Digital Commons Network^™

“I Did Not Come Back The Same”: Implications Of A Study Abroad Basic Communication Course, Kristen L. Farris, Andrea Avila, Lauren Green, Michael Burns, Marian L. Houser

Basic Communication Course Annual

The goal of this case study was to explore students’ experiences in a study abroad program of the basic communication course. Thirty-six students enrolled in a study abroad program in the summer of 2023 participated in focus groups tasked to understand more about students’ challenges and learning outcomes. Results from our study suggest students’ significant takeaways from the study abroad experience were their personal growth through improved communication skills and cultural appreciation via expanded worldviews. The findings also suggest these students experienced challenges including language barriers and nonverbal behavioral differences as well as initial negative expectations of intercultural interactions. However, …

From Public Speaking To Multimodal Communication: A Reevaluation Of The Basic Communication Course, Stephanie Medden, Brian Myers, Kristin Roberts-Raymond, Maik Stanitzke

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article contributes to ongoing discussions regarding the evolution of the basic communication course. The authors detail the multi-year process of redesigning their institution's basic communication course, now centered on multimodal communication, and share insights from its implementation. Emphasizing the need to respond to increased cultural and linguistic diversity, a high prevalence of speaking anxiety, and the need to development multimodal communication competencies, the course redesign underscores the necessity for communication educators to adapt proactively to changing cultural, educational, and professional landscapes. Drawing from data collected through faculty and student surveys and focus groups, the authors highlight how incorporating linguistic …

Editor's Page, Angela M. Hosek

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Climate Shocks And State Formation: The 1970 Bhola Cyclone And The Birth Of Bangladesh, Sultan Mehmood, Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak

Discussion Papers

State formation through secession often requires two critical steps: building mass support for independence, and engaging in violent conflict against a state resisting territorial loss. Combining satellite data with archival sources, we statistically document how exposure to the 1970 Bhola cyclone in East Pakistan which killed 350,000 people led to a rise in separatist sentiments expressed in voting booths, and later induced citizens to take up arms against the government and engage in guerrilla warfare. We identify the cyclone as a focal point that helped galvanize dispersed separatist sentiments into an organized political movement and war, in part by revealing …

Criteria For Rejecting Ideas In African Philosophy : A Historical And Epistemological Analysis, Eric C. Mgalula

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

The rejection of African ideas remains a pivotal debate in African philosophy, centring on tensions between universalist epistemologies and culturally specific criteria. This study synthesizes fragmented discussions into a cohesive framework, interrogating when and why African ideas may be deemed inadequate. It critiques contemporary African scholarship that rigidly adheres to indigenous traditions under decolonial and nationalist imperatives, advocating instead for a balanced approach that harmonizes intellectual rigor with cultural authenticity. Through a historical analysis of key thinkers—from Tempels and Hountondji to Wiredu and Oyewumí—this article historicizes the evolution of evaluative criteria in African philosophy, challenging colonial legacies and romanticized traditionalism. …

Mediation Partiality And The East African Community’S ‘Quiet Diplomacy’ In The Kenyan Post-Election Crisis Of 2007/2008, Rasul A. Minja

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

This article examines the role of East African Community (EAC) in mediating the 2007/2008 Kenyan post-election crisis, analysing its engagement in regional conflict resolution. Despite its mandate to promote peace, the EAC's response was constrained by institutional weaknesses, political dynamics, and reliance on quiet diplomacy. The African Union-backed Panel of Eminent African Personalities, led by Kofi Annan, ultimately led the mediation, sidelining the EAC. Through the analysis of primary and secondary sources, the article indicates that EAC lacked a binding conflict management framework and faced decision-making delays that hindered swift intervention. The partiality of key figures, particularly President Yoweri Museveni …

Jonathan M Jackson, Visions For An African Valley: Histories Of Development In Kilombero, Tanzania Since 1877., Emanuel L. Mchome

Zamani: A Journal of African Historical Studies

Research on the history of colonial development and future-making in Tanzania has focused on the racial and class politics that influenced development visions and practices. Studies of postcolonial development history have demonstrated how state leaders and their ideologies shaped nation-building trajectories. Notwithstanding of the temporal dynamics, scholars have analysed how the flow of finance and technical assistance reveals intertwined global forces such as nationalism and the Cold War, and how foreign development assistance shaped development in Tanzania. Visions for an African Valley moves beyond this conventional analysis. Instead of employing ideological lenses in analysis, it specifically examines how colonial and …

A Discussion Of Community: An Ethnography Of Designing Asynchronous Video Discussions To Reveal Student Perceptions Of Digital Presence In Online Learning, Chad S. Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods digital ethnography investigates how video-based discussions (VBD) influence community building in asynchronous graduate education. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this study looks at student experiences in a History of Higher Education class where traditional text-based discussions were replaced with video presentations and peer responses. The research explores how video discussions affect students' sense of presence, how video presence impacts engagement patterns, and which multimedia elements contribute to community development.

Data collection included semi-structured interviews with students and instructors, LMS analytics, video content analysis, and ethnographic observation throughout Spring 2024. Analysis revealed a notable disconnect between traditional …

Safely Exploring Novel Actions In Recommender Systems Via Deployment-Efficient Policy Learning, Haruka Kiyohara, Yusuke Narita, Yuta Saito, Kei Tateno, Takuma Udagawa

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In many real recommender systems, novel items are added frequently over time. The importance of sufficiently presenting novel actions has widely been acknowledged for improving long-term user engagement. A recent work builds on Off-Policy Learning (OPL), which trains a policy from only logged data, however, the existing methods can be unsafe in the presence of novel actions. Our goal is to develop a framework to enforce exploration of novel actions with a guarantee for safety. To this end, we first develop Safe Off-Policy Policy Gradient (Safe OPG), which is a model-free safe OPL method based on a high confidence off-policy …

The Uncanny, The October 7 Massacre, And The Folktale “The Wolf And The Kids” (Atu 123), Ravit Raufman

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Following Freud’s claim that folktales do not necessarily evoke uncanny experiences, this essay presents a case in which a folktale brought to life in the form of real-world events evokes uncanny experiences. The essay examines testimonies from the October 7 events in light of the folktale identified as “The Wolf and the Kids” (ATU 123) and proposes that beyond the horrors that occurred in the massacre, the comparative discussion reveals an additional level of terror, related to the way fairy tale experiences take on flesh and bone.

“Holy Trash” And The Tears Of The Deceased: The Emotional Role Of Genizot For The Jewish Communities Of Central Europe, Nathanael Riemer

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

Since the 1980s, more than seventy genizot (Heb., repositories) have been rediscovered in former synagogues of Central Europe. A genizah is a room in or near a synagogue where damaged, discarded, or heretical texts and sacred relics are stored. This essay examines where, when, and why genizot developed in Central Europe. It also analyzes the emotional significance of the genizot for their respective communities. Historical and literary sources show that genizot were placed in the synagogue attics of Jewish metropolises from the seventeenth century at the latest and were usually not ritually buried. Smaller communities in rural regions adopted this …

Theorizing Rabbinic Folklore: The Miraculous Sleep Of The Holy Man, Gal Sela

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

The miraculous sleep (ATU 766) is a well-known, recurring tale-type observed in Abrahamic folktales since the Second Temple period. This study compares variants of ATU 766 on three levels of analysis: as a popular tale in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim writings from late antiquity and early medieval times; as a Jewish rendition; and as a multiple tale-type in rabbinic literature. The analysis engages with Dan Ben-Amos’s critical work concerning the use of syntactic methods in folklore studies to analyze Midrash and Aggadah. The essay offers a new theoretical perspective on rabbinic folklore using the notions of tale-type, ecotype, …

Editorial: Jewish Cultural Scholarship And Scholars—And Their Institutions—Under Duress, Simon J. Bronner, Amy K. Milligan, Tsafi Sebba-Elran

Jewish Folklore and Ethnology

The editors of Jewish Folklore and Ethnology (JFE) express concern about intimidation and estrangement of Israeli and Jewish professors in the international academic community after the surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The editors point out that these types of hurtful antisemitic incidents against Israeli and Jewish academics preceded the attack, and they call on their colleagues and administrators to voice their outrage at the harassment, boycotts, and violence against Israeli and Jewish academics in addition to the suppression of Jewish studies, and their adverse effects on scholarship as well as Jewish students and their …

Developing Civic Competence With Educative Curriculum Materials Featuring A Historical Photograph Of Antarctica, Cory Callahan

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Here the author advocates for an innovative teaching approach synthesizing three research-based, instructional strategies: promoting civic competence within international and global contexts, planning with educative curriculum materials, and exploring historical photographs for higher-order thinking. He traces the crafting of an exemplary lesson through this approach and discusses its underpinning rationale. The lesson helps students and teachers think deeply about land claims and resource disputes in Antarctica while addressing a persistent value conflict throughout history: balancing national sovereignty and international law. A teacher-friendly narrative constitutes the lesson plan; however, it is not teacher-proof, as teachers are encouraged to make instructional decisions …

A Deep Dive Into The Nazis’ Animal World: Facilitating The Holocaust Through Symbolization, Filippa V. Frogner

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

This paper examines the use of animal symbolism in Nazi propaganda as a tool to dehumanize Jewish individuals and facilitate the Holocaust. Through an analysis of propaganda posters, films, and literature, it highlights how Jews were consistently depicted as animals such as rats, cockroaches, and monkeys—symbols associated with filth, disease, and inferiority. These portrayals, often reinforced by explicit textual messages, stripped Jews of their humanity and encouraged widespread acceptance of their persecution and extermination.

By exploring the methods, extent, and consequences of this dehumanizing propaganda, the paper sheds light on the critical role of animal symbolism in shaping public perception …

Diverse Presentations Of Aphasia: A Comparative Analysis Of Polysynthetic And Analytic Languages Through Kanien'keha (Mohawk) And English Morphology And Syntax, Halle L. Elder

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

This paper looks to compare two linguistically diverse languages, English and Kanien'keha, a native American language commonly known as Mohawk. The comparison will revolve around the morphology and syntax typologies of these two languages. In addition to the morphological and syntactic comparison, I will discuss how aphasia presents itself in different language typologies, placing this comparison onto English and Kanien'keha. The research questions I look to answer are: How does word formation and sentence structure differ between English and Kanien'kéha? Does aphasia present differently in analytic and polysynthetic languages like English and Kanien'kéha? The morphological data and syntactic data are …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Everyday Norms Have Become More Permissive Over Time And Vary Across Cultures, Kimmo Eriksson, Pontus Strimling, Irina Vartanova, Brent Simpson, Minna Persson, Khalid Ahmed Abdi, Neta Ad, Alisher Aldashev, Habib Mohammad Ali, Maurizio Alì, Khatai Aliyev, Yasser M. Alrefaee, Alberth Estuardo Alvarado Ortiz, Per A. Andersson, Giulia Andrighetto, Gizem Arikan, John Jamir Aruta, Christian Lutete Ayikwa, Jonatan Baños-Chaparro, Davide Barrera, Justina Barsyte, Birzhan Batkeyev, Azma Batool, Elizaveta Berezina, Stéphanie Ngandu Bimina, Marie Björnstjerna, Sheyla Blumen

Faculty Publications

Every social situation that people encounter in their daily lives comes with a set of unwritten rules about what behavior is considered appropriate or inappropriate. These everyday norms can vary across societies: some societies may have more permissive norms in general or for certain behaviors, or for certain behaviors in specific situations. In a preregistered survey of 25,422 participants across 90 societies, we map societal differences in 150 everyday norms and show that they can be explained by how societies prioritize individualizing moral foundations such as care and liberty versus binding moral foundations such as purity. Specifically, societies with more …

Engagement By Design: Belongingness, Cultural Value Orientations, And Pathways Into Emerging Technologies, Daisuke Akiba, Michael Perrone, Caterina Almendral, Rebecca Garte

Publications and Research

This theoretical article examines how belongingness, defined as the sense that one’s participation is legitimate and valued, interacts with cultural value orientations to help explain persistent disparities in U.S. technology engagement, including emerging technologies, across racial and ethnic groups. While structural barriers (e.g., racism, poverty, linguistic bias, etc.) remain essential to understanding such inequity, we argue that engagement patterns in technology also reflect how different cultural communities may define and experience belongingness in relation to digital domains. Drawing on Triandis and Gelfand’s framework, and focusing specifically on educational contexts, we propose the Belongingness through Cultural Value Alignment (BCVA) model, whereby …

Evaluation Of Pre-Hajj Multimedia Training Tools: A Case Study Of Prospective Australian Pilgrims, Kholoud M. Munshi, Mustapha Taibi Dr., Kate Richards Ms., Khushnoor Khan Mr.

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Every year, millions of Muslim pilgrims gather in Makkah (Saudi Arabia) for Hajj. These pilgrims come from different parts of the world, with diverse language and cultural backgrounds. Managing such a large and diverse congregation for a successful completion of Hajj requires effective planning, which depends on two important antecedents—knowing the background information of the pilgrims and developing effective pre-Hajj training tools for dissemination of Hajj information for non-Arabic speaking pilgrims. This study evaluates the perceptions of potential Hajj pilgrims regarding community translation usability (CTX) and medium usability (MX) of two existing pre-Hajj media tools developed by Mnask Academy (Booklet …

The Current - Volume 36 Issue 3, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Employee Green Behavior And Employee Green Attitude Among Muslims In Indonesia, Kurnia Sari Kasmiarno, Mahjus Ekananda, Gina Destrianti Karmanto

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

In a Muslim majority, developing country like Indonesia, religion shapes employees’ work ethic and professional behavior, embedding spiritual and cultural values into the workplace. Despite the increasing attention to pro-environmental behavior, previous studies have largely examined Green Human Resource Management (GHRM), religiosity, and environmental concern separately, often focusing on a single sector. This leaves employees from various occupational backgrounds underexplored. This study aims to examine the effects of Green Concern (GC), Green Motivation (M), GHRM, and Religiosity (REL) on Employee Green Behavior (EGB) and Employee Green Attitude (EGA) of Muslim employees in Indonesia. Data were collected through a quantitative survey …

Green Human Resource Management, Employee Behavior, And Organizational Innovation: A Multi-Theoretic Pathway To Sustainable Competitiveness, Iwan Perwira, Hernita Hernita, Suardi Suardi, Andi Tenry Sose, Muhammad Azizurrohman

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

As sustainability imperatives reshape global tourism, this study investigates how Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) practices can serve as strategic levers for driving sustainability performance and competitive advantage within Indonesia’s tourism sector. Amid rising environmental expectations and regulatory mandates, the research integrates Social Learning Theory, the Resource-Based View, and Institutional Theory to construct and test a model that links top management support, green organizational culture, and regulatory pressure to GHRM adoption. Using a cross-sectional survey of 510 employees and managers across eco-certified tourism firms in five Indonesian destinations, the study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze …

Visual Literacy, English Learners, And The Slider, Kristin Lems

Faculty Publications

The article looks at some of the ways “degrees of intensity” can be taught and practiced with visual supports such as sliders, graphs, or emojis, with a focus on English learners of all ages.

The Teaching Librarian's Role In College Reading, Lori Spradley

The Southeastern Librarian

Reading is an essential function for everything people learn. The main goal of reading is for readers to interpret, comprehend, and receive meaning from the text. Academic reading differs from standard reading. It is a complex form implemented throughout all subjects in higher educational institutions. Academic reading involves a detailed and critical approach, whereas standard reading is casual and typically involves briefly skimming over information. Students entering college are often unprepared to comprehend the complicated reading materials and manage the heavy reading load required for their class assignments. To be successful in college, students must understand different terminology and styles …

The Changing Roles Of Women In Amazigh Heritage Preservation In Agadir, Madeleine Hunt

Morocco: Human Rights, Social Justice, and Cultural Transformation

Amazigh culture in Morocco has frequently been conceptualized as a rural phenomenon due to the repression of  “Amazighness” in urban settings. However, Agadir, a Southern city boasting a rich Amazigh cultural life where public symbols of Indigenous identity flourish, offers a challenge to this dichotomy. This is especially true following the King’s recognition of Amazigh national heritage, the establishment of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, and the officialization of the Tamazight language, recent changes which have increasingly propelled Amazigh culture into the public and urban spheres. While past scholarship has emphasized the role of rural women as guardians of …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacebuilding From The Diaspora, Elena B, Stavrevska, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, Kay Soe, Briana Mawby, Carolyne Komen

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Diaspora communities have long played critical roles in peacebuilding efforts in their countries of origin, yet the contributions of women within these communities remain significantly underexplored and underappreciated. This report seeks to address this gap by focusing on the unique roles, challenges and contributions of women in diaspora-led peacebuilding initiatives. Women in the diaspora — often navigating complex identities and facing distinct challenges — are vital actors in promoting peace, reconciliation and social change in their homelands.

Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, research interviews, and detailed case studies, this report provides a nuanced understanding of how diaspora women …

Creating Intergenerational Connections: A Multilevel Approach For Enriching Lives And Addressing Vital Community Issues, Matthew S. Kaplan, Nancy Z. Henkin

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This article presents an overview of intergenerational programs and practices as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry and practice that fosters open communication, support, and civic engagement across generations. Numerous examples of how intergenerational programs and practices harness age diversity to improve the human condition are presented. This includes initiatives to promote healthier lifestyles, reduce social isolation and loneliness, strengthen families, enrich education and lifelong learning, enhance community quality of life, and transmit cherished cultural traditions and values. This article highlights Extension’s longstanding contributions to intergenerational programming, showcasing notable examples across program areas and exploring opportunities for deeper engagement, co-leadership, and …

Research On Identification And Evaluation Method Of Medical Experts' Expertise Domains In Online Health Community Based On Knowledge Graph, Yunjiang Xi, Qian Zhang, Man Li, Juan Yu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This study aims to identify the expertise domains of medical experts, and evaluates their domain levels to provide a basis for community expert recommendation.

[Method/process] This study utilized the improved OneRel model to structure community historical Q&A into entity relation triples. Then used the knowledge graph triples to test the consistency between the medical knowledge in the community Q&A and the domain knowledge, and finally obtained the doctor's domain levels by aggregating in each expertise domain.

[Result/conclusion] Using the data example from xywy.com website, 214 doctors in the community were ranked in terms of their average level of expertise …

Libraries And Human Trafficking: A Study Of New Jersey’S Public And Academic Library Engagement In Anti-Trafficking Efforts, Christabelle Robinson, Daniela Peterka-Benton

Articles, Presentations, and Reports

This study, conducted through the Global Center on Human Trafficking, explores the underexamined role of public and academic libraries in addressing human trafficking across the state of New Jersey. Despite limited formal guidance on their role in anti-trafficking efforts, libraries are increasingly acting as informal hubs for access to resources, education, and social service referrals. Through a statewide survey and qualitative responses from library professionals, this research examines how libraries are currently engaging in training, social work partnerships, programming, and public awareness initiatives. Findings reveal that while only a small percentage of libraries have received formal training, there is widespread …