Middle Tennessee State University
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Horror, Not Just Horrible: A Reconsideration of the Thematic Unity of Monsters in the Beowulf-Manuscript through the Lens of Horror
No full textIn 1953, Kenneth Sisam argued that monsters provide a thematic unity to the various works in the Beowulf-manuscript, (The Passion of St. Christopher, Wonders of the East, The Letter of Alexander to Aristotle, Beowulf, and Judith), and many scholars have agreed. Sisam, however, excludes Judith from this unity and does not define “monster” in his argument, leaving these interpretations too vague to be helpful. There must be a fuller understanding of “monsters” in order to understand a potential thematic unity, and the theories behind the genre of Horror provide a structure and language with which to explore monstrosity more fully. Using certain theories behind the modern Horror genre, I construct a list of criteria necessary in order to define “monster” more specifically and then apply these characteristics to the humanoid beings in the five texts of the Beowulf-manuscript. A dichotomy arises between monstrous appearance and monstrous behavior, and this project explores how these avenues have, in the past, been merged inappropriately and inaccurately. Through this approach, one may read these Old English works as Horror and evaluate the monstrosity of characters spanning from Grendel (a commonly accepted monster) to Holofernes (the one character Sisam argues is absolutely not monstrous). I use the biological factors and behavioral characteristics that define the monstrous to give scholars the theoretical structures and vocabulary needed to distinguish between humans, monsters, and marvels.M.A
Targeting Gen Z Using Instagram and TikTok Marketing
No full textKEYWORDS: Digital Marketing, Gen Z, TikTok Marketing, Instagram Marketing, Social Media Marketin
The Body Positivity Movement: Bettering College Women's Body Image and Health
No full textBody image concerns among college-aged women continue to be an immense
issue across many college campuses. As technology continues to advance, it has become
more common for young girls and women to focus on their flaws and to edit their social
media photos to make themselves look better. Body image has a huge impact on mental
and physical health. Therefore, it is vital that the pressures young women feel about their
self-presentation on social media are addressed and fought. One movement that has been
used recently as a possible way to combat this concern is the body positivity movement.
However, more research is needed to understand the impact of this movement on young
women.
Data were collected from 609 students at Middle Tennessee State University
using a Qualtrics survey. The survey asked questions pertaining to time spent on social
media, self-image and familiarity with body positivity campaigns, as well as
demographics. The survey’s purpose was to investigate whether or not the body positivity
movement has been successful in bettering college women’s body image, so therefore the
research questions remained fairly surface level in regard to the movement. The
questions, rather, focused on behavior on social media, familiarity with body positivity
advertisement campaigns as well as on influencers who participate in the movement and
advocate for change. The results were analyzed using SPSS data analysis software.
Recommendations based on the data collected from the survey are provided
Videogames as Social Genre: The Design Ethos, Player Agency, and Failures of Diablo Immortal
No full textIn this thesis, I use the Diablo franchise of videogames, through which the genre of action roleplaying games is birthed, to exemplify the argument that the theory of a socially constructed genre from rhetorical studies, rather than a taxonomic concept of genre as it is usually used in games studies, could greatly benefit game studies’ discussions moving forward. It is crucial to acknowledge that Diablo Immortal critically fails to live up to the genre established by the previous three iterations in the franchise and chose to design a game around conventions that directly contradict one another, resulting in a terrible player experience. This game does not fit the design ethos of the studio, nor does it exhibit the franchise brand identity as defined by previous titles. I argue that conversations surrounding the shortcomings of this game would necessarily be lackluster should they exclude considerations of socially defined genre conventions.M.A
The Production Techniques of Two House Music Subgenres Used in Theory and Practice
No full textKEYWORDS: house; house music; future house; tech house; house music production; house music composition; audio productio
Continuing the Search: Working Memory Measures as a Predictor of Immediate and Long-Term Performance
No full textIn this study, the effects of working memory were correlated with scores on a learning performance measure taken both immediately after training and three weeks post training in an academic astronomy lab experiment. The reasoning for this research was based on findings by Bosco et al. (2015) which indicated strength for working memory as a predictor of performance nearly on par with that of the often-used cognitive ability tests. The present study found that there working memory measures and performance on an immediate learning-oriented posttest were correlated. However, further analysis through a linear model indicated that working memory did not account for any statistically significant variance in performance over time. These findings could be due to the limitations of our research study given that data were pulled from a larger grant research project which was not solely designed to compare working memory and performance. More research should be done in this area given the positive findings in other research in this area.M.A
Driver retention in the southeast region Less Than Truck load trucking industry: A qualitative analysis.
No full textKEYWORDS: LTL; Truck Driver: Driver Retention: Cost of Services: Driver Well Bein
The Supreme Court: Out of Bounds
No full textThis paper considers the possibility that the Court is insufficiently checked within
the current system of constitutional bounds and ultimately concludes that it is not. Such a
possibility is explored through an examination and analysis of the historical views of the
Founding Fathers and Framers, the work of scholars both for and against reform, and
various reform proposals
Townsend School: A Public History Project Transformation in Winchester, Tennessee
No full textThe landscape of the African American South has rapidly diminished. These communities congregated around their churches, schools, and cemeteries. They had to create their own spaces with their own agency in order to create their own sense of community within their allotted spaces. The goal of this thesis is to highlight the importance of spaces within the community and preserve them for generations to come, so that they will be preserved into the Black landscape.
This project focuses on the Townsend School in Franklin County, Tennessee. This study is an excellent example of a Black community that has been overlooked by the White community and how it has flourished. By preserving memories, collecting artifacts, and serving as the heart of the community, the Townsend School still stands as a monumental feature for the community, shifting from being just an educational institution to a museum that holds the story of a community that is diminishing. This case study on the Townsend School will add to the history of historically Black communities in the South and provide an example to other public historians.M.A
Spectrum of Voices: Polyvocalism in the Novel and Its Consequences for Narration
No full textThis study seeks to demonstrate the narrative principle of the spectrum of voices, beginning with Mikhail Bakhtin’s description of dialogism in the polyphonic novel and building upon Julia Kristeva’s terminology of intertextualité, especially as it finds application in the novel’s place within the social text. Central to this discussion is the plurality of voices in novelistic narrative, particularly those of the narrator, the reader, and the protagonist, as well as the novel’s function as a catalyst for the encounter and acknowledgment of individual subjectivity between these disparate and often conflicting identities. Using the notions of the affirmation of subjectivity, the social text, and the spectrum of voices, this study concludes with a close reading of China Miéville’s Embassytown and a discussion of the concerns of language, culture, and politics which are central to the development of this novel’s plot, especially as they pertain to intersubjectivity and the mutual recognition between one and other.M.A