For my honors thesis, I decided to do a creative project in the form of an extended comedy act. With this performance, I wanted to make jokes about my identity and experiences in my life while synthesizing the skills I had acquired over my college career. I decided I wanted to do this project because it felt like the best way to combine my passion (comedy) with my major (communication) in the form of a comedic performance study. And while I thought the performance would be the most informative aspect of my project, the workshop process ended up being far more enlightening. Through the workshop process, I was able to better understand the challenges that come with developing a comedic autoethnographic performance, and to discover the true purpose behind the art I was creating.

The purpose of this study is to explore the shifting cultural norms of copyright law, and that concept’s impact on the performance and practice of artists producing original works of authorship. Although related concepts predate it, and today it exists as a subset of a broader category known as intellectual property, the purpose of copyright beginning with the United States Constitution was to allow for a temporary economic monopoly to an author of a fixed creative work. This monopoly was meant to incentivize authors to contribute to the public good with works that promote progress in science and art. However, increases over time in the scope and duration of copyright terms grant broader protections and controls for copyright owners today, while advances in technology have provided the public with the potential for near-limitless low-cost access to information. This creates a conflict between proprietary interest in creative works and the public’s right and ability to access and build on those works. The history of copyright law in America is rife with efforts to balance these competing interests.

The methodology for this study consisted of flexible strategies for collecting and analyzing data, primarily elite, semi-structured interviews with professional artists, attorneys, and others who engage with the cultural and legal norms of intellectual property regimes on a regular basis. Constant comparative analysis was used to maintain an emic perspective, prioritizing the subjective experience of individuals interviewed for this research project. Additional methods for qualitative analysis were also employed here to code and categorize gathered data, including the use of RQDA, a software package for Qualitative Data Analysis that runs within the R statistical software program. Various patterns and behaviors relevant to intellectual property reforms as they relate to artist practices were discussed in detail following the analysis of findings, in an effort to describe how cultural norms of copyright intersect with the creation of original works of authorship, and towards the development of the theory that the semiotic sign systems subject to intellectual property laws are not themselves forms of real property, as they do not meet the categorical requirements of scarce resources.

Regardless of religious beliefs, all one has left when they leave this Earth is the meaning the individual has derived from building connections and relationships with other people. I propose whether or not one is able to reach his or her potential and the quality of life that follows is based inherently in the following question: How will you manifest your truth into reality, thus becoming the best at your profession or craft, and spreading your gifts to help the lives of others? The answer to this question, and ultimately the key to leading the best life available is in the equation: vulnerability through playfulness and connection instigates happiness, which results in spreading positivity and facilitating the ability to make fearless decisions that guides one's life as an artist or profession of one's choosing, leading one to their highest potential. This theory applies to everyone and does not discriminate. This is the beginning of a life-long exploration and discovery with these elements as I further my work as an artist, and I will explore these themes from my exposure to the Balinese people and culture, our theatre workshops and experiences there, and through additional inspiration and research. The workshop and clowning in Bali training helped form the theory I have proposed, and further introduced a different approach to acting that I utilize in my own work that incorporates taksu: an achievable state of being that is unanimously understood by the Balinese that influences and shapes how they approach life, work, and each other that I discuss more extensively in my work. I will continue to inquire about how one finds space for imagination and pursuit of taksu without traveling, although traveling is an amazing way to broaden one's scope of perspective. The combination of elements discussed and taksu help create a humanity that is more in touch with inner peace and happiness as a result of spreading both positivity and a positive mindset to others. This in turn, influences and shapes performance and how we approach the craft of acting, while creating emotional truth and integrity within one's craft.

I wrote creative non-fiction to enrich and expand the existing narratives of Mexican immigrant experiences by preserving oral histories and thus, influence a broader cultural understanding. As a first-generation Mexican-American writer, I believe there is a pressing need to explore the stories of my people, particularly those of my father. I also acknowledge the master narratives that work to influence and consequently oppress my own voice as a writer. The master narrative values white experiences and voices in narrative writing while devaluing work from non-white authors. Thus, it became critical for me to reclaim my true voice as a writer and consequently, disrupt this harmful master narrative. Through this project, I reclaimed my voice as a writer, the one that pays homage to my cultural roots by writing my father's stories authentically. I integrated my heritage language Spanish and English in the writing of these stories. As the daughter of immigrants, this is an important way of representing my identity through my writing. Additionally, the importance of this work is greatly exemplified by the unity that springs forth among Mexican immigrants and children of those immigrants when experiences like these are shared and released into the world. At present, the Mexican immigrant community faces social and political discrimination in the form of misrepresentation, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and racism. Therefore, there is a palpable need for more accurate representation to combat these issues. Written storytelling provides a valuable glimpse into my father's experience as a Mexican immigrant and is a valuable tool to challenge harmful master narratives.

Across​ ​group​ ​studies,​ ​identifying​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of​ ​one​ ​group​ ​over​ ​the​ ​other​ ​is​ ​instrumental​ ​in determining​ ​the​ ​traits​ ​of​ ​an​ ​individual’s​ ​personality.​ ​Furthermore,​ ​when​ ​someone’s​ ​style​ ​of​ ​dress causes​ ​them​ ​to​ ​fit​ ​into​ ​a​ ​group,​ ​their​ ​personality​ ​is​ ​likely​ ​to​ ​be​ ​dictated​ ​by​ ​what​ ​they​ ​are​ ​wearing and​ ​who​ ​they​ ​are​ ​with.​ ​Attendees​ ​of​ ​comic​ ​conventions​ ​have​ ​been​ ​part​ ​of​ ​a​ ​growing​ ​trend​ ​to dress​ ​up​ ​as​ ​their​ ​favorite​ ​characters​ ​from​ ​different​ ​anime,​ ​manga,​ ​television​ ​shows,​ ​books,​ ​video games,​ ​etc.,​ ​where​ ​they​ ​can​ ​meet​ ​like-minded​ ​people​ ​who​ ​share​ ​similar​ ​interests​ ​and​ ​hobbies. When​ ​combining​ ​changes​ ​of​ ​affect,​ ​and​ ​similarities​ ​of​ ​cultural​ ​and​ ​group​ ​identification,​ ​the likelihood​ ​to​ ​engage​ ​in​ ​a​ ​romantic​ ​relationship​ ​may​ ​become​ ​heightened.​ ​Using​ ​existing​ ​measures to​ ​examine​ ​commitment,​ ​sociosexual​ ​orientation​ ​and​ ​relationship​ ​satisfaction,​ ​1232​ ​convention attendees​ ​responded​ ​to​ ​measures​ ​addressing​ ​their​ ​current​ ​or​ ​most​ ​recent​ ​relationship.​ ​The respondents​ ​were​ ​split​ ​into​ ​4​ ​groups,​ ​individuals​ ​who​ ​are​ ​currently​ ​in​ ​a​ ​relationship​ ​and​ ​cosplay, individuals​ ​who​ ​are​ ​currently​ ​in​ ​a​ ​relationship​ ​and​ ​do​ ​not​ ​cosplay,​ ​individuals​ ​who​ ​are​ ​currently single​ ​and​ ​cosplay,​ ​and​ ​individuals​ ​who​ ​are​ ​currently​ ​in​ ​a​ ​relationship​ ​and​ ​do​ ​not​ ​cosplay. Results​ ​indicated​ ​non-significant​ ​results​ ​in​ ​the​ ​two​ ​groups​ ​that​ ​are​ ​not​ ​in​ ​relationships,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as non-cosplaying​ ​attendees​ ​currently​ ​in​ ​a​ ​relationship,​ ​for​ ​all​ ​the​ ​measures,​ ​while​ ​there​ ​were​ ​weak, significant​ ​results​ ​for​ ​sociosexual​ ​orientation​ ​and​ ​relationship​ ​satisfaction​ ​for​ ​individuals​ ​who are​ ​in​ ​relationships​ ​and​ ​also​ ​cosplay.​ ​Limitations​ ​and​ ​future​ ​directions​ ​are​ ​discussed.

In Arizona, people flock the streets of Tombstone in droves, chatting in period costume while gunshots ring down the street. Others in Bisbee walk in the Queen Mine, listening to the tour guide discuss how the miners extracted ore. Still others drive up the precarious road to Jerome, passing through the famed Grand Hotel. As former Arizona mining towns, Tombstone, Jerome and Bisbee have a shared identity as former mining boomtowns, all of which experienced subsequent economic and population decline. Left with the need to reinvent themselves in order to survive, the past takes on a different role in each city. In Jerome, visitors seem content to "kill a day" against the backdrop of the historic town. In Bisbee, time seems stuck in the 1970s, the focus having shifted from the mining to the "hippies" who are considered to have resuscitated the town from near-extinction. Tombstone seem to inspire devotion, rooted in the influence of the 1993 film titled after the town. By memorializing portions of their past, these three towns have carved out new lives for themselves in the twenty-first century. As visitors are informed by the narrative of the "Old West," as shaped by the Western movie and television genre, they in turn impact how the towns present themselves in order to attract tourists. In all these sites, the past is present and like a kaleidoscope, continually recreated into new formations. While the designation of Jerome, Bisbee and Tombstone as "ghost towns" is disputed by individuals in each site, these stories of visitors and residents reveal the intricate ways in which these towns have acquired new life.

In this dissertation, organizational whistleblowing is guided by the methods for writing Creative Nonfiction. That is to say, a true story is told in a compelling and creative, easy to read manner, so that a broader audience, both academic and non-academic alike, can understand the stories told. For this project, analytic concepts such as antecedents, organizational culture, resistance and dissidence, social support, and ethics are embedded in the narrative text. In this piece, the author tells the story of a whistleblowing process, from beginning to end. Using the techniques advised by Gutkind (2012) questions and directions for research and analytic insight are integrated with the actual scenes of the whistleblowing account. The consequences of whistleblowing are explored, including loss of status, social isolation, and a variety of negative ramifications. In order to increase confidentiality in the dissertation, pseudonyms and adapted names and locations have been used to focus on the nature of the whistleblowing experience rather than the specific story. The author ends the dissertation with reflection on whistleblowing through the insight gathered from his firsthand account, suggesting advice for future whistleblowers and directions for future organizational research on whistleblowing.

Privilege is unearned advantages, access, and power reserved for a select group of people. Those that benefit from privilege manifest their power consciously and sub-consciously so as to maintain their exclusive control of the opportunities privilege affords them. The reach and power of one’s privilege rises and falls as the different social identities that one possesses intersect. Ultimately, if a society built on justice and equity is to be achieved, those with privilege must take tangible steps to acknowledge their privilege and work to end the unequal advantages and oppression that are created in order to perpetuate privilege. This thesis unpacks privilege through an autoethnographic examination of the author’s history. Through the use of creative nonfiction, personal stories become launching points to explore characteristics of privilege manifest in the author’s life which are emblematic of larger social groups that share many of the author’s social identities. The following characteristics of privilege are explored: merit, oppression, normalization, economic value, neutrality, blindness, and silence.