Digital Commons Network^™

Contesting Conservatism: Neoconservatives, Evangelicals, And Foreign Policy In The Reagan Era, Emily B. Kissel

All Master's Theses

This thesis explores how foreign policy shaped and destabilized the conservative coalition during the Reagan era. Although historians often portray the conservative movement of the 1980s as unified by anti-communism, this study argues that foreign policy debates exposed significant ideological divisions between neoconservatives, evangelical Christians, and the broader conservative base. These groups shared common goals but disagreed over the moral and strategic direction of American foreign policy. Neoconservatives and evangelical Christians wanted the same muscular assertion of American power abroad, but the factions framed foreign policy differently to appeal to their supporters. These policies and aggressive anti-Soviet rhetoric struck widespread …

Contesting Conservatism: Neoconservatives, Evangelicals, And Foreign Policy In The Reagan Era, Emily B. Kissel

All Master's Theses

This thesis explores how foreign policy shaped and destabilized the conservative coalition during the Reagan era. Although historians often portray the conservative movement of the 1980s as unified by anti-communism, this study argues that foreign policy debates exposed significant ideological divisions between neoconservatives, evangelical Christians, and the broader conservative base. These groups shared common goals but disagreed over the moral and strategic direction of American foreign policy. Neoconservatives and evangelical Christians wanted the same muscular assertion of American power abroad, but the factions framed foreign policy differently to appeal to their supporters. These policies and aggressive anti-Soviet rhetoric struck widespread …

Religion, Death, And Journalism In The Christian Science Monitor, 1908-1918, Natalie Hammill

All Master's Theses

The Christian Science Monitor was created in 1908 by the Christian Science Church and its founder, Mary Baker Eddy, with the goal to “injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” The question arises, how does a religion that does not believe in physical reality produce a newspaper, and how does that newspaper treat subjects like sin, sickness, and death, subjects Christian Science teaches its adherents to ignore? This thesis argues that the Christian Science Monitor used the inherent flexibility of Christian Science beliefs around physical reality in combination with popular ideas about non-sensationalism and “clean journalism” as the basis …

Music-Based Smart Digital Interventions For Health : A Scoping Review, Jin Hyung Lee, Juri Yun

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This scoping review systematically maps and synthesizes empirical research on smart, digital technology-delivered music interventions for health. Following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines, a comprehensive search of six electronic databases yielded 30 included studies spanning four clinical domains: psychological and mental health, neurological and motor rehabilitation, aging and cognitive care, and acute care and symptom management. Studies employed four primary technology categories: mobile applications, artificial intelligence and machine learning systems, wearable biosensors, and alternative interface platforms. Findings demonstrate that smart digital music interventions are broadly feasible and acceptable, with preliminary efficacy across diverse populations. The field …

Traditional Music Kongkil : The Meaning Of Philosophy And The Challenges Of Contemporary Life, Harpang Yudha Karyawanto, Moh Sarjoko, Heri Murbiyantoro

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Traditional Kongkil music from Bungkal Village, Ponorogo, East Java, Indonesia, constitutes a form of local cultural heritage imbued with philosophical and social meaning. As a bamboo-based musical tradition employing slendro and pelog scales, Kongkil reflects the relationship between humans and nature while articulating values of social harmony within the community. This study aims to examine the philosophical meanings embedded in Kongkil music and to analyze its transformation in response to contemporary social and cultural change. The research employs a descriptive qualitative method, with data collected through observation, in-depth interviews, and literature review. The data were analyzed comparatively to identify patterns …

Beyond The Headlines : Investigating Media Framing Of Malaysian Human Trafficking In Southeast Asia During Covid-19, Muhammad Asim Imran, Kah Choon Ng, Cheng Kin Meng

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of human trafficking involving Malaysians in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Employing a systematic review approach based on the PRISMA methodology, the study examines 63 news records from The Star, covering the period from March to September 2022. The findings reveal a notable increase in media coverage during this time, signaling heightened awareness of Malaysian human trafficking issues. The COVID-19 pandemic emerges as a critical factor exacerbating vulnerabilities and contributing to a surge in trafficking incidents. Malaysians were identified as victims of forced labor in diverse industries, including …

The Subjectivity And Conformity Issues In Contemporary Practices Of Algorithmic Creativity, Tetiana Sovhyra, Larisa Babushka, Tetiana Andrushchenko, Olena Onischenko, Mykola Brovko

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This article examines the issue of subjectivity and conformism in algorithmic cultural practices (robotic performances and neurocomputer installations “A3 K3 Dragan Ilic," “Alone Together," “NOOR” and “AIBO”). The focus is on the technological features of algorithmic creativity, which is based on machine learning, stylistic imitation and computational data processing. In this context, ethical and legal issues related to copyright and the recognition of artistic works created by artificial intelligence are analyzed. In particular, mechanized artistic practices create the illusion of autonomous creativity, whilst retaining the decisive role of human subjectivity in the organization and interpretation of cultural processes. Algorithmic creativity …

Critical Participatory Action Research For Revitalizing Local Music And Performing Arts In The Post-Pandemic Transition Of Salaya, Nantida Chandransu, Chanokchakul Surasi

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This study employs Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) to examine the adaptive revitalization of local music and performing arts in Salaya's post-pandemic transition. Through the Collaborative Cultural Action Network (CCAN – comprising artists, academics, administrators, and citizens – the research facilitates a collaborative ecosystem for cultural asset co-creation. Implementation operates across two levels: strategic management of intersubjective agreements, and artistic creativity via a dual-track strategy. This strategy combines active conservation of phleng lae, phleng ruea, lakhon chatri, likay, and trae wong with creative deconstruction, specifically the luk thung song “Yu Yen Pen Suk Na Salaya” and the Kanlapaphruek project. Findings …

Destandardization Of Art At Flash Mob Performance In Public Space : A Case Study Of Beksan Wanara From The Yogyakarta Court, Indonesia, R. M. Pramutomo, Sriyadi Sriyadi, Supriyanto Supriyanto

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Flash mob performances in Indonesia emerge in response to urban affluence. Flash mobs, as an activity, explore unconventional performance spaces. The goal of this article is not only to address previous research gaps but also to explain how flash mob art performances have challenged aesthetic standards. Information about traditional dance flash mobs is widely discussed on various social media platforms. Data were collected through an intensive literature study, including desk review and document analysis. The findings suggest that flash mob articles are successful in engaging people of all ages as participants in public space dance performances. Visually, flash mobs provide …

Art In Health : Angklung Musical-Based Interventions For Older Adults In Southeast Asia, Muhammad Asyraf Mohd Bakri, Mohammad Kamal Mohd Sabran, Asrenee Ab Razak

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Arts in healthcare can support emotional, cognitive, and social well-being among older adults. Angklung, a traditional Indonesian bamboo instrument recognized by UNESCO, has potential as a culturally grounded, music-based intervention in older adult care. This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA framework, examined Angklung-based interventions for older adults in Southeast Asia. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, with the final search completed on 19 November 2024. English-language studies published between 2010 and 2024 were included if they focused on Angklung-based or Angklung-related interventions involving older adults and reported outcomes related to well-being, cognition, emotion, social engagement, motor …

Developing A Sustainability Framework For Enhancing Public Art Projects In Nigeria Toward Urban Regeneration, Peter Oluwagbenga Odewole, Olanrewaju Timothy Dada

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This study examines the role of public art towards urban regeneration, cultural preservation, and socio-economic development, addressing critical challenges in the Nigerian public art sector. It adopts a qualitative research design based on literature review, and Eisenhardt’s theory-building approach, drawing on secondary data to generate insights from case-based analysis. Two contemporary Nigerian public art initiatives were examined using within-case and cross-case thematic analysis. The study integrates placemaking, cultural economics, social capital, place attachment, and regulatory theories to develop a sustainability framework for enhancing public art practice and administration in Nigeria. The study’s findings indicate that sustainable public art interventions for …

Creative Urban Care For Older Adults In Thailand : Drama Therapy And An Innovative Expressive Arts Framework For Better Urban Ageing, Dovrat Harel, Nisara Jaroenkajornkij, Bussakorn Binson, Meytal Fogel Simhony

Journal of Urban Culture Research

This article examines drama therapy with older adults across three institutional contexts in Thailand: Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society; Kwong Siew Foundation Hospital; and Sawangkanives Housing, Thai Red Cross Society. Drawing on a practice-based qualitative study involving 60 older adults, facilitator observations, semi-structured interviews, reflective writings, and institutional descriptions, the article explores how drama therapy was adapted across medical, chronic-care, and senior residential settings. The findings suggest that drama therapy supported memory sharing, emotional expression, social connection, belonging, and quality of life among participants. The article argues that drama therapy should be understood not merely as entertainment or supplementary …

The Evolution Of The Whittier State School From Reform To Control, Manuella Zammit

Whittier City & College Historical Research

This paper examines the transformation of the Whittier State School from its founding in 1891 as a Quaker inspired reform institution into a punitive juvenile detention facility under the California Youth Authority. Through analysis of primary sources including The Sentinel student newspaper, The Journal of Delinquency, psychological studies, and modern reports, this study traces how the school's philosophy shifted across three distinct eras. The first era (1890s to 1912) emphasized moral rescue through vocational training, academic instruction, and structured communal life rooted in Quaker ideals of rehabilitation over punishment. The second era (1912 to 1927) witnessed the rise of …

Blue Spring (2001):, George Dibble

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

“Congratulations on your graduation,” broadcasts on the upper secondary school’s PA system—the first sound in the film Blue Spring (2001), directed by Toshiaki Toyoda—yet none of the students we follow for the next 83 minutes have anything to graduate for. Like a chick denied egg-shell breakage, stuck in its hard world, the film-focused boys are told to live. But where, and how? Blue Spring exists between the graffiti laden walls of high school where classes are secondary to student politics and fights are as common as words.

Annoyances lead to murders. Money is extorted. Teachers are harassed. The first image …

Bodies Of Knowledge: The Accuracy Of Medical Anatomical Drawings From The 14th To The 18th Century, Marina G. Mitchell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

From the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries, European anatomical illustration underwent major transformations in response to changing scientific methods, technologies, and visual conventions, reflecting critical transitions in anatomical history. Scientific evolution allowed these images to achieve increasing structural precision and internal detail, though they frequently diverged from anatomical forms as they are understood today. This study examines how anatomical inaccuracies across five centuries emerged not from ignorance, but from deliberate mediation between purpose, observation, pedagogy, artistic convention, and cultural ideology. Through close analysis of works in visual comparison to their modern counterparts, this thesis identifies specific deviations from the twenty-first …

The Ywca Goes To The Countryside: The Rural Work Of The Chinese Young Women’S Christian Association, 1926-1947, Elizabeth Littell-Lamb Phd

Asia Pacific Perspectives

This is the first study of the Chinese YWCA’s rural work. The decision to “go to the countryside” in part grew out of a critique by Chinese YWCA women of its Westerninfluenced agenda. That critique led the YWCA national committee to establish rural work as a first step toward a China-centered agenda. Key aspects of that agenda were the empowerment of rural secretaries in the field and the inclusion of rural women as members. The empowerment of rural secretaries contributed to the democratization of professional relationships within the association. The inclusion of rural women as members allowed the YWCA to …

The Birth Of Afghanistan: From Ancient Persia To A Modern-Day Multiethnic And Linguistic Country, Tyler A. Worm

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis offers a comprehensive historical analysis of the formation and evolution of Afghan identity from antiquity through the early medieval period, emphasizing the region’s role as a dynamic crossroads of civilizations. It traces the origins of Afghan populations to Indo-Iranian pastoralist migrations and examines the successive influence of major imperial formations, including the Median and Achaemenid Persian empires, the conquests of Alexander and the Seleucid period, and the rise of the Kushan, Parthian, and Sasanian states. Through this longue durée approach, the study demonstrates how Afghanistan’s geographic position facilitated continuous cultural interaction, economic exchange, and political contestation, producing a …

Personhood Amidst Process, Bennett B. Gilbert

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

Both process philosophy and key forms of philosophical personalism aim to harmonize the flux of reality, especially of organisms, with cosmic values and human meaningfulness. This is because both must face our mortality. This paper makes four suggestions for considering further the connection between these two approaches. First, that process philosophy can supply for personalism a thoroughly reasoned ground for nonreducible complexity. Second, that process thought borrows from personhood its model for cosmic creativity. Third, that both approaches share strong notions of the interdependence of all parts of a relational universe. And fourth, that they differ in respect of moral …

Beyond Judicial Intent: The Agency Of The Defense Counsel In Ozawa’S And Thind’S Supreme Court Cases, Bret K. Luchs

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This thesis seeks to examine how specific legal strategies by the defense counsel in Ozawa v. United States, 260 U.S. 178 (1922), and United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, 261 U.S. 204 (1923), compelled the Supreme Court of the United States into a reactive and contradictory position. A re-examination of Ozawa and Thind delves deeper into the legal briefs and arguments made by Takao Ozawa and Bhagat Singh Thind, alongside their legal teams. These briefs, opinions of the court, past lower court cases, and personal statements by Ozawa and Thind demonstrate how they did not surrender to the confines of …

Performing Brazilian Identity: The Cultural Politics Of Carmen Miranda, Nicole M. Pineiro Serrano

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This honors undergraduate thesis examines how Carmen Miranda’s performances shaped Brazilian national identity in both Brazilian cinema and Hollywood in the mid-twentieth century. Through film analysis, historical research, and cultural theory, the study examines Miranda’s public persona and the symbolic significance of the Baiana costume, with respect to Brazil’s Estado Novo regime, and Hollywood’s own depictions of Latin America. Overall, it argues that Miranda’s image functioned as a site of cultural negotiation, where Brazilian cultural expression met Hollywood’s exoticizing portrayals, but the encounter did not always stay as a fixed stereotype. The study also examines the tensions between authenticity, commodification, …

History Is Durable: A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Degree And Career Relevance, Hala Al-Tinawi, Damali Curry, Tonya S. Hall, Sharrie A. Merritte

Doctor of Education Capstones

Declining undergraduate enrollments in history departments reflect a national trend that many institutions have struggled to reverse. This capstone project, conducted in partnership with the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of History (VCUDOH), examines a specific and addressable dimension of that challenge: a communication gap in how the career value of a history degree is conveyed to students in introductory-level courses. Using improvement science principles and a mixed-methods case study design, the capstone team investigated how introductory history instructors communicate durable skills and career applicability, how students perceive the relevance of introductory history coursework to their career plans, and why students …

Tuberculosis In Jim Crow Virginia, 1900-1972, Elizabeth Dooley

Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis (TB) was a major public health concern in the United States, especially in the first half of the twentieth century. Transmission and treatment of the disease, which is spread between humans through close contact, was complicated by racial segregation laws in the South known as Jim Crow laws. Virginia subscribed to these laws, which played a role in how and where Black Virginians with TB could be treated. Segregated treatment facilities with an inadequate number of beds for the number of infected people and deaths in the state added to these complications of disease control and plan for eradication. …

Light And Fire: Kerosene And The Rise And Fall Of Standard Oil, 1859-1911, Minseok Jang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation revisits the rise and fall of Standard Oil between 1859 and 1911 through the lens of petroleum’s materiality and the fire hazards it posed. Moving beyond traditional narratives that focus on the company’s corporate strategy, this study argues that the volatility of petroleum and the global consumer experience of its environmental risks were central to shaping the company’s trajectory. The research highlights how Standard Oil struggled to control the flammable nature of kerosene—the primary petroleum product used for illumination at the time—before aligning with Great Britain’s advanced inspection technologies and regulatory frameworks. This transimperial cooperation enabled Standard Oil …

German Science, American Manufacturing: Ethnic Capital, Transnational Technology, And Corporate Development At Bausch & Lomb, 1853–1953, George L. Grobe Iv

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This dissertation examines the first century of the Bausch & Lomb Optical Company, founded in Rochester, NY in 1853 by German immigrants John Jacob Bausch and Henry Lomb. It argues the firm’s success was driven by leveraging of management’s German ethnic identity as “ethnic capital” to access resources like financial liquidity, immigrant labor, and technical expertise. These resources allowed for the transformation of the firm from a small optical retail shop into a major manufacturer of advanced optical instruments. However, as later generations of the family Americanized, the ability of the firm to leverage ethnic capital eroded until breaking completely …

From Ship To Shore: The Impact Of Sailor Resistance On The Anti-Vietnam War Movement, Trent Chamberlain

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the often-overlooked role of United States Navy personnel in the broader anti-Vietnam War movement. While civilian protests dominate historical narratives of the era, the impact of active-duty sailor resistance remains underexplored. To address this gap, this thesis examines shipboard and shore-based dissent to determine how Naval resistance influenced both military operations and domestic anti-war efforts. By conducting a historical analysis of primary source materials, including military records, underground press publications, and personal accounts, this research traces the evolution of sailor organizing and its intersections with civilian peace movements. The thesis shows that Naval dissent not only posed …

One Family Under Kim:, Jared Johnson

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (D.P.R.K. or the state), as one of the most isolated and controlled states in Asia, has since its founding attempted to shape the culture and ideology surrounding the family construct to support the rule of the socialist regime and its leaders, the Eternal President, Kim Il Sung, and his successors. In Korea, like the rest of East Asia, the traditional family unit has been a central societal structure for centuries. Largely based upon Confucianism, the nuclear family—referring generally to the biological family unit of parents and children—has determined not only the lifestyle and livelihood …

Mystics, Oracles, And Bones: Spiritual Resistance For Justice, Healing, And Resolution, Leah Hollis

Comparative Civilizations Review

This conceptual essay examines the enduring human impulse to seek meaning, justice, and healing through mystical traditions in response to suffering and harm. When traditional solutions through grievance, the law, or mediation fails, some individuals may turn to spiritual practices not as superstition, but as embodied strategies of survival, reclamation, and clarity. Comparing diverse traditions from a variety of cultures, including oracle bone divination in ancient China, the Oracle at Delphi in Greece, West African Ifá, Benin’s Voudou, diasporic Hoodoo, Celtic Druidic law, and Sufi mysticism, this paper explores how mystics have long served as interpreters of suffering and perceived …

Motherhood In K-Drama:, Rebecca Dewitt

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

Memory is a funny thing. We look back on the past experiences in our lives and some appear crystal clear to us, others murky. The truth is, every memory is warped by time and shifting perspective, and it is rare that our memories are truly and entirely accurate to the actual events that occurred. The same can be said with history and peoples—–the collective memory of a group works much in the same way as the memory of the individual. Past events and experiences are somewhat warped through current ideas, emotions, and experiences. This is not wrong per se, it …

Military Women In Sci-Fi Films: Breaking Barriers Since 1902, Introduction, Stacy Fowler, Deborah A. Deacon

Law Librarian Scholarship

From its beginnings, science fiction has been about humanity's battle for dominion over "the other," whether that means aliens, giant monsters, or nature herself. Especially in the male-centric military, that same designation of "other" is often assigned to women. Yet in the realm of science fiction, women in the military can attain what is often elusive in the real world—full participation and equality.

Chapters correspond to broad topics prevalent in science fictions films: Conquest, Evolving, Peril, Prey, Ethereal, and Exploration. The book focuses on portrayals of military women in science fiction films, exploring how they are able to excel in …

Deborah Morton Reviews Her Star Pupils, Deborah Morton

Westbrook College Alumni Reminiscences

Notes regarding several  former students collected by Deborah Morton.