Digital Commons Network^™

Struggles For Power: The Plague Of Humanity, Melissa Layton

Best Midwestern High School Writing 2013 Winners

This essay strives to convince its audience of the point William Golding establishes with his novel Lord of the Flies about the dangers of power. Comparing the power struggle between the characters Ralph and Jack with the real-world struggle for control of the Soviet Union between Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin, the essay makes a strong argument. It informs readers of the startling similarities between the two struggles for power as well as the contrasting elements, effectively supporting its claims with examples and quotations from Lord of the Flies and several books about the Soviet Union’s history. This essay is …

January 4, 2013: Richard Utz Comments On English Studies On Chronicle.Com, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

January 4, 2013: Bonnie Jo Campbell Chosen As Mlive Kalamazoo Gazette Book Club, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Wmu Assessment In Action Days Conference 2013, Office Of Assessment And Undergraduate Studies

Assessment in Action Conference

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Domestic Violence On Children And Teens, Sophia C. Bouma-Prediger

Best Midwestern High School Writing 2013 Winners

It offers a new perspective on a subject that is usually only approached from one direction while addressing multiple different points of view and evaluating them. Additionally, it argues against the common opinion of how people involved with domestic violence are affected and therefore, should be treated by others.

2013-14 Series Brochure - Changing Climates, University Center For The Humanities

University Center for the Humanities Events

In our 2013-14 series, “Changing Climates,” the Center for the Humanities brings together scientists and humanists to consider how our climate is changing and what we need to know and do in response. Scientific research is defining issues that concern everybody, including the warming of the globe, the toxicity of our environment, and the fundamental changes we are making to the natural world. Scientists are giving us an opportunity, even a necessity, to talk across the usual boundaries within the University and throughout the community.

2012-13 Annual Report, University Center For The Humanities

University Center for the Humanities Events

The mission of the Center is to recognize and support the humanities at Western Michigan University. As a gathering place for dialogue, the Center acts an incubator for the exchange of ideas among faculty, emeriti, alumni, undergraduate and graduate students, and people in the wider community. Through the understanding of diverse cultural, professional, political, and intellectual landscapes, we nurture engaged and vital academic life.

Prism #68, January 2013, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Discovery: Research Annual Report 2013, Office Of Vice President For Research

Research Annual Reports

• BRCC spells return on investment
• MDOT Collaborates with WMU
• Starting Gate puts student entrepreneurs on the fast track
• 2013 Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellows at WMU
• Faculty receive awards
• WMU research facility assists in rediscovery of rare mineral deposit

"There Is No Substitute For Victory" - Remembrances Of World War Ii, Janet S. Hahn Ph.D.

Center for Gerontology Reports and Publications

From the Forward

The WMU students in the Spring 2013 Issues in Aging: Service Learning Course learned from people who lived through World War II. Over the course of the semester, students moved from discomfort when calling strangers for interviews to expressing passion for finding the best ways to share the stories and lessons learned. Students strengthened their communication and planning skills and focused on learning more about an earlier generation. Students were moved by the memories of deep sacrifices and loss. They were amazed by the frugal lifestyle required during the World War II Era, and were honored to …

Classroom Assessment, Departmental Assessment And Assessment For Student Support Units, Barbara E. Walvoord

Assessment in Action Conference

No abstract provided.

Oliver Ellsworth His Central Role In The Establishment Of Federal Sovereignty, Edward Jayne

All Books and Monographs by WMU Authors

After the passage of the Constitution in 1787 the central government of the United States still lacked full federal sovereignty. Two years later this deficiency was remedied with the passage of the Judiciary Act, which gave the federal Supreme Court the power to review and reverse state Supreme Court decisions. The author of this crucial legislation was Oliver Ellsworth, who had served on the Committee of Detail that had written the first draft of the Constitution and later effectively became the Senate majority leader.

With the Judiciary Act, Ellsworth gave "teeth" to federal sovereignty in a single tortuous 307-word sentence, …

2013 Complete Digest, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Opening PandoraʼS Stream: Piping Music Into The Information Literacy Classroom, Kathleen Langan, Dianna E. Sachs

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Although it is well known that music can affect cognitive processes, little research has been conducted examining the influence of background music on students in information literacy classrooms. In 2010, librarians at Western Michigan University investigated the effect of background music on student engagement and retention of information literacy concepts. This article examines the theory and practical applications of background music to improve a classroom atmosphere and its impact on students’ learning. Results from this qualitative and quantitative study indicate positive correlations between background music and student comfort, confidence, and retention. DOI: 10.1080/15228959.2013.785876

Inspiring Results: Designing Innovative Instruction Using Faculty Feedback On Technology Use And Attitudes Toward Library Research Instruction, Maria A. Perez-Stable, Dianna E. Sachs, Patricia F. Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

The importance of information literacy (IL) at the college level is well documented. Like many other institutions, Western Michigan University (WMU) has come to recognize the value of IL, after years of deliberate and steady promotion of its benefits to the WMU community by the University Libraries. A crucial question that has emerged as part of the Libraries’ strategic plan to meet the University’s IL needs is this: What are the best ways to deliver library instruction to address the needs of today’s students and faculty, keeping in mind emerging and changing technologies to which faculty and students relate?

In …

Fact Book 2013-14, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Fact Books

• General Information
• Enrollment Information
• Institutional Comparison
• Student Information
• Faculty Information
• Budgets and Resources

Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog 2013-2014, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Colleges

Western Michigan University Graduate Catalog 2013-2014, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Admission Procedures
• Academic Graduate Degree-Level Information
• Funding Issues
• Other Graduate Policies of Interest
• General University Policies
• University and Student Services
• Colleges
• Course Descriptions (by College)

First World War Central Power Prison Camps, Kenneth Steuer

History Faculty Publications

This is an introduction to the First World War Central Power POW Camps photo gallery that is a companion work to Steuer's e-book, Pursuit of an "Unparalleled Opportunity": The American YMCA and Prisoner-of-War Diplomacy among the Central Power Nations during World War I, 1914-1923. The images include a wide range of photographs, drawings, paintings, maps, and other images from Austrian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, German, and Turkish prison camps during the First World War which illustrate the daily life of Allied war prisoners in and outside of prison facilities. The text and database images show the activities in these camps and …

December 14, 2012: Jeffrey Masten History Of The Book Lecture @ Newberry (1/11/13), Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

December 13, 2012: Premodern Foucault At The Newberry, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The Evolution Of Brassiere In The 20th Century, Jolene Khor

Honors Theses

It is common knowledge that a brassiere, more widely known as a bra, is an important if not a vital part of a modern woman’s wardrobe today. In the 21^st century, a brassiere is no more worn for function as it is for fashion. In order to understand the evolution of function to fashion of a brassiere, it is necessary to account for its historical journey from the beginning to where it is today. This thesis paper, titled The Evolution of Brassiere in the 20^th Century will explore the history of brassiere in the last 100 years. While …

December 9, 2012: Brimhall Wins Nea Award, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

The Roof With No Ceiling: Couch Surfing And The New Vagabond's Trek Through Nation-States, Cyberspace, And Global Consciousness, Kathryn Giroux

Honors Theses

In an era of "stranger danger" where society indoctrinates fear of "the other," hospitality exchange and social networking website www.couchsurfing.org offers an alternative movement to these trends. Couchsurfing.org connects travelers with locals offering free accommodation in exchange for meaningful connection, cultural exchange, and the opportunity to "create inspiring experiences" within a rapidly growing, transnational community encompassing over 5 million members. This thesis takes a creative journalism approach to uncovering CouchSurfing's inner workings and impacts, understanding its historical context within globalization and the growth of hospitality exchange networks, and discovering its implications for the global community and global consciousness of vagabonds …

December 1, 2012: Gwen Frostic Reading Series: Fiction Writer Emma Straub, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Prism #67, December 2012, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Value Of U.S. Higher Education For International Students In The Context Of Higher Education Internationalization, Ewa L. Urban

Dissertations

This study used a cross-sectional survey to examine the perceptions of undergraduate and graduate international students enrolled at a public university in the Midwest, regarding the personal and professional value they receive from their higher education experience. In addition, the study explored international students’ perceptions of the level of engagement they experience as cultural resources at their institution.

Results indicated that international students’ decisions to come to the U.S. were mostly driven by professional motivations, such as getting quality education, developing a better understanding of their fields of study, and gaining practical skills and experiences. Yet, international students’ professional outcomes …

The Impact Of Computer-Based Educational Technology On English As A Second Language (Esl) At University Level: Instructor Perceptions, Mohammed Mohammed

Masters Theses

This study used a quantitative descriptive survey research design to examine university-level English as a second language (ESL) instructors’ perceptions of computer-based educational technology, as well as their personal views on the value this technology adds to their instructions and teaching. The study is designed to reveal both general perceptions on how computer-based educational technology (CBET) can facilitate teaching and learning, and specific perceptions on how the technology can improve instructors’ and learners' performance in terms of meeting 21st century skills and needs. The target population of this survey research was all ESL instructors at the Center for English Language …

The Social And Political Philosophy Of Bertolt Brecht, Anthony Squiers

Dissertations

Bertolt Brecht is widely considered to be one of the most important figures in Twentieth Century literature. An acclaimed poet, he is best known as a playwright and director. His 'epic theatre' revolutionized the theatre by creating radical breaks from traditional literary and theatrical form. These radical breaks were done in an effort to facilitate radical social change. Specifically, Brecht designed his epic theatre as a revolutionary aesthetic which would help bring about the advent of a Marxist revolution. There is a broad corpus of academic work which analyzes the formalistic elements of his work. However, this body of work …

Using Teachliveᵀᴹ To Improve Pre-Service Special Education Teacher Practices, April N. Enicks

Dissertations

Currently, there is a body of research available that clearly specifies effective teaching behaviors and quality indicators of a given behavior (Rosenshine, 2012; Danielson, 2007; Stronge, 2007; Rosenshine, 1983; Brophy, 1979). Research is lacking in defining practices that develop effective teaching behaviors in pre-service teachers. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of various forms of instructional modes, settings, and experiences on students’ ability to demonstrate desired effective teaching behaviors. The secondary objective of this study was to determine if on-going self-reflection coupled with various forms of feedback supported students in becoming more effective reflective practitioners. …