Digital Commons Network^™

An Oral History Of Women For Kansas: A Sabbatical Summary, Tai Edwards

Sabbatical Projects

Kansas has a rich history of women’s activism. However, archival material and scholarship rarely examines such activism in the twenty-first century. This sabbatical involved traveling across the state to collect oral histories, documents, and material culture from leaders of the activist group Women for Kansas. After researching options, I recommended archival preservation options to Women for Kansas’ board to ensure long-term preservation of this collection.

Many Meanings: A History Of Memory At The Meeker Home Museum, Kathleen Henry

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

While public historians strive to provide accurate, contextual, and nuanced interpretations of the past, public and community memory of the past is powerful, and more concerned with identity and validation than it is with historical accuracy and complexity. These intersections of history and memory in America are complex, and have been explored for several decades by historians such as Ari Kelman, Seth Bruggeman, and David Wrobel. As a case study of the intersections of history and memory in a historic house museum, the Meeker Home Museum in Greeley, Colorado, reflects powerful narratives of past community memory, resulting in a static, …

Selected Artificial Intelligence Provisions In U.S. Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The 2025 Fiscal Year National Defense Authorization Act contains multiple provisions relating to artificial intelligence (AI). These congressionally mandated provisions direct various sections of the Department of Defense (DOD) and individual U.S. armed service branches to execute congressional intent for AI policymaking. Examples of such intent include identifying and planning DOD's AI workforce, demonstrating AI biotechnology applications for national security, improving the human usability of AI systems, and establishing an AI security center. This presentation will note that reports on these initiatives must be prepared for relevant congressional oversight committees, and, in many cases, are in many cases, publicly released …

The Unicorn And Christ – Metamorphosis And Symbology, Luis Mendonça De Carvalho, Francisca Maria Fernandes, Maria Fátima Nunes, Ana Maria Costa, Paula Nozes, Ana Paula Figueira

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The unicorn is a legendary chimaera that, for centuries, has been present in the mindset of Euro-Mediterranean cultures. Although its morphological description changed, tradition identifies it as an animal like a horse, albeit smaller and with a spiralling horn on its head pointing forward. The unicorn has been known since Antiquity, with references by authors such as Ctesias and Pliny. However, its relevance for medieval Europeans began with the Biblical references to this animal in several Old Testament verses. These verses gave legitimacy to the unicorn, and it was accepted as a tangible animal. During the Middle Ages and early …

Modern Peace Keeping In Africa: Lessons From Nigeria, Solomon Hailu

Journal of African Policy Studies

Different approaches to conflict resolution and peacekeeping in African failed states have taken the centre stage of this analysis. These approaches are based not merely on theory or doctrine but on the self-perceived interests of the stakeholders in peacekeeping inside Africa. The Western powers have repeatedly expressed the view that they will not commit their armed forces to resolve African conflicts. The West’s desire to place responsibility on African states, rather than sharing it, will not bring peace in Africa. The reason is that Africans are not ready to shoulder such heavy responsibility without direct Western military involvement in African …

The Influence Of (Post-) Colonial Language Policies On Local Languages In Cameroon: An Acquisition Planning Perspective, Alain Flaubert Takam

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines language policy and planning in favour of minority languages during the colonial era and immediately after. It is based on the observation that local languages in Cameroon do not seem to have the ethnolinguistic vitality necessary for their long-term survival. The situation of these languages begs the following question: Did the promotion strategies of national languages in colonial Cameroon pave the way for language attrition that is observable today or is it the language policy choice of the political authorities in independent Cameroon that has caused this language issue? This paper, which falls within the general framework …

Big Data As Potential Tool For Success In Developing Countries, Jean-Claude Pedjeu, Aurore J. Kamssu, Jeffrey S. Siepke-Sambo

Journal of African Policy Studies

Big data and the computer technology to analyze it are said to be one of the top 10 revolutions in the coming decade. While the developed world is making strides in the use of big data for decision making purposes, the Low-income countries (LIC) or poor countries and some medium-income countries (MIC) or developing countries are lacking behind in their collection and use of digital data to aid decision making. This is especially the case with many businesses and government agencies that have the potential to benefit in their policy designs and implementations from big data. The purpose of this …

Accounting For The Decline Of Service Delivery In Urban Local Authorities: A Survey Of Zimbabwean Cities And Towns, Wenceslaus Mudyanadzo, Makomborero Y. Nzwatu

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper presents a review of several factors which account for the decline of service delivery in urban local authorities within Zimbabwe. The study utilised desk research methodology to explore and analyse relevant data which was in government legislation, ministerial statements, public and private media articles, books and journals to come up with the totality of the environment relating directly or indirectly to the decline of service delivery in local authorities (LAs). The evidence cited is based on findings from identified urban local authorities which include Harare, Chitungwiza, Gweru, Mutare, Masvingo and Bulawayo City Councils. Themes surrounding the interference in …

Reinventing E-Governance Policy In Local Governments In Southern Nigeria, Robert A. Dibie, Maryam O. Quadri

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the extent to which electronic governance policy has contributed to more efficient service delivery in local governments in southern Nigeria. It also explores how e-governance practices has improved the relationship between citizens and local governments in southern Nigeria. It argues that despite the appropriation of funds for the purchase of computers and other electronic equipment in many local governments in the past three decades, the delivery of services in almost all the local governments under study has not improved. The paper uses data derived from questionnaire survey administered to local government staff in southern Nigeria. Two thousand …

Becoming A Beloved Community: A Restorative Reckoning For A Radical Conversion To Transform Discourse In Higher Education, Latasha Tomay Varlack-Butler

Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the misappropriation of Restorative Justice Discourse (RJD) within three predominantly white institutions (PWIs), analyzing 59 institutional documents through Critical Discourse Analysis, Relational Critical Discourse Analysis, and Rhetorical Criticism (Fairclough, 1995; Vaandering, 2021; van Dijk, 2008). Tribal Colleges and Universities and South African institutions have emerged as exemplars of authentic RJD, countering co-optation within PWIs. The findings demonstrate that RJD as applied in PWIs is framed in ways that attenuate its transformative potential, perpetuating color-evasiveness (Bonilla-Silva, 2017) and obscuring the intersectional experiences of Black, Indigenous, and disabled communities (Crenshaw, 1991; Million, 2009).

Grounded in decolonial praxis (Smith, …

Respectability, Code-Switching, And Expression: Examining The Experience Of Black Expressive Arts Therapists Through A Sociolinguistic Lens, Darrien Bush

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review explores how the linguistic phenomenon of code-switching can be applied to expressive arts and expressive arts therapy to describe the experience of Black expressive therapists. The review outlines the evolution of the term, reasons why individuals switch codes, and how this affects their experience. The understanding of code-switching is then examined in expressive arts and the expressive arts therapy field. A history and understanding of code-switching in Black communities is also explored, connecting Black experiences of code-switching and expressive arts therapy programs. A discussion suggests that culturally relevant practices are implicitly discouraged due to dominant expectations. Future …

Airpower Theory, Close Air Support, And A New Approach To The Forward Air Controller In The Vietnam War, Morgan Mccrackin

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Since the Vietnam War’s conclusion, scholars have stubbornly concentrated on campaigns like LINEBACKER I and II instead of diverse close air support missions. The consequent ignorance of close air support’s maturity and forward air controllers’ contributions during Vietnam obscures the Air Force’s greatest success in Southeast Asia. A new way of looking at airpower in Vietnam is required as few historians have addressed the relationship between evolving close air support practices and United States Air Force (USAF) doctrine. These omissions must be addressed if scholars are to offer counterarguments to the historiographical primacy of interdiction. Otherwise, those who formulate Air …

Imperial Fabrication Of Ethnic Cleansing: Czarist Through Soviet Russian Practices And Policies Responsibility In The Ethnic Cleansing Of Georgians In Abkhazia., George Kane

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the direct correlation and connection between Goergia’s struggles against Russian imperialism and the ethnic cleansing of Georgians from Abkhazia that resulted from the 1990s Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict. After examining the historical and cultural ties of the Abkhaz as one of the many Georgian nationalities, this thesis examines the concerted effort by Czarist and Soviet Russia to separate the two identities in order to further imperial ambitions in the Caucasus region. This targeted separation over decades, along with direct Russian military support during the conflict, would then result in an ethnic cleansing taking place perpetrated by the Abkhaz against …

“Stories That Are Silenced For Way Too Long” Silence On Sexual Violence During The Holocaust And The Importance Of Accurate Depiction Of It, Adele Blokh

Senior Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore and analyze the depiction of sexual violence during the Holocaust in scholarly research literature. Until recently, the topic of sexual violence during the Holocaust has been underrepresented or even silenced altogether. Although the Holocaust has been widely studied, due to the immense trauma and the stigmatization of sexual violence as a social taboo, sexual violence during the Holocaust has not been widely discussed, leaving a gap - sexual violence - in our collective memory of the Holocaust. This paper seeks to identify gaps in the representation of sexual violence in existing scholarship, …

Justifying Intervention By Shaping Perception: A Framing Analysis Of United States Propaganda During The 1953 Iranian Coup D’État, Dorreen Darya-Bari

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines how major United States newspapers framed the 1953 Iranian Coup, which overthrew democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. During the Cold War, the U.S. frequently violated international law, infringing on the sovereignty of foreign nations by orchestrating coups under the guise of combating communist threats to protect strategic interests. The 1953 CIA-backed coup in Iran followed this pattern. This research examines how U.S. media shaped public perception to justify intervention, focusing on the question: What does the framing of the 1953 Iranian Coup d’État in U.S. print media reveal about U.S. interests and their influence on media …

Bell Telephone System’S Preeminent Role In The Growth Of Industrial Design, Ralph O. Meyer, Russell A. Flinchum

Purdue University Press Books

Histories of design pay scant attention to the corded telephone, which played an immeasurable role in early communication. Although the Bell System, with many Nobel Prizes, is justly acknowledged for its technical prowess, it should also be recognized for its early and considerable impact on the developing discipline of industrial design. In 1930, young Henry Dreyfuss, who would later become known as a pioneer of industrial design, was retained by the Bell System as a design consultant and matured in that environment. With substantial input from Bell System engineers, Dreyfuss and his staff produced attractive telephone designs that were manufactured …

The Argument For Lobbyists: How Lobbying Brings Policy Experts Back Into The System, Luke Cambra

Washington Semester Program

No abstract provided.

From Essential To Expendable – Montagnards, Kurds, And U.S. Army Special Forces In Vietnam And Northern Iraq, Jake Brooks

Masters Theses, 2020-current

In the Vietnam and Iraqi conflicts, the U.S. Army Special Forces teamed up with indigenous ethnic monitories to bring the fight to all corners of the battle space, and to take advantage of their immense local knowledge and strategic locations. The Montagnards of Central Indochina and the Kurds in Northern Iraq allied with the Special Forces for a number of reasons: protection from their ruling governments, recognition for their movements for autonomy, increased access to better medicine and equipment, and the opportunity to strike back at their historical enemies. The Montagnards and Kurds taught the Green Berets how to better …

I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In: The Negative Effects And Shortcomings Of United Nations Peacekeeping Efforts, Andrea G. Heredia-Ortiz

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

The purpose of this paper is to look at peacekeeping operations done by the United Nations. In specific the efforts in Haiti, the former Yugoslavia, and Israel. In each of these operations the United Nations created more instability or left the country in the same or worse state than it was when it came in. In the case of Haiti there was sexual exploitation of the citizens and the cholera outbreak of 2010. In Israel, the peace operation has been ongoing since 1947, conflict in the Middle East does not seem to be coming at an end anytime soon. Additionally, …

Interview With Jim Woglom, Jacey Terrill

What Happened Here

This is a transcript of an oral history with Jim Woglom, who is a professor of Art Education at Cal Poly Humboldt. At the time of the protest, he was co-chair of the School of Education and Senate Chair for the University, but was outgoing from those roles at the time of the interview. He was behind calling for a vote of no confidence for President Jackson. He advocated for open discussion between protestors and administrators, despite pushback on both sides. He witnessed the police presence on the first day of the protest. He discusses instances of interacting with protestors …

Hooves, Paws, And Patriarchy: Reimagining A Multispecies Society In Late Chosŏn Korea, Jenny Paszik

Theses - ALL

In late Chosŏn Korea, domesticated animals were more than passive fixtures of human society and culture, but rather active participants in the negotiation of social power dynamics. This paper proposes a species-inclusive reading of Chosŏn society, focusing on the eighteenth century, to expand our understanding from a patriarchal system to a kyriarchal framework. This thesis examines how horses, dogs, and sacrificial animals were enmeshed in intersecting hierarchies of gender and social class in urban and peripheral spaces. I argue that while interactions and conceptions of animals were shaped by the prevailing Confucian worldview, these relationships also worked reciprocally to reinforce, …

Identification And Preclinical Assessment Of Novel Therapeutic Modalities In Environmental Exposure-Induced Lung Disease, Aaron D. Schwab

Theses & Dissertations

Environmental lung diseases are preventable respiratory conditions either caused or made worse by inhaled environmental exposures. Contemporarily, environmental lung diseases are most associated with workplace exposures given specific occupational processes aerosolize inflammatory agents that can be inhaled at high concentrations. Although a considerable amount is known regarding immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated responses to environmental exposures, little is known about non-IgE mediated respiratory conditions resulting from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-enriched organic dust exposure(s). Chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis have all been identified as environmental lung diseases caused or exacerbated by such environmental dusts. Therapeutic …

Living In Paradise? Cameroonian Women In The American Diaspora, Joseph Takougang

Journal of African Policy Studies

For decades after independence, African migration was a phenomenon that could be attributed to a patriarchal culture that encouraged male domination. Later, that traditional mindset was reinforced by a colonial system that often marginalized the role of women in many African societies. Indeed, because young men were more likely to be educated than their female counterparts under the colonial system, they were advantaged after independence to attend institutions of higher learning abroad when it became necessary to train young Africans to occupy important government and other decision-making positions in the newly independent states. Recently, however, women have become important players, …

Socioeconomic Status Of Parents And Provision Of Education In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In Cameroon: The Case Of The Southwest Region, Sophie Edume Etomes, Fonkeng Epah George

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study examines the effect of the socioeconomic status of parents on the provision of education during the COVID-19 lockdown in Cameroon. Three major objectives guided this study, which examines the effects of parents’ educational level and level of income on the provision of education and how the emergency response strategy adopted by the government affected the provision of quality education for all. A case study research design was used, and the Southwest Region was chosen as the study site. Forty parents from rural and urban areas within the region were selected while twelve divisional delegates were sampled for the …

Healthcare Policy And Administration In Nigeria: A Critical Analysis, Robert A. Dibie

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the perception of the effectiveness of the healthcare system in Nigeria by citizens and residents of the country. It argues that the Nigerian government needs to adopt a more pragmatic healthcare policy, one that could be more effectively implemented. Unlike the old practice of the Ministry of Health, an innovative approach to healthcare delivery should involve benchmarks, strategic doing, and coordination of priorities, as well as partnerships with various stakeholders from the private sector, including nongovernmental organizations and foreign investors. The paper uses quantitative and qualitative data derived from questionnaire surveys and interviews administered to 3,202 Nigerian …

Africa And Us Foreign Direct Investments In The 21st Century: The Contours Of Global Engagement, Moses K. Tesi

Journal of African Policy Studies

The focus of this article is to analyze the state of US private investments in Africa, the nature, pattern, and trend of such investments, and various ideas about factors that have either inhibited or accelerated the growth of investment flows to countries in the region. US private investments in Africa were inconsequential from the 1960s to 1990s, but in the 2000s, significant efforts were made by the US government to encourage, promote, and support private US firms to invest in Africa, and efforts were also made by African governments to increase US private investments on the continent. My research shows …

The Rural Development Politics Under Prime Minister K.A. Busia Of Ghana, 1969-1972, Kwame Adum-Kyeremeh

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article discusses rural development under the Second Republican government of Ghana. While not directly engaging with the claims of Busia’s unrivalled rural development agenda, this article provides some perspectives as to why the assertions of unqualified success remain popular. Drawing on newspapers and published sources, it discusses the Busia government’s rural development programme and accomplishments, and finds that plans to develop rural Ghana date to several years before the Busia government. By adopting rural development as its flagship programme, Busia directed the government and citizens’ attention towards rapid rural development in the early 1970s. Widespread media publicity has helped …

The Forgotten Hero: Greece During World War Ii, Liana S. Giannopoulos

Student Scholarship

“The combatants had not felt they were participating in wider events,” once wrote the well-known military historian Sir John Keegan. Perhaps, this is why most studies of World War II, popular history and academic history alike, leave out the people of Greece. They were simply fighting for their country, not the world. They simply did not know—or did not care—about the wider war all around them. From October 28, 1940 to May 31, 1941, Greece was the only free country in continental Europe still fighting the Axis Powers. It was in Greece that the “first British soldiers [were] openly back …

Establishment Of Six Flags Over The Deconstruction Of Sandtown, John Ely

Master's Theses

Development, both private and public, has played a crucial role in the knowledge that historians can take from the land, but the desire to build quickly ultimately destroyed many sites before they were properly studied. The Chattahoochee River, along with almost all the other rivers and streams in the Southeast, supported not only survival but civilization. Unfortunately, almost the entire catalog of scholarly sources regarding these places was written by men of European descent, and these writers rarely discuss the details regarding the fate of the sites that were destroyed in the name of industry. Sandtown was an almost mythic …

Russian Culture And Thought - Russ 150w, Malika Ziyamova

Open Educational Resources

The survey of Russian culture and civilization through the lenses of literature, art, folklore, music, history, politics, philosophy, and key aspects of everyday life. Russian history has resulted in a culture that is both familiar and alien to Western observers. Russia’s writers, intellectuals, artists, and scientists have been long and widely appreciated for their contribution to understanding the human condition. The reading, translation, adaptation, and response to their work has shaped a good deal of the cultural and intellectual heritage we have inherited.