Digital Commons Network^™

An Opiate Of The Masses: Religious Gerrymandering Of Sacramental Intoxication, Mark A. Levine

North Carolina Central Law Review

No abstract provided.

Focus, 2009, Spring, Andrews University

Focus

FOCUS (ISSN 1077-9345) is published quarterly, free of charge, for alumni and friends of Andrews University, an institution owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Nature Of Sheol In The Torah, Eriks Galenieks

Shabbat Shalom: A Journal for Jewish-Christian Reconciliation

No abstract provided.

Flâneurs And Infiltrators (How To Read Cityscapes Via Textscapes), Joe Culpepper

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

“Read your city anew” and “awaken from the spells cast by signs” are the mantras of this article. In Toronto, the radical spirit of revelation present in Walter Benjamin's Passagen-Werk (The Arcades Project) is embodied in an experiential approach to the capitalist city's hidden, forbidden, and inaccessible areas. Infiltration is a multifaceted phenomenon (a zine, a website, and a practice). The project is dedicated to the investigation, exploration, and mapping out of Toronto's abandoned buildings, defunct subway stations, luxury hotels, metropolitan marketplaces (i.e. the Hudson's Bay Company) and more. Circulated to encourage citizens of today's cultural metropolises to …

Describing Tragedy: The Information Access Needs Of Blind People In Emergency-Related Circumstances, Elaine Gerber

Department of Anthropology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Audio description is a technique used for "translating" visual material to aural readers/blind people. In this article, exploratory research on audio description (AD) is presented, which raises important questions in the field of applied anthropology and emergency planning: How does one translate visual material for a non-seeing audience? From the point of view of blind consumers, what constitutes "good" description? What specific information access needs do they have in event of emergencies? Selected results are presented from three telephone focus groups on AD, conducted with 39 blind or visually impaired people nationwide in the United States during September/October 2005. This …

Global Competency In Hospitality Management Programs: A Perfect Recipe For Community Colleges, David Jonathan Beer

Dissertations

Globalization is redefining and transforming interactions between people all over the world. Although nations differ in their level of globalization, it is critical in this day and age that nations foster global competency in their citizens and students. Education is one key area in developing and promoting global competency. For the United States, creation of a dynamic workforce, both domestic and abroad, is imperative if America is going to compete in a global society. Students who have a diverse and knowledgeable view of the world, can communicate in another language, and can exhibit cross-cultural adaptability, will be able to efficiently …

Musket Balls, Lewis & Clark, And The Fur Trade: Isotopic, Elemental, And Historical Analysis, Douglas C. Wilson

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Overview of a study on the chemical analysis of lead objects has been used in archaeology and forensics to tie a particular ore or manufacturer to a particular artifact.

Results of the study were presented at the 62nd Annual Northwest Anthropology Conference, April 9, 2009 at Newport, Oregon.

African American Perceptions Of The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (Fcat) And High School Graduation, Maressa L. Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While there is ample research theorizing reasons for so-called "achievement gaps" between African American and White students on standardized tests, few studies explore African Americans' perceptions of the impact these tests have on overall education. Through interviews with six current students attending Hillsborough County public high schools, one recent graduate of a Hillsborough County high school, and two parents of students in Hillsborough County public schools, this research study probes participants' perceptions of the impact of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) on their high school experiences. All participants in the study identified as African American or Black. Through archival …

Full Issue, New Mexico Historical Review

New Mexico Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Issue No. 79: April 2009, Historical Society Of New Mexico

La Crónica de Nuevo México

1 Santa Fe County's Nineteenth-Century Courthouse, Its Rise and Fall, 1886-1909
1 Iron Mike and the Spirit of the CCC
2 Historical Society of New Mexico Membership Services
2 Gift Memberships Available
2 HSNM Grants Program: Applications Are Invited
2 Membership Benefits, Historical Society of New Mexico
5 David L. Caffey, Speakers Bureau: Focus Speaker
6 Santa Fe County New Deal Courthouse and Palace of the Governors
6 Taos County Historical Society News
6 New Books for Your New Mexico History Library

The Beauty Of Arabic Script: Tracing The Artistic Significance Of The Arabic Letter In Morocco, Sarah C. Malin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper explores the reference to traditional Moroccan craftwork in contemporary art, specifically in the microcosm of the incorporation of Arabic letters in contemporary painting. The line between craft and art, calligraphy and symbols is examined. What is the purpose of these designs and what meaning do they carry? Through interviews with five artists that employ this technique as well as conversations with other members of the art community, it was found that the artistic significance of these letters has changed throughout history. In the past, calligraphy, although containing some embellishing flair, emphasized the literal linguistic and religious meaning in …

The Perseverance Of Aboriginal Australian Time Philosophy And Its Impact On Integration Into The Mainstream Labor Force, Kelly Adams

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study demonstrates that Aboriginal Australian time philosophy has survived the impact of European colonization through applying anthropological inquiry into time perception to functional attitudes towards work ethic. By doing so I highlight time perception as one of the “root causes” of Aboriginal socio-economic disadvantage in the barrier it poses to Aboriginal labor force participation. The Native Title Act put pressure on the mining industry to set high targets for Indigenous employment and in the process has given Aboriginal communities the opportunity to become “active initiators” of their relationship to time by forcing industrial compromise through resistance to adopt the …

Remembering The Roots: Political Consciousness In The Quilombo Pitanga De Palmares In A Modernizing Society, Matthew Glenn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Without a doubt, history affects greatly our modern realities. Yet, modernity proposes that we forget those things that make us different in order to be part of a society that is falsely seen as more advanced. One would expect that no one would understand better the need to remember history than quilombolas, people that live in communities with strong ties to their African ancestry. Whereas Brazilian culture makes it easy for the majority of citizens to forget their past by denying their racial background, an idea identified by academics and activists as “racial democracy”, quilombolas live in a reality that …

O Último Peixe Ideas About The Future In Coastal Trairí, Marycate R. Brower

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper uses ethnographic methods, including semi-formal, semi-structured interviews, but especially participant observation and informal conversation, to attempt to understand the realities of the coastal population of the Municipality of Trairí, Ceará, Brazil, as the traditional fishing communities of Guajiru, Fleixeiras, and Emboacca react to international and national economic policies, tourism, and land speculation that are enacted through the lens of neoliberalism. This study corroborates the statements of community members as they relate their ideas about the present conditions of pescadors artesanais as they deal with increasing and ever-changing government policies that regulate and limit their craft, a lobster population …

Die Taal Is Gans Die Volk? Building A Common Afrikaans-Language Identity And Community In Post-Apartheid South Africa, Susan Demartino

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The following paper examines some of the ways in which Afrikaans-speakers have begun to renegotiate Afrikaans-speaking identity and community in reaction to a perceived decline in Afrikaans in post-apartheid democratic South Africa. It also examines the values of re-negotiating Afrikaans for a multilingual South Africa.

The data was obtained through interviews with four Afrikaans-speaking South Africans who connect with the language both as a mother-tongue speaker and as players in renegotiating its role through empowerment efforts, blogging, and creating positive language policy and programming.

I have concluded that the renegotiation of Afrikaans involves depoliticizing and consciously separating Afrikaans from ideologies …

Campesinos/As Cultivating Soil: Promoting And Adopting Sustainable Agriculture In Jinotega, Nicaragua, Emily Grady

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study seeks to answer the question: What pedagogies and theoretical and practical concepts and processes effectively facilitate a transition to sustainable agriculture among campesinos/as in rural Nicaragua? From the perspective of both the facilitators and the participants, what makes these methodologies effective and why is this change important? The Cuculmeca, an organization that promotes the sustainable use of the environment and the participation of communities in their own development, has been promoting sustainable agriculture in Jinotega since 1992. The organization has developed a series of pedagogical strategies that tend to facilitate an enduring transition to sustainable agriculture, and in …

Shake It: A Study Of Traditional Dance And Drumming In Tanzania With The African Traditional Dance Group, Megan Browning

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study was conducted from April 11th 2009 to May 1st 2009 about Tanzanian traditional dance and drumming focusing specifically on the African Traditional Dance Group, ATDG, a well-established group in Arusha, Tanzania. The study aimed to gain perspectives on the role of traditional dance and drumming in Tanzania and how it is changing today in the face of westernization and globalization, and additionally to learn more about the personal histories of the artists in ATDG. Methods included participant observation, in the form of dance and drumming lessons and participation in group rehearsals, a semi-structured key informant interview, and semi-structured …

“Fusion” Musics And Tunisian Identity In The Age Of The Global Stereo, Rachel Colwell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Introduction (excerpt)

In this paper I will explore how contemporary Tunisian musicians have engaged with and adopted various “foreign” or “external” musics by melded them in myriad intricate and often controversial ways with the tunes, rhythms, and symbolic meanings of their own historically local musics. Equally, or perhaps more importantly, I will address how audiences throughout Tunisia have received these musical “fusion” projects and movements and will touch upon the responses of Tunisian diasporic communities and cosmopolitan cultural formations within and beyond the borders of the country.

I will present two case studies, the work of Anouar Brahem and the …

The Traditional Wolof Voice: Lessons From A Griot In Pout, Senegal, Lucy French

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This alternative project comprised of a three-week long, intensive study of traditional Wolof singing. I took twenty hours of voice lessons from a griot teacher in Pout, Senegal, with the intention of acquiring a rich knowledge of Wolof vocal music and the skills to perform for an audience. My Wolof teacher, Nar Diop, taught me seven songs by ear throughout our six classes together. In addition to perfecting, memorizing, and preparing for a final performance piece, I translated the lyrics of each song into English and French in order to analyze their content and investigate their origins and significance to …

Ceeb Ak Jën: Deconstructing Senegal’S National Plate In Search Of Cultural Values, Megan Duffy

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ceebu jën, Senegal’s national plate of rice and fish, is an integral part of diet among the Senegalese despite differences in religious, ethnic, and geographic identity. Due to the plate’s democratic nature in Senegalese culture this study deconstructs the significance of the plate in relation to Senegalese values placed tradition, personal pride, community, and national identity. This study argues that ceebu jën’s widespread presence and cultural reflexivity finds its source in the universal accessibility of the meal.

The Material Remains Of World War Ii On Viti Levu: A Historical Archaeological Inventory, Allison Young

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

World War II was a global conflict that dramatically changed many aspects of society in the late 1940’s. It transformed the landscape of many locations, leaving behind a vast and diverse material record. Although the battles of the conflict never reached Fiji, a British colony in the South Pacific, the war greatly impacted the island group. Fiji was under threat of Japanese invasion for the majority of 1942 and part of 1943, which resulted in a build up of military forces and defensive installations. In the later years, Fiji was used as a forward base for the Allied forces, which …

L’Identité Dans La Musique Occitane : La Conservation De L’Art Pour Exprimer La Culture = Identity In Occitan Music : Expressions Of Culture Through The Preservation Of Art, Christina Lambert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project focused on how identity is expressed and preserved through Occitan music, and what exactly that identity means to whom that identity belongs. The researcher studied and listened to many different bands and artists, all of who had unique styles and sounds. While conducting research on the history of Occitania and of its music, the researcher interviewed several musicians and others who worked with the Occitan culture. These interviews and research led to a greater understanding of Occitania, and of the people who are fighting to keep it alive. By attending traditional dances, concerts, and book readings, the researcher …

“For They Shall Inherit The Earth”: Seeking Solutions For Durban’S Street Children, Allison La Fave

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As a visiting white, American female, I could not help but be struck by Durban’s highly visible population of young African boys in the streets and on the beachfront. Although my experiences at a student-run homeless shelter and in the Housing Unit of Boston Legal Services have made me well aware of urban poverty and racial inequality, I was nonetheless shocked to see the extent to which young people bear the brunt of the problem in one of Africa’s most “developed” young democracies. Interested in what, if any, measures were being taken to curb the problem, I began to investigate …

An Oriental Christ: A Perfect Condition After The State Was God, Thomas Nathaniel Eaves

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Where do we begin with our understanding of the human composition of God, with humanity’s embracement of the existential? Humanity has rendered faith volatile and constant, a consequence, not flaw, merely of developed sentience. Yet, whether God or evolution has burdened humanity with this responsibility, faith and belief continue their inexplicable and unwearied existence. People, whether atheistic, agnostic, or faith bound, have proven the existence of an utterly human liability for irrationality, or certainly rational subscription. Emile Durkheim wrote of religion as purely existent within shared life, unsusceptible to segregation and compartmental comprehension. Max Weber considered religion as providing prescientific …

Guardians Of The Grassland: A Qualitative Assessment Of The Success Of Community-Based Wildlife Conservation In Mongolia’S Eastern Steppe, Alexandra Sprague

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Community-based conservation is a newer type of conservation that includes people in the ecosystem and attempts to simultaneously promote development and conservation. One organization in Mongolia that is facilitating the implementation of community-based conservation is the Wildlife Conservation Society. Their goal is:

My research questions concerning this NGO’s project are: what are the perceived benefits and problems with CBC? What makes it successful and how can it be improved? My location of study was the easternmost aimags of Mongolia, Dornod and Sukhbaatar. I spent 1 week travelling to 9 of the WCS’s 13 active herder communities asking their opinions about …

Un Juego De Identidad Y Percepción: Un Estudio De Caso De “Visuales,” Una Tribu Urbana En Viña Del Mar, Chile, Anya Bergman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper is a case study of an urban tribe in Chile called “Visual,” and specifically members of the tribe who live and/or attend events in Viña del Mar. Urban tribes have different connotations for different people, but for Visuales, the term signifies adherence, in whatever capacity desired, to certain codes and styles and a bond with a small group of tribe members. This particular urban tribe adapted its style from Japan, where a similar movement gained popularity in the 1990s. The members, like those in Chile, did not have a particular ideology but focused on music and extravagant aesthetic …

Political Science Spring 2009, Dan Sabia

Political Science Newsletter Spring 2009

No abstract provided.

Book Reviews: Monographic Musing, Debbie Vaughn

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

From The Reference Desk, Thomas Gilson

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Star Wars' Saving Return, John C. Mcdowell

Journal of Religion & Film

The relationship of the trilogy of Star Wars (SW) prequels to the 'classic trilogy' is a complex one. On the one hand it intensifies themes of fall and redemption, and on the other reinterprets the very nature of the drama as integrally about a parallelism – 'the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker' and 'the adventures of Luke Skywalker'. This figural parallel moves off in a different direction, with Anakin becoming the fallen one and Luke the redeeming one, significantly echoing St. Paul's Adam-Christ typology. This reading possesses significant critical potential for numerous other readings of the SW saga.