Digital Commons Network^™

Creating Trust: Strengthening Visual Communication Systems For Small Nonprofits, Jennifer R. Wenz

Masters Theses

This study explores how small nonprofits often fail shortly after they are created because of weak design practices and limited access to professional design tools and skills. Large organizations and nonprofits survive because they invest in strong branding, clear messaging, and long-term design strategy. Small nonprofits rely on volunteers with little to no design training which leaves them with inconsistent branding, unclear visual communication, and materials that fail to build the trust they need to survive. This project will examine the gap through research in the nonprofit areas of communication, visual psychology, accessible design systems, and case studies of successful …

What About R&B? The Undefined American Music Genre, Asha Brown

Masters Theses

The research presented in this thesis seeks to provide insight into the value and representation of R&B music in American culture, history, and scholarly works. To advocate for the accurate classification of Rhythm and Blues as a distinct musical genre? Data collected throughout the research process explores the sociological factors that influence tastes in particular music. While the American and music history of the thesis provide foundational evidence of the genre’s influence and relevance, input from research participants supports a hypothesis on the sociological aspects. The conclusion suggests that, though there are multiple factors to consider, many popular music genres …

Analysis Of Song Choice At An Anglican Church In The North West, Yvette Wong

Masters Theses

The rise of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in the last hundred years has gradually led to the so-called worship wars in the late twentieth century. While scholars (Lester Ruth, Ted Peter, and Vernon Whaley) note that the tension has several fronts, Ruth points out that the most obvious front line of combat in the wars was music on instrumentation, song repertoires between hymns and choruses, and the role of song in corporate worship. To keep the peace, many churches have settled for either one style of service, combined the two in the same service, commonly known as a blended service, …

Fight With What You Have: The Influence Of Pre-War Cruiser Doctrine On The Guadalcanal Campaign, Dawson Baber

Masters Theses

The Guadalcanal campaign was one of the most important campaigns of the Second World War. It was the first American offensive action and began the rolling back of Japanese forces. Guadalcanal would also be a watershed moment in American naval doctrine. The experiences suffered during the six-month campaign led to significant changes in how the Navy employed its surface forces. Since the outcome of the campaign leads to significant changes in how the Navy fights, it is important to understand what led to the battles and why they went poorly. To be more specific, how did the Navy prepare itself …

Interviewing Civilians For A Local Perspective Of Violent Extremism In West Africa, Benjamin Ellis

Masters Theses

This study examines how civilians in West Africa experience violent extremism, with the goal of informing more effective policy solutions. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on a focus group conducted with ten participants from various countries in West Africa. Data was transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in participants’ responses. Six major themes emerged: prolonged fear and restricted daily movement; economic and infrastructural disruption; psychological distress and uncertainty about the future; recruitment into extremist groups driven by complex factors; limited outsider understanding of local realities; and support for multidimensional responses rather than purely …

The 1778 Fort Pitt Treaty: U.S. Relations With The Lenni-Lenape Nation And The Unraveling Of Early Promises, Veronica E. Riddle

Masters Theses

This study examines the Treaty of Fort Pitt (1778), signed in present-day Pittsburgh, as the first formal diplomatic agreement between the United States and the Lenape (Delaware) Nation during the American Revolutionary War. Formed amid the military and political instability of the Revolution, the treaty promised mutual military assistance, recognition of Lenape sovereignty west of the Alleghenies, protection from settler encroachment, and the unprecedented possibility of Native representation within the emerging American confederation. However, following the deaths of key Lenape leaders, escalating frontier violence, and the failure of the Continental Congress to ratify or uphold critical provisions, the treaty rapidly …

Violent Tides: A Novel, Teal Rose

Masters Theses

Violent Tides is a coming-of age fantasy novel that invites readers to navigate themes of identity, forgiveness, and compassion

Creation As Calling: The Intersection Of Faith And Craft, Alexandra J. Slyman

Masters Theses

This thesis, titled "Creation as Calling: The Intersection of Faith and Craft," explores the relationship between creative writing—specifically within the epic fantasy genre—and Christian belief. The work is divided into three distinct sections: an Artist Statement, a Craft Element Paper, and a Creative Manuscript. The Artist Statement establishes a creative philosophy grounded in the biblical doctrine of imago Dei, or being made in the image of God. It argues that the human impulse to create is a divine mandate to reflect God’s glory and a means of bearing witness to the "great story of salvation". The author contends that fiction …

A Critique Of Richard Carrier’S Jesus-Myth Theory: Examining Select References To The Historical Jesus In Paul’S Epistles, John P. Nichols

Masters Theses

Richard Carrier is arguably the contemporary voice promoting Jesus-mythicism, the idea that Jesus of Nazareth never existed. Though in the scholarly minority, Carrier has assembled numerous arguments for rejecting the Gospels and Acts as historically reliable, as well as all historical references to Jesus in Paul’s letters. He has proposed his own rules for historical inquiry to replace the traditional criteria of authenticity used by historical-Jesus scholars. In conjunction with his own criteria, Carrier has demonstrated the use of Bayes’ Theorem to assess the probability of Jesus’ existence. This thesis has considered certain portions of Carrier’s thesis against the historical …

The Things That Keep Me Up At Night, Kaitlyn Grace Wilson

Masters Theses

This creative nonfiction manuscript is a collection of reflective personal essays centered on ordinary experiences, curiosities, anxieties, and observations that gradually expand into larger questions about identity, memory, adulthood, faith, and human behavior. Rather than relying on dramatic plot or chronological structure, the essays move associatively through thought, humor, research, and reflection. Subjects throughout the manuscript range from fireworks, sourdough starter, dreams, and Facebook Marketplace to art history, floating the Chattahoochee River, weddings, music performances, and irrational fears. Through these seemingly small topics, the manuscript explores the emotional weight and philosophical questions hidden within everyday life.

Much of the project …

Alexandre Etienne Declouet: A Study And Re-Examination Of Chauvinistic Heritage In Antebellum Louisiana 1812-1890, Connor Matthew Benoit

Masters Theses

This thesis analyzes the change in French Creole culture through the perspective of sugar planter and enslaver Alexandre Etienne DeClouet. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between all facets of DeClouet’s livelihood including, relationships with other wealthy French Creoles, his family, the Louisiana sugar industry, Political alliances, other cultural demographics in Louisiana, and his enslaved labor on his large St. Martin parish property. Within this study, several archival databases were used to attempt to create a clearer picture of the sugar planter with the help of newer primary source evidence. Using the Alexander DeClouet and Family …

Beyond Social Disconnection: The Unique Relationship Between Existential Loneliness And Depression, Lauren Beatrice Edwards

Masters Theses

Depression and loneliness are among the most pressing mental health concerns in the United States, yet their relationship remains incompletely understood. Research has extensively examined social-emotional, or general, loneliness. However, existential loneliness (EL), the felt sense of being fundamentally alone in one's existence, has remained on the theoretical periphery. This study examined EL as a meaningfully distinct dimension of loneliness and explored its unique relationship with depressive symptoms in a sample of 301 U.S. adults recruited via Prolific. A joint exploratory factor analysis confirmed that EL and general loneliness are empirically separable dimensions of loneliness. Regression analyses revealed that EL …

Micro-Hyperspectral Imaging Of Phytoplankton Enables Deconvolution Of Mixed Communities For Spaceborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, Chisom Okwuchi Emeghiebo

Masters Theses

Characterizing phytoplankton diversity is critical for large-scale biodiversity monitoring and harmful algal bloom (HAB) detection. Here, we present a micro hyperspectral imaging method to characterize reflectance signatures, for the first time across major phytoplankton groups. Spectral variability among taxa in laboratory cultures is interpreted using algal pigment and absorption analyses, demonstrating that pigment composition and absorption govern reflectance features. Chlorophytes and cryptophytes exhibit distinct spectral signatures and are readily distinguishable, whereas diatoms and dinoflagellates show greater spectral similarity, with differentiation relying on subtle reflectance features associated with chlorophyll c₁c₂ near ~463 nm and within 620–650 nm. We further applied this …

The Effect Of Perceived Support On Black College Students' Sense Of Belonging, Jamillia Domani Mckinley

Masters Theses

Black college students oftentimes navigate higher education environments while managing academic demands alongside racialized stressor that can weaken their sense of belonging. Existing literature and research examined peer relationships, faculty support, and institutional support separately; however, little to no studies considered how these forms of support operate together in shaping belonging. The current study addressed that gap by examining whether perceived peer support, teacher support, and institutional support predict Black students’ sense of belonging in college and university settings. Through the lens of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, belonging was viewed as a foundational need for confidence, connection, growth, and self …

Tinder Troubles: Testing The Motivation-Based Model Of Online Disinhibition In A Mobile Dating App Context, Zachary Schleter

Masters Theses

As individuals turn to dating apps to find romance, friendships, sex, and more, understanding the factors that shape user behavior on these platforms has become increasingly important. Guided by Wen and Miura’s (2023) motivation-based Model of Online Disinhibition, this study examined how individual factors and motives for using Tinder predict online disinhibition and subsequent disinhibited behaviors. Specifically, using an English translation of Wen & Miura’s Multi-dimensional Measure of Online Disinhibition (2024), the study tested whether gender and five Tinder use motives—sexual experience, entertainment, romance, socializing, and distraction—predicted levels of online disinhibition on Tinder and whether online disinhibition, in turn, predicted …

Disparities In The Identification Of Vulnerable Communities Due To Design Storm Methods: A Case Study In The Vermilion River Watershed, South Louisiana, Usa, Claire Orgeron

Masters Theses

Accurately identifying socially vulnerable populations at-risk of flooding is critical for equitable disaster mitigation and planning. This study investigates how the selection of design storm method, which is fundamental to developing flood risk maps used for this identification, influences which socially vulnerable populations are recognized as being at elevated flood risk. The most widely used design storm approach relies on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14 point-based rainfall frequency estimates. These estimates are typically applied spatially using areal reduction factors, thereby disregarding rainfall spatial variability in real storms. Stochastic Storm Transposition (SST), an alternative design storm approach that …

Lower Extremity Muscle Activation In Elite Female Field Hockey Players With And Without Low Back Pain During A Prone Hip Extension, Madison S. Cornell

Masters Theses

Context: Low back pain (LBP) is a common chronic injury seen in field hockey players and more prominent in females than males. The purpose of this study was to identify if bilateral muscle activation differences exist in erector spinae (ES), gluteus maximus (Gmax), and biceps femoris (BF) in collegiate female field hockey players with and without LBP during a prone hip extension (PHE). It was hypothesized that individuals in the LBP group would have decreased Gmax and increased BF activation. Methods: A cohort design was utilized through a convenience sample to analyze variations in the dependent variables (muscle activation, flexibility, …

A Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Assembly Line: Jewelry, Facture, And Alienation, Jonathon A. Zalakos

Masters Theses

A Pot of Gold at the End of the Assembly Line integrates icons of mass-manufacturing with signifiers of joyful work, stimulating a dialogue between industrial and craft labour. Visible traces of the making process left on these works conjure a spectral ‘maker’, implied by the fingerprints, toolmarks, assembly, and conspicuous decision making of an ‘other’. As we relate to these signifiers as opportunities for our own bodily action, this spectre speaks in our own voice. Possessed by this ghost, viewers are vicariously thrust into an imaginary context and made sensitive to the nature of this work — whether it validates …

Tùn-Scene And A-Futurism: Biomythography, Opacity, And Posthuman Imagination, Minglu Du

Masters Theses

Grounded in the author’s position as a Chinese feminist, this thesis examines how East Asian women, as well as East Asian-coded femininity more broadly, are objectified and othered within futurist visual culture in the age of artificial intelligence. Through an engagement with ornamentalism, techno-Orientalism, and posthumanism1 , it argues that the persistent figure of the feminized humanoid cyborg continues to reproduce colonial and patriarchal structures of desire, rendering marginalized bodies as fetishized and violable surfaces. In response, the thesis develops Tùn-Scene, a biomythographic artistic framework and the first experiment in what the author provisionally names A-Futurism. Drawing on Donna Haraway’s …

Soft Bodies, Hard Frames, Emily Zhang

Masters Theses

Silk is delicate yet strong, responsive to light and air, dependent on living processes and careful labor. These qualities position silk not only as a material object, but as an instrument capable of organizing space. Rather than functioning solely as a surface or decorative textile, silk can operate as a spatial generator, shaping enclosure, movement, and environmental conditions.

For centuries, domestic courtyard houses in the Jiangnan region, located south of the Yangtze River, evolved alongside sericulture, forming spaces that were attuned to the environmental and material requirements of silk. Architectural elements such as courtyards, screened openings, flexible interiors, and canal-directed …

Jadughar: The House Of Magic, Dhruvi A. Shah

Masters Theses

Jadughar or the House of Magic is what people call a 'museum' in parts of South Asia. The practice of museum making, at its origin, is the act of collecting, preserving, interpreting and representing a culture’s tangible and intangible heritage to make it accessible to diverse audiences. Since the early 19th century such practices have been performed at various kala bhandars (art centers) in India, without the need of a formal or institutional organisation. The British introduced the model of a ‘museum’ in South Asia, with the aim of not only preserving ethnographic collections, but also showcasing their power and …

The Frame You're Holding, Andrea Mato

Masters Theses

The Frame You're Holding explores how my photographer's eye transitioned into a graphic designer's voice. The projects presented explore how to weave the textural and subjective qualities of photography into a design context. My practice explores how the frames of graphic design – the page of a book, the browser window, or the wall of an exhibition – can be expanded or reimagined. As a designer, I became the translator of content into form, seeking to author the design while collaborating with other voices. The Frame You're Holding is a snapshot of my practice as a graphic designer, encapsulating my …

Returning To The Hand, Tatum Dodd

Masters Theses

Historical preservation is traditionally understood as the act of protecting objects and buildings from change, reinstating and stabilizing the past so they may endure into the future. When preservation seeks to freeze and resolve the past, it separates it from the reality of our multi-layered histories and the traces of labor, repair, and care unfolding across generations. Through a human-centered lens that allows one to touch, uncover, and redefine, we are able to relate to our built environments through an ethical practice of care, inviting new avenues of dialogue and engagement with our past.

Recording traces of the hand within …

Boring Objects Bureau, Eric Fan

Masters Theses

The Boring Objects Bureau is an anti-sustainability design studio. Through its work, the Bureau is interested in developing new strategies that can challenge the stereotypes of what sustainability looks like for the products that underpin our modern lives.

The Bureau’s first investigation focused on the smartphone, a product where breakage and decay through obsolescence is inevitable. As a result, people are faced with either the expected sustainable approach of repair, which can be expensive and inconvenient, or replacement, which costs more and restarts the cycle. The Bureau therefore wanted to ask: could this breakage and decay instead be embraced as …

After Yellow Horse: From Passive Shelter To A Self-Sustaining Cycle, Xinyuan Liu

Masters Theses

Spatial flexibility—specifically, the ability of a single building to shift between therapeutic and productive use—offers a critical alternative to the institutional passivity of conventional care facilities, repositioning architecture as an active agent in both the financial sustainability of nonprofit organizations and the social recovery of their patients.

During my time volunteering at Yellow Horse Equine Therapy Center in Ashaway, Rhode Island, the core contradictions of the traditional equine therapy model became visible firsthand. Yellow Horse had operated for years on goodwill and volunteers. The daily reality of the facility was one of persistent understaffing: barn chores, groundskeeping, and routine maintenance …

Providence Puzzle:Exhibition Design As Urban Spatial Practice, Ye Chen

Masters Theses

Providence is a city shaped by past industrial production, immigrant communities, artistic practice, waterfront renewal, and urban redevelopment. Its identity exists not only in historical remnants, but also in the cultural atmosphere created through the ongoing interaction between past and present. Former factories, river infrastructure, neighborhood streets, public parks and scenes of everyday life together form an urban narrative that continues to evolve. Yet existing methods of presenting Providence’s history and culture remain limited to informational signage, commemorative markers, or one-directional communication, offering little incentive for people to stop, read, explore, or actively engage. As a city rich in both …

Fallen Leaves:The Unseen, Forgotten, Presences That Live In Us, Juhee Cho

Masters Theses

The fallen leaf is a material figure of the unseen, forgotten moments that have made us and holds us still while remaining outside our sight. In urban environments, fallen leaves are managed as seasonal waste, collected and quickly separated from everyday encounter. Yet within ecological systems, they continue to participate in cycles of regeneration, becoming the soil that sustains new life. This quiet continuation is unavailable to the eye, yet known by the body. As a proof of this, the leaf’s transformation reveals itself not to the mind, but to the hand. The curling fiber wears out, the deepening brown, …

How To Make A Jumpsuit, Xue Huang

Masters Theses

Through interdisciplinary artistic research combining illustration, embroidery, garment construction, and installation, this thesis investigates how patriarchal narratives become internalized within the female body and disconnect women from embodied forms of feminine knowledge and vitality.

Drawing from Michel Foucault’s theories of disciplinary power, Jungian psychology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and feminist writings by Audre Lorde and Karina Blancarte, the project examines how systems of productivity, control, and gendered ideology shape both psychological experience and bodily perception.

The thesis culminates in a large-scale textile installation titled How to Make a Jumpsuit, consisting of embroidered silk panels, commercial jumpsuit pattern pieces, meridian imagery, sculptural …

Draw To Breathe, Ranran Ma

Masters Theses

This thesis explores visual expression in drawing as an intuitive mode of thinking suited to everyday life—a form of expression that runs parallel to language and surpasses it.

The project begins with a daily Post-it note drawing practice. These drawings often emerge before conscious understanding, subsequently accompanied by brief text, allowing image and word to resonate through emotion and intuition. Through the use of small-scale, portable, low-pressure materials, and with immediacy and intuitive freedom as the foundation of making, a visual language system grounded in the self develops. Through this sustained practice, I developed an instruction-based card system titled Draw …

The Porous Auto Body, Banshee Maria

Masters Theses

Balances within the human body and auto mechanical structures share a staggering amount in common. The two are intrinsically linked through their shared reliance on intricate internal and external systems to be in balance in order to function. Our biological makeup consists of electrical, fluid and chemical systems which mirror the machines we have chosen to forge. I am plagued by the human need to see ourselves mirrored in metal form, or perhaps we are just unable to create too far outside ourselves, resulting in the leeching of human structures into all technology we construct.

The Old Testament of the …