Search

My dissertation is entitled “We Stand Before the Stars”: Reevaluating Catholic Modernism and Liberal Marriage Reform in the United States, 1895-1945. The inspiration for my title comes from a 1929 article in Forum magazine by Will Durant. In contemplating shifting mores regarding gender dynamics and sexuality, Durant observed that “we stand before the stars almost naked of supernatural creed and transmitted moral code.” My dissertation engages with Durant’s quote by exploring how late nineteenth and early twentieth-century modernist Catholics and secular marriage reformers both contributed and responded to changing social mores related to gender, marriage, romance, and sexuality. Modernist Catholics believed it was possible to retain the essential tenets of their faith while simultaneously embracing certain aspects of American secular modernity, including companionate marriage and a favorable view of romantic sensuality. I draw on a wide array of non-fiction and fiction primary source materials to make the case that there was striking ideological overlap between modernist Catholics and liberal marriage reformers. By contrast, there was a vast ideological chasm separating modernist Catholics from their antimodernist Catholic contemporaries. In the process of highlighting the points of intersection between liberal marriage reformers and modernist Catholics, my dissertation also underscores the notable permeability of the boundary separating secular and spiritual discourses on romance, marriage, and sexuality in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century America.

Contains fulltext : 240827.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

In historical literature pertaining to Cycladic sculptures, several writers suggest that some of the painted motifs on the surface of these marble sculptures may represent tattoos. This thesis seeks to undertake the first systematic research into answering the question: ‘Did Cycladic islanders practice tattooing and is this reflected in the abstract painted motifs on Cycladic sculptures?’. As a consequence of the Cycladic burial method of inhumation in the Early Bronze Age Aegean, the physical remains of body decoration or tattooing on preserved skin has not survived. Therefore, representations of tattooing on marble sculptures are the main sources of Cycladic evidence for the practice, along with the archaeological remains of possible tattooing instruments that demonstrate the technological ability to practice tattooing. Comparisons to the painted motifs on Egyptian potency figurines, which mimic the tattoos on the preserved skin of female mummies from Egypt and Nubia, are further supporting evidence for the hypothesis that Cycladic islanders were in contact with tattooed people that created figurines with tattoos. An overview of tattooing in ancient and traditional cultures around the globe is presented in order to shed light on the reasons why tattooing is practised and why particular motifs are chosen. Descriptions of the methods employed to create the tattoos in these cultures also present the reader with the ability to recognise comparative tattooing instruments in Cycladic material culture. A literature review of the history of the scholarly engagement with Cycladic sculptures demonstrates why this thesis is necessary to broaden research into the painted abstract motifs on these Early Bronze Age sculptures. Possible tattoo kits are also identified in the burial assemblages of several Cycladic cemeteries.

A group of passionate and naïve young people leave their known worlds behind to spend 100 days in the jungles of Borneo. Their mission is to confront one of the great global challenges of our time, saving rainforests and giving hope to endangered orangutans. Their task is enormous and the odds are against them. Jojo, an orphaned baby orangutan, is entrusted in their care and they must find a way to return her to her forest home. To do this, they need to build an orangutan rehabilitation centre and find ways to help the local communities protect their forest. Under the guidance of their mentor Dr Willie Smits, they introduce an innovative satellite monitoring system called Earthwatchers and enlist the help of school students around the world. The system is put to the test when the bulldozers move in and threaten the future of a nearby community living in a traditional longhouse. This is a story about what it takes it be an eco-warrior, an individual willing to step up and take action to avert a global catastrophe taking place before our eyes. The eco-warriors represent a new generation, ready to face what is happening on our planet and willing to do something, no matter how small, to build a more humane and balanced world. For them, every individual matters, every action counts. - Written by Cathy Henkel

Using language and writing to distinguish cultures from each other is commonplace. They are defining characteristics of culture that enable members to identify themselves within their group - by having communication they are tied together. Oral communication is the key identifier for Nyikina people of northern-Western Australia. However, Nyikina language is severely endangered, and risks being lost altogether. If the language were to die, Nyikina people would lose a huge part of their cultural identity. Working with the Nyikina community as part of a language revitalisation project sparked my interest in the transition from oral to written literature within the Mediterranean. Why did Nyikina not develop their own script, but Minoans and Etruscans did? It would be beneficial to have Etruscan literature or sound recordings describing how the Etruscan language was influenced by Phoenician and Greek cultures, and to know why they created their own alphabet using elements from both colonising influences. Hence, the experience and situation regarding the Nyikina language may provide a general paradigm for understanding and extrapolating the contextual situations of Minoans and Etruscans with respect to their languages, and vice-versa. This was the spring-board to a Masters thesis exploring such changes.

In the spring of 2013, students from Professor Loren Byrne’s Sustainability 401 course, Working Towards Sustainability, worked in teams to research best practices and to create conceptual designs for Island Commons including a sustainability center, an environmentally sensitive trail and sustainable agriculture production. The final proposals and plans have been organized within this document.

In the spring of 2013, students from Professor Loren Byrne’s Sustainability 401 course, Working Towards Sustainability, worked in teams to research best practices and to create conceptual designs for Island Commons including a sustainability center, an environmentally sensitive trail and sustainable agriculture production. The final proposals and plans have been organized within this document.