Carolyn Wilson Digital Collections (Lipscomb Univ.)
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Strategies of Liberation and Empowerment in Maya Angelou\u27s and Audre Lorde\u27s Black Feminist Literature
Get PDFThe progression of second-wave feminism in America saw Black feminist writers such as Maya Angelou and Audre Lorde utilizing literature, and notably poetry, to resist against their oppression, due not only to their gender but also to their race. Lorde states in her 1977 essay, “Poetry is Not a Luxury,” that poetry, for women, “is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.” One of the aims of Lorde’s explicitly political poems—as well as Angelou’s poetry and her autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969)—was to empower and liberate Black women, not just individually, but collectively. This liberation is accomplished in part through the deconstruction of stereotypical views of Black womanhood, as seen in Caged Bird, and in part through the linguistic strategies of empowerment employed in the poetry of both Angelou and Lorde. This essay analyzes these strategies in Lorde’s “A Litany for Survival” and Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” as they include the use of both collective and subjective speakers, calls to action, and declarative statements. By repurposing the “artistic” form of poetry and the “personal” form of autobiography, Lorde’s and Angelou’s writings became an example of women empowering their own voices by reworking and reshaping the structures of traditional, constrictive literary genres to fit their Black feminist identities
Momentary Shame & Executive Function: Negative Self-Attribution as a Precursor to Performance Error
Get PDFIndividuals who experience momentary shame experiences may attribute a sense of wrongdoing to their identity. Witnessing one\u27s violation of social mores may promote withdrawal, rumination, and/or aggression, which may restrict cognitive processes that affect typical executive function. In particular, task initiation, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility were selected when measuring levels of executive dysfunction. 10 participants were asked to complete shame and executive function pre-screeners, a shame- or neutral-affective writing task, and a real-time executive function measure. Results suggest that those who self-reported higher levels of shame proneness and underwent a shame-affective stimulus may have displayed improved inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Additionally, participants who self-reported heightened levels of self-conscious emotion may have shown improved cognitive flexibility and inhibition during an executive performance task
Model Composition in the Post-Tonal Classroom: Three Templates and Sample Realizations
Get PDFThis resource provides three templates for model composition assignments that can be used in post-tonal theory courses at either an upper-level undergraduate or graduate level. They cover a composition engaging motivic development and symmetry, a composition based on set classes, and a serial composition. These templates could be used as the basis for assignments or in-class exercises, or they could provide models for how to address more open-ended prompts. Sample realizations of these templates are included
Pedestrian-Friendly Streets: Assessing Overall Success on Well-Being with Post-Evaluations
Get PDFToday, well-being has taken a central role in urban planning, emphasizing the significance of pedestrian-friendly streets for the overall welfare of a city\u27s residents. Pedestrian-friendly streets are vital elements of urban design that enhance mobility and contribute significantly to people\u27s quality of life. This study examines the impact of pedestrian-friendly streets on the well-being of individuals through a post-evaluation approach. The research focuses on two projects: the 12 Avenue South project, completed in April 2022, and the Madison Station Boulevard project, completed in August 2022. The study uses a well-being questionnaire encompassing physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains by conducting surveys with a stratified random sample of thirty participants on each street. Confirming the hypothesis regarding the preference for green spaces, well-structured transportation, public art, and technology emphasizes the need for more post-evaluations for consideration of future projects. Despite limitations, the study recommends further investigations into variables that affect well-being on pedestrian-friendly streets and highlights the crucial role of post-evaluations in understanding the impact of pedestrian-friendly street projects on the community\u27s well-being
Believe It or Not: Discovering the Role of Marketplace Ministry in Reconciling Race and Religion in the African American Church
Get PDFThis April 2023 Doctor of Ministry Project thesis at Lipscomb University explores the experiences of African Americans as faith holders in the crux of race, religion, and marketplace and how the interconnectedness of these facets can lend to reconciliation. The purpose of exploring how African American believers experience race and religious reconciliation is a noble goal that seeks to address the challenges faced by many African American believers in navigating their faith and cultural engagement. By examining their experiences, insights, and perspectives, we can learn more about the unique challenges they face and the strategies they employ to overcome them. This information can help us develop ideas and actions that promote better cultural engagement and help African American believers connect more experientially with God.
Ripley\u27s Believe It or Not is a popular franchise that features a collection of unusual, strange, and incredible stories from around the world. These stories can range from oddities of nature, to extraordinary human feats, to bizarre cultural practices, to historical curiosities. What makes these stories unbelievable is that they often defy our expectations of what is normal or possible. For example, a story might feature a person with extraordinary talent or skill, such as the ability to hold their breath underwater for an unusually long time. Another story might describe an unusual animal or plant with a unique adaptation or behavior. However, another story might recount a historical event or cultural practice that seems strange or shocking by contemporary standards.
While some of the stories presented in Ripley\u27s Believe It or Not may be true, others may be based on legend, folklore, or exaggeration. Nevertheless, the appeal of the franchise lies in its ability to capture the imagination and inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity. By showcasing the unusual and unexpected, Ripley\u27s Believe It or Not invites us to broaden our v perspectives and challenge our assumptions about what is possible or normal. The parallelism here is between the incredible, unusual stories Ripley is known for and the incredible stories that exist at the intersection of religion and race.
Within the pronunciation of this study, Reconciling Race and Religion is language that suggests a need to bring together or find common ground between two essential aspects of identity; race and religion. The word reconciling implies a process of resolving differences or conflicts, while the use of race and religion highlights the significance of these factors in shaping personal and collective identity. The subtitle The Role of the Marketplace Ministry narrows the focus to the intersectionality of race and religion in a specific context, namely the marketplace. This suggests that the study will explore how race and religion intersect and influence each other in economic or business settings, and how this may impact individual experiences and outcomes. This parallelism creates a sense of intrigue and curiosity, inviting readers to explore the complex and sometimes enigmatic connections between religion and race and marketplace. This project overviews the complex issues of race, religion, and cultural engagement within the African American believer, synthesizes the biblical foundations for reconciliation, and offers a framework for how marketplace ministry can bridge the gap between the church and marketplace.
Reconciling race and religion for African Americans is an opportunity to address the unique historical and systemic injustices that have impacted their experiences of race and religion in America. It creates space and opportunity to acknowledge and honor the complexity and diversity of African American religious traditions and to recognize the role that these traditions have played in promoting social justice and resistance to oppression while working towards building bridges and creating a more unified community. Through a series of vi interviews, this project investigates the inner and external turmoil African American believers experience in church and culture. It uncovers the internal struggles that believers frequently face and validates how their cultural experiences in the marketplace can shape their spiritual path. Most significantly, it offers particular ways in which the marketplace can participate in reconciling issues of race and religion within the African American church context
The Efficacy of Shared Spiritual Practices Toward the Formation of Families at Mayfair Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama
Get PDFThis February 2023 Doctor of Ministry project thesis at Lipscomb University presents the results of a qualitative research study of the efficacy of shared spiritual practices in the formation of families at Mayfair Church of Christ in Huntsville, Alabama. Once a week for six weeks, I met with six Mayfair families with adolescents, where they were able to learn about and practice spiritual disciplines consistently together over the course of six weeks. The selected disciplines engaged different God-given human faculties intended to unite us with God and with each other. After each session, families were then invited to practice the discipline as a family throughout the week. I also facilitated space for families to share about their experiences. The goal was to explore the effect of these shared practices in the spiritual formation of the participating families.
Several beneficial findings emerged as a result of this project model. First, the families’ shared experiences led to a shared language. The movement from experience to dialogue to formation proved to be a powerful tool for families as they seek to be formed by the Holy Spirit. The project model also created space for families to practice the Shema together. The spiritual practices shared by families throughout the series helped them envision a pathway to living in their calling as the people of God. In addition, the shared, spiritual practices played a crucial role in creating community among all the participating families. Finally, while time proved to be the biggest threat in the spiritual formation among the families who participated in the project, the culture of accountability created through this project can assist in generating new spiritual rhythms and pathways that can combat this threat to formation. Overall, this project proved to be effective in impacting the spiritual formation of participating families
Is This Our Story? Is This Our Song?: Discovering the Formational Experiences of Black Christians in Predominantly White Churches
Get PDFThis May 2023 Doctor of Ministry project thesis at Lipscomb University explores the formative stories of Black Christians in Predominantly White churches. What has become of the Ministry of Reconciliation widely adopted in evangelical circles? What are the experiences of Black Christians in predominantly White Churches, many of whom have mirrored racialization in America? This project focuses on the synthesis of these two horizons and offers a critique, call, and creative reflection for readers of this project.
Chapter one serves as an introduction to the work and provides context of the researcher. Chapter two will theologically reflect on the ministry of reconciliation by considering its relationship to justice and community. Chapter three will further this reflection by exploring the ubiquitous effect of racialization on the American cultural landscape and on Christian efforts of reconciliation. Chapter four offers an explanation of the study of the experiences of Black Christians in predominantly White churches while chapter five will present the interview findings. The sixth and final chapter will analyze the findings and fuse them with theological and formational reflection to elucidate the intersecting meanings of these phenomena
A Review on the Impact of Cannabis in Society and the Analytical Methodologies for Cannabinoids
Get PDFThe use of plant-based medicine dates back centuries, and cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is one such plant that has been used medicinally and illicitly. Although cannabis contains hundreds of cannabinoids and other natural products, its potential medicinal use was largely ignored by modern researchers due to the legal restrictions and heavy regulations introduced in the 1930s. As restrictions on cannabis access have eased since the 1990s there is renewed interest in the research of cannabinoids and the other components in the cannabis plant. The focus of this review article is an overview of cannabis and the analytical challenges in the quality control and biological analysis. The pharmacological effects of psychoactive cannabinoids, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and delta-8-trans- tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC) is discussed, along with an abundant non-intoxicating cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD). The analytical methods for the quality control assays of cannabis products include gas chromatography and liquid chromatography coupled to different detectors, including mass spectrometry. This review will highlight various analytical methods for the quality control of cannabis products and the quantitation of cannabinoids in biological matrices for forensics and toxicology
One Bite at a Time: Writing in the Theory Classroom
Get PDFProse writing in the music theory classroom is often a daunting task for both instructors and students. For instructors, the very thought of the heavy grading load associated with writing assignments combined with the difficulty that we know students encounter when writing about music (especially if students’ general written communication skills are still developing) can be overwhelming, even if we personally believe that our students would benefit from engaging in written communication about music. For many students, communication in written form is a skill that they are still developing, and writing about music only adds an additional challenge—especially when they are still immersed in learning the music theory concepts that they are now being asked to write about.
This article joins a developing tradition of seeking to develop ways and means to make this skill more manageable, palatable, and effective for both students and teachers. I first present a detailed literature review discussing methods and projects used by music theory instructors; these approaches feature a variety of learning outcomes, and projects range from “simple” content summary to analytical papers to metacognitive writing and other applications. These projects vary greatly in size and scope, presenting a wealth of ideas for implementation and providing feedback to students. I then present the design and implementation of two writing assignments I have used in my own classrooms: A series of small-scale analytical papers and a series of weekly journal entries which cover both content/fact-based approaches and reflective writing
