Digital Commons Network^™

Fostering Meaningful Relationships In Middle School Music Ensembles And The Impact On Student Retention, Michael Andrew Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although participation in music ensembles varies from school to school in the United States, many directors struggle to retain, let alone grow, the number of members that comprise their performance ensembles. This is often the result of scheduling, time constraints, financial obligations, and understanding the needs of student engagement. The purpose of this qualitative, ethnological study is to explore the impact of fostering meaningful relationships in middle school music ensembles and what role those relationships play in the retention of students. This study also investigates how students and teachers determine the meaningfulness of their relationships, the importance of those relationships …

Examining Christian Hospital Chaplains’ Roles: Navigating Shifting Paradigms, Karen Y. Wilkins

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this heuristic phenomenological study was to explore how faith-based hospital chaplains negotiate their professional identity while serving non-religious clients. As hospital chaplaincy expands beyond traditional religious care, chaplains are increasingly expected to support the holistic well-being of patients from diverse religious, spiritual, and secular backgrounds. Guided by humanistic theory, role theory, and theory of meaning, this study examined how chaplains understand and fulfill their professional roles. Role theory informed the exploration of expectations placed on chaplains, while theory of meaning provided a framework for understanding how chaplains support patients’ meaning-making processes regardless of religious affiliation. Data were …

"The Frontier Years In Florence", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article presents a brief depiction of the frontier period of Florence, Alabama, including the infrastructure and early impactful figures.

"The Grave Of A Patriot's Widow", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The widow of Revolutionary War veteran, Brigadier General Levi Casey, Elizabeth Duckett Casey is buried in a Lauderdale County cemetery. The article offers a brief overview of her and her husband's lives, as well as information on the degradation of the cemetery she rests in.

"Interesting Facts About Florence", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

A quick fact sheet about Florence, Alabama, including its infrastructure, notable figures, history, and natural features

"It Was Big News When The Whistles Blew", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article presents a brief history of the rise of factories and industries in East Florence, Alabama in the late 19th Century through the lens of the experience of locals Charlie "C.D." and Melvin Brown.

"Lauderdale County Named For War Of 1812 Hero", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

As the article's title suggests, Lauderdale County, Alabama was named after a veteran of the War of 1812 named Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale. The article offers a brief historical overview of the colonel.

"Man Buried Underneath Tennessee Street", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article relates the brief narrative of local outlaw, "Mountain" Tom Clark, who is buried beneath Tennessee Street in Florence, Alabama.

"Green Hill", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The community of Greenhill in Lauderdale County, Alabama was named after Captain Green Berry Hill. The article relates a brief history of the community and its industries. In celebration of Green Hill's heritage, a historical marker honoring the industry of the Kennedy Gun Factory was unveiled with McDonald's delivery of the information. Information on the historical marker can be accessed here.

"The Forks Of Cypress", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article is organized by headings and is concerned with the Forks of Cypress, James Jackson family, and thoroughbred horses. The headings are as follows:

• The Forks of Cypress, pg. 1
• The Plantation and Manor House, pg. 1
• James and Sarah Moore Jackson, pg. 1
• The Thoroughbred Farm, pg. 3
• James Jackson's Training Watch, pg. 4
• The Currier & Ives Prints and the Copy of the Historic Painting of the World Famous Glencoe, pg. 4

"History Of Wildwood Park", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

A brief overview of the history of one of Florence, Alabama's oldest parks, Wildwood.

"The Merchant Prince", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article gives an overview of the life of Richard Rapier, who McDonald refers to as "the merchant prince," one of the most prominent businessmen in 19th Century Florence, Alabama and his descendants. Rapier's exploitation of Suson, an enslaved woman, resulted in several children. Rapier's grandson, by way of his son John, James Rapier was elected to the US House of Representatives during Reconstruction.

"The Historic Indians Of Alabama And The Muscle Shoals", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article presents a brief overview of the indigenous people who dwelt in Alabama and the Muscle Shoals region of the Tennessee River Valley. The article's content is organized by headings as follows:

• The Early Indians in Alabama, pg. 1
• The Alabamas, pg. 1
• Choctaws, pg. 2
• The Creek Nation, pg. 2
• Cherokees, pg. 3
• Chickasaw, pg. 4

"A Jewish Merchant Who Helped Rescue A Christian Church", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

During the Great Depression, the first United Methodist Church of East Florence, Alabama was at risk of being sold. However, local merchant, Louis B. Rosenbaum aided in the negotiation of the mortgage and ultimately ensured the community retained the church.

"The Mysterious Disappearance Of Parson Dick: A Civil War Story", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

Parson Dick was enslaved on the Forks of Cypress plantation in Florence, Alabama. The article relates a brief history of his life including his marriage to an unnamed woman enslaved on the nearby Woodlawn plantation, his conversion to Christianity and decision to preach, and eventual escape from slavery, which the Jacksons (his enslavers) and McDonald refer to as "his disappearance."

Changing The Way You Think: Renewing The Mind, Janine Robinson Anderson

Masters Theses

Change Your Way of Thinking: Renewing the Mind is a creative nonfiction thesis exploring how patterns of thought shape faith, identity, emotional responses, relationships, and daily living. Grounded in Romans 12:2, the creative manuscript combines biblical reflection, personal experience, psychological insight, and practical reader guidance to examine renewal through four movements: recognizing destructive thoughts, examining them in light of truth, replacing false beliefs with biblical truth, and practicing renewed responses. The Artist Statement explains the project’s purpose, genre, audience, structure, and biblical and psychological framework. The Critical Paper examines authenticity as the primary craft element in Christian nonfiction, considering how …

Character Driven Architecture: Authentic Characters In Imitation Worlds, Gabriayle Stapf

Masters Theses

This paper is an introduction to the manuscript of my creative writing thesis that includes my own impetus and background, my process for my writing, my vision for that creative fiction piece, what the literary context for my fiction writing is, and what I believe the meaning of being a Christian scholar amounts to. Various other authors’ works are referenced as inspiration and motivation for my creative works and desire for contributing to the field of literature.

Progress, Poetry, And Peace: Romantic Ideals And The Present Day, Kristen Dawn Morgan Hess

Masters Theses

In the busy, technologized, and mechanized life that most people live today, it can be difficult to find true rest, comfort, and peace because the very technology and machinery that is marketed as providing these 21st-century amenities often fall short in their delivery. Taking a look backward at the Romantic era ideals presented in the poetry of William Wordsworth can offer people today the chance to gradually improve their mental, physical, and emotional health by slowing down, minimalizing, and moderating their lifestyles. This thesis talks about the historical background of three of Wordsworth’s poems— “Lines Written in Early Spring,” “The …

The Evolution Of Faith-Based Cinema, Brittany L. Dewitt

Masters Theses

Screenwriting like any other form of writing is an art of storytelling. It is set apart from other forms of writing because an audience can experience the story come to life on screen. What makes for good, beautiful, and true as it relates to good screenwriting is the writer’s ability to not only weave a story together uniquely in a way that engages and connects the audience but doing so in a way that gives them something to discuss long after the film is over. I aim to do this in my own screenplay Forged in the Fire. As a …

How The African American Contribution To Early American Literature Aided In Shaping The American Literary Identity, Jennifer E. Thompson

Masters Theses

This study argues that Jupiter Hammon’s early African American literature actively helped shape American literary identity rather than just mirroring it. By blending Christian morality with human rights, Hammon challenged Eurocentric narratives, validated Black humanity, and established a foundational tradition for anti-slavery writing. Traditional theories often contest this national inclusion through critical viewpoints. These views treat slavery as a distinct model, arguing that these texts represent separate responses to bondage rather than unified contributions to a shared national canon. This research redefines the American literary canon by showing how Hammon's historic publications dismantled eighteenth-century racist ideals about intellectual capacity. His …

Stigmatic History: The Advancement Of Accessibility In U.S. Museums, 1960-2010, Misty A. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation represents an overlap between disability history and public history by examining how museums in the U.S. became more accessible between 1960 and the early twenty-first century. Utilizing an expansive cross-section of primary and secondary sources, this study unravels the complexities of social and legal pressures that resulted in accessibility becoming a priority in museums. Changes in social expectations, new legal measures, and activism contributed to a shift in the status and treatment of people with disabilities. With these changes came a need for public spaces to adapt and provide disabled peoples with the same access and experiences as …

Williston United Methodist Church History, Williston United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Blackville United Methodist Church History, Blackville United Methodist Church

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

School Choice And The Black Family: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Why Black Christian Parents Choose Public Schools, Rosalyn C. Gatling

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

A lack of growth in enrollment is noticeable in Faith-based schools, even more so with black student enrollment in Christian schools (NCES, 2024). Black student enrollment continues to remain at a low percentage and has not increased in over 15 years, with leaders striving to discover solutions to elevate growth in the future and avert further enrollment loss, and stagnation (Harsh, 2018). The major reasons why black Christian parents choose public schools over Christian schools vary; therefore, the purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover the perspective of black Christian parents and what they believe are the major …

Newsclipping, The Old And New

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: James H. Lewis (left), Afro-American Life Insurance Company, Jacksonville, Florida, shaking hands with M. C. Clark (right), president of Dunbar Life Insurance Company, Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Lewis congratulating his successor, Mr. Clark, as president of NNIA (National Negro Insurance Association). Undated.

A Framework For Teaching Maya Aspect System: Pedagogical Strategies For Maya Grammar, Quetzil E. Castañeda

Journal of Maya Heritage

Abstract. Maya, an Indigenous language spoken primarily in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, remains under-resourced in materials for second-language and heritage-language learners. Its agglutinative morphology, split ergativity, and aspect system pose particular pedagogical challenges, especially when Maya grammar is explained through Spanish or English tense categories. Based on a critical review of existing teaching resources and the author’s more than twenty years of experience teaching Maya, this article proposes a pedagogical framework for understanding its aspect grammar. Rather than organizing verbal morphology around tense, the framework distinguishes four principal conjugational forms: Ongoing Incomplete, Simple Past, Completed Present, and Subjunctive. It also introduces …

Refereed Research - Indispensable Yet Not Fully Legitimate: Street Markets As Invisible Subsistence Infrastructure, Raji Srinivasan, Maria C. Merino

Subsistence Marketplaces

Street markets are key provisioning systems across the Global South, supplying fresh food, employment, and retail access absent formal infrastructure. Yet despite street markets’ functional indispensability to millions of low-income consumers, their legitimacy is chronically contested, affirmed by vendors and communities yet challenged by planners, developers, and state authorities who apply formal-economy criteria in evaluating them. We theorize this as a legitimacy paradox and ask what structural mechanisms sustain it? Using composite vignettes grounded in fieldwork, we theorize three mechanisms. First, visibility without recognition: street markets are hyper-visible yet excluded from cognitive templates of legitimate, formal retail. Second, asymmetric essentiality: …

Border Fascism And The Fascistization Of Society, Nicholas P. De Genova

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

The massive destruction and social dislocation wrought by capitalist crisis has culminated, historically, in the brutal cataclysms of fascism and other forms of authoritarian rule. Today, across the globe, we are confronted with the aggressive advance and entrenchment of a variety of such authoritarian political projects. Anxious discourses about ascendant fascism have become perfectly mainstream. These developments command our acute attention and critical analysis. This essay addresses these dire questions and the conceptual vexations surrounding the concept of fascism, particularly as it has been elaborated in various Marxist analyses.  Specifically, much of the debate around fascism as an analytical category …

2026-2027 Philharmonia Season Program, Lynn University Conservatory Of Music, Lynn Philharmonia, Guillermo Figueroa, Kenneth Amis, Jon H. Robertson, Aidan Quintana

Philharmonia

Lynn University Wind Ensemble ("The Wind Symphony: Movement 4)

• Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
• Kenneth Amis, conductor

Lynn Philharmonia No. 1 ("Mystery and Revelation")

• Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
• Guillermo Figueroa, conductor
• Kenneth Amis, tuba

Lynn Philharmonia No. 2 ("Halloween Spectacular!")

• Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 at 3 p.m.
• Guillermo Figueroa, conductor

Lynn Philharmonia No. 3 - Concerto Competition Winners' Concert

• Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026 at 3 p.m.
• Guillermo Figueroa, conductor

Lynn Philharmonia …

Click, Listen, Reflect: Implementing Discord In Critical Listening Courses, Kenny Shania Lestari R, Metaria Metaria, Siti Nurhalimah

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

Critical listening requires learners not only to comprehend spoken information but also to interpret and evaluate its meaning. Digital learning environments may support these processes by providing opportunities for repeated access to spoken input, interaction, and collaborative discussion. This study explored how Discord was implemented in a Critical Listening course and how students perceived and experienced its use in supporting their critical listening learning. The study employed a qualitative descriptive design involving 20 students from the International Class Program at Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University of Malang. Data were collected through classroom observation checklists, field notes, and focus group …