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Cardinal Scholar is the University Libraries Institutional Repository for archival and scholarly research produced at Ball State University.
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Recent Submissions
Item Time and concord: Purcellian influences on Britten's Choral Dances from Gloriana and a conductor's guide to the work(2026-05)The choral music of Benjamin Britten is a vast, diverse body of repertoire. Although Britten's compositions are commonly found on concert programs, the Choral Dances from Gloriana are an underperformed piece. The Choral Dances include many compositional traits found in the music of Henry Purcell and other English Baroque repertoire; these include imitation, dotted rhythmic figures, and hemiola. This thesis draws comparisons between Purcell's and Britten's compositions and their use of these musical devices. Additionally, this thesis includes a conductor's guide to the Choral Dances with recommendations for rehearsal and conducting gesture, with the aim of providing resources and aid for those considering programming the Choral Dances. Supplemental material consists of a recording of my complete recital project, which includes footage of the Choral Dances from Gloriana performed by the Ball State Concert Choir and guest musicians in 2025.Item The C word and Christian faith: cancer survivors' evaluations of support messages(2023-07)Cancer is a leading cause of death and extreme distress for people diagnosed with the disease and everyone in that person’s social network, with 1.9 million new cancer cases predicted to occur in the U.S. in 2022. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, family and friends of the diagnosed person try to offer social support to comfort the person with cancer. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, not everyone’s support attempts result in comfort for the cancer patient. In this study, I used a mixed methods approach (quantitative and qualitative) to examine social support messages family and friends have said to people with cancer. Through 13 participant interviews, I uncovered the types of support messages people with cancer receive, the quality of the support messages people offer to cancer patients, and how the quality of religious support messages relates to the quality of secular support messages. Both the qualitative and quantitative results indicated informational support messages are poorly received by participants, tangible support messages are vital to the wellbeing of cancer patients, and Christians with cancer are more receptive to support messages when the message sender is of the same faith.Item Welcome to the Renaissance: the strength and racial uplift of Black women's literary and artistic voice from 1900 to present(2026-05)From emancipation to liberation, the Black woman’s voice has been portrayed through mediums that specifically highlight the trauma she has faced. Though she is resilient, decades of Black women’s literary voices demonstrate a common theme of strength through adversity. These stories, portrayed by the Black woman herself, created a trope of the Strong Black Woman (SBW). These narratives and allow readers to reflect on their biases and stigma of Blackness, while also reinforcing the prowess Black women have since their enslavement. While these narratives may have been found in periodicals like The Crisis, Black women have also created this narrative through powerful lyrics we hear on the radio today. Grammy award winning artist Beyoncé, has created music for the SBW, while positioning herself as an SBW. Such mediums often convey the message of racial uplift and female empowerment, but the stigma surrounding the strength of the Black woman has implications. These stories are necessary in empowering the uplift of Black women, but society has begun to rely heavily on their adversity. Drawing on short stories by Jessie Fauset, and the lyrical prowess of Beyoncé, this project seeks to examine the correlation between Black Literary Renaissance narratives and the omission of Black women’s American existence. As many scholars position the Black woman as lacking a space in the American social hierarchy, the voices of Black women refute this omission. Black women’s trauma, strength, and racial uplift are projected throughout periodical fiction of the 20th century to the lyrics we hear on the radio today. Black women have written and continue to write narratives that reflect a society that remains unchanging—until we can change the narrative.Item Rural-urban differences in exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in Michigan(2026-05)This paper fills a current gap in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) research for the State of Michigan by statistically analyzing (via SPSS) publicly available telephone survey data derived from ACE-related survey questions in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) are potentially traumatic events occurring before age 18, including abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. High exposure to ACE is associated with chronic health problems, effects on mental health, behavioral issues, and even developmental problems with the brain not maturing properly. Studies show that preventing ACE happens at the state and local community level; therefore, state-specific ACE findings are an important place to begin ACE prevention and healing. Research Questions Addressed in This Paper: Does living in a rural or urban part of Michigan, and identifying as male or female, affect Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores? Additionally, do income levels affect ACE scores for the study question above in Michigan?Item A pilot study of the interdependence of academic, social and structural satisfaction in international students' intention to continue studies(2026-05)This pilot study examines the relationships among academic, social, and structural satisfaction and their association with international students’ intention to continue their studies. Drawing from a holistic perspective, satisfaction is conceptualized as an interconnected experience rather than independent dimensions. Data was collected from 68 international undergraduate students using an online survey. The findings indicate that academic, social, and structural satisfaction were positively related to one another and intention to continue studies, with no significant gender differences.
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