Digital Commons Network^™

Qualitative Study Of Sexual Orientation In Law Enforcement, Ruby Nelson Brockenberry

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The experiences of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) persons working in law enforcement were examined in this qualitative research. While the workplace is often seen as a collaborative setting and efforts to accomplish shared objectives without discrimination or prejudice, this is not always true for LGBTQ law enforcement personnel. This research focused on gender identity and sexual orientation to highlight the difficulties as well as discrimination and harassment which can negatively impact LGBTQ officers’ general well-being. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews from a sample of 11 LGBTQ law enforcement officers in the Pee Dee Region. Date was …

Introducing A Non-Zero Post-Humanistic Framework For Problem Solving In Design Education, Louise Kolff, Robert Haubt

Staff Scholarship - Australia & Dubai

This paper proposes an innovative framework within interdisciplinary higher education courses that integrates non-zero post-humanistic design thinking and the concept of embodiment for addressing problem solving. We explore how design education can move from a human-centered approach, to a post-humanistic more-than-human approach. Central to our approach is "non- zero" thinking, emphasising collaborative solutions that benefit all stakeholders—human and non- human—recognising our shared responsibilities within ecosystems. We also introduce the notion of qualia in design education, highlighting how immersive experiences can evoke deeper emotional responses, fostering empathy and a greater understanding of complex problems. This combined approach achieves three key outcomes …

Reproductive Labour: Preventing Babies, Making Babies, And Growing Babies, Elizabeth J. O’Reilly

Journal of International Women's Studies

During her reproductive years, a Canadian heterosexual cisgender woman will likely engage in the labour of preventing pregnancy, trying to achieve pregnancy, and/or being pregnant. While each stage of reproduction involves significant time and energy, the labour tied to preventing pregnancy, conceiving, and growing life is undervalued, unrecognized, and rendered invisible. Much of the work around reproduction involves not just cognitive function, but also a mental load and emotional labour. It is assumed that women need to do this labour as a pregnancy exists within her reproductive body; however, this assumption fails to acknowledge the reality of how laborious each …

Cultural Representations Of Obstetric Violence In Contemporary Italy, Veronica Frigeni

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article is the first examination of a hybrid corpus of cultural narratives of obstetric violence in contemporary Italy. Adopting a reproductive justice approach, the paper considers obstetric violence as gendered, intersectional, and ontological violence against reproductive subjects over the course of their lived reproductive experiences. Combining personal and cultural narratives, the article examines the 2022 comic “Da Che Mondo È Mondo,” written by Irene Caselli and illustrated by Rita Petruccioli, Alberto Basaluzzo’s 2018 short film Si È Sempre Fatto così, and Antonella Lattanzi’s 2023 novel Cose Che Non Si Raccontano to assess how and to what extent they …

Encouraging Conversation: Sharing The Oral History Of Nepalese Refugees Through Dialogical Preaching To Inspire Intercultural Collaboration, Matthew Clark

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

Clark, Matthew J. “Encouraging Conversation: Sharing the Oral History of Nepalese Refugees through Dialogical Preaching to Inspire Intercultural Collaboration.” Doctor of Ministry. Major Applied Project, Concordia Seminary, 2025. 286 pp.

The project attends to the context of Ascension Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri, where a minority group of church members are refugees from Nepal. As Ascension grows in ethnic diversity, however, much of the congregation has only a shallow multicultural level of engagement, where different cultural groups are only aware of each other as they exist parallel to one another with limited interaction.

The project seeks to answer the …

Student Senate Meeting Minutes February 24, 2025, Student Senate-Winona State University

Student Senate Meeting Minutes

This document is the official Winona State University Student Senate Minutes for February 24, 2025.

02.24.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

Collaborate Opportunity

SEC Faculty Travel Grants

Participant Support Cost Resources

Michael Anthony Chatman

African American Funeral Programs

Michael_Anthony_Chatman.pdf - Funeral program for Michael Anthony Chatman

Jewish Emigration And Satire In The Soviet Union (Ca. 1970), Jack I. Reppen

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

The Dymshits-Kuznetsov affair provides an important case study of the use of satire in Soviet media, primarily through easily understood cartoons like the ones seen in Krokodil. These satirical cartoons exploit Jews for alleged scapegoatism, anti-Sovietism, and other characteristics relating to internal problems. In this paper, the author explores the idea that when disinformation disguises itself as satire, it subverts the revolutionary and critical components that are traditionally attributed to the genre of satire.

Reading The Rainbow: Exploring Themes And Identities In Lgbtqia+ Picture Books, Amanda Melilli, Alicia G. Vaandering, James W. Rosenzweig

Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation shares an analysis of over 275 picture books featuring LGBTQIA+ identities, providing evidence that the depiction of queerness in children’s literature is complex and varied. Tools for defining narrative themes and LGBTQIA+ identities will be shared as well as data on queer characters with intersecting identities. By exploring the nuances of LGBTQIA+ representation in picture books, attendees will gain a better understanding of novel research inquiries into representation.

The Authority Of Clothes: Queen Elizabeth I And Her Succession Crisis Of 1562/63, Kalen R. Melton

Department of History: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis looks at the silent messaging associated with Queen Elizabeth I's clothing during her early reign. The goal of this thesis is to look at outfits Elizabeth could have worn and see what sort of messages her contemporaries in Parliament might haven taken from them. I specifically looked at Elizabeth's Parliamentary meeting from 1562/63. I did so because this meeting was early in her reign, her legitimacy was being questioned on two fronts, and she had just gotten over smallpox. Elizabeth was not known yet for her extravagant outfits, but she would have needed to have had a powerful …

Sexism In African And African-American Pentecostalism: A Black Liberation Perspective, Evelyn G. Okeke

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation explores the scourge of sexism in African and African-American Pentecostalism within the context of a critique of Black Liberation Theology, including the many challenges the intersection of race, gender, and class poses for Black clergywomen seeking leadership roles in the Pentecostal church, their courageous attempts to tackle this problem, and the extent to which sexism has permeated the Pentecostal Church and contributed to the marginalization of Black clergywomen in that community. The broad issue is whether women qua human beings can represent Christ, to which question this study answered yes.

Sexism has harmed Black clergywomen in multiple ways, …

Restoration For Pastors: Embodied Art, Prayers, And Poetry For Healing And Resilience, Bryan H. Kim

Doctor of Ministry

The Perilous Role of the Pastorate in the American Church

Top-tier leadership in any ministry organization is, by and large, a dangerous endeavor in the American Church, with the role of pastor being the most dangerous. Peter Drucker, business, and management expert, states the four most challenging jobs in America are the following: President of the United States, hospital administrator, a university president, and a local church pastor.¹

The Struggle Despite Seminary Training

Despite traditional seminary training pastors in non-denominational churches feel ill-equipped to cope with daily, seasonal and heartache stressors, leaving them wondering if they are accomplishing anything …

Black Women Healing From Gender-Based Violence: Christ-Centered Approaches For Transformative Holistic Wellbeing, Tanya Jahwar

Doctor of Ministry

The Women’s Leadership and Resource Center states, “Gender-based violence against Black women has always existed in the US. From historical accounts of chattel slavery to analyses of present-day society, Black women have endured multiple forms of violence including labor …, sexual …, medical … and … exploitation.”³² This dissertation will provide important research about gender-based violence against Black women and girls and will conclude with Christ-centered approaches for transformative holistic wellbeing. Do laws that prevent violence enable more violence? In the fact sheet published by the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, it is noted that, “Experiences of abuse do …

“Where War Is God And God Is War:” Women’S Religious Great War Poetry And Homefront Lines, Faith Ellington

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project seeks to redefine war’s poetic landscape. Through a focus on women’s Great War poetry, I argue against a dichotomous home front | front line poetic barrier and instead explore the intermingling of wartime spaces. Women’s WWI poetry, I argue, exists within a space I call the homefront lines, a space in which women produce writing from their full experiences of war regardless of combatant status. The homefront lines must be included in World War I literary canons in order to fully recognize the humanity of women during wartime and to fully grasp the war’s impact on poetry …

Lowell Hardin: Mentor Extraordinaire, Larry L. Murdock, Thomas W. Hertel, Gebisa Ejeta

Purdue University Press Books

Lowell Stewart Hardin (1917–2015), an Indiana farm boy who became an enormously influential international agriculturalist, made the world a better place for the poor and the hungry on this earth. For seventeen years he led the Ford Foundation’s agricultural development efforts, contributing to the Green Revolution. He helped to found and guide international agriculture research centers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He inspired others to get involved and opened doors for them. He taught by example, gave others credit, and always stepped back, avoiding the limelight himself. In this volume, twenty-two people who knew him well share stories of …

What’S Empowerment Got To Do With It?: Body Neutrality In The Neoliberal Institution, Michelle Colpean, Cassidy D. Ellis

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

An Attitude Of Openness: Adapting Body Neutrality For Performers, Kerstin A. Vaughn, Emily Baird

Feminist Pedagogy

For performers, specifically dancers and actors, the body constitutes the vast majority of focus and training. It is what we present onstage, share with audiences, and contract to casting directors and choreographers. Our bodies, the way they look and move, directly influence the amount and quality of work we make. The concept of body neutrality, then, poses an interesting challenge for performers and those of us who train them. How do we balance a healthy relationship with the body while also thinking critically about all of the ways our bodies carry meaning in performance? How do we, as educators, promote …

Discretion, Deference, And Dysfunction: U.S. Refugee Resettlement From Egypt, Cassandra Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates refugee resettlement from Egypt to the U.S., as facilitated by UNHCR Egypt and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Accordingly, the research questions ask what factors determine the volume and profile of refugees UNHCR Egypt submits to USRAP for resettlement, as well as the related determining factors for refugees rejected from and accepted to USRAP. A fourth research question examines the impacts of U.S. refugee policy on the resettlement system in Egypt, including on UNHCR Egypt and refugees. To answer these questions, the thesis first delves into the history of U.S. immigration and refugee policies, with a …

Rural Entrepreneurship In Upper Egyptian Communities: Exploring The Intervention Of Agri-Tech Startups, Marwa Wael Abohamda Hulail

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and economic disturbance have changed the state of the world and increased the dependence on digitization in running people's daily life. In Egypt, the economic instability and climate change have affected people’s standard of living, making it challenging to sustain their life, especially in the agriculture sector. Farmers have been affected by the risks of climate change, economic shocks, and trends of digitization, which have impacted their profit, employability, and livelihood.

Several Egyptian Agri-tech startups were launched to support the farmers in the digital revolution that came to agriculture, attempting to make a change in the Egyptian farming …

Graphic Design | Kelcy Williams, Kelcy Williams

JSU Student Symposium 2025

Graphic design entry for 2025 Student Symposium

Graphic Design | Abdul Bashiru Yussif, Abdul Bashiru Yussif

JSU Student Symposium 2025

Graphic design entry for 2025 Student Symposium

Graphic Design | Brandon Smith, Brandon Smith

JSU Student Symposium 2025

Graphic design entry for 2025 Student Symposium

Blue Momma, Why Are You So Blue: A Trauma-Informed Theological Approach To Systematically Oppressed Black Mothers In Memphis, Tennessee, Valerie Houston

Doctor of Ministry

This dissertation discusses the effects of systemic oppression on the well-being of Black mothers in Memphis, Tennessee. It posits that systemic oppression causes trauma that negatively affects Black motherhood and familial stability. Research shows that maternal mental illness may negatively affect child development, behavior, and cognitive and socio-emotional development.³ Black literary history has revealed the importance of Black mothers for family development.⁴ It has shown how Black mothers used religion to support themselves emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually during times of travail.⁵ This work theorizes that a trauma-informed theological approach will liberate Black mothers in Memphis, Tennessee, from …

Deacon John C. Lockett, Sr.

African American Funeral Programs

No abstract provided.

Podcasting Towards Togetherness: Utilizing Podcasts To Improve Departmental Camaraderie And Well-Being, Michael Petrauskis, Colleen Gutman, Rosemarie Fernandez

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Physician burnout is on the rise, and this is of particular concern in emergency medicine. Burnout is associated with medical errors, adverse events, poor professionalism, and litigation. A sense of community can build engagement and mitigate workplace stressors on well-being. Emergency physicians may have trouble connecting due to the nature of shift-work and various practice settings. Communication technology, and particularly podcasting, has the potential to help overcome these barriers and positively impact relatedness and well-being.

Approach: We developed an inward-facing podcast, “The ER Break Room” within the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida. Through the …

Italian Culture Through Film, Monica Rossi-Miller

Open Educational Resources

Introduction to important themes of Italian culture by viewing and analyzing
representative Italian films from the post-World War II era to the present. Topics examined include: the Italian family, how World War II has shaped contemporary Italian culture, Italy as a country of emigrants and immigrants, and an examination of religion and the Catholic Church.
This is a Writing Intensive course conducted in English, and all films have English subtitles.

A Writing Intensive Course Specifically is a designated course sections that—in addition to providing the established disciplinary-oriented student outcomes—incorporate approved instructional strategies and course assignments designed to enhance students’ writing …

Culture Of German Speaking Countries, Monica Rossi-Miller

Open Educational Resources

LG401 FNET is a 3 hours, 3 credits course with ENGL101 as a pre or co-requisite. It is an upper level course, however, no previous knowledge in Cultures of German speaking Countries is required, nor any knowledge of German language. The focus will be on cultures of countries in which German is an official language such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It fulfills 2A of the Common Core, WI (Writing intensive) requirement and Humanities elective.

Description: Students will be exposed to and discuss cultural developments in German-speaking countries including their role in the European Union. They will read …

Resilience, Joshua Liashenko

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Once a ubiquitous framework for assessing the capacity for recovery, perseverance, and success in the face of adversity, resilience has been met with growing critiques in its application. As a frequently used “pretty word” within health disparities research, resilience has come to signify how at-risk communities overcome hardship in ways this work argues overdetermine their labor, activist potential, and existence. This critique examines resilience through the lens of ethnographic research conducted among transgender and nonbinary healthcare providers who provide gender-affirming care within their communities. As a marginalized community experiencing transphobia and increasing structural barriers to life-affirming and life-saving healthcare, trans …

02.17.2025 Ored Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

SOP Research Day