Digital Commons Network^™

Elsewhere: Impressions Of Sense & Nonsense, Madeline Woods

Masters Theses

I’m not going to give it all away up front, but here are a few things you’ll find inside: a flower that tastes like peppermint, a book that smells like sunscreen, a silver orb that purrs, a woman becoming a tree, a shy rainbow, and a hat that is also a disguise. There are lists, letters, dreams, and notes. I hope there aren’t typos, but I’m only human, after all. There is sense, and there is also nonsense.

If you decide to join me here, we will wander elsewhere — across different kinds of terrain, into sensory experiences, between mediums, …

Rebuilt The Fading Vicinity, Yifan Du

Masters Theses

Something is missing on the scale between me and the whole world. That’s also the dilemma of the Millennials. The giant gap between the ego and the world builds an invisible wall. This invisible barrier makes us nonchalant toward the trivial things happening just right in front of us. Ironically, the nonchalance makes our society more emotional and drastic. We get outraged more easily compare to the past.

How should I invite people to appreciate and care more about our surroundings? How do I rebuild the fading vicinity? Those questions are the starting point of my thesis journey.

Transforming Islands: A Living Memorial For The Marshall Islands, Chengwen Jiang

Masters Theses

Does Utopia exist? If so, I believe it is a state of mind, a way of thinking. This thesis speculates on future uncertainties. As such, my work punctures an illusion, examining history to reveal underlying tensions and, finally, conceive a brighter future for the Marshallese. Using the Marshall Islands as a case study, this thesis examines how a population might face traumas, both historical and climactic, and demonstrate how new infrastructures can build resiliency to support minorities and create new memories. My proposal introduces two potential “visitors:” Marshallese people ( future generations as well as indigenous) and the rest of …

Fluid Ground: Imagining A Floating Future For Tuvalu, Yuxi Liu

Masters Theses

Climate change is posing great challenges to Tuvalu, a small archipelago in the center of the Pacific Ocean. With low elevations above sea level, poor soil, and limited land resources, Tuvalu is considered to be one of the smallest countries in the world, as well as the most vulnerable nation under climate change. About 2000 years ago the seafaring Pacific Islanders inhabited the archipelago and developed its unique culture following the fluid geographies of atoll islands––a culture that was once associated with the notion of paradise, and which gradually faded away with the arrival of western colonizers in the 19th …

Land, Labor, Water: An Agricultural Commons In The Central Valley Of California, Jacob Lightman

Masters Theses

An Agricultural Commons in California's Central Valley examines the spatial and structural relationships between food systems, the ecologies that support them, and the unincorporated farming communities in The Central Valley. Current industrial practices in The Central Valley deplete water resources, deplete topsoil, create toxic living conditons for local communities, and undervalues farmlabor. Further pressures from climate change will inevitably cause greater instability in this food system and greater injustices towards the local communities and ecologies. The Central Valley is already a commons for Americans, as it supplies the majority of our year-round produce. Through a reevaluation of the idea of …

Black Mental Health: Unravelling The Stressors And Stigma Surrounding The Mental Health Of Black Men, Joel Isimeme

Masters Theses

Mental health and illness have become increasingly relevant concerns in contemporary society. While the collective conversation around psychological health has begun, within the black community, mental health remains taboo. Mental illness is seldom seen as affecting black people. All individuals, however, are susceptible to mental illness, especially black men of African descent. This thesis, therefore, aims to explore the everyday experiences that adversely affect the mental health of black men. Specifically, it seeks to identify the factors that contribute to this mental ill-health. To this end, it will examine the role of society, religion, and the media in stigmatizing poor …

Spatiotemporal Distributions Of Sargassum On Grand Cayman, Graeme Timmeney

Masters Theses

This mixed methods research examines individual perceptions of Sargassum on Grand Cayman’s beaches in 2020 using participant mapping, and semi – structured interviews. Results from the participant mapping are compared to satellite detection of sargassum. Sargassum poses health risks to both humans and the natural environment. Decaying Sargassum produces sulfuric gas and prevents young turtle hatchlings from reaching the ocean. Since 2011, Sargassum has diffused beyond the Sargasso Sea into entirely novel locations, spanning from the west African Coast to the Gulf of Mexico. Increased biomass has proven to be overwhelming for many Caribbean Islands, including Grand Cayman where hundreds …

Strong Women Breaking Ground: Roles Of Women In Agriculture In Michigan, April L. Shirey

Masters Theses

Agriculture in Michigan is changing. While the number of farms and farmers continue to decrease, women are increasingly taking on the role of farmer instead of the “farmer’s wife”. The number of female producers increased from 8,275 to 26,059 where the number of producers in Michigan decreased from 56,014 to 47,641 from 2007 to 2017 (USDA, 2007, 2017). Women are becoming the face of farming in Michigan, yet little research examines the impacts of these shifts. In this research, I conduct semi-structured interviews with female farmers throughout lower Michigan beginning in the summer of 2020 to learn more about these …

Extreme Cold Event Perception And Preparedness Of Western Michigan University Students, Connor J. Landeck

Masters Theses

Preparing for disasters at universities differs throughout the country but taking preventative measures is the first step in reducing loss of life and recovery measures. This research examined differences among undergraduate students regarding perceptions when it comes to extreme cold events at Western Michigan University (WMU). The main focus of the thesis was to determine if there is a lack of awareness and/or preparation measures of extreme cold events. Data were collected online using a specially designed questionnaire through Qualtrics. Survey questions were coded and analyzed using SPSS software using standard univariate descriptive statistics and/or multivariate statistical tests deemed appropriate. …

Uniquely Korea: Retaining Visual Authenticity In Cultural Presentations, Deanna M. Cannon

Masters Theses

As educators and creators seek to introduce students to cultures from around the world to increase cultural awareness, visual media has also become a powerful tool to disseminate the visual culture of a people. When media misrepresents a culture, the introduction to the culture can be flawed and create more problems. How then can media creators ensure that their representations are accurate? This project proposes that careful research balanced with an observation of the culture’s visual presentations can help guide cultural representations toward authenticity. This research specifically explores the problem of misrepresenting traditional Korean culture in American media. The generalization …

"The Glare And Glitter Of That Fashionable Resort": Newport, Rhode Island As Ward Mcallister Found It, Emily Elizabeth Parrow

Masters Theses

As late nineteenth century New York City’s premier social arbiter, Ward McAllister was one of the most controversial and well-known figures of the Gilded Age. In the turbulent years following the Civil War, he helped codify an otherwise elusive definition of American high society in an era marked by conspicuous spending and an ever-growing gap between the rich and poor. His influence also extended beyond New York, paralleling and contributing to the physical and social transformation of Newport, Rhode Island. Once a thriving port city and participant in the Triangle Trade, Newport experienced a fifty-year period of stagnation following the …

What In Hell Conflicts With God? The Divine Promulgation View Of Hell Confirms The Reality Of Hell Does Not Make God A Moral Monster, Kara Y. Harris

Masters Theses

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that God is not morally at fault for humans consigned to eternal punishment in hell. In this work, I contribute to the ongoing conversation of hell in the following ways: (1) I provide an exposition on the words translated as hell in the Bible; (2) I uncover the progressive nature of the doctrine of hell as sin increases and God advances His plan of salvation to rescue humans from such an eternal fate; (3) I argue that Christianity and the biblical doctrine of hell are bound principally as Christ’s work on the …

Agent-Based Model Of Broadband Adoption In Unserved And Underserved Areas, Ankit Agarwal

Masters Theses

"In the last two decades, demand for broadband internet has far outpaced its availability. The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) 2020 Broadband Deployment report suggests that at least 22 million Americans living in rural areas lack access to broadband internet. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting normal life, there is an overwhelming need to enable unserved and underserved communities to adapt to the “new normal”. To address this challenge, federal and state agencies are funding internet service providers (ISPs) to deploy infrastructure in rural communities. However, policymakers and ISPs need open-source tools to predict take-rates of broadband service and formulate effective strategies …

Unchallenged And Obedient: Status Of Nigerian Junior Secondary School Social Studies Curriculum, Toluwalase Solomon

Masters Theses

Bolstering best practice social studies pedagogy is crucial to raising analytical, responsible, moral, and civic-minded students in Nigeria. This study, using content analysis research methods, examined the contents of Nigerian junior secondary school (JSS) social studies curriculum materials to determine the extent to which the curriculum aligns with major social studies teachers’ epistemologies (citizenship transmission, social sciences, and reflective inquiry). Though there have been numerous studies on examining the major social studies teachers’ epistemologies—citizenship transmission, social sciences, and reflective inquiry—yet few have examined the extent to which Nigerian social studies curriculum materials aligns with these epistemologies. Three major findings emerged …

Teacher Perceptions And Use Of Evidence-Based Discipline Practices, Taylor Robinson

Masters Theses

School discipline has been linked to significant positive and negative outcomes for both students and teachers. The current study examined the predictive power of Illinois, public school teacher variables on the use of specific discipline strategies in the classroom. One hundred eleven teachers completed a survey with vignette developed by the primary researcher which was used to assess teachers’ confidence in implementing discipline strategies, perceived effectiveness of discipline strategies, and perceptions of peer use and peer beliefs about discipline strategies. The study used descriptive statistics to identify patterns of reporting and multiple linear regressions to determine the predictive power of …

Female Student Service Member’S Experiences With Higher Education And Military Transitions, Sophie Cieslicki

Masters Theses

This study explored the experiences of female student service members when transitioning between military-related and higher education responsibilities as well as their motivations for degree completion and campus resources they utilized. While the number of studies on female student service members is growing, research on this population is scarce. This study utilized a narrative qualitative approach to give female student service members a voice and platform to share their experiences and truths. Participants in this study have served at least one year in the United States Armed Forces and have completed at least one semester of college coursework. Participants were …

The Cultural Heritage And Potential For Sustainable Site Development Of Greater Jezreel, Morgan Davidson

Masters Theses

This thesis surveys the historic and cultural significance of the site of Tel Jezreel, Israel and the surrounding environs and proposes a program of conservation and research which will facilitate further study of the site’s history while simultaneously making the area safely accessible to visitors. Particular attention is paid to the role that the tower and church which currently lie in ruins played within the region. Although the tower of Jezreel has been relatively neglected by historians and archaeologists to this point, it represents a very important aspect of the site, namely its continued occupation and importance beyond the biblical …

Spatiotemporal Observations Of Water Stress In Kansas Winter Wheat And Corn From Remotely Sensed Evapotranspiration And Ndwi, Lindi Diane Oyler

Masters Theses

"Optimizing water use is a growing concern, especially in agricultural communities where water use is high. An important challenge in agricultural water optimization is knowing when and where crop water stress is occurring, particularly on large scales where in-situ measurements are no longer practical to obtain. In an effort to combat this challenge, this study utilizes remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) to evaluate the responses of integrated satellite datasets to water-stressed conditions over fields of irrigated corn, irrigated winter wheat, and rainfed winter wheat from 2007 to 2017 in southwestern Kansas. Using two different ET …

Predator Scent And Presence Alter Mammal Assemblages In The Missouri Ozarks, Usa, Cara Jean Yocom-Russell

Masters Theses

"Species that are vulnerable to predation exhibit a host of behavioral and physiological adaptations toward the avoidance of this outcome: Heightened awareness of surroundings through visual, olfactory, and auditory senses are common ways in which these species avoid detection by predators. While links between direct predator-prey relationships are well established, less is known about how predators can shape overall community structure or the populations of secondary or less frequently consumed prey items. As humans expand into rural areas, the frequency of wildlife conflicts rises. In response, humans look to prevent these events with a variety of methods. One such method …

Airbnbs In The Rural Midwest: Optimizing Listing Content For User’S Decision-Making Processes, Mary Catherine Kosacki

Masters Theses

This research examines the effectiveness of rural Airbnb listing content in influencing user decision-making. The peer-to-peer economy has been rapidly growing over the past decade, providing new opportunities for individuals to offer goods and services to other individuals through corporate platforms. Specifically, the Airbnb platform has rapidly grown, becoming the largest online platform for peer-to-peer property rentals, and one of the largest companies in the peer-to-peer sector of the economy. Previous research on the Airbnb platform has focused primarily on urban areas; however, Airbnbs have a proportionally large impact on local economies in rural areas.

Several methods were employed to …

Mobility Justice And Social Capital In Strawberry Mansion And Kensington, Philadelphia Pa, Rebecca Fruehwald

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the theoretical and practical relationship between mobility justice and social capital. A literature review establishes the theoretical relationship through an overview of history and policy. The relationship is then explored through a case study of Strawberry Mansion and Kensington neighborhoods in Philadelphia. These sections are then connected by considering how they are both impacted by the larger system of capitalism. The real-world example of gentrification is given for how all these elements interact and affect each other, and the practical relationship between mobility justice and social capital is established. Finally, policy implementations and paths for possible future …

Exploring Multimedia Storytelling As A Novel Tool To Inspire Americans To Participate In Wildlife Conservation, Megan Brief

Masters Theses

Human and nonhuman animal lives are intimately entangled. In the age of the Anthropocene, it is imperative to reexamine our proximity and kinship with nature. Human-wildlife conflict can evolve into coexistence through conservation efforts marked by creativity and compassion. To inspire conservation action among North American audiences, we must enact novel ways of disseminating scientifically technical concepts. Multimedia storytelling can encourage equitable involvement among lay participants in conservation spaces. When inclusive of Indigenous knowledges, and conscious of damage narratives, such innovative stories can empathetically communicate wildlife degradation and injustices, as well as animate vulnerable human and nonhuman communities.

Staves & Stones: The Truth Of Runic Tradition, Josiah John Duff

Masters Theses

The research problem and task for this thesis was in the analysis of the Old Norse Futhark, or written runic language and how it has been represented through history. In order to educate the reader with a greater understanding and put the runes in context, the runes are analyzed thoroughly before being compared and contrasted to other runic systems that have been represented in modern media. The objective being to identify these similarities and differences in each language and maintain a consistent criteria to measure each language, via original use, design and form, and in-mythos development. Using this criteria and …

Global Englishes: Variations Of A Single Language In All English Classrooms, Amanda Leigh Faulkenberry

Masters Theses

This study was conducted in order to develop a procedure for creating a globally recognized curriculum for teaching students and teachers about global variations of English. The study first sought to discover attitudes towards global variations of English of speakers in each of Kachru’s three-circles model of World Englishes. Once there was an understanding of the negative attitudes that exist towards variations that fall within all three circles, the next goal was to determine what was being done to change this negative attitude. This meant analyzing curriculum and studies to determine how students and teachers are being educated on the …

The Impact Of Political Culture On Political Reactions: A Case Study Of Eu Sanctions On Russia, Kenzie Robin De Keyser

Masters Theses

The political impact of European Union (EU) sanctions on Russia is complicated by the political culture of the Russian state and the economic interdependencies of the EU bloc and the Russian Federation. This study explores the impacts of European Union sanctions on Russian politics, using economic interdependence and the political culture of Russia to help explain both the political effects of the sanctions on Russia and the overall Russian political reaction to the scenario that is unfolding. The foundations of government, political society, and political norms within Russia can be found throughout the different bases of Russian political culture which …

A Radar And Model Based Synopsis Of Surface Soil Moisture State As It Relates To Back-Building Thunderstorm Behavior: Northern Great Plains, Skye Leake

Masters Theses

Severe thunderstorm behavior across the Great Plains of North America can result in negative economic impact, put infrastructure at risk, and pose a hazard to the lives of those calling the area home. Substantial research has been conducted throughout the Great Plains on a variety of severe weather conditions such as extreme wind, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding, however such research is limited in the northern portion of the Great Plains. Some research has been conducted on these severe phenomena produced by thunderstorms in the northern Great Plains; however, little has been done in the realm of training/back-building of storms. …

Constructing And Experiencing The Medieval Waddenland, Hugh R. Milner

Masters Theses

Part of the intertidal zone along the southeast portion of the North Sea, the Wadden Sea Coast runs from modern Friesland and Groningen in the Netherlands, through Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and up the west coast of Jutland to just past Ribe. This project seeks to understand medieval responses to an environment in constant contact with the sea via documentary and historical sources. The people of the Wadden Sea Coast defined their landscape and their history in part with earthworks and water infrastructure, negotiating control of both anthropogenic and natural environments.

How Do Food Shopping Behaviors Differ Between High-Income And Low-Income Shoppers In The Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area?, Alison M. Cooney

Masters Theses

Background: The social determinants of health and health equity are influenced by access, environment, and socioeconomic status (SES). Health inequities are preventable and can be avoided with systemic policy change surrounding the distribution of wealth and resources. Few studies have researched the differences in different income levels and the influence income has on food shopping behaviors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in food shopping behaviors between high-income and low-income shoppers living in the same zip code. Subjects Sixty-eight individuals who live in the 49341 zip code which represents a small city in Kent County, …

British Piracy Policy In Jamaica, Aaron M. Goins

Masters Theses

The British used piracy as a tool of empire to gain a foothold the Caribbean until they had enough resources to create an empire of their own. Piracy functioned as an insurgency for the British keeping the competition in the new world below the threshold of war in Europe but still detrimental to the Spanish. The British used this chaos and the resources it brought in to build themselves while hurting the Spanish. Then, once the British desired stability over chaos they ceased use of pirates and started hunting pirates.

Defining Montréal: An Exploration On The Evolution Of Montréal’S Brand And Cultural Representations Since 1930, Liliane Lai

Masters Theses

Spaces contain and create meanings through the interplay of their surrounding physical and mental landscape i.e., geography, social activity, and representation. Like many defined spaces, Montréal is not only a social and spatial manifestation of a singular community, but an ideal conceived and constructed through interpretation, objectives, and media portrayal— a mosaic or assemblage. Conceptualising Montréal as a brand being one of the cultural capitals of Canada is deeply tied to an assemblage of its diverse roots and identity beyond its history. This thesis explores the notion of city branding to understand how a city’s image and reputation evolves in …