Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Animal ‘social bonds' are defined by preferred and repeated association, affiliation, or cooperation. In many group-living species, establishing social bonds is a key determinant of reproductive success, survival, and health. Currently, however, the determinants of social bonding within or between species remain largely unclear. In this dissertation, I used experimental introductions of strangers, manipulations of proximity, and analyses of observational data to better understand factors that affect nonkin social bonding among female common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), a species in which social bonds lead to reciprocal helping that appears necessary for survival. In Chapter 1, I briefly reviewed the significance of social bonding and cooperation in animal societies with high relational complexity, like vampire bats, and introduce relevant factors that might affect social bonding in this species. In Chapter 2, I measured changes in the probability of clustering and allogrooming among vampire bats in response to changes in ambient temperatures in Panama, revealing evidence that clustering generates mutual benefits through social thermoregulation. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that vampire bats ‘raise-the-stakes' in their cooperative relationships by transitioning from mutually beneficial clustering, to allogrooming, and finally, to food sharing. In Chapter 3, I experimentally tested if forced proximity among randomly selected wild-caught bats would promote the formation of enduring cooperative relationships, finding that even short-term periods of close association can lead to long-term social preferences. This work is the first to experimentally demonstrate the causal effect of repeated interactions on cooperative investments in vampire bats. In Chapter 4, I opportunistically tested whether short-term infections can impact the formation of new relationships in vampire bats. After an unplanned outbreak of an infectious pathogen among captive bats (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Gerald Carter (Advisor); Ian Hamilton (Committee Member); Susan Gershman (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Organismal Biology; Zoology

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2023, English (Arts and Sciences)

Throughout the 19th century the non-heteronormative sexuality of the female vampiric figure within fiction was posed as a threat against the ‘safe' heterosexual community. However, through the 20th century the female vampire became a figure used by feminist authors to instead illustrate the threat of the institution of marriage. Both Mary Wilkin Freeman's “Luella Miller” (1903) and Angela Carter's “Lady of the House of Love” (1979) show vampiric figures who attempt heterosexual marriages, which then leads to their inevitable downfall. Both of these vampiric figures meet their end through their attempt at assimilation, emphasizing the dangers of marriage. These feminist reworkings also twist the power that these vampires hold, as within 19th century representations their physical power was located within their carnivorous nature. However, these 20th century vampiric figures predatory habits are their weakness, refuting the patriarchal connections between the consumption of meat and power. Further, the hyper-dependent state of these vampiric women highlights rather than disregards the draining nature of the care-work they require. Both Carter and Freeman's deviations from the previously sexualized female vampiric figure pose heterosexuality, specifically heterosexual marriage, as the ultimate threat.

Committee: Paul Jones (Advisor); Julie White (Committee Member); Edmond Chang (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Literature; Womens Studies

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

Social structure often emerges from hierarchically embedded scales of movement. For example, forest-dwelling bats switch their associates when moving between trees within each site, between roosting clusters within each tree, and between partners within each cluster. Social network analysis, however, typically models social structure by sampling interactions or associations at one spatial scale, missing social dynamics at other unobserved scales. How does individual variation in movement at multiple, possibly unobserved, spatial scales influence an individual's overall social connectedness? We address this question for common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) by using existing empirical data to parameterize agent-based simulations to analyze how a bat's centrality in the grooming network is influenced by its rate of switching roosts, switching clusters, and switching grooming partners. Specifically, we created five agent-based simulations where virtual bats moved at empirically-derived rates that were either constant across bats, varying independently across bats, or varying in a correlated fashion (e.g. a bat has high or low movement at all levels). In real bats, the number of grooming partners was predicted more by cluster-switching and partner-switching rates than by roost-switching rates. In simulations, we found the same result: grooming centrality was influenced by these within-roost movements more than by between-roost movements. We suggest that bat social structure is largely shaped by within-roost dynamics that are often unobserved.

Committee: Ian Hamilton (Committee Member); Gerald Carter (Advisor); J. Andrew Roberts (Committee Member); Elizabeth Hobson (Committee Member) Subjects: Ecology

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2013, College-Conservatory of Music: Composition

The objective of this dissertation is to compose an opera for nine voices and full orchestra using a libretto taken from a modern interpretation of the novel "Carmilla," by J. Sheridan LeFanu. The opera tells the story of a young girl who seeks to understand the mysterious land her family came from and how she discovers that her family history is more than she could possibly imagine. Due to the recent resurgence of vampires in popular culture, this dissertation seeks to explore the validity of vampires being utilized as subject matter in the operatic medium.

Committee: Michael Fiday Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Joel Hoffman D.M.A. (Committee Member); Douglas Knehans D.M.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Theatre

As a child, when I consumed fictional narratives that centered on strong female characters, all I noticed was the enviable power that they exhibited. From my point of view, every performance by a powerful character like Wonder Woman, Daisy Duke, or Princess Leia, served to highlight her drive, ability, and intellect in a wholly uncomplicated way. What I did not notice then was the often-problematic performances of female power that accompanied those narratives. As a performance studies and theatre scholar, with a decades' old love of all things popular culture, I began to ponder the troubling question: Why are there so many popular narratives focused on female characters who are, on a surface level, portrayed as bastions of strength, that fall woefully short of being true representations of empowerment when subjected to close analysis? In an endeavor to answer this question, in this dissertation I examine what I contend are some of the paradoxical performances of female heroism, womanhood, and feminine aggression from the 1960s to the 1990s. To facilitate this investigation, I engage in close readings of several key aesthetic and cultural texts from these decades. While the Wonder Woman comic book universe serves as the centerpiece of this study, I also consider troublesome performances and representations of female power in the television shows Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the film Grease, the stage musical Les Miserables, and the video game Tomb Raider. Allied with my analyses of these cultural texts, I examine the historical context of these final four decades of the twentieth century by focusing on several significant social and political moments and movements, such as the rise of first-and second-wave feminism, Reagan-era conservatism, and the scandals that brought Anita Hill and Monica Lewinsky into the public eye in the 1990s. Throughout my study, I focus on issues including, but not limited to, the performance of femini (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jonathan Chambers PhD (Advisor); Francisco Cabanillas PhD (Committee Member); Bradford Clark MFA (Committee Member); Lesa Lockford PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Film Studies; Mass Media; Motion Pictures; Music; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater Studies; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2018, English

Rhetoric and feminism have historically been seen as having little to do with each other. This dissertation seeks to illuminate commonalities between rhetoric and feminism by demonstrating how Burkean identification operates as a pivotal link between the two. It argues that Burkean identification allows for an articulation of how to use the claims we make about who we are to create the kind of transformation feminism is interested in encouraging. It does so by elucidating the relationship between feminist rhetorical principles and Burkean thought through the analysis of third-person identity constitution—a three-step process through which the audience is encouraged to identify with a third-person Other. Each step of that process is demonstrated through the rhetorical analysis of science-fiction television series that use third-person identity constitution to constructively transform the perception of the third-person Other and to encourage the audience to adopt the feminist rhetorical principles that led to that changed perception. These analyses reveal the significant role Burkean identification can play in developing a constructively transformative and feminist rhetoric as well as the important tool science fiction can be for feminist rhetoric.

Committee: Nan Johnson (Advisor); James Fredal (Committee Member); Sean O'Sullivan (Committee Member) Subjects: Rhetoric

Master of Arts in English, Cleveland State University, 2014, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

This thesis examines the contemporary phenomenon of the paranormal romance, as exemplified by Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. Although immensely popular, the series has drawn harsh criticism for its writing style and for the sexual politics portrayed in the novels. Readers of the series have been subjected to similar harsh criticism for enjoying these works in spite of the aforementioned issues. Careful examination of the books, however, reveals that the source of their popularity draws from several factors: the use of a narrative structure known as the Rebirth scenario, particularly popular in romance novels; an inverted form of the traditional Beauty and the Beast narrative, in which the Beast is princely on the outside and bestial within, and in which the heroine is the one who undergoes transformation; and a heroine who, through her apparent lack of empowerment, may actually empower her readers by functioning as an avatar with whom they are capable of fully identifying and sympathizing. Further, this thesis traces the historical formation of the paranormal romance through the multiple genres that have contributed to its development, and examines the social forces that may have made the popularity of both a flawed heroine such as Bella Swan and a dangerous hero such as Edward Cullen inevitable. The segregation of the romance novel away from other fiction, along with the customary way in which it is derogated as inferior to other genres, emerges as a crucial factor in how the novels have been interrogated by their detractors. As this derogatory treatment is often extended to the novels' fans, this thesis further suggests some ways in which those critics concerned about female empowerment may wish to re-evaluate the novels, the genres from which they draw, and the benefits that many readers may actually gain from reading them.

Committee: Frederick Karem PhD (Committee Chair); Adam Sonstegard PhD (Committee Member); Rachel Carnell PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Literature

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2010, Mass Communication

This study examined the relationship dynamics in the films Twilight and New Moon. The study was founded on the principles of ideological analysis, which postulates that all cultural artifacts are reflections of society's ideals, norms and anxieties. To that effect, the study focused on the romantic relationship dynamics between the key characters in the films and how these relational dynamics relate to the anxieties and norms and values of the dominant culture. Additionally, the study examined the role of “Otherness” and non-normative relationships within the films. The study also looked at the point of view, or Gaze, in Twilight and New Moon. The study found that messages contained within these films expressed a desire to revert to traditional male-female relationships. The presence of a Female Gaze in the films was also supported. Finally, the study found that the films reflect society's generalized fear of the “Other.”

Committee: David Sholle PhD (Advisor); Ron Scott PhD (Committee Member); Kathleen Johnson PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2010, English

This thesis is comprised of several chapters of a second novel which fit together as a unit. They present the major characters of the novel and the small town setting of Edgar. Themes of the novel which appear in this unit include the difficulties of developing a successful romantic relationship and cultural obsession over cheap, over-sweetened yet tasty food, which everyone knows is unhealthy and yet cannot stop eating, using, and/or profiting from it. Perhaps the conflict could be summarized as the sweetness of real love vs. the sweetness of artificial snack food. The narrative also contains some metafictional elements. The interaction between the old (largely permanent) world and the new (impermanent and/or transformed) is also shown. This unit is an excerpt from a second novel. The first novel, entitled Cassie Meets Melvin: A Story about Love, Snack Food, and World Domination is due to be published this year.

Committee: Albino Carrillo MFA (Advisor); Stephen Wilhoit PhD (Committee Member); Joseph Pici PhD (Committee Member); Sheila Hassell Hughes PhD (Other) Subjects: English literature; Fine Arts; Personal Relationships; Philosophy; Romance Literature

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2011, English/Literature

The plot in contemporary gothic texts such as True Blood, the Underworld series, and the Twilight series center around a new gothic heroine navigating through a relationship with her supernatural boyfriend. Although these texts are clearly popular, can they tell us anything else? Why are these same stories, and the action that occurs within them, repeated in an almost obsessive fashion? Not unlike traditional gothic texts that were primarily written in the late 18th Century or early 19th Century, the repetition and ritualistic nature of these tales hint at a trauma that must be worked through. The trauma that one can see in both contemporary and traditional gothic texts results from erasure of the feminine, and the continuance of pervading acts of misogyny throughout. However, many contemporary gothic texts do not stop at simply recognizing this trauma, or working through it. Indeed, these texts have begun to imagine a new social contract between the sexes—which is the very relationship in which the original trauma occurs. The goal of this working through and formulation of a new contract is to recognize such trauma—instead of ignoring it or pretending it does not exist—and imagine a way in which women and men can move beyond thinking in terms of master/slave. The way this new contract is constructed, and the method in which the gothic heroine navigates the patriarchal powers that be, are similar to Deleuzian masochism. By utilizing this interpretation, one can see how each heroine tries to make a space for her self that moves toward the recognition of an identity in which she is free and content.

Committee: Piya Pal-Lapinski PhD (Committee Chair); William Albertini PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Literature

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2009, English/Literature

Primetime heroine Buffy Summers conquered the hearts of layman and scholars alike.For years audience members have debated about almost everything that happens in Buffy the Vampire Slayer; from opening credits to wardrobes over music choices to gender issues. This thesis focuses on patriarchal power structures inside Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On the surface, BtVS proposes all the ingredients for a truly matriarchal show; it could have been the perfect series to offer a glimpse at what a female-dominated society could look like. Unfortunately, however, the series creator, Joss Whedon, fails to create a female character liberated from patriarchal influences. He not only reintroduces patriarchal figures and apparatuses again and again, but he also constrains his heroine to adopt the same power structures his male characters employ. Despite the fact that almost every member of the patriarchy embodies certain flaws, that make it possible to partially dismantle their authority, Whedon continues to introduce these problematic figures. This thesis illustrates how patriarchal institutions and their members assert power over the female body in BtVS by synthesizing examples from both the television series and the graphic novel series with the critical cultural theories of Michel Foucault, Max Weber, and John Bowlby.

Committee: Maisha Wester PhD (Committee Chair); Piya Pal Lapinski PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2007, American Culture Studies/Popular Culture

This dissertation takes a feminist view of t television programs featuring smart girls, and considers the “wave” of feminism popular at the time of each program. Judith Butler's concept from Gender Trouble of “gender as a performance,” which says that normative behavior for a given gender is reinforced by culture, helps to explain how girls learn to behave according to our culture's rules for appropriate girlhood. Television reinforces for intellectual girls that they must perform their gender appropriately, or suffer the consequences of being invisible and unpopular, and that they will win rewards for performing in more traditionally feminine ways. 1990-2006 featured a large number of hour-long television dramas and dramedies starring teenage characters, and aimed at a young audience, including Beverly Hills, 90210, My So-Called Life, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Freaks and Geeks, and Gilmore Girls. In most teen shows there is a designated smart girl who is not afraid to demonstrate her interest in math or science, or writing or reading. In lieu of ethnic or racial minority characters, she is often the “other” of the group because of her less conventionally attractive appearance, her interest in school, her strong sense of right and wrong, and her lack of experience with boys. She nearly always experiences a makeover to become more normative, and she leaves behind the life of the mind in order to become more popular, and loved by boys. New media may offer competing images of smart girls.

Committee: Kristine Blair (Advisor) Subjects: