Digital Commons Network^™

My Own Distinguished People: An Analysis Of Carpatho-Rusyn Autonomy Movements, Alexandra S. Benc

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

What factors must a stateless nation possess in order to gain political autonomy? This question is explored through the perspective of Carpatho-Rusyns, an East Slavic stateless nation with a largely unknown, yet rich and distinct, history and culture. Throughout modern history, the Rusyns have made three significant attempts to gain political autonomy and become a semi-independent entity. I argue that stateless nations that possess high levels of the elements of political opportunity structure, cultural maintenance, and economic functioning are more likely to succeed in their efforts to gain political autonomy than those stateless nations who do not. Each of these …

Health Care And Education Access Of Transnational Children In Mexico, Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, Laura Juarez

Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center Research

Between 2001 and 2018, more than 5.5 million Mexican migrants were removed from the United States or returned to Mexico with their families as immigration enforcement escalated. Learning how this transition affected the access to health and education services of their children –also referred to as “the invisibles”– is a policy-relevant topic for both the United States and Mexico. Using representative data on 7.6 million Mexican and U.S.-born children from the 2015 Mexican Intercensal Survey, we provide evidence on the education and health care access gaps between these two groups and on the factors potentially responsible for the barriers encountered …

Impact Of Endangered Animal Protection Rights, Policies, And Practices On Zoonotic Disease Spread, Daniella Fedak-Lengel

Honors Projects

Building on field research in Costa Rica and Belize, this honors project analyzes environmental and endangered animal protection policies, rights, and practices in Central America and the Caribbean, and assesses the impact of veterinary science and biological research and practice, particularly conservation biology, on animal welfare concerns. Informed by the recent surge in awareness regarding zoonoses and zoonotic disease transmission, prevention and control, resulting from the current global pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the project assesses the need for new and innovative types of collaboration, particularly involving conservation biologists, environmental scientists, public health experts, law and policy makers, and global trade and …

Brazil, Big Hydro, And A Beautiful Monster: “Green” Energy Generation In The Xingu River Basin, Ian F. Hirons

Student Works

Brazil is quickly becoming an influential actor on the world stage of geopolitics. The nation has achieved global economic and environmental recognition due to the extensive development of its hydrological resources in the form of hydroelectric power plants. As the world’s second greatest generator of hydroelectricity, Brazil has proven a staunch adherence to building dams in the large-scale. Though these dams have brought electricity to millions of people across the country, the socio-ecological toll inflicted by their construction has been devastating to natural biomes and local inhabitants. This article traces Brazil’s proclivity for large-scale hydropower to four motivational categories often …

Puerto Rico’S Electric Power System: An Analysis Of Contemporary Failures And The Opportunity To Rebuild A More Resilient Grid, Including The Development Of A Utility-Scale Solar Farm On The Island Municipality Of Culebra, Federico Sotomayor

Sustainability and Social Justice

Puerto Rico’s grid was decimated in 2017 after experiencing back-to-back hurricanes – Maria and Irma. Although the hurricanes caused tremendous damage and hardship to the island, it also created the right circumstances for the local energy landscape to transition toward a more resilient and sustainable model. Through an analysis of recent challenges by the local electric utility PREPA, and subsequent fallout from the hurricanes, we see that they now hold a unique opportunity to redeem themselves by taking advantage of catalyzed resources to rebuild a better system. One region that could greatly benefit from an improved and reimagined grid are …

Ousmane Sembène : Un Paradoxe Postcolonial Du Cinema Africain?, Mbaye Diouf, Edoardo Cagnan

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

How can we quantify the success of an African film in a postcolonial context? This article aims to answer this question by analyzing the case of Mooladé (2004), Ousmane Sembène's last full-length feature. The issues and the conditions of its circulation show the militant intention of the film-director, and we can notice a subtle competitive relation between the artistic value of the film and its pedagogical content, which is seen as politically acceptable in Africa. Budget and circulation issues put the spotlight on the tight situation of Francophone film industry: the imbalance of power relationships often forces the African film-director …

Les Festivals Des Minorités En Europe, Une Passerelle Vers Le Mena, Émilie Wacogne

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

We observe a proliferation of film festivals dedicated to Maghrebian and African cinemas in Europe. Several festivals include movies by directors from the Maghreb, the Near and Middle East, and Africa, as well as films by European filmmakers, descendants of immigrant parents. This phenomenon reflects the need for a visibility that continues to be lacking in European societies. It also shows the long process by which these guest workers settle in some European countries. We will mention the FameckArab Film Festival, the Arab Film Festival in Brussels and the Aflam Festival in Marseille. The link between the presence of festivals, …

The Sea Will Rise, Barbuda Will Survive: Environment And Time Consciousness, Sophia Perdikaris

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

In this article, we examine the link between environmental consciousnesses and time consciousness. We argue that the way people think about time shapes their experience of climate change threats. We contrast western hegemonic concepts of time—the Gregorian Calendar, the Dooms Day Clock, linear time—with the way Barbudans of Antigua and Barbuda, an island nation in the Caribbean experience time—cyclical, through boom and bust cycles. We found that this boom and bust framework was indeed supported by climate change and weather experiences on the island—hurricanes, droughts, changes in the lagoons—as well as economic experiences—cargo boat delays bringing supplies, paycheck delays. By …

The Impact Of Political Culture On Political Reactions: A Case Study Of Eu Sanctions On Russia, Kenzie Robin De Keyser

Masters Theses

The political impact of European Union (EU) sanctions on Russia is complicated by the political culture of the Russian state and the economic interdependencies of the EU bloc and the Russian Federation. This study explores the impacts of European Union sanctions on Russian politics, using economic interdependence and the political culture of Russia to help explain both the political effects of the sanctions on Russia and the overall Russian political reaction to the scenario that is unfolding. The foundations of government, political society, and political norms within Russia can be found throughout the different bases of Russian political culture which …

What Is Environmental Consciousness? A Thematic Cluster, Sophia Perdikaris

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

This essay serves as the introduction to this issue of Ecocene (December 2020, volume 1, issue 2).

First two paragraphs:

For its second issue Ecocene welcomed cross-disciplinary contributions on what it means to be environmentally conscious in the world today, what it might have meant in diverse social-environmental pasts, or indeed what it may mean in our shared futures. The ambition of the cluster has been to engage with some key reassessments of the ways in which ecologies, identities, communities, temporalities, heritage, spatiality, risks, or agencies have been rethought in recent years, or in new waves of research, scholarship, theory, …

Barracks And Barricades: How Internal Security Threats Affect Foreign Basing Access In The Philippines, Wellington J. Brown, Dean C. Dulay

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper presents a theory of foreign military basing as a function of the degree of internal threat facing a host nation. The theory is based on rational choice logic where politicians balance economic and security benefits against sovereignty and legitimacy costs. When internal threat is low a host nation’s political actors value legitimacy and sovereignty and hence reduce base access. When internal threat is high economic and security benefits trump legitimacy and sovereignty costs, hence increasing base access. The theory is assessed through process-tracing the historical events around U.S military basing in the Philippines. When internal threat was low …

Alternative Education Spaces And Pathways: Insights From An International Christian School In China, Menusha De Silva, Orlando Woods, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The nascent scholarship on geographies of alternative education focuses on alternative education spaces, most located in the UK, that resist and/or negotiate neoliberal restructuring of education, some of which cater to socially marginalised groups. In contrast, through an ethnographic focus on an underground Christian international school in China, we examine an alternative education space that responds to parents’ aspirations for their children to be inculcated with global cultural capital, Chinese values and Christian beliefs. These aspirations are not fulfilled in mainstream state schools or international schools in China, but are demanded by parents looking for a “superior” set of skills …

Public Relations Education In Singapore: Educating The Next Generation Of Practitioners On Ethics, Eugene Yong Sheng Woon, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examines if PR education adequately prepares students for the workplace, particularly in the practice of ethics in the context of Singapore, which has been described as one of “Asia’s economic tigers” (BBC, 2018). This study, thus, aims to first, elucidate the state of PR education specifically in relation to how PR ethics is taught in Singapore. Second, it examines how ethics education prepares students for the workplace in Singapore. Data comes from examining the syllabi of 14 universities in Singapore, both local and international, and interviews with 20 academics and practitioners. Findings suggest there are varying degrees in …

International Tax Competition And Foreign Direct Investment In The Asia-Pacific Region: A Panel Data Analysis, Chengwei Xu, Alfred M. Wu

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how a country's competitive tax policy influences its inward foreign direct investments (FDI) in the Asia–Pacific region, even when given particular constraints (e.g., population, public governance, skilled labor, and so on) exist. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses the system GMM estimation approach to test the hypothesis. Data on FDI, corporate income tax, and various confounding factors were drawn from Ernst and Young's worldwide corporate tax guide, the World Bank, and other sources to create a panel of 28 economies over the period 2000–2016. Findings: The present research confirms the negative association between …

Urbanization Policy And Economic Development: A Quantitative Analysis Of China's Differential Hukou Reforms, Wen-Tai Hsu, Lin Ma

Research Collection School Of Economics

The household registration system (hukou system) in China has hampered rural-urban migration by posing large migration friction. The system has been gradually relaxed in the past few decades, but the reforms have been differential in city size and by the coastal-inland divide. We find a striking contrast in the migration patterns between years 2005 and 2015; rural people tended to move more to the coastal urban region in 2005, but more to the inland urban region in 2015. We calibrate a spatial quantitative model to the world economy in both years with China being divided into the rural, coastal urban, …

The Path To Victory: A Comparative Analysis Of Mena Region Countries, Negar Moayed

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

During the “Arab Spring” the Arab world witnessed a wave of uprisings. As a result of these anti-government movements, four governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen were overthrown, three governments of Bahrain, Jordan, and to some points Saudi Arabia were faced with critical difficulties, and one government ,Syria, experienced domestic war. All these happened while some other Middle Eastern countries remained stable. Yet, the remaining questions are: how did these protests emerge? How was the collective identity which is essential for the social movements created? Why were some of these movements successful in overthrowing the regime while the others …

A Rivalry Of Necessity: An Analysis Of Mechanisms Of Contention Between The Islamic Republic Of Iran And The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Aras Syahmanssuri

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution that extremely concerned the Saudis leaders culminated after the overthrow of a monarchical regime of the Iranian Shah and the power rise of a theocratic Shia government led by Ayatollah Khomeini. From the early days of this revolution, Khomeini raised a unique slogan, which was “exporting the revolution” to neighboring countries. Through targeting the Shia minority in neighboring countries, this slogan highly concerned the Gulf countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Examining four decades of hostility, which starts from the 1979 Islamic Revolution of Iran, this study indicates that the rivalry between the Islamic …

Six Feet Of Distance Between Belonging: Expansions And Maintenance Of Citizenship During Covid-19, Johnathon Daniel Vargas

University Honors Theses

Citizenship is the dominant 'political regime of belonging' that is coupled with rights and access to necessary material resources. This paper reviews the dimensions of citizenship, its connection to the nation-state, and analytical approaches to belonging. The review of literature is then applied to an analysis of how COVID-19 has challenged notions of citizenship by revealing maintenance strategies and enactments of belonging in Portland, Oregon and the surrounding region. This paper uses qualitative research to analyze events, communication, activities, and conditions of those who lack citizenship, mediated through local media. Data collected from the first 3 months of the COVID-19 …

Perceived Benefits And Barriers To Participation In Exercise Among Jordanian University Students, Khaldoun Hamdan

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

Insufficient physical activity is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases, therefore; the purpose of this study is to examine university students’ perceived exercise benefits and barriers. This cross-sectional descriptive study used Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to examine perceived benefits and barriers to exercise among a convenience sample of 517 university students in Jordan. Participants reported significantly higher perceived barriers to exercise than perceived benefits from exercise. The most important perceived barrier to exercise was “I am too embarrassed to exercise”. Moreover, “I will live longer if I exercise” and “exercising increases being accepted by others” were the most important perceived …

Project Management: A Help Or Hindrance A Collaborative Research, Ayman Abu-Rumman

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This small-scale mixed method study explored perceptions of how different project management approaches and tools are used by those working in industry and within academia, and how this may impact on collaborative research projects given their distinct and unique nature. The study also aimed to generate suggestions for how collaboration between industry and academia could be strengthened in the future. Underpinned by a phenomenological perspective, a survey and interviews were conducted with a sample of Jordanian professionals from different industry and academic organisations who had previous experience of working on collaborative research projects. The study identified, consistent with other studies, …

Build A Job Satisfaction Scale From The Views Of Aau Academic Staff In According With The Item Response Theory, Mohammed Marshoud

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The study aimed to build a job satisfaction scale from the views of AAU academic staff in according with the item response theory, where the population study consisted of all academic members at Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) for the year (2018/2017), and they approximately reach (257) academic members, the sample consisted of (154) academic members, which constituted 60 of the original study population, (92) males and (62) females who were randomly selected. The study tool was designed and built based on theoretical literature and scales on measuring job satisfaction at universities. the study tool consisted of (60) items which were …

The Level Teachers’ Knowledge In Public Education For Learning Disabilities Students In Regards Of Variables In Kuwait, Ahmad Saeedy

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

Knowledge, Teachers, learning difficulties, Kuwait, Training Experience

Review Of The Curving Techniques To Evaluate University Test Scores: A Critical And Analytical Study, Afif Rahma, Sophie Barguil

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study presents a critical review of the proposed mathematical methods for curving students scores. Through the presentation of these methods, the study attempts to ask key questions such as: the causes of dispersion in the tests results, the criteria and principles on which the curving methods are based, the limits of application of these methods. The study also attempts to examine the role of the cognitive level of the student, the subjective factors related to the process of learning and teaching, the conditions of admission and registration in the university programs, and the impact of the above on the …

The Impact Of Using The Electronic Barcode Test Via Smartphone In The Achievement Of The Graduate Students In The Achievement Of The Graduate Students In The Faculty Of Educational Sciences At Amman Arab University And Their Attitudes Towards It., Jehad Almomani, Moen Alnasraween

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of using barcode via smartphone in the achievement of graduate students in the Faculty of Educational Sciences at Amman Arab University and their attitudes towards it. The sample of this study is consisted of (63 male and female students studying the statistics in the scientific research course at the Faculty of Educational Sciences in the second semester of the academic year (2018-2019). The sample was selected in an intentional manner and it was divided randomly into two groups; one is experimental and the other one is control. To achieve the goal of this …

Human Resources Planning And Its Effect On The Application Of Total Quality Management Of Jazan University, Zakyeh Arishi, Ikhlas Altarawneh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aims to examinethe effect of Human Resources Planning on the application of Total Quality Management at Jazan University. It aims to demonstrate the actuality of Human Resources Planning practices and process the application of Total Quality Management in Jazan University. The study adopts the descriptive analytical approach by using self-administrated questionnaire as a data collection method. The questionnaire was distributed to a convenient proper sample out of (100) top management level at human resources officials, and quality officials in Colleges of Arts and Sciences in Al-Ardha and Samtah, College of Education in-Arts Departments in Sabya, Academic Institution for …

Goal Orientation Driving To Study By The Students Institute Science And Technical Physical And Sports Activities In Souk Ahras University, Algeria, Bensayah Samir

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The purpose of the study was to know the level of goal orientation Driving to study by the students of institute science and technical physical and sports activities in Souk Ahras University, as the differences between them according to the variables of the sex, the level of study and the specialty. For that, the researcher used the descriptive analytical method and has distributed a questionnaire (Elliot & Charch 1997) to a simple of 72 students, then he statistically treated the results using the software spss. We found that students have a high level goal orientation and that there are no …

Harmonization Between The Outputs Of Community Colleges And The Labor Market In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia /Community College In Hafr Al-Batin As A Sample Model, Leena Alkhlewi

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aims to provide a methodology proposed to achieve harmonizing between the Graduates of community colleges and the Saudi labor market needs. The researcher uses the descriptive survey method. A questionnaire is made to collect credible and acceptable data, whose basic study sample is faculty members in Community Service College in Hafr Al-Batin, which are 32 members. Researcher has got 26 answers, and this study has been applied during academic year 2018G, 1439H. the most prominent results are that there is a high degree agreement of harmonizing between theoretical and applied courses, and that courses of Community College in …

The Degree Of Commitment Of The Faculty Members In The Faculty Of Arts And Sciences In Al-Ahliyya Amman University To The Basic Rules In Building Objective Tests, Attributed To Some Variables, Awnieh Sawalha, Asmaa Al Omary

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aimed to determine the degree of commitment among faculty members of the Art and Science faculty at Al Ahliyya Amman University to the basic rules in the construction of objective tests of 4 various types; true or false, filling the blank, multiple choice questions, comparison question. And weather the commitment degree is affected by different variables like years of experience and speciality. The study sample consisted of 41 faculty members, who were chosen intentionally from different specialties in the art and science faculty of the 2017/2018 academic year. The researchers developed a tool to measure the degree of …

100 Years After Suffrage: Just How Far Have Women Come?, Laura Merrifield Wilson

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Women earned the right to vote 100 years ago with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, effectively ending the suffrage movement that had transpired over generations. Their hard-won victory doubled the American electorate and provided women with an essential right of citizenship of which they had long been deprived. Not all women were welcomed at the polling place, though, and the exclusion of women of color, particularly in the Jim Crow South, revealed yet another barrier to eventually be struck down. In the 100 years since women earned their right to vote, they have begun “outvoting” their male counterparts and …

Elfrieda Lang: The Difficult Career Path Of A German American Female Indiana Historian, Bruce Bigelow

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Despite not going to high school, a German American woman became a major published history scholar, an assistant editor of the state history journal, and curator of special collections at a prestigious library in an era of patriarchy in the American history profession.