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Full Issue

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

No abstract provided.

Labouring For The Lost Love, Christine S. Williams

Quidditas

Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost often is considered a “problem play” because of its emphasis on word-play and its extreme “topicality” to a 16th-century, London audience. Yet imaginative staging reveals that the play actually provides excellent opportunities for connecting with our current millennial students and audience members.

The Amlicites And Amalekites: Are They The Same People?, Benjamin Mcmurtry

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Royal Skousen’s Book of Mormon Critical Text Project has proposed many hundreds of changes to the text of the Book of Mormon. A subset of these changes does not come from definitive evidence found in the manuscripts or printed editions but are conjectural emendations. In this paper, I examine one of these proposed changes — the merging of two dissenting Nephite groups, the Amlicites and the Amalekites. Carefully examining the timeline and geography of these groups shows logical problems with their being the same people. This paper argues that they are, indeed, separate groups and explores a plausible explanation for …

Deuteronomy 17:14–20 As Criteria For Book Of Mormon Kingship, Taylor Halverson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Deuteronomy 17:14–20 represents the most succinct summation in the Bible of criteria for kingship. Remarkably, the Book of Mormon narrative depicts examples of kingship that demonstrate close fidelity to the pattern set forth in Deuteronomy 17 (e.g., Nephi, Benjamin, or Mosiah II) or the inversion of the expected pattern of kingship (e.g., king Noah). Future research on Book of Mormon kingship through the lens of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 should prove fruitful.

A Lengthening Shadow Is Quality Of Thought Deteriorating In Lds Scholarly Discourse Regarding Prophets And Revelation? Part Three, Duane Boyce

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Many mistakes that occur in scholarly endeavors are understandable. The truth is often difficult to discover, and this makes errors inevitable and expected. And, of course, some mistakes are so insignificant that to complain of them would be mere pedantry. But this is not true of all errors. Some are both obvious and of such significance to their topics that they are egregious. With respect to the gospel, there is reason to be concerned that this is occurring to some degree on the topic of prophets and the Lord’s revelations to them. Erroneous claims and arguments are not difficult to …

Volume 3 Number 2 (2017)

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Jacob’S Protector, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The name Jacob (yaʿăqōb) means “may he [i.e., God] protect,” or “he has protected.” As a hypocoristic masculine volitive verbal form,1 it is a kind of blessing upon, or prayer on behalf of the one so named that he will receive divine protection and safety (cf. Deuteronomy 33:28). Textual evidence from Nephi’s writings suggests that his brother Jacob’s protection was a primary concern of their parents, Lehi and Sariah. Lehi saw Nephi as the specific means of divine protection for Jacob, his “first born in the wilderness.” Moreover, the term “protector” is used twice in LDS scripture, in both instances …

“He Did Go About Secretly”: Additional Thoughts On The Literary Use Of Alma’S Name, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Mormon describes Alma the Younger’s “go[ing] about secretly” to destroy the church that his father, Alma the Elder, had established (Mosiah 27:8–10), this as a narratalogical inversion of that period when Alma the Elder “went about privately” teaching the words of Abinadi and establishing a church “that it might not come to the knowledge of the king” (Mosiah 18:1–6). In Mosiah 27:10, Mormon subtly reworks Alma the Younger’s autobiographical statement preserved in Alma 36:6, adding in the former passage a word rendered “secretly” to create a midrashic or interpretive pun on the name Alma, echoing the meaning of the Semitic …

Scriptures With Pictures: Methodology, Unexamined Assumptions, And The Study Of The Book Of Abraham, Mark J. Johnson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Research on the origins and nature of the Book of Abraham and the accompanying facsimiles has long been hampered by faulty methodology. And while the last few years have seen a significant reexamination of the assumptions that represent the underpinning of our understandings of the Book of Abraham, some unexamined assumptions persist. This study addresses seven aspects of the Book of Abraham, which include a discussion of the sources, the process, the results, the content, the witnesses, and the historical background. For each of these aspects, this study identifies lingering assumptions and shows how a proper methodology can validate or …

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews, Matthew Bowman, Reviewer

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

In his foreward to this book, Richard Bushman praises it for its meticulous attention to the historian's craft. Michael MacKay and Gerrit Dirkmaat have served as editors on the Documents series of the Joseph Smith Papers Project-spending months documenting, annotating, and organizing the surviving historical material from the early years of Joseph Smith's religious career-and their experience with those primary sources shines in this volume. They have tracked down scraps of information in archives from New York to Utah, from obscure nineteenth-century publications as far-flung as the Ohio Observer and the Milwaukee Sentinel, and even from much better-known sources like …

The Star-Spangled Banshee: Fear Of The Unknown In The Things They Carried, Mckay Hansen

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

In this paper I discuss the nature of the fear that worked upon many of the soldiers of the Vietnam War, concentrating on a fear of the unknown. Drawing upon Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried as its central focus text, my analysis suggests that the fear of the unknown is a product of communities’ efforts to distance themselves from a cultural Other. As such, I posit that those in positions of societal influence employ fear to reinforce racial stereotypes and maintain domestic unity. Perceiving ethnic and linguistic misunderstandings as forces that cultural leaders often evoke deliberately, I claim that …

The Magic Of Yeats' "The Lake Isle Of Innisfree": Kabbalism, Numerology, And Tarot Cards, Genevieve Pettijohn

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

Yeats’ poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” contains occult symbols derived from Kabbalism, numerology, and tarot cards. Although the poem was published near the beginning of Yeats’ induction into Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn, “Innisfree” demonstrates the magical prowess requisite to advance in the Society and thus further Yeats' ability to practice magic, for which he had an alleged natural ability. I assert that an understanding of Kabbalism, numerology, and tarot cards is essential not only in decoding the meanings behind “Innisfree” but in gauging Yeats’ own understanding of the Second Order of the Golden Dawn, which he was …

Postponing Heaven: The Three Nephites, The Bodhisattvaa, And The Mahdi, Spencer L. Green

BYU Studies

Jad Hatem. Postponing Heaven: The Three Nephites, the Bodhisattva, and the Mahdi. Trans. Jonathon Penny.

Provo, Utah: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2015.

Russell W. Stevenson, For The Cause Of Righteousness: A Global History Of Blacks And Mormonism, 1830-2013; Matthew L. Harris And Newell G. Bringhurst, Eds., The Mormon Church And Blacks: A Documentary History, Reviewed By Quincy D. Newell

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Context In It Assimilation: A Multi-Method Study Of A Saas Platform In The Us Nonprofit Sector, Ryan T. Wright, Nicholas Roberts, David W. Wilson

Faculty Publications

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) operate in environments characterized by growing competition for resources and greater stakeholder demands for accountability, which makes deploying and maintaining information systems a struggle. In this competitive, resource-constrained environment, enterprise Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms offer NPOs a cost-effective way access reliable, low-maintenance information technology services. Thus, the extent to which NPOs assimilate SaaS is an important area of inquiry. Yet despite the wealth of research on organizational IT assimilation, we know little regarding whether, when, and how NPOs assimilate IT innovations. We further our understanding of NPO assimilation of SaaS by conducting a context-based study. To do so, …

The Mediating Roles Of Upward Social Comparison And Self-Esteem And The Moderating Role Of Social Comparison Orientation In The Association Between Social Networking Site Usage And Subjective Well-Being, Jin-Liang Wang, Hai-Zhen Wang, James Gaskin, Skyler Hawk

Faculty Publications

The increased pervasiveness of social media use has raised questions about potential effects on users’ subjective well-being, with studies reaching contrasting conclusions. To reconcile these discrepancies and shed new light on this phenomenon, the current study examined: (1) whether upward social comparison and self-esteem mediate the association between social networking site (SNS) usage and users’ subjective well-being, and (2) whether the association between SNS usage and upward social comparison is moderated by users’ social comparison orientation. Data from 696 participants were collected. Structural equation modeling revealed that upward social comparison and self-esteem mediated the relationship between SNS usage and users’ …

Organizational Learning From Failure: Present Theory And Future Inquiries, Vinit M. Desai, David Maslach, Peter Madsen

Faculty Publications

This chapter reviews past and present theoretical perspectives on organizational learning from failure. We begin by describing the organizational learning process and what it means to learn through failure. We outline and describe several challenges for future research: (1) Why do some organizations fail to learn from failures? (2) Why do some organizations fail again after learning from failures? (3) How do some organizations prevent other organizations from learning vicariously through their failures? (4) How can organizations learn from near failures? and (5) How can organizations learn from hypothetical failures? In sum, we hope this chapter motivates and inspires researchers …

Understanding Intermediate- Level Speakers’ Strengths And Weaknesses: An Examination Of Opic Tests From Korean Learners Of English, Troy L. Cox

Faculty Publications

This study profiled Intermediate-level learners in terms of their linguistic characteristics and performance on different proficiency tasks. A stratified random sample of 300 Korean learners of English with holistic ratings of Intermediate Low (IL), Intermediate Mid (IM), and Intermediate High (IH) on Oral Proficiency Interviews- computerized (OPIcs)—100 at each level—were analyzed by trained ACTFL raters to determine what was needed for the learners to progress to the next higher sublevel. The findings indicate that while ILs minimally met all the linguistic characteristics required of the Intermediate level, they needed to improve in the quantity and quality of all the linguistic …

The Missing Framework For Virtually Assisted Activities, Jacob Steffen, James Gaskin, Thomas Meservy, Jeffrey Jenkins

Faculty Publications

Various frameworks and taxonomies exist that classify virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) by their attributes and technical specifications. However, no extant frameworks specifically classify the activities executed with VR and AR devices, which we refer to as virtually assisted activities (VAAs). In the context of past definitions and frameworks of VR and AR, we present a framework for VAAs that examines the underlying motivations for virtualizing some aspect of an activity. By so doing, VAAs are easily compared to similar non-virtualized activities done in physical reality, VR is better compared with AR, and potential benefits …

The Value Of A Master’S Degree To Recreation Professionals, Camilla J. Hodge, Brian J. Hill, Christian Brinton

Faculty Publications

This study assessed the nature of the relationship between earning advanced degrees and career outcomes such as salary, job satisfaction, social capital, and human capital among professionals in the parks and recreation field. The sample (n = 196) was drawn from parks and recreation agencies located in the United States. Agencies, excluding educational institutions, were identified via an Internet search for parks and recreation agencies in urban areas. Findings indicated there was a positive relationship between earning a master’s degree and salary. Earning a master’s degree, however, was not significantly related to job satisfaction, social capital, or human capital. Furthermore, …

Perceptions Of Mentoring Slps And Clinical Fellows During The Clinical Fellowship, Maria Resendiz, Connie Summers, Roxanna Ruiz-Felter, Elizabeth Belasco, Katherine Fox

Faculty Publications

The clinical fellowship (CF) is completed by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) after graduating with a master’s degree. The clinical fellow is supervised by a mentoring SLP who meets the qualifications set forth by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The current study focused on differences and similarities in expectations during the CF by the mentoring SLP and clinical fellow. Participants were asked about knowledge and skills for which clinical fellows are evaluated at the end of the CF in the areas of assessment and treatment. Clinical fellows wanted more help with assessment and less assistance with treatment. Mentoring SLPs felt assistance was …

Developing A General Methodology For Evaluating Composite Action In Insulated Wall Panels, Taylor Sorensen

Faculty Publications

Precast concrete sandwich wall panels (PCSWPs) have been in use for over 60 years. They provide a very efficient building envelope for many buildings. Characteristic PCSWPs comprise an outer and inner layer (or wythe) of concrete separated by an insulating material. To use all of the material as efficiently as possible, the layers are attached by connectors which penetrate through the insulating layer and are embedded in either concrete wythe. These connectors make it possible for both layers of the wall to work together when resisting loads. The connectors are made out of plastic, or FRP, to prevent heat transfer …

Making Ritual Strange: The Temple Cult As The Foundation For Tannaitic Discourse On Idolatry, Avram R. Shannon

Faculty Publications

This article examines the Tannaitic conception of the worship of avodah zarah. The term is commonly translated as “idolatry,”but the definition of what constitutes worship of avodah zarah, in m. Sanh. 7:6, is based on a more nuanced notion than simply worship of foreign gods. For the Sages of the Mishnah, worship of avodah zarah involved misuse of objects and rituals associated with the Temple cult, which constituted a betrayal of covenantal loyalty. This means that although the rabbinic laws against the worship of avodah zarah were based on the biblical prohibitions against worshiping other gods, the actual …

The Latter-Day Saint Reimaging Of “The Breath Of Life” (Genesis 2:7), Dana M. Pike

Faculty Publications

The creation and flood accounts in Genesis in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) contain variations on a phrase commonly translated “the breath of life.” This phrase additionally occurs in some uniquely Latter-day Saint materials relating to creation. After overviewing and analyzing this phrase and its meaning in the Bible, this paper then examines the occurrences of the phrase “the breath of life” in important early Latter-day Saint texts.1 The purpose of this study is to illustrate and explain how and why many Latter-day Saints have come to often employ the phrase “the breath of life,” transforming its traditional …

Family Resource Allocation After Firstborns Leave Home: Implications For Secondborns’ Academic Functioning, Alexander C. Jensen Phd, Shawn D. Whiteman, Julia M. Bernard, Susan M. Mchale

Faculty Publications

This study assessed secondborn adolescents’ perceptions of changes in the allocation of family resources following their firstborn siblings’ departure from home after high school, and whether perceived changes were related to changes over 1 year in secondborns’ academic functioning. Participants were secondborn siblings (mean age = 16.58, SD = 0.91) from 115 families in which the older sibling had left the family home in the previous year. Allocation of resources was measured via coded qualitative interviews. Most (77%) secondborns reported increases in at least one type of family resource (i.e., parental companionship, attention, material goods), and many reported an increase …

Jewish Families In The United States, Trevan Hatch, Loren Marks, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

As mentioned in chapter 8, the rich context of religious minority families offers the chance to highlight issues like identity formation in youth and emerging adults, the importance of social support from their religious community, and the unique challenges religious minorities face as they strive to live their religion. In this chapter we feature Judaism and the 30 Jewish families from the American Families of Faith project.

William Clark’S Impossible: The Sentimental Imperialist And The War Of 1812, Jay H. Buckley

Faculty Publications

William Clark stood silently, reflecting upon his first meeting with Brulé Chief Black Bull Buffalo (Untongarabar) over a decade previous, on September 24, 1804, at the Lakota village near the mouth of the Bad River in present-day South Dakota. For three days Black Buffalo, the Partisan, and Buffalo Medicine parlayed with Lewis and Clark. On September 28, as the expedition prepared to leave, a few Lakota warriors became so heated that Clark had actually drawn his sword. Fortunately, Black Buffalo’s presence prevented bloodshed. He even accompanied Lewis and Clark upstream, perhaps as a hostage, in order to discourage the Lakotas …

Intervention Mediators, Wendy C. Birmingham, Barbara H. Brumbach, Watcharaporn Boonyasiriwat, Scott Walters, Anita Y. Kinney

Faculty Publications

Background Understanding the pathways by which interventions achieve behavioral change is important for optimizing intervention strategies. Purpose We examined mediators of behavior change in a tailored-risk communication intervention that increased guideline-based colorectal cancer screening among individuals at increased familial risk. Methods Participants at increased familial risk for colorectal cancer (N = 481) were randomized to one of two arms: (1) a remote, tailored-risk communication intervention (Tele-Cancer Risk Assessment and Evaluation (TeleCARE)) or (2) a mailed educational brochure intervention. Results Structural equation modeling showed that participants in TeleCARE were more likely to get a colonoscopy. The effect was partially mediated through …

State Of R In Hydrological Modelling, J. A. Torres, E. Pebesma

Open Water Journal

Access to clean and safe water is a human right and to grant it under a sustainable development point of view is paramount for well being of the future generations. Therefore, it is important to understand the interaction between the mate- rial flows to coastal waters that are constrained by catchment boundaries and the human activi- ties therein, and those materials that are tied to trade and other trans-boundary processes (e.g. re- sidence time, transport and fate of physical, chemi- cal and microbiological water-quality determinants) and their global implications on preserving the qua- lity of the natural environment.