and thus relieve him of unwarranted fears regarding accidents and injuries resulting from classroom activities. It is hoped that this study will ultimately contribute to the security of those who read it and give encouragement to those who seek to enrich their classes by means of the experience type curriculum.
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Date Issued: 1956
Identifier: FSU_historic_alb9563
Format: Thesis

Title: Education for leisure time through the school curriculum which will meet the needs of our changing society.
Creator: Hughes, Wayne W., Strickland, Virgil E., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The purpose of this paper is primarily that of determining what recreational needs exist today, what social changes have occurred to bring about these needs, what unit of society is most capable of taking the lead in meeting these needs, and what procedures may be adopted for meeting them. An interest in this subject has stemmed from observation of two main factors: (1) The existence of inadequate programs for meeting recreational needs in schools with which the writer has been associated,...
Show moreThe purpose of this paper is primarily that of determining what recreational needs exist today, what social changes have occurred to bring about these needs, what unit of society is most capable of taking the lead in meeting these needs, and what procedures may be adopted for meeting them. An interest in this subject has stemmed from observation of two main factors: (1) The existence of inadequate programs for meeting recreational needs in schools with which the writer has been associated, and (2) General indifference to or ignorance of the importance of educating for worthwhile use of leisure time.
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Date Issued: 1953
Identifier: FSU_historic_ALA4633
Format: Thesis

Title: The responsibility of the principal in developing an instructional program to meet the needs of the community and the individual.
Creator: Howell, Harry, Dean, Harris William, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In the frontier days of America, the school and the community supplemented one another. Frontier life as simple and the requirements for existence on the frontier were, more often than not, a strong back rather than a strong mind. The task of the school, therefore, was relatively simple. The school amply fulfilled its duties if it provided "Reading" with which one might read from the bible, "Ritin" so that simple letter might be written and records kept, and "Rithmetic" which could be used to...
Show moreIn the frontier days of America, the school and the community supplemented one another. Frontier life as simple and the requirements for existence on the frontier were, more often than not, a strong back rather than a strong mind. The task of the school, therefore, was relatively simple. The school amply fulfilled its duties if it provided "Reading" with which one might read from the bible, "Ritin" so that simple letter might be written and records kept, and "Rithmetic" which could be used to keep account and make measurements.
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Date Issued: 1959
Identifier: FSU_historic_ala4823
Format: Thesis

Title: An analysis of the idea of cooperative planning in the elementary school.
Creator: Mears, John M., Dean, Harris William, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In this study the writer intends to examine the literature on the purposes of the school and society as they are served by cooperative planning, select some of the best that has been said in regards to cooperative planing and to point up pathways to future growth through cooperative planning.
Date Issued: 1950
Identifier: FSU_historic_alb4235
Format: Thesis

Title: Organization of primary reading programs based on certain growth concepts.
Creator: Clifton, Marian Curry, Swearingen, Mildred E., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Reading has been a persistent problem since schools began. They were established primarily to teach children to read. This was necessary in order to bring our written language into general use. The public today usually determines its estimate of the schools primarily by success in teaching reading. It is the purpose of the writer to describe an effectively organized reading program for slow-growing children in the primary grades. The term "slow-growing" as used means those children who...
Show moreReading has been a persistent problem since schools began. They were established primarily to teach children to read. This was necessary in order to bring our written language into general use. The public today usually determines its estimate of the schools primarily by success in teaching reading. It is the purpose of the writer to describe an effectively organized reading program for slow-growing children in the primary grades. The term "slow-growing" as used means those children who because of the nature of their physical, emotional, social, or intellectual developments are slower in total growth than the so-called average child.
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Date Issued: 1953
Identifier: FSU_historic_akw1888
Format: Thesis

Title: A study of the effects of various types of rest periods in a morning kindergarten on the behavior characteristics of five year olds.
Creator: Rhodes, Frances, Leeper, Sarah Hammond, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The reasons for this study are to try to determine what the rest needs of the kindergarten child are and to investigate the effects of different types of rest periods on the behavior of five year olds in a morning kindergarten. It is hoped that the information gained from this study will be of help to kindergarten teachers in determining the type of rest period best suited to the needs of the children that they teach.
Date Issued: 1954
Identifier: FSU_historic_akx0451
Format: Thesis

Title: Reading and the mentally retarded child.
Creator: Kenyon, Barbara Mae, Leeper, Sarah Hammond, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In our culture the ability to read holds an eminent position. Many of the ordinary practices of daily living are associated with reading. Comprehending labels, bank statements, signs, bill boards, newspapers, books, and letters are but a few of the items encountered by individuals daily. For successful: existence in society, each individual must be able to read with sufficient comprehension to enable him to carry on the normal procedures of life. The reading program of the schools has been a...
Show moreIn our culture the ability to read holds an eminent position. Many of the ordinary practices of daily living are associated with reading. Comprehending labels, bank statements, signs, bill boards, newspapers, books, and letters are but a few of the items encountered by individuals daily. For successful: existence in society, each individual must be able to read with sufficient comprehension to enable him to carry on the normal procedures of life. The reading program of the schools has been a topic of extensive investigation in recent years. Educators, lay people, parents and students have discussed the methods and procedures employed in the present reading programs. Much emphasis in the discussions has been placed upon the youngsters in school who are not progressing at a rate associated with a particular grade level.
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Date Issued: 1957
Identifier: FSU_historic_AKX0530
Format: Thesis

Title: A study of problems involved in teaching the slow learner to read.
Creator: Goit, Margaret Lindsay, Moon, Robert C., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: For twenty-six years the writer has been teaching in the elementary and secondary schools. Here she found one of the most important, as well as one of the most perplexing, problems to be that of teaching the slow-learning child to read to the best of his ability. The problem is serious at all levels, but it is at the secondary level that it becomes more apparent and more serious, particularly so in many secondary schools whose curriculums have not been adjusted to meet the needs and abilities...
Show moreFor twenty-six years the writer has been teaching in the elementary and secondary schools. Here she found one of the most important, as well as one of the most perplexing, problems to be that of teaching the slow-learning child to read to the best of his ability. The problem is serious at all levels, but it is at the secondary level that it becomes more apparent and more serious, particularly so in many secondary schools whose curriculums have not been adjusted to meet the needs and abilities of this slow-learning individual. It is because of experience with this problem and the importance attached to it by authorities in the field of education that the writer has made this study.
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Date Issued: 1952
Identifier: FSU_historic_AKU3771
Format: Thesis

Title: A study of the direction in which certain design understanding can be developed by prospective elementary teachers by means of an experience with scrap material printing.
Creator: Eells, William L., Schwartz, Julia, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "This study is made in an attempt to determine the direction in which certain design understandings can be developed by prospective elementary teachers by means of an experience with scrap material printing. The activity may be defined as one which involves printing with objects of differing shapes, textures, or lines, and combinations of these elements to achieve various effects. The design concepts which were selected as representing positive goals are listed as follows: 1. It does not take...
Show more"This study is made in an attempt to determine the direction in which certain design understandings can be developed by prospective elementary teachers by means of an experience with scrap material printing. The activity may be defined as one which involves printing with objects of differing shapes, textures, or lines, and combinations of these elements to achieve various effects. The design concepts which were selected as representing positive goals are listed as follows: 1. It does not take expensive materials, necessarily, to make a design. 2. The designer selects and organizes materials for his design. These materials have colors, shapes, textures, and lines, and it is these which the designer organizes in different combinations. Through such combinations he gets varied effects. 3. The designer considers the nature of the materials used for his design. He relates his design to its environment and function. 4. The designer expresses himself and interprets some of the principles or structures in nature. He does not reflect nature itself"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1950
Identifier: FSU_historic_aku8600
Format: Thesis

Title: The science program in secondary schools.
Creator: Barton, Dale S., Stone, Mode L., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "The purpose of this paper is to examine the place of science in the secondary school program. It is assumed that the place of science in the curriculum has to be justified in such a study. Justification for teaching science is approached in this paper through a study of the nature of the society that creates and maintains the school; the nature of learning and the individual; and the unique contributions that science education can make for a better adjustment of the individual to his...
Show more"The purpose of this paper is to examine the place of science in the secondary school program. It is assumed that the place of science in the curriculum has to be justified in such a study. Justification for teaching science is approached in this paper through a study of the nature of the society that creates and maintains the school; the nature of learning and the individual; and the unique contributions that science education can make for a better adjustment of the individual to his environment. It is hoped that this paper might stimulate other science teachers to explore some of the varied references mentioned herein"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1949
Identifier: FSU_historic_aku8607
Format: Thesis

Title: Some suggestions for constructing tests and test items for the primary grades of the elementary school.
Creator: Edwards, Maxine, DeGraff, Mark H., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "This problem was chosen because there seems to be a need for an understanding by primary teachers about what learnings should be tested and how to test those learnings. For too long we, as teachers of the first, second, and third grades of the elementary school of America, have relied on our subjective opinions as an adequate measure of the child's progress. If we, in our educational program, are going to insist that children come to school, and progress from grade to grade, we will have to...
Show more"This problem was chosen because there seems to be a need for an understanding by primary teachers about what learnings should be tested and how to test those learnings. For too long we, as teachers of the first, second, and third grades of the elementary school of America, have relied on our subjective opinions as an adequate measure of the child's progress. If we, in our educational program, are going to insist that children come to school, and progress from grade to grade, we will have to base the criteria that govern advancing from one grade to another on something more scientific than teacher observations. This is the plan that was followed for arriving at some workable regulations to govern the construction of teacher-made tests for the lower elementary grades. Material in text books on measurement and primary teaching methods was explored. Periodicals were examined in hopes of finding some very recent research in the field. The study of standardized tests showed the writer what had successfully been done. In constructing test items the use of teachers' manuals, workbooks, and state bulletins should be invaluable"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1950
Identifier: FSU_historic_aku8699
Format: Thesis

Title: A study of relationships as they affect the school administration.
Creator: Gardner, J. C., Strickland, Virgil, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: Many factors enter into and influence the operation of modern public schools. Whether the operation is smooth, onward going and successful or rough, static or retrogressive and unsuccessful is determined in large measure by the kind of person who occupies the administrative position. The school of today is complex and is so much a "big business" that a well qualified administrator is a requirement. The day of the stern old school master whose word, implemented by a rod and facial expressions...
Show moreMany factors enter into and influence the operation of modern public schools. Whether the operation is smooth, onward going and successful or rough, static or retrogressive and unsuccessful is determined in large measure by the kind of person who occupies the administrative position. The school of today is complex and is so much a "big business" that a well qualified administrator is a requirement. The day of the stern old school master whose word, implemented by a rod and facial expressions of approval or disapproval, was law, and whose only required qualifications were the ability to keep order and see that students learned what was between the covers of the textbook is no more.
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Date Issued: 1954
Identifier: FSU_historic_akw1776
Format: Thesis

Title: Certain selected court decisions which have affected education.
Creator: Noles, Ralph J., Dean, Harris William, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "The purpose of this paper is to make a study of some of the Supreme Court decisions that have affected education. The cases to be cited are the ones thought to be of most value to the writer in the field of school administration. No attempt has been made to show all the court decisions which have influenced education. Cases from the United States Supreme Court and cases from several of the various State Supreme Courts have been selected and studied"--Introduction.
Date Issued: 1951
Identifier: FSU_historic_akp4975
Format: Thesis

Title: The history, organization, and purpose of the Heritage Club, with an analysis of its publications and a brief history of its affiliated organizations, the Limited Editions Club and the Heritage Press.
Creator: Borden, M. Page, Clapp, Robert George, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "The greater the variety of people who succeed in unlocking the store-house to their intellectual heritages, the greater the bounty of the librarian. It is with these thoughts in mind that the present study is undertaken, the analysis and evaluation of the contribution of a single publishing house in the production and promotion of books characterized as 'the classics which are our heritage from the past in editions which are the heritage of the future.' The firm is the Heritage Press and its...
Show more"The greater the variety of people who succeed in unlocking the store-house to their intellectual heritages, the greater the bounty of the librarian. It is with these thoughts in mind that the present study is undertaken, the analysis and evaluation of the contribution of a single publishing house in the production and promotion of books characterized as 'the classics which are our heritage from the past in editions which are the heritage of the future.' The firm is the Heritage Press and its outlet, the Heritage Club, an organization which may well be studied to ascertain its contributions to some readers' intellectual heritage. The first step will be to relate the history, purpose, and organization of the club. Next, by making use of the publisher's statements in the house organ, the Prospectus for the Eighteenth Series, 1953, the publications will be analyzed"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1955
Identifier: FSU_historic_akd9780
Format: Thesis

Title: A study of the "Land of the free" series of junior historical novels.
Creator: Menoher, Violet Irene, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "This paper is a study of the group of books known as the 'Land of the Free' Series, published by the John C. Winston Company. There are twenty-one junior historical novels in this series, each one dealing with a different national group which has come to America to live and which has made some contribution to American culture. Stories in the series present the following nationalities or racial groups: Dutch, Irish, Greek, Negro, Basque, Viking, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Swiss,...
Show more"This paper is a study of the group of books known as the 'Land of the Free' Series, published by the John C. Winston Company. There are twenty-one junior historical novels in this series, each one dealing with a different national group which has come to America to live and which has made some contribution to American culture. Stories in the series present the following nationalities or racial groups: Dutch, Irish, Greek, Negro, Basque, Viking, French, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, Swiss, Scottish, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, English, German, Welsh, Bohemian, and American Indian"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1958
Identifier: FSU_historic_akd9789
Format: Thesis

Title: The novels and plays of Rose Franken.
Creator: McLendon, Ethel M., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "A concern for those 'details which most people don't care about' is the 'province' of all professional librarians and in the selection of a topic for a professional paper this writer has had as a concern the finding of a topic that would foster and further bibliographic competency. As a result an author who is not well-known or recognized in literary circles, but one who has afforded much pleasure and enjoyment to the popular reading public, was chosen. This author, Rose Franken, was...
Show more"A concern for those 'details which most people don't care about' is the 'province' of all professional librarians and in the selection of a topic for a professional paper this writer has had as a concern the finding of a topic that would foster and further bibliographic competency. As a result an author who is not well-known or recognized in literary circles, but one who has afforded much pleasure and enjoyment to the popular reading public, was chosen. This author, Rose Franken, was selected for three reasons. The first was that, her personal life having been a thing apart and biographical material thus limiter, the promise of finding and relating fugitive material about her offered a challenge. The second was that, her plots and themes having been repeated often, the possibility of finding their connections seemed a worthy endeavor. The third was that, Franzen having been published in book separate and omnibus editions under similar titles, the discovery of the relationships between the original printing and omnibus editions was held of interest and use. Consideration of her literary output has been limited to works printed in book form, with the exception of one novel, Claudia, the Diary of a Marriage, which, although it has not appeared between hard covers, was included because it is the concluding volume of the 'Claudia' stories"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1955
Identifier: FSU_historic_akd9793
Format: Thesis

Title: A report of an experiment in parent relationships.
Creator: Wread, Dorothy, Leeper, Sarah Hammond, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "Research in child development has provided many findings of great significance, but in addition to reading these facts and findings, all individuals dealing with children need to formulate a definite point of view regarding child development. This point of view should include an understanding of the importance of why children react as they do, a spirit of inquiry, a genuine interest, and a sincere attempt to analyze development correctly"--Introduction.
Date Issued: 1951
Identifier: FSU_historic_akp2756
Format: Thesis

Title: Music of the stage in the public schools of America.
Creator: Wright, Marilyn Jean, Housewright, Wiley L., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of interest and activity in musical stage productions in the public schools of America. In addition, there appears to be a need for definite information concerning; (a) the degree of encouragement given to this type of activity by national professional organization, local groups and individuals; (b) the availability of teaching materials relating to music drama, opera and other musical stage works; (c) finally, because music educators are...
Show more"The purpose of this study is to determine the extent of interest and activity in musical stage productions in the public schools of America. In addition, there appears to be a need for definite information concerning; (a) the degree of encouragement given to this type of activity by national professional organization, local groups and individuals; (b) the availability of teaching materials relating to music drama, opera and other musical stage works; (c) finally, because music educators are not agreed as to the value of stage productions, it is desirable that an evaluation of these activities be made"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1955
Identifier: FSU_historic_akp2784
Format: Thesis

Title: The Pulitzer Prize plays, 1918-1950: An evaluation and appraisal.
Creator: Finch, Mary Jane, Anders, Mary Edna, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: The increase in the number of literary awards has created a selection problem for the librarian in that she is not always able to accept automatically a work solely on the basis of its recognition as a prize winner. It has become necessary that the librarian familiarize herself with the background and program of the body making the award, the works per se and subsequent criticism in order to judge their worth for the library collection. The writer of this paper, recognizing this problem, was...
Show moreThe increase in the number of literary awards has created a selection problem for the librarian in that she is not always able to accept automatically a work solely on the basis of its recognition as a prize winner. It has become necessary that the librarian familiarize herself with the background and program of the body making the award, the works per se and subsequent criticism in order to judge their worth for the library collection. The writer of this paper, recognizing this problem, was prompted to investigate the worth of literary awards. A preliminary survey of the awards and critics' reaction to them indicated a more detailed study would be justified. A thorough investigation of all the literary awards would be impossible, but a study restricted to one seemed worthwhile as well as practical. This, in turn, would form a basis for the evaluation of comparable awards, for techniques employed here, in all probability, could be used in a study of other recognized literary works. This paper, therefore, encompasses Pulitzer Prize dramas for 1918 to 1950 and evaluates these dramas, in terms of popular and literary merit.
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Date Issued: 1953
Identifier: FSU_historic_akd8978
Format: Thesis

Title: A survey of storage of audio-visual materials in eight educational television stations.
Creator: Scoles, Joyce Pipkin, Rockwood, Ruth H., Florida State University
Abstract/Description: "Most stations probably keep various materials in order that they may be used again. Because there is a definite saving of time if materials are stored systematically and are readily available, the question arises as to how the various educational television stations in the country maintain a record of what they have produced and obtained in the way of audio-visual materials which will probably be useful in later programming. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to: (1) determine what...
Show more"Most stations probably keep various materials in order that they may be used again. Because there is a definite saving of time if materials are stored systematically and are readily available, the question arises as to how the various educational television stations in the country maintain a record of what they have produced and obtained in the way of audio-visual materials which will probably be useful in later programming. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to: (1) determine what types of audio-visual materials educational television stations store; (2) learn of the physical arrangement of the storage of these materials; and (3) ascertain if these materials are indexed, and, if so, in what manner. In order to answer these questions, it was decided that a survey of the methods of storage of audio-visual materials in educational stations at least five years old would be attempted"--Introduction.
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Date Issued: 1961
Identifier: FSU_historic_akd9023
Format: Thesis

Title: An analysis of the selections of the first year of the Book-of-the-Month Club.
Creator: Jordan, Marjorie Fulton, Clapp, Robert George, Florida State University
Abstract/Description: In 1926 the Book-of-the-Month Club sent its first selection to 4,750 members. Twenty three years later the club had 4,000,000 members, had distributed over 100,000,000 books, and was one of sixty such clubs operating in the United States. Much discussion has taken place and many articles have been written during this period relative to the merits of these organizations. The attacks have been made largely on the following points: (1) the organization was foisting on the public in dictatorial...
Show moreIn 1926 the Book-of-the-Month Club sent its first selection to 4,750 members. Twenty three years later the club had 4,000,000 members, had distributed over 100,000,000 books, and was one of sixty such clubs operating in the United States. Much discussion has taken place and many articles have been written during this period relative to the merits of these organizations. The attacks have been made largely on the following points: (1) the organization was foisting on the public in dictatorial fashion prescribed reading; (2) emphasis was placed on economy, rather than the excellence of the book; (3) the young or unknown author was unable to compete with authors of established reputations; (4) a few favored publishers were receiving club's business and would force smaller and newer firms out of business; (5) retail book stores were losing sales because club members were paying less than retail prices; and (6) the book clubs were lowering the public taste. Time has weakened many of these arguments and the fears have proved groundless. But the final charge relative to the lowering of public taste still remains current and debatable. The criticism on this point has been bitter and is one of great interest to the librarian. For this reason the purpose of this paper is to try to adjudge the validity of that contention by examining and analyzing the selections of one of the clubs for a limited period in order to see the quality of the selections as evidenced by the evaluations of critics, both at the time of the publications of the books and at the present time.
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Date Issued: 1950
Identifier: FSU_historic_akd9030
Format: Thesis

Theses and Dissertations (127)	+ -
Digitized Theses and Dissertations (57)	+ -
Department of Marketing (1)	+ -

History (53)	+ -
Study and teaching (36)	+ -
Religions (12)	+ -
School management and organization (6)	+ -
American literature (5)	+ -

Authors, American (5)	+ -
Literary prizes (5)	+ -
Religion (5)	+ -
Authorship (4)	+ -
Awards (4)	+ -
Best books (4)	+ -
Gender expression (4)	+ -
Gender identity (4)	+ -
Illustrators (4)	+ -
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