Digital Commons Network^™

Gina Bonakdar Nahai: Fantasies Of Escape And Inclusion, Mojgan Behmand

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Cry of the Peacock, Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith, and Caspian Rain are the enticing titles of Gina Bonakdar Nahai’s Iran-focused novels, published in 1991, 1999, and 2008 respectively. And the titles hold true: the narratives reflect the pain, melancholy and dream-like beauty conveyed in the titles as they divulge characters who strive to escape the restrictions of their community, religion, government, and gender. In the meantime, as the author depicts these fantasies of escape and attempts at flight –and frequently harshly punishes them–, the characters achieve a hitherto unknown feat, namely the depiction of Jewish Iranian main characters …

Identity Through Change And Substitutivity Salva Veritate, Ray Elugardo, Robert Stainton

Philosophy Publications

This paper has three modest aims: to present a puzzle, to show why some obvious solutions aren’t really “easy outs”, and to introduce our own solution. The puzzle is this. When it was small and had waterlogged streets, Toronto carried the moniker ‘Muddy York’. Later, the streets were drained, it grew, and Muddy York officially changed its name to ‘Toronto’. Given this, each premise in the following argument seems true. Yet the conclusion is a contraction. P1: Muddy York = Toronto P2: Muddy York evolved into Toronto P3: The context “__ evolved into Toronto” is transparent, i.e., it allows substitution …

Philosophy Of Language, Robert Stainton

Philosophy Publications

No abstract provided.

Specification And Inversion: Evidence From Malagasy, Ileana Paul

French Studies Publications

This paper analyzes specificational sentences in Malagasy and shows that such sentences involve obligatory inversion, marked by the topic particle dia. I argue that the topicalized element is a small clause predicate that inverts with its subject. Two competing analyses of this inversion are compared and contrasted. I conclude with a brief comparison of Malagasy and Tagalog.

“Everybody Row”: Simone Weil And The Search For Transcendence In The Metaxic Poets, Matthew J. Godfrey

Digitized Theses

The work of Simone Weil has helped shape a new understanding of theology and social philosophy for contemporary thought. This thesis unpacks Weil’s metaphysics in order to bring it into dialogue with theory, theology, and modern literature. Specifically, it considers a search for transcendence in the context of Samuel Beckett’s Molloy and James Joyce’s Ulysses. The first objective is to provide an analysis of Weil’s mystic philosophy, to which end special attention is paid to her treatment of metaxu, kenosis, and décréation. A second concern is how these concepts function in texts which present God as an absence, and the …

The Effects Of Linguistic Features And Evaluation Perspective On Perceived Difficulty Of Medical Text, Gondy Leroy, Stephen Helmreich, James Cowie

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Millions of laypersons need more medical information than they are customarily provided during their doctor’s visit. Health websites can help fill this knowledge gap, but the text is believed to be too difficult to understand for many laypersons. To help write text that is not perceived as too difficult and leads to better comprehension (actual difficulty), we study how linguistic structures influence text difficulty. Since perceived difficulty has been shown to be a barrier to self-education, evaluating perceived difficulty is an essential first step to take. In this study, we evaluated the impact of noun phrase complexity and of function …

Volume 5 No. 1 January 2010, Nova Southeastern University

The Beacon: The Quarterly Newsletter of the Center for Teaching and Learning

No abstract provided.

The Contribution Of Domain Specificity In The Highly Modular Mind, Axel Barcelo Aspeitia, Angeles Erana, Robert Stainton

Philosophy Publications

Is there a notion of domain specificity which affords genuine insight in the context of the highly modular mind, i.e. a mind which has not only input modules, but also central ‘conceptual’ modules? Our answer to this question is no. The main argument is simple enough: we lay out some constraints that a theoretically useful notion of domain specificity, in the context of the highly modular mind, would need to meet. We then survey a host of accounts of what domain specificity is, based on the intuitive idea that a domain specific mechanism is restricted in the kind of information …

Book Review. Pravina Shukla, The Grace Of Four Moons: Dress, Adornment, And The Art Of The Body In Modern India, Jo Farb Hernandez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Computer Mediated Social Applications For The Classroom, Kelen K. Kilpatrick Panec

Graduate Research Papers

In The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Friedman analyzes globalization, primarily in the early 21st century (Friedman, 2005). Ifwe are to view our world as one that is or becoming flat, we as educators need to address that issue as we look to educational reform in the 2 I st century. This creative component is addressing the uses of various types of socially mediated computer applications in our schools to make sure that our students are prepared to enter the work field with the skills necessary to succeed. There are a plethora of applications …

Differential Pragmatic Abilities And Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Case Of Pragmatic Determinants Of Literal Content, Jessica De Villiers, Brooke Myers, Robert Stainton

Philosophy Publications

No abstract provided.

Contextualism In Epistemology And The Context Sensitivity Of 'Knows', Robert Stainton

Philosophy Publications

The central issue of this paper is whether contextualism in epistemology is genuinely in conflict with recent claims that ‘know’ is not in fact a context sensitive word. To address this question, I’ll first rehearse three key aims of contextualists and the broad strategy they adopt for achieving them. I then introduce two linguistic arguments to the effect that the lexical item ‘know’ is not context sensitive: one from Herman Cappelen & Ernie Lepore, one from Jason Stanley. I find these and related arguments quite compelling. In particular, I think Cappelen & Lepore (2003, 2005a) show pretty definitively that ‘know’ …

Clinical Pragmatics, By Louise Cummings, Robert Stainton

Philosophy Publications

No abstract provided.

Ua52/1 Favorite Professors, Wku Archives

WKU Administration Documents

Memories of WKU alumni regarding their favorite professors solicited by WKU Archives.

Delgadina: From Romance To Corrido On The Us-Mexico Border, Sara Soledad Garcia

Teacher Education

This study examines in its context one variant of the Spanish romance of Delgadina transmuted into a Mexican corrido. Acknowledging the studies by Beatriz Mariscal and the feminist interpretations of Maria Henera-Sobek, this study is a departure from past critical work in that it attempts to examine the cognitive effect on both singers and listeners of the modern corrido form and the continuity of the tale and the theme of incest. Memory systems generated through popular song are examined as they relate to Delgadina's purpose as a tale, in terms of its social and moral message and impact. Interviews were …

The Fear Of Castration And Male Dread Of Female Sexuality: The Theme Of The “Vagina Dentata” In Dracula, Laura Linneman

Journal of Dracula Studies

Bram Stoker’s Dracula reflects the Victorian fear of reverse colonization by the “Other” or the encroachment of the outsider on the British Empire as well as the repression of sexuality in Victorian England; however, there is one facet of the text that has never been fully explored: the inherent male fear of castration and feminine sexuality as well as its relationship to the “vagina dentata” motif. Furthermore, this dread of female sexuality has not been adequately explored in light of the novel’s historical context. Written during the rise of the New Woman, Stoker crafts a response to the increasing independence …

A Case Study Of The Implementation Of Positive Behavior Supports (Pbs), Craig Ross

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this single case study was to examine the significant personal, social, and environmental elements influencing effective second-year implementation of a specific school reform initiative, Positive Behavior Supports, in one alternative high school in southwestern Michigan. Data were collected in the form of artifacts, observations, surveys and interviews. All surveys and interviews were conducted by third-party assistants in the fall of 2009. The survey and interview data were provided to the researcher only after all identifying information had been removed so that the anonymity of participants was protected.

Multiple theoretical frameworks were employed in the analysis of the …

Top Honors: Seniors Earn Fulbrights, Linfield Magazine Staff

Linfield Magazine

Four seniors earn Fulbrights to study and conduct research abroad, while two other students secure prestigious scholarships.

Intern Turns Hobby Into Career Focus, Beth Rogers Thompson

Linfield Magazine

Luck, personal connections and love of what you're doing. That's Julie Rylander's formula for landing the perfect internship.

Connections, Winter, 2010; Issue Fourteen, John Fobert, Veronica Maher

Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Sandhill Cranes Of Coastal British Columbia: Results Of Helicopter Surveys And Preliminary Observations Of Habitat Use, Krista Roessingh, Briony Penn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A pilot study on sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) was conducted on the central coast of British Columbia in May 2006, followed by 2 summers of inventory and observation in 2007 and 2008. Fieldwork consisted of gathering local knowledge of crane locales, helicopter and boat surveys, and observations from blinds. We located 29 nest sites on 14 different islands and 1 mainland peninsula, as well as several beach foraging areas and bog roost sites. Observed average crane and nest density in areas of suitable habitat was 0.21/km² and 0.044/km², respectively, for 2007 and 2008. Nest and …

Exploring Success In Tutoring The Non-Native English Speaker At University Writing Centers, Elise Joy Geither

ETD Archive

This study examined the perspectives of both tutors at university writing centers and the Non-Native English Speaking (NNES) students who use the centers. Using qualitative methods, this study looked at perceptions of the academic writing needs of the NNES students, along with characteristics of tutoring sessions which made the sessions successful in the eyes of tutors and students. The study used interviews, observations, a survey, and artifacts to look at these topics and then compared the perceptions of tutors and students. Additionally, the study compared writing centers at two universities, one of which employs an English as a Second Language …

Idea Early Intervening Services Policy Implementation In Six School Districts;Reducing Overidentification And Disproportionality, James E. Harvey

ETD Archive

The Individual with Disability Educational Improvement Act (IDEA-2004) (P.L. 108-446) includes a policy called Early Intervening Services (EIS) which makes it permissible, but not mandatory, for a school district to use 15 percent of their IDEA Part B funds to provide services to non-disabled at risk students. However, a school district cited for disproportionality because of an overrepresentation of racial or ethnic minorities or second language learners receiving special education services or disciplinary action is required to use 15 percent of their special education funding to address these issues. The purpose of this study was to obtain knowledge on the …

Communication Strategy Use And Negotiation Of Meaning In Text Chat And Videoconferencing, Ying Zhao

ETD Archive

This study aims at investigating meaning negotiation and communication strategy use among nonnative speakers of English in text chat and videoconferencing. Learners in a Chinese and a Japanese university participated in text chats and videoconferences to discuss culture-related topics using English as the common language. Text chat scripts and videoconferencing transcripts were analyzed using a simplified version of the meaning negotiation model developed by Smith (2003a). A survey was conducted on communication strategy use. Results of the discourse analysis and the survey indicate that both text chat and videoconferencing are valuable tools to assist meaning negotiation and facilitate second language …

Richard Powers's The Echo Maker And The Trauma Of Survival, Nicolas J. Potkalitsky

ETD Archive

In this study, Cathy Caruth's innovative description of trauma as a crisis of survival in works such as "Traumatic Departures: Survival and History in Freud" and Unclaimed Experience (1996) is applied to the story of Mark Schluter's traumatic experience in Richard Powers's The Echo Maker (2006). Theoretically, Caruth's description owes much to Freud's classic accounts of trauma in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) and Moses and Monotheism (1939). In particular, Caruth capitalizes in on Freud's reference to the experience of awakening from traumatic unconsciousness as an "another fright" in the second section of Beyond the Pleasure Principle (Freud 11). For …

A Comparative Study On Fault Detection And Self-Reconfiguration, Ning Ge

ETD Archive

Extended State Observer (ESO) and the Alpha-Beta-Gamma Tracker are introduced and compared. In comparison, the ESO is found to be more noise resistant. The extended state used for the estimation of the general system dynamics in real time makes it suitable for fault detection. Four control schemes are proposed for self-reconfiguration upon fault detection. These schemes are Active Disturbance Rejection Control, Tracker-based Feedback Control, Fuzzy Logic Control and Tracker-based PID Control. To compare their control performance, these schemes are applied to three different applications namely Active Engine Vibration Isolation System, Three-Tank Dynamic System and MEMS Gyroscope System. The advantages and …

The Differences Between How Boys And Girls Learn And The Benefits Of Single Gender Schools, Devin M. Demaske

ETD Archive

A developing trend in the world of education is separating students by gender via single gender schools, classrooms, or separation for certain subjects. The goal is finding out whether or not this segregation is beneficial to student achievement, if boys and girls learn differently, and whether or not these differences are biological or due to socialization. It is important to find these answers for educators to best serve their students. The approach was a review of the available literature, analyzing the studies involving student achievement at single gender schools, and studies about the differences in between the male and female …

The Neopragmatist's Hammer: Forging Administrative Authority, David Oliver Kasdan

ETD Archive

Public Administration Is Challenged to Provide a Coherent Model of Authority in Modern Democratic Society. Authority Is Necessary for Governance, yet It Runs Against the Liberal State. Reconciling Administrative Authority with the American Polity Requires an Approach That Situates Governance as the Outcome of Communal Solidarity. This Reconciliation Includes Deflating the Metanarrative of Authority That Has Been Constructed on Traditions of Administrative Representation, Expertise, and Practice. These Traditions of Authority Must Be Redescribed in Current Contexts and Shaped by the Discourse Between Public Administration and the Polity as Equal Members of an Epistemic Community. Neopragmatism, the Postmodern Upgrade to Classical …

Hrotsvit Of Gandersheim: Her Works And Their Messages, Kathryn A. Mcdonald-Miranda

ETD Archive

Hrotsvit of Gandersheim, a poetess and playwright during the tenth century, created a body of work that both reflected and instructed people in her society. During this period, Europe witnessed extensive societal changes including the reemergence of the Holy Roman Empire, the eastward expansion of Christianity, and a cultural development known as the Ottonian Renaissance. The imperial court, emphatic sponsors of the arts, approved of the legends, dramas, and histories written by Hrotsvit as Christian alternatives to popular pagan literature. The following text presents interpretations of the legends and dramas identifying how they functioned as didactic devices intended to cultivate …

Colonial Metropolis: The Urban Grounds Of Anti-Imperialism And Feminism In Interwar Paris, Jennifer Anne Boittin

University of Nebraska Press: Sample Books and Chapters

World War I gave colonial migrants and French women unprecedented access to the workplaces and nightlife of Paris. After the war they were expected to return without protest to their homes–either overseas or metropolitan. Neither group, however, was willing to be discarded. Between the world wars, the mesmerizing capital of France’s colonial empire attracted denizens from Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Paris became not merely their home but also a site for political engagement. Colonial Metropolis tells the story of the interactions and connections of these black colonial migrants and white feminists in the social, cultural, and political …