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Overcoming Obstacles To Interdisciplinary Research: Empirical Insights And Strategies [Peer-Reviewed Journal], Cristo Leon Ph.D., James Lipuma Ph.D.

STEM for Success Resources

Explore how to overcome obstacles to interdisciplinary research with strategies for transdisciplinary communication, breaking silos, and fostering collaboration. Read insights from Cristo Leon and James Lipuma in this impactful study.

Re-Indigenizing And Collaboratively Tending Urban Greenspaces, Divinity Nnenne Adewale

University Honors Theses

This work details the active process of land tending with the intention of re-Indigenization in the Pacific Northwest at several Portland sites; The Native American Student Community Center, PSU Oak Savanna, and the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Land tending is an intuitive process, one rooted in love and respect for life of all forms as well as becoming the perpetual student; land tending is not a skill to be mastered, only practiced. Unlike environmental management, tending cannot be done separate from the earth, in a classroom or otherwise. Connections are what tending is built on top of: the foundation; effort …

“Weevils Floated On The Gravy”: Disgusting Food In African Fiction, Igor B. Cusack

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

This paper examines the uses of food in several African novels where descriptions of food might trigger the reader’s disgust. Visceral disgust might be elicited either by the senses, such as taste or smell, or by the nature and history of an object, that has been termed “ideational disgust." Visceral disgust differs from moral disgust, when an individual might feel something is profoundly wrong. Fictional descriptions of something disgusting may elicit similar emotions to those evoked by the material object, and this imagining has been called “the paradox of fiction." The reactions of individual readers may differ according to cultural …

The Choir Effect: A Case Study On Adolescent Boys’ Academic Self-Confidence, Dedrick L. Guyton

Masters Theses

Realizing the cognitive and social benefits of choral participation in early adolescent boys may be critical in understanding their academic self-confidence. This qualitative research study examines large public school choral ensemble participation and the academic self-confidence of boys between the ages of twelve and fourteen. Previous studies on formal music education in children suggest that active music participation has academic and social benefits. However, research has not addressed the effects of early music exposure on adolescent boys who sing in a large public school choral ensemble. The research illustrates the experiences of approximately 20 twelve-to-fourteen-year-old male choral ensemble members within …

The Emotional, Physical, And Mental Effects Of Physiological Entrainment And Heart Coherence In The Choral Ensemble, Nicole M. Mattfeld

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Despite endless studies on the benefits of music related to stress reduction and decreased anxiety, there is more in-depth research in the holistic health realm, which has yet to be applied, especially to music educators. Scientists have made groundbreaking discoveries in the last decade, proving that music can heal the nervous system; and guide one’s body into a state of physical and emotional coherence. This study gathered existing research and applied it through the lens of the choral music educator. Guided by the founders of the HeartMath Institute and additional scientific pioneers, this mixed-method study identified methods of holistic health …

Biblically-Based Songs: Agents Of Healing For Women Overcoming Rejection, Michal Rivera

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine how biblically-based songs can serve as aids to women who have overcome or are overcoming rejection. The research employs a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, in which interviews, in vivo coding, reflection, interpretation, and biblical analysis explore how biblically-based songs provide or have provided aid to Christian Hispanic Women. Interviews question women about their experiences and how they cope with rejection, the importance of the Word of God, and biblically-based songs, capturing the history and healing process and transformation of the participants. Worship leaders and worship ministries will be educated, exhorted, and challenged in …

This Will Not Be Generative, Sehrish Naudhani

Intersections: Critical Issues in Education

This Will Not Be Generative by Dixa Ramírez-D’Oleo critiques Western feminist narratives, revealing how concepts like generativity and symbiosis often disguise violence against Black and Indigenous communities. Through analysis of works by feminists such as Donna Haraway and references to films like Get Out and Midsommar, Ramírez-D’Oleo argues that Black and Indigenous lives are cyclically exploited to uphold white supremacy. Rather than depicting these communities as mere victims, she emphasizes their resilience and acts of resistance. This review underscores Ramírez-D’Oleo's call to rethink the narratives shaping our understanding of race, ecology, and feminism, making it a critical read for …

Performing Masculinities: The Assumption Of Men’S Roles By Women Left Behind By Male Migrant Labourers In Southern Tanzania, Nives Kinunda, Angelus Mnenuka, Samwel Mhajida

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This article examines the empowerment of female farmers in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania due to male labour migration during the British colonial rule. The study sought to highlight the history of gender-based division of labour, the dynamics of labour division during the colonial period, the trend of females’ adoption of males’ activities, and women’s empowerment resulting from their assumption of males’ responsibilities. Data were collected through oral interviews, documentary reviews, group-focused discussions, and archival sources. The data were analysed and interpreted using a gender framework theory, which includes, among other things, gender roles and gender relations. Findings show that …

Quality Interpretation, Quality Interpretation Assessment, Back Translation, Communication Breakdown, Sense-Based Theory, Liyenja Mwinuka

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study assesses the quality of English-Kiswahili Sermon interpretation in church settings in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with a specific focus on the accuracy of vocabulary interpretation and its impact on effective communication between preachers and audiences. Conducted in two purposively selected Pentecostal churches, the study employed the Sense-Based Theory as its guiding framework. Data were gathered through interviews, non-participant observation, and video recordings; and were analysed qualitatively. The findings reveal frequent misinterpretation of preachers’ English vocabulary by Sermon interpreters, leading to significant communication breakdowns between preachers and their audiences. The incorrect interpretations of vocabulary were primarily attributed to the …

The Chinese Room And Creating Consciousness: How Recent Strides In Ai Technology Revitalize A Classic Debate, Thomas Held

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Since 1950, when Alan Turing first posed the question of whether a machine could think, the possibility of artificial consciousness has sparked intense and ongoing debate, and strong positions have been staked out on each side of the argument. On the one hand, the historically popular functionalist school of thought claims that any system capable of producing suitably “conscious” behavior in a given environment should be considered conscious. On the other hand, John Searle’s famous “Chinese Room” argument insists that this cannot be the case, and that consciousness is in all likelihood not artificially reproducible. However, both positions have issues—the …

Generative Ai And Professional Technical Writers: A Mixed-Method Study, Jarrett Schaefer

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates how professional technical writers use AI technology in their work today, which tools they are using, and which tasks they use them for. Using a mixed-methods research design, the study involved 21 participants completing a survey hosted in Qualtrics, and three participants interviewed over Zoom. Quantitative analysis was performed on the survey data, and the researcher used grounded theory to analyze the transcripts of the interview participants. The findings offer insight into how professional technical communicators use these tools and their attitudes toward including AI technologies in future pedagogies. While most participants had used AI technology in …

And You Don't Seem To Understand: Disanalogies Between Artificial And Biological Consciousness, Derek Freeman

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

This paper posits a new way of attempting to formulate theories of machine consciousness. At present, inquiry revolves around formulating criteria that could be applied to machines to determine if they possess human-like consciousness. The paper demonstrates that efforts so far have not been fruitful, instead finding that present methods of inquiry are destined to result in an impasse between those who support the notion of machine consciousness and those who oppose it. Consequently, the paper questions the assumption that human and machine consciousness must resemble each other. It explores a different approach, one that rejects the idea that the …

Possibility Above Actuality In Sartre’S Ontology Existential Thoughts On Education, James M. Magrini

Turning Toward Being: The Journal of Ontological Inquiry in Education

Systematic philosophies and practices of education, more often than not, tend to define the nature of the human being in terms of an immutable essence. For example, a manipulable organism within the learning environment or empty vessel to be filled with the knowledge it lacks. Systematic education, for the most part, is based on the uncritical acceptance of such antecedent ontological/biological conclusions regarding human being; views which leaves little room for the exploration and experience of human freedom. In response to this aforementioned problem, the pressing issue grounding this essay, which educators seeking to better serve their students should consider, …

Music Is My Language: Analyzing Autism Acceptance Within Communities, Cielo Bake

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of music and romanticism, drawing upon the emotional expressionism of Romantic era composers, inspired by Romantic literature, such as Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt as a vehicle for communication. The ultimate goal was to determine a way to bridge the neurodivergent and neurotypical gaps in connection, enabling a stronger community that values every member of its locale and allows for a sense of belonging. The format for this research is through a performance, comprised of a piano recital of Romantic Era music by Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt and improvised original music with a speech. …

I See You Too, Moe Kennedy

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Moe Kennedy is a senior biology major and Bonner Scholar at DePauw University. They love acrylic and oil painting, as well as making jewelry, woodworking, and occasionally writing poetry. Their artistic focuses are queer expression as well as botanical and insect life. In their free time, they enjoy animated shows and movies, hiking, and playing guitar.

A Mirror Of Henry Rousseau, Samaira Snow

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Samaira Snow is a sophomore from Carmel, Indiana, majoring in biology with a minor in studio art. They enjoy using vibrant colors and surreal imagery to express emotions in their artwork.

Marvelous Bodies: Italy's New Migrant Cinema, Vetri Nathan

Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures

Historically a source of emigrants to Northern Europe and the New World, Italy has rapidly become a preferred destination for immigrants from the global South. Life in the land of la dolce vita has not seemed so sweet recently, as Italy struggles with the cultural challenges caused by this surge in immigration. Marvelous Bodies by Vetri Nathan explores thirteen key full-length Italian films released between 1990 and 2010 that treat this remarkable moment of cultural role reversal through a plurality of styles. In it, Nathan argues that Italy sees itself as the quintessential internal Other of Western Europe, and that …

Non-Conformity As Queerness: The Phenomenology Of Gender Identity Beyond The Binary, Gretl Josselyn

Honors Scholar Theses

Gender non-conformity is a defiance of fixed binary ideas of gender identity and expression which are enforced within societies. The phenomenological concept of breaking free from expectations based on one’s gender assigned at birth allows freedom of expression and an acceptance of non-conformity. Building on the works of Judith Butler, Sara Ahmed, María Lugones, and Iria Marion Young, among others, the act of performance and queering one’s identity and actions are explored. Gender identity is constantly evolving, and each expectation of what one’s gender expression should look like is a performance put on to conform. Individuals are not born with …

The Social Matter Of Opioids: Glitches In Immunity Beyond The Human, Nathan A. Leach

American Studies ETDs

The Social Matter of Opioids: Glitches in Immunity Beyond the Human examines the contemporary opioid crisis and its relationship to capitalism, imperialism, and biomedicine. This dissertation also considers how the twin processes of crisis and racialization relate to how human-opioid entanglements perform and transgress normative anthropological assumptions of difference. Through theories of biopolitics, Black feminism, queer of color critique, and psychoanalytic insight, I argue for a more critical account of the entanglement of humans with opioids where processes of capitalist and imperial crisis produce novel forms of social ontology. I substantiate this by examining speculative tissue economies, interspecies relationality, draconian …

Neo-Documentation’S “Copernican Revolution” Upon Information Science, Ronald E. Day

Proceedings from the Document Academy

The article discusses neo-documentation's "Copernican Revolution" upon information science from the aspect of Heideggerian phenomenology and a documentality of relation and emergence.

Beyond The 'Idols Of The Marketplace': Managing Semantic Change In Research, Christopher B. Rauch, Hyung Wook Choi, Mat Kelly

Proceedings from the Document Academy

Semantic change refers to the process by which words acquire new meanings over time or in different contexts, particularly as they transition between disciplines. This shift in meaning, especially when words are adopted as terms in multiple academic areas, often leads to confusion and ambiguity. This study focuses on the terms "agent" and "ontology," tracing their semantic evolution over time and across disciplines to understand how their meanings differ between fields such as philosophy, law, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on insights from Boon and Van Baalen's metacognitive framework, the analysis demonstrates how understanding these differences can help prevent miscommunication.

An Overview Of Japanese Kampo: An Integrative Approach To Medicine, Olivia Yaste

Honors College Theses

There is a growing interest in the use of traditional medicine for the treatment of disease and health conditions around the world. The traditional medicine system of Japan has been in place for thousands of years and the traditional herbal system, Kampo, has been fully integrated into the modern national healthcare system. The compilation of information on topics surrounding Kampo written in English is scattered, making it difficult to gain a broad understanding of the subject without immense time and effort. This paper aims to review the existing literature on a variety of topics surrounding Kampo in order to give …

Persons Or Human-Mimicking Robots? Implications Of Ai For Moral Status, Kate Burckle, Catherine Peters

Honors Thesis

Rapid progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in which AI technologies can now perform human tasks, e.g. hold advanced conversations, cook, clean, and navigate harsh terrain, blurs the line between humans and robots. The emergence of advanced AI technologies suggests that AI programs may develop consciousness in the near future, prompting important questions: if AIs attain abilities to perform the same tasks and exercise capacities traditionally limited to humans, do they deserve similar moral status? If so, what treatment would we owe to them? Through examination of competing accounts of personhood and moral status, this paper seeks to …

Interleaving Practice: A Better Approach To Band Rehearsal Structure, Matthew Reimer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the merits of a band rehearsal structure that incorporates elements of an interleaving schedule, whereby multiple items of a similar nature are rehearsed in a mixed fashion rather than in a blocked format where one task is completed before moving on to the next. The project looks at the current state of research related to interleaving in the study of the arts, potential obstacles, motivational strategies to increase student receptiveness, and specific examples of how to implement the research in an intermediate band rehearsal. Included are resources and strategies for pitch and …

A New Perspective

DePaul Magazine

The DePaul Art Museum foregrounds inclusiveness, partnership and social justice to reframe the role of cultural institutions.

Constructing The Communal Body: Literary Topographies Of Underclass And Working-Class Neighborhoods In Modern Osaka (1933-1960), Ran Wei

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

When literary scholars examine narratives about Osaka, they have largely focused on the relationship between Osaka and Tokyo or the representations of Osaka in the national imagination. The approach tends to neglect the role that minority groups play in creating Osaka as a city of local cosmopolitanism. Centering on how Osaka writers have represented four underclass and working-class neighborhoods in the city, this dissertation scrutinizes how the narratives complicate the images of Osaka constructed by the national government and challenge the official narrative of a homogeneous Japan. Despite Osaka’s changing position within the nation-state, its importance as a home for …

The Abusive Effects Of Trauma On Leadership Styles And Performance, Robert Kraft

Doctor of Ministry Major Applied Project

This Doctor of Ministry (DMin) Major Applied Project (MAP) investigates the relationship between toxic leadership in the military and trauma, particular how trauma can have negative, abusive effects on leadership style and performance. Most research in this area addresses trauma in postvention. This MAP addresses trauma’s potential effect on leadership style and explores the use of a pre-emptive, preventative training. Leadership theory is explored as well as trauma in the form of mental disorders, such as PTSD and narcissism. The author’s experience as an ordained pastor of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, serving as an Army Chaplain, revealed the value of …

Michigan Academician, Volume 49, Issue 1

Michigan Academician

2024 Conference Abstracts

Book Review: Witness To Neptune’S Inferno: The Pacific War Diary Of Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin, Uss Atlanta (Cl 51), Jonathan Klug

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: David F. Winkler

Reviewed by Colonel Jonathan Klug (US Army), PhD, associate dean, associate professor, and Admiral William F. Halsey Chair of Naval Studies, US Army War College

Colonel Jonathan Klug (PhD), the US Army War College’s Admiral William F. Halsey Chair of Naval Studies, identifies David F. Winkler’s contribution to the field with this book. Klug writes, “Winkler adds tremendous value to [Lloyd M.] Mustin’s comments by placing them into their proper historical context and providing insight into the development of a mid-career naval officer into a strategic leader.” Klug also notes that “this book would be especially …

The Tomboys Of Cherry Lane, Morgan Flynn

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

You can pack a lot of friendship, feelings, and field hockey into 45 years. Playing on a field hockey team teaches you a lot about yourself and others—including some things you didn’t want to know. Friends who turn out to be as poisonous as toadstools may be the same ones who help you and become a part of who you are. They might even be the friends who will be with you for the rest of your life.