The primary purpose of this research was to dissect the state of Louisianas comprehensive curriculum and make suggestions for enhancement to a document that is intended to set basic standards for education in all public schools throughout the state. While the Louisiana State Department of Education acknowledged a real need for such a document, the one it originally produced fell short of many educators expectations. In taking into consideration the diversity of the states students and their heritages, the researcher makes suggestions for enriching the English language arts (ELA) curriculum for secondary students by incorporating a wider variety of multicultural, multiethnic, and womens literature and writing along with folkloristic teachings. The researcher began her process by consulting several educational authors and texts, namely selected articles by Ogbu and Understanding by Design by McTighe and Wiggins, before embarking on personal interviews during which she conversed with a curriculum writer as well as experienced and respected educators in the Baton Rouge community. Dividing the findings into three categories, the researcher analyzed Louisiana State Universitys Laboratory Schools curriculum to serve as a model for advancement of the states public schools curriculum and then delved into the states curriculum to explore what material is being covered in the document. This research is followed by a chapter analyzing the construction of the current comprehensive curriculum and the disconnect that exists between the states intended implementation and what is really happening in many schools. Finally, the researcher presents suggestions for diversifying the material and literature being taught by including cultural teachings from a variety of sources designed to envelope students from all ethnicities in the hopes of producing well-rounded and educated world citizens. Suggestions include utilizing the Louisiana Folklife Program and its website to implement a folklore unit within the ELA curriculum allowing students to use a kinesthetic approach to exploring their own and other cultures and working through various resources to discover literature of often times curriculum-neglected cultures, such as Cuban, Cajun and Acadian, Zimbabwean, and Nigerian, as well as womens writings.

My goal for this thesis was to adequately illustrate the effect war can have on art and artists. I chose to single out one particular artist who lived and worked during a time of war and explore his life and work. My choice of artist was not random: I chose an individual who was particularly concerned about his external environment, and was active in the political and social issues of the time. My subject is Mark Rothko, a Russian-Jewish artist who immigrated from Russia as a boy and spent his life in the hotspot of artistic inspiration, New York City. Rothko was sensitive to socio-political matters and his involvement with politics affected his work. In order to fully comprehend the artist and his creations, I did a thorough investigation into the artists life; studying his influences, exploring his philosophies, and examining his works. It is difficult to trace the evolution of the style and themes Rothko employed at certain stages in his life because the artist rarely dated his paintings. Only years later, when he made an inventory of his work, did he date them, but without records and entirely relying on his memory. Even so, I was able to assess his work and came to the conclusion that Rothko was heavily influenced by the war going on around him, as well as the aftermath of the First World War and the instability of the Great Depression. From this research, I can deduce that Mark Rothko was a product of his war-torn environment, of which his work was a true reflection.

Crowley, Nara Maria Ersilia, B.A., The University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 2001. Master of Arts in Liberal Arts, Spring Commencement 2010 Major: Liberal Arts The Expansion of the St. Joseph Altar in South Louisiana Thesis directed by Professor Mary Jill Brody Page in thesis,113. Words in abstract, 146 ABSTRACT According to folklore, the Catholic St. Joseph Altar tradition dates back to the Fifteenth century droughts in Sicily. The famine that ensued resulted in prayers to the patron saint of protection, St. Joseph. Two legends evolved from the cessation of the drought - one of thanks for ending the famine, the other for protecting one vital source of nutrition, the fava bean. Two parables influenced the development of permanent traditions known today as the St. Joseph Altar. The two ideals remain intact one of gratitude, the other of petition. The Italian Sicilian diaspora of the mid-nineteenth century sprinkled the St. Joseph Altar tradition globally. Sparsely scattered throughout the United States and internationally, South Louisiana offers more celebrations of the St. Joseph Altar than in all of North America. This comparative study explores the impetus that perpetuates and inflates the St. Joseph Altar celebration in South Louisiana.

The following points are important for this discussion of Acadiana and the Cajun Cultural Landscape: First, in order to fully understand the Cajun nature and what makes the Cajuns distinct, we must explore their history from the time they arrived on the shores of North America to the present. Without doing this, we cannot truly understand their way of life and where it came from; Second, what and where is Acadiana--the Cajun homeland--and what are its socioeconomic and demographic characteristics; Third, how have folk culture and celebration of heritage mediated Cajun culture; Fourth, why are these traditions manifested in what are primarily familial and customary rituals with a special importance given to a large number of local festivals; Fifth, what is the viability of Cajun culture and Acadiana as a cultural sub-region.

Many years after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979, Zbigniew Brzezinski and Robert Gates revealed several formerly classified details regarding the Carter Administrations pre-invasion aid to the Mujahideen resistance fighters. Unwittingly, these separate yet interconnected disclosures from Brzezinski and Gates gave the appearance that the White House had intentionally lured the USSR into an insurgent-infested trap in Afghanistan designed to give Moscow its own Vietnam War. Brzezinski, being in a much higher position within the administration than Gates and coming forth with the most provocative revelations, was subsequently accused by many of essentially instigating a war all by himself. But although Brzezinski had hoped that the Soviets would get bogged down in a Vietnamese quagmire in Afghanistan if they decided to intervene, he did not attempt to lure the Russians into a trap. The covert aid to the Mujahideen was carried out to trap Moscow only if it continued to act aggressively in the Third World. In addition to Brzezinskis need to limit the Soviet Unions capability to project strength in the Third World, he admitted to this author that he had other strategic and personal reasons for aiding the Mujahideen. Months before President Carter signed the covert aid directive on July 3, 1979, Brzezinski had begun to receive quite explicit information from CIA assets in his native Poland that the situation there was on the verge of an explosion. These developments prompted him to turn his thoughts toward both crises simultaneously, with the ultimate goal to develop a strategy that would protect his homeland at all costs. In the final analysis, Brzezinski was correct in his assessment that aiding the Mujahideen and turning up the heat on the Soviets in Afghanistan would later prevent the Kremlin from sending its troops into Poland in order to squelch the burgeoning labor movement known as Solidarity.

In relation to the rest of the world, the track and field industry within the United States lacks interest from the public. The market makes a name for itself during the short period of time the sport is televised in the Olympic Games. This is a problem for the elite athletes who are considered professional but have little to show for this title. The current marketing strategies and distribution of wealth within the industry are ineffective and detrimental to the future success of the sport. We must point the finger at the governing powers and demand a change. I believe that this change comes in the form of innovation. We must find ways to innovate the sport in order to attract the attention of the public on a regular basis, which will result in added revenue and market growth. To do this, we have to cater the marketing efforts towards the experiences had by both athletes and fans of the sport. In my thesis, I address this issue knowing very well that innovation is key beforehand. The paper is outlined similar to what a marketing plan would look like in the business world. I begin with providing an understanding of innovation and how the process works. From there, I incorporate six important aspects to innovation that are required for success. With these tools on hand, I then produce a framework for identifying the need for innovation. This framework encompasses the problem, the industry, research efforts, creativity and risk measures, and finally the concluding remarks and recommendations from the information gathered. By combing data that shows financial instability, insight from elite athletes and the frustration from current fans of the sport, my study proves that innovation is a necessity. With that, I propose three recommendations based on level of effort and difficulty. The best-case scenario for innovation efforts involves the creation of a new competition stadium, the employment of enthusiastic and knowledgeable commentators, better standards for television coverage, and more organized funding for promotional aspects of the sport.