My creative thesis project is titled “NOTEworthy HERstory: A Feminist Exploration of Prominent Women in Pop Music.” Specifically, I seek to answer this research question: what is the dynamic, reciprocal relationship between these prominent female artists’ music and careers with feminist theory? In other words, I am exploring how feminist theory influenced their work, and also how their work influenced feminist theory and our societal understanding and appreciation of women’s lives. This topic incorporates history, sociology, musicology, and feminist theory. I have presented my findings about specific female artists through a series of four podcast episodes. I selected Carole King, Tina Turner, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift as the subjects for the episodes because they each jumped out to me as being highly connected to specific feminist themes: waves of feminism, patriarchy, intersectionality, and power, respectively.

Anti-popery, political prejudice against Catholicism on the basis that it is not conducive to liberty, contributed to the American religious and political discourses of the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution. While some have argued that anti-popery diminished in New England during the Revolution, this paper shows that it persisted as a political assumption among New England Protestants and continued to be expressed in sermons and political debates of America's early republican period. The Franco-American alliance was a pragmatic alliance which did not ultimately do away with anti-papal sentiment. Following history to the nativist movement of the mid-nineteenth century, this paper then shows that the arguments deployed against Catholic Irish immigrants were of the same vein as those deployed by Protestant New Englanders before the American Revolution and that the assumption of religio-political anti-popery never truly faded in the early republic, allowing for it to be enlivened by the dramatic increase in New England's Catholic population in the 1820s and 1830s.

This research examines the role of historically Black Greek-lettered fraternities and their impact on Black men's mental health. The evolution of historically Black Greek-lettered fraternities illuminates Black men's historical and contemporary struggles in America. Since 1906, African American fraternities in the “Divine Nine'' have existed. The Divine Nine is a colloquial term to refer to all nine fraternities and sororities that are a part of the National Panhellenic Council (NPHC). For over a century, these organizations have continued to create programs that support Black male success and achievement. Behavioral health also has been supported due to their organization's influence on forming Black men's identity, values, and wellness. The purpose of this thesis is to reveal how Black Greek-lettered fraternities have supported the maintenance of Black men's mental health. By examining concepts and events in the past centuries, this thesis will explore the role of Black fraternities in the Black male community. First, I will share my African-American fraternity experience to help enlighten readers on my inspiration for this research topic. Second, there will be a historical overview of the conditions that created the urgency for historically Black fraternities to exist. Third, I will explore the context of Black fraternities and sororities in American society, emphasizing the history, contributions, and impact of the specific five Black Greek-lettered fraternities in the NPHC. I will share differing perspectives on fraternity activities and rituals that point to productive ways of supporting Black men’s mental health. For example, I will emphasize the international and collegiate perspective of the historically Black fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. I conclude the thesis with a summary of the overall contributions of Black fraternities and their impact on Black men's mental health. This thesis proposes that throughout time, Black Greek-lettered fraternities have positively impacted Black men's mental health by providing support networks, community, and a sense of belonging.

Climate change is a well-known global threat to societal systems; however, its effects on the health of individuals are often less evident. Physicians who aim to properly treat patients holistically must be educated on the various forms of illness and disease projected to be exacerbated by climate change. Without this necessary climate education, physicians run the risk of being unable to fulfill the most sacred charge of the Hippocratic oath: Do No Harm. To ensure that physicians moving forward are prepared to face this new global health threat, the prevalence of climate change in current medical school curricula must be examined. Content analysis of publicly available medical school curricula in the Southwest U.S. was done using ChatGPT to track the frequency of climate health search terms. Medical school curricula analyzed included mandatory degree programs as well as optional dual degree programs or pathways for medical student education. Researchers found that medical schools within the Southwest region of the United States are not sufficiently preparing students to mitigate the regional effects of climate change on the health of patients. Mandatory medical degree curriculum does not sufficiently educate on climate health issues, nor is it present in Utah, New Mexico, or Colorado. Optional degrees and pathways are available to medical students to enroll in and may be sufficient to educate a medical student, but are not enticing enough to sufficiently educate all medical students. Some medical schools have recently conducted revisals of their mandatory curriculum and still show a lack of education available about climate health issues. The lack of educational resources for future providers could lead to detrimental health outcomes for patients, and medical schools in development should take the lead in educating their students about climate health issues.

Climate change is a well-known global threat to societal systems; however, its effects on the health of individuals are often less evident. Physicians who aim to properly treat patients holistically must be educated on the various forms of illness and disease projected to be exacerbated by climate change. Without this necessary climate education, physicians run the risk of being unable to fulfill the most sacred charge of the Hippocratic oath: Do No Harm. To ensure that physicians moving forward are prepared to face this new global health threat, the prevalence of climate change in current medical school curricula must be examined. Content analysis of publicly available medical school curricula in the Southwest U.S. was done using ChatGPT to track the frequency of climate health search terms. Medical school curricula analyzed included mandatory degree programs as well as optional dual degree programs or pathways for medical student education. Researchers found that medical schools within the Southwest region of the United States are not sufficiently preparing students to mitigate the regional effects of climate change on the health of patients. Mandatory medical degree curriculum does not sufficiently educate on climate health issues, nor is it present in Utah, New Mexico, or Colorado. Optional degrees and pathways are available to medical students to enroll in and may be sufficient to educate a medical student, but are not enticing enough to sufficiently educate all medical students. Some medical schools have recently conducted revisals of their mandatory curriculum and still show a lack of education available about climate health issues. The lack of educational resources for future providers could lead to detrimental health outcomes for patients, and medical schools in development should take the lead in educating their students about climate health issues.

This research examines twelfth-century Anglo-Norman literature as social commentary, in support of or as critique of the ruling class, and investigates what Anglo-Norman society considered the most profound responsibilities of kingship. Literature offered a space for courtly poets and chroniclers to critique authority and express concerns about issues in the court. Both R. Howard Bloch (2003) and Albrecht Classen (2008) have examined the political aspect of Marie de France’s lais, relying on the context in John of Salisbury’s political treatise Policraticus. While John’s written views are broadly reflective of his society’s beliefs, he primarily examines the king’s role in promoting religion and justice. This study’s inclusion of three other chronicles written contemporaneously—The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s The History of the Kings of Britain, and Walter Map’s De Nugis Curialium—reveals more nuance and breadth in both the Anglo-Norman political realm and twelfth-century ideologies of kingship. By extending prior research, broadening the range of voices included in the conversation, and analyzing multiple chronicles in conjunction with the lais of Marie de France, this research explores what twelfth-century Anglo-Norman society considered the four most critical tenets of kingship: reverence for religious authority, the administration of equitable justice, generosity in sustaining one’s vassals and strangers alike, and respecting the bonds of feudal loyalty.

After the Vietnam War the Communist party faced the issue of unifying the minds of the Vietnamese people beyond just the outward signs. The party experienced both successes and failures in these efforts but overall found a valid way to normalize relations in the country. This thesis finds that unity did not come so much from forced indoctrination as from establishing prosperity and finding common points of unity. In Vietnam’s case, its shift to a more flexible and tolerant political and economic atmosphere paved the way for more positive views of the government, and by employing a nationalist appeal to historic figures and symbols, the government further shaped the minds of the rising generation. The use of Ho Chi Minh as the symbol of both modern Vietnam and the Communist party is a particularly telling example. Upon visiting Vietnam today, it is difficult to find outward expressions of disunity between the north and south. Accordingly, some of the strategies employed in Vietnam may be useful in other countries struggling with unity.