Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Complexity In Structural Transfer: A Corpus Study From Turkish And Bulgarian, Sarah Joy Russell

Theses and Dissertations

This study the explores the need to examine the increasingly varied methods of quantifying morphological complexity in regards to their ability to influence structural borrowing across languages, with particular attention to the distinction between enumerative complexity (enumeration of all of the morphemes and distinctions in a system) and integrative complexity (entropy-based calculation of the class distinctions of the system). While existing models in contact linguistics often assume that structurally simpler languages are more likely to serve as sources of grammatical transfer, such accounts typically rely on enumerative measures of complexity alone and do not fully account for the role of …

Demographic Trends And Far-Right Party Support In Europe: The Role Of The Cordon Sanitaire, Maxwell Curry

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines whether cordons sanitaires, institutional exclusionary arrangements common in Western and Central Europe on the part of mainstream political actors aimed to prevent far-right political parties perceived as posing a threat to liberal democratic order from entering into governing coalitions or otherwise participating in mainstream political life, condition the relationship between immigration-related demographic change and support for far-right political parties. Contemporary scholarship has extensively examined the relationship between immigration and support for far-right political parties, but comparatively little research has examined the institutional factors that potentially condition such a relationship. In an analysis of parliamentary election data …

The Light, Edward Tortorelli

Floodwall Magazine

No abstract provided.

Teaching A Stand-Alone Course On Burney, Lorna J. Clark

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This essay outlines a stand-alone course on Frances Burney, suggesting that she offers a good entry point into eighteenth-century studies. Given that she wrote in so many genres—novels, plays, journals, and letters—such a course avoids the narrowness which often marks a single author course. In twelve weeks, the course studied ten works: four novels, five plays (three comedies and two tragedies) and a selection of journals and letters. The latter describes well-known figures in Burney’s social and literary networks in eighteenth-century London and leads to discussion of techniques of the epistolary, of diary-writing and of women’s life-writing. Burney’s novels are …

A Lineage Of Violence: Online Radicalization, The Great Replacement, And Far-Right Terrorism In The United States, 2011–2019, Kai Kawafuchi

Voces Novae

No abstract provided.

"I Don’T Know That You Can Do That Anywhere Else": The Role Rural College Towns Play In The Formation Of Queer Identity, Amy Mcdowell, Ryan J. Parsons, Julia Kraus

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

Challenging dominant narratives suggesting that rural spaces are inhospitable to LGBTQ+ identities, this study examines how queer individuals navigate space, rurality, and queerness in Oxford, Mississippi, a historically conservative college town. Drawing on oral histories from the Queer Mississippi digital archive, we argue that rural institutions of higher learning (rural IHLs) and the college towns they are embedded in serve as critical sites of queer identity formation. The rural college town provides a unique space where LGBTQ+ individuals from both within and outside the South navigate self-discovery, social networks, and belonging. We highlight the transformative role of these spaces in …

A Crisis For Utopia: Jameson, The Collective, And The Future Of World Literature, Trevor Jackson

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Working with Fredric Jameson’s influential discussions of utopia and world literature, the essay suggests that the prospect of utopia is frightening and also possibly boring insofar as it threatens to drain away the already waning possibility of experience in a postmodern, globalized world. In this world, resentment of the present seems to go hand in hand with a nostalgia for a fictitious past, underscoring the difficulty of conceptualizing new social, cultural, and economic arrangements. Viewing world literature as a possible source of a new utopian thought, a utopia unlimited to its contemporary dystopian guises, the essay retraces Jameson’s pronouncements on …

Against Pleonexia: Auerbach, World Literature, And The End Of History, Simon During

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Erich Auerbach’s essay on world literature, written in the early postwar period, has become central to our understanding of the field. This essay contextualizes Auerbach on world literature by approaching it through his larger project, which it thinks about in relation to scholars rarely considered in this context. These scholars are the French literary historians and critics Hippolyte Taine and Remy de Gourmont, and the German historical sociologist Alexander Rüstow. To place Auerbach at an intersection of these very different figures turns out to be illuminating. It both enlarges our sense of him and helps us better understand why he …

Small Nations, Big Debates: Empowering The Slovenes As A Subject Of World History In The Critical 1930s, Marko Juvan

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

The article looks at how Slovene intellectuals and writers in the 1930s attempted to redefine the role of a small nation within the world-system in the face of global economic crisis, authoritarianism, imperialism, and the threat of fascist expansion. Three central interventions are examined in detail: firstly, Josip Vidmar’s culturalist defense of Slovenia as a nation defined by its intellectual and artistic achievements, which is contrasted with Edvard Kardelj’s Marxist reinterpretation of the Slovene national question as part of a broader anti-imperialist struggle; secondly, Anton Ocvirk’s peripheral model of comparative literary history, which emphasizes the creative contribution of small literatures …

Beyond The Great Wall: Zheng Zhenduo’S “Unification” Of World Literature At The Juncture Of China’S May Fourth And Post-World War I Era, Wenxin Liang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

This article examines Chinese literary scholar Zheng Zhenduo’s 1922 essay “A View on the Unification of Literature” (Wenxue de tongyiguan 文學的統一觀) as a counter-narrative to both imperial isolationism and post-World War I nationalist fragmentation. Writing at the intersection of China’s May Fourth Movement and the global post-war crisis, Zheng developed a theory of world literature that challenged both Goethean Eurocentrism and the compartmentalization of comparative literary studies. Through systematic analysis of Zheng’s theoretical writings, editorial projects, and pioneering work on folk literature (suwenxue 俗文學), this article demonstrates that Zheng’s project of “the unification of literature” operated on three …

Historicising Nyerere’S Presidency In The Nyakyusa Mythical Narratives, Ignas Fedeo

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

Julius K Nyerere, the founding President of Tanzania, held office from 1962 to 1985. Much has been written about Nyerere's presidency, with the literature generally falling into two categories: strong advocacy for his decisions, actions, and ideas, and pointed criticism against him. Using narrative and new historicism theories, this article examines the recreation of the history of Nyerere’s presidency in local narratives, specifically Nyakyusa myths. The myths were collected using the oral history interviews from Kyela and Busokelo districts in Tanzania. The Nyakyusa believe that Nyerere was endowed with immense mystical powers, some of which embedded in his stick and …

Discourse Representation Of Self And Other In The 2020 Trump-Biden Presidential Debates, Victor Babajide Ogunleye, Adesina B. Sunday

Journal of English and Applied Linguistics

Presidential aspirants in the United States engage in debates during campaigns as a medium of enlightening the electorate. Existing studies on the American presidential debates have largely focused on politeness, rhetoric, syntax, and gender, with little attention to the strategies employed to construct the self and opponent(s). Therefore, this research investigates the discourse representation in the presidential debates between Trump and Biden using van Dijk’s socio-cognitive model of critical discourse analysis. Ten excerpts were purposively selected for their relevance in illustrating representation strategies. The analysis revealed positive self-representation and negative other-representation. Positive self-representation featured the self as competent, honest, altruistic, …

Lengua, Conocimiento Y Continuidad Cultural: Contextos De La Educación Avanzada Del Maya Kaqchikel, José Israel Herrera

Journal of Maya Heritage

Resumen. La revitalización de las lenguas indígenas ha dejado de concebirse exclusivamente como una estrategia de preservación lingüística para convertirse en un campo de reflexión sobre la continuidad de los sistemas de conocimiento, las pedagogías comunitarias y la diversidad epistémica. En este contexto, el presente ensayo analiza Kik'aslemal ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook como una propuesta educativa que trasciende la enseñanza avanzada del idioma kaqchikel para constituirse en un modelo de producción comunitaria del conocimiento. A partir del diálogo con la literatura sobre epistemologías indígenas, antropología lingüística y revitalización lingüística, se sostiene que la organización temática …

Expanding The Cognitive Attentional Standards Platform Through Artificial Influence Assessment (Aia): Rationale, Development, And Measurement Design, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how individuals access information, make decisions, and interact with digital environments. The Cognitive Attentional Standards Platform (C.A.S.) was developed to assess attention related harms, cognitive safety, digital autonomy, and platform influence across digital systems (Clark, 2026). However, the growth of generative AI, conversational agents, and algorithmic decision support technologies has introduced new forms of influence that may not be fully captured by existing assessment domains. This paper proposes the Artificial Influence Assessment (AIA) as an expansion of the C.A.S. framework designed to measure AI mediated influence on cognition, behavior, autonomy, and information processing. Drawing on …

Notas Críticas (Reseñas), Yandrey Lay, Marzia Dessi

Intersecciones Hispánicas: Revista de Cultura, Literatura y Lingüística

No abstract provided.

A Multimodal Analysis Of Conflicting Discourses On New Mexican Identity, Nicholas L. Chavez, Fátima Holguín

Intersecciones Hispánicas: Revista de Cultura, Literatura y Lingüística

We analyze two contrasting discourses on New Mexican identity, as represented in political cartoons from Trever (2021) and García (2018). We show how visual and linguistic elements of the cartoons work together to construct identity through metaphor and metonymy. It was found that Trever (2021) relied on cultural symbols such as the Zia Sun symbol as metonyms for various aspects of New Mexico’s identity, while García (2018) subverted established metaphors for American culture such as the melting pot and Uncle Sam to critique governmental influence on Nuevomexicano (‘New Mexican’) identity formation. Using the critical discourse analysis framework of Fairclough (1995), …

When Justice Fails: Female Vengeance And Indigenous Memory In Jayro Bustamante’S Film La Llorona (2019), Isabel Ibáñez De La Calle

Intersecciones Hispánicas: Revista de Cultura, Literatura y Lingüística

Jayro Bustamante’s film La Llorona (2019) reimagines the Latin American myth of the weeping woman to expose the failures of state justice and propose a feminist, decolonial alternative rooted in Indigenous memory and spiritual retribution. The film follows retired general Enrique Monteverde, modeled after Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, as he is tried for genocide against the Maya Ixil people. While the courtroom scenes depict a moment of accountability, they ultimately reveal how legal institutions remain complicit in protecting power. In contrast, the arrival of Alma—an Indigenous domestic worker who embodies La Llorona—introduces a supernatural force that intervenes when the …

Review Of: Old Order Mennonite Spirituality: Analysis Of Ascetical And Mystical Parallels In Medieval Monasticism And A Contemporary Anabaptist Community—Andrew C. Martin, David Gilland, Laura Kelly, Donald Martin

Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies

Andrew Carl Martin’s doctoral dissertation is a welcome addition to the ecclesiologically significant, yet surprisingly under-researched topic of the relationship between strands in medieval Catholicism, especially monasticism, and Anabaptism in its various manifestations. To go a step further, Martin’s research deals specifically with Benedictine spirituality as outlined by The Rule of St. Benedict and a previously underappreciated branch of its legacy as found among the Old Order Mennonites in North America. That we are dealing with an “Order” in both cases is no insignificant aspect of the argument, for Martin ably shows that, direct historical connections notwithstanding, Old Order Mennonites …

Charting Queer Visibility: A Content Analysis Of Queer Picture Books, 2000-2024, Amanda Melilli, James W. Rosenzweig, Alicia G. Vaandering

Library Faculty Research

This poster session presents findings from a content analysis of queer picture books published from 2000 to 2024. In an initial review of more than 650 books, the authors analyzed narrative themes and the identities, orientations, and BIPOC and/or disability intersectionality of queer characters in each book. This research built a final book sample of more than 430 unique titles with identifiably queer characters. The findings map queer representation and narratives in picture books published in the U.S. and Canada during the twenty-first century.

What Philosophical Lesson Do The Human Sciences Offer?, Salem Yafout

BOUHOUT

This article examines the philosophical lessons that the human sciences offer, interrogating the epistemological status of disciplines such as sociology, psychology, and history and their implications for philosophical thought.

Toward Professionalization: Insights From Sign Language Interpreters In Vietnam, Anh P. Doan

Journal of Interpretation

This study examines how sign language interpreters in Vietnam perceive the professionalization of their field and the strategies they propose for establishing it as a recognized profession. Despite growing demand for communication access, sign language interpreting in Vietnam remains an emerging field with limited institutional infrastructure and no formal interpreter education programs. Data were collected through an online qualitative survey of 28 hearing interpreters working in sign language interpreting across Vietnam. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes in interpreters’ experiences and perspectives. Findings show that many interpreters enter the field through informal pathways such as community …

Sign Language Interpreting In Legal Settings: A Survey Of The Field, Lynsey H. Lawrence, Lori Whynot

Journal of Interpretation

This study is the first to investigate the prevalence and variety of legal contexts where ASL-English interpreters work in the United States. Effective interpreting service ensures that deaf individuals’ civic and constitutional rights are protected when they engage in the U.S. legal system. It sought to understand the current landscape of legal interpreting practice by ASL-English interpreters to better inform professional training and allocation of resources. There is a severe, national shortage of legally qualified sign language interpreters and a need for regular educational pathways and professional development to train generalist interpreters in specialized legal settings. An online survey was …

Tomboys In Dystopia: An Analysis Of Gendered Traits In Ya Dystopian Literature, Bethany H. Jenkins

English Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

This thesis explores the world of young adult dystopian literature. Katniss (Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games), Tris (Veronica Roth’s Divergent) and Tierney (Kim Liggett’s The Grace Year) are all tomboy protagonists living in a dystopian society. Apart from the expected challenges of living in a dystopia, being a tomboy means facing conflicts that are a result of their gender non-conformity. Drawing heavily from the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, each protagonist is analyzed within the context of their own story to identify feminine and masculine traits that they express. These traits’ impact on the events of the story is …

Online Rights Defense Among Chinese Americans Against Racial Aggression In The U.S. During The Covid-19, Fangzhu Lu, Wenshan Jia

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose

This study investigates how Chinese American communities responded to heightened racial discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing social media platforms to safeguard their civil rights, articulate collective concerns, and mobilize resistance against racial aggression.

Methodology

Through qualitative case study analysis, the research examines the social media activities of six advocacy organizations, including three X accounts (WashTheHate, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Asian Americans Advancing Justice) and three Instagram accounts (Stop AAPI Hate, Stop Asian Hate, Advancing Justice: AAJC). The analysis focuses on the content strategies and communication mechanisms employed to counteract racial hostility.

Findings

The selected organizations used social …

Language, Life, And Indigenous Knowledge: Cultural Contexts In Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Education Approaches To Indigenous Language Revitalization In Kik'aslemal Ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook, José Israel Herrera

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. This article examines the relationship between Indigenous language revitalization and the continuity of socially embedded systems of knowledge through the case of advanced Kaqchikel Maya language education. Drawing upon scholarship on Indigenous pedagogies, linguistic anthropology, and Indigenous epistemologies, the article explores how culturally grounded approaches to language learning contribute not only to the development of linguistic competence but also to the reproduction of memories, values, and intellectual traditions. Particular attention is devoted to Kik'aslemal ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook, whose thematic organization and collaborative development illustrate broader processes of knowledge production and cultural continuity. Rather than …

Author Biographies, Obsculta Editors

Obsculta

No abstract provided.

Developing Robust Human Formation For Ministerial Training, Mary L. Parks

Obsculta

The Apostolic Exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis recognizes that effective ministerial formation is holistic, attending to all aspects of a minister’s being. The document therefore outlines four pillars of formation: human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral. In Co-Workers In the Vineyard of the Lord, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) extends the same four pillars of formation to the development of lay ecclesial ministers. The USCCB also applies these pillars to diaconal formation in The National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States of America.

Paul: A Man Called To Reform Status: The Radical Practice Of “One In Christ”, Garrett S. "Faustino" Miller

Obsculta

This paper explores Saint Paul's ministerial pedagogy as he challenged Roman social hierarchies by calling believers to a radical unity as "one in Christ." By examining what this radical practice means, and what it is rooted in, this paper also urges readers toward the same radical and transformative vision of Christian oneness; a vision that seeks to build bridges rather than walls in the world today.

Human Freedom And God’S Image In Undocumented People, An Nguyen

Obsculta

This article explores the relationship of human freedom in the theological perspective and undocumented immigrants in the United States: how immigrants embody the divine image, Imago Dei, despite legal and social constraints. I will begin with the theological foundation—freedom as a distinguishing characteristic of God’s image in humanity—and analyze the complex nature of freedom as both a divine gift and a human responsibility. Additionally, I will demonstrate that the Church has a special responsibility to recognize and affirm the inherent dignity of undocumented people by drawing from Catholic social teaching, migration studies, and theological anthropology, ultimately calling for pastoral practices …

Called From Within The Community: The Vocation Of Undocumented Hispanic Men To The Diaconate, Anisabel Palma

Obsculta

This paper examines the discernment of undocumented Hispanic men to the diaconate within a diocese facing growing Hispanic populations and a shortage of Spanish-speaking clergy. Using ethnographic research, theological reflection, and historical analysis, it argues that this reality should be discerned not as a pastoral problem but as a response to concrete community needs. Interpreted through four theological perspectives (sacred vocation, divine initiative, unconventional divine choice, and the community-oriented nature of diaconal ministry) the study proposes that welcoming undocumented men into formal discernment and formation for the diaconate constitutes a faithful and ecclesial response to the Church’s mission.