Browsing by Author "Black, Ray, committee member"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Open Access
Acritical examination of non-Native pracitce of Native American religion
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Goar, Allison Marie, author; Vernon, Irene S., advisor; Black, Ray, committee member; Vigil, Patricia, committee member
This qualitative study examines the experiences and perceptions of non-Native American people who practice Native American religion. Semi-structured interviews with ten participants, all of whom identify as Caucasian or White, reveal a series of strategies to avoid or dismiss critiques of cultural appropriation. These strategies include, but are not limited to: neoliberal values, the practice of spiritual materialism, denial of spiritual agency, and racial stereotyping.
Open Access
Confederate military strategy: the outside forces that caused change
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Varnold, Nathan, author; Gudmestad, Robert, advisor; Orsi, Jared, committee member; Black, Ray, committee member
When addressed with military strategy the first thought is to drift towards the big name battlefields: Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga. Our obsession with tactics and outcomes clouds our minds to the social, cultural, and political factors that took place away from the front lines. Less appealing, but no less important to understanding the war as a whole, this study incorporates non-military factors to explain the shift of Confederate military strategy in the Western Theater. Southern citizens experienced a growth of military awareness, which greatly influenced the military policies of Richmond, and altered how Confederate generals waged war against Union armies. The geography of Mississippi and Tennessee, and the proximity of these states to Virginia, also forced Western generals to pursue aggressive military campaigns with less than ideal military resources. Finally, the emotions and personal aspirations of general officers in the Army of Tennessee, and the Western Theater as a whole, produced a culture of failure, which created disunion and instability in the Western command structure. Confederate generals pursued aggressive military campaigns due to a combination of social, cultural, political, and military factors.
Open Access
Overworked and underpaid: Hollywood gatekeeping in assistant labor and discourse
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2022) Bennett, Kiah E., author; Marx, Nick, advisor; Black, Ray, committee member; Faw, Meara, committee member; Hughes, Kit, committee member
Ubiquitous, yet unseen, exploited assistants' unseen labor hems the fabric of Hollywood and entertainment industries. In this dissertation, I interrogate the unseen cultural discourses of Hollywood that obfuscate the exploitation of the overworked, underpaid underclass of future creatives and executives: assistants. I argue that the position of an "assistant" – as an entry-level position for Hollywood executive and creative professions – materially, discursively, and socially acts as a gatekeeping mechanism against workers based on class, ability, race, and gender. Meanwhile, Hollywood production and hiring practices must adapt to contemporary demands for accurate representation of diverse positions on-screen and behind-the-scenes diversity. However, Hollywood is inherently white, masculine, middle-to-upper class, and able-bodyminded in its expectations and values. Therefore, I demonstrate how Hollywood uses the position of assistantship to appear diverse, meanwhile the material and cultural conditions of this position gatekeep difference out of Hollywood's creative and executive decision-making roles.
Open Access
Popcorn thoughts: a podcast economy of film criticism
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Blackburn, Hayley, author; Arthur, Tori, advisor; Humphrey, Michael, committee member; Wolfgang, David, committee member; Black, Ray, committee member; Marx, Nick, committee member
This qualitative study questions how podcasters review films, engage with audiences, and contribute to film and media discourses. The literature exploring podcast cultures and film criticism had not intersected to a large extent, and this ethnographic inquiry into a case study of five podcast film critics provides an entry point for audio criticism scholarship. The research umbrella drew from film writing and critique cultures (Corrigan, 2015; McWhirter, 2016) and podcast analyses (Llinares, Fox, & Berry, 2018; Spinelli & Dann, 2019) to situate the patterns of discourse and production activities (Fairclough, 2003) within a framework of media sociology (Shoemaker & Reese, 2014). The research engaged with over 55 hours of content and various communication technologies in the winter of 2020/2021. The meso-level analysis considered the data from podcasts as a collective group to focus on the patterns across the audio critic culture (Kozinets, 2010). The findings reflect that audio critics can be further studied as a field of criticism as the collective group followed routines and enacted activities above individual and organizational levels of influence. Niches also frame the contributions of audio critics to the media and film discourse ecosystem as they extend film consumption rituals through discussion and provide a forum for participatory culture among their audiences.
Open Access
Shh... there's some racism in these policies: a phenomenological study of Black student experiences with on-campus housing policies
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2025) Crosby, Domonique, author; Basile, Vincent, advisor; Black, Ray, committee member; Oldham, Kyle, committee member; Sturdivant, Alvin, committee member
Black students are called to live on campus and promised a better college experience by doing so. However, when Black students move on campus, they continue to experience hostile environments and microaggressions from those around them. Black students not only experience these microaggressions, but they also experience difficulties when navigating on-campus housing policies and those who enforce them. Black students express concerns about interacting with their peers, staff, faculty, and campus police departments. This study used phenomenological methodology to examine the relationship between anti-Blackness and on campus housing policies. I center Black ways of knowing and being by using BlackCrit to analyze the data and situating the study in an Afro-pessimistic frame. I frame this study through a lens that recognizes the historical positioning of Black people as less than present in the afterlife of slavery. The study dives into the experiences of Black students who live on campus and how to best support them in navigating the negative impacts of on-campus housing policies. The study calls for housing and residence life professionals to interrogate whether their policies and practices create a welcoming environment for Black students to live authentically.
Open Access
The association between father involvement and sexual risk behaviors among Black and White adolescent girls
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Charles, Brenda, author; Coatsworth, Doug, advisor; Lucas-Thompson, Rachel, committee member; Black, Ray, committee member
This study explored the importance of father involvement for adolescent girls, particularly in the context of sexual risk behaviors. Research is only beginning to explore the effects of fathers on development and the benefits to fathers being more involved with their children. Though there has been a plethora of research on the effects of maternal interactions, there has been less of a proliferation of research on fathers and their interactions with their children. Current research has begun to show an association between father involvement and sexual risk behaviors in adolescents. However, most of this research used a cross sectional design and very few explored racial comparisons in these associations. Using a sample of 2,252 adolescent girls, this study explored the association of father involvement with sexual risk behaviors in these girls. It also further explored the ability of father involvement in adolescence to predict sexual risk behaviors in emerging adulthood, using a longitudinal design. Results indicate that father involvement in adolescence is associated with sexual risk behaviors, particularly condom use and number of sexual partners, in adolescence. The results also indicate that father involvement in adolescence predicts sexual risk behaviors in emerging adulthood for girls. An involved father in adolescence predicted less number of sexual partners and more condom use for females in emerging adulthood. No racial differences were found, and possible contributing limitations were discussed.
Open Access
"We will be the last mass shooting": Emma González's tactical subjectivity through differential consciousness, affect, and silence
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2019) Palomino, Selena J., author; Aoki, Eric, advisor; Khrebtan-Hörhager, Julia, committee member; Black, Ray, committee member
The purpose of this thesis is to uncover the rhetorical strategies employed by Emma González throughout her "We call BS!" speech (i.e., February 17, 2018) and her "March for Our Lives" speech (i.e., March 24, 2018). Chela Sandoval's theorization of differential consciousness is used to uncover the ways González shifts her subject position from "kid," "teenager," and "student" in order to challenge "adults," the "President," and "lawmakers" to create systemic change. In this thesis, I argue Emma González uses the affective capacities of grief and silence to construct a counterpublic. Through González's rhetorical strategies a moment of silence is transformed from a ritual to a political act. Public grief is used as a tool for healing and reconciliation allowing for a national community to contend with the harrowing effects of gun violence. To conclude, with gun violence continuing to be a pervasive social problem, I discuss contributions, limitations, and directions for future studies.