Digital Commons Network^™

The Redemption Of History: Poetics And Politics In The Modern Epic, Giacomo R. Bianchino

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation, “The Redemption of History: Poetics and Politics in the Modern Epic.” provides a materialist theory of the modern epic, focusing on the way that the poets deployed this form towards political ends. Building on theories of the epic going back to the German Romantics, it argues that the modern form is predicated on the idea that it has departed from the conditions that made the ancient form possible. It examines the way that writers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century developed the idea that the immediacy of the social “totality” expressed by the ancient epopee was …

Power, Practice, And Potential: Social Protection And Adolescent Girls, Girl Center, Cash Transfer And Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) Research Collaborative, Unicef

Adolescents and Young People

On March 12, 2024, the Population Council’s GIRL Center in collaboration with UNICEF and the Cash Transfer and IPV Research Collaborative, cohosted an event on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW68). The event brought together practitioners, researchers, adolescent girls, and representatives of governments and bilateral and multilateral organizations. Evidence on the impact of social protection and cash plus programs was highlighted. A panel of experts shared perspectives on evidence and critical actions needed to empower adolescent girls through cash plus social protection programs. This short report provides a summary of …

Exploring Early Language Acquisition Through English And French, Rebecca C. Aguilar

Honors Capstones

Knowing that there is no singular event that leads to learning a language, and factoring in the extent an individual’s culture can affect language learning, this study emphasizes the importance of a cross-linguistic approach to continue to broaden the scope of language acquisition research. The primary objective is to identify and analyze the critical commonalities in the initial stages of learning English and French as first languages through two major categories: speech/language and culture. This project carried out an analytical review of 24 pieces of relevant literature, in both languages, in an effort to highlight key findings. Those findings include: …

An Interdisciplinary Lesson Plan Of Social Studies And English Language Arts For Third Graders, Sidney L. Yant

Honors Theses

My name is Sidney Yant and I am a current senior honors student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I am majoring in Elementary Education. For my honors senior project, I have created a four-week-long unit lesson plan that focuses on English Language Arts and Social Studies. This unit starts off with two weeks of separate lesson plans for English Language Arts and Social Studies and then the last two weeks the lessons are completely integrated together into one plan.

Lincoln's Carnegie Library: A History Of Community And Philanthropy, Emily Blomstedt

Honors Theses

Nebraska received 69 Carnegie libraries from the Carnegie foundation between 1899 and 1922. The first and most expensive Nebraska Carnegie library was granted to Lincoln in December 1899, after a fire destroyed Lincoln’s previous library. Lincoln’s main Carnegie library served the community between 1902 and 1960 before it was torn down in 1961 to build the present-day Bennett Martin library. This thesis explores the 60-year history of Lincoln’s Carnegie library, how it connects to national trends surrounding Carnegie libraries, and the role community and philanthropy played in the development of Lincoln’s public library system. These themes are examined through a …

The Divine Comedy: A Work Of Medieval Mythology, Jamie Alexander

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Prior to The Divine Comedy (1308-1321), ideas about Purgatory were in the early stages of development. Purgatory had loose rituals surrounding its existence and it lacked depiction in written works. Yet in the following centuries, the fear of Purgatory and the practices of penance and indulgences reached a fever pitch, ultimately leading to the Protestant Reformation. Purgatory as a celestial location, and not just the “purgatorial fires” of the Bible, only began to develop in the twelfth century, but its fearful description and imagery in The Divine Comedy not only solidified previously nebulous understandings of Purgatory, but also increased anxiety …

A Positive Psychology Perspective On Chinese Efl Students’ Well-Being, Language Mindset, And English Performance, Qian Wei

Education (PhD) Dissertations

The primary purpose of this paper was to assess the well-being levels and language learning mindsets of English as a foreign language learners in Chinese higher vocational colleges; explore the relationship between well-being levels, growth language mindset (GLM), and English learning performance (i.e., College English Test [CET 4] scores); and compare specific differences in well-being levels, language growth mindset, and English performance (i.e., CET 4 scores) in demographic aspects (i.e., gender, hometown locales, family planning, and CET 4 times). A quantitative study among EFL students (n = 1,030) was conducted to answer the research questions. Specifically, Spearman correlations were …

Creative Writing Pedagogy: Building Curriculum For High School Students, Elizabeth Lengel

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis serves as a rationale for the creative writing pedagogy I use and how it serves my high school creative writing class. As my school district made the decision to overhaul our English curriculum, the English department decided to add Creative Writing as an English class elective.

The work for planning these new classes was spread around the English Department, and I was assigned to design the curriculum for the new Creative Writing class. Designing an entire class from scratch leaves a lot of room for creativity and innovation. However, as excited for this new course as I was, …

My Little Poetic/Prose Book Of Words, Sayings, And Stories In Broken Spanish And A Little Bit Of German / Mi Libro Chiquito De Poética / Prosa De Palabras, Dichos, Y Historias Español Fracturado Y Un Poquetito Alemán, Sharon Ann Lucero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank Jonathan Taylor and Sarah Thompson for the wonderful job they did in providing me with feedback. I took into consideration all their comments. Their comments aligned with Dr. Powers, and I really took a deeper look into my Spanish/English translations on whether I should have them or not. I found a happy medium for all of it. I also went back and looked at the rest of the class’s comments and made sure that I did not miss any of the details that were pointed out to me the first time …

Data Driven Instruction In Teaching Poetry Analysis To Advanced Placement Literature And Composition Seniors, Andrea Reyes

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

The goal of the poetry unit was to enhance students’ written ability by analyzing a variety of poetic literature to answer advanced placements practice prompts. I used the following research-based instructional strategies: homework and practice, nonlinguistic representations, and cooperative learning. I used the following research-based assessment strategies: essay writing, Quizizz, exit ticket, and topic, evidence, and analysis responses. The standards that the unit addressed are: LA.12.RP.2 Analyze the development and interaction of literary elements such as characterization, setting, and plot, and how they contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole, LA.12.V.2 Interpret an author’s use of figurative, …

The Good, The Bad, And The In Between: The Effects Of Covid19 & Remote Learning, Samantha Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone Project delves into the perspectives of Bay High School teachers regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning on students' education. Through a thorough analysis of interviews and the relevant research literature, the study offers suggestions for addressing the learning setbacks experienced by students during this challenging period. It is argued that the implementation of effective tutoring programs is a promising approach that will help to bridge the education gap and support students in their academic recovery. By recognizing the unique challenges faced by students and educators, this project emphasizes the importance of informed interventions and …

Food Literacy And Applying Learnings Towards English Literacy, Andrew Wirtz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Food Literacy promotes the way people should consciously think about the food we ingest on a day-to-day basis. This paper explores how teachers can positively teach students how to be literate when it comes to food and how students can apply these learnings towards their English subject matter skills. This paper also explores how children from all economic backgrounds seek out highly processed foods (such as fast food) which are filled with various chemicals and additives, which in turn, can affect students' performance within the classroom in an negative manner.

Data-To-Action Workshop Report: Uganda Humanitarian Violence Against Children And Youth Survey (Hvacs), 2022, Chi-Chi Undie, Stella Muthuri, George Odwe, Gloria Seruwagi, Francis Obare Onyango, Peter Kisaakye, Stephen Kizito, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Andres Villaveces, Michelle Hynes, Begona Fernandez, Constanza Ginestra, Darlson Kusasira, Charles Bafaki, Lydia Wasula, Katie Ogwang

Humanitarian Task Force

The Government of Uganda, civil society organisations, and international partners participated in a Data-to-Action (D2A) workshop in Kampala, Uganda, June 14–16, 2023. The workshop was co-convened by the Office of the Prime Minister’s Department of Refugees and the Baobab Research Programme Consortium, with support from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development; UNHCR; and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters staff. The Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS) D2A workshop supports countries in creating violence prevention priorities directly informed by HVACS data. These priorities are created by linking HVACS data to the suite of evidenced-based …

Uganda Humanitarian Violence Against Children And Youth Survey, 2022: Summary Report, Francis Obare Onyango, George Odwe, Peter Kisaakye, Stephen Kizito, Yohannes Dibaba Wado, Francis Annor, Laura Chiang, Greta Massetti, Stella Muthuri, Gloria Seruwagi, Darlson Kusasira, Charles Bafaki, Katie Ogwang, Chi-Chi Undie

Humanitarian Task Force

Violence Against Children (VAC) refers to all forms of abuse or maltreatment of people under the age of 18 years. The Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS), led by national governments with technical assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the Together for Girls partnership, have documented the magnitude and prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual violence against children in more than 20 low- and middle-income countries, with a view to informing national prevention and response programs. Despite the precedent for understanding the extent of VAC from the perspectives of adolescents and …

Grandparents As Custodians Of Arabic As A Heritage Language In The United Kingdom, Fatma F.S. Said

All Works

The phenomenon of three-generation households is typical in many homes across the world, though perhaps less so in North America and Western Europe. When multigeneration families share the same physical space and take part in the same activities, the dynamics of parenting, eating, how time is spent and allocated, and relationships differ from families in which only parents and their children live together. One of the main (relevant) differences is that in these multilingual families there is easy access to the learning of heritage languages and socialisation into and through them. As the article will demonstrate shortly, such ease is …

Preparing The Ground To Influence Humanitarian Sector Policies, Guidelines, And Strategies In Uganda: Case Study Two, The Baobab Research Programme Consortium

Humanitarian Task Force

This case study describes the pathway by which the Baobab Research Programme Consortium's efforts have created a platform that is primed for influencing humanitarian sector policies, guidelines, and strategies with evidence and evidence-based approaches.

Influencing Programme Plans, Practices, Actions, And Investments In Humanitarian Settings: Case Study One, The Baobab Research Programme Consortium

Humanitarian Task Force

This case study describes the Baobab Research Programme Consortium's pathway to influencing programme plans, practices, actions, and investments in refugee contexts in Uganda, and the efforts which culminated in the collaborative piloting of a Para-Social Worker-driven intervention in Kiryandongo Settlement by Baobab and Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, with support from the Department of Refugees.

Neo-Noir Investigations: The Art Of Directing And Writing An Interactive Experience, James Phillip Koehler Jr.

Honors Projects

This project intends to explore the process behind writing and directing for an interactive experience; video games, specifically. A team, including artists, programmers, and a musician, was organized to work toward the completion of a playable demo. Included in this project is a video of the playable demo, alongside various other completed materials that were unable to be included.

Exploring The Role Of Curricular Engagement In The Secondary English Classroom: A Case Study, Kelsey Leah Baldwin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Educational engagement is an issue that has become problematic due to the many changes that have occurred since COVID, including technological dependency and teacher burnout. Teachers may need more skills to manage and implement engagement strategies in the classroom setting. Understanding educators’ experiences with classroom engagement in a variety of secondary English classrooms is the setting of this case study. The central research question explores how educators experience student engagement in their classrooms. The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s social cognitive theory, as I utilize the theory to examine behaviors affected by people and the classroom environment. This research …

Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya: Testing For Scale—Recommendations Report, Karen Austrian, Eva Ireri Muluve, Ruth Nanjekho, John A. Maluccio, Erica Soler-Hampejsek

Adolescents and Young People

The Adolescent Girls Initiative-Kenya, a randomized trial implemented between 2015 and 2021, was designed to test the short- and longer-term effects of two-year multisectoral and multilevel “cash plus” programs for adolescent girls aged 11–14 years. It was implemented in two marginalized areas of Kenya: Kibera, an urban informal settlement in Nairobi, and Wajir, a pastoralist rural county. Results showed that a multisectoral approach was an effective way to create positive change across a range of well-being factors for young adolescent girls, including education, health, and economic outcomes. The program had long-term sustainable effects. Throughout the testing for scale phase, PC-Kenya …

Words Without Faces: Anonymous Social Media On Campus, Evelyn Kelly

Language, Literature & Writing Student Scholarship

"A new anonymous social media app, Fizz, has announced intentions to launch on Messiah University’s campus. Anonymous social media apps allow users to post within a set community without their comments being traced back to them. One such popular app around campus is Yik Yak..."

Cementing Key Partnerships To Foster The Use Of Evidence In Humanitarian Settings: Baobab Case Study Three, The Baobab Research Programme Consortium

Humanitarian Task Force

The Population Council leads the Baobab Research Programme Consortium (RPC) in partnership with Population Council–Kenya and the African Population and Health Research Center. Situated in the East and Horn of Africa (EHA), this Africa-based and African-led consortium focuses on filling critical evidence gaps to reduce inequities in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SHRH) among vulnerable populations in humanitarian settings. Baobab produces policy and program-relevant evidence to address critical SHRH concerns among vulnerable refugee populations in the EHA region. Baobab’s approach to developing partnerships includes a commitment to connection and complementarity; building trust and listening to partners; maintaining respect, patience, …

Irotas 2024, Xander Auman, Kat Beekman, Elizabeth Benfield, Jessica Grafe, Jed Nelson, Kate Nissen, Drake Onyx, Alex Peachey, Benjamin Rayburn, Mandie Schmidt, Kelly Stelzer, Kylie White, Jayde Yeates, Larissa Lopez, Alayna Majkrzak, Ashleigh Campbell, Alysen Endres, Lucy Severson, Kiera Norman, Samantha Bird, Keaton Riebel, Jaden Fleshner, Jaydon Wilson, Ian Mckinzie, Rachel Marzahn, Riker Weiler, Mushfiq Kabir, Taya Peterson, Mawatta Dukuly, Mal Bowman, Grace Guertin, Samantha Dischinger, Kieran Lombard, Ian Mckinzie, Grace Westphel

Irotas

Irotas is an annual student journal of the arts created and published by Winona State University students. Irotas is a sibling journal to the Satori Student Literary Magazine. This is the inaugural issue of Irotas (2024).

Student Editors: Xander Auman, Kat Beekman, Elizabeth Benfield, Jessica Grafe, Jed Nelson, Kate Nissen, Drake Onyx, Alex Peachey, Benjamin Rayburn, Mandie Schmidt, Kelly Stelzer, Kylie White, and Jayde Yeates.

Faculty advisor: Dr. Liberty Kohn

Satori 2024, Draconian Onyx, Xander Auman, Elizabeth Benfield, Samantha Bird, Elysia Beynon, Ashleigh Campbell, Lydia Domaille, Mawatta Dukuly, Alysen Endres, Jessica Grafe, Grace Guertin, Mushfiq Kabir, Nathan Kronbeck, Alayna Majkrzak, Rachel Marzahn, Noelle Mckinney, Ian Douglas Mckinzie, Dorothy Moore, Jack Mulvaney, Kaylee Nickisch, Kiera Norman, Alex Peachy, Sophia Porter, Sydney Porter, Keaton Riebel, Sophia Sailer, Lucy Severson, Kelly Steltzer, Celia Stern, Willow Swinbank, Jackie Velishek, Allen Wedekind, Riker Weiler, Jaydon Wilson

Satori Literary Magazine

The Satori is a student literary publication that expresses the artistic spirit of the students of Winona State University. Student poetry, prose, and graphic art are published in the Satori every spring since 1970.

The Satori 2024 editors are:

Design and Technical Editor: Draconian Onyx;
Fiction Editors: Elizabeth Benfield, Jed, Nelson, Kate Nissen, Mandie Schmidt, Kylie White, Jayde Yeates;
Poetry Editors: Xander Auman, Kat Beekman, Alex Peachey, Kelly Stelzer;
Art Editors: Jessica Grafe, Draconian Onyx Benjamin Rayburn.
The Satori 2024 faculty advisor is Dr. Liberty Kohn, Professor of English.

Persuasive Essay Assignment For Freshman Composition, Danny Katch

Open Educational Resources

A persuasive essay is a piece of writing that aims to get people to agree with your point of view. Your task for this assignment is to write an essay of 500-750 words that aims to convince others to change a policy or take an action around an issue related to the politics of language.

Girls Deliver Workshop On The Sidelines Of Csw68, Population Council

Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center

No abstract provided.

Power, Practice And Potential: Social Protection And Adolescent Girls—Slide Deck, Girl Center, Cash Transfer And Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv) Research Collaborative, Unicef

Adolescents and Young People

Slide deck for event on the sidelines of CSW68, held on 12 March 2024.

Engl110 Course Syllabus (Composition), James Andrew Grammer

Open Educational Resources

Syllabus for Freshman Composition Course/Intro to Writing.

The Promise Of Vaginal Rings: From The Global Leader In Vaginal Ring Development And Implementation, Population Council

Center for Biomedical Research (CBR)

The Population Council is the global leader in vaginal ring development, with more vaginal rings in our product pipeline than any other organization. Our rings are designed for contraception, prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and multipurpose prevention combinations. They contain a variety of active pharmaceutical ingredients, including hormonal and non-hormonal contraceptives, as well as antiretroviral (ARV) and non-ARV compounds for HIV prevention.

Combatting Human Trafficking Of People With Disabilities For Begging In Ethiopia, Population Council

Humanitarian Task Force

Population Council researchers and partners, ECDD and ELDA, are conducting a 4-year project to understand the patterns, practices and forms of begging in Ethiopia and to utilize the evidence to develop evidence-based interventions that prevent and protect those at risk of, and prosecute those perpetuating, forced begging of persons with disabilities.