John Cabot University ScholarShip
Not a member yet
907 research outputs found
Sort by
The Apsidal Arch Mosaics in the Church of SS. Nereus and Achilleus
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Humanistic Studies)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.Described as being “decorated on a wondrous scale” by the Liber Pontificalis, the church of SS. Nereus and Achilleus was rebuilt by Pope Leo III (795-816) during the last years of his papacy in 814. Inside, the church displays a unique composition on the apsidal arch with the Transfiguration of Christ on the center, flanked by an Annunciation scene on the right and an enthroned Virgin and Child on the left. While representations of the Transfiguration on a monumental level already existed elsewhere, the Transfiguration scene in SS. Nereus and Achilleus was a novel sight in Rome. For the Virgin Mary, instead, pictorial precedents can be found in the city and her unique intercessory position had already made her popular among popes. Both the meaning of the Transfiguration of Christ and the role of the Virgin Mary in art, albeit separately, have been extensively discussed by scholars and theologians, and while generic interpretations have been given about the program on the arch of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, none really fully consider the iconographic, theological, and political factors that could have played a role in the creation of the apsidal iconography. That being said, this thesis will examine the iconographic antecedents of the Transfiguration of Christ and the Virgin Mary in Rome, with the aim of understanding the unprecedented semantic synthesis that was achieved in the church of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, and the ways the mosaic program engaged with contemporary church politics
Religious Perception in Colonial Jamaica and How it Affected the Maroon Communities There
No full textThesis (B.A. in Arts in History, Minor in English Literature and Business Administration)--John Cabot University, Fall 2020.This Thesis examines important religious figures and rebellion in accordance to Afro-Jamaican religion and how these events influenced colonists and English perception and that perception’s ultimate effect on the Jamaican maroon communities. The first chapter focuses on the development of the relationship between Maroons and colonists through the Frist Maroon War as well as the importance of religion within the Maroons. Grandy Nanny is an important figure in this chapter for her religious power and important in the war. The second chapter analyses what caused the shift in colonists’ perception of Obeah from condescending to fearful. It does this by examining Tacky’s Rebellion, Three Fingered Jack, and increasing fears towards Obeah from colonists as well as the first introduction of Obeah to the literate British public and the differences between the British and Colonists. The final chapter concentrates on the Haitian Revolution and its effect on colonial governance as well as the connection to the spark that ignited the Second Maroon War. This chapter also addresses the lack of development in Obeah’s perception among metropolitan Britain in late 1790’s despite the destruction of the previous rebellions and wars. All of these events are affected by the perception of Afro-Jamaican religion and the fear that it developed amongst colonists. This fear along with pre-existing stigmas against black people resulted in a tense relationship between the Maroons and colonists that ultimately failed and resulted in the deportation of many Trelawny Town maroons
The Rise and Fall of the Knights Templar
No full textThesis (B.A. in History, Minor in Communications)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.The Knights Templar, a religious military order with the goal to protect the Christians of the Latin East from those they defined as infidels, quickly gained power and notoriety since their founding in 1118. With the rise of their prominence came the reactions—both positive and negative—of Christians and Muslims in the West and East. Thanks to the Templar’s relationship to the Catholic Church and the various Kingdoms of Eastern and Western Christendom, the Templar’s were able to continue growing in power and wealth, until their arrest on 13 October 1307 by King Philip IV of France. This Thesis aims to make sense of the many relationships the Templars had throughout their years of operation and how those relationships contributed to their success and their eventual demise by analyzing primary documents related to their rise and fall. By taking into account the works of modern historians along with the works of historians at the time, this Thesis will attempt to fill in the gaps made by many missing or destroyed Templar documents
Extending Empathy: Recognizing the “other” in Western Philosophy
No full textThesis (B.A. in n Humanistic Studies, Minor in Philosophy)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.The “other” in Western philosophy has been fundamentally neglected due to the construction ofsubjectivity being perceived through a genuine male, and meat eating, subject. The constructionof this subjectivity has caused many unrecognized unnecessary sufferings to the “other,”specifically the woman and the animal, through anthropocentric, patriarchal, and oppositionalunderstandings of life. This is presented through the deconstructive philosophies of JacquesDerrida, Simone de Beauvoir, and Carol J. Adams, amongst others. In discussing their seminalworks, this thesis seeks to discuss how the “other” has been fundamentally neglected withinWestern philosophy, and how by recognizing the intention of our biases, whether they beinternalized and subconscious or not, can allow us to reconsider our ethical responsibilitiestoward the “other.” To conclude, I will aim to show that through understanding the intentions ofour actions and by extending empathy to the “other” that that the absent ethical responsibility tothe “other,” can and ought to be established
Impoverished and Threatened: The Erosion of the Middle Class and the Novel of the 21st Century
No full textThesis (B.A. in English Literature, Minors in Creative Writing and Communications)--John Cabot University, Spring 2020.This thesis focuses on contemporary novelistic representations of the growing anxiety of the Western middle class in relation to the economic and social crises experienced by this social group in the first two decades of the 21st century. Through a post-Marxist approach, and with the help of tools drawn from economic theory, the first part of the thesis unveils the various ways in which the so-called ‘erosion’ of the middle class is represented in four contemporary novels—The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, NW by Zadie Smith, Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever? by Dave Eggers, and Normal People by Sally Rooney. The final part, instead, is entirely dedicated to issues of form. First, a direct relationship between the middle class and the literary form of the novel is established. Then, the author discusses the various formal choices made by the authors of the novels with the aim to discern which stylistic approach is most suited to the expression of the collective consciousness of the middle class in the 21st century. Eventually, Normal People is recognized as the more innovative and qualified work of the group, and it is suggested that Rooney’s book may provide a model for the development of the genre in the remainder of the century
Promising Monsters: Collecting History at the Ottocento Villa Torlonia on the Via Nomentana, Rome
No full textMaster of Arts in Art History -- John Cabot University, Spring 2019.This thesis investigates the early nineteenth century decorative program of the Villa Torlonia on the Via Nomentana in Rome, in particular the historicist rooms by painter and architect Giovanni Battista Caretti, as carried out during the 1830s under the patronage of Alessandro Torlonia. The neo-medieval Room of the Italian Poets and Artists is taken up as a case study in Rome's gothic revival, while the rooms as a whole are employed to contribute to the understanding of historicism at the time within the Roman decorative context. I propose that Caretti's depiction of gothic space as part of a collection of other historicist rooms is a Roman decorative phenomenon specific to the early nineteenth century, and of which the Villa Torlonia is an early and quintessential example. In order to address the singularity of this decorative approach, I demonstrate how its subsequent reception has been affected by the loss of its sister site, the Palazzo Torlonia in Piazza Venezia, which was demolished in 1902. To this end, considerable time will be spent on formal elements of the Room of the Poets – both those that remain to be viewed today and those that have been lost to time – in order to elaborate on what has been described in the literature as a pastiche. The time and place in which this property was decorated places it both at the intersection and on the margins of a number of far-reaching and overarching scholarly discussions and disciplines. This thesis brings together research from these various fields, from interior decoration to gothic revival to theories of collecting, in addition to the literature on the Villa Torlonia itself. The latter tends to be written through a museological or conservational lens, with the physical condition of the villa alongside historical and biographical details taking center stage; these publications have invaluable documentation, but there previously existed no art historical or visual analysis of the period rooms beyond general conservation and connoisseurship. Because the villa complex is still in the process of being restored and made available to the public, it is not surprising that a conceptual and synchronic account of the site is still outstanding. Part of the contribution of this thesis is to place the Palazzo Torlonia alongside the Villa Torlonia, and to consider the decorative program and space of the Casino Nobile in its entirety as well as within the context of the larger grounds and garden buildings. In thinking of these rooms as a collection of souvenirs, they are by extension a series of discrete compartments in a grand neoclassical cabinet. I argue throughout the paper for a consideration of the Room of the Poets and its counterparts as deliberate gestures rather than as a haphazard eclecticism with which they often find themselves labeled
Types of institutions and well-being of self-employed and paid employees in Europe
No full textThis paper analyzes the role of different types of institutions, such as entrepreneurship-facilitating entry conditions, labor market regulations, quality of government, and perception of corruption for individual well-being among self-employed and paid employed individuals. Well-being is operationalized by job and life satisfaction of individuals in 32 European countries measured by data from EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). We find that institutions never affected both occupational groups in opposite ways. Our findings indicate that labor market institutions do not play an important role for well-being. The results suggest that fostering an entrepreneurial society in Europe is a welfare-enhancing strategy that benefits both, the self-employed and paid employees
Euthanasia
No full textThesis (B.A. in Humanistic Studies)--John Cabot University, Fall 2019.In my research I will introduce to my readers to the origins of euthanasia and the history thatinvolves the early practices of euthanasia. Then I will go into a detailed research in the differentforms of euthanasia an talk about the differences of each form and provide examples from PeteSinger’s A companion to Ethics book which has heavily influenced my research and hugeportion of my work. Following the chapter on different forms of euthanasia I will then talk aboutthe different views and perspectives in the United States and Italy and talk about the mostinfluencing factors such as religion and how they affect the views of euthanasia in each country. Finally I will talk about debates and arguments that are for and against euthanasia and presenttwo different arguments by two authors from Arthur L. Caplan’s Contempoary Debates inBioethics which is another work that has heavily influenced and enforced my stance oneuthanasia. My goal in my research is to present research to my readers that support my stanceon making euthanasia a option available to everyone and enforcing my stand point
The Quest for Citizenship: Exploring Social Capital and Active Participation in Contemporary Roman Urban Landscapes
No full textThesis (B.A. in Political Science, Minor in Philosophy)--John Cabot University, Fall 2019.This research was conducted to illustrate the relationship between active participation inneighborhoods and its effectiveness in fixing social issues and improving neighborhoodwellbeing. Two neighborhoods in Rome with different demographics and urban phenomena wereanalyzed. San Lorenzo is a neighborhood which is currently facing a demographical turnover dueto studentification. This is a peculiar form of gentrification that involves students in highereducation, and a network of citizens that is opposing this change. Conversely, Aurelio-Boccea isa predominantly middle-class neighborhood that has witnessed an increase of Filipino familiesliving in the area. Residents formed a neighborhood committee to improve the quality of theneighborhood and resolve mismanagement of public spaces by local authorities. Throughqualitative and quantitative data obtained during a year-long of field research and supported bytheoretical literature concerning social capital, gentrification and neighborhood activism, theresearch found that neighborhood networks were lacking capacity to translate their intentionsinto actions. As a result, none of the issues in the neighborhoods were fixed, and none of theinitiatives proposed came into effect except from the obtainment of fairer housing costs forSapienza University students through a student movement in partnership with housing unions
MAXXI: an Architectural Experience
No full textThesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Business Administration)--John Cabot University, Spring 2019.This thesis will analyze MAXXI, the Museum for the Arts of the XXI Century starting from thehistory of the site, the Flaminio neighborhood, the history and previous works by ‘star architect’Zaha Hadid, and the architecture and function. The main thesis question is whether Hadid’scontemporary architecture fits the function and scopes described by the commissioner, namely,an archive and research space, a space to promote the arts and architecture of the twenty-firstcentury, and a space for the community, all while referencing and communicating with theneighborhood and the urban context. The methods of investigations are varied, and derive bothfrom theoretical study and from on-site observation, interpretation and other types of directdocumentation. The thesis will present three case studies based on three different contemporaryarchitecture: two are designed by Hadid, before the MAXXI, and the third is a deconstructivistOpera House by Gehry, another architect who, like Hadid, was labeled by the critic an‘archistar’. Lastly, an additional investigative method is the analysis of the construction and thearchitectural elements, such as the stairs, the windows, the walls, the lobby and the galleryspaces.The thesis conclusion affirms the main research question, for different motives. The architecturefits the function in that the museum’s freedom of itineraries lets the visitor explore thecomplexity of the structure without a predetermined path, innovating the traditional museumexperience. Secondly, the works carry a direct significance for either MAXXI or Rome.Additionally, the museum offers different galleries for different kinds of exhibitions. Lastly, thearchitecture fits the function for its architectural stratification of the gallery spaces reflect today’scomplex, stratified, and diverse society