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- Title
- The Crossed Bands Motif: What does it mean?.
- Creator
-
Luther, Brittany, Barber, Sarah, Chase, Arlen, Walker, John, Callaghan, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The crossed bands motif is an iconographic symbol that appears among many Mesoamerican cultures' art including Olmec, Izapan and Maya spanning from the Early Pre-Classic to the Classic periods in Mesoamerica. Pierce explains in his theory on signs that icons, symbols and indices all contain meaning. This meaning was given to the signs by the one who commissioned the medium on which the sign is placed; therefore it is important to understand the meaning of these signs to learn more about the...
Show moreThe crossed bands motif is an iconographic symbol that appears among many Mesoamerican cultures' art including Olmec, Izapan and Maya spanning from the Early Pre-Classic to the Classic periods in Mesoamerica. Pierce explains in his theory on signs that icons, symbols and indices all contain meaning. This meaning was given to the signs by the one who commissioned the medium on which the sign is placed; therefore it is important to understand the meaning of these signs to learn more about the person or people who built them. The crossed bands motif has previously been studied based on individual pieces but never looked at as a symbol throughout geographical space and temporal existence. In this paper, I catalogue pieces of art in Olmec, Izapan and Maya sites that show the crossed bands motif. I delineated them based on what they represented, where the icon was present on the piece of art and when it was made. I found that in the Early Preclassic sites, the icon represented the existence of a deity and the sacred essence that the deity depicted on the stone monuments held. It transitioned in the Middle to Late Preclassic sites to signify the a connection between the deity and the human as a sort of transference of divinity. In the Classic Period, among Maya iconography, the meaning shifted again to represent the legitimacy of a ruler. The results of this research allow us to better understand the importance and relevance that these cultures placed on their deities not only in ritual life but in the legitimacy of their rulers and their right to rule. It allows us to understand that it was necessary for the rulership at these sites to publically state and show the ritual acts or the proof that their rule was sacred and had been legitimized by a deity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006137, ucf:51179
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006137
- Title
- UNDERSTANDING THE FEMALE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF SEXUAL ADDICTION AND THE ROLE OF ADDICTION TREATMENT.
- Creator
-
Douglass, Megan, Mishtal, Joanna, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Beginning with the diagnosis of nymphomania in the 19th Century, there has been widespread and continued interest across the mental health and bio-medical realm of what constitutes normality of female sexual behavior, and of the boundary at which sexual desire is deemed to be excessive, and thus abnormal. However, research questions that specifically investigate the subjective female voice and perspective in considerations of so-called hypersexuality or sex addiction remain understudied. This...
Show moreBeginning with the diagnosis of nymphomania in the 19th Century, there has been widespread and continued interest across the mental health and bio-medical realm of what constitutes normality of female sexual behavior, and of the boundary at which sexual desire is deemed to be excessive, and thus abnormal. However, research questions that specifically investigate the subjective female voice and perspective in considerations of so-called hypersexuality or sex addiction remain understudied. This research project proposes to examine the cultural pathways and systemic foundations which have historically in the West problematized female sexuality by investigating womenÂÂ's own perceptions of sexual addiction and their experiences in seeking (or not) addiction treatment. In addition, this research project proposes to investigate the perceptions of therapists (psychologists and psychiatrists) who treat hypersexual female patients, in order to examine their beliefs about the cultural and biological genesis of the disorder, and its appearance in female patients. Theoretically, this project aims to move away from the concept of individualized bodies suffering singularly from (dis)ease and abnormality, and investigate the ways in which Western cultural notions of normal female sexuality shape womenÂÂ's self-perceptions and notions about sexual deviance.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003138, ucf:48641
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003138
- Title
- PUBS, PUNTERS, AND PINTS: ANTHROPOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON PUB LIFE IN IRELAND.
- Creator
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Cucchiara, Jason, Matejowsky, Ty, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Ireland is a country with a rich and unique cultural heritage. It is difficult to imagine that certain facets of Irish culture (e.g. Saint Patrick's Day, the Blarney Stone, or the Ring of Kerry) can ever be taken for granted since they are so widely recognized internationally. One common feature of Irish life that possibly warrants more scholarly attention is the public house or pub. Much has been written about pubs as quaint institutions in popular literature and fiction. Curiously, they...
Show moreIreland is a country with a rich and unique cultural heritage. It is difficult to imagine that certain facets of Irish culture (e.g. Saint Patrick's Day, the Blarney Stone, or the Ring of Kerry) can ever be taken for granted since they are so widely recognized internationally. One common feature of Irish life that possibly warrants more scholarly attention is the public house or pub. Much has been written about pubs as quaint institutions in popular literature and fiction. Curiously, they remain largely overlooked as vital aspects of Irish culture by anthropologists and others in the social sciences. In many ways, socio-cultural research on pub life in Ireland is woefully under examined. In an effort to better evaluate the significance of traditional pub life to Irish culture, my thesis seeks to integrate and critically assess the existing socio-cultural literature on Irish pub life. Such work will not only help highlight both the commonalities and discrepancies within this area of study, it will more significantly identify those areas of Irish pub life that can benefit from further academic investigation. Two recent trips to Ireland in September 2004 and May 2006, allowed me to observe important aspects of pub life first hand. It became apparent from these encounters that, like the history of Ireland itself, local pubs have a rich historical foundation. Many of the pubs that I visited have been in existence or operational since the Middle Ages. Based on this longevity, one can reasonably argue that pubs in Ireland function largely as locales of social significance and cultural reproduction, not just centers of recreational drinking. Using my travel experience as a starting point for the critical analysis phase of this thesis project, I have developed three general research questions that I will explore to varying degrees in the context of this work. These are: (1) what are the origins of pubs in Ireland?; (2) what explicit and implicit functions do pubs serve in Irish communities?; and (3) what possible developments are likely to affect Irish pubs in the near and distant future?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002578, ucf:48255
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002578
- Title
- Catholic Healing Masses: Intersections of Health and Healing in Yucat(&)#225;n.
- Creator
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Draper, Suzanne, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The conception of illness and healing in contemporary Mexican Catholic discourse highlights both particular and ubiquitous instances of a health experience perceived locally and widespread. Catholic healing masses are utilized as supplemental methods of individual health restoration coupled with Western medicinal techniques in Catholic dramas. Aside from the spiritual and religious significance of this practice, the use of healing masses as an additional means to achieving an optimal health...
Show moreThe conception of illness and healing in contemporary Mexican Catholic discourse highlights both particular and ubiquitous instances of a health experience perceived locally and widespread. Catholic healing masses are utilized as supplemental methods of individual health restoration coupled with Western medicinal techniques in Catholic dramas. Aside from the spiritual and religious significance of this practice, the use of healing masses as an additional means to achieving an optimal health status implies that something is lacking in current biomedical models. The purpose of my research is to explore the humanistic terms under which healing masses operate and translate these terms into a biomedical conversation towards enhanced secular medical care
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005484, ucf:50332
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005484
- Title
- REIMAGINING DRUGS: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF U.S. DRUG POLICY FRAMEWORKS AND STUDENT ACTIVISM.
- Creator
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Sarmento, Megan A, Harris, Shana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As the repercussions of the nearly 50-year U.S. War on Drugs are revealing themselves to be harmful and life-threatening, especially to lower-class and minority populations, social movements aimed at drug policy reform have been on the rise. While today's generation of college students were raised on abstinence-based discourses, which constantly warned and threatened them about the dangers of drug use, these same students often change their perspective, some as early as high school, when they...
Show moreAs the repercussions of the nearly 50-year U.S. War on Drugs are revealing themselves to be harmful and life-threatening, especially to lower-class and minority populations, social movements aimed at drug policy reform have been on the rise. While today's generation of college students were raised on abstinence-based discourses, which constantly warned and threatened them about the dangers of drug use, these same students often change their perspective, some as early as high school, when they begin having their own experiences with drugs and engage in more drug-related conversations. As a result, many students become motivated to change drug policy and education and address the stigma associated with drug use in order to reduce drug-related harm to individuals. This thesis examines the ideas and efforts of students at a university in the southeastern United States who are actively engaged in making these changes. Based on interviews with students involved with two drug policy reform groups in 2018, this thesis highlights the role of student activism in the larger drug policy reform movement. Student activists raise awareness of the need for a critical examination of U.S. drug policy frameworks and their place in this endeavor. I argue that student activists' involvement in the drug policy reform movement is motivated by the numerous disparities they experience and observe in the dominant abstinence-based drug approach. Based on these students' perspectives, I argue for a shift towards a more holistic harm reduction education that aims to increase the quality of care and livelihood for drug users, an accomplishment they believe is inextricable from U.S. policy.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000439, ucf:45742
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000439
- Title
- WHOSE SUSTAINABILITY? AN ANALYSIS OF A COMMUNITY FARMING PROGRAM'S FOOD JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA.
- Creator
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Davenport, Sarah, Mishtal, Joanna, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As the 1960s Environmental movement has grown, sustainability and justice discourses have come to the fore of the movement. While environmental justice discourse considers the unequal effects of environmental burdens, the language that frames "sustainability" is often socially and politically neutral. This thesis critically examines sustainability initiatives and practices of an urban farming organization in Florida. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in 2017, I explore the extent to which these...
Show moreAs the 1960s Environmental movement has grown, sustainability and justice discourses have come to the fore of the movement. While environmental justice discourse considers the unequal effects of environmental burdens, the language that frames "sustainability" is often socially and politically neutral. This thesis critically examines sustainability initiatives and practices of an urban farming organization in Florida. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in 2017, I explore the extent to which these initiatives incorporate race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic class when working to provide sustainably grown food in diverse communities. I argue that the organization's focus on justice for the environment, rather than for communities, and education as a barrier in low-income, food desert neighborhoods neglects to integrate experiences of those living on the margins into their initiatives. This research raises awareness of the need for a critical examination of sustainability in practice and a politically aware incorporation of environmental justice themes into sustainability agendas.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000402, ucf:45805
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000402
- Title
- THE PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH? MOTIVATIONS BEHIND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' DECISIONS TO WEAR ATHLETIC ATTIRE.
- Creator
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Payne, Shannon, Mishtal, Joanna, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
"Athleisure" is a relatively new term to the American lexicon, a portmanteau used to describe athletic clothing used for leisure purposes. Recent studies show a disconnect between consumers' desire to purchase athletic attire and the percentage of Americans considered "active to a healthy level and beyond." While athletic wear sales skyrocket, reported levels of inactivity have slowly increased in recent years. These trends indicate a phenomenon in which consumers prioritize ownership of...
Show more"Athleisure" is a relatively new term to the American lexicon, a portmanteau used to describe athletic clothing used for leisure purposes. Recent studies show a disconnect between consumers' desire to purchase athletic attire and the percentage of Americans considered "active to a healthy level and beyond." While athletic wear sales skyrocket, reported levels of inactivity have slowly increased in recent years. These trends indicate a phenomenon in which consumers prioritize ownership of athletic wear over athletics. In this research, I set out to answer the following research questions: How do university students interpret and understand the purchase and wearing of athletic clothes, in the absence of athletic activity; and is a student's decision to wear athletic clothing for nonathletic activity associated with a symbolic performance of a healthy lifestyle? In order to answer these questions, I focused on a set of UCF students between 18 and 24 years of age who wore athletic attire as leisure attire and exercised less than three times a week. My data collection included participant observation, literature review, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 UCF students who fit my inclusion criteria. Based on recurring narratives, I invited interview participants back to hold a focus group in which three students ultimately participated. In analyzing these data, I found that college students consider athletic attire suitable for a variety of casual situations, and therefore did not conflate wearing athletic attire with participating in athletic activity or the appearance of a healthy lifestyle. Further, research participants used age- and gender-based stereotypes when making judgments about their peers' habits regarding athletic activity and wearing athletic attire. These findings are important because they demonstrate how the boundary between public and private attire can change over time, how discourses of consumption outweigh discourses of personal responsibility, and how dress is a gendered experience.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004855, ucf:45469
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004855
- Title
- MONITORING SHALLOW CONTROLLED GRAVES CONTAINING SMALL CADAVERS USING GROUND PENETRATING RADAR.
- Creator
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Fletcher, Joanna, Schultz, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) can be a useful geophysical instrument in the search and detection of clandestine graves in a forensic context. Controlled research in the field of forensic archaeology has demonstrated the applicability of this technology and is vital for improving GPR search methods. The objectives of this research was to evaluate the applicability of GPR, using 250 MHz and 500 MHz antennae, to locate shallow graves containing small pig cadavers in various burial scenarios...
Show moreGround-penetrating radar (GPR) can be a useful geophysical instrument in the search and detection of clandestine graves in a forensic context. Controlled research in the field of forensic archaeology has demonstrated the applicability of this technology and is vital for improving GPR search methods. The objectives of this research was to evaluate the applicability of GPR, using 250 MHz and 500 MHz antennae, to locate shallow graves containing small pig cadavers in various burial scenarios over a 12 month period. Data was collected on a controlled grid containing six graves at 0.5 m in depth: five graves containing pig carcasses and one control grave. The five graves containing the pig carcasses were devised to test a number of common forensic burial scenarios. The reflection profile data was processed using the computer program REFLEXW. The results demonstrate that the additional grave items did not always increase the detection of the grave for this monitoring period. Further, the low demarcation of the grave containing disturbed backfill illustrated that the hyperbolic reflection features were the result of the pig carcasses and not the disturbed soil. In terms of antenna performance, the 250 MHz data initially provided a higher resolution within the first few months. However, over time the higher detail provided by the 500 MHz data consistently resulted in easily discernable reflections.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0003592, ucf:48883
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003592
- Title
- An Assessment of Trace Elements Distribution in Teeth Utilizing a Sample Group from Postclassic Lamanai: The Application of LA-ICP-MS in Bioarchaeology and Forensics.
- Creator
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Hawkins, Michelle, Schultz, John, Williams, Lana, Baudelet, Matthieu, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Trace element analysis of skeletal remains and teeth is a common research technique in biological and forensic anthropology. In particular, LA-ICP-MS has become a widely-accepted tool for analyzing and mapping the distribution of trace elements in teeth. Investigation into the relative spectral intensities and spatial distribution of thirteen trace isotopes (13C, 24Mg, 27Al, 31P, 44Ca, 47Ti, 52Cr, 55Mn, 56Fe, 66Zn, 88Sr, 138Ba, 208Pb) within teeth was undertaken using LA-ICP-MS. The total...
Show moreTrace element analysis of skeletal remains and teeth is a common research technique in biological and forensic anthropology. In particular, LA-ICP-MS has become a widely-accepted tool for analyzing and mapping the distribution of trace elements in teeth. Investigation into the relative spectral intensities and spatial distribution of thirteen trace isotopes (13C, 24Mg, 27Al, 31P, 44Ca, 47Ti, 52Cr, 55Mn, 56Fe, 66Zn, 88Sr, 138Ba, 208Pb) within teeth was undertaken using LA-ICP-MS. The total archaeological sample of teeth (N=26) was comprised of four tooth types (UCI, ULI, UPM1, and UPM2) and 18 individuals from a Postclassic Lamanai site. In preparation for analysis, teeth sectioned down the center using a low-speed saw. Maps were created using the laser ablation system and MATLAB(&)#174; software. The frequency of each isotope detected at low, moderate, and high intensities at each of the six defined tooth locations was calculated. The inner dentine and the outer root border were the two areas that most commonly exhibited the highest intensities of isotopes. Detection of major structural isotopes (44Ca and 31P) was similar in both spatial locations and relative intensity across all teeth. In comparison, detection of more minor isotopes, while similar in spatial locations across all teeth, varied in relative intensity per individual sample. The frequency that each isotope was detected also varied by tooth type. These findings demonstrate the disparities between different types of dental tissue for retaining trace elements and serve to illuminate possible sources of external exposure and internal bioavailability influencing interindividual variation within the Lamanai sample population. Variation in isotope frequency based on tooth type may be due to developmental properties and/or changes in diet during early life. Ultimately, teeth act as storehouses of trace elements, and maps of isotopic distribution in teeth help reveal how individuals are influenced by both biological processes and cultural activities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006881, ucf:51722
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006881
- Title
- GIS Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts distribution at Holtun from the Preclassic through the Classic Periods.
- Creator
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Guzman Piedrasanta, Melvin, Kovacevich, Brigitte, Callaghan, Michael, Walker, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The nature of social organization at an archaeological site can be interpreted from many types of material remains. Exotic goods are particularly useful for making inferences about social organization because of their scarcity, utilitarian demand, and symbolic characteristics. Obsidian artifacts are some of the most abundant exotic goods among the Lowland Maya. The acquisition of these artifacts was the result of a wide net of commerce from the highlands of Guatemala and central Mexico into...
Show moreThe nature of social organization at an archaeological site can be interpreted from many types of material remains. Exotic goods are particularly useful for making inferences about social organization because of their scarcity, utilitarian demand, and symbolic characteristics. Obsidian artifacts are some of the most abundant exotic goods among the Lowland Maya. The acquisition of these artifacts was the result of a wide net of commerce from the highlands of Guatemala and central Mexico into the Maya lowlands. The patterns of consumption and distribution of obsidian artifacts vary according the time and location. This variation is seen as the result of complex dynamics of trade and social interactions among the ancient Maya. Therefore, I argue that there is variability perceptible in the patterns of consumption and local distribution of obsidian between the elite residential groups at the site of Holtun. This study presents a descriptive and comparative analysis of the patterns of obsidian consumption observed in the samples from the excavations performed by the Holtun Archaeological Project from 2011 through 2016. The analysis contributes to the understanding of local processes in association with regional socioeconomic and political dynamics in the Maya Lowlands.Previous research has suggested that obsidian distribution in some times and places was centralized and controlled by powerful Maya polities. In addition, research performed on obsidian artifacts reveals a change in the consumption of different obsidian sources at other sites in the Yaxh(&)#225; basin, the geographic location of Holtun. The data collected by Holtun Archaeological Project provide information that correlates with the broader trends of obsidian preferences in the area. Our findings suggest that during the Preclassic period (c. 600 BC to AD 250) the frequency of obsidian artifacts from San Martin Jilotepeque was higher than other sources and the artifacts from El Chayal were restricted to households especially associated with the first ritual and monumental construction at the site. Then, during the Classic Period (AD 250 to 950), the frequency of artifacts from San Martin Jilotepeque experienced a decrease in quantity and the artifacts from El Chayal were more accessible across the site. The process of excavation and mapping, and the subsequent laboratory analyses have allowed for the documentation of this variability in accessibility and consumption preferences within different elite residential groups. To facilitate these interpretations, a map of Holtun was created using Geographic Information Systems. It allows the inclusion of layers of information obtained during this research, constituting a point of reference for the understanding of socioeconomic and political changes experienced within the site during the intriguing transition from the Preclassic to the Classic period.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006945, ucf:51669
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006945
- Title
- Chemical Differentiation of Human Osseous, Non-human Osseous, and Non-osseous Materials Using Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (SEM/EDX) and Multivariate Statistical Analysis.
- Creator
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Meizel-Lambert, Cayli, Schultz, John, Sigman, Michael, Toyne, J. Marla, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Identification of osseous materials is generally established on gross anatomical factors; however, highly fragmented or taphonomically altered materials are often problematic and alternative methods, such as biological, histological, or chemical analysis, must be utilized. Recently, chemical methods have been proposed to sort unknown materials according to their Ca/P ratios. Ubelaker and colleagues (2002) proposed using SEM/EDX to achieve this distinction and Christensen and colleagues (2012)...
Show moreIdentification of osseous materials is generally established on gross anatomical factors; however, highly fragmented or taphonomically altered materials are often problematic and alternative methods, such as biological, histological, or chemical analysis, must be utilized. Recently, chemical methods have been proposed to sort unknown materials according to their Ca/P ratios. Ubelaker and colleagues (2002) proposed using SEM/EDX to achieve this distinction and Christensen and colleagues (2012) have validated X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) for this application. An alternative method of analysis involves performing principal component analysis (PCA) on element spectra to classify unknown materials based on their trace element composition. Zimmerman (2013) proposed the validity of this method with data obtained using hand held XRF. Subsequently, performing PCA on elemental data obtained using SEM/EDX demonstrates potential for material differentiation. Elemental weight percent data were collected using SEM/EDX then processed in R, version 3.0.1, by the R Foundation for Statistical Computing using PCA and Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis. A two-tiered analysis was undertaken to improve discrimination between sample groups. The first tier involved distinguishing between osseous and non-osseous materials. After outliers were removed overall correct classification was 98.02% with one of 1504 osseous and 39 of 520 non-osseous spectra misclassifying. Since forty spectra were collected for each sample, the single misclassifying spectra would not affect the overall classification of the sample, resulting in 100% correct classification with a 0% error rate for the osseous samples. The second tier assessed differentiation of human and non-human osseous materials but demonstrated a poor correct classification rate of 72.41%. Finally, a blind study was conducted using 20 samples to assess the applicability for using this method to classify unknown materials as osseous or non-osseous. All of the samples were correctly classified resulting in 100% correct classification, further demonstrating the efficiency of SEM/EDX and statistical analysis for differentiation of osseous and non-osseous materials. Due to its high specificity, small sample requirements, and relative non-destructive testing protocol, as well as its presence in most modern crime laboratories, SEM/EDX has been proposed as a laboratory method for chemical differentiation of osseous and non-osseous materials. Additionally, the proposed method does not require advanced training or knowledge of analytical chemistry as the SEM/EDX provides clear results that can be processed using publically available statistical analysis software. By assessing and improving chemical analysis methodologies used for material differentiation, forensic anthropologists might be able to identify osseous and non-osseous samples as a preemptive step in forensic investigations involving fragmentary and taphonomically modified materials, reducing time and cost investments spent on forensically insignificant samples.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005665, ucf:50185
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005665
- Title
- The Wonder Women: Understanding Feminism in Cosplay Performance.
- Creator
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Grissom, Amber, Mishtal, Joanna, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Harris, Shana, Tollefson, Kristina, Falu, Nessette, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Feminism conjures divisive and at times conflicting thoughts and feelings in the current political climate in the United States. For some, Wonder Woman is a feminist icon, for her devotion to truth, justice, and equality. In recent years, Wonder Woman has become successful in the film industry, and this is reflected by the growing community of cosplayers at comic book conventions. In this study, I examine gender performativity, gender identity, and feminism from the perspective of cosplayers...
Show moreFeminism conjures divisive and at times conflicting thoughts and feelings in the current political climate in the United States. For some, Wonder Woman is a feminist icon, for her devotion to truth, justice, and equality. In recent years, Wonder Woman has become successful in the film industry, and this is reflected by the growing community of cosplayers at comic book conventions. In this study, I examine gender performativity, gender identity, and feminism from the perspective of cosplayers of Wonder Woman. I collected ethnographic data using participant observation and semi-structured interviews with cosplayers at comic book conventions in Florida, Georgia, and Washington, about their experiences in their Wonder Woman costumes. I found that many cosplayers identified with Wonder Woman both in their own personalities and as a feminist icon, and many view Wonder Woman as a larger role model to all people, not just women and girls. The narratives in this study also show cosplay as a form of escapism. Finally, I found that Wonder Woman empowers cosplayers at the individual level but can be envisioned as a force at a wider social level. I conclude that Wonder Woman is an important and iconic figure for understanding the dynamics of culture in the United States. In the era of #MeToo and TimesUp, Wonder Woman is a character that defies normative boundaries of gendered expectations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007641, ucf:52515
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007641
- Title
- Navigating Sociotechnical Power Structures: Dynamics of Conflict in World of Warcraft's Player versus Player Events.
- Creator
-
Root, Rachael, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, Underberg-Goode, Natalie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
As a result of technological advancement and exponential increases in global access, cross-disciplinary research has recently turned to digital online video games. Most anthropological research within this area has centered around player self-identification, gender construction, and gaming communities. Yet many interactions occur at nodes of dynamic conflict where agentic players navigate intersections of power, which are unaddressed in the scholarly corpus. By utilizing ethnographic methods...
Show moreAs a result of technological advancement and exponential increases in global access, cross-disciplinary research has recently turned to digital online video games. Most anthropological research within this area has centered around player self-identification, gender construction, and gaming communities. Yet many interactions occur at nodes of dynamic conflict where agentic players navigate intersections of power, which are unaddressed in the scholarly corpus. By utilizing ethnographic methods in World of Warcraft's player versus player events, I examine resources, relationships, and tools that underpin player actions and understandings. My findings reveal layered and dynamic patterns of sociotechnical conflict. Players' geographical location impacts access to infrastructure while hardware and software constrain in-game action in fundamental and inescapable ways. Player versus player events add additional restrictions and create fluid situations where players continually negotiate fluctuating social tensions while event-dependent dispersions of power fluctuate between groups and individuals. Players become leaders by legitimizing power in contextually unique ways, and competing imaginaries generate conflicts that are interpreted through game-specific subjectivities. In exploring these occurrences and utilizing theoretical explanations within World of Warcraft contexts, this research contributes to disciplinary understandings and discussions addressing conflict, leadership, and power, and to methodological techniques utilized in virtual world study. By foregrounding how players navigate power differentials in conflict situations, this research informs broader conceptions of how individuals and groups manage social disputes within and outside digital social events, informs game design, and has policy implications for resolving virtual world conflicts in real world courts.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006172, ucf:51140
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006172
- Title
- A Landscape of Death: A Comparison of Non-adult to Adult Burials at the Late Bronze Age Site of Tell el-Far'ah (South).
- Creator
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Reeves, Rebecca, Branting, Scott, Walker, John, Williams, Lana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study aims to determine whether there are any differences in the burial practices for non-adults and adults at the Late Bronze Age site of Tell el-Far'ah (South) in modern day Israel. The archaeology of childhood together with various methods of analyses, including geospatial and statistical techniques, were utilized to address the main research question focused on the spatial differences and relationships between non-adult and adult burials. There are missing children in the...
Show moreThis study aims to determine whether there are any differences in the burial practices for non-adults and adults at the Late Bronze Age site of Tell el-Far'ah (South) in modern day Israel. The archaeology of childhood together with various methods of analyses, including geospatial and statistical techniques, were utilized to address the main research question focused on the spatial differences and relationships between non-adult and adult burials. There are missing children in the archeological record. Tell el-Far'ah (South) is an example of this phenomenon. Reasons vary from taphonomy to potential infanticide. Based on the currently available data, it seems that the people of Tell el-Far'ah (South) understood non-adults as both similar to and dissimilar from adults. In sum, this is not a comprehensive or conclusive study, but rather serves to shed light on the lack of attention in the archaeology of childhood and more generally on the need for greater integration of the anthropological subfields.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007359, ucf:52095
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007359
- Title
- An Anthropological Study of Eating Perspectives, Meal Composition, and Food Choices Among Diverse Student Populations.
- Creator
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Daws, Chelsea, Matejowsky, Ty, Williams, Lana, Geiger, Vance, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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My thesis explores the factors that shape or reinforce international college students' perceptions of food. This research not only examines how cultural values affect individual nutrition and maintenance of eating behaviors, it also addresses the extent to which accessibility impacts eating behaviors. Notably, the research endeavor uses the concept of dietary habitus as an underlying directive mechanism for study. This study finds that most students experience a reduction in their fruit and...
Show moreMy thesis explores the factors that shape or reinforce international college students' perceptions of food. This research not only examines how cultural values affect individual nutrition and maintenance of eating behaviors, it also addresses the extent to which accessibility impacts eating behaviors. Notably, the research endeavor uses the concept of dietary habitus as an underlying directive mechanism for study. This study finds that most students experience a reduction in their fruit and vegetable intake. Another finding suggests that international students eat healthier and are more structured in comparison to domestic students if they hybridize their dietary habitus. Research findings also suggest that most participants perceive food on campus to be both equally healthy and unhealthy, with limited accessibility to national cuisines and affordable healthy foods.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006581, ucf:51348
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006581
- Title
- DIGITIZATION PROTOCOLS AND APPLICATIONS FOR LASER SCANNING HUMAN BONE IN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY.
- Creator
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Filiault, Matthew, Schultz, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In medico-legal investigations involving unidentified skeletal remains, forensic anthropologists commonly assist law enforcement and medical examiners in their analysis and identification. The traditional documentation techniques employed by the forensic anthropologist during their analysis include notes, photographs, measurements and radiographic images. However, relevant visual information of the skeleton can be lacking in morphological details in 2D images. By creating a 3D representation...
Show moreIn medico-legal investigations involving unidentified skeletal remains, forensic anthropologists commonly assist law enforcement and medical examiners in their analysis and identification. The traditional documentation techniques employed by the forensic anthropologist during their analysis include notes, photographs, measurements and radiographic images. However, relevant visual information of the skeleton can be lacking in morphological details in 2D images. By creating a 3D representation of individual bones using a laser-scanner, it would be possible to overcome this limitation. Now that laser scanners have become increasingly affordable, this technology should be incorporated in the documentation methodologies of forensic anthropology laboratories. Unfortunately, this equipment is rarely used in forensic anthropology casework. The goal of this project is to investigate the possible visualization applications that can be created from digitized surface models of bone for use in medico-legal investigations. This research will be achieved in two phases. First, examples of human bone as well as replicas of bone will be scanned using a NextEngine™ laser scanner. In conjunction with this will be the exploration and documentation of protocols for scanning different bone types and processing the scan data for creating a 3D model. The second phase will investigate how the resulting 3D model can be used in lieu of the actual remains to achieve improved documentation methodologies through the use of several commercial computer graphics programs. The results demonstrate that an array of visual applications can be easily created from a 3D file of bone, including virtual curation, measurement, illustration and the virtual reconstruction of fragmented bone. Based on the findings of this project, the implementation of laser scanning technology is recommended for forensic anthropology labs to enhance documentation, analysis and presentation of human bone.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004287, ucf:44907
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004287
- Title
- THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF FREEDOM OF THE WILL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL PHYSICALISM.
- Creator
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Gonzalez, Ariel, Rodgers, Travis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Many contemporary naturalistic philosophers have taken it for granted that a robust theory of free will, one which would afford us with an agency substantial enough to render us morally responsible for our actions, is itself not conceptually compatible with the philosophical theory of naturalism. I attempt to account for why it is that free will (in its most substantial form) cannot be plausibly located within a naturalistic understanding of the world. I consider the issues surrounding an...
Show moreMany contemporary naturalistic philosophers have taken it for granted that a robust theory of free will, one which would afford us with an agency substantial enough to render us morally responsible for our actions, is itself not conceptually compatible with the philosophical theory of naturalism. I attempt to account for why it is that free will (in its most substantial form) cannot be plausibly located within a naturalistic understanding of the world. I consider the issues surrounding an acceptance of a robust theory of free will within a naturalistic framework. Timothy O'Connor's reconciliatory effort in maintaining both a scientifically naturalist understanding of the human person and a full-blooded theory of agent-causal libertarian free will is considered. I conclude that Timothy O'Connor's reconciliatory model cannot be maintained and I reference several conceptual difficulties surrounding the reconciliation of agent-causal libertarian properties with physical properties that haunt the naturalistic libertarian.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004628, ucf:45292
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004628
