Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Spanish and Portuguese

This study examines the ways in which narratives of modern pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago portray Galicia, the northwestern region of Spain whose cathedral in Santiago de Compostela has been one of the world's most important pilgrimage destinations since the Middle Ages. The region has long been depicted as a backward, primitive culture by Spaniards and foreigners alike. These ideas have evolved in recent decades, however, and some of the very same traits for which Galicia was ridiculed are now celebrated. This new perspective emerges in several contemporary accounts written in the midst of a large international revival of the pilgrimage that began in the 1980s. Through an analysis of several modern pilgrim narratives, including "Road of Stars to Santiago" (1994) by Edward Stanton, "El Camino: Walking to Santiago de Compostela" (1996) by Lee Hoinacki, "Pilgrim Stories: On and Off the Road to Santiago" (1998) by Nancy Louise Frey, "I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago" (2006) by Hape Kerkeling, "Tras los pasos del sol: Hasta el fin del mundo por el Camino de Santiago" (2008) by Mariano N. Encina Amatriain, and "Mochila y Bordon, reflexiones en el Camino de Santiago" (2004) by Teresa Simal, I aim to demonstrate how modern non-Galician pilgrims contribute to or dispel stereotypes of the region. In order to illustrate a change in perceptions of Galicia, I will compare these narratives to older pilgrim and travel accounts such as "The Way of St. James" (1920) by Georgiana Goddard King and "A Hand-book for Travellers in Spain and Readers at Home" (1845) by Richard Ford. More importantly, I will explore the reasons behind the transformation in pilgrims' visions of Galicia by examining certain tendencies in Spanish and Galician literature, as well as several aspects of 20th-century Spanish society. Finally, I will discuss the impact of the Camino de Santiago on Galicia throughout its history, particularly in light of the recent and signific (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Salvador García Castañeda Dr. (Advisor); Donald Larson Dr. (Committee Member); Stephen Summerhill Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: History; Literature; Modern Literature; Regional Studies; Romance Literature

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2019, Geological Sciences (Arts and Sciences)

Geochemical analysis was carried out on samples of environmental phases (water, sediments, and soils) from La Barra de Santiago estuary (El Salvador, Central America) and adjacent streams to understand the dynamics and possible environmental and health effects of heavy metals, nutrient and sulfate concentrations in the ecosystem. Physiochemical parameters such as nutrient concentration (Nitrate and Phosphate), oxidation reduction potential (ORP), dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, temperature, Chloride, Iodide and sulfate concentrations were determined using spectrophotometric methods, while heavy metal analysis was carried out using ICP-MS. Multivariate statistical methods, including correlation analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to define the mutual relationships between these parameters. Low concentration of sulfate in the water and sediments suggest it is unlikely that sulfur contamination due to the eruption of Santa Ana volcano in 2005 could be causing the lack of macroinvertebrates in the region. Phosphate in sediments and soil samples has low variability in concentration probably due to buffering by the solubility of phosphate minerals, whereas Nitrate concentration in the sediment is higher than in soil samples. High nutrient concentration and chloride in the region with low DO (symptoms of eutrophication) suggest hypernutrification could be the driver for the lack of macroinvertebrates in the estuary. The statistically significant relationships between Sr, Rb and Cl, and between Sr, Rb and SO4, suggest a chemical contribution from marine sources for these elements, while correlation between Fe, Cu, Cd, Zn, Cr, Ce, Co and Al indicates inland input into the ecosystem for these metals. Lastly, results from sediment quality assessments using several pollution indices such as geoaccumulation index (Igeo), mean-ERM quotient, concentration factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), and contaminatio (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Dina Lopez (Advisor); Gregory Nadon (Committee Member); Keith Milam (Committee Member) Subjects: Agricultural Chemicals; Aquatic Sciences; Biogeochemistry; Biological Oceanography; Chemical Oceanography; Earth; Ecology; Environmental Geology; Environmental Health; Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Geochemistry; Geological; Geology; Marine Geology; Natural Resource Management

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2015, Theological Studies

This project explores the practice of Christian pilgrimage as an embodied, sacramental reality. Taking into consideration theological concerns coming from outside of the Catholic tradition which reveal some controversy as to the appropriateness of the practice of pilgrimage within Christianity, it will address objections to the concept of sacred space by pointing to the anticipatory/not-yet dimension of the Christian faith. Drawing on the methodological approach taken by Roberto S. Goizueta in Caminemos con Jesus: Toward a Hispanic/Latino Theology of Accompaniment in which the author uses a specific experience as a source for theological reflection, this project will begin with a particular experience of pilgrimage and, in dialogue with Scripture and tradition, use the experience to examine the practice of pilgrimage as an embodiment of the Christian journey. Drawing especially from Luke's account of two disciples journeying to Emmaus, it will explore how the Church's tradition of understanding the Christian life as a journey simultaneously nourished by and culminating in Eucharist may be enriched by an experience of pilgrimage. It will examine ways in which the practices of pilgrimage and liturgy mutually illuminate one another. Finally, taking this discussion as evidence of the effectiveness of embodiment, it will explore the essential role of embodiment in Christian practice. Drawing on the necessity of mediation to answer objections initially raised against the practice of pilgrimage, it will conclude by positing that the recognition of pilgrimage as a sacramental reality may be an effective starting point on which to build a theology of Christian pilgrimage.

Committee: Sandra Yocum Ph.D. (Advisor); William Johnston Ph.D. (Other); Dennis Doyle Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Religion; Spirituality; Theology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2014, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Art History

The thesis seeks to locate Spanish artist Santiago Sierra (b. 1960) in the realist tradition and examine how his work renews and furthers the realist model in art and philosophy. It concentrates on issues of performance and representation, and their relation to the economic, social, and political reality of global capitalism. The study identifies and discusses the stakes of this contemporary mode of realism, the premise of which is not to simply mirror, but to actually enact instances of capitalist exploitation, thereby confusing the realms of aesthetic fabrication and real occurrence. While Sierra offers a mode of responding to the contemporary world by doubling it, the contention of the thesis is that this doubling is radically destabilizing. In exploring the fundamental instability of subject positions in Sierra's work, the study demonstrates that the artist disrupts the often comfortable habits of art viewers, leading them to reassess the ways in which they relate to their social environment, and consequently unsettling art-viewing and art-making practices. The thesis posits that Sierra's work of destabilization simultaneously performs and hypothesizes the logic of capitalism. By denaturalizing prevalent notions of capitalism, Sierra deconstructs these conceptions as self-evident reality and exposes their contingent character.

Committee: Morgan Thomas Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Christine Mok Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kimberly Paice Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Art History

MCP, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning : Community Planning

Urban transportation in third world countries has always been a political and economic issue. Not only because of the strong necessity it represents but because of the tendency of these places to copy first world projects regardless of the required National capital or the population attitude change that such investments require. For these countries it is important to understand that these solutions are not always the most adequate; not only because of the investment of capital but because of the environmental and social impacts have these approaches implies. Several countries around the world have attempted to solve the transportation problem, some of them have succeeded and some others have discovered flaws in their approaches. This research project considers two cities that are considered successful by using the same system, a Bus Rapid Transit System (articulated buses). One of them, Curitiba, has been using the solution for more than twenty years and the other one, Bogota, is almost ten years old. If this is true, the application of the same system into a similar situation will be just as effective, in other words, if the traffic situation in Santiago de Chile is just as inadequate as Curitiba and Bogota where, the solution will be just as good. The primary objective is to answer the question: what would have happened if the BRT system was never implemented in these two cities? The proposed methodology is to compare the congestion levels with and without the BRT systems, measured as number of private vehicles per capita and number of buses per capita in both cities. The WITH situation is determined by demographic data, but the WITHOUT situation requires development of a regression model to project historic measurements to the point where the transportation system was implemented in each one of the cities. Both models were developed with correlation factors higher than 95%, which means that they represent reality in a very close manner. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: David Edelman J. (Committee Chair); Christopher Auffrey (Committee Co-Chair) Subjects: Area planning & Civil Engineering; Demographics; Engineering; Transportation; Urban Planning; development

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2004, English

I've always been fascinated by the arabesques behind daily life: the interconnectedness of all living things, the patterns they arrange around themselves, the rhythms at play between them. And I don't really get intoxicated all that often. The tracings of these rhythms can be found in all great art, though they're easier to see in belly dances, Irish gravestones, and the Chinese knots guarding the Heaven Temple walls. They're in the telling of a good story. I've worked to that end in this collection, with various approaches—different narrative styles, points of view, and effects—and, as a matter of course, with varying degrees of success.

Committee: Susan Sloan (Advisor) Subjects: Literature, English

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2008, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

This study is an exploration of the people and the landscape of the well-known Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Although there are many routes that make up the entirety of the pilgrimage, this research is specifically focused on the landscape of the Camino Frances, or French Route, in northern Spain. The path has been written about in many ways and for a myriad of reasons since it became affiliated with the Christian tradition in the early ninth century. This research, however, is different. By way of an environmental history and hermeneutic approach, an investigation of the interrelated and overlapping human actions of dwelling, movement, and service that stem from the pilgrimage tradition on the Camino de Santiago is conducted. Unlike other studies of this pilgrimage path, both pilgrim and resident receive equal attention, and the landscape emerges as central to the research. This study provides: an integrated evaluation of the ancient pre-Christian and medieval Christian histories and perceptions of the path; a description of the physical landscape; an in-depth assessment of conventional landscape and cultural heritage strategies for preservation; and a linguistic, social, and philosophical discussion of the correlations among dwelling, walking, serving, and preserving that are apparent on the landscape. Embedded within this examination of the Camino de Santiago landscape is a return to the essence and origin of the ideal of preservation itself. This analysis of landscape preservation is specifically centered on traditionally peopled landscapes and cultural landscapes, i.e., those with a deep history and presence of people. This study proposes that the Camino de Santiago landscape serves as a model for the preservation of tradition, history, culture, and nature. Moreover, it contends that the landscape is an exemplar of what I have termed organic preservation precisely because the people evolved in a reciprocal relationship with each other and the la (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alesia Maltz Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Heidi Watts Ph.D. (Committee Member); William Klink Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; American Studies; Ancient Civilizations; Cultural Anthropology; Earth; Ecology; Environmental Science; European History; Folklore; Geography; History; Linguistics; Management; Middle Ages; Philosophy; Religious History