In the age of social media networking and online dating, interpersonal communication has evolved. Today’s young adults have grown up during the evolution of social media. Social Penetration Theory (SPT) proposes that interpersonal relationships develop through self-disclosure. As we move from public to more private information in the process of self-disclosure, we develop deeper and closer interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this study is to analyze attraction, perceived authenticity, and relational development on social media through the SPT lens. I argue that Twitter is a popular social media platform that encourages user authenticity and that social media users interpret relational closeness and form impressions of other social media users’ identities by analyzing disclosures. Twenty-one undergraduate college students participated in surveys and focus group interviews for the study. I surveyed participants about the perceived authenticity of social media users on Twitter, Instagram, and general social media platforms, as well as what attributes and qualities appeal to them while observing others’ social media profiles. Participants rated Twitter higher than Instagram in depicting social media users’ true, authentic selves. Results indicated that participants commonly observe the social media profiles of others to determine similar interests, beliefs, values, appearance, and social circles. Furthermore, I created a Twitter profile and asked participants to observe the profile and attempt to apply the steps of the SPT. All participants analyzed disclosures from the Twitter profile to form impressions of the profile user’s personality traits, values, and personal beliefs. By applying the SPT to social media, I explicate the common factors that influence attraction on social media and conclude that social media users analyze disclosures to form impressions and evaluate relational prototypes of others via social media.

Savannah, Georgia has a rich colonial maritime history. However, research of colonial vessels is surprisingly sparse. This thesis analyzes shipbuilding in colonial Georgia and argues that although it often went unrecorded, the construction of small boats was a crucial aspect of colonial Georgia and demonstrates cultural influences from across the Atlantic world.

i won’t be silenced. is a poetry chapbook primarily based on the poet’s experiences as a white-passing Latina in the United States, serving as encouragement for social reform, represents the author’s personal growth, and engages with the experiences of marginalized minorities in the U.S. The poems address various discriminatory actions that either the author has directly experienced, or that Black, Indigenous, or other Persons of Color (BIPOC) -- including those identifying as Arab or Middle Eastern, Asian, Pacific Islander, and bi- or multiracial -- have experienced. Other themes include: identity, politics, death, mental illness, privilege, rape or sexual assualt, religion, and social justice. The poems utilize multiple forms, including but not limited to abecedarian, erasure, free verse, found forms, lists, open letters, and prose. Inspiration was drawn from work written by Gloria Anzaldúa, Victoria Chang, Denice Frohman, Allison Joseph, Douglas Kearney, and Danez Smith. i won’t be silenced. ultimately empathizes with the aforementioned marginalized audiences, while also educating audiences who may never endure nor fully understand the described experiences.

In 1915, William Simmons reestablished the Ku Klux Klan atop Stone Mountain after 50 years of inactivity. Within a few years of promoting itself, the KKK grew from a few thousand to several million members across the United States by the start of the 1920s. With its strong national growth, the Klan also had a large following in Georgia, where many new members worked in the state's public institutions. At the start of the decade, Thomas William Hardwick became the Governor of Georgia. In response to an uptick in Klan-associated crime, Hardwick attempted to establish anti-klan policies. Klan members criticized Hardwick throughout his term, and supported his opponent, Clifford Walker, a Klan member, for governor in 1922. Hardwick's political career never fully recovered from his fight with the Klan.

The Magical Path of Hickory Falls in an early reader chapter book for children to develop a love of reading and an understanding of the disabled community. Three children with varying disabilities (and one adorable little service dog) find their own adventure when their town’s playground does not accommodate their needs. When a magic portal appears, they find themselves stuck with no way home and a lost item from a mysterious person named Ada. The kids have to work together to make their way to Ada, and hopefully back home, without leaving anyone behind. Elements of adventure, magic, and friendship create a fun reading experience for children ages five to nine years, while disability themes will help them learn how to accept and accommodate themselves and others.

This project follows the story of Reira Isla, a princess coming of age in an isolationist, and very conservative, kingdom. Her tale explores the expansive effects of religion on society and how it is capable of influencing social norms, relationships, and politics without directly intending to. The goal of writing Reira and the society she inhabits is to deconstruct biases related to religion and analyze how it influences all aspects of life. This, in turn, will bring awareness of these issues in the real world to the audience. The major focus of the story involves closely following characters and their navigation of their identities in relation to the world around them. While religious bias is the main theme, religion also bleeds into social issues related to race, gender, and the LGBT+ community. Reira’s story, in particular, focuses on how a queer, mixed race woman in a position of power navigates her identity through social expectation and prejudice.

During the sixteenth century, many individuals became fascinated by the human form, which led to an increase in artistic and scientific focus on these subjects. Artistic interest in the human body resulted in a close relationship between artists and anatomists during the time, and the societal acceptance to public demonstrations of dissections, including flaying, was often converged with Mannersit ideals. It is historically evident that écorché figures during Mannerism were based on these, as well as torture methods during the time. As these demonstrations became more common throughout the sixteenth century, they began to be monitored in order to ensure that ethics were being followed. This, however, did not limit the relationship between anatomists and artists; in fact, many artists actively participated alongside the anatomists in their studies. As artists became exposed to new information on the human form, they were able to begin depicting the bizarre, highlighted by exaggerated contrapposto and figura serpentinata forms and amplified occurrences of écorché figures. These figures manage to maintain a calmness to them, accepting and, sometimes, participating in their own dissection. There exists a difference between artists documenting anatomical demonstrations and artists using these studies to further their works. This paper will address the ways in which artists co-opted the scientific studies to further their works: Andreas Vesalius devoted most of his time as a documenter, illustrating an entire book on the workings of the human body. Other artists such as Michelangelo and Titian focused on the aesthetic and symbolism of these figures.

According to Stoeber and Childs (2011), perfectionism is “a personality disposition characterized by striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high standards for performance accompanied by tendencies for overly critical evaluations” (p.2). Dispositions such as perfectionism may be prominent in individuals in the performing arts, as it may help or hinder their development. This study explores development in singers with perfectionism and ways of coping. Studies have shown that there are both positive and negative aspects of perfectionism. Positive aspects include goal progress, agreeableness and higher functioning. Negative aspects include depression, anxiety, stress maladjustment. These negative aspects manifest in musicians through Music Performance Anxiety (MPA), Musical Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem. There are two primary forms of perfectionism. Socially Prescribed perfectionism is “the need to attain standards or expectations prescribed by significant others” (Flett, 1991). Self-Oriented perfectionism, is “setting high standards and stringently evaluating oneself” (Flett, 1991). In the current study, participating undergraduate and graduate vocal music students completed a diagnostic tool which identified the type of perfectionism they lean more towards. This led to individual interviews that explored the initial development of perfectionism, particularly in adolescence, as well as how it affects them during their current studies. The interviews led to themes such as the role of parental influence, strong influences from music teachers through adolescence, and possible implications on informant’s view of their future selves within the music profession. These findings may lead to a better understanding of how to help future music students to develop coping skills for their perfectionism.

My qualitative research project looks into cereal mascots marketed towards children hypothesizing cereal brands depicting gendered mascots in stereotypical ways. For example, "Tony the Tiger" of Frosted Flakes is seen as masculine, strong, and athletic, and he is most often associated with athletic, healthy children. I collected data from the cereal boxes themselves as well as print and commercial advertisements. With these resources, I examined the gender, typical characteristics, and the general attitude of both the mascots and the children featured in the ads. I investigated the change of the portrayal and marketing tactics from the mascot's origin to its present status. Analysis of my data displays the stereotypes of gender for marketing towards children, and how that has changed throughout its existence.