This thesis examines the theological significance and use of chant in the Divine Liturgy of Saint Chrysostom, in both Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholicism. An overview of the Liturgy and its chant is given while examining contemporary and historical practices. Finally, this paper also offers an overview of trends and practices used by Eastern Christian faithful in the United States.

In this thesis, I explore the differences between proto-orthodox and gnostic proselytization beliefs and practices as expressed in their respective texts during the era of doctrinal conflict before the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE in an attempt to explain why these differences existed and how proto-orthodox Christian leaders saw their sect’s emphasis of proselytization as an important distinction between themselves and their gnostic counterparts. Proto-orthodox texts reveal a strong belief in global proselytization, and proto-orthodox leaders stressed that evangelism was a divine command from God that contemporary Christians were supposed to obey. However, gnostic religious texts, commentaries, and letters do not place nearly as much emphasis on proselytization and do not see proselytization as a command from God or something that gnostic believers should practice. Rather, gnostic texts reveal that gnostic believers should focus on internal revelation and special knowledge. While gnostic Christians clearly shared their faith with others, the doctrinal importance of proselytization differed from that of the proselytization focused proto-orthodox Christians. These varying beliefs on evangelism and its relative importance demonstrate a contrast in proselytization beliefs as it relates to the doctrinal discussion between proto-orthodox and gnostic believers in the first 4 centuries CE that has not been comprehensively examined by academia. While some of the practicalities of proto-orthodox proselytization were likely similar in some respects to gnostic proselytization practices, such as not sharing complicated doctrine at once, proto-orthodox Christian leaders argued that the differences in proselytization were doctrinally significant and was a point of contention between these two sects.

Breakin Media is a social media consulting agency that targets small business owners (comedians) specifically in the Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Older Millennial category. Comedians, specifically, who are auditioning for shows or going to comedy clubs, may not be seeing the same level of success as another comedian who has a large social media following. This is true for most industries. Small businesses who do not have social media have lower rates of customer satisfaction and revenue. This business is about educating, analyzing, and building business owners so they too can feel part of the social media revolution.
This business uses research and data from different social media comedians in order to create a guide for comedians who own comedy clubs or are trying to break into show business. This thesis includes the logistics of starting a business. It will outline the financing and pricing of a service like this for individuals and businesses. This also outlines the generational stigma of social media, and the difficulties an older generation is currently facing when wanting to expand their business into social media.

The Breakin Media business model assesses each client on a set of five pillars, which have been found by research to affect follower count. The five pillars are relatability, targeted marketing, consistency, high-quality content, and algorithm alignment. Each pillar is dissected and used to increase the exposure of every comedian. There is a 3 tier system for pricing that outlines the costs of each service, and an infographic to guide each client. This thesis is about bridging a gap in generations, and increasing success for small businesses, specifically in theatre and comedy.

In both historic and contemporary culture, society has created a distinct narrative surrounding solo female travel. The creation of this narrative has prevented many women from pursuing travel and outdoor recreation, despite their various benefits. Both outdoor recreation and travel in the context of female involvement carry parallels in regards to the development of a counter space. Travel cannot be properly understood without understanding outdoor recreation, since the two are so inherently intertwined. Therefore, this thesis will analyze the benefits and counter space that travel and outdoor recreation provide. It will analyze the current media narrative, why the presence of cisgender and narrow-minded stereotypes prevent women from traveling and recreating outdoors, and analyze personal anecdotes from various women to further understand counter space in travel.

There is a five-inch thick border of swirling, endless black. Intricate pictures of places and people break the chaos every three inches. Symbols and figures follow a winding path, converging into a colorful disc surrounding a snowy circle. With a closer glance, you can see the order within the chaos, the thoughts and ideas that have prevailed across time and borders, and the eternal search for what it means to be human. This is my thesis \u2014 a medieval style tapestry woven from sixteen human origin stories across time and space. This tapestry encourages viewers to question what it means to be human, what it means to live a good life, why they believe this to be so, and how and why others answer these questions.

For the ancient Greeks, music not only was esteemed for its social and entertaining value, but also because it reflected the beauty of the gods and their creations. Music furthermore “embodied larger universal principles and served as a vehicle for higher understanding.” According to Lippmann, the ancients believed that the universe “contains a harmony that controls both spatial and temporal phenomena” and “we can come to know the divine order of harmony more readily in ourselves than in the external world.” Gaining self-knowledge and awareness of one’s place in the world are significant and music is a means of gaining this consciousness. Ancient Greeks believed that music was inspired by the Greek goddesses known as the Muses. In this paper, I argue that, by gifting humans with divinely inspired music, the Muses help humans achieve this mindfulness of one‟s place in the world and attain immortality.

This was a social movements analysis of the protests against Arizona's Senate Bill 1070, better known as the "Show Me your Papers" law. The project looked at the role religious organizations and religious leaders took in the protests as part of the immigration rights movement in Arizona. It was found that there were frames, networks, and resources already in place when SB 1070 passed in 2010. Rather than a movement emerging as a response to the legislation, it looked more like a social movement in crisis. The established frames, networks, and resources allowed this social movement to meet the challenge and have some measure of success in resisting and overturning SB 1070.

This paper analyzes the British people’s attitudes towards the French people both before and after the French Revolution. It looks at how the French émigrés played a role in shaping these attitudes. To analyze the opinions of the British people prior to the French Revolution travel diaries are used. These travel diaries identify the stereotypes of the French people given by the British. The French Revolution prompted the immigration of French people to England. This immigration led to a change in treatment towards the French people. Kirsty Carpenter was a pioneer in researching the role émigrés played in changing British attitudes towards the French. During the Revolution a variety of sources are used to examine what the British thought of the émigrés. Memories of Frances Burney and Comtesse du Boigne are used. In addition, articles and reports found in newspapers like The Observer. Also, editorial and political writings by Henry Dundas and Edmund Burke are used. In general, after analyzing these sources it is seen that British attitudes towards the French people differed with the introduction of French émigrés during the French Revolution. Prior to the French Revolution, many British people thought of the French as foolish, vain, and lazy. The French emigrants elicited a sympathetic response from the British people. The differing attitudes towards the French people can be explained by the dire circumstances of the emigrants, the violent nature of the Revolution, and the increased contact between the French and British people.

Ten percent of the global population believed that the world would end on December 21, 2012. But people have believed that the world was going to end before. What causes these apocalyptic crazes and what allows them to spread beyond the fringes of society? What role does popular religion play in creating or spreading apocalyptic hysteria? How do these prophets of doom react when the world still exists past its predicted date of expiration? What about the people who believed them? This paper examines historical instances of apocalyptic predictions, how these predictions were formed out of or shaped by popular religion, as well as the reactions \u2014 both internal and external \u2014 of those who either predicted or believed that the end was near. After building this historical context, I turn my focus to the pop culture phenomenon that is the end of the Mayan Calendar. I attempt to understand and explain what aspects of the current social, religious, and psychological climate have contributed to the cultural ubiquity of and fascination with the December 21, 2012 apocalypse, and what the date actually meant to the Classical Maya. Finally, I examine the existential, religious, and cultural factors that make Americans in particular so ready and willing to believe that the end of the earth is imminent.

One of Ancient Rome's most intriguing pagan religions is that of the mysterious cult of Mithras: the celebration of an ancient Indo-Iranian god, who gained an enormous amount of popularity during the first several centuries of the Common Era. Mithraism, as the cult has been commonly termed, was a mystery religion, one whose nature and teachings remain somewhat secretive today, since the cult left no written works. Mithraism provides a particularly interesting point of view regarding the Roman Empire, since the cult began around the same time that Christianity did, but was entirely forgotten just over 400 years later. In analyzing why one religion succeeded while the other failed, this paper examines beliefs such as astrology, Zoroastrianism, monotheism, and fatalism within the context of life in the Roman Empire.