Digital Commons Network^™

Defeating Isis On The Battle Ground As Well As In The Online Battle Space: Considerations Of The “New Normal” And Available Online Weapons In The Struggle Ahead, Anne Speckhard, Ph.D., Ardian Shajkovci, Ph.D., Ahmet S. Yayla, Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

The United States and its allies continue to achieve significant military victories against ISIS (otherwise known as ISIL or the “Islamic State”). The loss of territories resulting from military victories is especially important given that ISIS relies in part on recruits from the territories it controls. Efforts have also been directed at killing the group’s core leadership; stemming the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria through tightening up border security and surveillance; and targeting militant jihadi narratives and propaganda that is pushed out by ISIS on a twenty-four/seven basis via the Internet and social media platforms. In such …

I See! Scotland: Tackling Sectarianism And Promoting Community Psychosocial Health, Eolene M. Boyd-Macmillan, Patricia Andrews Fearon, Amanda M. Ptolomey, Laura J. Mathieson

Journal of Strategic Security

We developed and tested through two studies a new intervention run as a course, I SEE! Scotland, to reduce and prevent Protestant-Catholic sectarianism in Scotland, a historic inter-group conflict expressed in forms ranging from polite to violent, within a wider population that includes those who feel untouched. Designed to reflect the social ecology of Scotland and engage individuals regardless of sectarian involvement, the intervention aimed to increase cognitive complexity, measured as integrative complexity, through participatory theatre and experiential methods. We hypothesised that the confluence of experiential learning to support multiple forms of self, other, and systems awareness with narrative framing …

Latent Memories Of Terror: Media Perceptions Of The Woolwich Attack, Logan Stickel

Journal of Strategic Security

The Woolwich Attack of 2013 remains a distinctive case of lone wolf terrorism in terms of its hyper violent theatricalization and symbolic presentation of user-generated content. Although being described as having a paradigmic effect on the way terrorism is viewed and presented, its relationship to traditional media is under examined. To understand the perceptive impact, an exploratory qualitative research project was designed to gauge public views in terms of event presentation by media modality. Primary data was collected through interviews upon a theoretical sampling of fifteen Londoners and interpreted using a framework analysis technique. Results indicated that the main mode …

Beyond The Mato Oput Tradition: Embedded Contestations In Transitional Justice For Post-Massacre Pajong, Northern Uganda, David-Ngendo Tshimba

Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies

Human beings to a great extent are what community stories narrate about them. This paper is informed by an ethnological field research carried in one of the remotest villages of Mucwini Sub-county in Kitgum district, northern Uganda, scrutinizes people’s stories as they echo concerns about justice from different perspectives of victimhood in the aftermath of a Lord’s Resistance Army-commanded massacre which claimed the lives of 56 people in a night, the majority of whom (21) were from the Pajong clan. After a decade, all direct violent confrontations have no doubt ceased, however, the search for peace still is utterly skewed …

Perceptions Of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (Cpted) At Australian Railway Stations, Paul Cozens, Tiffany Van Der Linde

Journal of Public Transportation

Personal safety and security are essential criteria for measuring the quality of public transport, and research has consistently demonstrated that crime and fear of crime affect levels of patronage. Although authorities throughout the world are implementing Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), research and practice commonly focus on the elements of surveillance, territoriality, and controlling access. Few studies have investigated the CPTED concepts of “image management” or “geographical juxtaposition” (the surrounding environment). This research compares and contrasts the perceptions of rail users and security experts in relation to two railway stations in Perth, Western Australia. One station was designed in …

Crow's Nest, November 9, 2015, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The November 9, 2015, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Effect Of Empathy On Death Penalty Support In Relation To The Racial Divide And Gender Gap, Brian Godcharles

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to examine previous empirical literature indicating that death penalty support contains a divide among Blacks and Whites and a gap among males and females. Previous literature has indicated that there has been a persistent racial divide and gender gap in death penalty support that has spanned over 60 years of research. Attempts to attenuate these divides have failed to fully explain why Whites are more likely than Blacks to support the death penalty and men are more likely than women to support the death penalty. This study proposes the use of empathy to control for these divides …

Reel Or Reality? The Portrayal Of Prostitution In Major Motion Pictures, Raleigh Blasdell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined media portrayals of street-level prostitution. The objectives of this research were twofold. The first was to examine the nature of the film industry’s portrayal of females engaging in street-level prostitution in the United States in the following areas: 1) entry into sex work; 2) the economic need behind the women’s involvement; 3) experiences of childhood victimization; 4) presence and role of pimps; 5) drug/alcohol abuse; 6) victimization; and 7) mental/physical health. The second objective was to determine if this media coverage is analogous to extant research on these aspects of prostitution culture.

The Unified Film Population Identification …

Crow's Nest, October 19, 2015, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The October 19, 2015, issue of the Crow's Nest.

The Weekly Challenger, October 15, 2015, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The October 15, 2015, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

From Wmd To Wme: An Ever-Expanding Threat Spectrum, Bowman H. Miller Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

One of the challenges the United States and its intelligence community confronts today, if not the foremost challenge, is the girth of its national security problem set. The array of threat types, as well as the potential sources of those threats, is unprecedented and growing. The burdensome task for intelligence at all times, but especially given the present rate of change and the increasing porosity of borders, is to try to cope with an escalating mix of challenges and rising expectations of what intelligence can provide. Existing tasks persist; they are not replaced. The number and types of potentially threatening …

America’S Evolution Of Women And Their Roles In The Intelligence Community, Amy J. Martin

Journal of Strategic Security

The role of women in the Intelligence Community has evolved over time and captures the use of their skills to further assist, perpetuate, and lead intelligence operations globally. This paper serves as a historical overview of some of the techniques of the early female spies and highlights the successes of the modern woman’s contributions to the intelligence mission. Emerging female operations officers often face obstacles: dealing with bias within the bureaucracy, issues of female equality within certain cultures, and experiencing slower rates of promotion. This has meant a lack of females in competitive leadership positions. Female mentors and former intelligence …

Developing A Better Understanding Of The Personal Dimensions Of Working At The Central Intelligence Agency, Hector J. Escobar Iii

Journal of Strategic Security

Working at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is shrouded in mystery. Film, television and fictional spy stories are often the leading sources of information that allow the general public insight into the “spy world.” These often inaccurate depictions not only cause careers at the CIA to be misunderstood, but also create false perceptions of the employees of the CIA. Because of this, the general public—including those interested in pursuing a career within the CIA—is not presented with an accurate view of the personal aspects regarding motives, perceptions, and costs related to working at the CIA. In order to aid those …

Rape, Race, And Capital Punishment In North Carolina: A Qualitative Approach To Examining An Enduring Cultural Legacy, Douglas Wholl

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite positive steps toward the suppression of racial discrimination in the United States capital punishment process, the enduring effects of a cultural legacy of Black oppression (e.g., slavery; segregation; lynching) and historic and systemic racial discrimination in the criminal justice system have persisted to the present day. The purpose of the current study is to explore whether this enduring cultural legacy still exists by examining whether juries in rape-involved capital murder trials in North Carolina are more likely to recommend a sentence of death when the defendant is a Black male and the victim is a White female (compared to …

Terra Incognita: Mapping American Intelligence Education Curriculum, Stephen Coulthart, Matthew Crosston

Journal of Strategic Security

For more than two decades, degree-granting intelligence programs have popped up around the U.S., representing the largest and perhaps most enduring investment in American intelligence education. Scholars have addressed issues in American intelligence education, but to date, there has been no focused study that has mapped and analyzed these programs. This article addresses this gap by answering the questions: What are the American intelligence programs and what content is being taught? We answered this question by systematically identifying all 17 American intelligence education programs (1992-2012). The picture that emerges is one of delayed, but rapid growth: most programs were founded …

Setauket To Abbottabad: The Value Of Film And Television In Teaching Human Intelligence, Keith Cozine Ph.D.

Journal of Strategic Security

Espionage is often referred to as the world’s second oldest profession, and human intelligence is the oldest collection discipline. When many people think of espionage the images that often come to mind are fictional characters such as Jason Bourne or James Bond. Human intelligence encompasses much more than “secret agents” using their “toys” to collect top-secret information. Teaching human intelligence within an academic setting can be difficult because of the clandestine nature of tradecraft and sources of intelligence. Ironically, it is television and film that brought us Bourne and Bond that can also aid in the teaching of the variety …

The Weekly Challenger, August 6, 2015, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The August 6, 2015, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

The Weekly Challenger, July 16, 2015, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The July 16, 2015, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Annual Report, Research & Instruction Department, July 2, 2014 - 2015, Tina M. Neville, Kaya Van Beynen

Library Department and Committee Reports

Annual report for the Research and Instruction Department of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg's Nelson Poynter Memorial Library for the period July 2, 2014 to June 30, 2015.

A Longitudinal Study Of Truant Youths ’ Involvement In Sexual Risk Behavior, Richard Dembo, Rhissa B. Robinson, Rocío Ungaro, Ken C. Winters, Lora Karas

Criminology Faculty Publications

Truant youths are likely to engage in a number of problem behaviors, including sexual risky behaviors. As part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded, prospective intervention project, a sample of truant youths' sexual risk behavior was tracked over five time points. Analyses of the data was informed by four objectives: (a) determine if a growth model parameterization was consistent with the youths' sexual risk behavior, (b) assess the impact of a brief intervention (BI) targeting substance use on their sexual risk behavior over time, (c) identify any sexual risk behavior subgroups, and (d) identify any differential, longitudinal effects …

The Weekly Challenger, June 4, 2015, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The June 4, 2015, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Mind The Gap: Perceptions Of Passenger Aggression And Train Car Supervision In A Commuter Rail System, Nerea Marteache, Gisela Bichler, Janet Enriquez

Journal of Public Transportation

Negative perceptions about the safety of a commuter rail system can act as a barrier to using public transportation. When operational issues increase rider tension (i.e., crowding or worsening on-time performance), or the management capabilities of conductors and law enforcement personnel are called into question, an upsurge in passenger-on-passenger aggression may occur. In turn, riders concerned about their safety may retreat to personal vehicles or other forms of “less risky” transit, such as express buses. Modifying an interstitial estimation process, this study presents a new method of identifying where rider concerns about public safety concentrate. Using the commuter rail system …

Full Issue 9.1

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

The Weekly Challenger, May 21, 2015, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The May 21, 2015, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Commencement Convocation Program, Sarasota - Manatee Campus, May 3, 2015, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

Golden Bull Service & Outstanding Leadership Award - Jabari Williams; Outstanding Graduate - Colleen Bankuty; Outstanding Professor - Elaine Augustine; Paul Searls Webecke Award - Gregory Farrenkopf

Editor's Introduction, Christian Gudehus, Douglas Irvin-Erickson, Melanie O'Brien

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

‘Toxification’ As A More Precise Early Warning Sign For Genocide Than Dehumanization? An Emerging Research Agenda, Rhiannon S. Neilsen

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In genocide scholarship, dehumanization is often considered to be an alarming early warning sign for mass systematic killing. Yet, within broader research, dehumanization is found to exist in a variety of instances that do not lead to aggression or violence. This disparity suggests that while dehumanization is an important part of the genocidal process, it is too imprecise as a salient early warning sign. Genocide scholars have acknowledged such a conjecture in the past. This article initiates an embryonic research agenda that offers ‘toxification’ as a more precise early warning sign for genocide than dehumanization. It contends that while dehumanization …

An Evaluation Of The Utah First District Mental Health Court: Gauging The Efficacy Of Diverting Offenders Suffering With Serious Mental Illness, Stephen Guy Vangeem

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The decision to establish a mental health court in Utah's First District was largely a political one prompted by the growing popularity of problem-solving courts throughout the country. Because this motivation was policy-driven and not needs-driven, the court was established without an ongoing data collection schedule. As a result, barring anecdotal evidence from program participants, the current impact of the court on two key goals-- reducing recidivism and increasing community-based treatment contact--is entirely unknown. The current study aims to provide a summative program evaluation of the first sixty-eight months of specialty court operation by (1) estimating basic demographic and clinical …

The Weekly Challenger, April 9, 2015, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The April 9, 2015, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

"It Takes Time To Shift Historical Paradigms": Changes In Structure, Governance, Perception, And Practice During A Decade Of Child Welfare Policy Reform In Florida, Amy Catherine Vargo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored changes in structure, governance, perception and practice within Florida's child welfare system over a ten-year period (2001-2011) inclusive of two concurrent, statewide reform efforts: the privatization of child welfare services and implementation of a Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration. Using an anthropological perspective and holistic approach, the child welfare system is presented as a type of meta-organizational culture inclusive of subsystems and subcultures which are all embedded in historical and socioeconomic context that involves alternations between child safety and family preservation approaches to care.

Guided by a grounded theory approach to qualitative data analysis, content analysis of child …