Digital Commons Network^™

Dictating The Divine: Revisiting Authorship, Intention, And Authority From Sacred Texts To Generative Ai, James Hutson, W. Travis Mcmaken

Faculty Scholarship

This article interrogates the historical practice of mediated authorship in religious texts to draw critical parallels with contemporary debates surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models (LLMs). By juxtaposing the mediated authorship of sacred texts, such as the Hebrew Bible and New Testament—where figures like the Apostle Paul dictated theological concepts to scribes who infused these directives with their interpretive insights—with the generative processes of LLMs, this research underscores the shared dynamics of co-constructed authorship across historical and technological contexts. Employing interdisciplinary methodologies from art history, textual studies, and reception theory, as well as theological and biblical studies, …

The Internal Flame, Bailey Robydek

Interior Design Capstones

This body of research and design explores the vital relationship between interior environments and the well- being of firefighters. Challenging the traditional assumptions about how fire station design impacts their health and recovery. Firefighters endure significant physical exertion, psychological stress, and exposure to traumatic events, yet many fire station interiors remain focused primarily on operational functionality rather than personal wellness.

This research underscores the urgent need for fire station design to transcend traditional assumptions and evolve into a model that actively supports holistic recovery. Firefighters require spaces that address the cumulative impacts of their profession, both physical and mental taxation. …

A Peculiar Hobby: A Brief History Of Civil War Reenacting, Donald C. Matthews

Tenor of Our Times

This article explores the rise, development, and decline of Civil War reenacting as a uniquely American subculture. Originating in postwar commemorations and evolving into a widespread hobby during the Civil War Centennial, reenacting has served as a lens through which Americans engage with history, heritage, and identity. Drawing on historiography, cultural memory studies, and contemporary critiques, the paper examines how shifting demographics, changing cultural attitudes, and public controversies particularly around Confederate symbolism have shaped the trajectory of the hobby. While participation is declining, reenacting continues to reflect broader societal dynamics regarding how the past is remembered, performed, and contested.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1860-1862 The Effects Of Military Occupation On Unionist And Secessionist Convictions, Riley P. Bogema

GLI MA in American History Student Works

Local histories of Civil War occupation provide a human face to the larger history of the American Civil War. The interactions between citizens and outside occupiers furnishes greater clarity and revelations on the human cost of conflict. It also presents greater evidence, either supportive or not, on broader arguments expressed in scholarly works on the Civil War. This work examines how prior attitudes towards the Unionism and secessionism were provoked during the process of military occupation. It argues that in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the citizens’ allegiances and relationships were challenged by the occupation of both Union and Confederate …

Unveiling Narrative In Liszt’S Dante Sonata Through Topical Analysis, Jasmine Olivia Harry

Theses and Dissertations

Narrative theory and its application in music have increasingly captured the interest of musicologists. Despite this growing attention, the analytical model remains relatively new compared to more established methods. Continued exploration and application are necessary to demonstrate its value alongside traditional theoretical frameworks. This dissertation employs narrative theory to examine the ironic comedy archetype in Franz Liszt’s Dante sonata, utilizing a bottom-up approach to construct a detailed musical narrative across three analytical tiers. Chapter two, representing the primary level, analyzes the sonata-fantasy macro-structure, uncovering key themes and the dynamic interplay between contrasting dichotomies. Chapter three, the secondary level, investigates semiotics, …

Negotiating Power: The Influence Of Women In Shaping Colonial Barbados And Jamacia, From 1750-1833, Giselle Rivera

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This study investigates the roles of European, Mulatto, and African women in colonial Barbados and Jamaica from 1750 to 1833, arguing that these women were not passive recipients of colonial structures but active agents in shaping and contesting them. Drawing on a wide array of primary sources including personal journals, legal documents, medical texts, maps, and colonial artwork this paper explores how women negotiated the intersecting hierarchies of race, class, and gender in both rural and urban contexts. In plantation settings, European women exercised informal authority within patriarchal confines, often reinforcing racial and gendered oppression, while enslaved African women navigated …

The Blood Moon, Omar Shafi

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

What turns someone into a monster? Is it their nature—or what the world has taken from them? These are the questions at the heart of The Blood Moon, a short story that reimagines the origin of the werewolf myth through a tragic lens. Created for an upper-division honors course titled Monsters and Monstrosity, this project draws from literary research, folklore, and cultural analysis to examine how trauma, grief, and unresolved hatred can transform even the most innocent among us.

Set in a mythic past, The Blood Moon follows Warrei, a young, wolf-like creature known as a Wolven, who loses everything …

Some Realism About Originalism, William J. Novak

Michigan Law Review

A review of Memory and Authority: The Uses of History in Constitutional Interpretation. By Jack M. Balkin.

The 1953 Codes: Rayyā And Sakīna On Screen (1953-2005), Elena Chiti

Regards

This paper examines on-screen representations of female criminals. It focuses on Rayyā and Sakīna, two sisters who were arrested in Egypt in 1920 and executed in 1921. Since 1953, the sisters have inspired movies and TV series that have entrenched their myth in popular culture. Rayyā and Sakīna are at the core of narratives that bear moral imperatives on societal issues, such as the place of women in society and the relation of the nation to its margins. I will argue that, until a recent off-screen resignification, Rayyā and Sakīna have not been deeply resignified in Egyptian movies. Instead, they …

Neumann Lecture On Music: What Is Playlist Culture?, Department Of Music, University Of Richmond

Music Department Concert Programs

No abstract provided.

Working Paper: The Role Of Nafeer And Social Networks In Sudan’S Humanitarian Response And The Challenges For International Aid, Mazin Sharfi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper explores the integral role of Nafeer, a traditional Sudanese communal practice, and social networks in addressing humanitarian crises, focusing on the ongoing 2023 conflict. Nafeer, rooted in rural agricultural settings, has evolved to mobilise urban communities for emergency responses, while social networks extend social support beyond family ties, providing a complementary layer of resource-sharing. Both systems, decentralised and grassroots in nature, contrast sharply with formal international aid structures. The research highlights how Nafeer and social networks mobilise resources through traditional means, such as mobilising social capital and economic resources including remittances, and modern mechanisms, like crowdfunding. It underscores …

Economic Activity Of Vulnerable Families In Muthanna Governorate For The Year 2023, Hussein Aliwi Nasser, Hussein Awad Hassouni

Uruk Journal of Human Sciences

Studying the history of intellectual movement in the Arabian Gulf region until the nineteenth century is a subject shrouded in mystery, which is why many researchers have neglected it and have not addressed it in their historical studies. Moreover, this era did not witness any features of intellectual and cultural awareness until the end of the mentioned century due to the prevalence of tribalism in the Arabian Gulf region and the tendency of individuals in their loyalty to the tribe without loyalty to a national political entity that unites them. The policy of cultural and intellectual isolation practiced by the …

Features Of The History Of The Intellectual Movement In The Arabian Gulf Until The Nineteenth Century, Amir Karim Abdelali Jaber, Wadad Abdalsada Fazaa

Uruk Journal of Human Sciences

Studying the history of intellectual movement in the Arabian Gulf region until the nineteenth century is a subject shrouded in mystery, which is why many researchers have neglected it and have not addressed it in their historical studies. Moreover, this era did not witness any features of intellectual and cultural awareness until the end of the mentioned century due to the prevalence of tribalism in the Arabian Gulf region and the tendency of individuals in their loyalty to the tribe without loyalty to a national political entity that unites them. The policy of cultural and intellectual isolation practiced by the …

A Comparison Of Two Worship Education Programs And The Relative Effectiveness Of Preparing Worship Leaders For The 21st Century Evangelical Church, John Dawson Kinchen Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines and compares the worship leadership programs at Liberty University and Union University, focusing on their curriculum design, development, and effectiveness in preparing worship leaders for the 21st-century modern evangelical church. Utilizing a multiple-case study methodology, the research traces the historical development of these programs, evaluates their curricular frameworks, and analyzes their alignment with the standards set by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The study identifies shared core learning competencies, including music theory, conducting, ensemble participation, and theological understanding, while highlighting unique strengths in each program's approach.

Liberty University’s curriculum emphasizes contemporary worship practices, integrating …

Anarcho-Syndicalism In The Negaunee Branch Of The Finnish Socialist Association, Michael P. Selwa

HS 390 Primary Research Papers

Socialism reached a prominence as a movement in the United States during the early 20th century. Fueled by the machinations of industrial capitalism and labor reform, many workers, immigrants, and other individuals would arrive to the precepts of socialism, a political movement avowing to shirk the constraints of capitalism on the proletariat. Specifically, the question of why and how labor unions should function in a socialist society was a central tenet of debate within the faction of the American Socialist Party. The central question of this article is to examine why anarcho-syndicalists argued against traditional socialist reformist arguments in the …

Introduction To The Special Issue: Reproductive Justice Across Disciplines And Demographics, Priyanka Tripathi, Laura Lazzari

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Defending The Doctrine Of Hell, Jordan P. Ballard

Liberty Theological Review

The doctrine of hell, or the final state of the wicked, has become one of the most objectionable Christian doctrines because it depicts God as vengeful and wrathful, which is offensive to human sensibilities. As an extension of the problem of evil, where God is put on trial for allowing what may appear to be gratuitous pain and suffering in the world, many Christians and non-Christians alike wonder how a loving God could consign people to suffering in hell forever. After all, why didn’t God make a world where all would be saved if He is truly loving? Belief in …

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Editor’S Note: Want To Help Develop A Textbook On Comparative Civilizations?, Joseph Drew

Comparative Civilizations Review

Is anyone here in the United States or elsewhere teaching a course in the comparative study of civilizations at the undergraduate level these days?

Since I was thinking about organizing the writing of a textbook on the topic, I began recently by considering what the major areas were to be covered in such a book. What, I wondered, have been the significant approaches scholars have taken over the past century or so to address the fluid, debatable, tenuous meanings and shapes of civilizations?

Christopher Dawson And The Challenges Of Interdisciplinary Studies, Joseph T. Stuart

Comparative Civilizations Review

The following interview was conducted by Ms. Bibi Pelic, the Director of Communications for the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations. The recording is available on the ISCSC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so-hS2SdoZc

The History And Manifestations Of The Metaverse In Contemporary Literature, Marlon Semuel Contantin Kansil, Wanting Sun

Journal of Strategic and Global Studies

The metaverse, an interactive and immersive virtual world, has emerged as a critical theme in contemporary literature, significantly impacting narratives and character development. This paper explores the history and literary manifestations of the metaverse, investigating its influence on identity, space, and social interactions. We find that the metaverse supports flexible and individualistic identities, reshaping how characters and readers understand themselves. The digital space of the metaverse provides a dynamic setting for moral and emotional conflicts, enriching the literary aesthetics of space. Furthermore, literature plays a crucial role in both shaping and reflecting the concept of the metaverse, employing symbolism and …

Local And Transregional Networks Of Women In Late Medieval Mecca And The Mamluk Empire, Mona Hafiz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the local and transregional networks of women in Mecca during the ninth/fifteenth century, as represented in the biographical dictionaries of al-Sakhāwī (d. 902/1497), Ibn Fahd (d. 885/1480), and al-Fāsī (d. 832/1429). It combines qualitative and quantitative methods in order to analyze the family, knowledge, and travels networks of women in late medieval Mecca and the Mamluk empire. It argues that Meccan women’s social and intellectual roles extended beyond their families, to other families, scholars, and regions. Simultaneously, the thesis focuses on Mecca as a central node in the networks that tied together different regions of the Mamluk …

"Highly Value Employees": Interpreting The World War Ii History Of The Sioux Ordnance Depot, Tatiana Painter

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

Public historians strive to create relevant interpretative history for diverse audiences by finding connections between local history and national narratives. This thesis demonstrates how local historians can make history relevant to the public in the form of a digital exhibit that uses the stories of a western Nebraska military installation’s World War II employees. The Sioux Ordnance Depot was an ammunition storage site in Sidney, Nebraska, from 1942 to 1967. For over 25 years, the Depot’s mission was to receive, issue, and store Army ammunition, ammunition components, and general supplies, but little is known about the Depot and its employees …

The Art Of Campaigning: Joint Planners Working At The Intersections Of Everything, Mary Bell, Edgar M. Hollandsworth, Thomas J. Snukis, Jeffrey Turner, Luke P. Bellocchi, Nicholas Anthony, Steve Tribble, Chris Botterbusch, Justin D. Harper

Joint Force Quarterly

This article examines the evolution of military campaigning from traditional large-scale combat operations to ongoing efforts that shape the global environment and achieve long-term strategic goals. It highlights the role of Combatant Command Campaign Plans (CCPs) in aligning national strategies with operational objectives and addressing modern challenges like cyber, cognitive, and information warfare.

Key topics include the importance of a Combatant Commander’s (CCDR) vision, the integration of global and regional plans, and the use of strategic wargaming to refine approaches. The article also addresses challenges such as delays in guidance, fragmented planning structures, and adapting to dynamic environments.

Finally, it …

A Greek Inscription From The Late Roman Period In Burial Cave 4 At Ben Shemen (Pp. 67–70), Leah Di Segni

'Atiqot

A Greek inscription, consisting of four lines, including the term “servants of Christ”, was found in a rock-hewn arcosolium burial cave (Cave 4) in Ben Shemen. The inscription was painted in red on a plastered section of the cave wall that had collapsed from above the eastern arcosolium. Based on palaeography, as well as the type of abbreviations used in the script, the tomb was used in the late third or early fourth centuries CE.

Mi‘Ilya: Evidence Of An Early Crusader Settlement (Pp. 63*–76*), Edna J. Stern

'Atiqot

A salvage excavation carried out on the upper hill of the village of Mi‘iliya exposed remains from the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Crusader period. Fifty-six diagnostic sherds, dating to the Crusader period, were found in a pit. Most of them represent local Crusader types, with a few belonging to imported types. The chronological range of the Crusader-period pottery dates from the mid-twelfth to the early thirteenth centuries CE.

Khan Gesher (Jisr El-Majami‘), Abdullah Mokary, Zvi Gal

'Atiqot

Khan Gesher is one of the earliest khans in Galilee. Three periods of occupation were documented at the site. The khan was first built during the Mamluk period as a square complex, with a central courtyard surrounded by rooms and halls. The halls served as stables, and the rooms and the central courtyard served non-residential functions, e.g., a gate, a water system, and a prayer room. Thus, the khan might have had a second story for housing travelers. During the Ottoman period, the building underwent changes and modifications. The khan was probably destroyed in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth …

Suburbanization As A Post-Industrial Essentiality: Revisiting Sweden's Miljonprogrammet, Colin Wood

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

Definitively speaking, suburbanization does not equate to post-industrialism in the same limelight as would urbanization and industrialism. However, anomalous cases, such as the one being discussed in this paper, tangentially interlink on a socioeconomic basis. In 1965, Sweden began construction of the Miljonprogrammet (Million Programme), where over the next ten years, over one million domiciles were built in a suburban setting leading to a mass diaspora of ‘slum living’ Swedish industrial workers. The nation’s renowned welfare state, built on a collaborative system between public and private sectors as well as federal and municipal actors, overlooked housing in its social …

A Written Dissertation Of A History Of The Ethnic Identity Of The Irish Child Laborers In Saint Louis, Missouri: 1890-1930, Deserea A. Morse

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The study of child labor helps us better understand the connection between labor, ethnicity, and crime within America. Throughout this dissertation, there will be a closer look into the influence that child labor has had on the growth of this nation. It also grants a look into the design of society within Progressive America and gives a voice to the story of the child laborer and his experiences. Currently, there is an ever-changing debate on the role child labor played within American history, specifically between the years 1910-1930. This period of years is critical as it signals when reform programs …

How Robespierre's Hostility Toward Traditional Religion Led To The Terror, Nuray Bamanie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The research attempts to explain, from the perspective of Historical Studies of Revolutions, Maximilien Robespierre's hostility to France's state religion and how it led to the excesses of the Terror between 1792-1794. Robespierre appeared at the most radical phase of the Revolution, that began in 1792 and lasted up to 1794. He placed the belief in the Revolution as a priority to everything and justified faith in the cult of the Supreme Being as part of France's new Revolution. Robespierre is a controversial figure. In the historiography, historians are divided between those who are infatuated with him and those that …