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Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2026-2027, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2026-2027.

Bridging The Abyss: Reclaiming Spirituality In Academic Knowledge Production, Neil Boland

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Over recent decades, Western academia has shown a growing interest in spirituality, accompanied by methodological innovations and epistemological expansion. Nevertheless, spiritual inquiry continues to be subtly subordinated to scientific rationalism, with Western science often presiding as gatekeeper over what is considered legitimate knowledge. Drawing on Boaventura de Sousa Santos’ concept of abyssal thinking, this article argues that spiritual and experiential forms of knowing remain largely relegated to the far side of an epistemic divide, valued only insofar as they can be reframed within scientific norms. Despite increasing institutional recognition of spirituality in fields such as education, psychology, and medicine, …

Reintegrating Wisdom: A Cultural-Sciences Framework For Linking Music, Faith, And Stem Education, Yoonil Auh, Minjeong Cho, Sang-Eun Hwang

The Journal of Faith, Education, and Community

This article proposes a theoretical model for integrating music and religious education into STEM by reframing them as cultural sciences, disciplines that generate symbolic, ethical, relational, and meaning-making forms of knowledge essential for 21st-century learning. While technocratic models of STEM emphasize quantification, efficiency, and innovation, they often marginalize the humanistic and spiritual dimensions of education that support ethical discernment, cultural literacy, and communal responsibility. Drawing on epistemic pluralism, transdisciplinary studies, educational philosophy, theology, and music pedagogy, this study outlines a four-dimensional framework, epistemic integration, transdisciplinary learning, ethical praxis, and spiritual-communal ways of knowing, that positions music and religious education not …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2025-2026, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2025-2026.

Competitive Dance And The Adolescent’S Body: Considering Pedagogical Approaches To Teaching Competitive Dancers, Catri E. G. Barba

Dance (MFA) Theses

Diving into the past and researching for the future, this thesis explores the development and perpetuation of hyper-sexualized adolescent bodies through the competitive dance scene. Drawing on dance theorists, educational theorists, and embodied research (i.e., the author’s body archive), this thesis explores how the competition gaze is performed for and by a capitalist patriarchy. Specifically, this thesis critically reflects on the author’s career as a young competitive dancer in the greater Los Angeles, California, area during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as a competition dance instructor and K-12 educator for two decades, and how those personal experiences have shaped …

Religious Education In Bulgaria: Historical Development, Values, And Public Role In Contemporary Society, Ioannis Kaminis

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This paper examines the historical development, contemporary legal framework, and public debates related to religious education in Bulgaria. The analysis traces the role of Christian (Orthodox) education from the Middle Ages to the present day, paying special attention to the dramatic changes during the communist period and the transformations after 1989. At the heart of the study is the question of the place of religious education in a context of democracy, pluralism, and constitutionally guaranteed freedom of conscience. The article examines the current regulatory framework, the religious landscape in the country, and the various models for teaching religion in Bulgarian …

Beyond The Episode: A Case For Serial Literacy In Efl Education Classrooms, Julie Intveen, Tim Illigens

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Serial storytelling, characterized by its interplay of vertical (episodic) and horizontal (long-form) narrative structures, offers a unique opportunity for media literacy in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. This paper argues for the development of a serial literacy framework, a concept that expands traditional film literacy models to accommodate the distinct demands of serialized narratives. By using Inventing Anna (Rhimes, 2022) as a case study, the study explores how serial storytelling fosters engagement with themes of identity construction, ethical ambiguity, and transmedial storytelling. This paper elaborates on serial literacy, considering its implications within foreign language learning contexts. The study …

“Mijo, You Can Do It- Just Spit On It A Little!” Rasquachismo In Education: Latina Teachers’ Unique Skills In Building Student Rapport, Janie Rivera

Masters Theses (Archived)

This qualitative case study examined how the upbringing of five Latina educators shaped their teaching philosophies and interpersonal skills in establishing strong rapport with students. By exploring the experiences of these five Latina educators (ages 34-57, with teaching experience ranging from 1 to 27 years) alongside our 75-year-old mother of Mexican descent, the research investigated the impact of cultural upbringing—particularly within the framework of rasquachismo—on ethical care and teacher-student relationships. The study examined how Latinx upbringing and life experiences influence teaching styles and the development of student relationships, ultimately promoting care and success in the classroom. The findings highlighted …

Kelly's Whole Human Pedagogy: A Conversation With Eric Mortensen, Anna N. Kelly, Eric Mortensen

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

This interview with Eric Mortensen, Professor of Religious Studies at Guilford College, was conducted by Anna Kelly as a part of her study, Whole Human Pedagogy: A Novel Framework for Education Abroad Praxis (2024). In this interview, Kelly and Mortensen discuss holistic pedagogy, largely referencing Mortensen’s experience leading religious studies study abroad programs in Asia. They touch on the themes of embodiment, emotions, relationality, and the purpose of holistic teaching and learning in international education. This interview was conducted with IRB approval.

Wisdom Responses To Troubled Times: Healing Through Contemplative And Somatic Approaches, David Smith, Thomas Falkenberg, Remy Y.S. Low, David Chang, Åsa Jarskog, Jason Brown, Randy Persad, Anna Rumjahn, Charles Scott, Heesoon Bai

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Humanity is facing troubled times, as witnessed by increased polarization and division that are exploding into various forms of violence. Collectively, we are facing unprecedented ecological and environmental disasters. On campuses throughout North America, and closer to home, student anxiety, depression and other mental health issues are increasingly prevalent. The academic fields of contemplative inquiry and somatic studies, which highlight holistic approaches to education, are responding to these troubled times by showing how we can accomplish presence of mind, promote healing, and embrace the physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and ecological dimensions of wellness.

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council (Spring/Summer 2025) 26(1): Whole Issue

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Contents

Editorial Policy, Deadlines, and Submission Guidelines

Editor’s Introduction, Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger

Forum Essays on “AI in Honors”

Navigating Generative AI in Honors, Anne Dotter and Victoria M. Bryan

AI Responsibilization: Shifting the Burden of Academic Integrity, Daniel A. Cryer

Pull Up a Chair, Deep Blue: AI in Honors Education, Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison

Teaching AI Literacy Through Science Studies, Rhetoric, and Ethical Reasoning, Michael J. Klein and Philip L. Frana

News From the Front: How to Win the AI War, Christine Haverington

Harnessing the Power of AI in Honors: Equipping Students to Leverage Tools Effectively, Lindsey Roberts and Jesse Roberts

Another …

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council (2025) 26(1): Front And Back Matter

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Front and back matter for the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (2025) 26(1).

Tales Of A Contemplative Academic: Lessons Learned From Integrating Meditation In The College Classroom, Steve Haberlin

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

In this autoethnographical reflective essay, the author recounts his struggles and micro-victories with integrating brief meditation with undergraduates at a private college. The reflection offers three major insights for other faculty considering sharing meditation in higher education.

Building An Inclusive Community: Hosting An International Graduate Student Orientation, Adelia B. Grabowsky, Liza J. Weisbrod, Timothy Dodge, Juliet T. Rumble

Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy

In 2018, library faculty at a large, public land grant university formed a working group tasked with assessing the information needs of graduate students and implementing action plans to support this user population. From the beginning, the librarians recognized that graduate students are not a homogeneous group. Desiring a more nuanced understanding of these students, they held focus groups in 2019 to explore students’ experiences with navigating graduate school and, more specifically, the University library. One sub-group of particular interest to them was international graduate students, who make up a sizable percentage of the graduate student population on campus. International …

Mindfulness 101: Integrating Mindfulness Into The First-Year College Curriculum, Shelley Linso

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The college experience offers young people unique opportunities for personal growth and academic development. However, it is widely recognized that college and university students suffer from unprecedented rates of anxiety and depression. Mindfulness, often defined as paying attention on purpose, moment-to-moment, without judgment, has the potential to not only reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression but also to promote flourishing. By integrating mindfulness into the first-year college curriculum, educators facilitate students’ abilities to a) better understand their emotional responses so that they might navigate stress, relationships, and challenges with greater ease, b) better recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and make …

The Laughing Buddha: The Education Of Compassionate Leaders Through Improvisational Play, Belinda Chiu

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

With an urgency to build a generative future, educational systems do not have a choice but to pay attention to how and what we train our future leaders. Yet there is still a gap as leadership studies are often relegated as a “soft” skill, rather than integrated as technical knowledge critical to the holistic effectiveness of a tertiary education. As a result, there is often a disconnect between students immersed in the idealistic bubble of the academy and graduates navigating life outside. Inquiry- and reflective-based methods of contemplative practices may be critical for leaders to avoid short-term, short-sighted decisions that …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2024-2025.

Religious Bias And Texas’S Bluebonnet Learning English Language Arts Lessons, Mark Chancey

Religious Studies Research

In November 2024, after months of heated public debate, Texas approved new English language arts reading lessons for public elementary schools (kindergarten through fifth grade) that devote notably more attention to the Bible than to other religious texts and to the Christian tradition than to other religions. This article describes the controversy over these lessons and provides examples of the various ways in which they privilege Christianity over other traditions.

Where Honors Education And Faculty Development Meet, John Zubizarreta, Victoria M. Bryan

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs

Development is a contradictory terrain, as seen in the persistence of multiple and conflicting goals, uneven and unequal outcomes, and varied definitions and approaches to teaching and learning in higher education. How might universities support faculty development as a process rather than as isolated educational events? This collection highlights inherent complexities and challenges in sustained professional development and presents new ways of supporting faculty and designing curricula to encourage learning-centered teaching, experiential learning, collaborative undergraduate research, progressive forms of assessment, and other dynamic, inspiring forms of instruction. Engaging in interdisciplinary thinking ranging from Education and Education Policy, Biochemistry, Philosophy, Environmental …

Pick Up A Frog, Or Pet A Dog; Animals Are Our First Teachers, Allison Ratner

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation’s goal was an attempt to answer the question: What are the emotional, cognitive, and/or spiritual effects of children’s relationships/interactions with animals that potentially impact their development? By utilizing autoethnography, I analyzed instances from my own life where interacting with animals changed me permanently; my thinking, my knowing, my feeling, my judgement, my empathy, my attitude, and my ethics. With a standpoint rooted in the research of experts from the fields of psychology and education, I combined my personal knowledge gained over a lifetime, to grant merit to the profundity of children’s relationships with animals. With the analyzed data, …

Exploring The Curriculum Potential Of The Welsh Word Cynefin By Examining Its New Materialist And Contemplative Pedagogical Resonances, Dylan Adams

Journal of Contemplative and Holistic Education

Cynefin is a key word in the new curriculum for Wales. Yet it is a word that is difficult to define. It has no direct English translation and originates from Welsh hill farming where it was used by farmers to describe how sheep would form a mysterious attachment to different parts of common land. Subsequently, it has come to be associated with a person’s relationship to a place, where they feel at home. This article examines how the concept of cynefin potentially resonates with posthumanist and contemplative pedagogical perspectives. In doing so, it aims to answer the question, “how could …

Teaching The Grateful Dead, Happenings, & Spontaneous Pedagogy, Ryan Slesinger

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

To teach a course on the Grateful Dead I developed a praxis I call “spontaneous pedagogy” that pairs academic rigor with flexible curriculum details to enable creativity and engagement among students in a truly studentcentered classroom. The pairing of spontaneous pedagogy with the Grateful Dead course worked well because the subject emphasizes improvisation, which initially inspired and—during the course—paralleled my praxis. I had developed this praxis previously, implementing it each semester from 2007 to2010 for one Composition II unit on definitional arguments entitled, “The Nature of Reality.” Students were asked to define what they consider as real and apply that …

Core Operating Manual, 2025-26, Butler University

Policy Documents

This Core Operating Manual is intended to 1) provide students, faculty, and advisors an overview of Butler University’s core curriculum requirements and the value of the core, 2) provide faculty teaching in the core information about what is expected in core courses in terms of content, activities, and assignments, and 3) provide guidance on how the core is and should be administered. It is primarily a practical document; those seeking to learn about the original philosophical undergirding of the core should consult the Appendix, which is taken from our core curriculum’s original guiding document.

Front And Backmatter [Jnchc 2024 25(2)]

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Front and back matter for volume 25, issue 2 of the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (Fall/Winter 2024); special issue: Forum on student mental health.

Journal Of The National Collegiate Honors Council (Fall/Winter 2024) 25(2): Whole Issue

Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Online Archive

Contents

Editorial Policy, Deadlines, and Submission Guidelines

Dedication to Keith Garbutt, Linda Frost

Guest Editor’s Introduction, Linda Frost

Note From the Incoming Editor, Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger

FORUM ESSAYS ON “STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH”

Face-to-Face: A Sociologist Looks at College Students’ Mental Health, Maureen Kelleher

Out of the Cave: Technology and the Importance of Community to Learning and Mental Health, Richard England

Fostering Relationships with Faculty, Peers, and Parents to Support Undergraduate Honors Students’ Mental Health, Allison A. Buskirk-Cohen and Alicia N. Shenko

Honors Is More Than a Grade: Removing the Experiential Ceiling in Honors, Justin L. Rheubert, Marisa Prisco, Paige A. …

Second Language Acquisition In The Era Of Technology And Artificial Intelligence: Exploring New Frontiers, Mimoun Akhiat

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This portfolio is the capstone project of the Master of Second Language Teaching program. It offers perspectives and insights into major themes of importance to the writer. It begins with a general introduction pertaining to the writer’s education and teaching background, his goals for joining the program and an overall reflection of this experience. Following this is the writer’s teaching philosophy comprised of a description of professional environment and a teaching philosophy statement centered on the principles of multimodality, authenticity, and collaboration. The second section of this portfolio is entitled hands-on teaching experience where the writer presents and reflects on …

Associating Academic Identity With Language Socialization In Virtual Community: A Case Study Of A Chinese Graduate Student’S Learning Experiences In Religion Studies, Xiaolong Lu

The Qualitative Report

This longitudinal case study explored the academic identity and language socialization of a Chinese graduate student enrolled in an online religion course at a U.S. university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected via online classroom observations, oral interviews, and artifacts. The theoretical framework was taken from language socialization and identity, together with positioning theory. The study differs from previous research, arguing that instead of language competence, the constructed academic identity is occasionally crucial for the successful academic discourse socialization of international students in bilingual and virtual settings. Moreover, the inclination toward interactive positioning between students and instructors can arise …

Southern Adventist University Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024, Southern Adventist University

Catalog, Undergraduate

Southern Adventist University's undergraduate catalog for the academic year 2023-2024.

Contributors, Beth Buyserie, Travis N. Thurston

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

No abstract provided.

5. Navigating Benefits And Concerns When Discussing Genai Tools With Faculty And Staff, Reed Hepler

Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions

The author works as a Digital Initiatives Librarian and is earning a second Master's Degree in Instructional Design and Technology. He viewed ChatGPT immediately as yet another potentially useful technology. When educators at his institution promoted differing viewpoints regarding ChatGPT and other Al tools, he set out to demonstrate a method of Al integration similar to that of other technological tools. Using the Technology Consumer or Producer model and his own experience, he presented, discussed, and wrote about ChatGPT, its ethical issues, and its uses and impact on education. Reed shares his insights regarding creating instruction and training for educators. …