Texas A&M International University: Research Information Online (RIO)
Not a member yet
951 research outputs found
Sort by
Power Delivered Through Dance: Choreographer Intent in Creating American National Identity 1935-1965
Full text linkThis study examines the impact of American choreographers’ personal experiences in their works of dance, and the constructions of American national identity that surface as a result during the period of 1935-1965. Individual choreographers included in this study are Helen Tamiris, Edith Segal, Anna Sokolow, Martha Graham, Alvin Ailey, and George Balanchine. Primary source material was gathered mainly from the choreographers’ published writings, interviews, and personal notations kept in archival collections at either the New York Public Library Jerome Robbins Dance Division or the Library of Congress Music Division. Other primary sources were gathered from archived governmental files such as FBI papers or official U.S. Department of State memoranda. Secondary sources were mainly used to provide background research and reference choreographer actions that were not central to my study. This study has found that choreographer intent and experiences on a personal level not only shaped the choreographies that were created, but shaped a national identity that defined aspects of “Americanness” that gave their audiences a relatable sense of identity. These identities thus transcended assumptions that dance was only a recreational pastime, and instead gave dance a greater role in the creation and shaping of Cold War American nationhood and a cultural space to critique that identity as well. Furthermore, the United States government harnessed the abilities of these choreographers and their dances to offer a sort of “cultural diplomacy” to the world as one facet of its efforts to containment of Soviet communism
A Comparative Study of the Microhabitat Selection of the Scorpion Centruroides vittatus in the Tamaulipan Biotic Region of South Texas
Full text linkMicrohabitat selection of the striped-bark scorpion (Scorpiones; Buthidae), Centruroides vittatus (Say 1821), can be affected by different factors such as prey availability, risk of predation and environmental factors such as temperature and humidity. The effects of temperature, humidity, range were also performed. There was a significant interaction among the three different study sites, microhabitats, and size classes. For all threestudy sites, the pooled smaller scorpions and the large scorpions were seen at higher frequencies compared to the intermediate scorpions. Both the small and intermediate scorpions were seen on vegetation at a higher frequency. However, the large scorpions were seen on both the ground and vegetation at similar frequencies. Use of the different microhabitats by the different size classes was also significantly different. Small scorpions were found at a higher frequency on herbs, shrubs and grasses compared to the intermediate and large scorpions. Large scorpions were found on soil, leaf litter and succulents compared to the small and intermediate scorpions. C. vittatus scorpions in this study utilized the sit-and-wait foraging method at a higher frequency than the active method. An increased number of scorpions were actively foraging as the air temperature increased but the number of scorpions actively foraging decreased as the relative humidity increased. Results suggest that temperature and humidity does have an effect on the behavior of scorpions
Early & Late ERP Responses to L1 & L2 Emotion Words
Full text linkThe thesis aims to explore bilingual emotion word processing. Participants performed a lexical decision task and decided whether presented letter strings displayed on the computer screen were legal words or nonwords. Stimuli consisted of positive emotion (i.e., hope), negative emotion (i.e., sad), and neutral (i.e., umbrella) words, as well as emotion-laden words (e.g. death, puppy). Reaction time and participant accuracy were collected as behavioral measures. In addition, participants’ electrophysiological responses were recorded. Specifically, the early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive complex (LPC) components were recorded. Participants’ language dominance was measured using the Bilingual Dominance Scale (BDS) (Dunn & Fox-Tree, 2007). Bilinguals frequently report that they experience their second language (L2) to be less emotional than their native language (L1) and that despite knowing the emotional meaning of L2 words, they do not interpret them the same as words in their L1. However, previous studies have yielded inconsistent results regarding bilingual individuals’ behavioral and electrophysiological responses to positive and negative emotion words versus neutral words presented in the bilinguals’ L1 and L2. One possible reason for this discrepancy is that the status of the language (L1 vs. L2) does not necessarily correspond to a bilingual person’s dominance, in that one’s L2 can become their dominant language. By controlling for key factors (e.g., language dominance), we therefore aimed to examine whether it is primarily the status of the bilingual’s language (L1 vs L2) or language dominance that are more important in predicting a bilinguals’ response to L1 and L2 emotion word
Minor Literature and Chicano Liberation in Heriberto G. Terán’s Espejo de Alma y Corazón
No full textThis thesis considers the power of Chicano poetics and its influence on liberatory rhetoric in the Chicano Movement of the 1960s-1970s. The late, Laredoan, activist Heriberto Gutiérrez Terán’s Espejo de Alma y Corazón presents a tradition of Chicano minor literature identifiable in the work of the many writers and rhetoricians who emerged during this politically tense time. This thesis marks the first time Terán’s literary work is subject to a literary analysis, positioning him among other known Chicano writers and figures from the 1960s and early 1970s, such as Alurista, José Angel Gutiérrez, José Rendón, Enrique Rodríquez, and Roberto Enrique Vargas. This thesis will attempt to demonstrate how selections from Terán’s Espejo de Alma y Corazón along with other works by Chicano writers and rhetoricians can be considered a “minor literature,” as theorized by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in Kafka: Towards a Minor Literature. Finally, as part of identifying and analyzing this specific form of Chicano minor literature, this thesis will consider its potential for being used in calls for material, revolutionary change for Chicanos and Others
Aproximaciones a la Poetica Oficinesca de José Cardona Lopez
No full textThis thesis is an analysis of the bureaucratic narrative of the Colombian writer José Cardona López. For the analysis of his literary work, I will explore the behavior of the characters; the paraphernalia of the office; as well as the literary tradition that precedes it. This study sets out to revaluate the figure of those denizens of the bureaucratic universe that Cardona Lopez recreates in his fictions. Individuals who toiled and lives in the anonymity of a temple-like office perform the daily ritual that this universe demands. In sum, in this study an approach to the human condition of the bureaucrat is made through the literary work of Cardona López; author who is dedicated to extol the everyday of life
The Woman: Irene Adler in Literature, Media, and A Scandal In Bohemia
Full text link“The Woman,” as Irene Adler has come to be known in the Sherlock Holmes universe, only appears in one story, yet this story has been adapted over the past years into numerous films, television shows, and even fan fiction. The purpose of this thesis is to prove that even though the portrayals of Adler mentioned in this thesis have taken place in the last thirty years, the original story, written in 1891, is a more progressive and feminist interpretation of Adler. From the television shows Sherlock and Elementary to the film Sherlock Holmes, each portrayal depicts several notable qualities Adler possesses, such as her independence, adaptability, and intelligence; but there is a common issue each portrayal has in trying to mesh these qualities with seduction and manipulation. It is possible that even though Adler is now gaining widespread attention in film and television, viewers are being misled by misconstrued interpretations of her and her claim to fame as the woman who outsmarted Holmes. This thesis focuses on the original “Bohemia” story, as well as the three media portrayals of Adler in detail. The culture of Victorian Europe, specifically London is especially important in understanding the climate in which Adler was operating, because everything from the ways Victorian women dressed to the social class of women will offer a clearer perspective as to why Adler wanted the photograph of her and the King just as much as he did. Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex will also offer an explanation of the division of gender roles and Adler’s defiance of Victorian female expectations. Finally, the relationship between Adler and Holmes is the most important aspect of this research. The original “Bohemia” does not denote that there is a romantic relationship between the two, yet all modern portrayals have implicit scenes that suggest otherwise. The separation of romance and business is what makes Adler a successful character, and it is how she ought to be portrayed in order to preserve the fact that even in 1891, strong feminist characters existed
Patterns of Female Mating Preferences for Sarotherodon caroli, from Barombi Mbo
Full text linkPatterns of Female Mating Preferences for Sarotherodon caroli, from Barombi MboCichlid fish are widely studied for their explosive speciation, which has led to a distinct variety of morphological characteristics and complex reproductive strategies. Cichlids display a variety of parental care strategies, including maternal-only, paternal only, and bi-parental which differentiates them from other vertebrate families. The African cichlid Sarotherodon caroli is endemic to the crater Lake Barombi Mbo located in Western Cameroon. Sarotherodon caroli is a monogamous species and their mating strategy involves defending their territory together one week prior to spawning. The purpose of this experiment is to quantify Sarotherodon caroli mate choice behavior in order to behaviorally define monogamy in this species. In a two-way mate choice experiment, the female Sarotherodon caroli, will spawn with the large male more frequently than the small male. Quantifying the behaviors that define monogamy in this species will provide the foundation for future hormone manipulation studies
“A balancing act”: The role of gender and cultural identities on Latina counselors-in-training
Full text linkThe purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latina counselors-in-training (CIT). Research indicates that the number of women enrolled in graduate school programs and obtaining masters and doctoral degrees has been steadily increasing. Although more women are enrolling in graduate school, the training experiences of Latinas in graduate counseling programs are unexplored. Previous literature notes how Latinas may be affected by their cultural values which can ultimately influence their identity development as CIT. Using an intersectional framework, the following study examined the process of counselor identity development and how culture and gender may impact Latina CIT. In the study, a total of 8 interviews were conducted with Latina CIT attending in a university located in the U.S.-Mexico border. Conventional qualitative analysis based on a constructivist epistemology was used to analyze the data. Participants\u27 responses were first coded by finding the meaning units within the transcribed text (Creswell, 2007). Thematic analysis also included the categorization of codes to create categories and themes which emerged from the data. Results of the analysis revealed the following three themes: (1) overcoming multiple demands as a Latina CIT, (2) the influence of Latina/o cultural values, and (3) forming a unique identity as a Latina CIT. The findings highlight the experiences of Latina CIT, the influence of gender and cultural identities on Latina CIT, and the counselor identity development of CIT
The Mythology of Grotesque Women in the Short Stories of Rosario Ferré and Elena Garro: It\u27s Not Me, It\u27s You
Full text linkThe short stories of Latin American writers like Rosario Ferré and Elena Garro are molded by the frameworks in which they have been constructed. Literature, far from being disconnected by the impositions of borders, geographical or otherwise, remains allied to the frameworks and ideologies that paved the way to its inception. In particular, countries in what is known as the Global South share parallel histories and are thus linked by the structures they have in common. The literature of the U.S. South is connected not merely to the nation itself but to other entities outside of it like the Caribbean and South America. As evidenced by Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom and Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, some of the recurring themes set forth in their writing are not isolated by their place in the world, but rather, by the ideologies and frameworks which they imitate.Among the central concern of these literatures is “unperception” among many levels, but for the purpose of this thesis, I refer to the unperception of the femme (anything associated with women and femininity, including gender and sexuality but not confined to it). In particular, in Ferré’s and Garro’s stories, we witness how the structures in which they write—which are similar, if not the same, as the ones in Faulkner’s and Hurston’s novels—are used but vindicated, ridiculed, and at times, rendered useless and unreal
The Impact of Social Networks on Juvenile Delinquency
Full text linkThis thesis examines the role of social networks as an interaction factor in the relationship between negative emotions and juvenile delinquency by applying General Strain theory to study the differences in non-violent delinquency, violent delinquency, and status offenses among Hispanic females. Data were acquired from the Drug Use and Cultural Factors Among Hispanic Adolescents and Emerging Adults, Los Angeles (2006-2016), a restricted longitudinal survey file from Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). This study is a cross-sectional secondary data analysis in which the population studied is composed of Hispanic female ranging in ages from 14 to 17. Two types of quantitative analyses were performed: (1) linear regression analysis and (2) binary logistic regressions. Minority status strain in the form of acculturation was the only predictor of depression. Moreover, social networks proved to have an impact as an interaction factor in the relationship between depression and juvenile delinquency but only for status delinquency (lifetime cigarette use). Social networks did not have an impact in non-violent delinquency, violent delinquency, and status delinquency (lifetime alcohol use). Further research should consider looking into other aspects of social networks as an interaction factor in the relationship between negative emotions and juvenile delinquency