Digital Commons Network^™

Community Engagement In Art & Design Colleges, Mah Rukh Raja

Masters Theses

This thesis titled ‘Community Engagement in Art & Design Colleges: Case Studies from Pakistan’ highlights the importance of community-engaged practices in education, specifically within the realm of art and design, and examines the effect of community engagement on student learning. It focuses on the importance of creating opportunities for reciprocal, community-engaged learning where responsibilities, roles and credit are shared equally among students, community partners, and educational institutions to develop projects that are in the best interest of communities.

This research coincides with the introduction of community and civic engagement in undergraduate education in Pakistan. Its primary objective is to serve …

Kashmir And Conflict: The Risks Of Water Scarcity, Mael Quentin

Senior Theses

As global warming increases, natural resource scarcity consistently becomes central to interstate tensions and local dissatisfaction. As water supplies dwindle, countries are becoming more desperate to cling to any accessible water supply, often at other groups' expense. The tension that grows over water scarcity can compound with pre-existing identity-based tensions. Kashmir is an ideal region to examine these concerning patterns, as it is an essential water source tied to interstate conflicts between Pakistan and India. My goal was to analyze three water scarcity types determined by Lyla Mehta and their potential to engender conflict in Kashmir. After looking through multiple …

Bengal Memory, Fahim Hamid

Theses and Dissertations

Bengal Memory is a documentary short film, told through an expository and personal lens, about a forgotten genocide that occurred in Bangladesh during its Liberation War, the controversial role that the U.S. government played in it, and how the lives of Bengali people in both the homeland and in the American diaspora were shaped by these events. As a Bangladeshi American and narrator of this story, I traveled to my native country to investigate. My father, Mohammed, had lived through the 1971 war and recounts his memories of the atrocities committed by West Pakistan, which claimed the lives of a …

Resource Scarcity Caused By Environmental Changes: Driving Factor In Terrorism Attacks In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Amaris Bustamante

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Climate change, resource scarcity, and terrorist attacks are ever-growing crises that disproportionately impact different states. They are crises that can impact the stability and resilience of humanity in the following decades if they are not addressed and mitigated. This study addresses the impact of resource scarcity caused by climate change that can then serve as a driving force in terrorist attacks in climate-sensitive and conflict-prone states. The objective of this mixed-methods study is to identify the correlation between climate changes that lead to resource scarcity such as rainfall and surface temperatures with terrorist attacks when taking into consideration other demographic, …

A Litany For Survival: Exploring Activism, Feminism, And Collective Identity In Women's Movements In Pakistan, Nida Zehra

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Beginning from the history of women's activism and movements in Pakistan, to how differing forms of activism between the old and young generations are shaping the women's movement, this thesis sheds light on the Aurat (Woman) March in Pakistan, that first began in 2018 as an occasion to celebrate International Women's Day, that has heralded a fourth wave of feminism, began a new form of activism, and has been seen as a continuation of the women’s movement in modern-day Pakistan. My research studies its dynamics and the young Pakistani movement actors of today. It analyzes interviews of Aurat March participants …

Assessing Medication Compliance And The Usage Of Complementary Therapies Effecting Hba1c Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Karachi, Pakistan, Neelam Nasruddin

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic illness. It remains to be a major public health matter and a financial burden on the medical system worldwide. This condition can be managed and better treatment strategies and compliance can reduce the risk of complications. In 2022, there will be around 33,000,000 new cases of diabetes worldwide, with 26.7% of the adults in Pakistan being affected, predicts the (International Diabetes Federation, 2022). However, it is observed that most individuals turn to complementary and alternative methods (CAM)/Traditional medicine because of the rising cost of therapy, adverse effects of anti-diabetic medications, and accessibility concerns.
Purpose: …

An Overview Of Sino-Indian Relations In The Last 15 Years, Suchi Patel

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

India and China are emerging as two of the most powerful countries in the world, threatening the dominance that Western nations have known for so long in recent history. With a rich and dynamic history behind both of these nations, there are many geopolitical factors at play when analyzing the nature of their relationship. Previous media that is widespread in news and magazines have often painted one as a villain and the other as heroic, depending on its political stances. Through analysis of peer-reviewed journals, economic data from the respective governments and the Observatory of Economic Complexity, along with cross-sectional …

Exploring The Patients’ And Family Members’ Perspectives On Home-Based Palliative Care, Nadia Sultan Ali

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Home health care is considered as a partial substitute for institutional long-term care, because patients and families with known poor prognoses prefer to stay home with their loved ones and people mostly cannot bear the cost of care at the hospital. Therefore, the importance of home-based palliative care is raised via a shared and coordinated model for saving lives through care.
Purpose: To explore patients' and family members' perspectives and experiences of receiving home-based palliative care services.
Method: This was a qualitative exploratory study conducted in Karachi, targeting patients and family members receiving home-based palliative care services. The data …

Experiences Of Indigenous Women With Maternal Nutrition In Climate Change (Cold Weather) In Rural Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan: Implications For Maternal-Infant Health, Ihsan Ullah

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Pakistan is one of the countries that is most susceptible to the effects of climate change. The country’s Northern regions have experienced several extreme cold weather events, including floods, heavy snowfall, and heavy rains, in recent years, significantly impacting maternal and infant health. Indigenous child-bearing age women in the northern rural areas are the most vulnerable populations experiencing food insecurity, disruptive food systems, increasing food prices, and disrupting food production due to climate change exacerbation.
Aim of the study: The study aimed to explore the experiences of indigenous women with maternal nutrition in harsh winter caused by climate change …

Concept Of Health-Related Quality Of Life Among People With Heart Failure In Karachi, Pakistan, Anny Ashiq Ali

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, are a leading cause of global mortality. The mortality rate for cardiovascular diseases is on the rise, with 80 % to 86 % of fatalities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, including Pakistan. Among NCDs, heart failure (HF) is a condition for which there is no cure, and patients rely on supportive treatments to maintain their quality of life. HF not only affects physical well-being but also has far-reaching consequences on the emotional, social, and cognitive aspects of life. In the context of Pakistan, where unique healthcare, sociocultural, and economic factors prevail, the …

Nurses’ Perceptions Regarding The Use Of The Nursing Process; A Descriptive Qualitative Study At Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan, Kashif Khan

Theses & Dissertations

Background: The Nursing Process (NP) is a comprehensive approach to care, integrating nursing intuition, goal-oriented tasks, patient-centered care, critical thinking, and evidence-based practice (EBP). It aims to enhance patient outcomes and well-being by identifying, treating, and preventing health problems. Widely acknowledged as a valuable instrument in healthcare, it emphasizes the crucial function of nursing. This study fills the gap in the literature by exploring nurses' perspectives on the utilization of the NP in Pakistan.
Purpose: The study aimed to explore nurses' perceptions regarding the use of the nursing process and to identify the barriers and facilitators to its implementation in …

Exploring The Experiences Of Mothers Who Attended The Kangaroo Mother Care Facility In A Tertiary Care Hospital In Swat, Pakistan: A Descriptive Qualitative Study, Muhammad Nasir

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Globally, four million neonates die yearly, and the substantial reasons for the deaths are low birth weight and being preterm. The neonate mortality rate was 18 per thousand live births in the year 2021, which means that approximately 7000 deaths occur worldwide daily. Pakistan is among the top ten countries with many preterm births.
Purpose: To explore the mother’s experiences with KMC, and the motive is that it will reduce the neonate's mortality rate by preventing preterm babies from hypothermia.
Method: A qualitative descriptive study design was used to explore the mothers’ experiences who attended the KMC facility. The …

The Impact Of Access And Quality Of Antenatal Care On Maternal Mortality Rates Among Women In Pakistan, Fauzia Waqar

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper focuses on the factors contributing to high maternal mortality rates in Pakistan, emphasizing the crucial role of inadequate antenatal care (ANC) and limited access to quality health services. Prominent risk factors include poverty and financial constraints, healthcare workforce shortages, lack of women empowerment, and low socioeconomic conditions. The cultural and traditional context in Pakistan also plays an influential role in shaping these factors. For a substantial reduction in maternal mortality rates among Pakistani women and girls, a shift within the cultural perception of women's health, specifically regarding ANC, is crucial. To effectively reduce maternal mortality rates in the …

Decolonial Perspective On Fashion And Sustainability, Haisum Basharat

Masters Theses

The fashion industry has long been criticized for its exploitative practices, cultural appropriation, and detrimental impact on the environment. To address these challenges, there is a growing need to adopt a decolonial approach that acknowledges the historical injustices perpetuated by colonial systems and centers the voices, practices, and traditions of marginalized communities. This abstract presents a model that integrates decolonial principles into the fashion industry while incorporating traditional textile practices to promote local autonomy, cultural sustainability, and mitigate climate change.

Modest Aspirations: Day Dreams, Frivolity, And Digital Lives Of Public College Girls In Lahore, Pakistan, Anam Khan

Theses and Dissertations

This project was conceived out of a policy announcement in 2016 where the Higher Education Commission Pakistan announced that the two-year colleges were to be phased out and eventually eliminated. In doing so, the notice suggested that they will be replaced by programs modeled around the United States community college and called Associate Degrees. This ongoing development formed the basis of my research as for many gender and class minorities, these programs are the only option for post-secondary education in a country where many do not have the privilege to go to college. I aimed to analyze the kind of …

Pakistan, India And The Indus River Basin, Muquadas Ilyas

Dissertations and Theses

Water is a fundamental need of all living things. The right to clean water is classified as a human right under United Nations Resolution 64/292.As such it is the responsibility of governments to ensure its citizens are not deprived of this essential resource. In doing so, effective water management is crucial to provide clean water that is accessible to everyone regardless of any challenges such as geographical constraints or political disputes. This thesis explores the water management efforts of Pakistan and India. These countries are facing a water crisis, whereby numerous citizens have died due to dehydration and diseases contracted …

Pakistan's Contribution To The Global Rise In Conventional Pollution, Emily Warner

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines the impact of conventional pollutants on the environment, communities, and individuals in Pakistan. It begins by investigating the causes of conventional pollutants and exploring Pakistan’s agricultural industry, domestic practices, non-renewable energy sources, and industrial practices (the brick industry, leather tanning industry, and textile industry). It then analyzes factors that continue to contribute to conventional pollution in Pakistan such as economic incentives, politics, and traditional practices within industries. Exploring the measures that have been taken by Pakistan and other organizations to decrease conventional pollutants, it then suggests potential opportunities for improvement.

Gendered Citizenship: Understanding Violence Against Women In Pakistan, Taqdees M. Mela, Taqdees Mela

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

From 2020 to 2021, there has been an increase in violence against women by 255 percent in Pakistan.1 As a democratic state, Pakistan constitutionally recognizes its women as equal citizens but the fear of gendered violence acts as an effective deterrent to women to exercise their rights. My thesis explores the question, why Muslim women who exercise their rights are potentially subject to violence in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. An examination of this question demonstrates the historical roots of violence and their continued effect on the Pakistani Muslim woman as a citizen. Starting from the colonial period, this thesis …

Analysis Of Seismicity And Related Seismic Risk In Muslim Countries: Case Studies From Afghanistan And Pakistan, Ikramuddin Bahram

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

How communities respond to a natural hazard is influenced by how they perceive it. This dissertation evaluated the gap between intent and action regarding earthquake hazards in Muslim countries with a focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Cultural biases provided predictions of risk perceptions and risk-taking preferences that were often more powerful than measures of knowledge and experience. In Muslim communities, perception of risk was influenced by the teachings of Islam and related rituals, traditions, and culture.

This study evaluated the seismicity and earthquake hazard in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Assessments of seismic risk and perception of danger were conducted to examine …

"The Personal Is The Political And The Political Is Personal:" Engendering Understanding Through Global Allegory In Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist And Exit West, Nicole Ordonez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Exit West by British-Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid. In both novels, Hamid uses the representational literary device of allegory to present what I will frame as works of “global allegory,” or novels of global literature that present the world as one interconnected space rather than as one divided by borders and nations. In doing so, I will be situating my argument as a rebuttal of Frederic Jameson’s “Third World Literature in the Age of Multinational Capitalism.” Jameson draws a distinction between works of third world and first world literature along the lines of allegory. …

Explorations In Ict4d Research And Practice: Examples From Nigeria And Pakistan, Joelle Saunders

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the field and practice of Information and Communications Technologies for Development. ICT4D is a field of research at the intersection of technology studies and development studies, a policy area for countries, and a practice of using ICTs or digital technologies to effect socioeconomic change at a country-wide level or at the level of poor and marginalized communities. Two ICT4D initiatives or projects in Nigeria and Pakistan each are examined. Through the case studies and the subsequent discussion and analysis, this thesis aims to provide a brief but incisive exploration of the research and practice of ICT4D. This …

Military Supremacy In Pakistan: A Case Of Military Dictators And Eluded Democracy, Anushe Engineer

Scripps Senior Theses

For more than half of Pakistan’s 75 years of existence, the country has been ruled by military dictators. Although Pakistan is more or less considered a democracy, I will be arguing in my thesis that it is, in fact, a garrison-cum-hybrid democratic state. I will explain through various domestic and international events how Pakistan’s military leaders have taken advantage of several foreign and domestic events to stay in power, even when democratically elected civilian governments were ruling. The actions and decisions of military rulers have become institutionalized in Pakistan and shaped its future trajectory in terms of institutional, political, social …

Where Girls Rule The World: Lessons For Pakistan In The Bangladeshi Educational Phenomenon, Chanze Ahsan

Honors Theses

In tune with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal and the widespread acceptance of education as a fundamental human right, the deprivation of female education in Pakistan presents an alarming assault on its female population. With this, the historical accident that was the separation of Pakistan and Bangladesh serves as a natural experiment into differences between the countries before and after partition. Despite facing two colonizations, Bangladesh has emerged on the other side of history with promising results regarding the elimination of gender disparities in education. How has it managed to do so? And what can Pakistan learn from its journey? …

The Bold And The Beautiful: Portraiture In Pakistani Truck Art, Farah Ali

Art and Design Theses

The evolution of portraiture in Pakistani truck painting is indicative of strong global influences and local folk elements coming together. Without much patronage or formal vocational guidance, truck painters have inadvertently created a contemporary pop culture phenomenon internationally recognized today as distinctly Pakistani. Truck art and its artists' role in carving out a national identity for Pakistan is a postmodernist continuation of cultural legacies. I argue that truck art has now transcended into a “glocal” entity, more in terms of subject matter than stylistic representation, mainly due to the relentless underappreciated efforts of its artists and that this fusion of …

Security Imperative Of The Belt And Road Initiative : A Comparative Study Of Malaysia And Pakistan, Mateena Hammad

Lingnan Theses and Dissertations (MPhil & PhD)

There is a misconception that the Belt and Road Initiative is a grand economic scheme meant to expand Beijing’s influence in the region by attracting smaller states into the Initiative with abundant financial investment, but ultimately overwhelming them in a “debt trap”. Much attention has been given to China’s geopolitical gains and motives as the chief stakeholder of the Initiative, but there is a significant gap in the understanding of the member countries as stakeholders with their own objectives and strategies, instead assumed to be vulnerable to Beijing’s plans and only hopeful for economic development. This dissertation aims to explain …

The Second Kashmir (Informational) War Of 1965, Navdip Hans

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The Second Kashmir (Informational) War of 1965 considers that Pakistan over-optimistically assessed information prior to the onset of hostilities with India. This thesis posits that information released from significant battlefield events quickly dispelled Pakistan's optimism which led to an accurate updating of beliefs and expectations. This resulted in a downward revision of demands by Pakistan to convergence with India resulting in settlement ending the war.

Coherence Of Dysfunctions, Ayesha Rumi

Theses - ALL

"Colonization" is by far the most sophisticated word for the attempts made to make a society financially broke and culturally orphaned. My work is a product of thoughts that occur in the midst of cultural and linguistic existential crises left by the white man's burden . My focus on Pakistani society goes beyond its relevance as the culture I call home; my focus is intended to provide a microscopic view of how culture, traditions, and norms often work in concert to dictate the course of history and the future of nations. In my work I have used western philosophy to …

Coherence Of Dysfunctions, Ayesha Rumi

Theses - ALL

“Colonization” is by far the most sophisticated word for the attempts made to make a society financially broke and culturally orphaned. My work is a product of thoughts that occur in the midst of cultural and linguistic existential crises left by the white man’s burden . My focus on Pakistani society goes beyond its relevance as the culture I call home; my focus is intended to provide a microscopic view of how culture, traditions, and norms often work in concert to dictate the course of history and the future of nations. In my work I have used western philosophy to …

Teeka Tehreek: Increasing Epi Vaccinations In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Narjis Fatima Hussain

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Abstract

Globally, Pakistan ranks third among countries with the most unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children. Within the country, there are huge regional disparities, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region (KPK FATA) has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. Low vaccination rates contribute to the high burden of childhood infectious diseases in Pakistan that cause 70% of childhood deaths. Addressing the issue requires an understanding of the barriers towards vaccinations; 30% of refusals are due to religious reasons and other misconceptions that are compounded by low literacy rates. Since religion has a critical authority in shaping the population’s beliefs, attitudes, …

Finding Peace Journalism: An Analysis Of Media Discourse On Afghan Refugees And Their Forced Repatriation From Pakistan, Ayesha Jehangir

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 2017+

Forty years ago, Afghan refugees began streaming into Pakistan, driven by the abuses of the Communist -led regime throughout the 1970s. After the Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, an additional 400,000 Afghan refugees crossed borders into the neighbouring Pakistan. In the next 10 years, a massive humanitarian crisis followed and by the end of the war in 1989, some four to five million Afghans had sought refuge in Pakistan alone. The civil war (1989-1996), five years of Taliban rule (1996-2001) and the US ‘war on terror’ (2001-present) further fuelled the refugee crisis in Pakistan. To prove alliance to …