Digital Commons Network^™

Resilience By Design: A Multi-Metric Assessment Of Urban Vulnerability Across Human-Centric, Built, And Climatic Environment Dimensions, Karim Abdelhady

Theses and Dissertations

Urban resilience and sustainability have emerged as fundamental imperatives in contemporary urban planning, as cities face mounting pressures from climate change, population growth, and increasing socio-economic disparities. Resilient urban systems are not only those that withstand shocks, but also those that ensure the long-term well-being, equity, and functionality of their environments. As such, advancing the capacity to systematically evaluate resilience across spatial and temporal scales is critical to informing adaptive, forward-looking planning strategies. Despite a growing body of research on urban resilience, prevailing approaches remain limited in scope and resolution. Many studies tend to examine resilience through isolated lenses—focusing either …

Representations Of "Black"-Type Coffins In The New Kingdom, Yunyao Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines depictions of twenty-three owners’ “black”-type coffins depicted in tomb wall paintings from eleven Theban tombs and on eight Theban papyri dating from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the early Twenty-first Dynasty. Four research methods are employed: descriptive, analytical, comparative, and contextual. First, a stylistic and iconographic analysis identifies four phases in the evolution of the “black”-type coffins depicted in the funerary art and explores the factors that influenced these representations by comparing them with actual “black”-type coffins and relevant artistic representations. The results indicate that the representations of “black”-type coffins feature a distinct evolution pattern, which is based …

Investigating The Risk Factors Affecting The Control Of Diabetes And Hypertension In The Refugees Living In Egypt, Noura Seada

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) account for 74% of global deaths, with high prevalence of Diabetes and Hypertension worldwide. Egypt hosts over 1 million registered refugees and asylum seekers, often lacking inclusion in social protection or insurance schemes. This study aimed to assess the factors affecting the control of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and Hypertension (HTN) among Syrian and Sudanese refugees in Egypt, focusing on healthcare access, sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and health behaviours.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design using a self-administered questionnaire and BMI measurement. Data were collected from 246 refugees diagnosed with type T2D and/or HTN in the …

Keeping It Together: Assessing The Wellbeing Of Project-Based Development Practitioners In Egypt, Amira Ahmed Abdallah Fekry Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the wellbeing of project-based development practitioners in Egypt, revealing how systemic pressures—bureaucracy, job insecurity, and fragmented workloads—undermine both wellbeing and productivity. The study employed a mixed-approach, combining 10 in-depth interviews with subject matter experts and practitioners and 75 surveys with development practitioners in Egypt. Data revealed that while many practitioners are driven by purpose, structural challenges erode resilience and motivation over time. Social support networks and personal coping strategies help but cannot replace institutional protections. The study argues that wellbeing must shift from being treated as an individual concern to a structural responsibility. Reframing organizational models around …

Social Media And Public Opinion In Times Of Conflict: How Arab Social Media Impacted International Perspectives On The Gaza War, Mariam Rizk

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study examines how Arab social media content creators impacted the international public perception of the 2023 Gaza war through English-language content. The research is conducted through semi-structured interviews with 19 participants: 4 Arab social media content creators and 15 English-speaking university students (13 American citizens and 2 international students studying in American universities). Through these semi-structured qualitative interviews, the research investigates the agenda-setting capabilities of social media during conflicts and identifies effective cross-cultural communication strategies. The study employed purposive sampling with snowball technique, targeting content creators with established social media presence (37,000-426,000 Instagram followers) and university students who …

Legal Paradoxes Of Transition: Transitional Justice And The Rule Of Law Between Nürnberg And Saddam Hussein Trials, Rasha Abdelsamea Ahmed Baghdadi

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This thesis critically examines the legal paradoxes embedded within transitional justice (TJ) discourse, using the Nürnberg and Saddam Hussein trials as case studies to interrogate the complex relationship between justice and the rule of law in TJ discourse. It highlights the inherent tension between forward-looking societal reforms and the pursuit of backward-looking justice, challenging the foundational assumptions of TJ as a universal tool for justice and peace. It also questions the validity and credibility of "transition" as a phase between the past and the future. It contends that TJ, driven by Western liberal epistemic foundations, functions as an exclusionary …

Assessing Abuse And Neglect In U.S. Nursing Homes: A Comparative Analysis Across Pre-, During, And Post-Pandemic Periods, Katherine Gane

Theses and Dissertations

Nursing homes are among the most closely regulated providers in the U.S. healthcare system, with both federal and state agencies working together to monitor care and help protect residents. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, introduced unprecedented challenges for facilities and survey agencies alike, disrupting normal operations, limiting in-person visits, and temporarily shifting regulatory priorities. The purpose of this study was to examine how these pandemic-related disruptions were reflected in the severity and reporting patterns of substantiated abuse and neglect deficiencies in U.S. nursing homes. Using publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), this study analyzed 39,607 …

Implementation Of The Framework For Great Schools: Lessons From New York City, Jay M. Langkamp

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the implementation of the Framework for Great Schools in the New York City Department of Education from 2015 through 2019. The study addresses a gap in the literature, specifically regarding NYC School Survey data and the relationship between it, school context, and student outcomes, at a time when families and district leaders regularly use publicly available school-level data to inform their decision-making, understanding how frameworks such as the Framework for Great Schools is essential. The Framework focuses on six elements: Rigorous Instruction, Supportive Environment, Collaborative Teachers, Effective School Leadership, Strong Family and Community Ties, and Trust. It …

Airbnb And The End Of The Local, Nadia Beyersdorf

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how second-home ownership and self-catered tourism reshape community life in Tenby, Wales. While gentrification research often focuses on permanent displacement, less attention has been given to the movement of temporary residents that erodes local culture, social ties, and transforms everyday relationships in coastal towns.

The Double Gaze: Weaving Historical, Decolonial, And Indigenous Perspectives Through Maruch Sántiz Gómez’S Creencias., Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen

Theses and Dissertations

The Double Gaze examines Maruch Sántiz Gómez’s series Creencias (1994-2000) at the intersection of sociopolitical changes in southeastern Mexico and the 1995 Johannesburg Biennial. Drawing on Rita Segato’s “capillary disobedience” and the Mayan philosophy of kab’awil, the research considers Creencias as a theoretical proposal for reading Indigenous art practices.

Capturing The Spirit Of Childhood: An Analysis Of Robert Henri’S Portraits Of Children, Alex C. Maccaro

Theses and Dissertations

Robert Henri (1865-1929) is perhaps best known as the prominent leader of the turn-of-the century American movement The Eight, commonly known as “the Ashcan School,” and as a leading teacher in the United States during the early twentieth century. However, his artistic output as a portrait painter, particularly of children, is also significant. Beginning in 1904 and throughout his career as an artist, Henri painted hundreds of images of children in the various foreign or remote locales to which he traveled, often depicting the same subject in multiple instances. These portraits range from the roughly painted, rosy-cheeked Dutch youth of …

Juventino Rosas, Sobre Las Olas, And Their Place In Defining Mexican Music In The Porfirian Nineteenth Century, Catherine J. Langevin-Falcon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the life and music of Juventino Rosas (1868–1894), the Mexican composer whose most enduring work is Sobre las olas (1888), a Viennese-style waltz. I ask the question: Why was Sobre las olas so well-known and why does it remain beloved with audiences around the world, even today, while Rosas is hardly known outside his native Mexico? I considered historical, social and cultural factors, as well as musical events of the day, that may have had bearing on the question. I describe the broad outlines of Rosas's life and the challenges he faced as an indigenous person, composer …

Deconstructing Shifting Narratives: Critical Discourse Analysis Of Terminology Trends In Unfpa’S State Of World Population Reports (1978-2024), Naqib A. Noory

Theses and Dissertations

Rooted in both scholarly inquiry and lived experience in global development, this study explored how language shapes power, inclusion, and representation. It analyzed the evolution of population and development discourse in UNFPA’s State of World Population reports (1978–2024) using Fairclough’s Level 1 Critical Discourse Analysis framework. Giddens’ Structuration Theory provided a broader lens linking linguistic change to the interaction between institutional structures and human agency. A theory-based coding framework, drawing on Malthusian, Senian, Spivakian, and MDG/SDG paradigms, guided the analysis of evolving discourse. Findings revealed a layered narrative: earlier scarcity framings persisted beneath newer development language; rights and empowerment rhetoric …

A Case Study On Implementing Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education: Tesol Teachers’ Perspectives On Supporting Caribbean Immigrant Ell Students, Barbara Delaleu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) teachers implemented Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education (CRSE) practices to support Caribbean immigrant English Language Learners (ELLs) in suburban schools. Grounded in Ogbu’s cultural ecological theory and the CRSE framework, the study examined teachers’ beliefs, instructional practices, and professional experiences to understand how culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) influenced student engagement and academic growth. Eight middle school TESOL teachers who worked with Caribbean immigrant ELLs—speakers of Haitian Creole, Spanish, and English-based Creoles participated in the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, …

Police Supervisor Selection Process And The Need For Uniformity In Practices To Improve Police Leadership In The Usa, Catrina M. Rhatigan

Theses and Dissertations

Effective police leadership is crucial to sustaining the culture shift in law enforcement. Leaders need to lead, and how the executive staff assess their leadership capabilities will determine whether they are up to the task. Police executives need to determine first what their motives are: to fill open supervisory spots? Promote the best leaders? This study and the results highlight the need to focus on the latter, identify the leadership qualities that best fit your department's needs, and work from there. A lack of oversight and inconsistent standards for police supervisors leads to poor policing and inadequate responses to significant …

Commercial Off-The-Shelf Electronic Warfare Threats To Global Positioning System Receivers, Matthew P. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates the feasibility of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware developed into an electronic warfare (EW) system used to degrade or deny Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. All 16 critical infrastructure sectors rely on GPS signals to operate safely and effectively. Millions of Americans rely on GPS signals and the services they provide in their daily lives, so the loss of these vital services would dramatically impact our society. Our nation’s reliance on the GPS network makes it a potential target for COTS EW threats. The ways and means to develop COTS hardware into EW systems to interfere with GPS receivers …

Biogothic: New Directions In The Haunted Spaces Of Nineteenth Century Gothic Fiction, Jessica Mintzes

Theses and Dissertations

The BioGothic is a set of biological metaphors in nineteenth century Gothic fiction that anticipates our contemporary understanding of what we now think of as biological processes. The BioGothic system in the novel captures the site of connection and interaction between the body and the interior spaces it inhabits. The Gothic genre, from its inception, shifts the focus onto interior spaces and the ways in which architectural spaces and the Gothic body interact with one another. This demonstrates, in part, how physical space and biological matter are not only capable of becoming integrated with each other, but also maintain the …

The Effects Of Inadequate Training On Knowledge Management Systems: Retention Crisis Of Captains In The United States Army, Lexis R. Grudzinski

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the relationship between the United States Army’s communication strategy in knowledge management for officers and the desires of captains to continue serving beyond their service obligation. Amidst the current retention crisis (Winkie, 2023) at the captain rank, blame often falls on factors outside of the Army’s control. This research, however, seeks to investigate a factor within the Army’s control and offer workable solutions.

For this research, we will use the common definition of knowledge management (KM): the process of creating, capturing, and organizing knowledge within an organization in a way that improves efficiency. KM includes both explicit …

Why Stay? A Qualitative Case Study Of Parents Who Choose Local Public Schools Over Alternative Options, Michael Antonio Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Public schools face challenges that directly impact the quality of education and educational programming. Declining student enrollment trends affect school funding and resource allocation for school improvement. This qualitative case study identified key factors influencing parents' perceptions of school quality and explored how these perceptions shaped school choice decision-making. Guided by Rational Choice Theory, the study examined how individuals make enrollment decisions by weighing perceived costs, benefits, constraints, and available resources to achieve desired educational outcomes. Semi-structured interviews, an open-ended survey, and archival school performance data were used to explore the perspectives of parents with children enrolled in public high …

The Role Of White Racial Identity Development In Leadership Practices: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study In White Educational Leaders, Kaitlyn Ryan

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how white educational leaders experience and make meaning of their racial identity development as they lead adult professional learning focused on racial equity and culturally responsive practice. Grounded in Helms’s White Racial Identity Development (WRID) model and guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), the study explored the lived experiences of ten white leaders across PK–12 and Institution of Higher Education (IHE). Data were collected through three semi‑structured interviews per participant and analyzed using IPA’s six‑step process. Five major themes emerged: transformational experiences that shifted leaders’ understanding of race and privilege; the critical role of white affinity …

Thinking Machines: Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence, And Technological Anxiety In The American Cold War, Erin Mae Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Following the Second World War, cybernetics emerged as a cross-disciplinary study in philosophy, neurophysiology, electrical engineering, and mathematics. Cyberneticists proposed the formal study of the man-machine analogy; that is, to equate biological structures to a complex mechanical system. Drawing from this analogy, cyberneticists used programmable digital computers to emulate the functions of the human brain. The study of artificial intelligence emerged within this cybernetic discourse in the early 1950s; yet, by the mid-1960s, the two disciplines suffered a methodological fracture. Drawing from a tradition generated by this fracture, historians have traditionally examined cybernetics and artificial intelligence in isolation from one …

Social Media, Masculine Body Ideals, And The Drive For Muscularity: A Serial Mediation Model Across Sexual Identities, Sean P. Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Body image concerns among men are increasingly prevalent yet remain understudied compared to women’s experiences. Drawing on objectification theory, the present study examines the relationship between social media influence and men’s drive for muscularity through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the present study investigates whether the internalization of masculine body ideals and engagement in body surveillance behaviors mediate the link between social media influence and the drive for muscularity. Furthermore, the present study model attempts to explore how these processes differ across sexual identities, given evidence that sexual minority men face distinct sociocultural pressures regarding appearance. Adult male-identifying social media …

Understanding Workplace Psychological Safety Among Latina Professionals: An Exploration Of Intersectional Experiences, Michal Tapia

Theses and Dissertations

Latina professionals represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. workforce, yet they remain disproportionately underrepresented in executive and C-suite roles. This disparity reflects structural conditions that shape access to voice, support, advancement, and decision-making authority.

This mixed-methods study examined psychological safety among 145 Latina professionals across the United States, defined as the belief that one can speak up, ask for help, disagree, or raise concerns without fear of negative consequences (Edmondson, 1999, 2019). The study explored how identity, relationships, leadership, workplace support, inclusion, mentorship, and structural barriers shape psychological safety at work.

Quantitative analyses showed that workplace support …

Decline Of Male Enrollment In Higher Education, Oscar Valenzuela

Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the decline in male enrollment and completion in higher education, aiming to identify the reasons for the decline and to propose possible solutions. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, the study employed semi-structured interviews to collect data from males aged 18 to 40. The findings indicate that numerous factors contribute to why males are not enrolling in or completing higher education, and reveal key thematic groups, including Early Work Life, Home Life, Support Systems, Challenges, and Choices and Decisions. These results suggest that cultural background, socioeconomic status, and gender norms affect the decisions males make concerning higher education. …

Constructing And Deconstructing Homelessness: Challenging The Stigmatization Of The Unhoused Through Lived Experience, Brenna Jones

Theses and Dissertations

As homelessness rises across the United States, public discourse plays an important role in shaping how the housing crisis is understood and addressed. This study examines how homelessness is constructed through local media narratives and how these constructions shape the experiences of unhoused individuals. Using a case study of Greater Bangor, Maine, this research combines a critical content analysis of 315 news articles from the Bangor Daily News (2020-2025) with in-depth interviews with 18 unhoused and precariously housed individuals. The findings demonstrate how media portrayals construct homelessness as a stigmatized identity associated with disorder, addiction, and danger. These narratives contribute …

The Effects Of Personality Traits On Relationship Satisfaction Among Romantic Partners In Ghana, Emmanuel Owusu

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the associations of personality traits, as conceptualized by the five- factor model, on relationship satisfaction among individuals in romantic relationships in Ghana. The research explored how individuals’ self-reported traits and their perceptions of their partners’ personality traits are associated with relationship satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and data were collected through an online questionnaire administered via Qualtrics. Participants consisted of adults residing in Ghana, most of whom were involved in romantic relationships. After data screening procedures, 149 usable responses were included in the analysis.

Self-reported personality traits were measured using the Big Five Inventory – …

Informing Policies: Examining Socio-Cultural Factors Influencing The Prevalence Of Gender-Based Violence, Patricia M. Ebubechukwu

Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing policy attention and legal reforms, Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a persistent public health and human rights concern in Nigeria. This study examines the socio-cultural influences on the prevalence of gender-based violence among ever-married women in Nigeria using data from the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). Drawing on a nationally representative sample of 19,863 women aged 15 to 49, the research investigates how geopolitical zone, internalized gender norms, religious affiliation, educational attainment, and household wealth shape women’s experiences of physical, sexual, and emotional IPV. Guided by social norms theory and the ecological model of violence, the …

Elite Cues Vs. Economic Vulnerabilities: What Explains Isolationist Foreign Policy Attitudes Among Americans?, Sabyasachi Karmaker

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines whether contemporary isolationist foreign policy attitudes among Americans are better explained by elite political cues or by economic vulnerabilities. Using data from the 2024 American National Election Study (ANES), the study also examines which mechanism holds more explanatory power in shaping isolationist views. The findings show that both elite cues and economic vulnerabilities are associated with isolationist attitudes, but elite cues have greater explanatory power. These results suggest that contemporary American isolationism is more strongly associated with political identity and elite messaging than with economic hardship alone.

Between Tradition And Transition: Cultural Negotiations And Contraceptive Perceptions Among Ghanaian Students In The United States, Beatrice Amissah

Theses and Dissertations

As global mobility continues to rise, international students often encounter new cultural norms and health practices that differ from those in their home countries. While some studies have focused on contraception within the context of gender and types, less focus has been placed on diasporic populations, especially how students navigate tensions surrounding contraception within new cultural environments. This study explores how Ghanaian students in the United States interpret, negotiate, and respond to contraceptive messaging while navigating the cultural transition between their heritage and host societies. Drawing on Berry’s (1980)  Acculturation Theory, the study examines the tensions students experience, the strategies …

"Aren't You Old Enough To Know Better?": Judgments Surrounding Infidelity As A Function Of Age And Gender, Josephine Kirby

Theses and Dissertations

Relationships are often deeply affected by infidelity on several indicators such as marital satisfaction, forgiveness, and relationship longevity. With older adults often stereotyped as being asexual and women often being judged more harshly due to a sexual double standard, how do people perceive these groups in the context of infidelity? The purpose of my study was to investigate whether perceptions and judgments surrounding infidelity are affected by the age and gender of the person who committed infidelity. Using an experimental vignette method, participants were randomly assigned one version of a hypothetical couples’ counseling intake assessment form that, in part, described …