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Painting a New Portrait: The Unknown Artists of Biblioteca Vallicelliana Ms A.1
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2020.This study undertakes a thorough examination of the decorative vocabulary of the illuminated initials of the Italian Giant Bible, Rome, Biblioteca Vallicelliana, Ms A.1. It is considered one of the most anomalous Italian Giant Bibles because of its highly unusual vocabulary. These decorations --- acrobatic nude figures with swords, elephant heads devouring birds, and shoots of fantastical foliage -- are surprisingly understudied given their wildly imaginative nature. It is perhaps due to the manuscript’s lack of key features regarded as hallmarks of the Giant Bible genre --the decorative “Geometrical” initial type, and the use of a “standardized” Caroline minuscule -- that have kept this manuscript out of the immense amount of literature on Giant Bibles.
This study is aimed at creating a language and a classification system to analyze the ornamental vocabulary of the decorative motifs employed by the artists in this manuscript. Through the naming, defining and documenting of these motifs a classification system will be devised. In treating the decorative motifs as a singular avenue of study, this thesis ultimately aims to understand more about the creators of this particular manuscript through their decorative choices, which in turn will paint a better understanding of the repertoire of visual motifs available to the artists or the historical traditions that inspired them. In developing a language to describe the ornamental vocabulary, this thesis also seeks to encourage scholarly consistency in terminology that will aid in the investigation of decorative elements, which in turn will provide more information concerning this still understudied genre of manuscripts
The Fourth Instrument of Statecraft: Biopolitics in the Post-Modern Security Environment
No full textThesis (B.A. in Political Science)--John Cabot University, Fall 2020.The global security environment has drastically transformed for interstate conflict in post-modernity. Where interstate power operations were once solely reliant on the economic, military, and diplomatic instruments, a new instrument of statecraft has risen which relies on information. This information includes psychological, sociological, historical, cultural values, scientific qualities, and knowledge. Information can dictate power operations when it is collected, analyzed, and disseminated. State actors, non-state actors, and global citizens can manipulate global power realities by controlling information. Information as a statecraft may not always be operationally separable from the other instruments of power. In chapter one, the post-modern security paradigm will be introduced. The literary analysis in chapter two is a compilation of a series of theorists who have, in some way, described this fourth instrument of statecraft in their works. Chapter three details the historical beginnings of this instrument of power, including the trending methods of coercion, effects of neoliberal international institutions, and the Information Age. Chapter four is a case study of post-modern U.S. intelligence and defense operations and strategies which align with Foucault’s theory of biopolitics and Deleuze’s control societies paradigm. My findings of this research are that the statecraft of information is elusive; however, it is analytically separable from the other three major operations of interstate power. Further, this instrument will only continue to manifest in its importance as societies continue to modernize in the age of information
The Psychotherapist in the Parlour: Family Dynamics in Jane Austen’s Emma, Mansfield Park, and Sense and Sensibility
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in Psychology)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.This thesis approaches three of Jane Austen’s novels using three contemporary psychological models including pathological accommodation in Emma, insecure attachment theory in Mansfield Park, and mentalizing theory in Sense and Sensibility. Although Austen does not have the terminology or vocabulary for “dysfunctional” families, her novels indicate that she was a keen observer of human relationships and looked at these dynamics in the problematic families she describes. Literature also offers models that allow us to think about the psychological and social implications of the self in a complex and ever-changing world. The value of this anachronistic approach is to help answer traditional literary and moral questions posed in Austen’s fiction by viewing these through another lens. It can also challenge our reading of her problematic characters in terms of the limits of our sympathies for their actions and choices. The three psychological models adopted in this thesis can help us see more clearly the literary games involving seeing and reading characters that are present in these novels
Human Rights Violations and Abuses in Refugee Camps: The Case of Camp Moria in Lesvos
No full textThesis (B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Legal Studies)--John Cabot University, Fall 2020.The scope of this thesis is to examine how the politicization of asylum and migration in Europe, combined with the problematic implementation of the EU and domestic legal frameworks in these fields, contributes to determining inhumane conditions in refugee camps, such as Camp Moria in Lesvos (Greece). The analysis involves qualitative research on the 2015 refugee crisis, and Camp Moria is used as a case study. The case study is grounded on fieldwork experience and interviews with refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers, in addition to volunteers and NGO officials. The data provided is based on statistics from IOs, NGOs, and scholars. The analysis examines the effectiveness of the relevant legislation and argues that the legislation is insufficient as it has allowed inhumane conditions in Camp Moria to flourish. The analysis also includes extensive research on the involved politicization and examines the relationship between the inhumane conditions found in Camp Moria and the rise of far-right policies in some countries in Europe, including Greece. The concluding remarks discuss the relevance and timeliness of a re-consideration of the relevant legislation and politicization of the migration crisis affecting the situation in Camp Moria. Finally, the thesis emphasizes the need for a more efficient, cooperative, and organized system at the European Union (EU) level to distribute the responsibility among the Member States
On Tolerance
No full textThesis (B.A. in Humanistic Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concept of tolerance. This exploration centerson the research question of what is tolerance? In pursuit of answering this question, twoapproaches are taken. The first approach is a conceptual analysis of tolerance. This involves adescription of the central semantic contents of tolerance as well as Rainer Forst’s generalizedconceptions of tolerance. Fort’s conceptions provide a model for describing differentinterpretations of the semantic contents within the concept of tolerance. The second approach is aconceptual history of tolerance. This approach involves a description of historical andphilosophical conceptions of tolerance. The purpose of this approach is to clarify why and howtolerance has been utilized. The final chapter of this thesis is dedicated to describing apsychologically based utility of tolerance. The purpose of this chapter is to illustrates themultivalent nature of tolerance by expanding its application away from the traditional arenas ofpolitics and religion
Social Performativity in the Victorian Novel: An Insight into Ambition and Morality
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in Creative Writing)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.Due to their social performances, the characters in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations andGeorge Eliot’s Daniel Deronda mimic the problematic divide between Victorian ideals ofambition and morality. Each protagonist must perform a curated self to navigate the instability ofVictorian England’s conflicting social expectations. Furthermore, through conducting a characteranalysis of Pip in Dickens’s novel and Gwendolen in Eliot’s novel, one can conclude that theauthors are suspicious of Victorian ambition, and one’s ability to maintain morality and ambitionwithout sacrificing one to the other
Dreams in Islam
No full textThesis (B.A. in Humanisitic Studies, Minor in Psychology)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.The present research aims at analyzing the history of dreams and dreaming in the Islamic tradition, and to interpret them on the basis of the same tradition. Dreams in the Islamic tradition are not just something one perceives while sleeping, but messages believed to be sent by God. Throughout my study, I will use the Quran and the Hadiths, or the stories of the prophets, to show how dreams and dreaming are constitutive elements of how Islam has been understood and taught. My research aims at showing what dreams and dreaming meant (and mean) in the context of Islam, how different types of dreams were categorized and interpreted. Furthermore, in my thesis, I will make a connection between the three major Islamic dreams mentioned in the Quran and how they fulfill one another. Finally, I will consider examples of dreams and dreaming from the time of prophet Muhammad (PBUH) along with others from the subsequent Islamic era
U.S. Museums and the Illicit Antiquities Trade
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.A study of the case surrounding the Euphronios Krater, a sixth century BCE Greek vase, that spans more than thirty years provides a glimpse into the sometimes unethical and even illegal dealings conducted by museums, private collectors, and art dealers. The story follows the sudden appearance of this priceless artifact in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection in the early 1970’s. While many people were excited about the museum’s latest acquisition, others were highly suspicious of the vase’s origins. Subsequent investigations both by American news outlets and Italian authorities uncovered evidence that the museum’s story of how it came into possession of the artifact was far from the truth. What does the case of the Euphronios Krater say about the importance of museum transparency, provenance, and the current state of the illicit antiquities trade? This story and similar cases prompt a closer look into the links between museum acquisition practices and the illicit antiquities trade. By better understanding the importance of provenance and the damaging effects of looting, the need for museum transparency becomes more evident. To better protect cultural patrimony and mitigate the negative effects of the illicit antiquities trade, several laws, conventions, guidelines, and international agreements have been introduced over the years. However, as time has passed, it is becoming clear that much more still needs to be done to protect cultural objects, archeological sites, and human history on a global scale
Thynges Smale and Queyntes: The Language of Gender in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minor in International Affairs and Creative Writing)--John Cabot University, Fall 2020.This thesis will examine how Geoffrey Chaucer uses the language of gender in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale in the Canterbury Tales. I will examine the gendered, or gender-neutral diction the Wife of Bath uses, specifically when describing the gender roles and norms of English Medieval society. To support my claims, I will reference other stories in the Canterbury tales, specifically the Miller’s Tale, which uses highly gendered diction to distinguish men from women in terms of their physicality. I will also include sources that speak about commonly used Middle English diction and syntax in order to distinguish between Chaucer’s own creation and characterization, and the linguistic norms of the time