Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding French Foreign Policy After The Second World War, Christophe D. Amegan

Masters Theses

This thesis is about providing a general understanding of French foreign policy since the end of the Second World War as suggested by the existing literature on soft power, military interventions, and the promotion of democracy. Even though France came out of the war very weakened, the country over the years has found ways to remain influential on the international scene. France's preference for diplomacy, its reliance on an international institution such as Francophonie, its readiness to intervene militarily when needed, and its support to the promotion of democracy internationally, have all work to preserve France's standing as a middle …

Constitutional Transformation In The Ecthr: Strausbourg's Expansive Recourse To External Rules Of International Law, Julian Arato

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Roscoe Pound In China: A Lost Precedent For The Liabilities Of American Legal Exceptionalism, Jedidiah J. Kroncke

Brooklyn Journal of International Law

No abstract provided.

Ay 2012/2013 Fs Meeting Minutes, 2012-10-17, Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Failing To Realize Nicholson'S Vision: How New York's Child Welfare System Continues To Punish Battered Mothers, Jaime Perrone

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

The Phantom Defense: The Unavailability Of The Entrapment Defense In New York City "Plain View" Marijuana Arrests, Ari Rosmarin

Journal of Law and Policy

No abstract provided.

Winning The Un-Winnable In Afghanistan? Counterinsurgency And Ethnic Strife, Joseph P. Bell

Masters Theses

After pursuing military actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States adopted a counterinsurgency policy to properly address these conflicts. After implementing this new strategy, it appears that the United States has been able to succeed against the insurgency, while losing more and more ground in Afghanistan. Upon examination, it was determined that the ethnic fractionalization in Afghanistan presented a unique challenge to the counterinsurgency effort that had not been present in Iraq.

The effects of this ethnic fractionalization were then analyzed on local counterinsurgency tactics and the overall nation building strategy in Afghanistan. Local counterinsurgency tactics had largely …

A Needs-Assessment For The Development Of Out-Of-School Time Program For A Middle School, Samir Elmoghrabi

Theses and Dissertations

Communities that fall in the category of middle to low class economics are in critical need for Out-of-School Time (OST) programs to supervise students while parents are working; however, these numerous communities do not qualify for OST government funding. The purpose of this study is a needs-assessment for a middle school that does not qualify for government funding. Of 974 parents, 325 participated in a comprehensive survey. Eleven school personnel--including top administrators, teachers, and staff--and 6 community members including the city mayor, director of an OST program, president of school board of education, a business leader, and 2 library administrators …

Engaging Global Service: Organizational Motivations For And Perceived Benefits Of Hosting International Volunteers, Erin Leslie Barnhart

Dissertations and Theses

An increasingly popular way for global citizens to contribute to communities around the world is through international volunteering. In tandem with this growing trend, academic research in the field has increased to explore the goals, motivations, and impacts of international service on volunteers, host communities, and volunteer-sending organizations. One of the larger gaps in our understanding of global civic engagement though is the specifics of how and why, as well as the overall impact of international service on, host organizations that seek and/or accept international volunteers. Using an exploratory research design to collect and analyze survey data and open-ended email …

Is "Nontheist Quakerism" A Contradiction Of Terms?, Paul Anderson

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Response To Papers On Theism (Just A Little) And Non-Theism (Much More), Patrick J. Nugent

Quaker Religious Thought

No abstract provided.

Islamic Law Meets Erisa: How America's Private Pension System Unintentionally Discriminates Against Muslims And What To Do About It, Beverly I. Moran

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

This article asks whether Muslims whose religious beliefs prevent investment in their employers’ private pension plans have a right to religious accommodation. This is a real issue for a growing part of the population whose spiritual lives are governed by rules that prohibit the giving or taking of interest. As one might expect, the investments available through most American pension plans involve some aspect of interest making those investments unsuitable retirement vehicles for devote Muslims. Consequently, in order to secure their retirement income, Muslims are faced with either violating their religious beliefs, losing years of investment opportunity as they wait …

Rock-A-Buy Baby: Consumerism By New, First-Time Mothers, Sara Afflerback

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rock-a-Buy Baby: Consumerism by New, First-Time Mothers, is the first known sociological exploration of need-based consumption for babies, despite the baby gear industry being a $6-billion-dollar business (whattoexpect.com). Data stemmed from qualitative, semistructured interviews with new, first-time mothers (3 months – 1 year postpartum) conducted within participants‘ households. The insights gained from the present study tell us a great deal about the ―needs‖ that predominantly white, middle-class mothers socially constructed in anticipation of their first child, and the consumptive behaviors used to accomplish these "needs." Respondents had turned to similar resources (other mothers, online forums, consumer reports, books, magazines, etc.) …

White And Black Womanhoods And Their Representations In 1920s American Advertising, Lindsey L. Turnbull

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The 1920s represented a time of tension in America. Throughout the decade, marginalized groups created competing versions of a proper citizen. African-Americans sought to be included in the national fabric. Racism encouraged solidarity, but black Americans did not agree upon one method for coping with, and hopefully ending, antiblack racism. White women enjoyed new privileges and took on more roles in the public sphere. Reactionary groups like the Ku Klux Klan found these new voices unsettling and worrisome and celebrated a white, nativeborn, Protestant and male vision of the American citizen. Simultaneously, technological innovations allowed for advertising to flourish and …

The Relationship Between Married Partners' Individual And Relationship Distress: An Actor-Partner Analysis Of Low-Income, Racially And Ethnically Diverse Couples In Relationship Education, Matthew D. Munyon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Couples experiencing relationship distress often require professional help, such as counseling and couple and relationship education (CRE). Research recently discovered that among couples in counseling, a circular relationship exists between individual and relationship distress-stress begets stress. Until this study, a similar examination had not been conducted among couples selecting CRE. This study examined the relationship between individual and relationship distress among married couples that had children, were from predominantly low-income and racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and selected CRE. A correlational research design was employed and framed in the social interdependence theory. The actor-partner interdependence model was conducted within a …

License To Deal: Mandatory Approval Of Complex Financial Products, Saule T. Omarova

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

This Article explores the possibility of creating a system of mandatory pre-approval of complex financial products as an ex ante solution to the problem of systemic risk containment. Building on the concept of regulatory precaution borrowed from environmental and health law, and elements of pre-CFMA regulation of commodity futures, the Article outlines the broad contours of a new licensing scheme that would place the burden of proving social and economic utility of complex financial instruments on the intermediaries that structure and market them. Fundamentally a thought experiment, this proposal seeks to enrich the current policy debate by expanding the range …

Using Participatory Scenarios To Stimulate Social Learning For Collaborative Sustainable Development, Kris A. Johnson, Genya Dana, Nicholas R. Jordan, Kathy J. Draeger, Anne Kapuscinski

Dartmouth Scholarship

Interdependent human and biophysical systems are highly complex and behave in unpredictable and uncontrollable ways. Social and ecological challenges that emerge from this complexity often defy straightforward solutions, and efforts to address these problems will require not only scientific and technological capabilities but also learning and adaptation. Scenarios are a useful tool for grappling with the uncertainty and complexity of social-ecological challenges because they enable participants to build adaptive capacity through the contemplation of multiple future possibilities. Furthermore, scenarios provide a platform for social learning, which is critical to acting in the face of uncertain, complex, and conflict-laden problems. We …

Wycinanki: Production Of A Non-Photorealistic Rendered Short Film, Irena Rindos

All Theses

Animals have traditionally occupied a special role in human culture and media, and are also often the focus of today's computer-animated films. The computer graphics (CG) short, Wycinanki, examines the human-animal bond through the story of a woman who rescues animals in Poland. Additionally, Wycinanki draws on the cultural history of its protagonist with its unique paper-cut render style. The goal of this film is to engage viewers and enhance the staying power of the film's message via a compelling story and visuals.
A significant amount of environment and character development and testing was necessary to translate the 2D art …

The Impacts Of Modernity On Family Structure And Function : A Study Among Beijing, Hong Kong And Yunnan Families, Ting Cao

Lingnan Theses

For a generation in many sociological literatures, China has provided the example of traditional family with good intra-familial relationship, filial piety and extended family support which is unusually stable and substantially unchanged. However, with the emergence of modernity, in the forms of industrialization and urbanization; capitalization and public policy transformation, the family structure has undergone changes where nuclear and asymmetrical types have emerged. At the same time, family support for the elderly is affected by the changes in family formation, family dynamics, as well as people’s values and their way of life. Do the theories concerning the relationship between modernity …

Career Decision-Making Patterns Of Undecided African-American Male Transfer Students: A Qualitative Approach, Lavious Felix Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The career development and career decision-making needs of African-American males have generated much inquiry. Two year colleges currently serve as the predominant point of entry for many African-American male students seeking baccalaureate degrees. However, the transition to and eventual success at the four-year institution is often met with challenges. The inability to choose a major that may lead to a desired career has the potential to serve as a barrier for some students. From the lens of social cognitive career theory, this qualitative study was conducted to examine the experiences of undecided, African-American male transfer students at a large, four-year …

Forming A Puerto Rican Identity In Orlando: The Puerto Rican Migration To Central Florida, 1960 - 2000, Julio R. Firpo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area became the fastest growing Puerto Rican population since 1980.1 While the literature has grown regarding Orlando‘s Puerto Rican community, no works deeply analyze the push and pull factors that led to the mass migration of Puerto Ricans to Central Florida. In fact, it was the combination of deteriorating economies in both Puerto Rico and New York City (the two largest concentrations of Puerto Ricans in the United States) and the rise of employment opportunities and cheap cost of living in Central Florida that attract Puerto Ricans from the island the diaspora to the region. Furthermore, …

Measuring Trust In Virtual Worlds: Avatar-Mediated Self-Disclosure, Amanda M. Surprenant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the development of trust between strangers interacting via avatars in virtual worlds. The first part of the study analyzed perceived trustworthiness based on the visual appearance of avatars; the second part makes observations of two strangers self-disclosing information via avatars in a virtual world; the third part analyzed an experimental situation of two individuals interacting via avatars, where avatar appearance was changed and participants were recruited based on their experience with interacting with others via avatars. Findings showed that perceived trustworthiness does vary based on the visual appearance of the avatar. A positive relationship was found for …

Establishing Difference: The Gendering And Racialization Of Power In Genocide, Erin E. Welsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is designed to delve deeper into perceptions of identity, specifically gender and racial identity, the power relationship that emerges as each of these switches is reached in the progression towards genocide, and the effects of these perceptions during and after the genocide takes place. The primary question addressed is whether the power relationship that emerges as a result of these pre-genocidal stages becomes gendered and racialized due to perceptions rooted in a male-dominated hierarchy and a belief in the superiority of one ethnicity over another. The primary goal of this thesis is to analyze the power relationship in …

Foreclosures And Crime: Testing Social Disorganization Theory In The Suburbs, Sara Hoskin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Foreclosures have increased in the US since the 1970’s. The increase in foreclosures has caused concern among some researchers on their affect on crime. Social disorganization theory measures the effect various structural characteristics, such as poverty, residential instability/mobility, racial/ethnic heterogeneity, and family disruption have on crime. This study, though, is concerned with residential instability/mobility, or the presence of foreclosed houses in neighborhoods. Although most studies using this theory look at low-income neighborhoods, the following research looks at middle- and upper-income neighborhoods, which have been greatly affected by foreclosures. The theory also argues that the level of collective efficacy can reduce …

Environmental Attitudes And Behaviors: The Issue And Its Dimensions, Brenna Cathleen Kelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a variety of factors on environmental attitudes and behaviors. Studies have addressed a number of issues that are related to environmental matters. This examination extends the research in this area by incorporating educational attainment, political ideology, gender, marriage and family formation, religiosity and subjective spirituality, race and ethnicity, as well as several sociodemographic influences. The 2010 General Social Survey is selected for the analysis because it is the most recent data available and contains items pertaining to environmental concern and behavior, and the independent and control variables. Directions for …

Italian-American Ethnic Concentration, Informal Social Control, And Urban Violent Crime: A Defended Neighborhoods Approach, Hollianne Elizabeth Marshall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of white ethnic concentration on robbery and homicide in Chicago and New York City. As one of the first to disaggregate white ethnic populations, this study has the expectation that Italian-American concentration will have a stronger influence on robbery and homicide than any other white ethnic concentrations. This study is founded on prior qualitative research suggesting that the reputation of Italian-Americans influences the behavior of outsiders in their communities. The data show there is a significant and negative relationship between Italian-American concentration and the violent crimes robbery and homicide. This relationship only exists for white …

Examination Of An Online College Mathematics Course: Correlation Between Learning Styles And Student Achievement, Bridget Steele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a significant relationship between learning styles and student learning outcomes in an online college mathematics course. Specifically, the study was guided by two research questions focused on (a) the extent to which learning styles had a predictive relationship with student achievement in an online college mathematics course and (b) the extent to which various learning styles among mathematics students in online versus face-to-face courses predicted mathematics achievement. The population for this study consisted of the 779 college mathematics and algebra (CMA) students who were enrolled in a private multimedia …

Thematic Patterns In Millennial Heavy Metal: A Lyrical Analysis, Evan Chabot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on heavy metal music has traditionally been framed by deviant characterizations, effects on audiences, and the validity of criticism. More recently, studies have neglected content analysis due to perceived homogeneity in themes, despite evidence that the modern genre is distinct from its past. As lyrical patterns are strong markers of genre, this study attempts to characterize heavy metal in the 21st century by analyzing lyrics for specific themes and perspectives. Citing evidence that the “Millennial” generation confers significant developments to popular culture, the contemporary genre is termed “Millennial heavy metal” throughout, and the study is framed accordingly. Utilizing prominent …

This Is Just Temporary: A Study Of Extended-Stay Motel Residents In Central Florida, Stephanie Guittar Gonzalez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motel life has existed in the United States for over 100 years. However, it was not until the HEARTH Act in 2009 changed the federal definition of homelessness that those who live in motels more or less permanently were considered homeless persons. This project utilizes qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 18 families with children who are living in motels to explore their experiences with motel life and social service providers, their housing identity, and identity management strategies. Findings show that most of the motel residents did not identify with the conventional definition or image of homelessness and instead negotiated the term …

Florida's Cattle Culture: Ethos And Enterprise In The Sunshine State, Corinne E. Zellner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cattle ranching has been of major significance to Florida since the 16th century; however, few are aware of the historic, ecologic, economic and cultural influence of this industry. This study investigates the origins and impacts of the traditional customs and practices of Florida’s cattle ranchers, who preserve and reinvent this rich heritage today. Ranchers live closely with the land and their animals and, due to the often-uncertain and cyclical nature of the business, must possess resourcefulness and initiative to prosper. The image of the stoic cowboy has long been associated with the American West, yet before longhorn cattle ever crossed …