Digital Commons Network^™

Demography Of Bluff View Cemetery Vermillion, Sd, Ellie E. Schwartz

Honors Thesis

Cemeteries offer accessible, rich data for research on demographic reconstruction of past populations. Gravestones can give vital information such as date of birth, date of death, sex/gender, occupation, religious affiliation, and, implicitly, social and cultural values of the community at large (Dethlefsen and Deetz, 1966; Sattenspiel and Stoops, 2010). One of the drawbacks of cemetery data are that they more often than not do not provide details of the cause of death for an individual or in some rare occasions cause of death is on the gravestones (e.g., colonial graves during the tuberculosis outbreak in New England would often list …

Studying Cultural Change With Transhistorical Semantic Directions, Travis Daichi Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

This study advances the use of diachronic word embeddings in cultural sociology, contributing both methodologically and substantively. Methodologically, it synthesizes best practices for constructing semantic directions and addresses challenges arising from diachronic embeddings, including missing data and semantic drift. Substantively, it examines historical changes in schemas and conceptual metaphors related to "processing." By analyzing the changing associations between processing-related words (e.g., "raw" and "refined") and evaluative categories like authenticity, valence, and aesthetics, the study examines whether word-level changes amongst schematically-related words indicate deeper cultural shifts at the schematic level. Findings indicate a growing association between processed states and inauthenticity, a …

Notes From The Field - Conference Proceedings, Summer Fellows 2024, Center For Latin American, Caribbean, And Latino Studies (Clacls)

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

CLACLS presents proceedings papers from the second CLACLS Summer Fellows Showcase Conference, held on November 7, 2024. The day-long event showcased fieldwork results of CLACLS 2024 Summer Fellows, and was curated into five panels: “Feminist and Queer Critical Perspectives”, “Transnational Exchanges/Diasporic Experiences”, “Ecocritical Lenses”, “Social Movements, Cultural and Economic Practices and Political Imagination", and "Countering State/Official Narratives.”

The Overmedicalization Of The Female Orgasm And The Orgasm Gap, Mackenzie Dybvik

The Agora

This paper, as the title suggests, dives into the overmedicalization of the female orgasm, and subsequently, the orgasm gap. It touches on five commonly believed reasons for the orgasm gap– women’s orgasm difficulty, biology, men’s fault, interpersonal communication issues, and sociocultural influence– and it links all of them to overmedicalization. It describes overmedicalization as the actual issue that needs to be resolved, and thus proposes a solution of increased and more comprehensive sexual health. It argues that better sexual health will help tackle overmedicalization as both clinicians and citizens become more aware of how to fight overmedicalization. It concludes by …

The Use Of Person-Centered Language In Scientific Research Articles Focused On Psychosis, Zach Monahan, Tanner Stone, Vinay Swami, Kelly Dunn, Micah Hartwell

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: Societal stigma of psychosis leads to delayed treatment for individuals experiencing early symptoms, for fear of being labeled “crazy” or “psychotic.” Delayed treatment can worsen the prognosis of individuals with psychosis. Proper adherence to person-centered language (PCL) guidelines can curb the widely held stigmatized preconceptions about psychotic conditions.

Methods: Our meta-epidemiological analysis began with a systematic search of literature in PubMed discussing psychosis from 2020-2022. From the 14,522 results, we randomly selected 500 articles in journals with at least 20 articles on psychosis (n = 9,775), of which 241 articles met the inclusion criteria. These papers were screened for …

Impacts Of Extreme Weather Conditions On Coastal Fisheries Near Bayou Teche, Louisiana From 2019–2023, Georgia C. Davis

LSU Master's Theses

The region of Southcentral Louisiana, particularly around Bayou Teche, thrives on its commercial and recreational fisheries. These fisheries are occasionally subject to events like extreme weather that cause sudden and unexpected losses (NOAA Fisheries, 2024a). Between 2019 and 2023, a series of extreme weather events impacted southcentral Louisiana near Bayou Teche. This series of extreme events includes Hurricane Barry (2019), Hurricane Laura (2020), Hurricane Delta (2020), Hurricane Zeta (2020), Hurricane Ida (2021), and a United States Drought Monitor (USDM) D4 drought (2023). This study analyzes the impacts of the extreme weather series on coastal fish observed species richness (SR) in …

A Burial Cave From The Roman Period At Shoham (East), Hagit Torgë, Radwan Badhi

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Late Bronze Age Pottery From Tombs 12 And 13 At Tell Jatt, Sharon Plain, Eli Yannai

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Khirbat Umm Kalkha—A Rural Settlement From The Middle Bronze Age Iia In The Shephelah, Angelina Dagot

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

A Second Temple Period Burial Cave From The Mount Of Olives, Jerusalem, Rafeh Abu Raya, Boaz Zissu

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

A Middle Bronze Age Iib–Late Bronze Age I Burial Cave At ‘En Nashab, In The Bet She’An Valley, Zvi Gal, Nehemya Zori

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

A Tumulus At Mazor-El‘Ad (Site 96), Irina Zilberbod, Amir Golani, David Amit

'Atiqot

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 100, No. 3, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period February 17 - April 20, 2025.

• Wilborn, Price. You Matter & You Are Not Alone
• Smith, Kane. Peggy Crowe Reflects on Counseling Center in Face of Staff Shortages
• Stafford, Hallie. Help with Horses – New Beginnings Therapeutic Horse Riding
• Hawkins, Kaylee. How a WKU Professor Helps Improve Student Mental Health – Jay Gabbard, National Alliance on Mental Illness Recovery Support Group
• McMahon, Jake. More Than a Coach – Brent Chumbley, Track & Field
• Simpson, Libby. WKU’s American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Brings Mental Health Into the Light
• Hardesty, Emma. Trans …

2025 Academic Conference Program

Holy Cross Undergraduate Academic Conference

No abstract provided.

After The Catastrophe: Rwanda's Transformation, Zhijun He

International Studies Honors Projects

Standard development theory holds that recovery requires institutions first: courts, fiscal systems, the rule of law. Rwanda in 1994 had none—and rebuilt a state. The state must extract to build capacity, deliver to build legitimacy; when both collapse simultaneously, no entry point remains. Somalia's three-decade failure confirms the trap. Rwanda broke it.

This thesis argues that Rwanda's trajectory is not an exception to the good governance consensus but a refutation of it. Through analytical synthesis of the existing scholarship on four post-genocide institutional mechanisms— gacaca community courts, umuganda collective labor, imihigo performance contracts, and ingando political education camps—the thesis develops …

Volume 11 Complete Issue, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 11 Complete Issue

Factors Affecting Distribution Of Cattle In India, E. Dayal

The Geographical Bulletin

The problem of surplus cattle population in India has been widely discussed. The low yield of milk and the roaming cattle everywhere, even in the cities, give an idea of surplus cattle population, and have led to the general izations made about the irrational wastefulness of the large cattle numbers. However, the usefulness of cattle in India should not be judged only in terms of milk yield, because cattle contribute to the prosperity of the farmer in more important ways than by providing milk. The basic question of why the large cattle population is felt to be necessary must be …

Mind The Gap: Understanding Why Gen Z’S Sustainability Values Do Not Align With Fashion Purchasing Behavior. Exploring The Factors That Contribute To Values-Behavior Gap, Aileen Charron

Honors Projects in Mathematics and Economics

This thesis investigates the values-behavior gap that exists among Gen Z consumers, specifically investigating why sustainability values often do not translate into sustainable fashion purchasing. Through a multidisciplinary literature review highlighting key economic, marketing, psychological, and anthropological theories of consumer demand, this study identifies the complex motivations behind Gen Z’s fashion choices. A survey distributed to Gen Z respondents (n = 42) measured sustainability values, fashion purchasing habits, and influences across the four different theoretical domains of demand. Respondents were categorized into four subcategories of purchaser based on their sustainability values and consumption behaviors. Analyses had a particular focus on …

Ecclesiological Support For Veterans Suffering From Moral Injury: A Phenomenological Study, Douglas Guy Wood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

For many military service members, the cost of their service is through the psychological, physiological, emotional, sociological, and spiritual scars from the trauma of conflict. This trauma is most associated with the diagnoses of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Moral Injury (MI). Existing literature primarily focuses on a humanistic underlying philosophy to symptoms and patient care or uses a non-specific definition/categorization of religion/spirituality (e.g., Ames et al., 2019; Hill et al., 2000; Sharma et al., 2017). Studies have addressed psychological, physiological, emotional, and sociological healing (e.g., Åkerblom et al., 2020; Drescher et al., 2011; Gray et al., 2012; Nash & …

Responding To Leadership Change: A Qualitative Multi-Case Study Of Female Pastors And Their Congregations, Sharon Britz

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to explore the lived experiences of female senior pastors and their congregants who have embraced leadership change from male to female. Although many denominations openly accept and ordain female pastors, and the number of women in pastoral leadership roles has risen, many women in ministry still face obstacles. Guided by the theory of change, in conjunction with liberation theology, this study addressed a gap in research related to the experience of female pastors in ministerial leadership, as minimal similar studies exist, and no other studies within the Congregational Christian Church were found. …

A Qualitative Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of The Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' Holistic Model Of Education, Phillip Jason Dixon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to assess the effectiveness of the holistic model of Christian education in the development and preparedness of ministerial leadership roles as used by the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries’ child sponsorship program (NCMCSP) in Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and the Philippines. According to Moustakas (1994), transcendental phenomenology research seeks to understand human experiences (Moustakas, 1994). The participants in this study were delimited to graduates who experienced the NCMCSP from 2000 to 2020 and actively serving in ministerial leadership to assess their perceptions of the NCMCSP’s effectiveness in educating and preparing them for …

Pathway Out Of Homelessness, Budwa (Bud) Sous

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological case study aims to understand the homeless individuals' relational Transformational Experience (TE) and their choice to complete the transitional pathway journey from homelessness at a faith-based shelter. Developed in 1938 by John Dewy, TE has become a comprehensive and complex framework that describes how learners interpret, confirm, and give meaning to their experiences. As a result, this study's framework uses a hermeneutic and relational approach to explore and highlight relational barriers the homeless faced following their transition out of a Midwest homeless shelter. However, research has not adequately recognized how a restored relationship contributes to cognitive and behavioral …

Disability Competencies In A Cacrep Graduate Program: A Grounded Theory And Case Study, Debbye Lopez-Ramos

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is growing evidence supporting multicultural competencies as a key component of the CACREP standards and ethical responsibilities for faculty counselor educators and supervisors (FCESs). However, literature supporting multicultural competencies has significant gaps as it relates to the conceptualization and practice of disability competencies in CACREP counselor education. Furthermore, the lack of disability competencies and the stigma surrounding disabilities has led to frustration, academic remediation, and the withdrawal of students with disabilities. Despite the CACREP standards, FCESs have failed to infuse disability competencies when working with students with disabilities. This qualitative research used grounded theory and case study to examine …

Love Your Neighbor As Yourself: Examining The Lived Experience Of Christians Of Color Engaged In Advocacy, Monique Victoria Barber

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of Christians of Color (COC) engaged in advocacy work within the counseling profession. The study was guided by the allies integrative model, which asserts that God is the author of all truth, and that theology and psychology offer ways to understand His truth within human limitations. This framework provided a lens to examine how COC navigate their faith and racialized identity in advocacy. Seven licensed counselors participated in semistructured interviews, and their corresponding narratives were analyzed using thematic coding. Findings highlight the ways in which COC counselors …

From Sketches To Stereotypes: Understanding Criminality Through Student Illustrations, Sandra Sicurella, Simone Tuzza

The Qualitative Report

This study investigates the use of comics to challenge stereotypes about criminals, acknowledging the partial and sensationalized nature of cultural production. It examines how TV series, films, and news influence students’ perceptions. Using Art-Based Research (ABR), a creative and uncommon approach in criminology, the research adopts comics as a pedagogical and investigative tool. The study aims to empirically validate this method, contributing to the academic debate on creative techniques in social research. It tests the hypothesis that visual storytelling can reveal beliefs related to the criminal imaginary and stimulate critical reflection. Three workshops were conducted with university students (aged 20–25) …

We Are Our Brains: Disembodied Brain Films In 1950s Cold War America, David P. Pierson

Faculty, Staff, and Alumni Books

Personified Body Parts in Cinema, Literature, and Visual Culture investigates the power of personifying body parts in cinema, television, visual culture, literature, erotica, folklore, and mystique.

Culturally, socially, and poetically exposing hidden aspects and subtleties of human existentialism, this book vigorously questions and problematizes numerous artistic, aesthetic, technological, naïve, and macabre manipulations of body parts for various purposes. A diverse team of authors explore how scribing human traits to limbs, eyes, brains, genitalia, hearts, and other inner organs is grotesque and aesthetic, repealing and appealing, intimidating and intimate, rude and enjoyable, material and spiritual, surprising and mundane. Personified organs are …

Sex Differences In Adult Frailty At The Late-Terminal Classic (C. 750-1000 Ce) Maya Site Of Lower Dover, Rose Rioux

Honors Thesis

While it has been suggested that the compounded effects of population growth and climatic pressures over the Classic period (c. 300-1000 CE) led to a health crisis among the Maya, there is no current knowledge of whether there were significant sex differences in risks of mortality and frailty associated with metabolic stressors. This research assesses sex differences in frailty and mortality of adults (n=52) from the medium-sized Maya polity of Lower Dover in the upper Belize River Valley from the Late Preclassic (c. 300 BCE-150 CE) to Terminal Classic (c. 750-1000 CE). Osteological methods of estimating age and sex were …

Volume 12 Complete Issue, James W. Gallagher

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 12 Complete Issue

An Epigraphic· Geography Or "Kilroy (Amongst Others) Was Here", George F. Carter

The Geographical Bulletin

Vigorous debate has raged virtually since Columbus' discovery of America over who the American Indians were, where they came from, how they got here, and what the source of their civilization was. Momentarily, consideration was given to their being a separate creation; not the descendants of the people of Genesis. The Pope settled that by stating firmly that the Indians were God's creatures just as surely as the Spanish and Portuguese were, and as such entitled to all the rights, duties, and privileges thereto appertaining as they say as they cap and gown you.

The Middle-(Un)Man Of Desire: A Girardian Reading Of Perelandra, Clinton Manley

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

The French polymath René Girard presents a compelling argument that all desire is mimetic. According to Girard, we don’t actually know what we want; instead, we imitate the desires of others. These models of desire act as mediators, indicating what objects or ways of being are worth pursuing. For Girard, desire exists in this middle place between a subject, a model, and an object. He famously argues that all great literature leverages an awareness of mimetic dynamics; the greater the work, the more mimetically perspicacious the author.

Given Girard’s theory, we would expect the greatest fantasy authors to erect their …