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- All Subjects: Women
- All Subjects: Rhetoric, Medieval--Political aspects.
- Member of: ASU Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Description
The connection between Hollywood costume design and the films of the 007/James Bond franchise, especially in regards to the changing perspective of the “Bond Girl”, is an intricate relationship that has previously been little researched. In the most recent Bond films, in particular, the female characters have become more powerful than the early characters and their roles within the narratives have changed with their characters taking on stronger and more integral roles. This thesis seeks to examine the films of the 007/James Bond franchise and how the rhetoric of the franchise’s costume design affects the representation of femininity and power in regards to the Bond Girls. After an overview of Bond history and costume theory, two films are analyzed as case studies: Dr. No (1962) which marks the beginning of the film franchise and Casino Royale (2006), which marks the more recent turn the films have taken. This thesis examines how the representations of Bond Girls and the use of costume design for their characters have changed over the course of the franchise from the days of Sean Connery to the recent reboot of the franchise with Daniel Craig as 007 James Bond. In addition to an examination of Bond Girl costume design, this thesis considers the role and influence of the costume designers. A designer’s vision of a character is derived from both the writing and the physical features of the actresses before them. Here this thesis considers how the rhetorical choices made by designers have contributed to an understanding of the relationship between femininity and power. Finally it shows how the costumes effect the power of the female characters and how the Bond Girls of today (Casino Royale) compare and/or contrast to Bond Girls of the past (Dr. No). This thesis combines the areas of feminist film theory and costume theory to provide an original rhetorical analysis of the Bond series in relation to costume design and examines the rhetorical statements made by the costume designers in their designs for the characters and how those statements influence the representations of the characters.
ContributorsSeverson, Andrea (Author) / Goggin, Maureen (Thesis advisor) / Ore, Ersula (Committee member) / Lamp, Kathleen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
The health enhancing effects of physical activity are well documented in the literature. However, women continue to report lower participation in exercise and physical activity (PA) compared to men. As women age an overall trend in decreased activity is observed. The primary place of activity reported in women is the home and one of the most commonly reported reasons for lack of physical activity is the lack of time. Few instruments have been developed that focus on the activity patterns of women. The Cross Cultural Physical Activity Study that this study was based on targeted women of color to assess the types of activity and constraints to activity experienced by African American and Native American women over 40 years old. This secondary data analysis focused on the psychometric properties of two scales used in the above study, The Physical Recreation Questionnaire (PRQ) and The Typical Week Physical Activity Survey (TWPAS). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the 18 items from the Physical Recreation Questionnaire (PRQ) which focused on constraints to PA. The results of the EFA were a poor fit of a two factor model. The three factor model had a favorable fit in the EFA. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was then conducted on the 18 items in the PRQ. Results of the CFA supported the presence of three latent variables: enjoyment of PA, constraints to PA, and negotiation of constraints to PA. The Typical Week Physical Activity Survey (TWPAS) is a 35 item measure of moderate PA that includes the activities most often reported by women. The purpose of the TWPAS was to capture habitual PA that might not be recorded in other PA questionnaires. The TWPAS was correlated with criterion measures of PA records, treadmill, accelerometer, and BMI. Although correlations were small, they were in the expected direction with the criterion measures. The evaluation of the instruments supported the presence of the construct of constraints to PA in the PRQ and the measurement of moderate intensity PA in the TWPAS.
ContributorsBishop, Jewel (Author) / Ainsworth, Barbara (Thesis advisor) / Komnenich, Pauline (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Sedentary behavior has recently been recognized as a widespread, independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality from chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Midlife women (age 40-64) are known to have high levels of sedentary behavior and corresponding cardiovascular disease risk. Currently, little is known about mechanisms involved in reducing and maintaining reductions to sedentary behavior in midlife women. Theory-based nursing interventions are needed which reflect process, personal meaning, person-environment interaction, and incorporate a strength-based perspective. Wellness Motivation Theory guided the research, conceptualizing behavioral change processes within culturally and environmentally relevant contexts, while recognizing bidirectional influences of personal and environmental factors on behavioral patterns. The Wellness Motivation Theory addresses social support and norms, community and material resources that influence behavioral choices, individual motivation and goals, and the behavioral change processes of self-knowledge, motivational appraisal, and self-regulation. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to explore social contextual resources and behavior change processes leading to action as decreasing sedentary time in midlife women. The maximum variation sample included 31 midlife women, employees of Arizona State University. Participants attended a one-hour focus group to discuss their experiences with sedentary behavior, and their efforts to sit less and move more. Midlife women characterized social support as: Raising Me Up, Timing Time and Walking and Talking. Support from contextual resources reflected themes of Seeking Place, Stepping Up, and Walking the Talk. Women experienced self-knowledge as Envisioning the Future, Taking Inventory, and Considering Possibles. Motivational appraisal was characterized as Reevaluating Priorities, Wayfinding, and Going All In. Self-regulation was reflected as Recounting Benefits, Keeping On Track, and Creating New Ways. A deeper understanding of motivational processes central to reducing sedentary behavior in midlife women fosters identification of leverage points for future theory-based intervention research which provides primary prevention opportunities to lower cardiovascular disease risk, and promote successful aging.
ContributorsSherman, Tanie (Author) / Fleury, Julie (Thesis advisor) / Belyea, Michael (Committee member) / Komnenich, Pauline (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
Rhetoric has traditionally enjoyed a close connection with ideals of citizenship. Yet, the rhetorical traditions of the medieval period have generally been described as divorced from civic life, concerned instead with theories of composition in specific genres (such as letters and sermons) and with poetics. This view is the product of historiographical approaches that equate rhetoric either theories and practices of speech and writing intended for state-sponsored civic forums, or alternatively with rules governing future speech or literary production. Consequently, the prevailing view of the medieval period in rhetorical studies is a simplified one that has not evolved with changing practices of analysis in the field of rhetorical studies. This dissertation contends that by employing alternative modes of historiography, historians of rhetoric gain a more accurate conception of medieval rhetoric’s civic roles, revealing the discipline’s role in shaping the individual and their relationship to civic and political institutions.
Organized around an introduction, a broad discussion of later medieval rhetoric and political thought (950-1390), four case studies, and a conclusion, this dissertation begins by identifying historiographical trends that have associated medieval rhetoric with technical treatises, minimizing connections to civic life. Challenging these assessments through a close reading of texts of rhetorical theory, political philosophy, and technical treatises, it contends that medieval rhetoric influenced activities such as grammatical education, didactic art, and political theory to inform practices of citizenship. Focusing specifically on representations of labor, this dissertation show that these venues idealized the political participation of manual laborers within an otherwise discursive theory of civic life that drew from both Aristotelian and Ciceronian sources.
Organized around an introduction, a broad discussion of later medieval rhetoric and political thought (950-1390), four case studies, and a conclusion, this dissertation begins by identifying historiographical trends that have associated medieval rhetoric with technical treatises, minimizing connections to civic life. Challenging these assessments through a close reading of texts of rhetorical theory, political philosophy, and technical treatises, it contends that medieval rhetoric influenced activities such as grammatical education, didactic art, and political theory to inform practices of citizenship. Focusing specifically on representations of labor, this dissertation show that these venues idealized the political participation of manual laborers within an otherwise discursive theory of civic life that drew from both Aristotelian and Ciceronian sources.
ContributorsLoveridge, Jordan Thomas (Author) / Lamp, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Long, Elenore (Thesis advisor) / Goggin, Maureen D (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017