Digital Commons Network^™

Global Parallels: A Reflection On Civil Rights And Ethical Consumerism In Costa Rica, Anonymous

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This reflection on the First to Go trip to Costa Rica examines the civil rights issues faced in the country. In particular, it highlights the significant parallels with the United States, especially concerning immigrant communities. During our time there we specifically talked about the exploitation of immigrant labor on pineapple plantations by corporations like Del Monte. This trip underscored my understanding of ethical consumerism and a new approach to mindful purchasing.

What Is A "Pure Life"?, Ailani Anglin

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

A personal reflection about encountering new experiences in Costa Rica. The comparision between living in Costa Rica and the U.S, how fortunate we are to have many opportunities in this country.

Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Natalia Zevallos

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Short poem about the unique experiences while in Costa Rica.

Esa Mariposa, Carolina Hernandez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

This free-write poem was written with a purpose of making meaning of the Blue Morpho butterfly I continuously saw abroad in Costa Rica. Being able to have captivating conversations with locals all while being comforted by the country’s blanket of communal love was an unforgettable experience. As a metaphor for change, growth, and transformation, I found this remarkable butterfly to be a highlight of my time in Costa Rica. As a symbol of my late father, it called for reflection and sitting with suppressed emotions. For that reason, I wanted to depict how its reappearing presence became a hopeful reminder …

Radical Love: Embracing Connection And Dismantleing Shame, Lisette Gonzalez

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

It is essential to maintain love, care, and connection in the face of oppressive systems. There needs to be a call for bravery to get through the challenges that many face, Costa Rica being one of them.

Introduction

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Inside the introduction of "Pure Vida: Reflections from Costa Rica", readers will find an illustration by Leyna Tran, “Meet the Team” section and a detailed table of contents, guiding readers through this edition.

Reporting On Racial Violence: A Content Analysis Of Local & National Coverage Of Jacksonville, Florida’S Dollar General Shooting, Carter Mudgett

PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas

This study investigates how local and national news media outlets — particularly the Associated Press, CNN, the Florida Times-Union, and News4Jax — presented the “Dollar General Shooting” in Jacksonville, Florida on and after August 26, 2023. Far-reaching expectations for journalists call for “objective” observation and reporting, an ideal that is nearly impossible given that collective and individual experience inform perceptions and understandings. Nonetheless, the original definition of objectivity — as described by Kovach and Rosenstiel (2014, p. 10) — outlined a transparent approach to evidence, a process to remove personal bias from reporting, with the goal of a stronger journalistic …

Ua19/16/2 Basketball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU men's basketball team from August to December 2024.

The Psychological Impacts Of Algorithmic And Ai-Driven Social Media On Teenagers: A Call To Action, Sunil Arora, Sahil Arora, John Hastings

Research & Publications

This study investigates the meta-issues surrounding social media, which, while theoretically designed to enhance social interactions and improve our social lives by facilitating the sharing of personal experiences and life events, often results in adverse psychological impacts. Our investigation reveals a paradoxical outcome: rather than fostering closer relationships and improving social lives, the algorithms and structures that underlie social media platforms inadvertently contribute to a profound psychological impact on individuals, influencing them in unforeseen ways. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced among teenagers, who are disproportionately affected by curated online personas, peer pressure to present a perfect digital image, and the …

Ua12/2/2 Talisman: Legacy, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Fall 2024 Talisman:

• Our Mission
• Harrington, Ragan & Cecilia Alali. Legacy
• Muscutt, Carson. The Spirit of Western – Big Red
• Hardesty, Emma. Beyond the Letters – Fraternities & Sororities
• Lein, Samantha. The Iceberg Beneath You – Poem
• Pollard, Evynn. Echoes of the Past – Jonesville
• Sutton, Avery. Tasting Tradition – Recipes
• Phelps, Brett. The Hill
• Colovos, Christina. Pale Blue Dot – Poem
• Rainwater, Riley & Carson Muscutt. Marking Time – Marching Band
• Vickers, Abigail. Grassroots – Political Campaigns
• Muscutt, Carson. Horoscopes
• Legacy Issue 17 Playlist
• Lasting Impact

Ua3/10 President's Messages - Fall Semester, Wku President's Office - Caboni

WKU Administration Documents

President's Message emails sent by Timothy Caboni to faculty & staff during fall semester, 2024.

• Budget Executive Committee
• Fall Events
• Fall Semester
• Opportunity Fund
• Parent & Family Weekend
• Semester Kickoff
• Semester Review
• Staff Senate
• Voting

Devices And Dining: A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Mobile Device Use In Italian And American Restaurants, O'Malley Jenkins

Senior Theses

The field of technology ethics has seen increasing growth and interest over the years. Many have begun to consider the impacts of technology’s use and whether it is being employed in a healthy manner by users. However, there has been limited investigation into whether the ways in which technology use varies across cultures. This study begins to address this gap by researching Italian and American device usage in fast food settings. Non-participant naturalistic observations were used to record data for 89 Italian and 88 American customers of fast food restaurants. Analysis of the collected data indicates that Americans use their …

What Freedom? Freedom-A Disease Without Cure. Slavoj Žižek. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 2023. Pp. 328., Edward Sankowski, Betty J. Harris

International Dialogue

Slavoj Žižek's outpouring of books continues, including the volume, Freedom-A Disease Without Cure (2023). The title is somber, but the contents do not signal an unrelievedly depressed attitude on the part of the author. Rather, the book manifests expanding curiosity and far-reaching originality. That is, however, supplemented by some self-criticism, e.g., when the author broods about the apathy in himself and others that he claims is a result of the hyperactivity enjoined by and observed in contemporary capitalism. We hope to go beyond critical interpretation and evaluation of Žižek, to express our own new insights beyond those formulated or hinted …

The Geopolitics Of Shaming: When Human Rights Pressure Works—And When It Backfires Rochelle Terman. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2023. Pp. 216., Brett J. Kyle

International Dialogue

In The Geopolitics of Shaming: When Human Rights Pressure Works—and When It Backfires (Princeton University Press, 2023), Rochelle Terman takes on the important and interesting question of the effectiveness of states’ denunciation of each other in the enforcement of human rights. “Naming and shaming” states for their human rights abuses has long been a feature of international relations. Despite its consistent presence in the international arena, it is often met with skepticism by IR scholars and seen as nothing more than power politics in disguise. Rather than seeking to downplay or push back against this criticism of norm enforcement, Terman …

Ethnocratizing The “Holy Land” The Politics Of Sacred Places: A View From Israel-Palestine Nimrod Luz. London, New York And Dublin: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023. Pp. 223., Curtis Hutt

International Dialogue

In this review essay, I will engage with some critical issues raised by Nimrod Luz in his recent book, The Politics of Sacred Places: A View From Israel-Palestine. This is a follow up to earlier articles that I have written for ID: International Dialogue and elsewhere related to holy sites as well as pilgrimage to, from, and within what is commonly known in the Western Christian world for the last one thousand years as the “Holy Land.” 1 It is also a companion piece to a recent review I have written of Marshall J. Breger and Leonard M. Hammer’s landmark …

Analysis Of The Plo And Hamas: Interview With Sir John Jenkins, Raphael Cohen-Almagor

International Dialogue

Sir John Jenkins is currently a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, the London-based think tank, for whom he has written extensively on Islamism and extremism more generally. Between 1980 and 2015 he served as a British diplomat, initially in Abu Dhabi (1983–86), Malaysia (1989–92) and Kuwait (1995–98) before being appointed Ambassador to Burma (1999–2002). He was subsequently HM Consul-General, Jerusalem (2003–06), Ambassador to Syria (2006–07), FCO Director for the Middle East and North Africa (2007-09), Ambassador to Iraq (2009–11), Special Representative to the National Transitional Council and 1subsequently Ambassador to Libya (2011) and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia …

El Campanario (Volume 1, Issue 1), St. Mary's University

Honors Program Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Female's Digital Self-Making On Tiktok: Identity Construction Through A Framework Of Postfeminist Media And Neoliberalism (2016-2024), Lindsey A. Pritchard

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between TikTok's algorithmic design, women's identity construction, and the feminist historical context that shapes these constructions. In Chapter 1, "TikTok, Algorithmic Design, and Self-Making," I analyze how TikTok's algorithm functions and how these factors influence the curation and presentation of identity. This chapter establishes the foundational understanding of TikTok as a platform where identity performance is deeply intertwined with algorithmic design.

Chapter 2, "TikTok Feminism and Identity Commodification" examines the commodification of women's identities on the platform. It investigates the historical context of feminism and its evolution into postfeminism, analyzing how these narratives have been …

Thesuppression Ofcoffeehouses: Acomparisonofthe17thcentury Londonandmoderncoffeeshopmovements, E. Spring Iskra

Selected Honors Theses

The coffeehouses of the 17th century in London were places of vibrant political discourse. Patrons of the shops could sit for hours debating relevant societal matters for hours with strangers of all different backgrounds. This environment was well-aligned with the theories introduced by Jürgen Habermas regarding the public sphere. Are contemporary coffee shops still places of vibrant discourse? In order to answer this question, an ethnographic study was conducted in a mid-sized city in central Florida analyzing nine local coffee shops. The analysis consisted of three primary categories: layout and design, discursive resources, and public events. The findings of this …

The Digital Battlefield: Extremists On Social Media, Daniel P. Shanks

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The rise of social media has transformed the battleground for extremist groups like ISIS and the Taliban, enabling them to reach global audiences with unprecedented ease. This dissertation investigates the social media strategies employed by the Taliban and ISIS. These social media strategies are used to further their strategic objectives in propaganda, recruitment, and operational coordination. Through a comprehensive analysis, the study explores how these extremist groups adapt their digital tactics in response to evolving military and political landscapes. Utilizing case studies from key military engagements and applying theoretical frameworks of rational actor theory, social identity theory, and finite and …

Emotional Display Rules Of Deaf Culture, Nicholas M. Gala, Lawrence Pick

JADARA

Emotional display rules refer to the expression of culturally prescribed and socially acceptable emotions across different people and situations (Wu & Schulz, 2020). The display rules among hearing adults across several cultures are well defined and depend on the type of emotion, the individuals involved in the exchange, and the situation. Regarding Deaf culture in the United States, this minoritized group may follow unique display rules (Hosie et al., 2000), but there has been almost no research conducted with this population and the existing studies have focused on youth. The present study explores perceived emotional expressions among a sample of …

The Rattler (Volume 113, Issue 2), St. Mary's University

The Rattler (Previous issues)

Founded in 1919, The Rattler is the student voice of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. The newspaper documents campus life, academic and social issues, student opinion, and local and national events as they relate to the University community. Content typically includes news articles, editorial commentary, arts and culture coverage, sports reporting, and advertisements.

Collective Access, Collective Liberation: Disability Justice And Abolitionist Pedagogical Worldmaking Toward Post(?)-Pandemic Futures, Hailey N. Otis

Feminist Pedagogy

This critical commentary poses the question: what if we didn’t return to the “normal” of strict, ableist classrooms policies rooted in the bureaucratic, legalistic framework of “accommodations” and, instead, embraced the Disability Justice principle of collective access? After critiquing the accommodations process used in most higher education settings, I advocate for an approach we might call collective access pedagogy, which works from the fundamental assumptions that (1) all bodies exist on a spectrum of dis/ability and, thus, we all have individual needs based on our unique bodyminds, and (2) that we don’t need the constant threat of a pandemic to …

Sport Social Hub: Using The Power Of Collaboration To Develop Hands-On Social Media Competencies, Alisa Agozzino, Brendan O'Hallarn, Peyton Stensland, James Strode

The COSMA Journal

This paper introduces Sport Social Hub, a collaborative, multi-institutional social media exchange inspired by the Commission on Public Relations Education's (CPRE) emphasis on key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in public relations education. Sport Social Hub engaged students from four universities in topical, sports-themed assignments. These assignments involved creating memes, analyzing historical and contemporary sports photographs, profiling industry professionals with infographics, and developing engagement contests. The paper outlines how Sport Social Hub addresses CPRE's recommended KSAs within social media, collaboration, and creative thinking. Utilizing social media platforms as pedagogical tools, Sport Social Hub aimed to enhance students' social media competencies, …

Group Dynamics, Gender, And Field : An Ethnographic Study Of The Yo-Yoing Sport Subculture In Hong Kong, Ho Wang Kwong

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

This research explores the yo-yoing sport subculture in Hong Kong, tracing its evolution from a popular pastime to a recognized sport with a global competition structure led by the International Yo-Yo Federation. By situating yo-yoing within lifestyle sports literature, this study offers a sociological understanding of yo-yo players’ experiences and challenges in Hong Kong. Yo-yoing is an interesting case to study because of its prevailing label as a toy hobby, thus players are generally positive to mainstreaming which differs from many lifestyle sports participants’ reluctant attitude. The central question of this study is: How does a subculture gain legitimation as …

Lindenwood Digest, September 18, 2024, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

Myth And Monument In Old Town Albuquerque: Southwest Pietà And The War Of Presiding Histories, Eric Castillo

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Luis Jiménez’s Southwest Pietà (1984) intended to combat cultural amnesia that obscured Native Americans’ and Mexicans’ contributions to the state. Jiménez’s Pietà sought to counter the iconography that shaped New Mexico’s colonialist heritage. But Old Town Albuquerque shrouds Native American and Mexican contributions to the region. Albuquerque’s public art has often been deployed as a wedge to write and rewrite narratives about land inhabitants, but the city’s public art tells a powerful story about race and place in New Mexico. This essay explores the socio-historical battle of land memorialization in Old Town Albuquerque and provides a geo-racial perspective about the …

Burn The Sympathy, Gabino Noriega Iii

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Poem

Curanderismo, Gabino Noriega Iii

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

N/A

Media Framing Of Transportation, Agriculture, And Gasoline In The Russia-Ukraine War, Sk Farhan Rabbi

Student Theses and Dissertations

The war between Russia and Ukraine has the potential to exacerbate social and economic effects on a worldwide scale, impacting several industries including energy, transportation, and agriculture crisis. Due to their heavy reliance on imports of key foods, the Middle East and North Africa are the most susceptible countries. The COVID-19 epidemic increased worldwide demand, and bad harvests all occurred at the same time as the conflict, further pressuring the food supply, transportation, and gasoline costs. Previous studies identified three categories: countries with diminishing fuel security, those making little advancements, and Latvia, which has undertaken noteworthy initiatives. Sanctions against Russia …