Digital Commons Network^™

Comparing Consent Culture: Are Kinky People More Concerned About Consent?, Hannah Tarleton

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The BDSM community has become an increasingly popular subject of study in relation to consent culture; however, the bulk of this research has been qualitative and lacks comparison to non-BDSM practitioners. The theory of planned behavior was used to design a measure comparing consent culture across 668 BDSM practitioners and non-practitioners. As predicted, the relationships specified by theory of planned behavior was replicated for both BDSM practitioners and nonpractitioners. Contrary to predictions, no significant differences were found between BDSM practitioners and non-practitioners for norms or behavioral intentions; however, BDSM practitioners reported significantly higher perceived behavioral control. Within the BDSM community, …

Book Banning Bureaucrats: Grassroots Parents’ Groups Strategic Rationalization Of Book Bans In The 2020s, Ethan M. Forsberg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Book bans in the 2020s have seen a dramatic increase across the United States, with a major contributing factor being Social Movement Organizations (SMO) led by parents. My research looks at these parents' rights SMOs’ online presence through their social media and websites by analyzing the frames, counter frames, and realignments in regard to the 2020s book ban issue. Through a content analysis of three prominent parent rights SMOs (Moms for America, Defending Education, Moms for Liberty), I collected and analyzed data from their X, Facebook, YouTube, and respective websites. Coding the data using grounded and visual grounded theory, I …

Operationalizing Cyber-Routine Activities Theory For Senior Cybercrime Prevention: An Evaluation Of The Shield Training-The-Trainer Program, Kyung-Shick Choi, Insun Park, Mijin Kim, Ji Yae Bong

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Older adults face growing risks of cyber-enabled fraud, yet scalable, evidence-based prevention programs remain limited. Guided by Cyber-Routine Activities Theory (Cyber-RAT), this study evaluates the pilot implementation of the Seniors Harnessing Internet Education for Lasting Defense (SHIELD) Training-the-Trainer program, designed to prepare law enforcement officers and community leaders to deliver cybercrime prevention education to older adults. A key innovation of SHIELD is its integration of interactive game-based simulations, which allow participants to practice verification, refusal, and reporting behaviors in realistic cybercrime scenarios. Following the December 2025 pilot session in Boston, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants from law enforcement, …

Vishing And Smishing Perpetrators And Their Victims In Nigerian Slums, Lateef J. Adeyemo, Tirimisiyu Y. Olabulo, Idenyi G. Peter

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

This study investigates the personal accounts of both perpetrators and victims to better understand the techniques and strategies used in vishing and smishing schemes. It adopts a qualitative cross-sectional design across three Lagos slums (Ajegunle, Amukoko, and Ijora-Badia), using snowball sampling to recruit 20 victims and 10 perpetrators for in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that perpetrators impersonate trusted entities using low-tech tools (pre-registered SIMs, bulk SMS apps) to exploit trust. Selective morality emerges among offenders, with some repaying known victims due to guilt while exploiting strangers, alongside a mentorship culture where experienced scammers train newcomers. Poverty and peer influence normalize the …

From Authorization To Loss: A Blockchain Forensic Analysis Of Transaction-Level Mechanisms In Cryptocurrency Airdrop Scams, Chanwoo Shin, Kyung-Shick Choi

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Cryptocurrency airdrop scams have emerged as a rapidly growing form of cyber-enabled financial crime, yet remain underexplored in empirical research. This study examines how transaction-level mechanisms and offender strategies influence variation in monetary loss in airdrop scam incidents. Grounded in Cyber-Routine Activities Theory (Cyber-RAT), the study conceptualizes financial harm as occurring within decentralized environments where users’ online behaviors, particularly transaction authorization, intersect with limited digital capable guardianship. Data were drawn from 112 validated airdrop scam cases reported on Chainabuse.com between January and December 2025. Blockchain forensic analysis using Breadcrumbs was conducted to reconstruct transaction pathways, identify exchange interactions, and detect …

The Gender Binary And Its Effects On Athletes And Society At Large As Described In Newspaper Accounts Of Competitors In The Summer 2024 Olympics, Neo Zheng

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this paper is to look at the impact of gendered language and gender rhetoric on the continued social maintenance of gender, especially as it relates to athletes. This project focuses on the patterns that arise in language of news articles on two female athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics who are accused of being transgender or male, shedding light on how media outlets talk about the topic of gender in athletes specifically, and society itself more generally.

Design Considerations For Development Of A Youth Advisory Board, Michelle I. Graef, Penny Putnam Collins

Center on Children, Families, and the Law (and Related Organizations): Publications

This guide provides an overview of youth advisory board (YAB) design components. The guide is organized around key design components, with examples from States across the country to illustrate different approaches. A range of examples are provided that highlight diverse and instructive models of the various ways YABs have been structured. Each section describes approaches that states have used in practice, offering jurisdictions a menu of options to consider when developing or strengthening their own YABs. Descriptive information about state YABs was gathered through interviews conducted with state YAB administrators and contractors from 8 states, conducted from October–December 2024. Examples …

Front Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Folk Devil Construction In The Symbolic Space Of The City (A Study Of Klitih In The City Of Yogyakarta), Iqrak Sulhin, Chisa Belinda Harahap

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Yogyakarta is widely recognized as a city of culture and education, a symbolic identity institutionalized through historical narratives, political discourse, and cultural policy. The emergence of klitih—a term originally denoting aimless wandering but now associated with youth-perpetrated street violence—has challenged this image and generated intense public concern. While existing studies primarily explain klitih through causal factors such as peer influence, family supervision, and socio-economic conditions, this article shifts attention to the discursive construction of the phenomenon. Drawing on a constructionist approach and informed by cultural criminology and moral panic theory, the study analyses semi-structured interviews with government officials, law …

Institutional Constraints On Investigative Oversight: Accountability And Governance Of The Investigation Supervision Bureau (Biro Pengawas Penyidikan) Of The Indonesian National Police, Mastalina Sinaga, Dhiajeng Prativi

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Investigative professionalism constitutes a fundamental pillar of the criminal justice system; however, its realization is frequently constrained by institutional design and procedural limitations within oversight mechanisms. This article examines the role of the Investigation Supervision Bureau (Biro Pengawas Penyidikan (Birowassidik)) of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Badan Reserse Kriminal (Bareskrim)) of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) in handling public complaints related to investigative performance. Rather than presuming the existence of a unified ‘Code of Silence’, this study adopts a qualitative critical analysis to assess the structural and procedural constraints inherent in Birowassidik’s mandate as a complaint-based supervisory institution. The analysis demonstrates …

Structural Negligence And State Harm In Public Safety: The Kelingking Beach Case, Louis O. Wijaya

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Kelingking Beach in Nusa Penida, Bali, is a highly promoted tourist destination that has been repeatedly associated with serious injuries and fatalities. Despite well-known hazards, incidents continue to occur, raising concerns about public safety governance at natural tourism sites. This study adopts a qualitative case study approach using media reports, policy statements, scientific studies on coastal risk management, and official tourism safety communications. Data were analyzed thematically to identify patterns of risk recognition, safety intervention, and institutional response. The findings reveal a recurring pattern of fatal and serious incidents at Kelingking Beach. Risk management has primarily relied on ambiguous signage, …

Analyzing Modern Scam Typologies: From Pig-Butchering And Nigerian Advance-Fee Fraud To Crypto Airdrop Schemes, Katalin Parti, Sinyong Choi, Thomas Dearden

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

Rapid advancements in digital infrastructure and decentralized networks have fundamentally altered the nature of contemporary cybercrime, making comprehensive empirical and technical analysis more crucial than ever. To address these challenges, this editorial summarizes the research contributions featured in this issue of the International Jour nal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime. The included papers examine the structural on-chain dynamics of sanctioned pig-butchering operations, the representational production and AI-driven evolution of the “Nigerian scam” label, the critical transaction-authorization factors driving losses in crypto airdrop schemes, and the optimization of sentence-transformer models for automated Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) alert enrichment. Together, these …

Three-Tier On-Chain Transaction Architecture In A Sanctions-Linked Pig-Butchering Network: A Blockchain-Forensics Case Study, Matthew Stern, Kyung-Shick Choi

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

n October 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 29 Bitcoin addresses asso ciated with the Prince Group and Chen Zhi, providing an opportunity to examine the internal on-chain structure of a sanctions-linked pig-butchering network. This blockchain-forensics case study analyzes the group of 29 addresses using blockchain tracing, cross-plat form attribution checks across multiple commercial analytics platforms, exposure screening, and thematic analysis of transaction be havior. Because the case rests on OFAC designations and DOJ allegations, the traced flows are interpreted as patterns consistent with suspected laundering rather than adjudicated crimes; no fiat …

Attribution Post ‘Aura’ Loss: A Qualitative Discourse Analysis Of The Nigerian Scam Label And Fraud Attribution, Emaediong Akpan

International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime

In this essay, I employ qualitative discourse analysis of eleven purposively selected literature to examine how “Nigerian scam” became an established yet detached signifier of advance-fee fraud in global discourse. I do not treat this association as a reflection of offender identity or national inclination. Instead, the analysis traces how attribution is produced through representational repetition, institu tional uptake, and the circulation of familiar narrative cues. Using qualitative discourse analysis and an interpretive approach, this paper distinguishes among the socio-technical conditions that enable fraud, the institutional processes that stabilize attribution, and the semiotic dynamics through which national categories acquire durability. …

Inclusive Psychology Pedagogy Is Linked To Increased Belonging And Reduced Prejudice Toward Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships, Rose Bern, Rachel Dinero, Kate Linenbach, Amy Moors

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Students enrolled in an elective psychology course entitled Relationship Science, which emphasized inclusive curricula focused on relationship diversity, completed pre- and postcourse assessments of attitudes toward consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships, relationship skills (e.g., constructive communication), and classroom belonging. Given the established literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+-inclusive pedagogy, attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ individuals were also measured. Comparisons of pre- and postcourse assessments revealed significant reductions in stigma toward individuals engaged in CNM, alongside increased acceptance of CNM relationships more broadly. Students also reported increases in relationship skills and classroom belonging over the course of the …

East To West: Cultural Attitudes And The Perceptions Of Death, Hannah F. Ahmed

UROP Posters

Death is a universal human experience, but cultures teach people to interpret it in different ways. These interpretations influence how individuals understand dying, how they cope with loss, what support looks like, and what meaning death makes in their lives. Eastern, spiritual, and religious traditions emphasize death as a natural transition or return to divinity rather than an endpoint, and as something one must prepare for. In these contexts, people often grow up hearing stories, prayers, and teachings that situate death within a broader journey. Because of this, death becomes something familiar and speakable rather than distant or frightening (Naderi-Afif …

The Limits Of Daca: Affordability- And Access-Related Barriers To Health Professions Education, Nicole Perez, Laura Hirshfield

Journal of College Access

The U.S. is currently facing a shortage of health professionals from underrepresented backgrounds. One potential pathway to decrease this shortage is through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a policy that provides temporary relief from deportation for individuals who migrated to the U.S. before age 16. This study, using 15 life-history narrative interviews, investigates the experiences of Latinx young adults who were pursuing health professions education or working as health professionals. Nine of the participants were DACA recipients, while the remaining six were second-generation (i.e., children of immigrants). An iterative, inductive approach to data analysis was used to …

Lgbtq People's Experiences With Crime, Victimization, And The Criminal Legal System, Vanessa R. Panfil

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The ebb and flow of social control efforts aimed at LGBTQ people necessitate a thorough investigation into their experiences. This review of the literature is organized around four key themes that characterize LGBTQ people's experiences with crime, criminalization, victimization, and the criminal legal system—including police, courts, and carceral facilities. LGBTQ people experience excessive rates of arrest and incarceration and have higher rates of victimization, which illustrate disproportionality. Their experiences differ from those of their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts and are conditioned by age, race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, illustrating intersectionality. The two primary, interrelated mechanisms driving LGBTQ criminalization and …

Revisiting The Rural Folk Devil: Rural 'Othering' And The Connections Between Media Stereotypes And Rural Issues, Brooke Baker, Ida L. Oesteraas, Stephen T. Young, Elizabeth Monk-Turner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The current study is a discourse analysis investigating anti-idyllic cinematic representations, specifically in the horror genre, of rural people, places, and cultures. Findings reveal that anti-idyllic images and discourses are prominent within recently released horror films, which rely heavily on framing rural people as the deviant “other.” Special attention is given to the cultural work of these stereotypical depictions and the associated social harms for rural communities. Specifically, we argue that (1) corporations, particularly film companies, contribute to social harm in rural areas by disseminating negative and anti-idyllic representations; (2) these portrayals have tangible and detrimental effects on both people …

Understanding Homicide Dynamics: The Role Of Victim-Offender Relationships And The Event Circumstances Across Demographic Groups, Avdi S. Avdija, Christian W. Gallagher, Devere D. Woods Jr., Arif Akgul

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study investigates how the victim-offender relationship relates to the circumstances under which homicides occur, with the main focus on variations within gender, race, and age categories. To achieve these research objectives, we analyzed over forty years of data from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports (1976-2017), reported by the U.S. Law Enforcement Agencies. The findings that emerged in this study show that offenders are more likely to kill victims of the same gender when taking into account the victim-offender relationships. Furthermore, this study shows that black offenders are more likely to kill acquaintances and intimate partners whereas white offender demonstrated …

Impact Of Instagram Flyers In Higher Education: Within Resident Assistant Program Attendance Marketing, Mary J. Mcdonald

Liberal Studies (MA) Final Essays

This exploratory pilot study examines whether posting Instagram digital flyers affects Resident Assistant (RA) program attendance in the higher-education Housing and Residence Life (HRL) context. Instagram has emerged as a dominant channel of communication among Generation Z (1997-2012). As a result, higher education institutions have increasingly used social media to prompt student engagement and foster belonging, in hopes of strengthening retention. Using a quasi-experimental matched comparison design, attendance data from the 2024 academic year without Instagram flyers were compared to the 2025 academic year with Instagram flyers. The independent variable was the implementation of Instagram digital flyers, and the dependent …

Smu Launches Resilient Workforces Institute To Strengthen Singapore’S Workforce In The Age Of Ai, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

Singapore Management University (SMU) announced the launch of the Resilient Workforces Institute (ResWORK), a new university-level research institute advancing workforce resilience and lifelong learning amid accelerating technological change. It is among the first institutes in Singapore and the region to jointly study adult-learning and the future of work through an integrated, interdisciplinary lens spanning economics, management, behavioural science and technology.

Validation Of The Touch/Bonding Sense Of The Five Senses Model Of Intimacy As A Spiritually Based Whole-Person Lifestyle Approach To Intimacy In Dating And Marital Relationships, Karen J. Holland

Dissertations

Problem

Intimacy is in crisis and is being culturally defined and redefined through a number of influencing factors. These include the ongoing development of individualist and narcissistic relationships; the fragmentation of human wholeness; the influence of social media and an increasingly entertainment focused society; the permeation of technology influencing personal choice and lifestyle, including the use of generative AI; and the diminishing influence of Judeo-Christian principles and values as key drivers in the development of life-long marriage relationships. This study seeks to address the need for establishing a foundation for relational intimacy based on the biblical relationship demonstrated by God’s …

The Influence Of Black African American Fathers’ Parenting Styles On Young Adult Children’S Attachment Styles: The Roles Of Gender And Fathers’ Residence, Robert Baptiste Thompson

Dissertations

Parenting

Black African American (BAA) fathers in the United States are frequently mischaracterized as absent or uninvolved, reinforcing deficit-based narratives rooted in historical and systemic racism. Such portrayals obscure the meaningful and sustained roles many BAA fathers play in their families and fail to account for the cultural, structural, and contextual conditions that shape paternal involvement and parenting practices. Although a growing body of research has documented the importance of father involvement for child development, comparatively limited empirical attention has been given to how BAA fathers’ parenting styles influence their children’s attachment—particularly as a function of fathers’ co-residency histories. This …

Financial Literacy And Inclusion Of Philippine Jeepney And Tricycle Drivers, Bryan N. Bernabe, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

The study investigated how the different elements of financial literacy influence the financial inclusion of jeepney and tricycle drivers in Caloocan, Metro Manila. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between financial inclusion and attitude, behavior, knowledge, and skills. Additionally, analysis of variance highlighted that education and age play significant roles in enhancing financial literacy. The linear regression findings also supported the idea that income acts as a positive moderator, augmenting the impact of financial literacy on financial inclusion. The study attempted to disaggregate its financial literacy components to understand their impact on financial inclusion, but its interrelationships also require …

Brief #2: Collaborative Aggregation & Marketing Of Local Farm Food: A Qualitative Analysis Of Customer Relations Strategies, Evan England, Rachel Filippone, Hannah Stokes-Ramos, Cindy (Luyue) Zheng, Olivia Burton, Analena B. Bruce

Food Practice Research

No abstract provided.

At The Crossroads Of Law And Society: Understanding The World Of Immigration Attorneys., Elvis Ariri

Senior Independent Study Theses

This independent study examines the professional experiences of immigration attorneys working with immigrant clients in the United States. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews, the research explores how immigration law operates in practice, emphasizing systemic complexity, administrative delay, and discretionary decision-making. Findings reveal that attorneys navigate a fragmented legal framework shaped by shifting policies, inconsistent adjudication, and high emotional stakes. Beyond technical expertise, immigration practice requires emotional resilience, ethical judgment, and strategic adaptability. By centering attorneys’ perspectives, this study highlights immigration law as a lived social system that structures belonging, exclusion, and stability, illuminating the gap between statutory intent and human consequence.

Challenges Of The Religious Leadership In The Era Of Digitalization And Information-Communication Technology: The Example Of North Macedonia And Serbia, Vesna Zabijakin Chatleska, Marijana Maksimovic, Ruzhica Cacanoska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Abstract

The rapid development of the digitalization and the information-communication technology resulted in their wider use in the everyday professional and personal life, via various forms of its manifestation, such as, social networks, podcasts and artificial intelligence. The willingness and the capability of the religious leaders to accept information and communication innovations, and to adjust them to the existing specific structure of the religious communities, presupposes a strategic re-thinking of the religious practices and the relations with the believers in the online space. New technologies have enabled simpler and faster communication in religious communities, but with the use of digital …

You Are Your Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams: A Journey Beyond The Lens Blueprinting The Influence And Impact Of Media And Podcast Pedagogy On Black And Brown Creatives In Higher Education And Beyond, Diamond N. Morgan Dr.

West Chester University Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Final Projects

Explores the influence and impact of media and podcast pedagogy on Black and Brown creatives (BBC) in higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), the Black Creative Educational Experience (BCEEs) framework, and the conceptual lenses of sociological and public podcasting, this study examines how podcasting functions as a transformative pedagogical and sociocultural tool for storytelling, identity development, creative expression, and community building within collegiate environments. Utilizing a convergent parallel mixed methods design, the study integrates quantitative survey data from 65 participants with qualitative focus group discussions to provide a holistic understanding of participant experiences across personal, professional, academic, social, …

Generation Z: Black Male Constructions Of Masculinity And Provider Roles In Heterosexual Marriages, Bentley Stafford Hylton

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores how expectations associated with the male provider role identity impact the psychological well-being of Black American Generation Z (“Gen Z”) men. Using a qualitative design, approximately 20 participants were surveyed to examine how efforts to meet provider role expectations influence well-being, as well as how Gen Z Black men construct and define masculinity within contemporary sociocultural contexts. While prior research has examined Black masculinity, limited attention has been given to its intersection with provider role expectations, particularly among emerging adults. Historically, messages about masculinity and marital roles have been transmitted through community institutions, leadership, and cultural narratives; …