ABSTRACT In this project, I theorize the implications of maternal loss in novels by contemporary African American female novelists. Maternal loss in this project is used to describe a separation of mother and child, specifically daughter, due to a disconnection in communication, death or dislocation. I argue that maternal loss symbolizes loss figuratively and literally. It symbolizes the loss of a distant African past, the loss of freedom, a loss of historical records and a literal/literary loss of black mothers. I note that the experience of maternal loss in the novels causes protagonists to search for Mother. The character must seek a connection with an enabling, maternal figure. Black motherhood has historically been laden with numerous challenges. Discussed by black feminist scholars such as bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins and Angela Davis, these challenges include mothers being disconnected from their children during and after the slave trade, poverty, various forms of abuse and efforts to overcome negative images set forth by dominant society. Contemporary African American female authors examine these challenges in the context of maternal loss, re-memory and third space. They look at the past to see how it impacts the present. However, they also face challenges in writing the maternal stories of the past. The primary challenge they face is trying to write in a void. They attempt to write/rewrite a history that has limited written records and the records that do exist are often thwarted or told from a biased point of view. Thus, black motherhood becomes a site for re-memory. This project examines the use of maternal loss, re-memory and third space to reconstruct black motherhood in Toni Morrison's Sula, Gayl Jones' Corregidora, Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Gloria Naylor's Bailey's Café, and Tina McElroy Ansa's Ugly Ways. It focuses on the use of history and its merge with an idealized space for maternal figures. The maternal figures contemporary black female novelists reconstruct can be linked with a distant African past and vestiges of the rural south. Yet, they are empowered and positioned to reject the historical mandates that have been placed upon them by patriarchal society and male dominance. Through the use of maternal loss, re-memory and third space, contemporary black female novelists create maternal figures that are able to mother on their own terms and in their own way. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2012. / June 26, 2012. / Maternal figure, Maternal loss, Motherhood / Includes bibliographical references. / Dennis Moore, Committee Member.

This dissertation examines the St. Albans Psalter and the woman for whom we think it was made, Christina of Markyate. This study tries to reconstruct a potential reading of the Psalter as seen through Christina's eyes and focuses particularly on the historiated initials for Psalms 36, 51, 67:20, and 118:33 in the St. Albans Psalter. This study also sees the Psalter as possessing a specific agenda that was designed to warn of the dangers of female sexuality and to redirect Christina's religious life to an appropriate path. The reconstructed reading, then, attempts to show that Christina provided resistance to the spiritual path designed for her. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 29, 2013. / Christina of Markyate, medieval manuscripts, St. Albans Psalter / Includes bibliographical references. / David F. Johnson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Elaine M. Treharne, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Robert Romanchuk, University Representative; Paula Gerson, Committee Member; Charles Brewer, Committee Member.

ABSTRACT DREAMS, VISIONS, AND THE RHETORIC OF AUTHORITY Authors' uses of dreams and visions in literature inherently involve questions about the text's access to (or distance from) higher (or lower) authorities. Whether including a brief dream sequence within a larger narrative or framing a narrative within a dream, authors often depict the ultimate sources of their texts' dreams and visions as standing outside the rational mind of man. Unless intending them for ironic effect, authors typically present their literary dreams and visions as incorporeal, otherworldly, revelatory--transcending the thoughts of the day and providing (usually transformative) insight into not only the past and present, but, prevalently, the future. These dream elements inherently link literary texts to a "non-literary" or non-fictional tradition: "authentic" prophetic and visionary texts. The literary mode imitates the authentic, which claims access to divine sources outside of the temporal (present and past) strictures of knowledge. The reader inevitably connects (whether consciously or unconsciously) the literary revelatory dream or vision to the generally more authoritative tradition of prophetic and visionary writing. This "borrowed" sense of authority elevates the overtly literary fiction, producing the impression of transcendent knowledge. The present study is predicated upon two underlying arguments: 1) that dreams and visions in literature frequently function as authorizing devices and 2) that texts involving dreams and visions draw upon numerous conventional strategies for both affirming and complicating (especially in the ironic dream vision) the text's authority. My method for exploring this thesis involves four case studies in which I synthesize recent dream and vision scholarship, consider historical context and intertextual dialogue, and perform my own close reading of relevant passages. While I address the diverse issues intrinsic to dream literature--especially their complex historical, philosophical, and spiritual contexts--I explore these connections and sub-arguments primarily in terms of authority and textual self-authorization. While many scholars have noted the importance of authority in dream literature--Steven Kruger, J. J. Collins, A. C. Spearing, Kathryn Lynch, Jessica Barr, J. Stephen Russell, Michael St. John, among many others--the present study takes this broad concept of authority and applies it in a more specific and comprehensive manner than previous scholarship. I have chosen four key texts in the history of Western dream and vision literature that 1) are paradigmatic representations of their respective genres and 2) exercised a high degree of influence on that formal tradition. Chapter 1 presents a taxonomy of dream and vision genres, emphasizing the role of authority in their distinctions. Chapter 2 focuses on the issue of cultural authority in the Book of Daniel (the dream sequence and the apocalyptic vision in the Jewish tradition). Chapter 3 discusses the importance of authority in Macrobius' Commentary on the Dream of Scipio (Neoplatonic dream theory and the classical dream vision). Chapter 4 analyzes authorizing devices in Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Love (the medieval mystic vision). Chapter 5 is a close reading of the ironic treatment of authority in Chaucer's House of Fame (the medieval ironic dream vision). These four works from four distinct traditions feature several conventional "authorizing devices" that characterize the dream and vision genres they represent. While some of these strategies remain particular to one genre and/or era, others clearly cross periods, cultures, and traditions. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program of Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / November 29, 2012. / apocalypse, dream literature, dream sequence, dream vision, mystical vision / Includes bibliographical references. / David Johnson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Matthew Goff, University Representative; Francois Dupuigrenet Desroussilles, Committee Member; Nancy de Grummond, Committee Member.

This dissertation raises the question of how environmentalists should consider the idea of human labor in nature. This is ultimately a part of the greater question of what we consider the relationship between humanity and nature to be. Dominant 20th century American environmentalist draws a clear line between humanity and nature, thus rejecting any idea of the appropriateness of human labor in nature. This is an unhelpful position, as it effective prevents environmentalists from having any part of the conversation of how labor should proceed in nature. As such, the contention of this dissertation is that we must fashion a less dichotomous theoretical vision of this relationship. This dissertation considers a variety of 20th and 21st century American literary interpretations of human labor in nature, all of which can be helpful in structuring a more functional and complex understanding of the relationship between humanity and nature. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / December 10, 2012. / Labor / Includes bibliographical references. / David Johnson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Paul Outka, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Juan Carlos Galeano, University Representative; Frederick Davis, Committee Member; Timothy Parrish, Committee Member.

Sensation seeking is a facet of impulsivity that leads individuals to seek out novel and provocative experiences for the sake of taking part in that experience. Sensation seeking, which has been found to be at least partially based in biology, has also been found to relate to certain preferences for food and other substances, such as alcohol. Further, sensation seeking has been found to correlate with the acquired capability for suicide. Given that taste perception, and one's tasting status (i.e., nontaster vs. taster vs. supertaster) is also rooted in biology, a further elaboration of the relationship between the above variables is warranted. The current study focused on four hypotheses: (1) sensation seeking would vary according to taste perception; (2) sensation seeking would mediate the relationship between taste perception and acquired capability; (3) taste perception would interact with food preference to predict acquired capability; and (4) taste perception would interact with consumption of alcohol to predict acquired capability. Hypothesis three was partially supported, in that supertasters who consume certain foods that are known to be more unpleasant to them reported a higher level of acquired capability than their nontaster or taster counterparts. Implications of these findings, as well as future directions, are addressed. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2013. / November 26, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Thomas Joiner, Professor Directing Dissertation; David Kirby, University Representative; Joyce Carbonell, Committee Member; Jesse Cougle, Committee Member; Ashby Plant, Committee Member.

Who was Louisa S. McCord as a writer and polemicist on women's rights in the antebellum South? Why did she, a conservative intellectual, use the term 'feminist' in 1852? Historians of the nineteenth century Woman's Rights Movement have paid McCord little attention because of her geographic location'she lived in South Carolina'and her conservative opinions. Her attitudes, which were conventional for her era, put her outside the interest of women's studies until recently. This dissertation provides a new analysis of Louisa S. McCord's work and argues the historical significance of her ideas about the Woman's Rights Movement of the nineteenth century. Furthermore, this dissertation is particularly interested in McCord's use of the word 'feminist.' In the course of critiquing female reformer Elizabeth Oakes Smith, McCord may have been the first person to use the term 'feminist' in print. This study adds to the collective knowledge of women's history by shining a light on the impact of McCord's ideas. This study is an interdisciplinary one, utilizing both sociology and women's history in studying the social system of the antebellum South. This dissertation examines the gendered aspects of the South's social class structure by analyzing McCord's published essays on women's rights. An analysis of non-fiction nineteenth-century periodical literature provided the foundational sources for this work. In addition, letters and legal documents gave insight into the personal life of this intriguing woman. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program of Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2011. / June 8, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references. / Maxine D. Jones, Professor Directing Dissertation; Maxine Montgomery, University Representative; Jennifer Koslow, Committee Member; Charles Upchurch, Committee Member.

This study uses literary texts from the twentieth century to explore the interaction between liberty and democracy at the heart of the American Dream. Of particular interest is the way in which the Dream is invoked and then called into question in Hemingway's To Have and Have Not (1937), Zora Neal Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek (1942). These works demonstrate a failure of a social order meant to guarantee individual success. The protagonists are forced to counter expectations of normalcy concerning the identity politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality in order to achieve the Dream's goal of a good life rooted in domestic happiness. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 21, 2013. / American Dream, Hemingway, Hurston, Rawlings / Includes bibliographical references. / John J. Fenstermaker, Professor Directing Dissertation; Neil T. Jumonville, University Representative; William J. Cloonan, Committee Member; David F. Johnson, Committee Member.

ABSTRACT This study investigates and analyzes the sociopolitical origins of the 1945 Guatemalan Constitution with the purpose of confirming the document as a unique example of a modern representative democracy necessary to advance social justice and human rights. The historical events and individual figures are examined in order to determine the sociopolitical thought that established fundamental human rights with the strength of democratic constitutional protections. As a result of Guatemala's national achievements in the advancement of human rights, the study details Guatemala's contributions to the Latin American regional efforts to support human rights and the creation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Humanities. / Spring Semester 2013. / March 19, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references. / David F. Johnson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Delia M. Poey, University Representative; Kathleen M. Erndl, Committee Member; Daniel Maier-Katkin, Committee Member.

This dissertation is about the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) and its role in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, with a special emphasis on the men and women who manned and operated the civilian aircraft. This is the first time the history of that war has been told from the standpoint of the CRAF and its crew members. Relying heavily on interviews - firsthand accounts - with the crew members who participated, and to primary and secondary sources, the historical context is recreated in which the events unfolded. Instead, however, of following the history from the political, diplomatic, and military perspectives, we approach it from the perspective of the nation's civil air carriers and through the words of its civilian crew members. We begin with a description of 'airlift' and the responsibilities of commercial aviation to the nation's defense and security through the National Airlift Policy. The history of commercial aviation and its relationship with the U.S military began just before the outbreak of WW II, and continued through the Berlin Crisis of 1948-49, the Korean War, and the War in Vietnam. That relationship led to the creation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF). Activated for the first time in its 38 year history on August 17, 1990, the CRAF played a major role in the Persian Gulf War. Over 5000 CRAF flights operated into the war theater from August of 1990 through May of 1991. The war could not have been won by the United States and its coalition partners - within the timeframe dictated by events - without the active participation of the CRAF. The CRAF could not have fulfilled its commitments to the nation without the voluntary participation of its crew members. The civilian crew members responded overwhelmingly to the nation's call. They served with enthusiasm, commitment, and determination. Over 11,000 civilian crew members participated in those events. Their story is told here for the first time. This dissertation fills a significant historical omission; and adds to the history of America's first major military involvement in the Middle East. / A Dissertation submitted to the Interdisciplinary Program in the Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2012. / October 4, 2012. / Air Carriers Crew Members, Airline Crew Members, Airline Flight Attendants, Airline Pilots, Civil Reserve Air Fleet, CRAF / Includes bibliographical references. / Peter Garretson, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jonathan Grant, University Representative; Dennis Moore, Committee Member; Irene Zanini-Cordi, Committee Member.

ABSTRACT This dissertation explores black female identity in the literature of contemporary Afro-Brazilian writers Miriam Alves, Esmeralda Ribeiro, and Conceição Evaristo. The research approaches Alves poem "Estranho Indagar" (1983), Ribeiro's short fiction work "Ogun," and Evaristo's novel Ponciá Vicêncio utilizing Africana Womanist Theory. It situates Afro- Brazilian female writing within a global Africana Womanist paradigm and focuses on two of the theory's eighteen tenets,self-definer and self-namer to explore the concept of black identity in Afro-Brazilian female writing. Chapter One reviews the socio-cultural origins of the challenges of black female identity. It also proposes Africana Womanism as a methodology for examining black female identity in Brazil. Chapter Two surveys literature on twentieth century Brazilian racial ideology, Afro-Brazilian history, and activism, as well as the marginalization of Afro- Brazilian women from Brazilian history and the literary canon. Chapter Three focuses on the mãe preta and mulata stereotypes as the root cause of black female invisibilization, lack of socio-economic progress, and stifling of black female identity. Moreover, it contrasts currently utilized feminist theories and argues for the use of Africana Womanism as an appropriate global perspective for understanding and analyzing the lives of Afro-Brazilian women. Chapter Four applies the Africana Womanist tenets of self-namer and self-definer to the works "Estranho Indagar", "Ogun," and Ponciá Vicêncio to investigate the relationship between self-naming, self-definition and Afro-Brazilian female identity. Chapter Five summarizes the previous chapters, offers findings from the study, and suggests avenues of new research for future Brazilian and Brazilianist scholars. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 29, 2013. / Africana Womanism, Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Hispanic, Brazilian Writers, Contemporary Afro-Brazilian Female Writing, Contemporary Afro-Brazilian literature / Includes bibliographical references. / Peggy Sharpe, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kathleen Erndl, University Representative; Delia Poey, Committee Member; Juan Carlos Galeano, Committee Member.