Digital Commons Network^™

Figures Of Truth And Justice: Superman & Rock Music, Kelan Vitali

CAFE Symposium 2026

The American comic superstar Superman and rock music are completely different forms of media. One performs acts of heroism, and one is performed on stage. Despite their differences, however, both are prominent symbols of inspiration and moral courage.

Little Red Riding Hood Rewritten: The Abject In Angela Carter’S “Company Of Wolves”, Samantha Frohring

CAFE Symposium 2026

This project considers Julia Kristeva's theory of abjection to bring attention to the content within Angela Carter's "The Company of Wolves." This postmodernist rendition of "Little Red Riding Hood" brings attention to feminist topics such as female sexuality and agency. In consideration with Kristeva's theory of abjection, it sheds light on potentially cringeworthy aspects of our bodies and embraces all of the "filth."

Disney's American Mulan, Sofia Diascro

CAFE Symposium 2026

In America, we are taught that we should live for ourselves. We are told we have personal freedom to be an individual and do what we want. Ancient China prioritized collectivism, an idea deeply rooted in Confucianism. Collectivism is about hierarchy, family, duty, and obligation. Disney’s Mulan movies differ from the Chinese legend of Mulan by emphasizing American values of individuality and self-discovery.

Mamma Mia! What Nostalgia!, Asher Leuzzi

CAFE Symposium 2026

An analysis of Phyllida Lloyd's Mamma Mia!, and how it relates to Authentic Rock Culture. Discusses the power of nostalgia, demonstrating that it can be either a positive or negative force. Generally, sound used within this film helps display energy and emotional truth, which allows for complex themes to be revealed.

Paternalism Vs. Progress: Chile Under Michelle Bachelet, Sasha Ilchenko

CAFE Symposium 2026

Following the end of Pinochet's dictatorial rule of Chile, the country became a presidential system in which voters could elect their representatives. Michelle Bachelet was elected as Chile's first female president in 2006, and, in 2014, she was reelected for a second term. I aim to compare how her gender influenced her policymaking decisions and the public's reaction to her presidency as well as how those two themes differed between Bachelet's two terms.

Hercules In Myth And Animation: Masculinity And Heroism, Noah Bautista

CAFE Symposium 2026

Disney's Hercules is a model man in today's society who combines the best aspects of both masculinity and femininity. In the myths, however, Hercules was much different and did not act as such a bridge between femininity and masculinity at the time. Through other scholarly works, the way that masculinity, heroism, and instrumentalization are presented and used is examined. Mythological Herakles is found to be a much more aggressive archetype of a man rather than Hercules, who is based upon strength in moderation and a more social society. Each fit into the ideals of the society they come from, perpetuating …

Life Beyond The Set: A Philosophical Analysis Of Existentialism In The Truman Show, Sharlene Almanzar

CAFE Symposium 2026

This paper aims to examine The Truman Show (1998) through the existentialist ideas of philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, with particular attention to his concepts of freedom, bad faith, and self-creation, while also exploring the existentialist themes previously articulated by philosophers such as Nietzsche and Kierkegaard. The Truman Show serves as an allegory of existential freedom, demonstrating throughout that individuals are not born with an innate, fixed nature, but rather continually define themselves through their choices, ultimately illustrating Sartre’s principle that “existence precedes essence”. The concluding realization of the main character, Truman Burbank, that his world is an elaborate illusion embodies that …

Hillary Rodham Clinton's Roadblocks To Political Power, Molly Hayter

CAFE Symposium 2026

My research delves into how Hillary Rodham Clinton's political career was impacted by misogyny and gendered backlash. She was represented unequally in the media in comparison to male politicians and faced criticism for displaying both male and female characteristics, yet she did not let her focus on gendered policy decisions fade as she tackled foreign policy in her role as Secretary of State.

Music As Memory And Narrative In American Graffiti And Dazed And Confused, Jacob Tone

CAFE Symposium 2026

This poster explores how George Lucas’s American Graffiti (1973) and Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused (1993) utilize popular music as a narrative tool to define the evolution of American youth culture. By examining the shift from the unified, diegetic radio culture of 1962 to the fragmented, ironic rock pastiche of 1976, the research highlights how Lucas creates a "communal identity" rooted in sincerity while Linklater captures the "disillusionment" of a generation adrift. Ultimately, the study demonstrates that these soundtracks are not mere background elements but serve as vital cultural archives that mediate between history and cinematic memory, shaping the way …

Mississippi Libraries Volume 87, Number 3 And 4

Mississippi Libraries

Complete issue of Volume 87, Number 3 and 4 of Mississippi Libraries.

Curriculum Materials Cataloged For Browsing, Michelle Emanuel

Mississippi Libraries

When the University of Mississippi Libraries acquired a collection of state-adopted school textbooks for K-12 from its School of Education, a decision was made to catalog the collection for browsing to anticipate the needs of its primary users, both “in service” and “pre-service” teachers. The textbooks would be grouped according to their grade level, and cuttered by subject area, instead of being classed according to its subject area. As the collection would be integrated into the regular circulating collection, and not into a curriculum materials center, issues arose for both technical services and access services throughout the process, from cataloging …

News Briefs, Marvin H. Jeter Iii, Joyce Shaw

Mississippi Libraries

News updates from Gunter Library at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and from the Mississippi Library Commission.

The Generative Turn: Ai And The Future Of Libraries, Deborah Lee

Mississippi Libraries

The Generative Turn introduces Mississippi librarians to the growing influence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and what it means for the future of library work. Rather than focusing on fear or hype, the column invites librarians to explore how tools such as ChatGPT or DALL-E can support creativity and professional learning. It explains how these systems differ from earlier forms of AI and how they can be used in everyday library tasks. The article highlights the librarian’s role in helping communities use these technologies responsibly while continuing to emphasize digital literacy. The column provides recommendations for books, online resources, conferences, …

Slis Notes: Building Advocacy, Stacy Creel, Sarah Mangrum

Mississippi Libraries

In 2016, the Pew Research Center found that 66 percent of adults believe that the public library has a positive role in their communities and believe in the educational role of libraries. Beyond education, respondents felt that libraries had a role in supporting businesses, technology, and other services, and were important parts of the community (Pew, 2016). Libraries continue to be “among the most trusted public institutions in our democratic society. Nevertheless, public libraries are struggling to regulate the library space as a space for all in democratic societies with increasing polarization” (Yamagishi, Koizumi, & Larsen, 2024, p. 1359). As …

Depaul Digest

DePaul Magazine

Melissa Ockerman, a school counseling professor, publishes guidance on how institutions can address the youth mental health crisis through de-escalating conflicts and cultivating social-emotional well-being. Noé de la Sancha, associate professor of environmental science, studies urban rat populations to better understand the impact of human-driven habitat change and loss on mammals. Plus, news briefs on exciting developments at DePaul University’s 10 colleges and schools, from a new Department of Neuroscience to robotics engineering in a new CyberLabs facility, and DePaul Connect, a community connecting alumni and students for network and mentor opportunities.

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 11, February 9, 2026, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – April 20, 2026

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Justice For Animals In Climate Change Integrated Assessment Models, Bob Fischer, Avram Hiller

Philosophy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Integrated assessment models (IAMs) exclude individual non-human animal welfare, despite clear evidence that climate change will harm billions of animals through habitat loss, extreme weather, and ecosystem disruption. We argue that this is a significant moral oversight. Further, incorporating animal welfare into IAMs is technically feasible, using traditional economic methods or novel ones. Crucially, accounting for animal welfare in IAMs need not undermine considerations of justice for humans.

What Future For Moroccan Arabic In Morocco?, Zahra Zaid

Faits de Langue et Société (FLS)

Our reflection is about the statute of Moroccan Arabic and his future. We are going to demonstrate with concrete examples if this language constructs or deconstructs itself in the movement of modernism that Morocco knows. We will also see the degree of implication of its users in this construction / deconstruction.

Hybridity And Identity In Contemporary Artistic And Literary Creation In Morocco, Ikram Alami, Abdellah Kaaouas

Faits de Langue et Société (FLS)

Since the late 1980s, artistic and literary creation in Morocco has been defined by an aesthetic and formal hybridity, operating through a fusion of traditional heritage and the imperatives of modernity. This "metis" production, marked by multiculturalism and the use of new technologies, deconstructs academic canons to generate multidisciplinary works (visual arts, literature, digital media). In literature, this heterogeneity manifests as the fragmentation of genres, the interpenetration of orality and literacy, and a heterolinguism (code-switching between French, Arabic, and English) that reflects a multipolar identity. Faced with the pressures of globalization, this dynamic of cross-breeding (métissage) is not a mere …

Mignone, Fernandez, Guarnieri: Brazilian Guitar Music After Villa-Lobos, Fabio Zanon

Soundboard Scholar

This article challenges the widespread perception of Heitor Villa-Lobos as an isolated peak in Brazilian musical culture with no natural successors. The author focuses on the composers who followed Villa-Lobos—Francisco Mignone, Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez, and Camargo Guarnieri—arguing that their works deserve far more attention in international concert life, not least their contributions to the guitar repertoire.

These twentieth-century Brazilian composers are situated within a broader historical narrative that traces the impact of European colonial models, the delayed and contested formation of musical nationalism in Brazil, and the shifting aesthetic and political conditions of the twentieth century. Analytical discussions of representative …

A Crown In Death: An (Expanded) Dramaturgical Approach To The Trojan Women Of Euripides, Stephanie Lester

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

In the action-packed, visually-oriented market for modern media, some may assume a 2,400-year-old Greek tragedy to be slightly past its expiration date, especially if it features little to no action onstage like in Euripides’ The Trojan Women. However, it is important to remember that literature is lost when the world fails to cherish it, so if a text survives that long, it may be worth another cursory glance. In this case, that glance involved a full dramaturgical study featuring qualitative script analysis of multiple translations of The Trojan Women with related texts to explore context, themes, common literary devices, and …

Fragments Of The Human Condition: A Collection Of Short Stories, Daniel R. Mangru

MFA in Creative Writing | Master's Theses

Fragments of the Human Condition: A Collection of Short Stories is a culminating thesis by Daniel R. Mangru that explores the intricate complexities of the human experience through the mundane details of ordinary lives.

Drawing inspiration from the works of Raymond Carver and Rod Serling, this collection of short stories, which includes A Cow on Mars and A Boy and his Donut, offers fragments of an answer to the fundamental question: "What was it like to be human?"

The thesis examines universal themes such as resilience, intimacy, compassion, loneliness, structure, and independence, demonstrating how these aspects of the human …

Illness, Isolation, And The Fight For Dignity In 1930s North Dakota, Ali Thykeson

History Hawks: A North Dakota History Zine

Behind the Walls of San Haven explores life at North Dakota's tuberculosis sanatorium in the 1930s. Through patient letters, archival photographs, and historical research, the zine reveals how medical practices, public attitudes, and state policies shaped the experiences of those confined to the institution. It highlights the human stories behind San Haven and the reforms that emerged from its challenges.

Works In Progress

Dance Programs

No abstract provided.

Volume Cxlv, Number 12, February 6, 2026, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

2026 Sundance Film Festival: Introduction, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

2026 Sundance Film Festival: Introduction

Digital Disruption And Karawitan Recordings: Paradigm Shifts, Aesthetic Challenges, And Opportunities For Cultural Preservation, Iwan Budi Santoso, Bagong Pujiono, Darno Darno

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This article explores how digital recording practices, amid contemporary technological transformation, rearticulate the musical meaning of karawitan, reshape listening experience, and reorganize its modes of cultural circulation. The study is situated within broader scholarly debates on digital mediation, particularly concerning the shifting relationship between recorded sound and the socio-spatial and ritual contexts that have historically constituted karawitan performance. Using a descriptive qualitative case-study approach, the research draws on in depth interviews with musicians (pengrawit), scholars, distributors, and listeners, supported by observations of recording environments, patterns of online circulation, archival sources, and indicators of platform based distribution. The findings indicate that …

The Representation Of Law Enforcement Authorities’ Performance In Nbc News Coverage Of The Debanhi Escobar Case: A Dialectical Relational Approach, Rachim Satria Wicaksana, Nurhayati Nurhayati, Istiqamah Idrus Sere

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

NBC News, as an international media outlet, plays a significant role in shaping public perception and moral evaluation of social issues. Its coverage of the Debanhi Escobar case in Mexico has attracted widespread international attention, particularly in relation to the handling of feminicide by Law Enforcement Authorities. Within this context, the present study investigates how NBC News represents Law Enforcement Authorities in reporting the Debanhi Escobar case and how such representations construct moral and institutional evaluations. This study applies Fairclough’s Dialectical Relational Approach (DRA) to examine the relationship between textual strategies, social practices, and power relations embedded in media discourse. …

Environmental Graphic Design Of The Great Mosque Ornaments For Strengthening Demak City Branding As The City Of Wali, Agus Setiawan, Ahmad Akrom, Khamadi Khamadi, Khairul Mustaqin, Auria Farantika Yogananti

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

This study explores the role of Environmental Graphic Design (EGD) derived from the ornamental heritage of the Great Mosque of Demak in strengthening Demak’s city branding as the “City of Wali” (Kota Wali). Motivated by the need for culturally grounded urban identity amid rapid modernization, the research examines how religious and historical visual elements can be translated into contemporary environmental design. The study adopts a descriptive qualitative approach informed by place branding and visual communication theory. Data were collected through field observations, visual documentation, interviews, and a literature review, followed by an analytical process that involved identifying local wisdom, interpreting …