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This dissertation examines one of the most significant theological shifts in the Rastafari movement: the transformation of the Rastafari deity, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, from Jah in the flesh to the spirit that dwells within the body of each Rasta. Although the belief that Rastas are participants in the divinity of Jah emerged early in Rastafari, it was not until Selassie’s death in 1975 that the theological assertion of Jah dwelling within their bodies as the spirit emerged. Despite the initial claim made by some of the early Rastas that their bodies are the dwelling place of Jah, the notion of Jah as indwelling the spirit remains undertheorized, thus leading to an inadequate view that Rastafari is tenuously an African-derived religion. The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to make visible the notion of Jah as spirit by focusing on how Rastas conceptualize and ritualize the process of Jah becoming a part of their bodies. The dissertation proposes divine envesselment as a central theoretical and conceptual framework to understand the Rastafari belief that their deity Jah becomes a permanent part of their bodies, thereby imbuing them with divine power, authority, and identity to resist the oppressive state Babylon. By formulating a theory of divine envesselment to account for the indwelling of Jah within the body, this study highlights the social, cultural, and theological factors that enabled Rastas to deify Selassie, continue to proclaim him as God after his death, and distinguish themselves from the oppressive neocolonial state through their ritualization of Jah spirit and power. The study uses an African-centered epistemological approach to argue that the Rastafari belief that Jah dwells within them is not only an embrace of the spirit but an ethos rooted in the history of contestation and creative friction within the Afro-Caribbean religious field. Furthermore, an African-centered epistemology locates the process of divine envesselment (Jah becoming the spirit that dwells in flesh) within the social, material, intellectual, and symbolic world of African people on the continent and in the diaspora. The study asserts that the logic, structure, and nature of Rastafari as an African-derived religion with a conception of spirit become evident when examined through an African-centered epistemological lens. / Religion

Divine Words is an adaptation of the play Divinas Palabras by Ramon del Valle- Inclan. In this paper, I hope to outline my design process as well as give insight into the development of a new theatrical work. I want to outline my journey from the beginning with the development of the script, the process of designing the show, and then implementing that design. Designing the costumes for this production required creating characters that both aided in telling the story as well as reflected individual character. I designed twenty-eight looks for fourteen actors that took into consideration time period, socio-economic status, plot, and characterization. This production was set in the depression era dust bowl of the American Midwest. To reflect this in my designs I performed thorough research from books and Internet sources on the historical period as well as the clothing of time. I utilized photographers such as Dorothea Lang and Arthur Rothstein to further inform my understanding of the people that inhabited this time and place. I then utilized this research to give depth and distinction to the characters in the play. This culminated in a unique design that added to this artistic experience about desperation and hope that is Divine Words. / Theater

Hazing in collegiate settings, both Greek and non-Greek, damages educational institutions’ reputations and creates liability as they seek to maintain the safety of their students. This study examines hazing activities that take place during the initiation process of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). Utilizing qualitative research, it provides insight into the motivations of undergraduates who participate in BGLO hazing initiation rituals. Using National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and Pennsylvania State Law definition of hazing, this study focuses on an underexamined population generally overlooked by researchers in this field. Examining BGLO members’ familiarity with hazing prior to taking part revealed three levels of awareness: not aware, moderately aware, and very aware. Participants also indicated what kinds of dangers they were aware of, how they became aware of such dangers, and other facets of hazing they knew about prior to their participation in the activity. Members chose to join an organization where they believed hazing existed due to various factors: Confidence & Past Success, Intrapersonal Benefits, Societal Benefits, Perceptions of Hazing, Personal Relationships, Compatibility, Lack of Options, and Following Traditions. BGLO members’ willingness to undergo hazing sprang from the following factors: Long-term Benefits, Validation, The Bonds of Initiation, Personal Relationships, Acceptance, Perceptions of Hazing, Explanatory Justification. Finally, participants in this study indicated five roles that hazing plays in the initiation process of BGLO: Producing Better People, The Cycle of Re-Creation, Organizational Benefits, Validating Membership and Not Worth It. This project highlights the failure of higher educational institutions to play a key role in protecting students, specifically BGLO members, from the dangers of hazing and offers remedies for that oversight, including anti-hazing policies, hazing support services, membership intake processes, and fraternal organization advisement implications, as well as areas for future research on this topic. / Educational Leadership

This thesis is a study and description of the process of designing the scenic elements of Saying Grace by Robert Smythe, an adaptation and translation of the play Divinas Palabras by Ramón María del Valle-Inclán written for Temple University Theater. The body outlines the process the author took in researching and developing the concept for the play, finalizing the design with the director of the piece, and completing the actual drafting and artwork necessary to realize said design. It also details the actual construction of the scenery, properties, and puppet elements, discusses the final product and offers self-evaluation. Plates of the drawing and drafting, and photographs of the scale model and final production accompany this work. / Theater

Cette thèse propose une étude de la notion de religio dans le De ira Dei de Lactance, un auteur chrétien du IVe siècle de notre ère. Lactance est très connu pour son étymologie de religio contenue dans ses Diuinae institutiones, mais son utilisation, dans le De ira Dei, n’a jamais soulevé beaucoup d’intérêt. Il s’agit pourtant d’une notion centrale dans ce traité rédigé après que le christianisme soit devenu une religion tolérée par les Romains. De fait, l’analyse rhétorique du texte montre que celui-ci comporte une propositio qui suggère qu’il ne peut y avoir de religio sans crainte de Dieu. L’idée principale défendue par Lactance est que bonté et colère doivent toutes les deux exister en Dieu et que cela constitue le point essentiel de la piété et de la religion. Or, la notion de religion est rarement liée à la crainte divine dans l’Antiquité et on la rencontre plutôt associée à la superstitio chez certains penseurs romains, notamment chez Varron et Cicéron. La pensée de Lactance s’éloigne non seulement des penseurs de la philosophie de la religion romaine, mais également des auteurs chrétiens qui n’ont pas relié ces notions de façon aussi claire. Cette thèse étudie donc, dans un premier temps, l’emploi par les chrétiens des termes religio et superstitio afin d’en dégager quelques caractéristiques. Dans un deuxième temps, cette étude analyse la première partie du De ira Dei consacrée à la religio, à la Providence et à la crainte de Dieu. On remarque dès lors que les thèmes abordés dans le traité s’apparentent à ceux contenus dans les textes du Pseudo-Clément: le jugement divin qui sert à corriger, la Providence divine, la crainte de Dieu, la discussion sur les atomes et la figure d’Épicure qui est utilisée pour représenter ceux qui s’opposent à ce que Dieu ait créé le monde et qu’il le gouverne. Cette étude révèle donc une grande influence des textes du Pseudo-Clément. On remarque des liens entre la pensée exprimée par Simon et Faustinianus dans les Pseudo-Clémentines et les propos attribués à Épicure dans le De ira Dei. Certains chercheurs ont déjà noté que la pensée d’Épicure, telle que représentée dans le traité de Lactance, ne correspond pas toujours exactement à l’enseignement du philosophe du jardin. Lactance s’attaquerait plutôt à des groupes chrétiens, ou à tout le moins proches du christianisme, qui ne peuvent concilier l’idée d’un Dieu bon et d’un Dieu qui se met en colère. Ces groupes ont tendance à rejeter l’idée de l’action de Dieu dans le monde, la Providence divine et ont une vue très pessimiste de l’homme. L’analyse des arguments montre que les adversaires de cet ouvrage partagent des traits avec Arnobe et un autre auteur qui est réfuté par Augustin dans son Contra aduersarium legis et prophetarum. Tandis que les Pseudo-Clémentines se servent de la figure de Simon pour s’attaquer aux marcionites ou aux disciples d’Apelle, le De ira Dei se sert de la figure d’Épicure pour s’en prendre à des groupes du « Neu-Marcionitismus » comme les nommait A. von Harnack. La discussion sur la religion dans le De ira Dei vise donc à indiquer à ces groupes qu’ils ne peuvent prendre part à la religio s’ils ne conçoivent pas que le Dieu unique, qui a créé le monde et le gouverne, puisse éprouver bonté et colère. / This thesis proposes a study of the concept religio in the De ira Dei of Lactantius, a Christian writer of the fourth century AD. Lactantius is well known for its etymology of religio found in its Diuinae institutiones, but the notion of religio, as found in the De ira Dei, never raised much interest. Yet, it is a central notion in this treatise written after Christianity became a religion tolerated in the Roman Empire. Indeed, the rhetoric analysis of the text shows the following propositio: there can’t be any religion where there is no fear of God. The main idea defended by Lactantius is that kindness and anger must both exist in God and that this is the essential point of piety and religion. But the concept of religion is rarely linked to fear God in Antiquity and fear is rather associated with superstitio in Latin literature, especially in Varro and Cicero. The thought of Lactance is remote not only to Roman thinkers of philosophy of religion, but also Christian authors who have not linked these concepts as clearly. Firstly, this thesis examines the use by Christian of religio and superstitio in order to identify some characteristics. Secondly, this study analyzes the first part of the De ira Dei devoted to the notion of religio, to the fear of God and to Providence. The topics covered in the treaty are similar to those contained in the pseudo-clementine texts: divine judgment used to correct rather than to avenge, Divine Providence, the fear of God, discussion about atoms and the particular use of Epicurus as a the archetype of those who refuse to admit that God created the world and governs it. A strong link can be found between the thought expressed by Simon and Faustinianus in the Pseudo-Clementines and statements attributed to Epicurus in the De ira Dei. Some researchers have noted that the thought of Epicurus, as depicted in the Treaty of Lactantius, not always reflect exactly the thought of the philosopher of the garden. The refutation of Lactantius would be directed at a Christian group, or one close to Christianty, rather than directed at the epicurean philosophy. This particular group could not reconcile the idea of a good God and a God who is angry. These groups tend to reject the idea of God’s action in the world, therefore the Divine Providence, and have a very pessimistic view of man. The analysis of the arguments shows that the opponents of this book share traits with Arnobius and another author who is refuted by Augustine in his Contra aduersarium legis and prophetarum. While the Pseudo-Clementines are using the figure of Simon to tackle Marcionites or the disciples of Apelles, the De ira Dei uses the Epicurus to attack a group of “Neu- Marcionitismus” as A. von Harnack called them. Therefore, the aim of the discussion on religion in the De ira Dei is to inform these groups that they can’t be part of the religio if they do not conceive that there is only one God who created the world, governs it and who can feel kindness as well as anger.

Recent literature seems to have opened up space for naturalistic theistic metaethics in a contemporary context, as proponents of divine command theories have tended to be restricted to either supernatural or theistic non-natural theories within existing taxonomies of normative theory. While perhaps encouraging for theists, would theism add anything substantive to theories of ethical naturalism? In this paper, I examine this question. I argue that theistic naturalism appears to incur certain objections as well as provide a plausible and explanatory constraint on content for theories of ethical naturalism. As a result, a corresponding challenge to non-theistic variants is raised. / Master of Arts / Realists, roughly summarized, are those metaethicists who believe that some moral propositions have truth values, that some (or at least one) of those propositions turn out to be true, and that if rational agents disagree on the truth value of a particular moral proposition, only one of them has the possibility of being correct. Broadly construed, moral realists tend to fall under one of two “tents”, preferring either naturalism (for which moral properties turn out to be wholly natural in constitution) or non-naturalism (which posits that at least some moral properties have, even if only partly, non-natural constituents as part of their make-up. Theists, who base their theories of morality on some facet of the nature or essence (or commands) of God, have tended to either be relegated in philosophical debate to a characterization of “supernaturalism” or to some seldom visited corner of the non-natural “tent” of moral realism. The former tends to limit theistic engagement in contemporary metaethical dialogue such that it can seem (at times) as if theists and non-theists are talking about two different subjects entirely. On the other hand, a non-naturalistic theory of theistic moral realism saddles the view with some fairly difficult metaphysical and epistemological baggage in the form of powerful objections levied against non-naturalistic theories in general. This paper explores another option for theism in light of very recent work by Gideon Rosen, namely his article examining the metaphysical implications of varieties of moral realism, particularly naturalistic ones. This article has already garnered a general characterization (within metaethical research, writ large) as being a “taxonomy” of naturalistic (and non-naturalistic, for that matter) theories. Specifically for my purposes here, Rosen suggests that divine command theory (and theistic metaethics in general) should be understood as being naturalistic in formulation. This would seem to be advantageous to theists, in that their metaethical theories might avoid either the bounded characterization of supernaturalism or the difficult challenges of non-naturalism. However, the theist, should she avail herself of naturalism in this regard, will need to tread carefully. Given that Rosen has couched his 'taxonomy' in terms of metaphysical grounding, I examine some resultant challenges for naturalistic theistic metaethics, concluding they can be overcome, as well as a related objection to non-theistic naturalism that arise as a result of the same grounding discussion coupled with the resources theists can leverage in a naturalistic context.