Digital Commons Network^™

Sensemaking About Power In Anti-Oppressive Design Practice, Jessica Meharry

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The concept of power can be an effective discursive tool to wield when designing against oppression and designing for joy, desire, and flourishing. While power is a critical concept in oppression, it is underdeveloped in most design methods and practices. This paper makes the case that designers interested in social justice can explore dimensions of power to uncover and redirect bias and inequities in both design processes and outcomes. I summarize the conceptual debates about power's meaning and survey how designers are currently engaging with the concept. I then offer a loose anti-oppressive framework for sensemaking around power in professional …

Passageways And Portals: A Comparative Analysis Of Transition Spaces In Physical, Digital, And Virtual Environments, Seulgi Sylvia Kim, Anijo Punnen Mathew, Zach Pino

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This study explores transition spaces across physical, digital, and virtual environments. From hallways to digital loading screens and virtual portals, these spaces serve as cognitive buffers, aiding users in navigating environmental shifts. Our comparative analysis reveals consistent human experiences across diverse environments, while also identifying distinct attributes of each transition space. We identify two main categories: transition-focused spaces, which emphasize efficient movement, and experience-focused spaces, which offer richer, immersive experiences. We also identify four core transition types: Environmental, Perspective, Identity, and Sensory transitions. Experience-focused spaces, such as lobbies and VR gathering areas, play a pivotal role in facilitating identity transitions. …

Coastliners Lab: Mapping For Environmental Spatial Justice At The Water’S Edge, Gokcen Erkilic

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Coastliners Lab is a trans-media critical mapping practice that focuses on the border conditions of bodies of water and how they shape socio-material processes of human and environmental relations in urban and extra-urban settings. The lab works with a deep cartographic layering of aerial photographs, historical maps, news reports, video footage, field notes, interviews, and more to explore embodied map-making methods that define new roles for design toward spatial justice. It highlights agencies and political ecologies underlying the contested anthropogenic impacts on the margins of transforming landscapes. Istanbul’s political and ecological struggles with the surrounding bodies of water have been …

How Maps Shape Information In Design Research: A Study Of Five Method Collections, Ilpo Koskinen, Martin Tomitsch

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Maps have a rich history in design and design research. However, to date, their use and application have not been systematically studied. This paper proposes a model that classifies maps into four main types depending on how they help designers to visualize information: arranging entities on a plane, organizing content, synthesizing content and making sense. We use the model to systematically analyze and categorize maps from five design methods collections. Out of 399 methods in these collections, we identified 65 methods that were based on mapping. We found that the primary use of maps in design is to organize content …

Community Empowerment And Identity Assimilation: Social Innovation Design Practice Through Food Resources, Yuxin Wen, Peng Ji, Yuhang Jiang, Qiwen Chen, Han Meng

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Food possesses inherent cultural attributes and serves as a natural medium of connection. This paper introduces a design project for social innovation using food resources: "From Tree to Table" (FTTT). The project is the product of a social innovation course at an art school and lasted for three months. The focus of the project is on the relationship between soft food sovereignty and community transformative change. The Peach Lake Community (PLC) is rich in ecological resources, and a government-level change resulted in differentiation within the community between indigenous residents and recent migrants. FTTT explores the possibility of using the seasonal …

Historical Evolution Of Age-Friendly Transitions In The Yangfangdian Community In Beijing: A Multi-Level Perspective, Lijun Chen, Vladimír Kočí, Haipeng Tian

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The issue of transition and transformation of communities has a long history. Particularly in today's context of increasing aging trends, cities and communities are facing unprecedented multiple challenges that drive the transition to a more inclusive and sustainable future to enable community stakeholders to have a higher quality of life experience and to fulfil their visions for the future. This paper systemically reveals insights from the past of the ageing issue in the Yangfangdian community in Beijing through a multi- level perspective (MLP) framework created with local residents, a museum and design students to understand the historical foundations of the …

Co-Creating Pluralistic Futures: A Systematic Literature Review On Participatory Speculative Design, Yingfei Ye, Duoduo Zhang

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In an increasingly uncertain future context, participatory speculative design be-come a future probe for exploring complex socio-technical issues and a diverse world. Compared to speculative design, the focus of participatory speculative de-sign shifts from artifacts to process, empowering the public through multi-stakeholder participation. Building upon future prototypes and scenarios, partic-ipants and designers co-create potential pluralistic futures, and democratize im-agination. This paper, based on a literature review of recent research in this field, outlines three practical pathways of participatory speculative design, which are characterized as "technical speculation," "social speculation," and "integrated speculation," along with seven participatory methods that can be used …

The Heritage Language And Graphic Landscape Of London's Chinatown, Robert George Harland, Angelina Hang Pan, Alison Barnes

DRS Biennial Conference Series

The preservation of minority heritage through language is widely recognised as an important means for safeguarding ethnic identity within multicultural settings. This paper investigates the visibility of "heritage language" through the lens of graphic heritage within the distinctive ethnic enclave of London's Chinatown. Located in the City of Westminster, Chinese identity is officially designated on street nameplates that demarcate geographic boundaries as well as depict a shift in the cultural influence of this migrant community. In this study, the visual analysis of 209 retail signs displays 313 instances of language. The research findings indicate the extent of retention of heritage …

Vovousa 2048: A Design Fiction Workshop Imagining The Future In A Rural And Remote Area In Greece, Costas Bissas

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In July 2023, the author carried out a design fiction workshop over a 4-day span in Vovousa, a village of 132 inhabitants by the banks of the wild river Aoos/Vjosa, in the heart of the Pindus range, in the area of Epirus, Greece. In a location with a history of tensions regarding the creation of hydroelectric dams, the workshop participants were invited as a group to consider and discuss different scenarios for the future of the settlement, set in the year 2048. As a group, they publicly presented artefacts from one selected future with the discussions following indicating that the …

Re-Imagining And Reaffirming Design Pedagogy In Response To Generative Ai Tools, Roger Whitham, Naomi Jacobs, Paul Coulton, Glynn Stockton, Joseph Lindley

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper considers how we can adapt HE design pedagogies in response to the emergence of generative AI (GenAI) tools. We focus on the authors’ own HE institution and describe our work through the first half of 2023 to understand the impact of these tools on how our students approach their work, and to adapt our design pedagogies in response. This paper includes accounts of student attitudes to these tools, and the outcomes of our own experimentation with contemporary GenAI tools (ChatGPT4, MidJourney5). We identify 12 challenges for design pedagogy that span assessment, student learning and teaching deliver which our …

Designing From The Plants' Perspective. A Field Case Study In Urban Forest Of “La Goccia”, Francesco Vergani, Fabio Di Liberto

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Designing by engaging more-than-human agents such as plants is a complex chal-lenge, as they have long been regarded as "ontologically inferior" resources pri-marily serving human needs. Emerging studies in the field of Plant Neurobiology are now breaking down knowledge barriers, gathering extraordinary data that recognize plant actions and behaviors guided by a distinct form of intelligence. Considering this breakthrough findings, this paper describes a 10-day workshop involving 52 international design students from Politecnico di Milano University that focused on experiencing plants in a former industrial area within the city borders. Through the years, this area has gone from desolation to …

Developing A Methodological Framework For Sustainability Transitions In The Built Environment, Alise Plavina, Tommy Kleiven, Ida Nilstad Pettersen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Transitions towards sustainability involving technological, social, behavioural, institutional, and organisational change are urgently needed to address the complex environmental and societal challenges. While the built environment has a considerable environmental and social impact, design scope for sustainable architecture has been primarily limited to reducing the environmental impacts of individual buildings. To achieve net-positive natural and social outcomes for the built environment there is a need for more systemic approaches and design methodology that allows to reframe the task of design from solving isolated problems to contributing to system transformation. The article reviews transformational, systems-oriented process models and associated tools developed …

The Academic Influence Of The Camino De Santiago: A Bibliometric Analysis Of Doctoral Research And Indexed Manuscripts, Silvia Díaz-De La Fuente, Virginia Ahedo, María Pilar Alonso Abad, José Manuel Galán

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Camino de Santiago is one of the most recognised cultural pilgrimage routes in the world. Notably, its current influence transcends the strictly inspirational and religious aspects, constituting also a socio-economic, cultural, historical, heritage and tourism cornerstone. This paper analyses, from an innovative bibliometric perspective, the influence of the Camino de Santiago on the academic literature in the period from 1980 to the present. For this purpose, two data sources have been used comparatively: manuscripts indexed in Scopus and doctoral theses. The results reveal a growth of its academic relevance in the last decade, especially in indexed publications. The analysis …

Recent Trends In The Development Of Jewish Life And Heritage Tourism In Trani, Italy, Andrea Corsale

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper focuses on the recent revival of Jewish religious and cultural activities in the coastal town of Trani, in Southern Italy, after several centuries of substantial interruption. The specific events which led to the re-establishment of an institutional Jewish community and the restoration and reclamation of the local synagogues, along with the renewed visibility of the well-preserved Jewish district, of Medieval origins, are unique to this case study. However, at the same time, they reflect similar phenomena of restoration of Jewish sites and revival of Jewish communities in southern and eastern Europe, and beyond. As the case study analysis …

Business Operators’ Perception Of The Impact Of The Portuguese Way Of St. James, Paula Remoaldo, Eduardo Duque, Vítor Ribeiro, José Cadima Ribeiro, Hélder Silva Lopes, Sandro Ferreira, Cátia Faria

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This research aims to analyse business operators’ perception of the impact of the Portuguese Way of St. James and to assess the landscape situation along a total section of 115 kilometres. Perceptions were collected in a survey of 112 small operators between 2020 and 2021. The diversity and singular components of the landscape make it a pleasant route to experience, where pilgrims have the possibility to improve wellbeing, and enjoy the landscape. Operators have profited from the significant increase in the number of pilgrims walking along the Way and claim that they aim to continue their operations.

Defending An Achilles’ Heel: Evolving Warfare In The Philippines, 1941–1945, Robert S. Burrell

Joint Force Quarterly

The Pacific War during World War II provided valuable lessons in military strategy and the importance of unconventional warfare. Japan’s aggressive expansion in the 1930s and 1940s left to a major conflict with the United States over control of the Philippine Islands. Japan’s advancements in naval technology, including the largest battleships and superior night combat tactics, allowed them to invade the Philippines in December 1941. Filipino resistance against Japanese occupation grew, with various local groups using guerilla warfare tactics to fight back. These resistance movements played a crucial role in opposing Japanese forces. Intelligence operations were also vital. U.S. submarines …

The Other Arctic: Competition, Cooperation, Or Coexistence?, John B. Kelley, Christopher J. Sarton, Scott A. Curtice, Charles C. York Iii

Joint Force Quarterly

In Antarctica, the United States must mitigate risks stemming from competitive influences working to alter the current paradigms, but it also should seize the opportunities that Antarctica’s unique status affords. As climate change continues to open new opportunities in polar regions, international concern has grown over the potential for the future irresponsible use of the area by actors more concerned with military and economic advantage than conservation efforts. Apprehension over the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s activities raises more significant concerns that Antarctica may become a region of military competition instead of global cooperation. This apprehension is well-founded but not …

Fifty Years Of Lucy, The Marvellous Ancestor, Chandrabhan P. Yadav, Surbhi Vatsa

Popular Media

Excerpt:

"The Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University is celebrating this year as a ‘Year of Human Origins’ because 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of ‘Lucy’. The discussions on human origins and Lucy provokes one to seriously think about human life and where we come from.... The momentousness of the discovery of Lucy, a cardinal juncture that pegged firmly our existence in the scientific idea of evolution, cannot and must not be undermined."

Charter School Music Programs In The Southwest: Innovation Or Isomorphism, Joseph Justo Ulibarri

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The school choice movement is gaining popularity in the American education system, with supporters touting innovation and improvement in educational outcomes. Research on school choice efficacy—particularly comparisons between charter and traditional public schools (TPS)—is in its infancy. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to compare the incidence of nontraditional music courses in secondary charters and TPS in the Southwest. Secondly, the study utilized the Climate for Innovation Measure (CIM) to quantify teachers’ perceptions of organizational innovation. This research collected a randomized sample (N = 30) of secondary charter school music teachers (n = 15) and TPS music teachers (n …

Beyond Galilee: The Shift In Focus Of The Ministry Of Jesus Culminating At Caesarea Philippi, Kathryn Erin Dreesen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A study of the travels of Christ leads to new insights about his ministry and ministry foci at different times in his life. By segmenting the life of Christ into three major portions – public ministry, private ministry, and mixed-focus ministry – the reasons behind Christ’s different attitudes toward crowds and miracles and his different emphases in his sermons become clearer. Portions of the Gospels are better understood with this segmentation. The locations that Jesus traveled to and stayed in also play a part in understanding his motives. At times, Jesus was keen to show himself to the crowds, doing …

Mill Point (8hi16-20) And Mosaic Park (8hi6747) In The Pre-Columbian And Historic Periods, Dennis Pierson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the participation of the Mill Point archaeological complex (8HI16-20) and the adjacent Mosaic Park archaeological site (8HI6747) in the changing cultural, economic, and geopolitical relationships that took place among the Indigenous polities present in the Tampa Bay region of southwest Florida during the pre-Columbian and early Spanish colonial periods. Political economy theory provides a framework for understanding the interactions that occurred among them.

Historical accounts, ground reconnaissance, surface survey, repeat aerial photography, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were used to gain a better understanding of the archaeological significance of the sites. The …

Tracing The Digital Plant Humanities: Narratives Of Botanical Life And Human-Flora Relations, Paul Longley Arthur, John Charles Ryan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In this paper, we trace the emergence of what we term the digital plant humanities (DPH) as an evolution of burgeoning botanical interest among environmental and digital humanists. We argue that DPH coalesces the theoretical and methodological frameworks of the three research areas of plant humanities, environmental humanities, and digital humanities. After conceptualising DPH, we analyse three projects representative of the emergent field—the Native American Ethnobotany Database; Herbaria 3.0; and Microcosms: A Homage to Sacred Plants of America—while referring to a broader range of formative projects including the Plant Humanities Lab.

Exhibiting The Museum: Interrogating Spaces Of Institutional Knowledge Production Through Interactive Print Design, Malcolm Church

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the role of museums as active agents in the production of cultural and historical knowledge, focusing on the ethical implications of exhibition design and institutional practices. By examining the history of museums from ancient Greece to the modern era, with a focus on the Modern era, the research highlights how these institutions have perpetuated Eurocentric narratives and colonial ideologies through the collection and display of artifacts. Through interviews, participant observations, and historical analysis, this study uncovers the often-hidden decisions behind exhibition design and their impact on public perception. The culmination of this research is an interactive print …

Resisting The Historical And Geographical “Other”: The Role Of Expertise In Video Game Music, Tommy Dainko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Video games create rich, virtual worlds for players to explore. Game developers have often utilized exoticism, allowing players to experience the “Other” from the comfort of home. Music is a powerful tool to evoke Otherness and can reinforce stereotypes about the past and different cultures. This thesis looks at recent games where developers have collaborated with expert musicians either from the culture depicted or with expertise in historical performance practices. I document two purposes these collaborations can serve. First, the use of expert musicians creates a veneer of authenticity allowing developers to market the games as “authentic” experiences. Second, these …

How Well Do Nature-Based Solutions To Climate Change Address Gender Equity?, Stephanie Efua Yamoah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the climate crisis continues to deepen, there have been calls for adaptation and mitigation approaches that rely on nature-based solutions. These solutions are approaches that offer the potential to reduce and remove greenhouse gas emissions. Examples include forest restoration, coastal wetland conservation, and no-till agriculture, among other practices. In this thesis, I employ an intersectional feminist political ecology perspective to critically examine the integration of gender equity within such nature-based solutions. I make two interrelated arguments using a qualitative methodology and an intensive case study of three projects in Ghana. First, I argue that women’s participation in nature-based solutions …

Progressive Paradox In Political Rhetoric: The Hart-Celler Immigration Act Of 1965, Amanda Rolston Henderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the interplay between U.S. norms for inclusion, the embedded role of religion within these norms, and how political rhetoric challenges or sustains them. Using a historical lens, I outline key moments in U.S. history, unravel central ideologies entrenched in U.S. narratives, and illuminate the ideographic function of the key concepts land, family, and work. These terms serve as conduits for conveying complex systems of meaning, which are entrenched in societal assumptions and concretized through political discourse and action.

These dynamics are demonstrated in a case study of the discourse surrounding the Hart-Celler Immigration Act …

Progressivism And Higher Education At The Outbreak Of Wwi, Andrew Semuels

Chronos

No abstract provided.

Significant Change Throughout The Tudor Reign?, Lisa Wiswell

Chronos

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of European Geographic Import On Indian Identity, Kelsey Kobik

Chronos

No abstract provided.

Inoculating The Future Generations: A Look At The Nazi Educational System, Evan Weiss

Chronos

No abstract provided.