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Narratological (Re)Visions: Feminist Poetics and Nontraditional Narrative Structure in Contemporary Women’s Writing
No full textThis dissertation examines the intersection of feminist narratology and narrative theory, arguing that narrative structures considered experimental, nontraditional, or unnatural within narratology are instead necessary attempts to articulate the nuanced experiences of diverse subjectivities. Building on Susan Lanser’s foundational work, “Toward a Feminist Narratology,” which critiques classical narratology’s inability to fully account for women’s narratives, this research explores how contemporary women writers use nontraditional narrative techniques to challenge and expand the boundaries of narrative theory.
The research combines a narratological analysis with feminist critical frameworks to study the narrative techniques employed in selected contemporary women’s writings. Focusing on second-person narration in Lorrie Moore’s Self-Help, hybrid text-image narratives in Erika Lopez’s Flaming Iguanas, fragmented narrative structures in works by Laila Lalami and Jhumpa Lahiri, and the representation of narrative consciousness in Ottessa Moshfegh’s My Year of Rest and Relaxation, the dissertation demonstrates how these techniques not only disrupt traditional narrative forms but also articulate the complex realities of women’s experiences.
The dissertation concludes that narrative theory must evolve to accommodate the diversity of subjective experiences and the reciprocal relationship between subjectivity, identity, and narrative structures. By embracing a more inclusive narratological framework, narrative theory can better analyze and represent the multiplicity of human experiences, particularly those of marginalized voices. This study advocates for a reassessment of current approaches within narrative theory, proposing a shift towards a more dynamic and ideologically aware narrative analysis that recognizes and integrates the contributions of women’s narratives to the field. This approach not only enriches narrative theory but also ensures its relevance in a culturally diverse and politically conscious literary landscape
A Phenomenology Study of the Lived Experiences of Chinese International Students in the US During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThis phenomenological study investigates the lived experiences of Chinese international students during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to delve into how these individuals articulate their experiences during the pandemic, with a particular focus on how their geographical location influenced their experiences. To achieve this, the study employs an innovative approach, integrating a phenomenological method with comparative analysis to elucidate the similarities and differences between students who remained in the US and those who returned to China.
The analysis identified four principal themes among students in the US: 1) Online Learning Challenges, (2) Social Life Adaptation, (3) Self-Coping and Entertainment, and (4) Support and Resource Needs. Conversely, three themes emerged for students in China: (1) Online Learning Challenges, (2) Social Life Adaptation, and (3) Opportunities for Development. While certain experiences, such as (1) Online Learning Challenges, (2) Impact on Academic Discipline, (3) Technological Challenges, (4) Communication Challenges within School, and (5) Reflections on Decision, were common across both groups, distinct differences were observed in several areas, including (1) Social Life and Interaction, (2) Self-Care and Entertainment, (3) Racism and Safety Concerns, and (4) Reflection and Personal Growth.
This study pioneers in exploring Chinese international students’ experiences across different locations, offering insights for educators to enhance teaching and support strategies. As online learning solidifies its role, this study’s findings can equip future students with essential guidelines for navigating university life in the US, aiming for better academic and personal outcomes
Narciso Yepes and the Composers of His Time
Get PDFAt his peak, Narciso Yepes was one of the most celebrated figures in the guitar world, as evidenced by the quantity and reach of his recordings. While he is well known as a proponent of the ten-string guitar with an innovative chromatic tuning, less attention has been focused on his activity as a commissioner of new works (many of them for the six-string guitar). Yet in this domain, Yepes was extremely productive, premiering works by such composers as Ascencio, Bacarisse, Balada, Maderna, Marco, Montsalvatge, Ohana, Palau, and Ruiz-Pipò, to name a few. Yepes\u27s role as a collaborator varied from one project to another, but at times he could be a strongly motivational presence who encouraged composers to experiment with new languages and textures. By tracing his contact with different schools and ideas, which embraced folklore, avant-garde, mystical simplicity, and others, we may come to understand how Yepes\u27s long career reflects the complex and constantly evolving musical culture in which he lived and the crucial role that charismatic performers played in making new music accessible to audiences
Natural Resource Conflict and Socioenvironmental Resistance in Arctic States: Assessing Domestic Risks to Circumpolar Security
No full textHow does climate change contribute to domestic natural resource conflict and socioenvironmental resistance in the Arctic? The literature assumes that developed Arctic nations possess sufficient state capacity to overcome risks of domestic conflict and unrest posed by regional development and environmental change. Arctic policy correspondingly focuses on natural resource competition, disputes, and conflict at the international level. The mechanisms and processes of domestic natural resource conflict and socioenvironmental resistance in the Arctic have thus been largely ignored in the literature, even though 27 cases of contention have occurred since the ‘shock’ sea-ice melt of 2007.
In this study, I draw on existing studies to present a model of linear and cumulative risk to domestic natural resource conflict and socioenvironmental resistance in the Arctic. I then aggregate relevant variables to calculate relative conflict risk across 18 subnational Arctic territories, test it against incidence of contention, and determine that it is not predictive of domestic natural resource conflict and socioenvironmental resistance. Building on correlations that do appear in the analysis, I suggest a focus on conflict mechanisms and processes previously unidentified in the literature.
I subsequently explore three case studies of domestic conflict and socioenvironmental resistance to assess how climate change produces contention over natural resources in the Arctic. I find that climate change has fostered state interest in natural resources for soft power development via global climate leadership, the strengthening of sovereignty claims, and other strategic benefits in the Arctic. The prioritization of state interests over other economic activities, including artisanal and subsistence harvesting, constrains diversification in economic production and fosters an overdependence on natural resource production that is unexpected in developed economies. International NGOs endeavor to mitigate inequities associated with the state capture of natural resources by financing or initiating resistance activities. However, institutional control by strong Arctic states limits the effectiveness of conflict and resistance activities by regional stakeholders
Using Value Self-Confrontation with Small Business Leaders to Facilitate Change for Inclusion
No full textMultiple resources exist to educate small business leaders on the importance of developing leadership that energizes teams to work together toward a common goal, though research lacks depth in how to facilitate behavior change amidst relationship conflict in the workplace while encouraging collaboration toward a common goal. Small business leaders often face challenges with employee engagement and retention, which impact business performance (Cohen 2023), and can be addressed through engagement in professional development mechanisms such as a workshop (Shiri et al. 2023). Guided by scientific research in the formation of value and belief systems, socialization, diversity and inclusion, self-awareness, and conflict management, this workshop utilizes principles of the Experiential Learning Model and Value Self-Confrontation which creates the backdrop to facilitate behavior change in leaders working to create more inclusive workplaces that drive higher employee engagement.
This project presents several components to consider in the development of small business leaders. First there are substantial sections in literature review and rationale to the design of a leadership development workshop that underscores the value in and approaches to develop inclusive spaces utilizing Value Self-Confrontation, self-awareness, conflict management, facilitating a balance of advocacy and inquiry, and facilitation of the Experiential Learning Model. This presents the context for the second part of this project, which is a fully designed leadership development workshop based on the literature previously described. As a part of an ongoing effort, this may also lead to more profitable and socially impactful businesses
Radical Hospitality: Height and Excess of the Other and the New Host Self
Get PDFDrawing on Emmanuel Levinas’ ethical framework and its emphasis on the “height and excess” of “the Other,” this thesis explores and develops a sense of “radical hospitality” in Levinas and across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In particular, the thesis explores how encounter with the Other is not only marked by an overwhelming excess, but one which transforms the subject into what I call a “New Host Self:” Where the self is the host who greets the stranger with hospitality, it is ultimately the stranger—the refugee, the migrant—who transforms the host into someone new. Here, the host ultimately receives a gift from the guest—and we can in this regard speak of a paradox in which the host/giver ultimately becomes a receiver/guest. After exploring radical hospitality in a range of philosophical and religious text traditions, I go on to share a personal narrative of my own experiences both as a migrant and serving refugees, considering in particular how radical hospitality can—in its capacity to precipitate a new sense of self as host—reorient our political selves towards better serving neighbors in need
Combinatorial Problems on the Integers: Colorings, Games, and Permutations
Get PDFThis dissertation consists of several combinatorial problems on the integers. These problems fit inside the areas of extremal combinatorics and enumerative combinatorics.
We first study monochromatic solutions to equations when integers are colored with finitely many colors in Chapter 2. By looking at subsets of {1, 2, . . . , n} whose least common multiple is small, we improved a result of Brown and Rödl on the smallest integer n such that every 2-coloring of {1, 2, . . . , n} has a monochromatic solution to equations with unit fractions. Using a recent result of Boza, Marín, Revuelta, and Sanz, this technique also allows us to show a polynomial upper bound for the same problem, but with three colors.
We then study Maker-Breaker positional games for equations with fractional powers in Chapter 3. In these games, Maker and Breaker take turns to select a previously unclaimed number in {1, 2, . . . , n}, Maker wins if they can form a solution to a given equation, and Breaker wins if they can stop Maker. Using combinatorial arguments and results from number theory and arithmetic Ramsey theory, we found exact expressions or strong bounds for the smallest n such that Maker has a winning strategy.
Finally, we study permutations of integers in Chapters 4 to 6. In Chapter 4, we provide an alternative proof of a result by Miner and Pak which says that 123- and 132-avoiding permutations with a fixed leading term are enumerated by the ballot numbers. We then study the number of pattern-avoiding permutations with a fixed prefix of length t ≥ 1, generalizing the t = 1 case. We find exact expressions for single and pairs of patterns of length three as well as the pair 3412 and 3421. These expressions depend on t, the extrema, and the order statistics. In Chapter 5, we define rotations of permutations and study permutations such that they and their rotations avoid certain patterns. We obtain many enumerative results for patterns of length three and several of them are related to existing results on permutations avoiding other patterns. In Chapter 6, we look at subsequences with certain arithemtic properties that exist in all permutations of a given length. For example, we prove that for all positive integers k ≥ 3 and sufficiently large n, every permutation of {1, 2, . . . , n} has a subsequence (a1, a2, . . . , ak) such that either ∑ki=1 ai = 2a1 or ∑ki=1 ai = 2ak
Evidence of Climatic Influence on Subsistence Strategies at Sage Hen Springs, Nevada
Get PDFModels of settlement patterns in the northwest Great Basin describe a decrease in residential mobility, intensified use of upland spring ecozones, and an increase in diet breadth during the Middle and Late Archaic. Here, I present data collected from the Sage Hen Springs site in northwestern Nevada during a Phase II testing project conducted by the BLM and an analysis of these data focusing on patterns of subsistence and mobility strategies throughout the Archaic. Results of this analysis support existing models of lifeways in the northwest Great Basin at the small scale and point to climatic factors as influences on the cultural shift in the latter part of the Archaic
Dowlandia: Leafing through Grapes’s New Research Guide
Get PDFA review of John Dowland: A Research and Information Guide, by K. Dawn Grapes (New York: Routledge, 2020