Digital Commons Network^™

Aanikoobijigan [Ancestor/Great-Grandparent/Great-Grandchild], Sheila Nayar

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Aanikoobijigan [ancestor/great-grandparent/great-grandchild] (2026), directed by Adam Khalil and Zack Khalil.

What Goals? Which Point? Whose Purpose? A Critical Engagement With Sport Internalism, Francisco Javier Lopez Frias

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

In this article, I critique the dominance of internalism in sport philosophy and outline an alternative theoretical framework that integrates internal and external elements while striving to transcend the dichotomous language used to conceptualize sport. The analysis begins by claiming that internalism conflates three fundamental teleological aspects of sport: goals, point, and purposes. I argue that this conflation limits internalism’s ability to explain the complexity of sporting practices. By carefully distinguishing these elements, I illustrate their distinct roles in shaping sport and explore how they interact. I conclude by proposing that the alternative pluralist framework briefly sketched here enables a …

Role Of Depression And Anxiety On Brain Care Scores In A Primary Care Setting: A Preliminary Analysis Of The Bham Registry, Terina Lane Myers

ETDs from 2020-2029

While the field of brain aging research continues to grow at a rapid pace, there is still much to learn about how certain factors influence brain aging as well as when and how these factors can be intervened upon. Cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases continue to pose a major obstacle to healthy brain aging and the better we understand the risk factors of these diseases, the greater chance we have at mitigation strategies and prevention. Previous research has identified key factors, consisting of physical, lifestyle, and socio-emotional aspects of life, which have the greatest impact on brain aging. These factors overlap …

Jurgen Comics Contest Comic Book And Artwork - 2026, Minuet Curry

Jurgen Banned Art Comics Contest

Digital cover art created by student editor Minuet Curry for the 2026 Jurgen Comics Contest comic book celebrating the contest winners. Winners' artwork was included in the print edition of this booklet. This cover art features Jurgen racing through time to thwart the influence of Sir Cen, the censor. Jurgen represents the contest's connection to James Branch Cabell's once-banned book Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice.

The 2026 Jurgen Comics Contest invited VCU students to create the cover artwork for an imagined comic book focused on an historical incident of art censorship.

Supplemental promotional materials presented here include a view …

Youth Development Programs Critical Analysis, Rethinking Real Sustainability Measures. Focus On Middle-Eastern And African Contexts., Rasha As Salem

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Using a systematic review of 18 research papers, policy documents, and evaluation reports, the study examines youth development programs sustainability through four aspects. First, the review explores how definitions of marginalized youth are applied in Middle East and African contexts. Furthermore, the review focuses on how programmatic suitability is discussed and implemented through the concepts of localization and contextualization. Additionally, the importance of locally grounded evidence as much as rigorous evidence and finally the implementation tactics. The review uses frameworks of ecological systems theory and empowering management approaches to analyze the data. The findings reveal significant variation in how …

A Note On Modeling Prejudice, Alan Lockard, Edwin Harcourt

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

We model prejudice in the context of an iterated prisoner’s dilemma tournament. Prejudice here is defined as the inability to distinguish amongst members of an identifiable group. We run a computer simulation where agents of one of two groups with defined strategies are randomly matched against each other. The agents either cooperate with or defect against the agent they are matched with. Our focus is on agents who play an unprejudiced version of the Tit-for-Tat strategy (cooperate with any player in the first encounter, and then apply the same strategy [defect or cooperate] that the opposing player played against them …

Exploring The Dynamics Of Romantic Relationships Through The Lens Of Prem Rog, Umang Jain, Dheeraj Sharma, Pranay Goswami, Kuldeep Malik

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Romantic relationships are dynamic events that begin, grow, and frequently remain for a long time in a stagnant or fluctuating state until possibly dissipating. Although they are unquestionably the most significant dynamic events in our lives, dynamic systems theory has only recently included them in its formal framework. Without a mathematical model, it would be impossible to analyze and comprehend the dynamics because, in general, love stories are too brief to allow things to stabilize and are affected by the ups and downs of the surrounding community. In this paper, we set up models made up of four ordinary differential …

Zoune At Her Nann-Enn's House, Justin Lhérisson, Susan Kalter

Undiscovered Americas

Zoune at Her Nann-enn’s House by Justin Lhérisson is a 1906 Haitian novella that examines the social and domestic trials young women face as they come of age. Translated by Susan Kalter, this first-ever English-language edition of the book also provides a rich afterword that critically situates Lhérisson’s story in social and political Haitian contexts and establishes how those particular contexts connect to larger social issues in our present moment. The plot follows a quietly resilient young girl, Zoune, sent from the countryside to live with her godmother in Port-au-Prince. Removed from her biological family, Zoune grows up under the …

Humanity Is Evolving Its Consciousness: The Role Of Archetypal Energies As Guides During An Unfolding Weeding Out And Alignment Process, Carroy U. Ferguson

Psychology Faculty Publication Series

Humanity is evolving its consciousness at individual and collective levels.  Given these seemingly tumultuous times, as of this writing (January 2026), to make such a statement may sound like a strange thing to say.  However, I suggest that if you are alive today and if you are reading these words, these are the very times for which you were born—to assist Humanity as it evolves its consciousness with your unique gifts, whatever they may be.  That is, this period of our individual and collective human being-ness may be characterized as an unfolding period of weeding out and alignment with the …

Expressing Experiences Of Being Gender Non-Conforming In The “Ladies” Restroom Through Autoethnography-Based Research Poetics, Ellen D. B. Riggle

The Qualitative Report

Three research poems are created as an autoethnographic response to feedback on a research article on the author’s experiences as a gender non-conforming person in women’s public restrooms.  The feedback loop includes the sharing of lived experiences by others and theoretical (why?) discussions in the context of the gendered policing and politicalization of women’s restrooms.  The first found poem includes words, phrases, and descriptions of images used to label spaces designated as women’s restrooms.  The second prose poem recounts the author's experiences through a reframing of risk to women’s health, understanding the cultural context of male entitlement and White supremacy, …

Association, Affect, And Material Reading Practices Of Anna Laetitia Barbauld, Renee Harris

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

At the end of the eighteenth century, reading practice was shifting from an embodied, affective exercise to a detached cognitive one. This essay examines how debates about truth and knowledge diverged along disciplinary and gender lines during this critical transition. The essay traces the influence of association psychology—particularly the theories of David Hartley and Joseph Priestley—on Romantic-era poets including Anna Laetitia Barbauld and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Through Feminist Formalist Analysis attuned to affect and cognition, this essay demonstrates how Barbauld's poetic montages challenge the period's scientific discourse. Her "Inventory of the Furniture in Dr. Priestley's Study" and two "Hill of …

The Gendered Duality Of Coldness In The Portrayals Of Eliza Hayley, Francesca Blanch-Serrat

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

In the eighteenth century, coldness was defined, on the one hand, in relation to the body and the senses (a body that is lacking in heat) and on the other, to emotion (an individual lacking in passion). It was linked to illness and disability (Turner, 2012), equated to death, seen as both a cause and effect of physical decline and older age, and used as a synonym for low libido and infertility (Toulalan, 2015). In contrast to these negative connotations, coldness was also regarded as a remedy to temper the passions and to ensure longevity (Yallop, 2015), and taking cold …

Neuroscience And Humanism In Norman Foster's Architecture, Francisco Javier Lahuerta Ferris, Bartolomé Serra Soriano

Interiority

The work of Norman Foster, often labelled as 'high-tech,' is renowned for its structural expressionism and technological rationalism. However, it is grounded in the conception of a unified whole in which science, technology, and the humanities are inseparable facets that shape both human beings and the spaces they design and inhabit. This article analyses the correlations between the new paradigms established by neuroscience and the design principles of Foster's architecture: the integral conception of reality, optimisation, and energy balance (homeostasis) as survival factors guiding decisions, and the role of perception, emotions, and feelings in the creation and evaluation of architectural …

Representasi Perlawanan Tokoh Guru Perempuan Dalam Film “Brave Citizen”, Najla Arinka Arilaha, Amelia Burhan

Multikultura

Representation of women in literary works, including film, are often shaped by gendered constructions that limit their agency, including within the teaching profession in South Korea. Brave Citizen represents this dynamic through the character So Simin and provides a lens to examine how women are represented when confronting gender inequality and hierarchical structures within the school environment. This study aims to explain how the film Brave Citizen depicts women’s resistance through a female teacher character focusing on challenging gender stereotypes in educational settings. Employing a descriptive qualitative method and Barthes’ semiotic analysis, this research identifies denotative, connotative, and mythical meanings …

Kepribadian Tokoh Utama Film Crypto Boy (2023) Karya Shady El-Hamus: Kajian Psikologi Sastra, Ludfi Dwi Cahyani -, Barbara Elisabeth Lucia Pesulima

Multikultura

The film Crypto Boy (2023), directed by Shady El-Hamus has received many interesting reviews from film critics. This film raises issues about crypto investment, which is currently popular among modern society. Cryptocurrency is digital money used for online payments, and crypto transactions are always conducted through a system called “blockchain”. Blockchain is a secure and organized pathway that ensures every crypto transaction is properly recorded and protected. This film tells the story of Amir’s life as a courier who dreams of success through the world of cryptocurrency. In his journey to explore the world of crypto, Amir eventually fell victim …

Keibuan Pascamanusia (Posthuman) Dan Eksploitasi Afeksi Dalam Film Jung_E, Euis Sulastri

Multikultura

The film JUNG_E (2023), a South Korean film by Yeon Sang-ho, presents a distinctive representation of motherhood through the transformation of the maternal body into a posthuman entity. This study aims to analyze how maternal identity is constructed, weakened, and instrumentalized through technology within the context of future capitalism and militarism. Employing a qualitative-descriptive approach, the research examines the separation of the biological body, memory, and maternal affect as they are reconstituted in the form of artificial intelligence.

The theoretical framework integrates concepts of performativity and precarity/vulnerability proposed by Judith Butler, feminist posthumanism by Rosi Braidotti, affect theory by Silvan …

Perkembangan Karakter Oh Yi Young Dalam Drama Resident Playbook: Perspektif Psikologi Sastra, Syafira Priyo Nuraini, Zaini Zaini

Multikultura

Literary works are not only expressed in written form but also in audiovisual media such as films and television dramas, one of the most popular manifestations of the Korean Wave (Hallyu) being K-drama. This study aims to analyze the character development of Oh Yi Young in the drama Resident Playbook using a literary psychology approach by applying Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory on the dynamics of the id, ego, and superego. The research employs a qualitative descriptive method, with primary data consisting of dialogue, scenes, and interactions within the drama, and secondary data drawn from academic literature to support …

Transwoman Motherhood: Analyzing Film Die Beautiful Within Butler’S Gender Performativity Theory, June Louie A. Flores, Mina Elfira

International Review of Humanities Studies

This study explores the representation and construction of gender identity and motherhood of transgender women within the Philippine society, focusing on Jun R. Lana’s 2016 film, Die Beautiful. Recognizing the increasing visibility of the queer community in media and social discourse, the research aims to analyze how the film reflects and challenges the binary construction of gender and societal gender norms using the theory of gender performativity by Judith Butler from her book Gender Trouble. Employing a qualitative content analysis approach, specifically the conventional method, selected scenes were examined to identify instances of gender performance and explore how …

Reinterpreting The Kutika Manuscript: A Buginese Ethnoecological Perspective, Rahmatia Ayu Widyaningrum, Priscila Fitriasih Limbong, Titik Pudjiastuti, Mamlahatun -. Buduroh -

International Review of Humanities Studies

This article offers a reinterpretation of the Kutika manuscript from a Buginese ethnoecological perspective. Departing from a philological study of the Lontara’ Kutika text in the National Library of Indonesia (PNRI) collection (code VT 129), this research examines how Buginese communities articulate their interaction with nature through this manuscript. The Kutika text has generally been understood merely as a book of time calculation, yet its background is imbued with philosophical values that show how the Buginese talk to nature, read signs, and treat nature as an equal element rather than a mere object. Using the framework of human ecology, this …

The Use Of The Term Ukhti On Social Media Platform X In Indonesia, Indah Putri Sobada, Wiwin Triwinarti

International Review of Humanities Studies

This study traces the semantic transformation of the lexicon ukhti within Indonesia’s digital landscape. The term ukhti ( أُ خْ تِي ), derived from Arabic and meaning “my sister,” was initially used as a form of biological kinship address, later evolving into a fictional kinship address. However, in its current usage, the term increasingly conveys exclusivity and produces stereotypical perceptions of Muslim women. This study focuses on the use of ukhti on Indonesia's Social Media Platform X, examining how its meaning has become more specific and how this shift affects the representation of diverse Muslim female identities. Therefore, this study …

Critical Design And The Robotic Imaginary: Design Criticism And Critical Robots, Jörgen Behrendtz

The Journal of Sociotechnical Critique

This paper brings critical design and design criticism to critical robot studies. Critical design can be described as an umbrella term for approaches making use of speculative designs to highlight and challenge narrow assumptions, preconceptions or even taken-for-granted truths about the role products play (in a wide sense) in everyday life. Design criticism refers to a reasoned procedure that investigates emancipatory and/or limiting potentials of designs, theorizes the roles of affordances, materials and embodied perception as epistemological resources in media interaction, and clarifies connections between specific design choices and their associated experiential qualities, seductive powers, ideological underpinnings, material operations, and …

The 5 Rs Of Creative Nonfiction, Lee Gutkind

Creative Nonfiction Magazine

No abstract provided.

Unpacking A Health Paradox Among Preterm Infants: Insights From A Providers' Perception, Brittany Nicole Stewart

ETDs from 2020-2029

The goal of this dissertation is to examine the varying perspectives, or frames, of providers regarding decision-making in the NICU, which includes how they view neonates and their families, their roles as providers, and the way their frames possibly impact the care they give to the infants. In this dissertation, I conduct in-depth interviews with 34 NICU providers and professionals that provide their services in the NICU, including doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, various therapists (i.e. respiratory, physical, occupational), and two other providers from two other professions. Within the NICU, a common stereotype exists that is a belief that White boy …

Characterization Of Social Media Use Patterns Among Hispanic/Latinx Dementia Caregivers And Its Impact On Mental Health, Sofia Mildrum Chana

ETDs from 2020-2029

Hispanic & Latinx (H&L) family caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) experience high levels of stress that can negatively impact their mental health and may turn to social networking sites (SNS, commonly known as ‘social media’) for coping or social support. However, no research has yet examined how SNS use influences H&L caregiver mental health. The primary purpose of the present study was to characterize patterns of SNS use among H&L ADRD family caregivers and examine the associations between SNS use and caregivers’ mental health and well-being. Data for the present study come from the …

Modulation Of The Cgas-Sting Inflammation Pathway In Mouse Models Of Accelerated And Slowed Aging, Benjamin David Heckman

ETDs from 2020-2029

Chronic sterile inflammation (inflammaging) is a core pillar of aging, and the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway has emerged as a key driver of this process. However, how this pathway intersects with systemic endocrine signaling remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the intersection of endocrine signaling and cGAS-STING activation using two complementary mouse models with opposing lifespan phenotypes: a short-lived, liver-specific glucagon receptor knockout (LKO) mouse and a long-lived growth hormone-releasing hormone knockout (GHRH-KO) mouse. We demonstrate that despite presenting with a metabolically healthy phenotype, female LKO mice exhibited a significantly reduced lifespan. We link this premature mortality to a sex …

Examining Pain- Related Stigma And Sources Of Resilience In Children With Disorders Of Gut-Brain Interaction, Tolulope Adetayo

ETDs from 2020-2029

Background. Painful disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) affect approximately one in five children. In addition to functional impairments, DGBI increase risk for felt stigma (FS) from providers, school personnel, family members, and peers. Children with DGBI may also belong to other minoritized groups that intersect with pain-related FS. However, little is known about how intersectionality impacts the stigma and pain experiences of youth. Further, little is known about the protective capabilities of psychosocial resources (e.g., social support and hope) against FS. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of FS and its potential moderators in a sample of …

Posterior Cerebellar Lobe Deviations And Social Cognition In Individuals With Psychosis And Their Unaffected Relatives, Andreea Maria Stanica

ETDs from 2020-2029

Social cognition deficits observed in psychotic disorders contribute to functional impairments. The cerebellum has been identified as a critical brain region involved in social cognitive processes, but the relationship between cerebellar structural deviations and social cognition in individuals with psychosis (probands) and their unaffected relatives remains unclear. Using normative modeling, this study examined cerebellar volume deviations in probands and their unaffected first-degree relatives and investigated associations with social cognitive and motor performance. Probands exhibited significant theory of mind deficits compared to relatives. Probands showed negative deviations in anterior cerebellar lobe relative to the norm, whereas relatives did not. Deviations in …

The Effectiveness Of A Web-Based, Edutainment Intervention On Hiv-Related Stigma, Hiv Knowledge, And Condom Use Self-Efficacy Among Black/African American Emerging Adults, Shirlacia Gray

ETDs from 2020-2029

The Effectiveness of a Web-Based, Edutainment Intervention on HIV-Related Stigma, HIV Knowledge, and Condom Use Self-Efficacy among Black/African American Emerging Adults SHIRLACIA S. GRAY APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ABSTRACT Background: Edutainment interventions were developed to increase knowledge, to influence people’s attitudes and behaviors toward sexual, social and public health issues, and to promote behavior change. This current study implemented an edutainment intervention to examine its effectiveness on increasing HIV knowledge, reducing HIV-related stigma, and increasing condom use self-efficacy among Black/African American Emerging Adults in Birmingham, AL. Methods: This current study used longitudinal data from the City Health-II intervention for secondary data …

Exploring Criminality Through A Developmental Lens: Contextual Effects From Childhood To Emerging Adulthood, Abigail Jeanette Anderson

ETDs from 2020-2029

Adolescent delinquency is a key predictor of later criminal behaviors and is associated with negative outcomes across education, employment, and health. Despite extensive research, gaps remain regarding the interplay of individual- and context-level factors in the development of delinquency, as well as the reliance on cross-sectional or retrospective designs. Guided by a social-ecological framework, the present dissertation examines how family, school, and neighborhood contexts interact with individual behaviors to shape pathways toward delinquency and adult criminality across childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. The first study investigated the cascading effects of paternal engagement, parental aggravation, and early child behavior problems in …

Reproductive System Variation In Tropical Red Macroalgae, Taylor M. Williams

ETDs from 2020-2029

The reproductive system encompasses the relative rates of sexual versus clonal reproduction and is responsible for partitioning genetic diversity within and among populations. However, the quantification of these rates remains limited in natural populations and has primarily focused on animals and angiosperms. This knowledge gap is particularly acute among tropical macroalgae. This dissertation addresses this by focusing on the cryptogenic invader Chondria tumulosa in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the invasive species Acanthophora spicifera across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Australia, and Guam. For Chondria we developed nine microsatellite loci and found a dominance of tetrasporophytes, high clonal rates, and strong …