Digital Commons Network^™

A Historical Application Of Offshore Balancing: A Comparative Analysis Of The Napoleonic War And The South China Sea Strategy, Kati Quigg

The Dialogue

Through a historical analysis of Britain’s offshore balancing during the Napoleonic War, how does China’s economic and geographical expansionism threaten US interests and reinforce America’s Grand Strategy through offshore balancing? By employing Mearsheimer’s offshore balancing as a response by insular great powers to rising continental hegemony, I will explore how Britain’s Napoleonic Grand Strategy—non-continental intervention, reliance on subsidizing alliances, and maritime dominance—both informs and complicates the American Grand Strategy in the South China Sea. China’s Nine-Dashed Line of 1948, a map published by the People’s Republic of China, serves as the basis for its modern territorial claims—directly infringing upon the …

Catholicism, Islam, And Intersectional Feminism In Ireland And Morocco: A Fatima Mernissi And Sinead O’Connor Study, Tralee Pomerleau

All Theses And Dissertations

This research contends that the interpretation of the relationship between feminism and religion is rooted in the Western feminist framework, making it seem like they cannot work together. This framework does not look at feminism through an intersectional lens, which it needs to, so women can use their life experiences, culture, and religion to fight for equal rights for women from all over the world. Looking at feminism through an intersectional lens proves that there is a way to keep religion and faith while fighting for women’s equality in every aspect of life.

This paper outlines the broad relationship between …

“He Should Be Primaried, And I Will Lead The Charge Against Him”: An Autopsy On The Decline Of Grassroots Organizing And Rhetoric In A Monetized Democracy, Chiara H. Baez

Research and Creativity Symposium

Protest movements in the US have been steadily declining, unable to keep up with changing rhetoric and societal expectations regarding First Amendment free speech. Seemingly overnight, protests have lost the ability to directly input the people’s voice into policymaking. Grassroots protest movements are being priced out of the political participation that was once accessible to them by Political Action Committees (PACs), and politicians are favoring pollsters’ skewed data over the public opinion expressed in organized protest. This has created a systemic barrier, halting the voice of the American people. Grassroots protest movements have not disappeared from the American political landscape; …

3rd Place Contest Entry: "More Money, More Votes? Not Always", Levi Ramirez Garcia

Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize

This is Levi Ramirez Garcia's submission for the 2026 Kevin and Tam Ross Undergraduate Research Prize, which won third place. It contains their essay on using library resources, and a summary of their research project on the relationship between money and elections, and their bibliography.

Levi is a fourth-year student at Chapman University, majoring in Political Science and Strategic Corporate Communication. Their faculty mentor is Dr. Ann Gordon.

Hitler Must Be Killed: A Wwii Case Study, Jeffrey Byford, Presley Shilling, Alisha Milam

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies education during the 1960s experienced an educational renaissance known as the new social studies movement. Over 50 projects were funded by the National Science Foundation or private corporations to interject a student-centered curriculum into K-12 classrooms during this period. Nearly 60 years later, can student-centered decision-making activities be used in an era of high-stakes testing and planned curriculum? This article attempts to rekindle students' interest in decision-making and discussion by exploring elements in Moral Reasoning: The Value of Life from the Harvard Social Studies Project (HSSP). The activity called "Hitler Must Be Killed" helped students bring the content …

Super Soapbox

Emerging Writers

American superhero comics have always had some sort of political/socio-political spin to them. During the Golden Age of the 1930's to 50's, characters such as Superman and Captain America appeared in World War II propaganda fighting the Axis Powers. The following Silver Age from the 50's to 70's became infamous for its self-censorship under The Comics Code Authority, which in practice banned LGBTQ+ representation. However, the gradual retirement of the CCA's regulations allowed titles such as Uncanny X-Men and The Dark Knight Returns to cover heavier topics such as racism and political corruption during the Bronze Age of the 70's …

Offside Trap: African Football As A Mirror Of Global Structural Inequality, Ellen Busolo Milimu

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

Football in Africa, as a legacy of European colonialism, is undeniable. The export of football through colonization resulted in the popularization of the sport while also creating a system of economic exploitation and impoverishment that is the cause of considerable problems for African society. This economic system positioned African  countries as dependents of former colonizers even after achieving independence. Sports, specifically football, provide a unique perspective to explore the no-win     situation in which Africa exists within the global economic system. Always chasing the elusive ‘development’ goal that is dictated by others and shifts without the interests of African countries. The …

A New Great Game?: Great Powers Content Re-Sharing And Media Influence In The South Caucasus, Emma A. Lowery

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the new digital era of geopolitics, competing great powers support internationally oriented state-sponsored media as integral parts of public diplomacy, seeking to reach foreign publics in an increasingly digital age of information sharing. Leveraging local outlets provides an avenue to influence local publics through pre-approved news. Targeted foreign news outlets actively engage with and re-share content from said media. This research focuses on foreign-originated content from the world’s great powers - the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America. The purpose of this project is to provide insight into how the great powers …

Role Congruence Meets Feminist Identity: Disaggregating Causes Of The Double Bind On Women Political Candidates, Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, Melody E. Valdini, Jeanette Morehouse Mendez, Tracy Osborn

Politics and Global Affairs Faculty Publications and Presentations

Studies in social psychology and political science have noted the negative impact of the “double bind” facing women leaders and candidates, which suggests that women must demonstrate both masculine and feminine attributes in order to achieve the same success as men can achieve by demonstrating only masculine attributes. Less attention has focused on how feminist identity conditions these evaluations. We focus on whether individuals’ evaluations of men and women are affected by (1) the gendered attributes associated with a candidate and (2) feminist identity. Using data from an original survey experiment in the US, we investigate the relationship between respondents’ …

To Ban Or Not To Ban? Should Youth Social Media Use Be Regulated?, Leena Hilaly

Opinion Matters: Student Analyses of World News

This piece discusses Australia's recent social media youth ban and the negative implications of implementing sweeping government legislation on privacy, personal liberties, and state power.

Analyzing Methods To Support Students Left Behind In Colorado Primary/Secondary Schools, Grace Hudson

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

In the United States, there has been an increase of deportations, since 2024, of undocumented immigrants. This has disproportionally affected Mexicans and others from Latin American countries (Dreby 2012) due to them being the largest group of undocumented people in the United States. One effect of these deportations is an increase in children that are left in the United States while their parent(s) are in detention or have been deported. Some of these children are in mixed-status families, which means that the child has a different citizenship status than their parents or other members in their family, which allows for …

Bodies At Risk When Choice Is A Privilege: Women’S Reproductive Healthcare Accessibility And Health Outcomes Since The Dobbs (2022) Ruling, Dallas Bonnet

Undergraduate Theses

Existing literature has well-documented the disproportionate effects of abortion restrictions upon socioeconomically disadvantaged women and women of color. This thesis builds on that work by exploring the relationship between state-level abortion restrictions and women’s self-reported health, as well as state-level infant mortality rates and maternal mortality rates. This project breaks these relationships down into three separate studies: Study 1 investigates the effect that abortion restrictions have on women’s self perceptions of health. Study 2 assesses the impact of abortion restrictions on infant mortality rates. Study 3 inspects the impact of abortion restrictions on maternal mortality rates. The primary independent variable …

The Theatrics Of Political Representation: Homestyle, Boundary Work, And Emotional Labor Among Florida Legislators, Donald E. Mullins

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how political representation is performed and sustained in the Florida Legislature. Rather than treating representation primarily as votes, bills, or policy outcomes, it approaches it as interactional work through which legislators remain believable, accessible, and authoritative across overlapping audiences. Grounded in an interpretivist epistemology and Goffman’s dramaturgy, the study develops an ethnographic account of representation through three analytic anchors: Fenno’s homestyle, Lamont’s boundary work, and Hochschild’s emotional labor. Methodologically, the project draws on ~100 days of participant observation during the 2025 legislative season, hundreds of pages of fieldnotes, and semi-structured interviews with ten Florida legislators. The findings …

Call For Papers For The Journal Of Social Encounters’ Special Issue On Global And Regional Governance: The Past Present And Future

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Chosen Peoples: Christianity And Political Imagination In South Sudan, John Ashworth

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Dating Among University Undergraduates Living With Disability In South-Western Nigeria, Usman A. Ojedokun, Bukunmi I. Oluborode, Lateef J. Adeyemo

The Journal of Social Encounters

In many university campuses in Nigeria, undergraduates living with disability are visible and functionally involved in academic, political, social, and religious activities. However, the social life of these students is hardly the focus of scholarly research. Therefore, this study explored dating behaviours among undergraduates of selected public universities in south-western Nigeria living with disability. The social disability model was employed as the conceptual framework. Data were elicited through in-depth interview and focus group discussion methods.  Findings showed that the choice of partners among undergraduates living with disability was guided by trust, communication, emotional safety, shared values, and acceptance of disability …

Frontline Medicine During War In Sudan: Confronting Health System Collapse, Mogahed Halaly

The Journal of Social Encounters

Since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, the country’s fragile health system has deteriorated rapidly. As hospitals closed, medical supplies vanished, and millions were displaced, frontline health workers were forced to make impossible choices. This essay recounts my experience as a young physician during the collapse of Sinnar Teaching Hospital, my displacement to White Nile State, and the creation of a community-led humanitarian initiative that provided clinical care, shelter, food, and livelihood support to thousands. It reflects on the intersection of war, displacement, public health collapse, and …

Emergency Response Rooms In Sudan: From Revolutionary Grassroots Organization To The Management Of Life In A Context Of Political Collapse, Salih Mustafa

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Islamic Relief As A Transnational Advocacy Network In Building Global Solidarity For Gaza, Nura Alanda Nabila, Zhafirah Fatin Azzah, Nuraeni -, R. Dudy Heryadi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This article examines the role of Islamic Relief in supporting Palestine from the perspective of the Transnational Advocacy Network. The conflict in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, raises the central question of how non-governmental actors contribute to global advocacy efforts amid the large-scale civilian suffering. The article is based on qualitative research, utilizing a literature review as a data collection technique, with constructivism as the theoretical framework. This study positions Islamic Relief as a transnational humanitarian organization whose work is shaped and rooted in Islamic values. The findings showed that the efforts to address the crisis in Gaza are carried out …

Countering Social Encounters: Darwish’S “Speech Of The Red Indian”, J. Kristen Urban

The Journal of Social Encounters

In June 2025 the Washington D.C. Arab Center held a conference at the National Press Club titled, “A Historic Juncture: Israel’s Destruction of Gaza and the Palestinian Future.”  The discussion sparked an incisive question: Would such a future follow a Palestinian-owned trajectory?  Incisive, because Palestinians have not owned their trajectory since the 1915 Sykes-Picot Agreement, have consistently been defined in negative terms, and have lived with the ambiguity of existing while remaining unrecognized.  Growing up within Israel, Palestine’s national poet, Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008), experienced this paradox firsthand, and explored it directly in “Speech of the Red Indian,” a poem written …

Gender Justice Lessons From North-East Syria Amidst Patriarchal Perpetuation In The New Syrian Arab Republic?, Theresa Wagner

The Journal of Social Encounters

The overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, whose family had ruled Syria for over sixty years, and his government by Hai’at Tahrir asch-Scham (HTS) signified for many the beginning of a new era of democracy and freedom after thirteen years of civil war. People in the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), a self-governing region that had not been ruled by the Syrian state since 2012, joined in with the celebrating crowds. However, they remained skeptical of HTS, which originated as a branch of al-Qaeda, known back then as Jabhat al-Nusra. Since taking on government responsibilities in the new …

Fulfilling Higher Education’S Responsibility To Students And Democracy In A Challenging Political Environment, Abraham Goldberg, Dena Pastor, Kayla Dixon

International Journal on Responsibility

The American Association of Colleges and Universities and more than 70 higher education organizations have expressed their shared commitment to making civic inquiry and democratic engagement central to undergraduate education. A framework emphasizing the development of skills to address public issues through courses and practical experiences accompanied their prominent call. Yet, campuses currently are facing increases in educational gag orders and institutional policies aimed at limiting discussion of DEI topics and political protests. Although attacks on free speech would seem to conflict with efforts to prepare students for democracy, there has been little scholarly attention on what students know about …

Perspectives On Food Sovereignty In Chicago, Camden Bruce Blowers

Capstone Projects – Politics and Government

The research question for this project focuses on food sovereignty. “How do individuals working with food in Chicago identify their role in promoting food sovereignty?” is a research question that expands with some nuance into the question of “who” individuals are in terms of political orientation. When asked to identify political ideology and economic ideology, the values can be greater quantified. Using mixed-methods, this paper critically assesses perspectives of individuals working with food in Chicago. The online survey enumerates the individual perspectives, food culture, and sociopolitical interactions of food sellers, producers, and advocates. Ten interviews further establish 1) the sociopolitical …

Parameters Spring 2026, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Approaching The Military As A Profession Through The Clausewitzian Trinity, Adam T. Biggs

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

The Clausewitzian trinity (people, government, and military—or passion, reason, and chance) can enhance existing scholarship and discussions about military professionalism by emphasizing the fundamental purpose of military forces. Specifically, managing chance incorporates elements of reducing uncertainty and applying creativity as individuals develop coup d’oeil. Junior personnel manage chance by reducing cognitive load while enhancing cognitive skills needed to quickly assess battlefield conditions as they progress to becoming senior leaders. This article contrasts these ideas against the various roles assigned to civil-military forces in the Clausewitzian trinity to emphasize professionalism in developing military leaders.

Book Reviews, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Spezialpropaganda: The East German Military’S Covert Information-Warfare Program, Joe Cheravitch

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article details the East German military’s extensive, innovative covert-propaganda program, which was designed to influence West German attitudes for almost two decades during the Cold War. Unlike existing scholarship that primarily addresses intelligence-led disinformation, this study exclusively analyzes military-led information warfare. The article uses previously classified East German military records to examine capabilities and tactics ranging from fake conscription notices to radio broadcasts. The findings offer contemporary US military planners and practitioners insight into the complexities of integrating information-warfare capabilities, measuring the effectiveness of propaganda, and understanding adversarial influence campaigns, with direct implications for current Joint Force planning and …

Academic Freedom And Collective Bargaining: A Joint Report By The National Center For The Study Of Collective Bargaining In Higher Education And The Professions And The Aaup’S Center For The Defense Of Academic Freedom, William A. Herbert, Isaac A. Kamola, Timothy R. Cain, Erin Ward, Anita Levy, Kathryn Ritchie, Ariana Gonzalez

Publications and Research

This is a joint report by the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College (National Center) and the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom (CDAF) at the American Association of University Professors. It presents excerpts from forty-five collective bargaining agreements in higher education to demonstrate the wide range of ways academic freedom is defined in contracts, or not, and how the negotiated definitions incorporate, quote, follow, mirror, or deviate from the principles set forth in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure (hereinafter 1940 Statement).

Benefits And Challenges Of Rendering Justice During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Perspectives From Trinidad And Tobago, Wendell C. Wallace Dr., Timothy A. Affonso Dr.

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

No abstract provided.

Whose Rules, Whose Rights?: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence And Legal Protections In Wartime, Sadaf Shabbir

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article critically analyzes conflict-related systematic sexual violence (CRSV) within the frameworks of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions and the 1977 Additional Protocols. Moving beyond viewing CRSV as an isolated atrocity, it situates sexual violence within the historical and political roots of conflict, using case studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Syrian Arab Republic. The analysis demonstrates how sexual violence operates as a weapon within exploitative wartime economies, where institutional collapse and illicit resource networks enable the commodification and control of women’s bodies. Furthermore, the article introduces a sectarian lens to the study of CRSV, …