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Steans Center Newsletter, Steans Center

Steans Center Newsletters, Press Releases and News Items

No abstract provided.

The Stones And The Bones: Contemporary Issues In Cultural Property, Christopher Michael Blocker

Honors Theses

Cultural property has recently become an important issue in the international community. Major museums across the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum, have been involved in litigation or settled out of court with foreign governments who claim objects in their museums' collections were looted or stolen from native soil. The topic of repatriation occupies one aspect of the thesis. Another section is concern with the philosophical framework within which people may think about cultural property and its implications, as well as about vital issues in ownership. The major part of the thesis …

Art And Persuasion: A Communication Study Of Contemporary Documentary Film, Lauren Elizabeth Freeman

Honors Theses

The focus of this study is defining and determining the area of communication in contemporary documentary films. In examining the structure and aesthetic composition of documentary film, this study will compare the film genre to the areas of journalism. persuasion and propaganda through secondary and primary research defining the elements that constitute these specific areas of communication. Secondary research involved text, newspaper articles, online journals and websites, and the viewing of documentary film. The primary research was conducted through personal interviews with documentary filmmakers. Research findings resulted in a wide range of views on the definition and uses for documentary …

A Curriculum To Prepare Pastors For Tribal Ministry In India, Calvin N. Joshua

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The dissertation project establishes the existence of nearly one hundred million tribal people who are forgotten but continue to live in human isolation from the main stream of Indian society. They have their own culture and history. How can the Adventist Church make a difference in reaching them? There is a need for trained pastors in tribal ministry who are culture sensitive and knowledgeable in missiological perspectives.

Method

Through historical, cultural, religious, and political analysis, tribal peoples and their challenges are identified. The contribution of Christianity to India, particularly, the impact of the Adventist Church among tribals is reviewed. …

Developing Jewish Awareness Seminars: A Model Implemented In Adventist Churches In Michigan, Robert Clyde Quillin

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Many Jewish people are finding Jesus as their Messiah, but few are uniting with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In its Global Missions emphasis, the Adventist Church has not prepared church members to effectively witness to the Jewish people. Michigan Conference has about 0.29 percent (16,000) of the nation’s Jewish population, but no organized plan is in place to train members for Jewish soul-winning. Approximately 22 of Michigan’s 83 counties have one or more synagogues, which is sufficient Jewish presence to warrant an interfaith outreach. A lay-training program is needed.

Method

After researching literature, a questionnaire was devised, and a …

Embodied Limitation, Amanda Michiko Shigihara

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Teleworking In Silicon Valley : Implications For Social Capital, Sheraden J. Nicholau

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), a federally listed threatened species, causes damage to agricultural operations, yet little incentive exists for private landowners to conserve them. Therefore, we surveyed Utah residents to identify stakeholder attitudes regarding prairie dog management. We assessed how perceptions of wildlife damage affect respondent attitudes regarding conservation among agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents. Higher levels of perceived wildlife damage were reported for agriculture respondents (79%) than for urban (20%) or rural (45%) respondents. Compensation for damage caused by Utah prairie dogs was supported by those engaged in agricultural production but not by …

Providing Race Discrimination In Criminal Cases Using Statistical Evidence, Marc Price Wolf

UC Law Journal of Race and Economic Justice

Proving race discrimination in a criminal case using statistical evidence has been a difficult endeavor since the Supreme Court's rulings in McCleskey and Armstrong. In those cases, the Court set a high threshold for using statistics to prove constitutional violations. This note argues that this threshold is not insurmountable. Studies can be crafted to overcome the strict guidelines set out in McCleskey and Armstrong. Additionally, lower courts have interpreted these cases too broadly, such that validly presented statistical studies have unfairly been brushed aside. This note also argues that the Court analyzes social scientific studies differently when those studies are …

The Great American Makeover: The Sexing Up And Dumbing Down Of Women's Work After Jespersen V. Harrah's Operating Company, Inc., Dianne Avery

University of San Francisco Law Review

This Article examines the Ninth Circuit's decision in Jesperson v. Harrah's, which the author argues insulates most employers from all but the most determined (and well-financed) challenges to sex-based dress, grooming, and appearance codes under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and will also likely impact both federal court and state court jurisprudence in this area of employment law.

Where Did All These Books Come From? The Publishing Industry And American Intellectual Life, Maro N. Asadoorian

Honors Theses

The American book publishing industry shapes the character of American intellectual life. While the newspaper and television industries have been accused of and investigated for bias and lowering America’s intellectual standards, book publishing has gone largely unexamined by scholars. The existing studies of the publishing industry have focused on finance, procedure and history. “There are few ‘theories’ of publishing – efforts to understand the ‘whys’ as well as the ‘hows.’ Few scholarly scientists have devoted significant scholarly attention to publishing” (Altbach and Hoshino, xiii). There are many possible reasons for this lacuna. First, there is a perception that books have …

An Exploratory Study Of Pet Raising And Health Of The Elderly People In Hong Kong, Cheung Ming, Alfred Chan, Kam Wing, Kevin Cheung, Lam Fat Lo

APIAS Monograph 專題論文

Introduction:

Pets such as dogs, cats and fish were popular in many other countries (Marx et al., 1988; Gammonley, 1991; Brodie & Biley, 1999; PIAS, 2002). In Hong Kong, pet owners increased to 0.26 million (Census and Statistics Department, 2006). Dating back to 1980s, a research study reported the association between pet ownerships and health benefits for humans (McNicholas et al., 2005). According to the report, domesticated pets brought a sense of companionship and provided pet owners with pleasure. These pets could be tools for enhancing human social relationship and could also provide their owners with emotional comfort. Recent studies …

Hong Kong Happiness Index 2007 香港快樂指數 2007, Lok Sang Ho

Hong Kong Happiness Index 香港快樂指數調查

A survey on Hong Kong Happiness Index conducted by Lingnan University's Centre for Public Studies (CPPS) shows that Hong Kong people in 2007 are less happy than they were in 2006.

The survey has recorded a 4.8% decrease in the overall happiness index from 70.6 in 2006 to 67.2 in 2007. The declining happiness index goes against the general expectation that happiness index will increase under ongoing economic recovery.

The Influence Of Refugee Status On Palestinian Identity And The Impact Of Identity On Durable Solutions To The Refugee Problem, Michaela S. Clemens

Nebraska Anthropologist

Over the last fifty years the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has generated massive numbers of refugees. The scale and longevity of the conflict has made the Palestinian refugee problem the most protracted and largest refugee situation in the world today (Merhab et al. 2006). The processes of becoming a refugee and living as a refugee have had direct impacts on the formation of Palestinian identity. In this paper, I examine the influence of refugee status on identity and discuss how this identity affects potential solutions to the protracted refugee situation. I offer a brief historical background to the creation of Palestinian refugees. …

Does Verbal Communication Impairment Affect Quality Of Life In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patients?, Jason Michael Duff

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-perceived QOL in ALS patients. Literature will be presented on the incidence, prevalence, prognosis, diagnosis and management of ALS, QOL studies for ALS, the role of the multidisciplinary team, the impairments and dysfunction that ALS patients experience, communication issues, and the development of ALS specific instruments to measure QOL. The "bulbar dysfunction" that ALS patients experience in salivation management, speech, and swallowing were examined in detail. The objectives of this research study were to investigate the following hypotheses: 1. QOL will differ among ALS patients with varying levels of speech, swallowing, …

Perceived Control And Locus Of Control In Active Duty Military Members : A Comparison Of Late Enrolees With Early Enrolees, Lori J. Montgomery

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study compared perceived control and locus of control in two groups of reservists with prior active duty military service. Those who served on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard were eligible to participate. The subjects were obtained from a Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center where there are over 600 reservists and 24 units available. These reservists are representative of the Navy and Marine Corps reserve population, with the exception of naval aviation. Research has increased during the past decade regarding military culture and dynamics; however, little is known about the effects of …

Analyzing The Friedman Thesis Through A Legal Lens: Book Review Essay Assessing Thomas L. Friedman's The World Is Flat, Jayanth K. Krishnan

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In his best-selling book, The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman assesses how globalization has affected the political, economic, and social landscapes of both the developed and developing world. For Friedman, globalization is emboldening people in countries, like in India, to make societal and governmental demands that are similar to those made by Americans in the United States.

This Essay seeks to add a new layer to the debate over Friedman’s flattening-world thesis. Focusing on India, in particular, I shall argue that as the trajectory of India’s economic development appears on the rise, the sad reality is that …

Twentieth Century Approaches To Defining Religion: Clifford Geertz And The First Amendment, Barbara Barnett

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Shifting Toward Balance, Not Conservatism: The Court's Interpretation Of The Lemon Test's Legislative Intent Prong And Reaction From The Electorate, Kedrick N. Whitmore

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

"In Ane Uther Leid": Reviewing Scottish Literature's Linguistic Boundaries, R. D. S. Jack

Studies in Scottish Literature

No abstract provided.

Reading Robert Bellah: On Faith, Culture, And Power In America, Richard L. Wood

Sociology Faculty and Staff Publications

For four decades, Robert Bellah's books, articles, and public speaking have influenced thoughtful sectors of American faith communities, including readers of Christian Century. Though widely known among academic specialists, a holder of an elite endowed chair at one of the premier public universities in America, Bellah is best known in church circles for the books Habits of the Heart and The Good Society (both co-authored with the team of Richard Madsen, William Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven Tipton). Their interpretation of the deep cultural patterns of American life has found resonance among religious leaders of many stripes, and shaped sermons …

Commemoration Practices Of The Roman Soldier, Brandon R. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Baseline Data On The Wellness Of University Students, Stefanie M. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Engaging The Law In China: State, Society, And Possibilities For Justice, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Theory Of Expressive International Law, Alex Geisinger, Michael Ashley Stein

Faculty Publications

Ever since Grotius first suggested that desire for esteem from the broader global community motivates States to comply with international law, identifying just how this desire effects compliance has proven illusive. The ability to harness the pull of international society is important to virtually all treaty formation and compliance. It is especially important in the area of human rights regimes where other compliance forces such as coercion, are rarely, if ever, used. Recent empirical evidence, however, suggests that human rights regimes are ineffective. Indeed, in many situations this evidence suggests that the human rights practices of States that ratify such …

Engaging The Masses: Library Instruction With Large Undergraduate Classes, Patricia Fravel Vander Meer, Maria A. Perez-Stable, Donna M. Ring

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This article discusses challenges in teaching library instruction to large classes and identifies practical ways librarians can use to engage large undergraduate classes in a single session. The authors searched the literature, examined related instructional services web pages, and solicited feedback from instructional academic librarians. Various instructional techniques and activities are described. Discussion also includes areas such as classroom management, technology, risk-taking, and assessment.

Neighborhood Effects Of Public Housing: How The Level Of Public Housing Concentration Influences Neighborhood Crime Levels, Paul Joice

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Public housing is plagued by the well known “not-in-my-backyard” (NIMBY) phenomenon. People may support the existence of public housing, but oppose it in their neighborhood. This is particularly relevant to “scattered site” public housing – which has a much lower density than “traditional” public housing – because, by its very essence, scattered site public housing will be “in more backyards”. Public protests against such programs have made it clear that people don’t care about the positive effects for the public housing tenants nearly as much as they care about perceived negative effects on their neighborhood.

My goal is to …

Violent Personal Crimes On Campus: The Influence Of Size, Setting, And Police Presence, Chris Mckinney

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Statement of the Problem

Violent campus crime, in particular rape and aggravated assault, has become more pronounced in the last several decades. The judicial and legislative branches have responded through court decisions and legal enactments that require most universities to collect and report campus crime data. Many concerns have arisen as to the effectiveness and implications associated with such mandates. Some believe current laws do little to improve campus safety. Some suggested solutions to address campus crime have involved safety initiatives/programs and potential staffing increases to their campus police force.

Research Questions

• Are universities a reflection of surrounding community levels …

Spillover Effects Of The Robinson Scholars Program In The Service Area, Carla S. Tabeling

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

High rates of poverty and low levels of educational attainment have plagued the Appalachian region throughout history. The Robinson Scholars Program was created in 1996 as part of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees’ plan to support economic and community development in Appalachian Kentucky.

The Robinson Scholars Program is a scholarship and student support program that serves first-generation college and college-bound students from twenty-nine Eastern Kentucky counties with historically low rates of college attendance. The Program’s mission is to empower students to complete baccalaureate degrees and thereby add to the educational capital of their communities. The first class of …

The Perfect Storm: Catastrophic Collapse In The 21st Century, Glen Kuecker

History Faculty publications

This paper utilizes complex systems theory to argue that we are currently living in catastrophic collapse of the global system. It focuses on topics like climate chance, ecological destruction, pandemics, fuel shortages, warfare, and global hunger to illustrate the interconnections between multiple points of failure within the global system. The argument maintains that sustainability perspectives miss the fundamental reality of the global crisis.