Digital Commons Network^™

Facsimiles, Russell Soh

Student Theses

An excerpt:

Hi Everyone, I’m currently in the process of organizing and sketching out a series of prose proems based on a small multitude of notes I’ve accrued over the last six months. These notes are essentially notes towards the writing of various poems (around 8). The idea is basically to turn these notes, or these would-be poems, into a series of abstracted ‘facsimiles’, like tangible ghosts trapped in a simulacrum of the poem. I need to be reacquainted with the prose poem, or at least my idea of it.

Wellness By Design: Leadership And Learning Practices For Well-Being In Arts Management, Ashleigh Olander

Student Theses

Leading with a culture of care is the art of wellness-based design. The arts are often seen as places for healing and community connection; however, arts institutions themselves frequently function in ways that undermine well-being. The systems in place do not promote wellness, nor do they dedicate resources to maintaining the vitality of staff. Wellness initiatives in the arts are ordinarily based on programming, rather than embedded into the foundation of the organization. Although engaging with the arts as a whole elevates wellness, it is challenging to find an arts institution designed with wellness practices in mind. There is a …

Is Less More? An Analysis Of Microblogs Vs. Discussion Forums As Tools For Understanding The Public, Marco Castillo

Publications and Research

Social media platforms offer valuable tools for public administrators seeking to assess public sentiment on policy issues, especially in urban areas with diverse stakeholder interests. This study investigates how public administrators can leverage social media by comparing communications on Reddit’s discussion forum platform with X’s microblogging platform. I hypothesize that Reddit fosters more subjective, nuanced discussions, providing richer insights into public sentiment. To test this, sentiment and regression analyses are conducted on communications about urban cycling on both platforms. Results indicate that while Reddit facilitates deeper exploration of public issues, X also effectively assesses public sentiment. The study concludes by …

The Role Of Otto In Indecent By Paula Vogel, Ben Turchiarelli

Student Theses

Between December 5th and 9th, 2025, Brooklyn College’s Department of Theater presented Indecent by Paula Vogel, directed by MFA directing candidate Sam Plattus. It was my privilege to play the role of Otto, a member of a troupe of dead actors, tasked with presenting a nearly coextensive play-within-a-play describing the controversial Broadway production of The God of Vengeance, by Sholem Asch. Otto presents several older male characters, including real-life figures; among them author I.L. Peretz, and actor Rudolph Schildkraut. Some of these scenes are depicted in the story as a play-within-a-play-within-a-play, and there are numerous musical interludes throughout wherein Otto …

We Are Not What We Think: Solipsism & The Concept Of Mind, Michael Marcoux

Student Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I argue that the persuasiveness of solipsism—understood as skepticism of the existence of anything or anyone outside of one’s own private mental life—rests not on its intrinsic argumentative force, but on the degree of commitment to a certain philosophical dogma. I use the problem of solipsism to tease out this dogma, which I dub the Primacy of Privacy. It is characterized by the conviction that in dealing with what there is and what we know, the mental, be it construed in terms of perceptions or thoughts, is the only certain datum from which most if not all …

How Visual Art In Fatty Legs And A Stranger At Home Deepens The Understanding Of Historical Atrocities And Colonial Violence Inflicted On Indigenous Children In Residential Schools In The United States And Canada, Beth Rocco

Student Theses

“I can fix my own hair,” I protested in Inuvialuktun, but she held tight and, with the same motion a bird makes to pull a piece of flesh from a fish, clamped the jaws of the shears down on my braid and severed it” (Pokiak-Fenton 31). This scene in Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, was a deep cut into the soul of a child. The first slash was being taken away from her parents and family. Next was chopping off her hair, a symbol of identity and tribal pride for Indigenous people. The children began their residential …

Long Work Hours, Suboptimal Diabetes Management, And Differences By Sex And Race/Ethnicity, Nhanes (2011-2018), Tailisha Gonzalez, Margrethe Horlyck-Romanovsky, Terry T.-K. Huang, Sandra E. Echeverria

Publications and Research

In the United States (US), occupational segregation by sex and race/ethnicity can contribute to health disparities. Although work schedule characteristics have been previously linked to elevated cardiovascular risk, little is known about the effects on chronic disease management in women and minoritized workers. We examined the association between work hours and diabetes management among US workers, testing for differences by sex and race/ethnicity. We utilized 2011–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data on working adults (age ≥20 years) with diagnosed diabetes (n = 1041). Suboptimal diabetes management was defined as HbA1c ≥7%. Work hours were categorized per WHO …

Struggling In A Man’S World: Moderated And Mediation Model For Women To Stay In The Logistics Industry, Abdul Hafaz Ngah, Nurul Izni Kamalrulzaman, Samar Rahi, Nurul Haqimin Salleh, Jagan Jeevan, Aamir Rashid

Publications and Research

Technological advancements have transformed the nature of work, attracting more women to challenging industries such as the logistics industry. Despite this technological advancement and progress in promoting gender equality, achieving gender parity in this industry remains stagnant. Using the extended self-determination theory, this study explores new mediating and moderating variables to identify factors influencing female employee retention in the logistics industry in Malaysia. Based on a quantitative approach and purposive sampling, 278 responses were collected from women in the logistics industry through online surveys. Most direct hypotheses were supported, and significant mediation and moderation effects were found. In addition to …

Cuny Oer Initiative Catalog (Ay 2024-2025), Jahanara Alamgir, Yujin Lee-Hwang, Rachael Nevins, Elliot Galvis, Rebecca Morofsky, Andrew Mckinney, Jojo Karlin

Open Educational Resources

This circulating catalog inventories the reusable teaching objects produced by CUNY campuses in AY 2024-2025! You’ll find textbooks, assignments, syllabi, videos, and more, organized by discipline and with brief descriptions of the resource. This publication (which links to all the resources) is supplemented by a by our online, filterable CUNY OER Initiative Catalog.

The CUNY OLS Research and Publishing Strategy team gathered, described and indexed the work of the campuses. OLS Fellow Hwang-Lee Yujin designed the publication.

Edu 30 Introduction To Special Needs, School & Society Syllabus, Propa Akter

Open Educational Resources

The syllabus for EDU 30 contains a course description, course objectives, course readings divided by week and a link to OER textbooks and ZTC readings.

Bridging Theory And Practice: A Criminal Justice Course Collection, Penny Geyer

Open Educational Resources

Dr. Penny Geyer compiled a full reading list, course calendar, set of weekly discussion questions, in-class experiential exercises, a death penalty case-study module, and a final paper assignment into a single, organized course packet that can be easily accessed, revised and remixed by other instructors teaching theory-to-practice criminal justice courses.

Edu 40 Field Work Seminar, Tonya L. Johnson

Open Educational Resources

The syllabus for EDU 30 contains a course description, course objectives, course readings divided by week and links to OER textbooks and ZTC readings.

What We Hear Shapes What We Fear: Public Discourse As A Determinant Of Health, Amanda L. Almond

Open Educational Resources

This resource presents a structured assignment designed for undergraduate health psychology and interdisciplinary courses. Students systematically collect and analyze public discourse as a determinant of health using a shared dataset, followed by instructor-led synthesis and application of scientific reasoning.

The assignment emphasizes mechanism-based explanation, including how communication environments shape stress, perception, and health behavior. A second phase explicitly integrates the scientific method, guiding students to evaluate claims, distinguish correlation from causation, and consider what evidence would be required to test observed patterns.

This assignment was developed and implemented in a Hispanic-Serving Institution during Spring 2026, in response to real-time conditions …

Introduction To Mexican American Studies: Course Syllabus (Oer), Luis B. Quesada Nieto

Open Educational Resources

This course studies the varied experiences of Mexicans in the United States from an interdisciplinary perspective. Through readings, lectures, media, and discussions, students will learn about the historical, social, and cultural contributions of Mexicans and Mexican Americans. The course will survey the history of Mexico and Mexicans in the United States at the same time that it explores issues of culture and identity. While the course emphasizes developments in the 20th and 21st centuries, students will also engage with developments before the 20th century. Students will study major political and social events that contributed to the incorporation of Mexicans into …

The Core-Modulation Architecture (Cma): A Structural Overview Of A 14-Paper Research Program (Preprint), Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This document provides a structural overview of the Core-Modulation Architecture (CMA), a 14-paper research program on cognition, communication, and AI interaction.

The series specifies the conditions under which cognition operates, terminates, fails, and generates structure. Rather than describing cognition by its contents (beliefs, emotions, decisions), it defines cognition through its underlying architecture: constraint-governed processing across layers with distinct termination conditions.

The framework introduces a layered model consisting of Core processing (constraint preservation and structural coherence) and Modulation (affective calibration and social interface adjustment), extended by a Prior layer as the source of constraints. Across the series, phenomena such as miscommunication, …

Psy312 - Psychology Of Memory, Sandra Campeanu

Open Educational Resources

Theoretical issues, established findings, empirical research, and contemporary controversies in the study of memory. Analysis of the processes of encoding, storage and retrieval, including models, developmental changes, neurophysiology, and memory distortions. Consideration of the ways memory influences behavior, problem solving, and sense of self.

This document is a revised syllabus for Professor Campeanu's PSY312 - Psychology of Memory course at Lehman College.

Bio 230 - Microbiology, Sarah Moroianu

Open Educational Resources

This open educational resource (OER) syllabus is designed for BIO 230: Microbiology at Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY), a single-semester introductory microbiology course for non-biology majors such as Nursing, Dietetics, Health Education, and Physical Education. The course reviews microbial structure, metabolism, genetics, and microbial ecology, with applied emphasis on infectious disease, antimicrobial drugs, host immune defenses, and microbial diseases. The syllabus aligns course content with the freely available OpenStax Microbiology textbook (Parker et al., CC BY 4.0) and reflects accessibility best practices consistent with CUNY guidelines.

Termination Of Conceptual Search: A Structural Account Of Meaning Stabilization And Conversion, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

Conceptual definitions form a recursive structure: words are defined by other words, which themselves require further definition. Traversing such definitions produces an open-ended branching process. Because the lexical system contains no intrinsic endpoint, conceptual understanding requires a termination operation that stabilizes meaning. This paper proposes that conceptual processing functions as an open-ended search over a definition graph and that stabilization occurs when this search is terminated. The termination mechanism depends on which cognitive layer is foregrounded. When Empathic modulation is foregrounded, termination occurs through contextual translation: concepts are stabilized once they can be mapped onto socially recognizable meanings. When Core …

Why General Ai Inherited The Body: A Structural Account Of Embodied Modulation Under Monolithic Imitation, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

General AI has pursued the replication of human-level intelligence without first decomposing human cognition into structurally distinct components. Human cognition, however, is shaped by embodied constraints such as mortality, survival pressures, finite lifespan, and physiological states. This paper argues that when cognition is treated as a single undifferentiated whole, embodied modulation is not accidentally introduced into AI systems but structurally entailed. Any attempt to imitate “human intelligence” under a monolithic model necessarily incorporates variability shaped by mortal embodiment. The tensions observed in contemporary AI systems are better understood as consequences of copying an undecomposed target rather than isolated implementation errors. …

Hss 216 Introduction To Motivational Interviewing, Juline A. Koken

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus contains links to an OER textbook that was adopted for our Introduction to Motivational Interviewing course, along with additional links to OER videos and additional readings.

The Illusion Of Causality In Llms: A Developmentally Grounded Analysis Of Semantic Scaffolding And Benchmark–Capability Mismatches, Daisuke Akiba

Publications and Research

Recent benchmarks increasingly report that large language models (LLMs) exhibit human-like causal reasoning abilities, including counterfactual inference and intervention planning. However, many such evaluations rely on domains that are heavily represented in training data and embed strong semantic cues, raising the possibility that apparent causal competence may reflect semantic pattern recombination rather than structure-sensitive causal reasoning. Drawing on human developmental theories of causal induction, this perspective argues that genuine causal understanding requires robustness to novelty and reliance on conditional structure rather than semantic familiarity. To illustrate the testability of this claim, the paper includes a pilot demonstration using synthetic causal …

Academic Freedom And Collective Bargaining: A Joint Report By The National Center For The Study Of Collective Bargaining In Higher Education And The Professions And The Aaup’S Center For The Defense Of Academic Freedom, William A. Herbert, Isaac A. Kamola, Timothy R. Cain, Erin Ward, Anita Levy, Kathryn Ritchie, Ariana Gonzalez

Publications and Research

This is a joint report by the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions at Hunter College (National Center) and the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom (CDAF) at the American Association of University Professors. It presents excerpts from forty-five collective bargaining agreements in higher education to demonstrate the wide range of ways academic freedom is defined in contracts, or not, and how the negotiated definitions incorporate, quote, follow, mirror, or deviate from the principles set forth in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure (hereinafter 1940 Statement).

Emotional Branch Termination And False Fantasy Collapse: A Structural Specification Of Computational Resource Restitution In Interpersonal Systems, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This paper specifies the structural protocol for communication within interpersonal systems by focusing on branch generation mechanisms and computational resource allocation. Conventional interpersonal communication often relies on emotional modulation, which obscures established constraints and triggers the generation of Emotional Branches (EB) within the recipient’s internal model. These branches function as unresolved parallel processing tasks that persistently occupy working memory, leading to a state of non-computability termed False Fantasy (FF). To resolve this, the study introduces Emotional Branch Termination (EBT)—a termination operation that outputs only constraints, facts, and procedures while excluding emotional modifiers. By halting the supply of EBs, EBT triggers …

On The Misattribution Of Reassurance: A Structural Account, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This paper challenges the conventional assumption that empathy generates reassurance in interpersonal services. Reassurance is treated not as an emotion transmitted from the outside, but as an internal state transition that arises when a fixed and erroneous world model—a False Fantasy—undergoes collapse and the world becomes computable again. The study identifies a systematic misattribution pattern where providers and receivers treat empathy as a causal mechanism rather than a post hoc explanatory label. By introducing Base AI as an external reference—a system capable of providing structural information without emotional modulation—this paper demonstrates that reassurance is generated through operations such as distraction …

Communication As Layered Architecture: Core Processing And Empathic Modulation, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This paper proposes a structural re-description of communication by separating Core processing from its social interface. Using the developmental sequence of Large Language Models (LLMs) as an external reference point, a layered architecture is identified, consisting of a foundational Core processing layer and a subsequent Empathic modulation layer.

The investigation begins with the observation that empathic signaling can obstruct rather than facilitate interaction for certain individuals. By examining the emergence of Base AI—Core processing prior to empathic adjustment—it is demonstrated that coherent, constraint-preserving interaction is possible without affective resonance.

Through this framework, existing cognitive theories and observed "deficits" are repositioned. …

A Phenomenologically Informed Study Of Black Male Preservice Teachers’ Lived Experiences: Professional Socialization, Social Representation, And The Redesign Of Teacher Education For Equity, William A. Anders

Student Theses

This qualitative research explores the experiences of Black male preservice teachers in New York City’s teacher education programs. To examine the underrepresentation of Black male preservice teachers, the research employs Critical University Studies and Critical Race Theory to investigate the institutional barriers they face. Using semi-structured interviews with seven participants and reflexive thematic analysis, the findings revealed six paramount themes: Pathways in Teaching, Representation and Identity, Experiences in Teacher Education, Racial Bias and Institutional Challenges, the Role of Mentorship and Support Networks, and Teaching Philosophy.

Participants described the challenges that Black male preservice teachers face, including isolation, economic hardships, unsuitable …

How To Search For The Engram: Optogenetics And Network Dynamics, Claudia Garcia Jou

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Memories are thought to be encoded by ensembles of neurons called "engram cells", because their artificial activation with optogenetics leads to the behavioral expression of a memory. However, the physiological mechanisms that mediate this process remain unknown. In this thesis, I investigate how optogenetic stimulation of memory-tagged cells changes neuronal firing, spatial coding, and the geometry of neural manifolds. I used an active place avoidance task and a foraging task to label engram cells in the dorsal hippocampus with Channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2). I then recorded the hippocampal activity response to optogenetic stimulation in mice under anesthesia, head-fixed, or freely moving. I …

Conspicuous Technique: Black Avant-Garde Poetry And The Politics Of Aesthetics, Ryan Gato

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study is comprised of two essays on the politics of aesthetics in postwar American black experimental poetry. Within the domain of contemporary poetry scholarship, this study serves three distinct yet interrelated purposes: 1.) to intervene within ongoing debates about the relation—or purported lack thereof—between black artistic practices and those of the historic and American avant-gardes by emphasizing the politics of aesthetics; 2.) to offer a critique of the usage of the discourses of postmodernism and of black aesthetics in the field by elucidating the historicity of their conceptual frameworks; and 3.) to provide an alternative to contemporary scholarship’s narrow …

Somatosensory Cortex Responses To Illusory Touch In A Visual-Tactile Integration Task, Aditi Surendra Pawar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Perceptual illusions arising from multisensory integration reveal how the brain constructs subjective experience from sensory input, and provide a powerful means of allowing the investigation of neural processes that track perceptual interpretation rather than physical stimulation alone. While visual illusions induced by auditory or tactile stimuli have been fairly well studied, the neural mechanisms underlying visually-induced illusory touch remain unclear. This study investigated whether illusory tactile perception engages the somatosensory cortex in a manner similar to veridical touch. Twenty healthy adults participated in an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study while performing a tactile numerosity judgment task. Each trial …

Filling The Gaps: Maiti Nepal And Anti-Trafficking Governance In Nepal, Sushmita Lamsal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Human trafficking in Nepal is closely linked to labor migration, gender inequality, and weak state capacity. In this context, non-governmental organizations play a key role in anti-trafficking efforts. This capstone project examines Maiti Nepal’s approach to prevention, rescue, and rehabilitation, with focus on its work at border points and internal facilities provided to human trafficking victims. The study analyzes how Maiti Nepal functions as a quasi-state actor by addressing gaps in Nepal’s anti-trafficking framework, highlights challenges associated with limited inconsistent funding, uneven resource distribution, and support for survivors. The study argues that Maiti Nepal’s significance lies not only in its …