Digital Commons Network^™

Connecting The Dots Between American Islamic Converts, Homegrown Violent Extremists, And Members Of The Islamic Guerillas Of America: Phenomenological Exploration, Joseph Francis O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic qualitative study details the researcher’s interest in the world of Islamic terrorism, which stemmed from the 2007 disappearance of a colleague in Iran, while on a rogue CIA mission. From the literature review, four basic themes emerged, which were applied to five case studies. One of the first scholarly articles encountered, speculated that the lack of empirical research and evidence in Islamic terrorism studies, may be caused by conceptual and methodological difficulties and pointed out that social phenomenon such as radicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration are hard to conceptualize and measure. Also, there is no consensus regarding the causes …

Computational Methods For Comparative Analyses Of Discourses, Zachary Stine

Theses and Dissertations

An underexplored aspect of the abundant linguistic data available for computational analysis is the potential for conducting large-scale comparative analyses between different discourses as a more rigorous complement to existing methods. A significant obstacle in comparative studies is the requirement that a researcher distinguish between discursive distinctions that are superficial and those that reflect deeper, structural relationships between the discourses being compared. In this dissertation, I describe two methodologies for comparing discourses in terms of their underlying structures, drawing on distributional semantic models and information theory. These methodologies are explored within three case studies in which the discourses of several …

“Never Again Is Now ” Use Of Cultural Frames In A Social Movement Organization, Erik Paul Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

The immigrant rights movement is a social movement that has been active in the United States for many decades and adopted as well as changed focus over time. There are many social movement organizations working within this social movement but one of great interest to my research is Never Again Action (NAA). NAA is a national Jewish protest group, which has called for the end to all deportations and the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). NAA is primarily working from a position of an ally to migrants in a social movement with the aim to further rights for …

Something Happened: Exploring Student Religious Experiences Through The Eyes Of Their Teacher, Jason Bird Pearson

Theses and Dissertations

Religious education involves learning about religion and the possibility of having religious experiences. Although measuring religious knowledge can be fairly straightforward, assessing whether students are having religious experiences can be more difficult. The purpose of this self-study is to develop clearer understanding of the interactions that might enable my students' religious experiences and how I might recognize when such experiences are occurring. I have written 10 narratives describing situations in which I believed students in my seminary had religious experiences. I interviewed those students to better understand their side of the narrative, and then used the Listening Guide to analyze …

Imago Clipeata, The Liturgy, And Giovanni Pisano's Man Of Sorrows Lectern: A Classical Reappropriation In The Gothic Era, Joslyn Elise Ableman

Theses and Dissertations

The monumental sculpture, especially the pulpits, of the father and son duo, Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, have often been compared to ancient Roman and early Christian sarcophagi. Giovanni produced a pulpit with two accompanying lecterns for the Pisa Cathedral, which is just a few steps away from the Camposanto, a “holy field”, or cemetery, built around sacred soil from Golgotha which serves to house a huge collection of sarcophagi. Iconography, composition, relief style, and even the materiality of Giovanni’s Pisa pulpit is in part governed by, and connected to, these sarcophagi. This influence is especially highlighted by the Epistles lectern, …

Fictive Daughters And Sons, Celibate Priests And Nuns: How Religious Tongzhi And Clergy In Taiwan Navigate Familial Obligations, Gavin Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Great progress for the rights of tongzhi(sexually and gender-nonconforming people) has occurred in Taiwan in the past two decades, culminating in the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019. However, it is still not uncommon for parents to take their tongzhi son or daughter to see a spirit medium or psychiatrist in an attempt to ‘cure’ them of their same-sex attraction. In Confucian ideology, which is central to the culture of Taiwan, a filial son or daughter is one who marries heterosexually and produces progeny to continue the family line. Tongzhi who do not do so are therefore violating this …

Joshua Gordon’S Witchcraft Book And The Transformation Of The Upcountry Of South Carolina, E. Zoie Horecny

Theses and Dissertations

The life of Joshua Gordon and his intellectual product, Witchcraft Book (1784) gives access to the backcountry of South Carolina. Witchcraft Book is exemplary of syncretism in the Atlantic world, influenced by multiple European traditions, understandings of science in the early modern world, indigenous knowledge, and life in North America. After serving in the American Revolution, Gordon transitioned from a small farmer to a slaveholder. He was a part of political and economic processes that unified the backcountry with low country elites in defense of slavery. As a prominent figure in his community and church, he solidified his legacy for …

The Legal Framework Of Apostasy In Egypt: A Manifestation Of Secular Reconstruction Of Sharia By A Modern State, Ahmed Sedky Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations

The legal consequences of renouncing Islam or apostasy, which include depriving the apostate from some civil rights, and the non-recognition of the act itself by law in Egypt have been usually criticized as a blatant violation of the right to religious freedom. Such criticisms are based on the right’s definition according to international human rights law precisely the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The dominant reasoning for this violation according to the majority of the related literature is the conservative interpretation of Sharia, the principal source of law, that has been adopted by Egyptian judiciary for more than …

The Impact Of A Brief Gratitude Journaling Intervention On Third Grade Students Attending An Orthodox Jewish Elementary School In New York, Tamar Gassner

Theses and Dissertations

Research in the field of positive psychology has focused on the beneficial effects of gratitude on overall wellbeing. Recent studies have demonstrated that anxiety and depressive disorders are increasingly common among youth in the United States. Further, both anxiety and depression have been linked to other comorbid mental health conditions, such as dysthymia, disruptive disorder, and substance abuse disorder. Moreover, anxiety and depression are associated with negative social and academic outcomes. Considering the prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among youth and the associated comorbidities, it is vital to direct efforts towards prevention and early intervention. The literature supports a …

Analysis Of Fantasy Fiction Series Of Sarah J. Maas: A Court Of Thorns And Roses, Raelynn D. Peña

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis offers a feminist interpretation of A Court of Thorns and Roses, a series by Sarah J. Maas. The fantasy fiction series began publication in 2015 and released its companion book in 2018. Protagonist Feyre navigates values about femininity and masculinity, breaking standards, as she develops throughout the series to change the fae and human worlds. Feyre stands up to inequality and helps others, both human and fae, to make peace instead of war. This analysis uncovers the gender roles, literary elements, and fairy tale influences on the series A Court of Thorns and Roses. Prominent symbolism involves masks, …

Social Support, Mental Health Problems, And Rule Infractions: A Study Of Female Inmates, Suraiya H. Shammi

Theses and Dissertations

Currently there are few studies that solely focused on female inmates and their mental health problems. There is huge lack of in-depth examination on the impact of social support variables on overall rule infractions. Using a multilevel analysis, this study analyzed the moderation effect of social support variables on rule infractions among female inmates (n=2,930) from the 2004 Survey of Inmates of State Correctional Facilities in the United States. Findings suggest that almost 55% of the sample suffered from mental health problems where female inmates with mental health problems reported significantly higher rates of minor rule infractions (78%). Also, the …

Joseph Smith's Vision Of The Celestial Kingdom: Context, Content, Ritualization, Canonization And Theological Implications, Jubal John Lotze

Theses and Dissertations

While administering ordinances in preparation for the dedication of the Kirtland temple, on 21 January 1836, Joseph Smith again experienced a vision of the celestial kingdom. In the vision, he saw God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and Biblical Patriarchs—but significantly, he also beheld his father and mother who were living at the time, as well as his older brother Alvin who had died twelve years earlier. Joseph then “beheld” children who died in infancy saved in the celestial kingdom. The significance of this vision as a catalyst for Joseph Smith’s theological development has been underestimated. Joseph Smith envisioned …

Combing Texts: A Quest To Increase The Timeliness And Accuracy Of Geotagging Multilingual Toponyms And Tagging Persons In Large Corpora Using Tensors For Disambiguation, Anthony D. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This research demonstrates an effective algorithm and provides a tool for efficient and accurate disambiguation of domain specific texts. The goals outlined in the research are: 1) to demonstrate that a simple knowledge base can be used to tag texts, 2) to demonstrate that a tensor can be used to efficiently and accurately tag entities in raw text documents, and, 3) create and provide a machine learning digital humanities tool for scholars interested in early Christian documents in English and Greek from late-antiquity. The research shows that a simple knowledgebase using a comma delimited file along with a rank-3 tensor …

Fear Voting: Securitization Of Migration In The Context Of European Parliament Election 2019 In The Czech Republic, Martin Brozik

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is devoted to the phenomenon of securitization of migration. This phenomenon is observed on a case study of Election campaigns before the EU Parliament election in May 2019 in the Czech Republic. The thesis looks into if and how the relevant political parties used securitization of migration in their election manifestos. By using a combination of a disciplined interpretive case study and content analysis, a framework is created based on Thierry Balzacq's theory on securitization. The content analysis uses the scope of various levels (context, attributes, statements) to identify individual securitization speech acts. This thesis sees securitization on …

Examining The Impact Of School Culture On The Perception Of Education For The School Surrounding Community. A Case Study Of Leadership Practices In A Rural Non- Profit School In Giza, Egypt, Noha Nagy Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the impact of school culture, produced by a servant leader, on the perceptions of the parents in the rural community. The research setting is a nonprofit school in a rural community that was established for a group of marginalized people. The study examined the relationships between the leadership style and the school culture in the observed setting. It further investigated the impact of the school culture on the perceptions of the community members concerning education. The participants of this work were educational leaders, teachers, and parents in a district near Giza, Egypt. The study adopts the servant …

Watch Me Make Her Dance: Stepping Out Of The Round Of Abuse, Sheila Speer

Theses and Dissertations

Memoir writers are usually survivors of some sort of ordeal, and they may have struggled to overcome race, class, or economic issues just to mention a few issues that may have prompted a memoir. The struggle they faced in the past and the success they have garnered keep them hovering above their pasts. In other words, memoir writers do not want to fully return to their pasts even though they are writing about the past. Instead, memoir writers want to show how far they have come from the past by writing in their grown-up, or educated, voices. The aim in …

Western Influence In The Cover-Up Of The Holodomor, Michael Galka-Giaquinto

Theses and Dissertations

This paper discusses how the Holodomor (Ukrainian Genocide of 1932-1933) was effectively covered up by Stalin with the help of compliant actors in the West. A confluence of media, political, and economic interests in the West was critical in successfully covering up Stalin's crimes against the Ukrainian people.

Kavana: Photography, Jewish Storytelling, And Memory, Hannah Altman

Theses and Dissertations

Jewish thought suggests that the memory of an action is as primary as the action itself. This is to say that when my hand is wounded, I remember other hands. I trace ache back to other aches - when my mother grabbed my wrist pulling me across the intersection, when my great-grandmother’s fingers went numb on the ship headed towards Cuba fleeing the Nazis, when Miriam’s palms enduringly poured water for the Hebrews throughout their desert journey - this is how the Jew is able to fathom an ache. Because no physical space is a given for the Jewish diaspora, …

Robert Cowley: Living Free During Slavery In Eighteenth-Century Richmond, Virginia, Ana F. Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the life of Robert Cowley, a formerly enslaved man living free during slavery in eighteenth-century Richmond, Virginia. The first chapter examines Cowley’s enslaved life through the records of others. The data collectors and historians of early America did not intend to capture the truth of Black people’s American experiences, except as defined their enslavement--people in service to the wealth-building capacity of the nation. Yet the lives of Black people who lived in proximity to prominent whites can be glimpsed in a variety of records and writings from account books to deeds, from private letters to newspaper advertisements. …

The Neglected Facsimile: An Examination And Comparative Study Of Facsimile No. 3 Of The Book Of Abraham, Quinten Zehn Barney

Theses and Dissertations

Facsimile No. 3 of the Book of Abraham contains parallels to other Egyptian throne scenes found elsewhere, which fact has led many to pass Facsimile No. 3 off as commonplace. However, the lack of a broad comparative study examining these types of scenes in their varying contexts has rendered most conclusions regarding Facsimile No. 3 superficial at best. Hugh Nibley was perhaps the first to notice this problem, arguing that "The great abundance of pictures of the Facsimile No. 3 variety calls for the widest possible comparative study. In a case like this the student's first obligation is to compare, …

"Come To The Knowledge Of Their Redeemer": The Book Of Mormon's Message To The House Of Israel, Kevin Leon Clawson

Theses and Dissertations

One of the major themes in the Book of Mormon is the promises of the Lord to the house of Israel. Even before Lehi and his family left the promised land, Lehi and Nephi prophesied of the future scattering and gathering of Israel. After the family of Lehi arrived on the Americas, prophets continued to teach about God’s covenants with Israel. The destiny of the house of Israel was a major theme in the books of 1 and 2 Nephi, and also at the end of the Book of Mormon in the teachings of Jesus Christ, Mormon, and Moroni.In Lehi’s …

Law, Love And Violence: Interfaith Romance In Modern Egypt, Mariam El-Maghlawy

Theses and Dissertations

For the past few decades, many incidents of sectarian violence have been triggered by rumors of interfaith sexual and romantic relationships between Muslims and Coptic Christians in Egypt. This thesis argues that the ways in which the Egyptian modern state chooses to govern women’s bodies and address the Coptic question has inevitably enabled sectarian violence witnessed today to take on its current form. One of the main implications of the modernization of the Egyptian legal system was the state’s ability to “jam” women, family, sexuality and religion into the private sphere, as opposed to the public sphere. This essentially has …

The Seed Of Transformation: A Disorientation Index, Tonya Gander Ensign

Theses and Dissertations

Transformation is all around us. It spans geography, time, cultures, religions and disciplines. Throughout life, events occur when something we thought was certain becomes uncertain and our current mental model cannot make sense of it. This experience causes disorientation and offers a choice: to transform our perspective or remain unchanged. When we revise our mental model to make meaning of our experience we are transforming our perspective. This is a special type of learning called transformative learning (Mezirow, 1978a, 1991a). Across disciplines, a disorienting experience is widely believed to be a catalyst for transformation, however, aspects of this experience remain …

Combining Faithfulness With Learning: Avoiding The Path Of Secularization At Brigham Young University, J. Gordon Daines Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Most research universities in the United States began as religiously affiliated institutions. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing over the course of the 20th century, the vast majority of these institutions engaged in a process of secularization through which faith moved from the center of academic life to the periphery. This paper elucidates a conceptual framework for understanding how and why Brigham Young University did not follow the path of secularization that so many research universities, originally religious in nature, pursued. It examines the steps that the university and its sponsoring institution (The Church of Jesus Christ of …

The Impact Of The Western Liberal Arts Education In The Mena Region: A Case Study, Heba Abdelrahman Ibrahim Mansour

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the development of the millennial generation within the liberal arts education setting. It has been demonstrated that the values of different generations periodically change. It is the university's duty to articulate the distinctive sociological, ideological, and psychological variations of each generation in order to provide the most viable educational system. Follow-up researches in different educational systems should be conducted regularly in order to incorporate new data from the rapidly changing millennial generation. This particular research focuses on understanding student development models that adequately demonstrate the effectiveness of a liberal arts education within the MENA region. The …

Using Religious Themes And Content To Affect Cultural Sensitivity In Russian Language Learning, Paul Tristan Gallo

Theses and Dissertations

Specifically oriented towards Russian culture, this study addresses the need in diplomacy for deeper cultural understanding. As research suggests a link between the inclusion of religious perspectives in second language acquisition (SLA) and student motivation and cultural empathy, this study examines how Russian language classrooms could leverage an understanding of Russian religious themes to foster cultural sensitivity. The study invited 24 second-year university students of Russian to complete a previously-validated assessment of cultural sensitivity: the Global Perspectives Inventory (GPI). Divided into a control and a treatment group, the participants also watched a short video depicting a story from Russian history …

Faith Too Big To Fail? The Struggles And Wishes Of New Atheism, Joe Rice

Theses and Dissertations

After September 11th, 2001, public criticism of religion took front and center stage in the United States like never before, epitomized by the works of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens – the so-called “New Atheists”. In this thesis, I reunderstand the New Atheism as an oppositional social movement that promises important contributions to the recent trend in academic scholarship geared toward the study of religion and secularism. Reunderstanding is essential because the mainstream scholarly treatment of the New Atheism has not fully, much less charitably, drawn out the purpose and upshot of New …

Cairo: Mapping The Neoliberal City In Literature A Study Of: The Heron, Being Abbas El Abd And Utopia, Nesma Gewily

Theses and Dissertations

While many scholars have explained neoliberalism and its impact on the economic, political and social spheres, writers have successfully grasped the everyday realities created by the implementation of the neoliberal policies. In my thesis, I am going to use literary maps to analyze three novels written by Egyptian writers at different stages of the neoliberal project. The novels are: Malik al-haÌ'zin (1983) (The Heron, 2005) by Ibrahim Aslan, An takun 'Abbas al-Abd (2003) (Being Abbas El Abd, 2009) by Ahmed Alaidiy and Yutubiya (2008) (Utopia, 2011) by Ahmed Khaled Towfik. Mapping the three novels demonstrate the changes that the city …

Women In Music: Letting A Long Story Be Long Contemplating Women’S Sonic, Musical, And Spiritual Experiences In Prehistory, Deborah J. Saidel

Theses and Dissertations

Situated within deep history, this study explores the auditory and spiritual lives of Paleolithic women. It considers their personal agency in mediating the spiritual power of sound and how doing so contributes to a multifaceted musicality. The theoretical framework involves a wide spectrum of topics, from ways of rethinking the writing of history and reckoning with time, to sound studies and the study of acoustics in ancient sites, to a critical examination through a feminist lens of normative disciplinary scholarship in anthropology and archaeology, religious studies, and musicology. I explore potential audio-visual-lithic relationships for their implications for deepening an understanding …

Conduct Unbecoming A Christian Missionary: Aaron Mcgaffey Beede's Work On North Dakota's Standing Rock Reservation, 1901-1916, Sonja Natalie Hathaway

Theses and Dissertations

Research for this dissertation focused on a close reading of Aaron McGaffey Beede’s journals, letters, and publications. Contemporary sources were used to compare or explain ideas and actions. Rather than an exhaustive treatment of secondary sources, the dissertation uses a broad sampling of topics and sources in an attempt to pull together many of the disparate threads that provide the context for Beede’s thoughts and actions.

This dissertation began as a study and explanation of the work and legacy of the Episcopal missionary Aaron McGaffey Beede, particularly his work in preserving Indian customs, traditions, and stories. Understanding Beede and his …