Digital Commons Network^™

Between Egyptian Nationalism And Religion: Imagining The Nation From Below, Yara Moussa Sultan

Theses and Dissertations

The January 25 revolution and the dramatic unfolding of events thereafter, have been a time of immense social, political and economic transformation in Egypt. Recent changes in political leadership, from the fall of Mubarak’s regime, to the Muslim Brotherhood’s (MB) ascent to power, and finally, to the landslide victory of the Armed Forces through Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s assuming of the presidency, have brought to light some of the dynamics of mass politics in Egypt. These transformations made visible a wide array of expressions of collective and national belonging as the Egyptian people came into contact with ideologically differentiated ruling regimes. …

The Edgy Relationship Between Sports Media And Sports Organizations In Egypt: The Urgency For An Effective Media Policy, Inas Mohamed Ali Mazhar

Theses and Dissertations

This study delves into the edgy and often tense relationship between sports organizations and sports media in Egypt. The study confirms how this relationship, which is usually known as being "symbiotic", based on mutual benefits, has now become a burden on the two sides in their day-to-day working relationship. The study is based on qualitative research with data collected through in-depth interviews. A purposive sample of journalists and members of sports organizations were selected to discuss the reasons behind the broken symbiotic ties which led to the relationship being at stake. The study also aims at finding solutions and recommendations …

The Ultras In Egypt: Political Role Before And After January 25th, 2011, Amira Ahmed Mahmoud Taha

Theses and Dissertations

Since the formal inception of the “Ultras” groups in Egypt in 2007, there has been a rise in the conflict between the Egyptian security apparatus and the soccer fans. And despite their anti-political stance in the early days, the Ultras began to participate in dissent and engage in a confrontational relationship with the state authorities ever since their inception. This was culminated in the critical role they played during the eighteen days in January and February 2011 and in more events to follow since. However, despite this important role and the support they have among Egyptian youth, the Egyptian Ultras …

The Impact Of A Cartoon Character’S Gender On Egyptian Girls’ Knowledge Of And Intentions Toward Pneumonia Prevention, Farah Hafez El-Shiaty

Theses and Dissertations

Pneumonia kills 11% of children under the age of five in Egypt yearly. Studies suggest that health educational cartoons are effective ways to educate children about healthy practices to prevent diseases. The literature suggests that children tend to learn better from and imitate same-gender models more than opposite-gender models. Healthy Egyptians, a non-governmental organization, developed a health educational cartoon to educate young children on the preventative practices of pneumonia through a boy called Montasser as the main character. It was hypothesized that having a female character as the main character in this cartoon would increase the girls’ knowledge of and …

Becoming And Being: Atheism As A Social Experience In Egypt, Wael Ossama Al-Soukkary

Theses and Dissertations

This project involves discovering how some Egyptian atheists develop and manage their identity. The goal of the research is to demonstrate the different variables that influence the transformation to atheism. This research also seeks to explore the different ways Egyptian atheists deal with the stigma associated with their identity once they self-identity as atheists. Upon examination and analysis of my interlocutors' account it became clear that atheism is not only organic to the Egyptian culture but also a significantly fluid identity.

The Making Of Gender In Egyptian Families: A Cross-Class Engagement, Farah Moataz Atia

Theses and Dissertations

In the midst of an unstable political environment, a booming population, and a neoliberal atmosphere, it is impossible not to notice the wide socio-economic disparities in the urban capital of Cairo. ‘Ishash Kum Ghurab, Misr Al-Qadima is clogged with “informal” buildings contained by its old medieval structure (Sims, 2003, p. 6). It has been suggested by Sims (2003, p. 6) that most families residing in this area, where buildings frequently collapse, belong to the lower-income strata of the society. Nevertheless, I have not found it useful nor accurate to assume that the inhabitants of ‘Ishash Kum Ghurab belong to a …

Cantus Lamentus: Navigating Hiv Positive Mothers Subjectivities In Egypt Post 2011, Wesam Adel Hassan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the subjectivities of mothers living with HIV in relation to the exercised techniques of governing HIV and AIDS in Egypt. Drawing on the experiences of women living with HIV, in addition to the analysis of the National HIV Strategic frameworks and national media press articles, this thesis traces major events related to the bio-politics of HIV in Egypt post-2011. I conducted research with mothers living with HIV to explore how they perceived their individual experiences of living with HIV within the social and political context of Egypt post-2011. The research is an attempt to unravel glimpses of …

Lay Counselors Experiences With Counseling Their Peers; The Impact Of Being A Lay Counselor And Providing Therapy To Traumatized Sudanese Refugees In Cairo, Baher Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

This research is a qualitative study into how lay counselors are affected by their training in and practice of a community-based lay counseling intervention. A group of refugees from a Sudanese refugee community in Cairo, Egypt were trained in Narrative Exposure Therapy and subsequently provided it to members of their community suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a short-term psychotherapy based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy and testimony psychotherapy. NET has been shown to be effective in relieving symptoms of PTSD in refugees. After completing the training and completing NET …

Survival Strategies And Coping Mechanisms Of Syrian Female Head Of Household In Egypt, Mirette Bahgat

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to analyze the coping mechanisms that Syrian females head of household employ in Egypt in absence of survival strategies, and how different they are from the coping mechanisms employed by males head of household. The two questions I seek to answer through this research are : (1) What are the main challenges faced by Syrian female and male head of household in Egypt in five main areas: a. Safety and security b. Access to education c. Access to health services d. Social cohesion e. Access to economic opportunities and livelihoods (2) How do the …

Obesity Interventions In Egypt: Identifying Gaps And Highlighting Assets, Hana Shahin

Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, obesity is a growing epidemic and a leading non-communicative disease. Egypt has high levels of obesity, causing harm to both individuals and society at large. Data on obesity in Egypt includes measures of obesity rates, comorbidity, and consequences, but there is little documentation on obesity interventions. This is in large part due to the fact that obesity is overlooked by the Egyptian government and culture. This study aimed to collect data on available programs and interventions in Egypt, to explore assets and challenges to obesity programming, and to ask for recommendations for combatting obesity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with …

The Discourse Of Drug Use In Egypt: An Interdisciplinary Exploratory Study, Alejandro Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis sets out to better understand how Egyptian society constructs and labels the ‘deviant’ behavior of drug use. However, it is not about drugs per se, it is about scrutinizing the complex process through which Egyptian society encounters, experiences, and regulates behavior. Through an interdisciplinary approach, it builds an alternative and critical understanding of a stigmatized group of individuals by describing how they shape or are shaped by the dynamic system in which they exist. Thus, it creates a conversation between the structures of power that regulate the moral economy of society on the one hand and individuals practicing …

Successful Urban Design Principles For The Redevelopment Of The Historic Seafronts In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Along The North Red Sea , Case Study: Yanbu Al-Bahr’S Historic Seafront, Naif F. Alanazi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis highlights the role of urban planners in the revitalization of historic

seafronts as creative and attractive places for people and a key factor in the

regeneration of the urban economy in the historic seafront areas. The Saudi Arabia

historic seafront areas along the North Red Sea have been neglected and are suffering

because of slow development and changes to industrial uses. This thesis will focus on

the urban design principles that make historic seafronts more attractive and

successful, and will use a case study approach of several American waterfront cities

such as Baltimore, Maryland; San Francisco, California; and …

Expressionism And Ethnography: Max Pechstein In Nidden And Palau, Roland M. Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis offers a new way to conceptualize Hermann Max Pechstein’s “primitivism” as a kind of ethnographic “primitivism.” By creating a constellation that connects Pechstein’s Nidden and Palau-based projects, Paul Gauguin’s “primitivist” aesthetic, and the research produced by German ethnographers, I argue that the “documentary” nature of Pechstein’s work paradoxically merges the “scientific” aspects of ethnography with his, and more generally, other Expressionists’ interest in the “primitive.” In addition, the following work demonstrates that the purportedly “scientific” representations and visual accounts of South Seas natives that ethnographers like Otto Finsch produced in the late 1800s and early 1900s heavily and …

Sankofa Art Education: A Cultural Basis For Ghanaian Art Education, Esi Sam Annan

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a curriculum research project that focuses on teaching the traditional arts of Ghana and enduring artistic ideas to Ghanaian basic school students. It has been designed based on data from a survey conducted with experts in Ghana arts history and on the traditional arts of Ghana. The curriculum covers the major arts practiced by the traditional artists. It also recognizes some contemporary Ghanaian artists and their artworks.

This study offers insights into Ghanaian basic school art teachers’ philosophies and experience with their traditional arts. Through analysis of the findings, the major themes that emerged were changes in …

Boston Marathon Bombing And Experiences Of Solidarity: The Race To Understanding, Caitlin M. Price

Theses and Dissertations

Near the Boston Marathon’s finish line on April 15, 2013, an innocent looking backpack disguising a pressure-cooker bomb full of shrapnel detonated. Seconds later, another explosion happened amidst crowds of marathon spectators. Despite being one of the worst attacks on United States soil, an outpouring of positive and pro-social behavior occurred. Communities come together after disasters. Solidarity was felt between victims, first responders, and the community but with varying experiences. Through a content analysis of 12 oral histories collected by the WBUR Our Marathon Collection, three distinct kinds of solidarity experiences were uncovered: visceral, care-work, and virtual. This case study …

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Studies On Friction Modifiers For Lubricant Applications, Carey Lehner

Theses and Dissertations

Lubricants are used in numerous applications to control friction and protect moving parts from fatigue. These fluids consist of a variety of surface active chemistries competing for the surface to provide performance. In order to develop fluids that meet the ever-increasing requirements (from legislation and manufacturers), techniques that can provide insight into surface adsorption, in real time, and relate it back to performance are critical.

The objective of this work is to determine if Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) is an effective technique to investigate surfactant adsorption in regimes that are common to the transportation lubricant industry. QCM-D is …

Foundations Of Memory: Effects Of Organizations On The Preservation And Interpretation Of The Slave Forts And Castles Of Ghana, Britney Danielle Ghee

Theses and Dissertations

The historical understanding of a place is bent to the will of the passage of time, but is susceptible to the pressures of entities that lay claim to the space. The memory of forts and castles dispersed along the tropical shorelines of Ghana have been remembered, forgotten, and rediscovered several times over the span of five centuries. But how has their story been changed? What is privileged and created for the collective memory and what has been concealed? The buildings currently serve as memorials to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, but this understanding is complicated by the previous preservation motives and …

The Sensory Environments Of Civil War Prisons, Evan A. Kutzler

Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explores the experiences of four hundred thousand Union and Confederate prisoners during the American Civil War. While much has been written on the overlapping experiences of soldiers, civilians, and slaves, less attention has been paid to those behind masonry walls or wooden stockades. The premise of the dissertation, borrowed from the theory and methodology of sensory history, is that while human sensory physiology changes slowly over time, perception is fluid and varies by time, place, and culture. Drawing from nearly two hundred unpublished manuscripts as well as newspapers, government records, and postwar narratives, this dissertation explores the experiences …

Mobile Home Resident Perspectives On Preparedness, Protective Action, And Evacuation For Tornado Hazards, Kevin D. Ash

Theses and Dissertations

More than 1,000 tornadoes strike the United States each year, and no population segment has been impacted to a greater degree than those who live in mobile homes. Despite being only about 7% of the total population, mobile home residents have comprised 40% to 50% of all tornado deaths over the past fifty years. Inhabitants of mobile homes must therefore act quickly to protect themselves when they are threatened by tornadoes. Warning messages instruct mobile home occupants to move to a sturdier building until the storm passes, but what are the residents’ perspectives on this recommended behavior? It is unknown …

The Effects Of Environmental Consciousness And Menu Information On Consumers’ Perceptions Of Restaurant Image And Purchase Behavior Related To Local Foods, Daniel A.G. Remar

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainability initiatives have become increasingly important and relevant to the foodservice industry. Despite the fact that consumer demand for sustainable restaurant practices has grown substantially over the last 10 years, consumers’ pro-environmental attitudes and behavioral intentions are not always turned into concordant behavior. Though foodservice operators continue to make progress in developing new methods and strategies for implementing sustainable practices into operations, getting consumers to behave in accordance with their demand is a major challenge.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study is to determine if consumers’ attitudes towards local food, widely considered a sustainable restaurant practice, are congruous with their …

Destination Hong Kong: Negotiating Locality In Hong Kong Novels 1945-1966, Xianmin Shen

Theses and Dissertations

Recent clashes between China and Hong Kong have attracted worldwide attention. Behind such clashes, I see anxieties over the Hong Kong identity. Based on Ackbar Abbas' theorization of the "politics of disappearance" in Hong Kong, this dissertation focuses on the postwar period in Hong Kong from 1945 to 1966. I argue going back to this historical era, which help us understand how Chineseness in Hong Kong influences people’s imagination of Hong Kong. Concentrating on four novels written between 1945 and 1966, this dissertation pays close attention to the ways in which the (re)interpretations of Chineseness in these Hong Kong novels …

Work-Life Balance Of Women Leaders In The Association Of Theological Schools, Kelly Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

Although women make up more than 50% of the student population at a theological institution, they are significantly underrepresented in leadership as evidenced by Lowe's 2011 study, which found that women account for fewer than 10% of CEOs in theological education. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine work-life balance as it relates to organizational commitment for women leaders in Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited schools. The researcher used a qualitative methodology employing the life course theoretical framework, sometimes called the narrative life story framework, which is based on Giele's (2008) original study. The interview questions were …

A Phenomenological Study Focused On The Lived Experiences Of Cable Television Executives Surrounding The Phenomenon Of Candor With Their Teams, Pao Lo

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study examines how cable television executives are able to experience the phenomenon of candor with their teams. The research used a phenomenological research framework to gain an understanding of how cable executives are able to experience candor. Face to face interviews was the method and tool used to obtain the data. The cable executives were purposefully selected from the researcher’s professional network to participate. The research analyzed the data to reveal any common themes or undertones in how the phenomenon of candor is experienced. The research discovered that cable executives do experience candor and the environment to foster …

Crafting Lagrange: A Southern Town's Search For Historical Identity In The 1970s, Rachael S. Cofield

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks at the 1976 bicentennial of the American Revolution. Many towns across the United States took part in, or planned their own, celebrations to commemorate national history. Yet in many cases these town celebrations also memorialized a local and individual history. LaGrange, Georgia, was one such town. LaGrange claimed a personal tie to the bicentennial because of its asserted connection to the American Revolutionary hero Marquis de Lafayette, who related the area near Troup County to his French estate. This French connection led to a statue being placed in the LaGrange town square in 1976. By focusing on …

Comic Art And Humor In The Workplace: An Exploratory Study ...Zzzzzz, Kella Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a qualitative, exploratory examination of the phenomena of humor in the workplace. The purpose is to derive a better understanding of how real people enact humor in the workplace by examining the humor depicted by and through fictional characters in comic art. The body of work of cartoonist, Scott Adams, was the primary source of data. The study relies on what the imaginary characters of Dilbert find absurd, funny, and ridiculous about an imaginary workplace, the employee-employer relationship, the content of the characters' jobs, or in the social relationships of fictional characters. It involves analyzing specific cultural …

Bringing Order To 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Philip J. Abbott

Theses and Dissertations

Contrary to the arguments of many, when read in context, 1 Cor 14:34-35 is not a command for church-wide female silence. The passage is actually an appeal for the Corinthians to maintain an ordered worship, and fits within Paul’s overall section (ch. 11-14) regarding orderliness in the ekklesia. By contrast, however, the displacement of the passage in some manuscripts brings the passage out of context and makes it seem to be a direct command to church-wide feminine silence. The Apostolic Fathers and early Greek Church Fathers did not understand the passage to mean universal female silence in the church. It …

Opening Doors: A Collective Case Study Of Integrating Technology In The Preschool Through 3rd Grade Classroom In A Developmentally Appropriate Way, Amy Louise Cox Cameron

Theses and Dissertations

Children today are growing up in a technology-saturated world and yet early childhood teachers do not typically include technology in their classrooms, or if they do, they include it inappropriately. The literature states that integrating technology in early education can yield many benefits, but many teachers of young children avoid using technology because they do not know how to incorporate it appropriately. This dissertation is an exploratory observational study of early childhood teachers (preschool through third grade) who integrate technology in their programs in developmentally appropriate ways. This study involved three classroom teachers who were identified as model teachers at …

Of Mammoths, Mastodons, Megalonyxes, And The Nation: Jefferson And The Question Of American Degeneracy, 1780-1812, Marlena B. Cameron

Theses and Dissertations

Thomas Jefferson ranks among the most famous and most studied presidents, but few historical studies have focused on his scientific endeavors, particularly his work in natural history. By analyzing several of his writings, including the Notes on the State of Virginia and letters that pertained to mammoths and megalonyxes, this thesis explores the interrelationship between science and politics, especially in the context of nationalism. The emphasis Jefferson placed on the American incognitum—what would eventually be identified as the mastodon—reflected the emerging national consciousness of the future United States of America

Produce & Achieve: A Case Study Of Inner-City Education, Daryl A. Tate

Theses and Dissertations

Despite efforts at narrowing the achievement gap, ethnicity-based disparities in achievement are an enduring and pervasive issue in American education. Holy Angels, a high achieving, African American, urban, elementary school in Chicago, Illinois offers a model for successful education of ethnic minority children. Despite coming from predominantly welfare supported, single-mother homes, located in crime ridden inner-city Chicago, during the period bounded by this study, Holy Angels’ students produced test scores among the highest in the nation. Previous research indicates that characteristics of schools that support academic achievement particularly among ethnic minority students are high teacher expectations, academic emphasis, and culturally …

Negotiating The Interconnections Of Sociality, Identity, Fan Activism And Connectivity Within The Twilight Community, Amy A. O’Brien

Theses and Dissertations

In my dissertation, “Negotiating the Interconnections of Sociality, Identity, Fan Activism and Connectivity within the Twilight Community”, I examine the ways in which women employed a shared interest in a cultural text to establish meaningful social relationships with other fans. Rather than focusing solely on consumptive pleasure, these fans of the Twilight series utilized the intense popularity of the franchise to engage in charitable activities. Through these common threads of identity, community, virtual technologies, and charity, I contend that the Twilight fandom represents a new form of fan community, which is trending upward and creating an impact beyond the traditional …