Digital Commons Network^™

Creative City Making As A Theoretical Research Practice By Using Soft Systems Methodology, Salfitrie Maryunani, Togar Simatupang, Isti Mirzanti

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This study proposes a novel conceptual framework for creative city development that integrates cultural and economic perspectives, moving beyond the traditional singular focus of existing literature. It identifies three core variables – culture, creativity, and the creative economy – within a balanced model. Using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) as a structuring tool, the framework conceptualizes these interrelations within a complex urban system. Its originality is demonstrated through a design for application in Bandung, Indonesia, an underexplored context, providing a foundation for empirical validation. The paper concludes with actionable activities for implementation, offering a comprehensive tool for integrated diagnosis and planning …

From Urban Space To Everyday Place : Appropriation Of Public Leisure Areas In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Marcos Guimarães (Guimaraes)

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The dramatic changes occurred in the organization of cities reverberate in the very individual and interpersonal levels of spatial relationships. This essay approaches the public space by transposing fundamental concepts identified among the urban cultural system to the everyday experience of particular places. This transposition gives an insight into the comprehension of the built environment by exploring links between scales. The referential frame adopted is the set of discourses by Soja (2000) on the post-metropolis. The study cases, two contrasted leisure areas situated in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, are potential spots for the cultural and spatial appropriation of …

Can Creative Hubs Contribute Towards Creative City Development? Case Of Hin Bus Depot, Penang, Malaysia, Suet Leng Khoo, Nicole Shu Fun Chang

Journal of Urban Culture Research

As cities shift their economic base towards culture and creativity, the emergence of creative hubs to catalyze local creative industries is acknowledged as a viable urban development strategy. In Malaysia, the concept is not new. In George Town, Penang, a sterling example is Hin Bus Depot which is a once-abandoned bus depot that reinvented itself to become a successful creative community hub. The ways upon which Hin contributes towards creative city development warrants documentation. Through qualitative techniques and a longitudinal timeframe, this paper unpacks Hin’s role by revisiting its evolving functionalities, forms, and meanings as it thrives, and responds to …

Transnational History And Asean’S Young Scholars In Regional Connectivity : Perspectives From Mainland Southeast Asia, Liem Vu Duc, Thu Ha Nguyen Thi

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Past legacies profoundly shape contemporary relationships between ASEAN’s countries. Unfortunately, voices of history do not always generate a healthy motivation for regional connectivity, but recall painful images of warfare and conflict between polities that developed into present-day Southeast Asian nation-states. Such histories can be seen in ongoing disputes over the South China Sea, or at a temple on the Thai-Cambodian border. Taking countries in mainland Southeast Asia as a case study, this paper explores the role history education and Southeast Asian studies play in managing past legacy and facilitating the ASEAN Community with a particular focus on the integration of …

Analytical Approach To Find Effective Factors On Users' Attachment To Public Spaces (Case Study : Khayyam Street, Qazvin), Maryam Chakhchian

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Different physical, social, activity and meaning aspects define public spaces as a social space. Several studies argue the relations between those main aspects and users’ attachment to such spaces. In this regard, this study tries to evaluate the significance of the relations between those four mentioned aspects in a selected public space based on the citizens' choice as a successful and desirable urban space. Data have been analyzed by SPSS software and the results indicate all of mentioned dimensions have a positive significance correlation users’ attachment to the place. Although, the result of path analysis shows activity aspect has an …

The Battle Spirit : The Cultural Essence Of Buddhist Temple Murals In Northeast Thailand, Ya-Liang Chang

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The murals found in Buddhist temples across Thailand play a significant role in the country's social fabric and are integral to the safeguarding efforts of Thailand's intangible cultural heritage. The research aims to explore the essence of murals in 24 Buddhist temples in Isan, delving into the principles guiding their creation. The author explores the intrinsic meanings embedded in these murals and deconstructs the cultural essence of Isan through a qualitative study. The investigation reveals the core essence of Isan's murals as the “battle spirit,” intricately woven across individual, societal, and national levels. Serving as conduits for Buddhist teachings on …

Problems Of Contemporary Art In The Regions Of Great Altai, Yelena Lichman, Mikhail Popandopulo, Abdrashid Raimbergenov, Abdulkhamit Raimbergenov, Adilgali Sagimbayev

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The relevance of the study is due to the fact that at present the topic of modern art is studied all over the world. The purpose of study is the complex study of factors that influence the activities of young artists in the art sector, their genre preference and the choice of unique forms to convey their own thoughts. To achieve this goal, theoretical and empirical methods such as statistical analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction were mainly used. The result of the research was a full analysis of the works of modern Kazakh, Mongolian, Chinese and Uzbek artists working in …

Women’S Literary Cultures In The Global Middle Ages: Speaking Internationally, Edited By Kathryn Loveridge, Liz Herbert Mcavoy, Sue Niebrzydowski, And Vicki Kay Price, Caitlin Branum Thrash

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

State Gross Domestic Product And The Economic Legacy Of The Civil War In The American South, Jacob N. Anderson

Tenor of Our Times

Many southern states, excluding Texas and Florida, have reported significantly lower annual GDP than other American subregions since the Civil War and Reconstruction. Furthermore, some recent articles show a correlation between southern states with higher levels of poverty and those who fought on the side of the Confederacy. Several sources make a logical argument that the South is still in the process of equilibrating to the economic norm, and the continuation of certain economic principles has prolonged that process further. To examine a possible relationship between state wealth and the history of the Confederacy in the southern states, I test …

Preserving Nature: Mapping Patriarchal And Imperial Control In Victorian Fiction, Hannah Schultz

Theses and Dissertations--English

In Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles, a group of fallen women see “themselves and surrounding nature forming an organism of which all the parts harmoniously and joyously interpenetrated each other” (65). As relational, boundary-dissolving, ecological subjects, these women are empowered above society’s judgment, made “sublime as the moon and stars” (65). By analyzing such representations of ecological relationality in Victorian fiction, my dissertation reveals new forms of agency for women and racialized others. While many ecofeminists have historically disavowed the nature-gender link as reinforcing the shared oppression of nature and marginalized groups, I depart from this standpoint, as …

Lust, Labor, & Legitimacy: Visibility And Precarity In Platformed Sex Work, Sable J. Augustyn

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This thesis examines the labor of platformed sex workers, positioning their experiences as a site for understanding the entanglement of multiple intersecting economies. Through qualitative interviews, it explores how sex workers navigate platform infrastructures, manage audience engagement, and contend with visibility as both an economic necessity and a site of risk. Drawing on theories of emotional labor, visibility labor, and platform governance, the project highlights how sex work on digital platforms is shaped by overlapping systems of economic extraction, technological constraint, and cultural regulation. Platformed sex work emerges here as a layered and context-specific practice—embedded within creator ecologies, attraction economies, …

Woke-Lahoma: Anti-Trans Ideology On The Frontlines, Sarah H. Fogel

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

The past decade (2015-2025) of American politics has been marked by a sharp rise in anti-trans politics. Indeed, during this period, anti-trans rhetoric and legislation have become central to American conservative politics more broadly. As the Republican party under Donald Trump works daily to remake the federal government in its image, studying the recent past of Republican-controlled states like Oklahoma offers a window into the future of anti-trans politics at the national scale. This thesis uses a mix of discourse analysis of anti-trans media and participant observation at 2SLGBTQ+ Pride events to analyze the ideological underpinnings of the present-day anti-trans …

Shaping A City: Municipal Housekeeping, Civic Activism, And Urban Environmentalism In Progressive Era Louisville Through The Women’S City Club, Amy J. Malventano

Theses and Dissertations--History

At the turn of the twentieth century, rapid industrialization and urban expansion transformed American cities, creating urgent challenges in governance, public health, and environmental management. In response, women across the United States extended their domestic expertise into the public sphere, spearheading initiatives to improve sanitation, waste disposal, and urban infrastructure. This dissertation examines the Louisville Women’s City Club (LWCC) as a case study of municipal housekeeping, demonstrating how middle-class women used their traditional roles to influence systemic reform in Louisville, Kentucky. By bridging gender history, urban environmentalism, and Progressive Era activism, this study reveals how the LWCC shaped public policy …

“A True And Broad Sympathy:” Thomas Hughes, Medievalism, And Social Justice In The Nineteenth Century, Sarah E. Stapleton

Theses and Dissertations--History

Thomas Hughes, author of Tom Brown’s Schooldays (1857), used medievalism to help solve social problems of the Nineteenth Century. This contravenes the traditional view of medievalism, especially Anglo-Saxonism, since others have used it to justify the subjugation of people of lower social status, namely the poor in England, enslaved African Americans in the United States, and Indians under British rule.

While the use of medievalism is veiled in Hughes’ work, the subtext of Tom Brown’s Schooldays demonstrated Hughes’ Anglo-Saxonism. Tom Brown and the intertextual material surrounding his narrative exhibit the characteristics of Anglo-Saxonism through cultural primitivism, the concept of allodial, …

If I Can’T Dance It’S Not My Revolution: Rhythms Of Resistance, Christina Zogopoulou

CMC Senior Theses

This paper examines dance not as a strategic tool for persuasion or visibility, but as an inherently meaningful political practice that shapes how protest is experienced, sustained, and lived by participants. Drawing on global dance-protests, from feminist protests in India to anti-ICE protests in the United States, it demonstrates that dance emerges across conditions of celebration and mourning, safety and repression, and hope and despair.

The paper advances a conceptual framework organized around three interrelated themes: energy, body politics, and community. Grounded in interdisciplinary theory from social movement studies, dance studies, feminist and Black radical thought, and supported by qualitative …

Spring 2025 Graduate Portfolio, Alex Billman

Graduate Research Papers

History is more than a mere chronicle of events; it is a dynamic tapestry woven from a multitude of experiences, cultures, and narratives that shape our collective past. My philosophy of history is rooted in the belief that understanding history is essential for comprehending the present and envisioning the future. As a passionate historian with a focus on Iowa's rich and diverse history, I am driven by a commitment to uncovering the stories that have shaped this region and its people. My approach to history is both analytical and empathetic, aiming to bring to light the voices and perspectives that …

Graduate Portfolio, Cody Miller

Graduate Research Papers

No abstract provided.

The Animated Frontier: Fluctuations Of Power Across Time And Space In Flows Of U.S. And Japanese Animated Media, Kendall Belopavlovich

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This project critiques the historical and contemporary relationships between the U.S., Japan, and marginalized groups through the lens of animation. The U.S. and Japan share a complex history, from the opening of Japan during the Edo period to events like Pearl Harbor and the atomic bombings, which shaped their present-day alliance. Furthermore, the U.S. and Japan are the central nodes in flows of animation, where both nation states have dominated the global market at various points in animation’s history. Today, Japan's soft power in media is significant, and the flow of power between these nations has influenced media forms and …

From Segregation To Censorship: The Evolution Of "States’ Rights" In Shaping American Educational Policy And Its Role In Contemporary Culture Wars, Halle Wright

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper traces the rhetoric of “states’ rights,” “local control,” and “parental rights” as evolving tools for shaping American public education. Using legal, political, and cultural sources, it constructs a historical timeline that shows how this rhetoric transformed from an explicit defense of segregation into a central weapon in contemporary culture wars. I begin with the post–Brown v. Board of Education era and Massive Resistance of the 1950s and 60s, when Southern officials deployed states’ rights language to resist desegregation and recast segregationist goals as “local control” and “freedom of choice.” I then examine how these arguments persisted through the …

From Curiosity To Controversy: American Perception Of Japanese Immigrants, 1853-1924, Chloe Elizabeth Curbelo

Theses and Dissertations

In the mid-nineteenth century, as the United States reached the Pacific through westward expansion, Asia emerged as a new stage for commerce and power. Japan, long isolated under the Tokugawa shogunate, became an object of American fascination when forced into relations. While early depictions cast Japan as an exotic yet uncivilized nation in need of Western guidance, Japan’s rapid modernization and the growing number of Japanese immigrants on the West Coast transformed curiosity into anxiety. My paper traces this evolution of perception from 1850 to 1924, arguing that shifting views of Japan and its people reflected America’s ethnocentric notions of …

Masc Affect: Affective Masculinity In Video Games Research, Joshua Foust

Media Studies - Open-Access Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Once Upon Another Time: Retelling Fairy Tales & Legends With Inclusive Identities For Modern Young Adult Audiences, Hailey Drapcho

Honors Theses

This thesis explores how modern young adult (YA) fairy tale retellings can act as interventionist works as part of the mythopoeic YA fantasy sub-genre, where they enfold traditionally excluded identities into the archetypal role of the fairy tale female protagonist who is expected to embody an idealized form of girlhood. Fairy tales have a profound impact on self-image and how individuals create expectations of their role in the world. By fracturing the archetypes maintaining restrictive and exclusionary expectations, mythopoeic YA fairy tale retellings affirm the young adult girl to embrace her own individual identity and determine her role in the …

A.R.C.Hitecture For Mission: Prototyping Pathways To Renew The Heart Of The Church, David Sunde

Doctor of Ministry

Despite churches’ commitment to making disciples, many earnest Christians—active in church teaching, volunteering, and community life—feel ill-equipped to disciple others. While biblical instruction and resources abound, spiritual formation weighted toward cognitive learning relies on willpower and falls short in shaping identity and desires. The focus on personal salvation often reduces faith to sin management, leaving many underwhelmed and uncertain about how to live meaningfully as citizens of the kingdom. Without qualitative, relational, and reproductive disciple-making, faith lacks transformative power. A.R.C.hitecture for Mission: Prototyping Pathways to Renew the Heart of the Church is a pracademic manuscript that explores disciple-shaping movements from …

The Spiritual Foundations Of An Unbreakable Ukraine During The War, Olena Rohova, Tetiana Lysokolenko, Iryna Karpan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

An analysis of the spiritual foundations of the ability of Ukrainian society to resist the illegal military aggression of a country whose resources significantly exceed those of Ukraine. Ukraine’s unbreakability is connected to the dominant values and worldview of its representatives, which include spirituality responsible for the resiliency of individuals, the plasticity to perceive challenges of fate, and the responses of radical changes of being. The central idea of resiliency includes the revival of the most important religious, cultural, and historical factors of collective spirituality in Ukrainian society. The religious values introduced into the Ukrainian culture by Christianity as a …

Reimagining Public Art In Thailand : Policy, Practice And Sustainability, Pawinee Boonserm, Nantida Chandransu

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This research examines how governments promote public art through funding, mandate spaces and research support using international case studies. However, challenges such as centralized funding and restrictions on artistic expression persist. The study proposes a framework for "public art" within fine arts, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and sustainable practices in Thailand. It underscores the importance of collaborative creativity, community engagement, and policy advocacy for a thriving public art landscape. Findings reveal the potential of public art to address societal challenges, foster social healing, and contribute to cultural preservation and economic development. Recommendations include promoting decentralized, community-led initiatives, establishing supportive policies, and …

Traveling Jack: Tracing Settler Identity Through Appalachian Folklore, Madelynn R. Green

Endeavors: Mississippi State Undergraduate Research Journal

Archaeology and Folklore have long had a tense relationship, but in an era of archaeology focusing more and more on the current and descendant communities it is imperative for archaeologists to begin engage folklore traditions in their work. By engaging archaeology and folkloric methods both fields can benefit. In the case of this study, I have used the "Traveling Jack" story, a common folk tale with English, Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian versions that involves a young man using his wits to overcome a series of challenges to achieve various happy endings, to trace Scottish and Irish settlement and reinvention in …

Exploring Power Dynamics In Ghana Through Ceramic Sculpture, Collins Yaw Antwi

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The works in this thesis explore the implications of power dynamics such as inequality, power struggle, and oppression within Ghana’s society. I abstract specific elements such as coins, and especially cowry shells which honors Ghana’s past through their use as a source of currency in the colonial era and further serves as a metaphor that represents power. Platters and bowls from different cultures serve as a container for these dynamic symbols of power. By incorporating these elements in my sculptures, I bring attention to the struggle and challenges Ghanaians have experienced over the years. In other ways, I find it …

Social Determinants Of Health And Aging In Africa: Structural Inequality, Vulnerability, And The Future Of Care, Aremu Umor Lukman, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Abdulrauf Olaitan Taofeeq

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Population aging is accelerating across Africa yet remains underrepresented in research, policy, and public health planning. This review critically examines how social determinants shape aging experiences across the continent, focusing on health, care systems, and structural inequalities. While traditional African societies have historically valued older adults, modernization, migration, and economic hardship have eroded support systems, leaving many to face old age with limited resources. Older Africans, particularly women and rural residents, contend with lifelong disadvantages including low education, informal labor, poverty, and gendered caregiving roles that contribute to poor health and social vulnerability. Health systems remain poorly equipped to address …

Las Pintas Interview Project 2025, Beth Gulley, Luz Alvarez, Vallerie Rogers, Gabrielle Rock, Danielle Mullins, Nina Mcnay, Jayda Diaz, Audrey Weaver, Haisie Halperin, Rita Terrones, George Newham, Esmeralda Monroy

The Las Pintas Collection

In May of 2025, after a five-year hiatus, Johnson County Community College (JCCC) resumed sending students to Las Pintas, Mexico. Traditionally, JCCC sent student from Nursing, Dental Hygiene, and Solar Energy to practice their acquired skills and serve the community at Centro Integral Comunitario (CIC). This latest trip, though, was for Spanish language students to enhance their cultural competency, language practice, and learn about opportunities to study away.

This collection contains stories from eight former JCCC Study Abroad trip members, five people who live and work in Las Pintas, and the ten current JCCC students who traveled to Las Pintas …

Conceptualizing And Problematizing Inclusion Porn In Education Scholarship And Practice, Justin A. Haegele, Anthony J. Maher

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Discourses of inclusion are currently used without clear and consistent meaning and multiple and varied interpretations exist, therefore stunting our ability to enhance or utilize the concept in social justice and education scholarship and practice. In this article, we argue that the ambiguous, conflicting, and contested features of inclusion have opened a door for nondisabled policy makers, academics, practitioners, and other stakeholders to exploit the concept of inclusion by crafting the logics and taken-for-granted assumptions that become associated with it. Accordingly, these nondisabled stakeholders gain social, cultural, and symbolic capital in the fields that they operate, while (some) disabled students …