Digital Commons Network^™

Would You Recommend This Picture To Your Friends? A History Of Hollywood Test Screenings, Myles Mikulic

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines Americans’ relationship with information gathering in the 20th century through the lens of the Hollywood market research technique of movie test screenings. During the post-production phase of a narrative commercial film, a studio will typically hold a test (or preview) screening to gauge audience reaction. An unfinished version of the film is screened before an audience of nonprofessional “regular moviegoers,” after which viewers fill out questionnaires. These can range from the generalized, such as favorite characters or whether you would recommend the film to friends, to the granular, such as the depiction of violence in a war …

In Between The House Light And The Sun Rise, Xinyi Zhang

Honors Theses

In Between the House Light and the Sun Rise is a research project that includes a 20-minute performance and a written thesis. The research uses the framework of relationality to explore the relationship between humans and houseplants. Although houseplants live in a human-constructed environment, they have their own influences on people and the space around them. Learning from the ways plants move through time and space and the connections plants make with each other and with other living and non-living things, this project aims to use movement to reimagine the way we think about time, space, and community. This project …

Crisis, Controversy, And Credibility: Rhetorical Appeals In Governor Desantis’ State Of The State Addresses, Victoria E. Laird

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper examines how Governor DeSantis has used rhetoric to advance his political identity and policy during the Florida legislative sessions from 2019 to 2025. Using rhetorical analysis, the study identifies linguistic techniques and persuasive devices that help shape DeSantis’s policy agenda and drive legislation. This study is important as it explores the ability of political figures to ground themselves in language and push political ideologies. The findings reveal a consistent emphasis on ethos while simultaneously appealing to unity, strengthen, and moral clarity. Over time, DeSantis’s rhetoric evolves from defensive to assertive leadership framed by appeals to national policy and …

Book Of Abstracts Of The Wmu International Conference 2025 : Advancing The Blue Economy Through Gender Equality, World Maritime University, Momoko Kitada, Francis Neat, Renis Auma Ojwala

Conference Papers

The 2025 World Maritime Theme by the International Maritime Organization, “Our Ocean, Our Obligation and Our Responsibility,” underscores the global need for an inclusive and sustainable approach to ocean health and maritime economic activity. In alignment with this, the World Maritime University organized the 2025 International Conference on Achieving the Blue Economy Through Gender Equality, highlighting the critical role of gender equality in advancing a sustainable blue economy. A call for case studies yielded 102 abstracts from 206 authors across 46 countries, representing diverse maritime sectors such as shipping, fisheries, and ocean sciences. The abstracts were reviewed by both internal …

Music, Terror, Disaster, Healing, Zuzana Jurková, Oldrich Podebradský, Zuzana Gulová

Journal of Urban Culture Research

On December 21, 2023, a student of Charles University in Prague, one of the safest places in the world, shot dead 14 academics and students. Amidst omnipresent grief and mourning, the process of coping and “healing” started immediately, manifested in particular through a series of events called the “Month for the Faculty.” This text is based on participation in and research of these activities. The theoretical part uses the Durkheim's concept of piacular rites, the aim of which is to “reconfirm [a] community's solidarity.” Following the recommendations of Bin Xu (2016), we investigated who the main agents were in the …

Ensemble Music For Social And Emotional Development : A Case Study Of Primary School Children In A Suburban Malaysian Chinese Community, Florence Kuek, Siew May Cheng, Anna Phang, Wen Fen Beh

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Music forms part of the Malaysian national curriculum for primary education, but music education is often compromised by low community interest, resulting in children’s underexposure to musical training. This qualitative study examines the inclusivity, creativity, and sustainability of a community-initiated children’s choral-instrument ensemble established as an after-school, weekly activity in suburban Malaysia, where members were recruited from lower- to middle-income families, and had little means to pursue music otherwise. Data were collected from class observations, children’s “before-after” drawings, and semi-structured interviews with the stakeholders. The trustworthiness and validity were ensured through inter-rating, member checks, and data triangulation. The findings revealed …

Clouds Running Out Of Juice: A Special Podcast Episode Featuring Tim Winton’S Climate Fiction, Rumen Rachev, Jo Pollitt, Emma Nicoletti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents a pedagogical experiment in the form of a fictional podcast episode that “aired” in January 2025, featuring Tim Winton’s climate fiction novel Juice (2024). Emerging from a dialogical reading collaboration between three interdisciplinary “scholars, resisters and ordinary grafters” (Winton, 2024, p.116) — Rumen Rachev, Jo Pollitt, and Emma Nicoletti — the paper and podcast operate together through a method we term papercast, centring on three key themes: clouds, atmospheric frictions, and the significance of critically engaging with climate fiction, specifically Juice, amid ongoing climate instability. Simultaneously paper and podcast (papercast), we invite the reader to “listen” visually …

Submission To The Nsw Standing Committee On Social Issues Inquiry “Impacts Of Harmful Pornography On Mental, Emotional, And Physical Health”, Giselle Woodley, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our submission is formed from a combined experience of decades of working with teens and more recently, the Australian Research Council funded project (DP190102435), Perceptions of harm from adolescents accessing online sexual content, which explored Australian teens and young people’s (aged 11-17) perspectives of Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) including pornography. Qualitative data was collected between 2021 to 2023, and involved 30 teen interviews, with another 19 interviews with teens occurring a year later (49 interviews in total), and four focus groups (n-18) to explore these issues further. 26 parents of these teens from 24 families were also interviewed, followed by …

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 …

The Walasuji Tradition : Forgotten Meanings And Values, Fajar Ciptandi, Ulfah Nafi’Ah, Akramullah -

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The Walasuji tradition is one of the cultural activities of the Bugis Makassar community, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It can be found at wedding celebrations as a large gate made of bamboo called “Baruga” Walasuji. However, it is hard to find Baruga Walasuji at youth’s wedding nowadays. Whereas the tradition has unique meaning and values which are good to preserve. This study employed a data validation triangulation method involving interviews, literature review, and observations. Subsequently, the analysis was carried out using a qualitative approach known as the "Three Layers of Culture" method. The results of the study show how meaning and …

The Impact Of War-Induced Trauma On Young Israelis : A Qualitative Examination Of The David’S Circle Project At Koh Phangan, Rachel Lev-Wiesel, Ofra Walter, Yael Rom-Shoshani, Nisara Jaroenkajornkij, Bussakorn Binson

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This qualitative study explores the psychological impact of war-induced trauma on young Israelis who sought refuge and healing in Koh Phangan, Thailand, through participation in the David’s Circle Project. The project provides a supportive, non-clinical space for the October 7th trauma Nova survivors and young reserve soldiers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews and group storytelling revealed common themes of emotional dislocation, mistrust, and existential uncertainty. The findings underscore the importance of alternative, culturally sensitive healing environments for trauma recovery and point to the therapeutic value of grouping in a safe physical and emotional space. Implications for trauma-informed care and post-conflict rehabilitation for …

Creative Thai Art Learning For Urban Society’S Well-Being, Apichart Pholprasert, Soamshine Boonyananta, Intira Phrompan, Suchart Imsamraan, Wanalee Chanrangsri, Priyasri Promchinda

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Lifestyles in crowded, fast-paced urban societies have created conditions that negatively affect physical, mental, and social well-being. This research aimed to develop and implement creative Thai art learning activities to promote well-being in urban communities. A mixed-methods approach was employed in four stages: (1) documentary research and community surveys, including interviews with 5 community leaders and 100 residents in the Rama IV area; (2) development of creative Thai art learning kits; (3) implementation of learning activities with a sample of 500 community residents; and (4) data collection involved satisfaction and well-being assessments and follow-up interviews; the resulting data were then …

Towards A Sustainable Play-Ground : Performance Ecosystems For A Livable Bangkok Neighborhood, Pornrat Damrhung

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This article examines an effort to turn urban research into creative placemaking by using performances to make a livable Bangkok neighborhood more vibrant. Research explored diverse stakeholders of Samyan-Banthat Thong in central Bangkok during COVID-19. This exploration found opportunities to link the neighborhood’s entrepreneurs, students, visitors and property managers, and discovered key characteristics of the complex and changing neighborhood. We used this knowledge to design a small festival bringing performing artists into the area’s main park and to important sites surrounding it for a weekend of live performances, workshops and demonstrations. By using performance to attract diverse publics to the …

Journal Policies, Jucr Staff

Journal of Urban Culture Research

No abstract provided.

Small Town Voices And Stories: Rural Older Populations And Health Narratives, Wyatt K. Zumbahlen

Masters Theses

Stories play a vital role in our humanity; they help us understand the world around us. As we age, our experiences, along with those of the people around us, shape our perceptions of health and influence our healthcare choices. For older adults, narratives become an essential resource in making healthcare decisions. In rural communities like Coles County, Illinois, these stories are especially important for older adults who are navigating the limited care and services available in the area. This reliance on narratives impacts their willingness to seek care, highlighting the need to recognize the power of stories in empowering older …

Women Spinning On The Edge: Finding And Redefining The “Spinster” In The Witches Of Discworld, Kathryn Ann Fitzmaurice

Masters Theses

The word “spinster” has undergone a series of evolutions over the past seven hundred years, first coined to describe the occupation of women engaged in the spinning of plant and animal fibers into thread and yarn in the Middle Ages and later a legal marital status designation used until the 21^st century. The connotation associated in social contexts became pejorative. This project’s tracing of the word spinster is used to set up the broader scope looking at how the spinster can be viewed as an archetype, what we can learn through the lenses of gender and feminist theory, and …

Mutual Realm, Tyna Ontko

Theses and Dissertations

mutual realm is a container for my many meandering thoughts on speculative futures, present-day-truth-telling, and the everyday construction of histories. Informed by systems of belief and power that humans have created to grapple with the unknown, the writing illustrates how storytelling builds worlds, assigning value to things by inscribing them with desire. In parts fact and fantasy, sculpture is considered as a form of sorting, making known the ways in which my experience of living between publics whose methods for demarcating boundaries, communally agreed upon superstitions, and algorithms for assigning meaning have marked my unconscious and affect my daily trajectories. …

Into Thick Air: Adapting Cultural Practices Into Solutions For Modern Wicked Problems, Syed Muhammad Erzum Naqvi

Theses and Dissertations

Into Thick Air argues that cultural practices can inspire solutions

to challenging modern problems. This project employs the Basant

festival as a case study to critically reimagine kite flying as a

collective practice with the potential to contribute to the reduction

of air pollution in Lahore, a city consistently ranked among those

with the poorest air quality globally. By building kites from fabric

treated with nanoparticle coatings, Into Thick Air transforms a

traditional community activity into an accessible, citizen-driven

method for removing pollutants from the air. The treated kites

empower Lahoris to take charge of their environment while

encouraging collective …

An Ecofeminist Approach To Climate Risks, Angela Hefti

Michigan Journal of International Law

Climate change poses significant risks to the human right to life. However, international adjudicators have either neglected to examine right to life claims in the context of climate risks or dismissed them as prospective and speculative. International human rights bodies have long applied the standard of imminence to determine whether a threat to the right to life exists and the extent to which it constitutes a violation. In climate change cases, this standard has hardened, requiring a tight temporal connection between climate risks and a violation of the right to life. This article argues that failing to recognize the impact …

In Harmony: The Environmental Lives Of Marianne North, Beatrix Farrand, And Mary Hunter Austin, Willa Frank

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis explores the lives and careers of botanical painter Marianne North, landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, and literary nature writer Mary Hunter Austin to examine the interplay of femininity and the representation of nature in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. All three figures had an approach to environmental representation which was based in field work, knowing a place truly, and a sense of harmony between subject and context of the produced work. This method did not occur because they were women or because it was an inherent feature of their assigned sex. Rather, their socialization in the Anglo-American …

Christian Educational Ministry, Michael Knight, Lizette Knight

Academic Books

No abstract provided.

"The Lgbtq Community, That's My New Church": An Examination Of Lgbtq+ Former Church Members' Experiences Of Religious Exit, Samantha N. Pfeiffer

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This study examines the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals who previously attended Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) churches, considering their experiences of being in the church, leaving the church, and rebuilding outside of the church. It also examines sermons from IFB churches that addressed topics related to the LGBTQ+ community to examine the teachings these individuals received while in the church. My examination of this topic was based in scholarly literature addressing the rhetoric of church sermons, the process and experience of religious disaffiliation, and Weick’s (1995) theory of organizational sensemaking. I used multiple qualitative methods in this study, including qualitative content …

The Impact Of Teaching Students Stress And Trauma Alleviation Techniques For Coping With Distressing Materials In First-Year Composition, Faye Monique Scott

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Trauma can impact the way a student learns and focuses. In higher education, without instructors realizing it, classes may retraumatize or trigger students with the texts, media, or materials utilized. Research suggests that little attention is given to helping students deal with potentially traumatizing course materials and students inside the classrooms may be impacted by trauma whether the teacher is aware or not. This dissertation examined the effects of teaching students specific coping strategies—Trigger Warnings (TWs) and Stress and Trauma Alleviation Techniques (STATs) —while reading, writing, and reflecting on possibly distressing materials in First-Year Composition courses through a mixed methods …

Exploring The Perceived Impact Of Hearing Impairment On The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Adults, Jacinta Ruth Marks

Theses

This thesis explores the perceived impact of hearing impairment on the mental health and well-being of Australian adults, responding to a growing need to understand how hearing challenges affect people beyond clinical or audiological measures. While hearing impairment is commonly framed through medical or functional models, its psychosocial effects remain underexplored, particularly in relation to stigma, identity, and mental well-being. This study addresses that gap by centring lived experience and examining how adults with hearing impairment navigate everyday life, social expectations, and systemic barriers. Grounded in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm and informed by a disability studies lens, the research investigates the …

Seeing Her, Wanting Her: Postfeminist Desire And Its Contradictions In Zendaya’S Magazine Covers, Sophia Shelley

International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities

This article examines Zendaya’s modelling evolution as a case study to explore how a postfeminist critique and psychoanalysis can illuminate the contradictory nature of women’s advertising. My analysis compares Zendaya’s covers in Seventeen (2012) and Essence (2020), emphasizing the stark differences in aesthetics, where Seventeen conforms to ideals of (white) femininity, and in opposition, Essence centres around Black femininity and desire. By situating Zendaya as both a gendered and racialized ‘other,’ the intricate dynamics of femininity, race, and age in media portrayals are made visible. I argue that Zendaya’s image is sold through postfeminist ideals of empowerment, choice, and sexuality …

Syntax, Newsletter Of The Suffolk University English Department, Issue 15, Spring 2025, English Department

Syntax Newsletter of the Suffolk University English Department

No abstract provided.

National Renewal Through Fertility:, Austin Siler

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Japan has been facing fertility decline over the past several decades. Indeed, this decline constitutes a severe demographic crisis due to its birth rates falling to record lows year after year. Low birth rates have been correlated with economic and societal instability. As Akram (163) posits: “The combination of unfavorable demographics and poor economic growth has resulted in a secular decline” which has no current sign of shifting based on current policy. The government has implemented numerous policies to try and tackle this issue, but with little success. Japan’s population as of 2024 is estimated to be 125 million and …

The Exaltation Of The Holy Cross - 14 September 2025, Pina Ford

Pastoral Liturgy

No abstract provided.

Immaculate Conception Of The Blessed Virgin Mary - 8 December 2025, Ann-Maree O'Beirne

Pastoral Liturgy

No abstract provided.

Adaptation For Whom? Understanding The Impacts Of Dyke Policies On Small-Scale Farmers In Ca Mau Province Of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Van Minh, Nguyen Vo Chau Ngan, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Low-lying deltas worldwide are extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise. As the risks of climate-induced flooding become increasingly clear, the thirst for infrastructure-driven adaptation increases. This highlights a patent need to understand the impacts of engineering adaptation solutions, especially those targeting built structures such as dykes and sluices, on farmers from a bottom-up, farmer-centred perspective. The study addresses this call by examining cases where dyke policies, while successful in some dimensions, have undermined small-scale farmer livelihoods in Ca Mau ― Vietnam’s southernmost rural province. It identifies areas in need of attention and adds empirical data related to this group of farmers. …