Digital Commons Network^™

Archives And Children's Knowledge, Elliott Kuecker, Ashley Rockenbach

Publications and Research

This article argues for the importance of collecting works created by children—not just about and not just for—in formal archival collections. Framed through the ideas of legitimate knowledge and epistemic injustice, this piece combines notions important to children’s rights activists and childhood studies scholars with the role archives can play in preserving children’s knowledge through child-created materials. The authors describe how researchers struggle to find work created by children within archives, impacting the ability to create child-centered research that centers children’s views of the world as prominently as adult views of the world. Some collections that do include child-created materials …

Student Perspectives Of A Rubric-Based Performance Assessment In A Secondary Large Ensemble Classroom: Fairness, Clarity And Learning, Jeffrey S. Payne

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of a rubric-based performance assessment within a secondary large ensemble music program.  Seventy high school students enrolled in a high school band class completed a rubric-based performance assessment that featured personalized feedback and opportunities for resubmission  Using a mixed-methods approach, 17 students in the class voluntarily participated in a survey, the results of which I used to study my own use of assessment.  The survey consisted of eight Likert-scale questions and four open-response questions which were used alongside data regarding the resubmission rate and teacher documentation of instruction. Results indicated …

Promises Fulfilled: 114-Year-Old Alelia Murphy’S Life Of Faith And Resilience, Jacqueline B. Koonce

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Alelia Murphy was the oldest living person in the United States, turning 114 in July 2019 until her death in November 2019. She and her family credit her longevity to her faith in God. This premise is explored through her words as she stated she had not seen everyone she needed to see and compared that statement to Simeon from the Bible who did not die until he saw the Messiah. Alelia Murphy also had not seen everything. She was seeing the relative success of her much admired, former President Barack Obama, and she had just met me, her great …

A Psychogeography Of The Lower Colorado River Basin, Arren L. Kimbel-Sannit

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Dried-up canals. Superheated strip malls. Proliferating data centers. Infinite appetite for growth despite its apparent circumstances. Arizona may well be the state of the American future. This multi-genre series of essays from Arren Kimbel-Sannit offers a personal, political-economic and ecological critique of growth and accumulation in Arizona — from the perspective of someone who grew up in its suburban expanses, reported on its politics, and long sought to clarify his relationship with home.

Thistlebloom Moondog, Gary W. Jensen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

An aging grieving artist decides to write a memoir as part of a self-healing process, using samples of song lyrics from his extensive collection of original Americana songs as narrative prompts.  Steeped in wanderlust, aspiration, paradox and dysfunction, his is a tale of vexing sub-clinical troubles rooted in the mire of developmental and religious trauma.

Cormac’S Court: Knights Without God In A Savage Land; Or, Chivalry And Existentialism In Cormac Mccarthy’S The Road, Zoë Margaret Metelerkamp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Cormac McCarthy scholars have examined the influence of romantic grail quest literature and existential philosophy on McCarthy’s oeuvre, but they have treated these subjects independently of each other. This thesis offers a novel exploration of McCarthy’s use of these specific philosophical and literary precedents by focusing on the ways The Road unifies medieval literary principles in Chretien’s Perceval with the existential chivalry Søren Kierkegaard extrapolates in Fear and Trembling.

Ottoman Wikālas In Cairo: Islamic Architecture Beyond The Mosque, Yumna Moussa

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis traces one of the largest architectural typologies in Cairo: the wikāla, a type of urban caravanserai unique to Egypt. Estimated to have reached more than five hundred buildings by the 18^th century, the wikāla was the building of choice for most patrons in Ottoman Cairo. This study initially investigates the evolution of commercial architecture within the Islamic city. It then explores the defining architectural features of Cairene wikālas built between the 16^th and 18^th centuries—their plans, decorative/iconographic programs, and urban distribution—based on waqfiyyas, chronicles, travelers’ accounts, and photographic archives. Since many of …

On The Reasonableness Of Religious Belief According To W. James' "The Will To Believe" With Reference To Alvin Plantinga's “The Nature Of Necessity”, Maria Gadelrad Shenouda Nakhla

Theses and Dissertations

Analytically, I follow William James's approach in his paper "The Will to Believe" to demonstrate that holding a religious belief is reasonable and it is not incompatible with being a philosophy scholar. I do this through explaining the way James addressed the main obstacle that Clifford puts against belief (in general) which is ‘the lack of sufficient evidence’. Clifford claims that belief cannot be accepted without evidence on it.

James breaks apart this obstacle through many steps. First, analyzing the nature of belief itself, showing that belief cannot be attained based on intellectual grounds alone (which needs sufficient evidence), but …

“Man And Woman He Created Them”: Redefining Leadership Through The Feminine Genius, Jennifer Alan Marron

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Catholic leaders who embody Pope St. John Paul II’s feminine genius traits (i.e., receptivity, sensitivity, generosity, and spiritual motherhood) and how these traits shaped their leadership identity and influence within Catholic institutions. Methodology: Six Catholic leaders with at least three years of exemplary leadership were recruited among three groups: clergy, consecrated religious, and laity via convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected through Zoom and in-person interviews. The interview questions aligned with the five research questions. After the interview, participants reviewed an AI-generated transcript for accuracy …

Confucian Thought As A Strategic Veil: How Western Strategy Should Correctly Compete With China, Owen Miller

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The rise of the People's Republic of China as a peer competitor to the United States constitutes the defining geopolitical challenge of the twenty-first century, but even so, Western strategic analysis has consistently failed to engage China on its own terms. The recurrent pattern of Western misinterpretation results from projecting Western assumptions onto a state whose institutional and cultural drivers operate under fundamentally different premises, where key elements of Chinese strategic culture and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) instrumentalization of Confucianism as a moral veil are instruments of domestic legitimacy and external strategic narrative. The United States must recognize that …

Psychological Aspects Of Religious Faith Among Participants Of Combat Operations In Crisis Situations, Ivan Bilosevych, Hanna Voshkolup, Andriy Hirnyak, Anastasiia Yatyshchuk, Volodymyr Shafranskyi

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of the psychological dimensions of religious faith on the sense of coherence among military personnel, which in turn serves as an indicator of heightened stress tolerance. The study employs various empirical methods, including questionnaires, as well as both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The Duke Religiosity Index is utilized to assess the level of religiosity among military personnel, encompassing three dimensions: organizational religious activity, non-organizational religious activity, and intrinsic religiosity. To evaluate the level of coherence in military personnel under stress and combat conditions, the Antonovsky SOC-13 scale is employed, utilizing …

Development Of True Orthodox Church In Kyiv Region (1927-1931), Oleksandr Trygub, Oleh Bazhan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The preconditions for the formation and activities of the True Orthodox Church in the territory of the Kyiv region from 1927 to 1931 are studied in the scientific paper. Based on archival documents, the reasons for the emergence of the anti-Sergius opposition among the Orthodox clergy and laity who rejected the Declaration of Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) on loyalty to Soviet power are analyzed. It is shown that the Kyiv region became one of the centers for the development of the True Orthodox Christian movement in the Ukrainian SSR, where independent communities were formed. The specifics of underground church life are …

Pilgrims Of Hope: Sociotheological Considerations, András Máté-Tóth

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Today, we can no longer view Europe according to the old political division between the progressive West and the lagging but striving East. Europe is a continent struggling with geopolitical challenges, a struggle in which it needs the offer of Christian thinking and behavior, which fully recognizes and acknowledges human beings and is capable of bridging the divides created by selfish interests. The bishops and episcopal institutions of Europe can humbly but confidently draw on the resources of faith and social knowledge, and with courageous consistency take their part in evangelization, journeying together in synodality with hope.

Stefan Tsankov And Orthodox Ecumenical Theology: Foundations, Grammar And Reception, Ioannis Kaminis, Nikos Kouremenos

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper examines the life, theology, and ecumenical legacy of Protopresbyter Dr. Stefan Tsankov (1881-1965), a leading Bulgarian Orthodox theologian and one of the earliest Orthodox pioneers of the modern ecumenical movement. Situating Tsankov within the broader trajectory of twentieth-century Orthodoxy, the study traces his biographical formation, academic career, and active participation in key inter-Christian and inter-Orthodox forums, including the Faith and Order and Life and Work movements. Particular attention is given to his theological “grammar” of ecumenism: a vision grounded in the catholicity of the Church, the inseparability of unity and doctrinal truth, and an irenic ethos marked by …

The Russian Orthodox Church In The Ukrainian Ssr, 1946–1951: Activity And State Relations In Vinnytsia Region, Natalka Zhmud, Anatoliy A. Voynarovskiy Skiy

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church (hereafter, ROC) and its relations with Soviet authorities in the Ukrainian SSR between 1946 and 1951. It draws on archival materials introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time–specifically, reports by commissioners of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Council for the Affairs of Religious Cults in the Ukrainian SSR, with particular reference to Vinnytsia region. Relations between the ROC and the Soviet authorities, in authors opinion, should be regarded in the context of a noticeable easing of anti-religious pressure under Stalin’s totalitarian regime …

The Theological Tradition Of The Orthodox Church In The Aspect Of The Formation Of Military Leadership In Ukraine, Olga Dobrodum, Andrii S. Zborchyi, Tetyana Kondratyuk-Antonova, Oleksandr L. Kolomiiets

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Analysis of the Orthodox theological tradition as a moral foundation for military leadership in the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the full-scale war. The study moves beyond pragmatic managerial models, exploring Orthodox categories such as service (diakonia), sacrifice, and spiritual warfare. Drawing on patristic heritage and modern theologians, the authors examine leadership motivation, the role of faith in professional resilience, and the integration of Orthodox anthropology into military training. Special emphasis is placed on the Orthodox Church of Ukraine's chaplaincy as a key mechanism for actualizing these values while addressing challenges like secularism and multiconfessionalism.

Belief, Religious Practice, And Religious Self-Description: A Comparative Analysis Of World Values Survey Wave 7 Data From Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, And Uzbekistan, Margulan Alpysbay, Dinara Utebayeva, Asset Kuranbek

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Although religiosity may appear straightforward to measure empirically, no single survey item captures it fully. This limitation is particularly evident in societies where belief in God is widespread: belief may not correspond to religious attendance, prayer frequency, or self- description as a religious person. Treating these differences as merely methodological would obscure important variation in how religiosity is expressed. A comparison of five empirical indicators of religiosity in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. It examines how belief in God, the importance of God in life, religious attendance, prayer frequency, and religious self-description converge or diverge. The analysis uses World Values Survey …

Reassessing Islamization In South Kazakhstan Through Written, Genealogical, And Archaeological Sources, Mukhtar Kozha, Asset Kuranbek

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article re-examines the early spread of Islam in South Kazakhstan through a comparative analysis of Arabic-Persian frontier narratives, nasab- nama (genealogical charter) traditions, and archaeological evidence from the Syrdarya, Otrar, Turkestan, and Sayram regions. It argues that Islamization in South Kazakhstan did not begin as a single act of conquest or mass conversion, but as a gradual frontier process shaped by military expansion, political realignment, migration, sacred-lineage formation, and urban transformation during the Umayyad (661–750 CE) and early Abbasid (from 750 CE) periods. The study applies a triangulatory method, distinguishing between contemporaneous frontier narratives, retrospective sacred genealogies, and archaeological …

Religious Security In The Post-Soviet Space: The Evolution And Socio-Political And Legal Consequences Of Religious Extremism In Kazakhstan, Zharas Akhan Phd

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Examination of the processes of emergence, institutionalization, and development of religious extremism in post-Soviet Kazakhstan. Utilizing historical-comparative and institutional methodologies, the study analyzes the socio-political and economic factors that have contributed to the spread of radical religious ideologies from the 1990s to the present. The development of religious extremism in Kazakhstan is categorized into three chronological stages: the latent formative period (1991–1998), the stage of institutional adaptation and prevention (1999–2010), and the phase of transition to terrorist methods (2011–present). The research findings demonstrate that religious extremism in Kazakhstan has evolved from a perceived external threat into a complex internal security …

Russian-Speaking Muslim Female Bloggers And The Rise Of Gender-Justice Religious Narratives, Kymbat Karatyshkanova, Kudaiberdi Bagasharov

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This article examines how Russian-speaking Muslim female bloggers use social media to construct gender-justice narratives and contest religious interpretations they perceive as patriarchal. Drawing on qualitative thematic discourse analysis of publicly available content on YouTube, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok, the study conceptualizes these practices as digital counter-preaching: the public contestation and reframing of existing religious messages through alternative Islamic arguments. The findings identify several strategies, including framing women’s rights as divinely grounded entitlements, distinguishing Islam from patriarchal cultural practices, promoting economic resilience, challenging selective gendered accountability, and emphasizing reciprocity in marital relations. Digital counter-preaching emerges from perceived interpretive injustice, women’s …

Religious Situation In Ukraine: Main Trends And Prognostic Visions, Olena Predko, Denys Predko, Ihor Maksymenko

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The contemporary religious situation in Ukraine is characterized by the resilience of religious institutions despite the full-scale war and destruction of infrastructure, which demonstrates a high level of nominal religiosity and the social significance of religion. At the same time, a profound structural transformation of the Orthodox field is underway, reflecting processes of national identification, security, and the delegitimization of pro-Russian structures. In parallel, there is a shift in religiosity from a mobilizational to a reflective, individualized form, in which faith performs psychological, meaning-making, and symbolic functions rather than mere institutional affiliation. At the same time, the post-war period retains …

Book Review: Rev. Jacek Urban, Archidiecezja Krakowska W Latach 1925-2025. Szkice Historyczne [The Archdiocese Of Kraków In 1925-2025: Historical Sketches], Filip Mazurczak

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

A review of Rev. Jacek Urban, Archidiecezja Krakowska w latach 1925-2025. Szkice historyczne [The Archdiocese of Kraków in 1925-2025: Historical Sketches], (Kraków: Księgarnia Akademicka, 2026), 416 pages, 60 PLN. ISBN 9788383684239.

"That She May Bear On My Knees:" An Adoption Ritual In The Hebrew Bible, Claire Ellen Hobbs

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Staging Violence With Intentionality, Toby O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the role of the fight choreographer in the theatre while addressing the potential issues staged violence has in distracting an audience from the intended narrative of the play. Avoiding the instruction manual approach of stage combat in favor of expounding on the theory of violent entertainment, I have constructed a thesis that informs the reader of certain types of violence found in both classical and modern productions and have researched the psychological ramifications of violent spectatorship and the necessity for content acknowledgements as well as consideration for the performer’s well-being. By exploring the history of violent entertainment …

Mediator: Ornament As A Visual Language Of The Transcendent, Selma Fejzullaj

Theses and Dissertations

Adolf Loos’s declaration that “ornament is a crime” defined modernist design, establishing a legacy that dismisses ornamentation as wasteful and regressive. This research questions that legacy by repositioning aesthetics as a divinely grounded value, inspired by the Qur’anic vision of Paradise. In this celestial realm, beauty is not wasteful but a manifestation of divine perfection. Conceptually, the project reclaims ornament as a vital tool for contemplating metaphysical themes. Materially, it reimagines glass, shifting it from modernist "radical honesty" to a medium of layered depth. Recombining traditional Islamic ornamentation practices such as Girih and Chaharbagh, the project evokes the Qur’anic vision …

A Neo-Kuyperian Approach To Mathematics, Calvin Jongsma, Kevin Vander Meulen

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This chapter develops a Reformational perspective on the discipline of mathematics that stems from the seminal ideas of Kuyper, Dooyeweerd, Wolters, Clouser, and others. The implications of the Biblical motif of Creation-Fall-Redemption is explored for the task of Christian scholarship in general and for the field of mathematics in particular, drawing upon relevant developments in the history and philosophy of mathematics.

Enoch’S Measuring, Counting, Weighing, And Balancing Creation In 2 Enoch, Andrei Orlov

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

In recent years one can see increased scholarly attention to the epistemological dimension of early Jewish apocalyptic writings and, in particular, to the ways by which divine knowledge was harvested and cultivated by the protagonists and antagonists of those early Jewish accounts. The early Enochic booklets have traditionally played a central role in these epistemological probes since they contain the earliest descriptions of the transmission and acquisition of divine knowledge in Jewish apocalypticism.  These accounts deal both with revelations unveiled by God and angels to the patriarch Enoch and with illicit transmission of divine knowledge by the rogue group of …

En Tiempos De Extinción, Adialyz Del Valle Berríos

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

En Tiempos de Extinción is a collection of short, mostly speculative, stories exploring themes of community, exploitation, resistance, and the ever-present effects of colonialism in nearly every aspect of life. “El Amor de una Diosa es Amor Suficiente” centers on a young girl’s initiation into a community that will do whatever it takes to indoctrinate the young. “Al Aire Libre” focuses on two tenured professors determined to enjoy their last day on the job, navigating the complicated feelings of what progress means in a world that prioritizes capital. In “OVNI,” the history of a wacky television dating show unravels …

I, Cock-A-Doodle-Do: Reclaiming Masculinity Through Queer Joy And Humorous Self-Exploration, Nelson J. Garcia

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

I examine the contemporary norms of masculinity. My research wrestles with ultimately unresolvable stereotypes and imagery influencing current masculine behavior. I unearth queer potential through the physicality and behavior of the stereotypical “man’s man”. I infuse my own queer identity into my studio practice with an emphasis on humor and joy to subvert traditional models of male performance. This process drives self-exploration that allows me to personally respond, react, be directed, and redirected by the interactions between queerness and masculinity. Masculine and queer representations across various media, such as film, music, and television, historically and continuously inform restrictive cultural norms. …

Emotional Support Friends: Creating Social Impact Through Art And Polite Humor, Kenyari Gil Rosario

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This thesis aims to provide new imagery to the conversation of mental health and neurodivergence. It does this through forms of soft sculpture, digital paintings, marker drawings, and community murals. Inspired by the practices of Keith Haring, iconographic characters are used to portray common struggles and coping habits of mental conditions in an endearing light. With the goal of social impact, this project is affiliated with the non-profit organization Providing Autism Links and Support (P.A.L.S). This partnership has given the community an opportunity to share their compassion through art and donations and uses art as a means of social impact …