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Full Issue, Comparative Civilizations Review Apr 2014

Full Issue, Comparative Civilizations Review

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

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Cost-Savings Achieved In Two Semesters Through The Adoption Of Open Educational Resources, John Hilton Iii, T. Jared Robinson, David Wiley, J. Dale Ackerman Apr 2014

Cost-Savings Achieved In Two Semesters Through The Adoption Of Open Educational Resources, John Hilton Iii, T. Jared Robinson, David Wiley, J. Dale Ackerman

Faculty Publications

Textbooks represent a significant portion of the overall cost of higher education in the United States. The burden of these costs is typically shouldered by students, those who support them, and the taxpayers who fund the grants and student loans which pay for textbooks. Open educational resources (OER) provide students a way to receive high-quality learning materials at little or no cost to students. We report on the cost savings achieved by students at eight colleges when these colleges began utilizing OER in place of traditional commercial textbooks.

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Stream Turbidity: A Variable To Co-Habitation Of Fish Predators And Prey?, Nicholas Davis, Dr. Ryan Jensen Mar 2014

Stream Turbidity: A Variable To Co-Habitation Of Fish Predators And Prey?, Nicholas Davis, Dr. Ryan Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Global bio-diversity is being threatened by many different factors. Most of this is man induced. One of these factors is the introduction of non-native organisms to new locations. One hypothesis that explains why some non-native invasive organisms are so successful is that the native organisms have not evolved strategies to effectively interact with the new organism’s strategy (e.g. competition, predation impacts). Essentially, they are unprepared to defend themselves or deal with the novel threat.

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Exploring The Retention Of Credit-Hour Value In Terms Of Workload For University Core Courses Taught In A Time-Compressed Format, Lyndell E. Lutes Mar 2014

Exploring The Retention Of Credit-Hour Value In Terms Of Workload For University Core Courses Taught In A Time-Compressed Format, Lyndell E. Lutes

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared the workload and value of work done outside of class reported by 3512 undergraduate students at Brigham Young University completing 16-week semester and 8-week term University Core (General Education and Religion) classes. Based on the results of this analysis, significant differences in workloads were found when comparing them by occasion (semester versus term). Significant differences were also found in workload and value of homework based on the autonomy of the instructors. On average, the workload difference by occasion equates to approximately 54 minutes more per week in a 3-credit semester course when compared to a term course. …

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Study Abroad As A Transformative Experience: Measuring Transformative Learning Phases And Outcomes, Garrett Anderson Stone Mar 2014

Study Abroad As A Transformative Experience: Measuring Transformative Learning Phases And Outcomes, Garrett Anderson Stone

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to verify Mezirow's (1978) Transformative Learning Theory as a model to explain how study abroad participation facilitates efforts to internationalize students in higher education. Specifically this study used block-entry, logistic and linear regression models to explore the relationship between transformative learning processes and study abroad outcomes. Data were collected from business students (N =107) at Brigham Young University using a retrospective pretest method. Findings indicated transformative learning was occurring in short term study abroad settings and transformative learning phases were related to increases in Intercultural Competence. These findings were consistent between year cohorts suggesting …

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An Analysis Of The Archaeological Work Of The Provo River Delta, Utah, Adrien Carole Mooney Mar 2014

An Analysis Of The Archaeological Work Of The Provo River Delta, Utah, Adrien Carole Mooney

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the 20th century, a significant amount of work was conducted at archaeological sites in Utah Valley dating to the Archaic, Fremont, and Late Prehistoric periods. Despite the amount of work conducted, very little has actually been reported in the past. As a result, very little has previously been known about either the prehistoric archaeology of the Provo River Delta area or the historic archaeological work that has taken place. This thesis presents a synthesis of historical work, a reanalysis of artifacts from previous excavations, and a review of extant documentation (including field notes, maps, and student reports) of several …

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On Man, On Nature, And On Human Life: William Knight's Life Of William Wordsworth And The Invention Of "Home At Grasmere", Patria Isabel Wright Mar 2014

On Man, On Nature, And On Human Life: William Knight's Life Of William Wordsworth And The Invention Of "Home At Grasmere", Patria Isabel Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Victorian scholar William Knight remains one of the most prolific Wordsworth scholars of the nineteenth century. His many publications helped establish Wordsworth's positive Victorian reputation that twentieth and twenty-first century scholars inherited. My particular focus is how Knight's 1889 inclusion of "Home at Grasmere" in his Life of William Wordsworth, rather than in his chronological sequencing of the poems, establishes a way to read the poem as a biographical artifact for his late-Victorian audience. Knight's detailed account of the poet's life, often told through letters and journal accounts, provides more contexts-including Dorothy's journal entries and correspondence of the early 1800s-to …

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A Maoli-Based Art Education: Ku'u Mau Kuamo'o 'Ōlelo, Raquel Malia Andrus Mar 2014

A Maoli-Based Art Education: Ku'u Mau Kuamo'o 'Ōlelo, Raquel Malia Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders in K-12 education in Hawai'i are increasingly advocating for and utilizing the culture and knowledge of the kānaka Maoli, the native people of these islands, as a context for learning in a variety of curricular disciplines and approaches (Benham & Heck, 1998; Kani'iaupuni, Ledward & Jensen, 2010; Kana'iaupuni & Malone, 2006; Kahakalau, 2004; Meyer, 2004). To expand upon this trend, this thesis uses a combination of autoethnographic and critical indigenous methodologies to present a personal narrative that looks specifically at approaching art education from a Maoli perspective. Through extensive participant/observer reflections, two place-based and culture-based art education experiences are …

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Creating Student-¬‐Experts In Hydroecology, Richard Gill Feb 2014

Creating Student-¬‐Experts In Hydroecology, Richard Gill

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The National Research Council, in its report on how people learn, identified key differences between novices and experts (Bransford et al. 2000; Donovan and Bransford 2005). One of the grand challenges of education is to shepherd students through the process of becoming experts. Mentored research experiences are a critical component of this process as students “grow in skills and increase in responsibility” (Mentoring Principle #3) and participate in projects that “extend well beyond the routine” and “[develop] of new concepts of learning” (Mentoring Principle #5). Bransford et al. (2000) emphasized that developing into an expert requires, among other things, (1) …

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Who Comes To The Bucharest Markets?, Daniel N. Dubei, Dr. Sam Otterstrom Feb 2014

Who Comes To The Bucharest Markets?, Daniel N. Dubei, Dr. Sam Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Johann Von Thunen’s model of agricultural land use has done much to explain the use of agricultural land in Europe prior to industrialization. His theory predicts the type of crop produced by the distance from the market. Modern transportation (1) though has improved the spatial pattern of crops and other products; no longer do they follow his theory. Romania is a country that is not yet fully modernized, and I researched how transportation is changing the land use now. I have found that improvements in transportation have allowed many farmers to come to the Bucharest market from further distances than …

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Historical Evolution Of Latin American City Structure: Costa Rican Cities As Test Cases, Vaughn Robert Pickell, Dr. Samuel M. Otterstrom Feb 2014

Historical Evolution Of Latin American City Structure: Costa Rican Cities As Test Cases, Vaughn Robert Pickell, Dr. Samuel M. Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When the European explorers came to America they brought with them their pattern of city design. Jorge Hardoy (1982) asserts that the Spanish “built cities that in layout, architectural styles, technology, land-use patterns and even in criteria used to select the location of the new settlements” was just as they had done in Europe (24). As part of their European tradition, the conquistadors believed that God should be the focus of all good society, and therefore built the local Catholic church in the center of the newly established city. Regardless of the size of the local population, a church would …

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Boom And Bust: A Look At The Changing Economic And Demographic Profile Of Grand County, Utah, Greg B. Hall Feb 2014

Boom And Bust: A Look At The Changing Economic And Demographic Profile Of Grand County, Utah, Greg B. Hall

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Inter-Mountain West counties who historically have tied their economic livelihood to the exploitation of primary resources have been susceptible to cycles of boom and bust. The history of Grand County, Utah, depicts this precise paradigm. In the 1950’s, when a young Texan discovered uranium in the resource rich Colorado Plateau, north of Moab, economic prosperity and a population explosion came the way of Grand County. Mines in the county processed 95% of all uranium ores for the nation. The population reached 10,000 people, and wealth flowed from the pits of this rich resource. The market lulled soon thereafter, and intermittent …

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The Moral And Spiritual Heritage Of The United States: A Resource For Teachers, Karalee Flinders Jackman Feb 2014

The Moral And Spiritual Heritage Of The United States: A Resource For Teachers, Karalee Flinders Jackman

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This project was a historical investigation. It documents the moral and spiritual heritage of America which appears to have shifted dramatically between 1880 and 1920. Historical research designs can be quantitative and/ or qualitative in nature. While there are many branches of historical studies. this investigation followed that of “intellectual history.” Intellectual histories compliment the investigation of world perspectives. The evidence in this study demonstrates a radical change has occurred In the world view from that espoused by early American writers. The move has shifted from the sacred, toward the secular. Prospective teachers from Brigham Young University, who will teach …

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A Comparative Study Of Hopi-Navajo Land Use Management, And The Environmental Impact Of The 1992 Proposal For Settlement Of The Hopi-Navajo Dispute, Benjamin A. Thomson Feb 2014

A Comparative Study Of Hopi-Navajo Land Use Management, And The Environmental Impact Of The 1992 Proposal For Settlement Of The Hopi-Navajo Dispute, Benjamin A. Thomson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

To introduce this research summary, I would like to include a brief background to my research topic. Since the creation of the Hopi and Navajo reservations in 1880, these two tribes have disputed the use of the land. By 1974 the Navajo, living on a reservation surrounding that of the Hopi, had moved on to a considerable portion of Hopi land under the provision of a Joint Use Area which had been created in 1962. After the Hopi sued the Navajo, a federal judge ordered the relocation of the Navajo, once again, and a return of the land to the …

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Timber Dependency And Geographic Change In Lane County, Oregon, Stacey Petersen Feb 2014

Timber Dependency And Geographic Change In Lane County, Oregon, Stacey Petersen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In fulfillment of !he responsibilities of a recipient of !he scholarship for Undergraduate research, I submit !his final report on Timber Dependency and Geographic Change in Lane County, Oregon. The scholarship enabled me to do !he following:

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Exploring Swiss-American Deep Ancestry: A Personal Venture Into Genetic Genealogy, J. Edward De Steiguer Feb 2014

Exploring Swiss-American Deep Ancestry: A Personal Venture Into Genetic Genealogy, J. Edward De Steiguer

Swiss American Historical Society Review

This article presents my personal experience with genetic genealogy, that is, the use of DNA analysis-in this case Y-DNA analysis-to trace the deep ancestry of my Swiss-American male line. DNA analysis is used today for countless applications, from the exoneration of inmates on death row to determination of paternity, as well as genetic genealogy (Fitzpatrick and Yeiser 2005). Such DNA "fingerprinting" is relatively new having begun in 1984 with the pioneering work of Sir Alec Jefferys and his group at Leicester University. One of the first important genetic genealogical applications of DNA analysis was that by Dr. Michael Hammer of …

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Privatization Of Agriculture In Post-Soviet Russia: A Model Of Transitioni, Joseph Brian Gross, Dr. Phillip J. Bryson Jan 2014

Privatization Of Agriculture In Post-Soviet Russia: A Model Of Transitioni, Joseph Brian Gross, Dr. Phillip J. Bryson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research began as in inquiry into the general causes for the failure of modern rural reforms in Russia. This study traces the development of rural trends from the abolition of serfdom in 1861, through the Soviet era of centralized planning and collective farming, up until the post- Soviet era of privatization. This study identifies and categorizes the modern incentives and obstacles that have stymied organizational restructuring of Russia’s rural sector.

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Ethnic Change In Slovakia Between 1773 And 1910, Michele N. Richardson, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom Jan 2014

Ethnic Change In Slovakia Between 1773 And 1910, Michele N. Richardson, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

At the end of World War I, the Treaty of Trianon divided the former Austro-Hungarian Empire into multiple autonomous states including Czechoslovakia. Hungarians vociferously decried the southern border around the Slovak portion of this state, which became the independent Slovak Republic in 1993, claiming that it bisected an ethnically homogeneous Hungarian area between two political states. Conversely, proponents of the 1918 border argued that the dominant Hungarian presence in southern Slovakia was merely the result of Magyarization, a government policy aimed at suppressing minorities and forcefully assimilating them into Magyar (ethnic Hungarian) culture. Unfortunately, at this time nobody definitively knew …

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Germans In Slovakia: Settlement Patterns, Daniel Reeves, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom Jan 2014

Germans In Slovakia: Settlement Patterns, Daniel Reeves, Dr. Samuel Otterstrom

Journal of Undergraduate Research

From the Middle Ages to the present there has been—to varying degrees—a German minority among the Slovak people. Though nearly nonexistent today, this minority has historically been an important part of Slovakia’s population. German settlers were drawn to Slovakia for several reasons over the centuries, and in the year 1400, with a population of 400,000, their influence on Slovakia reached its peak. Today, the German population in Slovakia is limited to adventurous businessmen and students. These dramatic changes form a base for this research, which has been designed to study the settlement patterns of Germans within Slovakia (Jahn, 1971, p. …

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Vehicle Burglaries In Provo’S South Campus Neighborhood: A Spatial And Environmental Assessment, Donald Ludlow, James Davis, Dr. J. Matthew Shumway Jan 2014

Vehicle Burglaries In Provo’S South Campus Neighborhood: A Spatial And Environmental Assessment, Donald Ludlow, James Davis, Dr. J. Matthew Shumway

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Recent technological advances in police record keeping and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software enable police departments and security specialists to better identify the spatial patterns of criminal activity. This research project utilizes both Provo Police Department database outputs and ArcView GIS software to examine the spatial nature of vehicle burglaries in Provo, Utah’s “South Campus” neighborhood. The area of the study is shown in figure 1 and includes an area of both high automobile burglary reports and a high proportion of students.

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The Samara Mormons Of Russia: An Accident Of History, James W. Scott, Dr. Gary Browning Jan 2014

The Samara Mormons Of Russia: An Accident Of History, James W. Scott, Dr. Gary Browning

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The discovery of Russian sectarians popularly known as Mormons has generated great interest among missionaries and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in recent years, and several informative articles have appeared on the subject.1 This article summarizes my findings from three weeks of archival and village research on the Russian Mormons in May 2001, and sheds new light on hitherto unresolved historical questions regarding the origin of the title Mormon in Russia, the geography of the movement, and its eventual fate.2

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How Arabs Feel About American Culture, Chad Emmett, Dr. Jill Jenkins Jan 2014

How Arabs Feel About American Culture, Chad Emmett, Dr. Jill Jenkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The goal of this project is to improve interaction between Arabs and Americans by determining which aspects of American culture are hard for some Arabs to tolerate and why. The survey instrument consists of personal information which includes each participant’s age, gender, country, the extent of his/her interaction with Americans, length of residence in the U.S.,and English language and American culture training. Twenty experiences taken from the lives of Arab students at BYU comprise the body of the survey. The participants were asked if they “Strongly agree”, “Agree”, “Disagree”, or “Strongly disagree” with the feelings of the Arab in each …

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Identity In A Changing West, Elizabeth Parnell, Dr. Richard H. Jackson Jan 2014

Identity In A Changing West, Elizabeth Parnell, Dr. Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

As suburbanization sweeps across the United States, creating a more homogeneous society, historians and geographers are interested in knowing the impact this is having and will have in the future on the “sense of place” that distinguishes small towns. Particularly in the state of Utah, questions have been raised about the future of the original settlements known as “Mormon villages”. Will suburban sprawl and city zoning ordinances result in the destruction of the distinctive architecture, organization and character of these communities, replacing their distinctiveness with faceless suburbia? Historic preservation is designed to protect specified historic structures and places of importance …

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Increasing Awareness And Skills Regarding Ukrainian Family History, Daniel Blomberg, Thom Edlund Jan 2014

Increasing Awareness And Skills Regarding Ukrainian Family History, Daniel Blomberg, Thom Edlund

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The former Russian Empire is one of the most challenging places to do family history research in the world. One of the reasons is related to the fact that the records used to locate genealogical data depend on political and ecclesiastical boundaries. For example, a Christian man living in a village without a church will be baptized, married and buried in a village different from his hometown. Thus, it is not only necessary to know one’s ancestor’s place(s) of residence, but the place(s) where he or she was civilly registered, attended religious services, was married, etc. Due to the colorful …

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“…And So We Went Toward Rome (Acts 28:14):” Tracing The Final Journey Of The Apostle Paul, Matthew J. Grey, Dr. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel Jan 2014

“…And So We Went Toward Rome (Acts 28:14):” Tracing The Final Journey Of The Apostle Paul, Matthew J. Grey, Dr. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Journal of Undergraduate Research

After traveling the Mediterranean world for 30 years as a missionary for Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul embarked on his final journey from the port of Caesarea in ancient Judaea. Eventually his company would sail toward Italy, land in the harbor at Puteoli (just north of modern Naples), and from there travel the road to Rome. Traditionally, it was in Rome where he would spend the final years of his life “preaching the kingdom of God (Acts 28:31)” and eventually be martyred for the cause of Christ. Interestingly enough, the scriptural account in Acts 28 offers less than five verses …

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The Role Of Religion In Post-Soviet Russia, Jennifer Christenson, Richard H. Jackson Jan 2014

The Role Of Religion In Post-Soviet Russia, Jennifer Christenson, Richard H. Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My research during the last year can be divided into four general categories: the history and state of the Russian Orthodox Church today; the current geography, or spatial distributions, of religions in Russia; non-traditional religions in Russia; and finally, Russia’s 1997 religion bill On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations. I chose these particular areas of focus because they will assist me in making final conclusions about the role of religion in post-Soviet Russia as I study and live in Russia during the Fall 1998 Semester. This paper will summarize my findings in each area and then explain what I …

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Significance Of Introduced Bias In The Utah Colleges Exit Poll, Sherstin Merx, Dr. Scott Grimshaw Jan 2014

Significance Of Introduced Bias In The Utah Colleges Exit Poll, Sherstin Merx, Dr. Scott Grimshaw

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Since 1982, Brigham Young University Departments of Statistics and Political Science have sponsored the Utah Colleges Exit Poll (UCEP) as both a research tool and as an experience in applied statistics. However, in designing the poll, UCEP routinely deals with administrative and geographic issues that make the task more difficult. For example, just collecting the necessary information from all 29 Utah counties requires the full attention of a designated “Public Relations” committee. Geography is another problem for UCEP. Certain counties are so remote that it is difficult and expensive to include them in the sample.

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Psychological, Political, And Economic Factors Resulting In Romania’S Tragic Alliances During The Second World War, Matthew J. Thorne, Dr. Valerie Hudson Jan 2014

Psychological, Political, And Economic Factors Resulting In Romania’S Tragic Alliances During The Second World War, Matthew J. Thorne, Dr. Valerie Hudson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

If the purpose of science is to better understand our world, eliminate suffering, and generally make it a more inhabitable place, then lessons on how to avoid war, entangling alliances, and unwanted political ideologies may make Political Science the most important of all the sub sciences. Political Science is difficult because it presents limited possibilities for empirical testing and proofs; political scientists are left to do case studies instead of regressions, and psychological profiles instead of experiments. The importance of such work though can be easily seen when looking at the tragic tears of war, conquest, and subjugation in histories …

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The Politics Of Religious Pluralism In Palestine: Measuring Democracy Through The Eyes Of Palestinian Christians, Matthew D. Whitton, Dr. Chad Emmett Jan 2014

The Politics Of Religious Pluralism In Palestine: Measuring Democracy Through The Eyes Of Palestinian Christians, Matthew D. Whitton, Dr. Chad Emmett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Despite recent events, the last ten years has represented an unparalleled opportunity for Palestinians and Israelis to resolve their many differences at the negotiating table. With the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords, Palestinians received for the first time a level of autonomy that many hope will eventually accumulate in the establishment of an independent Palestinian State. The Palestinian Authority (PA) became the governing body of the Palestinians during an interim period designed to test the Palestinian leadership’s resolve to democracy and Israel’s security.

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Land And Water Conservation In Tanzania: A Field Analysis, Lisette Borchert, Dr. Richard Jackson Jan 2014

Land And Water Conservation In Tanzania: A Field Analysis, Lisette Borchert, Dr. Richard Jackson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There is an increasing concern over environmental change on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro (Newmark 1992). For the Chagga, the indigenous people of this region, Mount Kilimanjaro is the source of all life. Primarily, they are dependent on the mountain for water, which is vital for their agricultural production and domestic needs. Historically, land has been passed down from father to son in these tiny African villages. However, as the population in the village increases, the sizes of each plot gets smaller and smaller until the plot becomes unusable. Likewise, as the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park and Forest Reserve (KNPFR) continues to …

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