Digital Commons Network^™

The Erotic Work Of Asian American Activism: Harnessing Kink, Queer, And Sex Worker Praxis, Chelsea Shi-Chao Liu

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the harnessing of alternative, kink, and queer sexualities within the Asian American community towards anti-racist and sex work positive activism during the COVID-19 pandemic era of anti-Asian violence. It opens by tracing the shooting on Asian massage parlors in Atlanta, Georgia in 2021 to historic immigration legislation such as the Page Act of 1875 that enshrined hypersexualized racism. The paper then analyzes the role of race and racial representation in the history of the BDSM (Bondage/Dominance, Dominance/Submission, and Sadomasochism) subculture from the 1950s to 2020s, tracking the emergence of groups like the Asian American Feminist Collective (AAFC) …

Ifo Master Agreement Mnscu 2023-2025, Inter Faculty Organization-Minnesota, Minnesota State Colleges & Universities-Board Of Trustees

Inter Faculty Organization Contracts

The IFO Master Agreement MnSCU 2023-2025 is the labor contract for the Inter Faculty Organization (IFO). The contract is between Minnesota State Colleges & Universities Board of Trustees and the Inter Faculty Organization. The contract is an agreement of the labor conditions for the MinnState university faculty at the state of Minnesota universities. The MinnState universities include: Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University-Moorhead, Metropolitan State University, Minnesota State University-Mankato, Southwest Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State University, and Winona State University.

The Stench Of Miasma And The Fragrance Of Daffodils: Reconstructing Historical Scentscapes In Mesopotamia, Samantha N. Levy

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

My thesis interrogates the role that the sense of smell plays in the experience of place, arguing that scent has been virtually ignored in public history contexts. The thesis will review the foundational scholarship on the history of the senses and relate the findings of interdisciplinary research that demonstrates how the senses alter one's understanding of the environment and even the formation of memories. This work is relevant to the field of public history since smell can be used to captivate the public in a memorable—and potentially more authentic—engagement with the Mesopotamian past. To address gaps in the present scholarship, …

Centralizing The Selection Of Circuit Court Nominees In The George W. Bush, Obama, And Trump Administrations, Paul Foote, Austin Trantham

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Nominations to the federal judiciary are among the most important decisions made by American presidents. Provided lifetime tenure upon confirmation, judges nominated by a given president are likely to serve well past the Chief Executive’s time in office—allowing them the ability to give voice to the nominating president’s ideological views, in some cases, for decades. While shared partisanship is a key consideration in making judicial nominations, do presidents also tend to nominate individuals with common career backgrounds and life experiences? This paper employs a comparative framework to analyze the characteristics of individuals appointed at the circuit court level by Presidents …

Niccolò Machiavelli: How One Florentine Man Continues To Haunt Political Theorists Beyond The Grave, Victoria Jaqueline Amezcua

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay……………………………….3

II. Primary Documents and Headnotes………..25

III. Textbook Critique……………………………..39

IV. New Textbook Entry…………………………..45

V. Bibliography………………………………….....24

Becoming One With The Revolution: A Scholarly Analysis Of The Everyday Life Of Soviet Citizens, Genesis Medina

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay………………………………...1

II. Primary Documents and Headnotes………...29

III. Textbook Critique……………………………...39

IV. New Textbook Entry…………………………..44

V. Bibliography………………………………….....26

“Laugh, When I Gives You A Joke”: The Forms And Functions Of Humor In The Great War, Samuel Sakoulas Griffin

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In today’s popular memory, the First World War experience is not well-known for its humor. Yet during and after the war, soldiers produced a small but significant wave of wartime joke books and humorous war-story collections, in part to cope with their experiences in terrible, industrialized war, and also as a way to interpret, commemorate, and remember the war. These humorous interpretations and memories of the war clashed with the dominant literary reaction to the war, that of the mutilation of bodies and pointless deaths. But humor appeared in the midst of the slaughter, and today serves as an opening …

Bridgewater Magazine, Volume 33, Number 2, Fall 2023, Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater Magazine

Taking Flight: Meet BSU students and alumni from the growing Aviation Science Program. Also in this issue: Two faculty members research the lives and times of early Black and Indigenous local citizens; Faculty researchers recount details of two of the enslaved in Colonial Bridgewater; and Alumna finds career satisfaction in helping others.

Bibliography, Rosemary L. Meszaros

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Rosemary Meszaros.

Collaborative Place-Making : Some Theoretical Perspectives On Sense Of Place As A Motivation For Participation, Lakshika Meetiyagoda, Palpola Kankanamge Senevirathna Mahamana, Susantha Amarawickrama, Astrid Ley

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Collaborative planning is emerging as a novel approach to stakeholder participation, to create new values and products within urban planning. However, the motivations behind participating in the planning process have been limitedly addressed. Fainstein, Healey, Forester, and many planning theorists argue the necessity of public participation in urban development. Nevertheless, project-affected people may consider it a time-wasting, disinteresting and frustrating process. Therefore, the identification of significant motivation for community participation is important. This paper argues that sense of place is a significant motivator of community participation in collaborative place-making. These arguments draw upon planning theories, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and …

Liminality & Festivities Facilitating Pandemic Fatigue : Songkran And The Third Wave Of Covid-19 Outbreak In Thailand, Steve Kwok-Leung Chan

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Asian countries were outstanding performers in preventing COVID-19 initially, but many suffered from a new wave of the outbreak in mid-2020. These countries sealed off their borders from the possible spread of the virus from outside. For more than one year, social distancing restrictions were applied and successfully kept the infection rates at a low level. Drawing on the initial findings of Chang et al. (2020) on the spread of the infectious disease intracity and intercity during festivals, this paper examines the outbreaks, with a probe into the case of Songkran, or the Water Festival of Thailand. The author found …

More Is Sore : A Literature Review Of The Urban Morphology Characters Of Depressing Living Conditions, Andi Zhang, Mohd Ezwan Samian, Hafiz Amirrol

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Urbanization promises a better life in cities, drawing more individuals seeking space and opportunity. However, these aspirations often result in distressing and sore living conditions. Using literature review methods, this research seeks to achieve two primary objectives: firstly, to identify elements significantly impacting mental health and contributing to stress in urban settings; and secondly, to summarize strategies within the built environment to improve the quality of live. The limitations of this research is focusing on elements discerned from existing literature and filtered by the case for high density urban. The study focuses on urban morphology elements: buildings, streets, and plots. …

The Sociological Approach As A Driver Of Change In The Traditional Wedding Attire Of West Sumatra Indonesia : An Aesthetic Analysis, Rahayu Purnama, Suryawati -, Vivi Radiona, Melly Prabawati

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The rapid development of the modern era brings unavoidable concept shifts and poses challenges, especially in fashion. The objectives of this study are: 1) to examine the understanding of fashion designers, fashion stylists, clothing rentals, and customers; 2) to evaluate the aesthetics of Minangkabau wedding attire; 3) to analyze the driver's of changes in the design aesthetics elements of traditional wedding attire based on the sociological approach theory by Arnold Hauser. This study uses a mixed-method through open-ended structured questions and focuses group discussions with a descriptive approach. The findings of this study are to determine the driving force and …

Symbolic Meaning Of Mantra Ujub And Kidung In Ganti Langse Traditional Ceremony As A Guide To The Life Of The People Of Babadan Village, Ngawi Regency, Indonesia, Maylingga Vainggita Muharrom, Kundharu Saddhono, Djoko Sulaksono

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The Ganti Langse traditional ceremony is a ritual involving the replacement of the langse, which covers the Palenggahan Ageng Srigati in Babadan Village, Ngawi Regency, East Java, Indonesia. During this ceremony, various mantras, specifically ujub and kidung, are used throughout the langse replacement procession and other related rituals. This article aims to elucidate the symbolic significance of the ujub and kidung mantras within the Ganti Langse traditional ceremony at Palenggahan Ageng Srigati in Babadan Village, Ngawi Regency, and their role in the lives of the local community. The data used for this analysis consisted of the ujub and kidung mantras, …

Animation For Anxiety Alleviation In Pediatric Cancer Patients During Venipuncture In The Hospital, Wisit Supangkaratana, Jariya Tarugsa, Suppakorn Disatapundhu

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This preliminary study focused on the use of animation to reduce anxiety among pediatric cancer patients undergoing venipuncture in the hospital. It was conducted on 30 pediatric cancer patients aged 5-9 years. The Pretest- Posttest study method was applied in which the level of anxiety was measured before and after viewing the film and then it was analyzed to determine whether the animation could help relieve anxiety in the study population. The results demonstrated that with the use of the animation with visual fantasy in which a monster symbolized the pain young patients must endure during blood draws and a …

Arts-Based Interventions To Enhance The Quality Of Life And Cognition Of The Elderly With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Khanobbhorn Sangvanich, Itthipol Tawankanjanachot, Sookjaroen Tangwongchai

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This art activities program was designed to enhance the aesthetics, mood, cognition, and quality of life (QoL) of elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The control group was given a single session of MCI knowledge, whereas the intervention group attended weekly art activities, based on visual thinking strategies, combined with cognitive development of aesthetic experience and contemplative arts for six weeks. There was no difference between the Thai Geriatric Depressive Scale (TGDS) scores or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores between the two groups. However, the intervention group showed statistically significant improvement of Quality of Life, compared to the control …

University Of Southern Maine Commencement Program 2023, University Of Southern Maine

Commencement Programs

University of Southern Maine Commencement Program 2023

Editor’S Note, Deepak Shimkhada

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

This special issue of Monsoon is dedicated to the studies honoring the goddess traditions in South Asia. The onset of the Monsoon Season in South Asia typically commences in June and continues until late August and early September. The publication of this issue, therefore, has been strategically timed to coincide with that season, which is a vital source of sustenance for millions of individuals in this part of the world. This anthology consisting of five papers—written by scholars with expertise in the field of goddess and women studies—speak unequivocally about the goddesses or women for their strength, beauty, wisdom, and …

Constructing Jain Goddess Padmavātī In Gujarati Literature, Venu Mehta

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Worship of the goddess Padmāvatī emerged more than a thousand years ago. This article explores three songs about her in Gujarati by Paṇḍit Vīrvijayajī (1773-1852). By analyzing the style and form of his work, one learns a great deal about devotional liturgies that commemorate goddess Padmāvatī’s protection of the Jina Pārśvanātha and, in turn, his protection of her.

Women’S Voices From History: Gond Rani Durgawati And Rani Lakshmibhai, Nandini Sengupta, Moupia Basu

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Two strong women are compared and contrasted in this article. Gond Rani Durgawati (1524-1564) led a resistance movement in Jabalpur against the Mughal rule of Akbar. Rani Lakshmibai (1828-1858) organized the people of Jhansi against Sir Hugh Rose, an officer defending the interests of the British East India Company. Both women continue to be remembered for their bravery and their loyalty to the people they ruled.

The Jaina Goddess Padmāvati In Karnataka, Robert Zydenbos

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Stories about Padmāvati played an important role in the founding of the Ganga Dynasty (ca. 350-1000 C.E.) and the Hoysala Dynasty (ca. 950-1350 C.E.) in what is now the modern state of Karnataka. Although not without its critics, goddess worship has been integral to Jainism as practiced in south India for more than a millennium. This article surveys primary and secondary literature written about Padmāvati and describes worship at the main shrine dedicated to her, located in Hombuja in central Karnataka.

Mai Bhago And Amrita Devi Bishnoi: Women Of Strength, Sowmya Ayyar

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Mai Bhago (1670-1720), also known as Bhag Kaur, distinguished herself on the battlefield to defend the Sikh faith. Amrita Devi Bishnoi (d. 1730) is said to have sacrificed her life with 362 others to protect the Khejari trees in the Rajasthan desert. Both women continue to inspire social justice and ecological activism.

An Examination Of Gandhian Economic And Political Thought And Its Relevance To The Empowerment Of Women, Purnima Mehta Bhatt

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) sought to alleviate poverty and empower women. His commitment to nonviolence and the economic ideal of “small is beautiful” continue to inspire grassroots movements around the globe. This article discusses the Chipko movement of northern India, the protection of rain forests in Kerala’s Silent Valley, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and Medha Patkar’s valiant though ultimately futile attempt to save the Narmada River from a massive government damming project. The ongoing legacy of these movements can be found in AWAG, the Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group and Women’s Shanti Sena (Peace Force).

Indigenous Stitch-Arts Of India: Tradition And Revival In A Global Age, Punam Madhok

Monsoon: South Asian Studies Association Journal

Stitch art allows for the creative expression and economic support of countless women throughout India. This article examines four notable styles: chikankari, flora and fauna stitched in white thread on fine white cotton, rabari, the stitching of mirrors into colorful cloth, phulkari, resplendent flowery motifs sewn into shawls in Punjab, and kantha, Bengali patch work yielding quilts and seating mats. In addition to describing each technique, this article discusses how women have been economically empowered through this art by such organizations as Self-Help Enterprise (SHE) in Kolkata and Adithi, a women’s cooperative, in Bihar.

Characterization And The Aesthetic Representation Of Violence In The Graphic Novel "Esperaré Siempre Tu Regreso", By Jordi Peidro, Deirdre Kelly

Books/Book Chapters

The graphic novel, Esperaré siempre tu regreso (2016, Desfiladero Ediciones) by the author and illustrator, Jordi Peidro (Alcoy, 1965), is a biographical and historical text that centres on the life in exile of Francisco Aura Boronat (or Paco Aura, Alcoy, 1918-2018), a Spanish communist and Republican who survived the horrors of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Drawing on comics studies and memory studies, the analysis will discuss how Peidro navigates ethical and aesthetic issues when representing traumatic and violent memories related to the Spanish experience of Civil War, exile and deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. Firstly, it will …

Childhood: The Hidden Side, Arcelia Gómez

MA Projects

Childhood has been typically perceived as the sweet, candid, innocent, harmless, naïve phase of the human existence. However, is it possible that behind this kind façade there are hidden the cruelest, most frightening and most devastating monsters of humankind? The current state of humanity, as a species, is constructed on constant movement, continually changing, perpetually evolving. This is a natural behavior, dating back to the very origins of civilization, in its earliest days. This characteristic detail is stored in the ability of the human brain to collect information and learn from situations experienced by the individual. In other words, the …

Creative Musical Art For Supporting Society : Music And Meditation, Sasi Pongsarayuth

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This article discusses research intended to create music conducive to support a meditative state with the aim of reducing the problem of violence in society. Music is an art form that use sounds to convey emotions. A composition is a combination of instrument sounds and musical elements can be utilized to support sustained attention while reducing affective hostility and aggressive behavior. Ten instrumental compositions developed under the “Creative Musical Art for Supporting Society” program as part of the “Music and Meditation” project are discussed. Experimental compositions with certain musical patterns; ex. slower tempos and low-to-moderate volume levels to induce a …

Cityscape Under The Gaze Of Migrant Women : The Reimagination Of Urban World In Vietnamese Independent Films, Cam Giang Hoang

Journal of Urban Culture Research

In Vietnam, since the Reform era (1986) and the government’s firm urbanization policy, replacing the pre-1986 discourse of the countryside as the Garden of Eden, a myth of the city as a place of endless pleasure has been gradually built up in mass media. As a result, the urban spectacle has become the ideal symbol of the speed of development, national strength, and masculinity in state-sponsored and commercial movies/dramas. Meanwhile, through the ‘slow cinema,’ independent female directors such as Siu Pham, Nguyen Hoang Diep, Bui Kim Quy, Pham Hoang Minh Thy, and Pham Nhue Giang have questioned the ‘urban fantasy’ …

Revenge Concept As Manifested In Drawings And Narratives Of Ultra-Orthodox Vs. Secular Israeli Jews, Rachel Lev-Wiesel, Iris Manor Binyamini, Michal Divon Schreiber, Gideon Biran, Zohar Estrin, Gal Goldstein, Nir Yosef Shmerts, Shahar Nov, Tali Beja, Maya Gallor, Odeya Landesman Sofer, Lital Miran, Bussakorn Binson, Nisara Jaroenkajornkij

Journal of Urban Culture Research

The current study investigates the revenge concept of ultra-orthodox and secular Israeli Jews, manifesting in drawings and narratives. The convenient sample consisted of thirty-three participants aged 23-61 (12 ultra-orthodox and 21 seculars). This mix-methodology study included the qualitative part, which are two sets of drawings and narratives – “draw an unjust event you experienced” and “draw what you would prefer to happen to the person who unjustly treated you;” and the quantitative part included a self-report questionnaire of the following measures: demographics, history of traumatic events, and feelings of injustice. Comparison between the two groups revealed no differences in the …

Fostering Communist Elites: Cold War Czechoslovakia's Foreign Student Program, Emily Hackett

Slavic Studies Honors Papers

During the Cold War, educational policy became a strategic and consequential avenue of soft power. Countries on both sides of the East-West divide developed travel and study exchanges to cultivate relationships with other countries, and to prepare future generations for work in an increasingly internationalized world. Despite supporting a fear of foreigners and isolating people from travel outside of the Communist bloc, the Soviet Union sponsored select students from other countries to study in its institutions of higher education.

This thesis aims to provide insight into the structure and events of the Czechoslovak foreign student program with the Soviet Union …