Digital Commons Network^™

The World Of Elagabalus, Jay Carriker

History Theses

After his assassination in 222 the Roman Emperor Elagabalus served as Rome's whipping boy--an embodiment of all the vices that led to the decline and fall of Rome; but through placing his policies in the context of a a Julio-Severan Dynasty, the religious boundaries that he disregarded reveal a Varian Moment as a critical period in the Easternization of Roman religion which makes him one of the the most significant figures in Roman history.

Do Natural Disasters Induce More Crime?, Michael Lentini, Plamen Nikolov, Matthew Schwartz

Binghamton University Undergraduate Journal

The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 resulted in grave consequences for South East Asia. Indonesia, in particular, had the highest death toll, losing over 150,000 people. Indonesia’s coastal region Aceh was the hardest hit by this disaster. Exploiting exogenous spatial variation at the district level, we use difference-in-difference analysis to estimate the causal effect of the 2004 disaster on subsequent crime rates. We find that after the tsunami, total annual crime rate went down, on average, by 244 crimes per annum.

Earthquake Risk Communication As Dialogue – Insights From A Workshop In Istanbul's Urban Renewal Neighbourhoods, Johanna Ickert, Iain S. Stewart

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Abstract. An important paradox of hazard communication is that the more effectively a potential physical threat is made public by the scientist, the more readily the scientific message becomes normalized into the daily discourses of ordinary life. As a result, a heightened risk awareness does not necessarily motivate personal or collective preparedness. If geoscientists are to help at-risk communities adopt meaningful measures to protect themselves, new strategies are needed for public communication and community engagement. This paper outlines an attempt to develop a novel approach to train geoscientists, using doctoral and post-doctoral researchers in an EU integrated training network studying …

Commencement Program [Spring 2016], Clark University

Commencement Programs

Annual Commencement Program for graduation ceremonies at Clark University, held on May 22nd, 2016.

The Patristic Pre-History Of Devotion To The Immaculate Heart Of Mary, James K. Hanna

Marian Studies

Devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart emerged in the Middle Ages and flourished after the apparitions at Lourdes, Rue du Bac, and Fatima. But its roots run deep in tradition and are evident in the writings of the Fathers and the texts of the ancient liturgies. This paper begins by discussing early-Christian exegesis of Luke 2:35 and other key biblical texts. It proceeds to examine the various ways in which the Fathers spoke of Mary’s heart, and considers these in light of recent research on the earliest devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It concludes by evaluating Immaculate Heart devotion according to …

An Ecological Critique Of Capitalism, Macauley Berg

Undergraduate Honors Theses

I will be addressing the broad set of impacts generally referred to as "the environmental crisis.” I argue that this environmental crisis is truly an ecological one, insofar as humans are its primary drivers as well as its primary victims. I then investigate the structural cause (or structural causes) which produce this multitude of effects. In turn, this leads me to seek out and address the social underpinnings of this problem. I identify capitalism (specifically, its current form of global neoliberal economics) as a major driver of the ecological crisis and explore the relationship between capitalism and environmental practice. As …

National Security Implications Of Water Insecurity, Miranda Elizabeth Morton

Senior Theses

Prior to the Syrian uprising that began in March 2011, the country experienced an acute, multiyear drought, likely induced by climate change, which wrecked havoc on the agricultural sector, destroying the livelihoods of nearly a quarter of the population. Challenges associated with water use and availability played a direct role in exacerbating drought-like conditions and in deteriorating Syrian economic conditions. Urbanization from internally displaced farmers, coupled with rising food prices and a depressed economy, ripened conditions for social unrest and mobilization. The historical economic and agriculture policies in effect since Hafez al-Assad’s reign, current President Bashar al-Assad’s father and predecessor, …

Using Data To Build Community: Exploring One Model Of Geographically Specific Data Use In The Non-Profit Sector, Robert L. Fischer

Faculty Scholarship

Non-profit organizations strive to identify and build community in a variety of ways. A new development to assist non-profit organizations with this critical task is the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that incorporate data assembled from area non-profit organizations. In this article, we investigate the reasons why non-profit organizations adopt these systems, their inclusion of various stakeholders in site launch, and the challenges for sustaining GIS use. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with sites that have adopted a prominent GIS application – the Urban Institute's Community Platform – we find that although non-profits may implement GIS with the expressed …

Second Reaction: Please, Make Yourself At Home, Michelle Pizzolato Blanchard

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

First Opinion: Dimensions Of Foreignness In I’M New Here By Anne Sibley O’Brien, Sylviane Ngandu-Kalenga Greensword

First Opinions, Second Reactions

No abstract provided.

The Many Faces Of South Dakota: Past, Present And Future, Weiwei Zhang

South Dakota Demography Conference

This session will cover population trends and structural changes in the state, county, and local communities by age, race, and nativity from 19th century to the present. It will provide a complete demographic profile of the diverse population in the state.

When In Doubt, Art It Out: A Teacher's Guidebook To Arts Education Incorporation In The Esl Classroom, Nissa Badard

Master's Projects and Capstones

This thesis explores the relatively cast-aside world that is arts education. In it I review the literature on three topics: content-based instruction, arts education in the elementary classroom, and finally arts education in the ESL classroom. Based on the problems arts education integration meets I have come up with a project that fixes them and hopefully helps teachers, school boards and parents realize just how essential and easy arts education incorporation in the ESL classroom is.

Northern San Francisco Bay Ecological Risk Assessment: Potential Crude By Rail Incident, Meagan Bowis

Master's Projects and Capstones

Oil spill models, ecological risks, response options, and costs were assessed for a discharge of Bakken crude oil into the Northern San Francisco Bay from a train derailment. This assessment was based on the risk of crude by rail derailments into the San Francisco Bay; in 2014, California oil refineries imported over 240 million gallons of Bakken crude oil by rail for processing. A hypothetical scenario was developed from a derailment on the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge and discharging 100,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil into the Northern San Francisco Bay. The oil trajectory impacted the Carquinez Strait, Suisun, San …

Impacts To Anadromous Fish Through Groundwater Extraction, Aaron Hebert

Master's Projects and Capstones

California uses more groundwater than any other state in the United States in order to meet agricultural demand during the growing season when water is naturally least available due to the state’s Mediterranean climate. The state also hosts populations of anadromous fish that are otherwise found exclusively in the wetter Pacific northwest. Groundwater has historically helped maintain baseflow in the summer and fall low-flow periods and acted as a natural buffer against the regular droughts that occur in California. Today, groundwater provides 30-40% of the state’s water supply, but the pumping in many cases has reduced groundwater discharge and baseflow, …

The Mexican Water Forest: Benefits Of Using Remote Sensing Techniques To Assess Changes In Land Use And Land Cover, Maria F. Lopez Ornelas

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the past 30 years, anthropogenic activities like urbanization, agriculture, road fragmentation and deforestation have resulted in changes in the land use and land cover (LULC) in the Mexican Water Forest. Due to the important ecosystem services, and the natural resources this forest provides, in Mexico, it has become increasingly necessary to use new technologies and tools to support the planning, implementation and integration of forest management and conservation plans, as well as ecological and socioeconomic analysis of this ecosystem. Remote Sensing techniques and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been a true technological and methodological revolution in the acquisition, management …

My Brother Slaves, Sergio A. Lussana

Civil Rights

Trapped in a world of brutal physical punishment and unremitting, back-breaking labor, Frederick Douglass mused that it was the friendships he shared with other enslaved men that carried him through his darkest days.

In this pioneering study, Sergio A. Lussana offers the first in-depth investigation of the social dynamics between enslaved men and examines how individuals living under the conditions of bondage negotiated masculine identities. He demonstrates that African American men worked to create their own culture through a range of recreational pursuits similar to those enjoyed by their white counterparts, such as drinking, gambling, fighting, and hunting. Underscoring the …

Applying New Technologies To Upgrade Non-English Speakers’ English Speaking Skills, Xiaoqiong Wang

Master's Projects and Capstones

As technologies are getting more and more advanced, modernized information technologies start to step into the field of education. The application of multimedia- assisted instruction is getting more and more popular. This can stimulate students’ interests as well as promote students’ development and improve teaching efficiency. Teachers’ work should be student centered, and teachers’ function is to provide help and guidance in students’ studies. With the introduction of new technologies, students start to be fond of having classes. They start to have interests in studies. This can create a positive learning environment to students, which meets the social requirements of …

Preserving Biodiversity For A Climate Change Future: A Resilience Assessment Of Three Bay Area Species--Adenostoma Fasciculatum (Chamise), Arctostaphylos Canescens (Hoary Manzanita), And Arctostaphylos Virgata (Marin Manzanita), Alison S. Pollack

Master's Projects and Capstones

Anthropogenic climate change is an undeniable threat to the future of the natural world and human civilization. These shifts will have profound impacts on vegetation, especially for species endemic to isolated regions or sensitive to climate change factors. However, species resilience can predict success into the next century. Resilience is defined as the ability to withstand climate change factors, whereas vulnerability is defined as susceptibility to climate induced stress or damage.

Chaparral and coastal scrub ecosystems within the Bay Area of California provide a unique context for examining resilience, as many species are adapted to high temperatures, drought, and wildfire—all …

The Untitled Mapping Project: Case Study Trauma, Wyndi A. Desouza

Graduate School of Art Theses

This thesis is my personal exploration of what trauma is and how, if possible, it can be visually represented. The use of data collection, data visualization, and archive methodology is utilized in my project and this document examines how these components come together to understand trauma. This thesis also works through the ideology that everyone has the ability to experience trauma, of some form, in his or her life. Yet, there are different social perceptions for defining and labeling trauma. It is this social fallacy of trauma that I investigate and then seek to eliminate through the visual representation of …

The "Public Access Doctrine": Our Constitutional Right To Sun, Surf, And Sand, Robert George

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

Before Brenden Leydon came along, the Town of Greenwich, Connecticut had an ordinance that banned out-of-towners from its beach. Leydon, however, wanted to jog down the Greenwich Point Beach and, believing he had a right to do so, filed a lawsuit against the Town. His right to jog on the beach, he first argued, was rooted in the public trust doctrine, an ancient law developed by a Roman Emperor who may have believed, as Leydon did, that something special about the seashore made it a place that everyone should be able to access. Leydon next argued, under a more modern …

Property Theory And Owning The Sandy Shore: No Firm Ground To Stand On, Robert Thompson

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

Imagine walking along the dry sand beach and coming to a sign that says, “Private Beach, No Loitering.” Probably many readers have shared this experience, but how many people have stopped and thought, “why is it a private beach?” In most states, if the stroller were to ignore the sign and sit down on the dry sand, she could be forcibly removed and charged with trespass. But what is the moral justification for this official use of force by the State? Why should the State protect the individual beachfront property owner’s desire to keep the dry sand beach empty on …

Puget Sound Orcas, Vessel Noise, And Whale-Watching: A Licensing Program To Overcome The Problem Of The Esa's Economically-Blind "Take" Rule, Ian Boisvert

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

The din of Puget Sound's seafaring activities negatively affects one of the region's natural icons, the southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). The most extreme example is when high-intensity naval sonar causes cetaceans to beach themselves, leading to their death. Vessel noise, however, is more problematic on a long-term scale because of its pervasiveness. Vessels, which contribute the greatest amount of anthropogenic noise in the ocean, raise background noise to a level that interferes with marine mammals' communication, navigation, and prey detection. This interference, called "masking," reduces animals' abilities to receive and transmit information. By contributing to masking, whale-watchinggrowing both …

Mapping In The Humanities Classroom: An Assessment Of Tools And Strategies, Leah Niederstadt, Jade Werner, Domingo Ledezma, Jenni Lund

Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference

This panel explores the ways in which digital mapping has been used in humanities courses at Wheaton College (Norton, MA). In it, we discuss the variety of tools and strategies employed by faculty and staff, assessing the effectiveness of “mapping” to meet pedagogical goals and engage students. Jade Werner, Assistant Professor of English, describes how students used mapping tools to study the novel: first, collaboratively in the classroom over a one week period (“one-shot” mapping); and second, independently in a multi-month independent study (“sustained” mapping). Drawing from successes and failures in teaching Heart of Darkness from a “spatial humanities” perspective, …

Regional Port State Control Agreements: Some Issues Of International Law, Ted L. Mcdorman

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

The primary characterization of the relationship of ports both international and domestic is that of competition. Ports vigorously compete in terms of costs and services for international shipping business whether that business be container vessels, bulk carriers or cruise ships. The great ports of the world, for example, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Rotterdam, have competitive advantages compared with lesser ports because of geography and history. Nevertheless, these great ports, like others, are alert to competition and the need to acquire and retain vessel traffic. Until recently, ports were inclined to treat vessel safety and vessel environmental standards in the same …

The International Association Of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) V. Locke: Do Oil And State Tanker Regulation Mix?, Peter J. Carney

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

In The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) v. Locke, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a number of Washington State's Best Achievable Protection (BAP) Regulations governing oil tankers operating in Washington State waters. The court upheld the State's regulations against a tanker operator's organization challenge that federal law, Coast Guardregulations, and international treaties preempted the state regulations. The precedent-setting decision establishes that the federal regulation of oil tankers, and tanker regulations set forth in international treaties, in most instances, merely establish minimum standards that states may surpass in the interest of protecting their marine and shoreline resources. …

Metcalf V. Daley: Consideration Of The Significant Impact On The Gray Whale Population In An Environmental Assessment, Rosemary Fowles

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

In Metcalf v. Daley, a Congressman, various conservation organizations, and a member of the Makah Tribe brought an action against government officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) alleging that their actions violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Makah Tribe joined as intervenor. Both parties filed cross motions for summary judgement on the merits. The Defendants' motion was granted. The Plaintiffs appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeal invited the court to determine if the Environmental Assessment (EA) of the proposed Makah Tribe whaling along with …

Sierra Club V. U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service: The Phoenix Of Critical Habitat Designation, Michael Fuller

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

In its March 2001 decision, Sierra Club v. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a decision of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, which had granted the defendant U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) summary judgment. The Court of Appeals held that the Service's decision to not designate "critical habitat" was arbitrary and capricious. The Fifth Circuit found that much of the Service's decision was based on a regulation that conflicted with the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. That regulation required consultation only when concerns for …

Appropriate Sanitation And Integrated Coastal Management: An Ecologically-Based Human Waste Treatment System For Coastal Settlements On The Bahia De Navidad, Jalisoc State, Mexico, Eugene C. Bricklemyer, Jr., Alfred Tomas Ortega Ojeda, Cuauhetmoc Leon, Boris Graizbord, Richard Kyle Paisley

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

In this paper we present an overview of the global sanitation crisis and how it increasingly affects the planet's heavily populated coastal zone. We note that the scarcity of water in many nations that do not have adequate sanitation infrastructure will forever preclude their adoption of the Western standard. We investigate alternatives to, in our view, a vastly wasteful conventional flush-and-discharge system, and how better engineered solutions can save water, enrich soil and contribute to the mitigation of global warming. Finally, we describe how this technology is being used in an integrated coastal zone management project on Mexico's Pacific Coast …

Challenges For Managing The North American Coastal Zone, Cuauhtemoc Leon, Boris Graizbord, Richard Kyle Paisley, Eugene C. Bricklemyer, Jr., Juan J. Del Toro

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

Canada, the United States and Mexico are adjacent coastal nations where the impact of significantly increased human activity in the coastal zone by the year 2050 will be potentially catastrophic. Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) may well have a role to play within and between all three countries to help ameliorate this situation. This paper looks at the challenges facing sub-continental ICM, from institutional foundations to large-scale environmental management practices that cross political and cultural boundaries. To assist in this discussion, we have analyzed the overlapping sets of political-administrative units within terrestrial ecosystems, especially those with complex landscape attributes, to arrive …

Transboundary Water Management: An Institutional Comparison Among Canada, The United States And Mexico, Richard Kyle Paisley, Cuauhtemoc Leon, Boris Graizbord, Eugene C. Bricklemyer, Jr.

Ocean and Coastal Law Journal

Canada, the United States and Mexico are adjacent coastal nations. They share numerous important transboundary natural resources, including a significant number of international fresh water drainage basins. Bilateral institutions have been established over the years to deal with the conservation and management of these international drainage basins. Prominent among these have been the International Joint Commission (IJC) between Canada and the United States, and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) between the United States and Mexico. The geographic scopes of the IJC and the IBWC are enormous. "Canada and the United States share a 6,400 km boundary between the …