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Extending Galula’S Counterinsurgency Warfare Theory: The Influence Of Political Perception And Planning On Operational Outcomes In Irregular Warfare, Bashir Safi

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation project examines the influence of political perceptions and planning on the outcome in Irregular Warfare (IW). This study addressed two research questions: How does the U.S. military’s institutional predilection for prolonged, conventionally oriented approaches influence its ability to achieve desired outcomes in irregular warfare? and how does doctrinal ambiguity within the US military influence operational outcomes in Irregular Warfare.? The structured focused comparison (SFC) approach was utilized to systematically compare three case studies: US military interventions in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021; Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq, which began in 2003; and Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia …

Emotional Suppression & Job Satisfaction: A Look Into The Life Of A Military Member, Laura Gilbert

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Military members face a multitude of unique stressors that may contribute to the use of emotional expressive suppression. Yet limited research exists on the effects of emotional suppression on employee job satisfaction within the military ranks. This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the perceptions and experiences of 17 active duty military members of the United States Coast Guard regarding emotional expressive suppression and its effect on personal job satisfaction. The research questions explored the lived experiences of those who employed emotional expressive suppression and their accounts of job satisfaction, framed within emotional regulation and the range of affect theory. Through …

Examining Stereotype Internalization In Female Veterans, Lakeysha Rule

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Stereotypes reflect a specific cognitive bias shaped by the perceptions individuals hold about others or groups. Moreover, Black Americans are often overwhelmingly targeted by racial prejudice and biases. Similarly, Black women frequently face unique challenges stemming from culturally specific stereotypes, which subsequently shape how they view themselves and their role as Black women. Experiences of stereotype internalization are often correlated with numerous adverse mental/physical health outcomes, including deteriorating physical health and declining mental health. In a military culture, stereotypes signify more than mere words or ideas due to their significant occupational implications in this historically male-dominated environment. Prior research has …

Evaluating The Efficacy Of The Nazarene Course Of Study For Developing Lay Leaders In Virginia District Hispanic Ministries: A Competency-Based Assessment, Jeffrey A. Hernandez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Hispanic ministries within the Virginia District of the Church of the Nazarene continue to experience sustained membership growth; however, leadership development has not expanded proportionally, creating emerging capacity gaps. Many Hispanic pastors serve bi-vocationally, limiting capacity to meet increasing congregational demands, and lay leaders are leveraged to meet those needs. Using an assessment tool designed to measure lay leadership competencies, this research project evaluates the effectiveness of a Nazarene Course of Study to function as a leadership development framework for laity within Hispanic church contexts. The study examines the implementation of a pastoral-level ministerial education program among Hispanic laypersons and …

The Lived Experience Of Immigrant Chinese Parents Navigating The Iep Process For Children With Austim, Mei Yu Cheung

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand how immigrant Chinese parents navigate the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process for their children with autism within public schools in King County, Washington. The theory guiding this study is Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, as this study explores parents’ lived experiences, challenges, and advocacy strategies as they engage with school professionals and systems of support. Through semi-structured interviews with participants, the research seeks to identify shared meanings and patterns that shape parental engagement and empowerment in special education contexts. The findings aim to inform culturally responsive practices and improve parent–school collaboration for …

The Herd: Shepherd Leadership Development Program, Ronald Dean Axworthy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation-in-praxis focuses on the development and implementation of a Shepherd leadership development program for high school students, grades 9-12, in a private Christian high school setting. This program examines how the intentional integration of leadership curriculum shapes students’ views and perspectives on leadership and their ability to lead others as Shepherd leaders. Drawing on the Shepherd leadership motif found throughout the Bible, educational philosophy, and Christian pedagogy, this program examines various methods and curriculum strategies used in the Christian high school setting to build future Christian leaders. The study focuses on understanding how the Shepherd leadership curriculum impacted the …

Korean Pastors’ Lived Experiences Of Their Congregants’ Mental Health Issues In The Philadelphia Suburbs: A Phenomenological Study, Guiyoung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe Korean pastors’ lived experiences of dealing with their congregants’ mental health issues in the suburban areas of Philadelphia. The theory guiding this study is ecological systems theory, which helps explain the mental health issues of Korean Americans and the factors influencing their help-seeking behaviors within the major ecological systems unique to this population. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 10 Korean pastors serving Korean American churches in suburban Philadelphia. The collected data was analyzed and aggregated into themes through coding.

Refuting Ruscism: A Critique From Biblical Social Ontology, Paul Miles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation argues that the ideology of Ruscism is incompatible with biblical Christianity on the basis of God’s design for the individual, the family, and the country. Indeed, the extent of incompatibility between these two worldviews renders any attempt to syncretize them a significant departure from biblical Christianity. God’s design for society is an absolute standard by which political ideologies may be evaluated, and these three societal units will suffice to demonstrate that Christians must reject Ruscism.

This dissertation will describe these three societal units—the individual, the family, and the country—as they are described in biblical Christianity and contrast their …

Between Code And Context: Empowering Qualitative Researchers To Leverage Ai With Rigor And Responsibility, Tito Dimas Atmawijaya

The Qualitative Report

Diana Garcia Quevedo and Josue Kuri’s AI for Qualitative Research: A Hands-On Guide for Management Scholars (2026) offers a timely and accessible introduction to leveraging large language models (LLMs) for qualitative analysis in management research. Organized into two parts—theoretical foundations and hands-on applications—the book equips researchers with both conceptual understanding and practical programming skills to integrate AI tools responsibly into their analytical workflows. Garcia Quevedo, whose research at ESCP Business School centres on gender, entrepreneurship, and AI-driven qualitative methods, and Kuri, a principal scientist with extensive expertise in AI and network systems, provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective. This review examines …

Functional And Structural Lesion Network Mapping: Insights Into Acquired Brain Injury And Insomnia, Kathleen Erekson Rugh

Theses and Dissertations

Insomnia disorder is the most reported sleep disorder and can negatively affect daily functioning. Acquired brain injuries can lead to insomnia disorder. Limited research has explored a causal link between brain networks and insomnia symptoms in this population. This study replicated a lesion network mapping methodology of an insomnia study (Helquist et al., 2024) and extended it to examine structural networks linked to insomnia symptoms in individuals with acquired brain injuries. Traced lesions (N =44) were used as seed regions to compare against normative functional and structural network data. For functional analyses, we used resting state fMRI scans from a …

Baseline Moderators Of A Transdiagnostic Adolescent Sleep And Circadian Health Intervention's Effectiveness At Improving Circadian Sleep Health: A Pilot Investigation, Jamon M. Jex

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined whether baseline demographic and clinical characteristics moderate the effectiveness of the Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian (TSC) intervention in improving adolescent circadian sleep health. Using an integrative data analysis approach, data from three independent adolescent samples (N = 134; ages 10-18) were pooled to evaluate changes across multidimensional sleep outcomes defined by the RU-SATED model of sleep, including regularity, satisfaction, alertness, timing, efficiency, and duration. Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess pre-to-post intervention changes and test moderation by age, sex, family income, and clinical status. Results indicated significant improvements in sleep satisfaction following TSC, with greater …

Health-Seeking Behaviors Of Ethiopian Women In The United States: A Pilot Qualitative Study, Hanna Belay, Felicia Leammuda, Ahmed Ugbad, Beamlak Kebede

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

This study explores how Ethiopian immigrant women understand health and navigate healthcare in the United States. Using qualitative interviews with two participants, findings show that health is viewed holistically, with strong reliance on traditional remedies. Participants engage with the U.S. healthcare system selectively, often seeking care only when symptoms become severe. Barriers such as system complexity, fear, and time delays influence healthcare decisions.

Cultura, Collaborations, And Chisme: The Latinx Caucus’ Oral History Project, Adela Justice, Brandon Kennedy, Jessica Diaz, Manuel Pasos, Saily Marrero, Sandra Desjardins

Library Staff Publications

The MLA Latinx Caucus began an oral history project featuring its members. Using a collaborative, community-based approach, the project brings together medical library professionals to share their experiences and reflect on cultural identity, professional growth, and collective advocacy. This poster describes the development of this significant project.   Background: In Fall 2025 one of the caucus leaders shared that they had a robust oral history project at their library organization, and had learned oral history processes and standards. This began the idea of forming an oral history project at the MLA caucus level. Lessons learned from the MLA AAMLA Caucus showed …

Governing Longevity: Biopolitics And Economic Restructuring In East Asian Aging Societies, Sherlyn She

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

How do rapidly aging societies govern longevity when demographic change threatens established welfare arrangements? This thesis examines aging governance in China, Japan, and South Korea to show how states simultaneously manage aging as a public-health problem and build it into an economic sector through what I term life capitalism.

Two interpretations of East Asian aging policy are widely circulated: that it is a peripheral case of Western neoliberalism, or a residue of Confucian familism. I reject both: the neoliberal reading captures marketization but misses the state as its active builder, since these states are expanding rather than retreating; the Confucian …

Exploring Imagined Identities And Communities Among Learners Of English As A Lingua Franca: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry, Özge Kuru, Enisa Mede

The Qualitative Report

Exploration of imagined identities and communities has been recognized as critical aspects in learning English as a foreign language. These two aspects perspectives differ as to how learners view themselves with respect to others through narratives and how they practise the language not only face to face but also in virtual interactions. This study aimed to explore how being a participant in virtual communities of practice affect the identity construction among English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) learners coming from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Jenkins, 2006). Specifically, we tried to find out how three Turkish ELF learners positioned themselves …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Longevity Trends And Disparities Among Native Americans And Whites In The Four Corners States, Ashley M. Lenarz, Hyojun Park, Max T. Roberts, Anwesha Pan, Erin Trouth Hofmann, Eric N. Reither

Sociology and Anthropology Student Research

Prior research has shown suboptimal health and longevity among Native Americans in the Four Corners region of the United States, which encompasses Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Our study (1) investigates how life expectancy trends and disparities changed among non-Hispanic Native Americans and Whites in the Four Corners States (FCS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) examines the extent to which longevity changes are directly attributable to COVID-19, relative to other causes of death. Data sources include mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Life expectancy at birth for …

Balancing Civil Liberties And Civil Rights, Adam Opp

Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy: Briefs and Commentaries

The Framers stressed the importance of civil liberties when drafting the United States Constitution to guarantee the freedoms of individuals. However, for decades, there has been an increased focus on civil rights to protect individuals from discrimination and ensure their equality under the law. The question becomes how civil liberties and civil rights intersect, and whether this intersection is always positive, or if advocating for civil rights can come at the expense of civil liberties. This paper will discuss civil liberties and civil rights, examine how policy processes impact civil rights, and address concerns about the grave consequences for the …

How Religion, Morality, And Worldview Impact Public Policy, Adam Opp

Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy: Briefs and Commentaries

It is important to examine the intersection between religion, morality, and worldview when analyzing the creation of public policy. Faith and spiritual beliefs play a key role in how an individual behaves as a policymaker and how they view the role of government. Religion considers the critical role of authority, which the government must analyze if the people have given it the authority to take a course of action. Morality asserts that the purpose of government is to maintain a system of justice that protects individual rights. Worldview highlights the framework individuals take in approaching the role of government and …

Towards Critical Agency: A Case Study Of Japanese Peacebuilding And Development In The Bangsamoro, Hana Soma

Master in Public Policy Theses

Asking “In what ways have anthropological methods been part of Japan's peacebuilding and development interventions in the Bangsamoro?”, this research hopes to make a contribution to the study of anthropology and development and their practical application by exploring the possibilities of the role of an anthropological approach in making sense of modern-day development programs, particularly through the case study of Japan’s peacebuilding-through-development efforts in the Bangsamoro. After outlining the research question as well as the design and methodology used to answer it and an overview of the histories of dispossession and the Japanese relationship to Mindanao, the essay …

A Rarer Earth: The Many States Of Peat In Central Kalimantan, Layna Chen Ms.

Masters of Environmental Design Theses

Peat currently occupies a central place within climate discourse, with Indonesia’s peatlands as a key site of concern since the late twentieth century. Yet this contemporary understanding is historically unstable. Over the last two centuries, what we commonly consider peat has been repeatedly redefined by scientific and bureaucratic institutions. Within popular media, peat has circulated as a low-grade fuel, an infertile swampland, an agricultural soil awaiting rehabilitation, and a hydrological body requiring remediation. Tropical peatland fires, once treated as a scientific improbability, have become a recurring environmental crisis. This history of shifting definitions suggests that ‘peat’ is not a stable …

Governance And Ethical Gaps In The J-1 Summer Work And Travel Program: A U.S.–China Case Study On Public Trust And Participant Protection, Yuhong Min

Master in Public Administration Theses

This study examines how implementation gaps shape public trust in transnational exchange programs, using the J-1 Summer Work Travel (SWT) program as a case in a U.S.–China context. The SWT program, a U.S. government–regulated cultural exchange initiative, is designed to promote cultural exchange through a well-established regulatory framework. It operates through a multi-actor governance system involving government agencies, nonprofit sponsors, employers, and intermediary organizations across national boundaries.

Drawing on a mixed-methods approach that combines 43 survey responses and 9 semi-structured interviews, this study explores how program design is translated into practice and how governance dynamics affect participant experiences. The findings …

Exploring Intimate Partner Relationship Satisfaction Among Women Who Have Experienced Discrimination And Childhood Trauma, Rachel L. Gaglio

Dissertations

Objective: Connections may exist between intimate partner relationship satisfaction outcomes and experiences of childhood trauma and discrimination among women. The majority of existing research highlights individual trauma impacting relationship satisfaction that includes military experience, childhood trauma, domestic violence, and sexual assault, yet there is a gap in research which expands on both childhood trauma and discrimination endured among women in relation to intimate partner relationship satisfaction outcomes, as they relate to intimacy and closeness and resolving conflict and arguments. The present study explored the links between childhood trauma and discrimination experienced by women and their connection in intimate partner relationship …

Stablecoins, Geopolitical Shocks, And Imperfect Arbitrage: A Case Study Of Türkiye, Vincient Arnold

Master in Public Policy Theses

On March 19, 2025, a key Turkish opposition political figure was unexpectedly arrested on what were presumed to be politically motivated charges. In response, the lira depreciated sharply. Meanwhile, Türkiye has a large and active dollar stablecoin market. Using a time series dataset of trade-frequency Tether vs. lira trading, I exploit this natural exogenous geopolitical risk-off event to investigate the response function of stablecoin traders active in Türkiye to this shock. I find that the shock is associated with a large (5.33% ) abnormal depreciation of the lira. Further, I show that the shock is associated with an abnormal widening …

Silicon Rivalry: Understanding The U.S.-China Ai Competition In Southeast Asia, Daniel Christopher Kent

Master in Public Policy Theses

In the rising global strategic competition between China and the United States, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken on a special significance given its potentially transformative impact upon economics and security. Yet while the dialogue around the “AI race” is typically centered on foundational model capability enhancement, application in security contexts, and chip design and manufacturing, there is much less attention paid to its impact on geopolitics. In particular, AI diplomacy—the work of a state to spread its model of AI governance, evangelize its AI companies, and develop critical AI interdependencies and linkages around the world—is far less studied. Nowhere is …

Global Health Financing Of Diagonal Interventions: Building Resilient And Sustainable Health Systems In Sub-Saharan Africa, Lucy Kim

Master in Public Policy Theses

Background: Global health financing has historically prioritized disease-specific “vertical” programs over broader “horizontal” strengthening of general health systems. Vertical programs in HIV have led to unprecedented reductions in mortality worldwide, but HIV remains a significant public health threat in sub-Saharan Africa, where vertical strategies have long been criticized for creating fragmented health systems. In response, global health strategies have shifted towards combining vertical investments with broader horizontal activities, commonly referred to as “diagonal” programming. While evidence suggests that diagonal programming has the potential to create more resilient and sustainable health systems, evaluating its value for money is challenging due to …

The Digital Rentier State: Saudi Arabia, George Ngoh

Master in Public Policy Theses

As artificial intelligence reshapes Great Power Competition, control over digital infrastructure has become a key measure of global hegemony. In this context, Saudi Arabia is using its Vision 2030 strategy to pivot from traditional hydrocarbon reliance toward diversification into the AI and emerging technology sector, seeking to secure a position of power in an increasingly multipolar world.

This thesis analyzes whether Saudi Arabia’s AI investments signal a transition away from traditional resource rentierism or the creation of a new digital rentier model. Through primary and secondary research, this study argues that the Kingdom is establishing a sustainable pathway toward a …

Economic Drivers Of International Migration To Türkiye: A Regional Comparison Study, Bekir Gündoğmuş, Musa Bayir, Ahmed Yusuf Sarihan

Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia

This study investigates the macroeconomic determinants of registered international migration to Türkiye by employing panel data regression techniques at the NUTS-2 regional level for the period 2016–2022. The results reveal that per capita income, employment, and the share of industry, services, and construction sectors in total production have a statistically significant and positive impact on migration inflows, while inflation exhibits a negative effect. However, agricultural production proportion and export performance do not appear to significantly influence regional migrant preferences. Causality tests further support the existence of both bidirectional and unidirectional relationships between economic indicators and migration. The findings underscore the …

From Chennai To Texas: Major League Cricket, Glocalization, And The Uber-Sport Assemblage, Glenn Houlihan

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

This article examines Major League Cricket (MLC), an American professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket franchise league which began in July 2023 with a sold-out match at Grand Prairie Stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas. The fans in attendance were predominantly immigrants from South Asia, a region where cricket is the dominant sport. MLC’s connection to South Asia, however, extends beyond domestic U.S. fandom, as four of the league’s six franchises are operated by Indian Premier League (IPL) teams. Here, the IPL is expanding operations into the U.S. market, leveraging the recognizable branding of the league’s teams to offer the nascent MLC a …

Acute And Chronic Oral Administration Of Cannabidiol-Dominant Cannabis Products: Sex- And Formulation-Dependent Effects On Anxiety-Like Behavioral Patterns In Rats, Carlos R. Maestas-Olguin

Psychology ETDs

Interest in the anxiolytic-like effects of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating phytocannabinoid found within the genus, Cannabis, has grown significantly in recent years. However, preclinical investigations of CBD’s anxiolytic potential often elect to forgo translationally relevant models that maximize external validity in favor of greater internal and mechanistic validity. As a result, the effects of relatively low dose (< 3mg/kg) oral CBD administration on anxiety-like behaviors are not yet fully characterized. The present studies examined the impact of two orally delivered CBD-dominant cannabis products – a “full-spectrum” formulation derived from the whole plant and a CBD isolate derived from the same chemovar – on innate defensive behaviors exhibited by adult male and female rats in various tests of anxiety. Results indicated that acute and chronic low dose oral CBD administration attenuated anxiety-like behavior in rats, regardless of sex or formulation. These findings extend the growing corpus of literature describing anxiolytic-like effects of CBD.

Examining Associations Between Socioecological Factors And Addiction Cycle Domains In Separate Community And Treatment- Seeking Samples, Kara Link

Psychology ETDs

The Addictions Neuroclinical Assessment (ANA) is a multimodal clinical assessment framework designed to capture the heterogeneity of addictive disorders and inform personalized treatment. The ANA is grounded in three neurofunctional domains aligned with the Koob and LeMoal addiction cycle stages: incentive salience (IS; binge/intoxication), negative emotionality (NE; withdrawal/negative affect), and executive function (EF; preoccupation/anticipation). In addition to these primary domains, the ANA also proposes ancillary assessment domains thought to be related to these neurofunctional domains. However, the ANA developers do not provide a rationale for including these ancillary measures in the framework nor hypothesize about their relevance to the ANA …