Digital Commons Network^™

Des Bouches Des Cadiens, Lily Keener

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

This paper explores the current state of Cajun (in French, Cadien) literature in the United States. I describe the migration of the Cajuns from Acadia down to Louisiana, the evolution of the French-Cajun dialect and the longstanding bias against it, and use examples of past and modern day Cajun writers and poets to shed light on the recent resurgence of Cajun culture and literature in the United States, even after years of persecution.

Embodying Tibet: Negotiating Tibetan-American Youth Identities At The Tibetan Children's Village Summer School Program, Lekey S. Leidecker , '16

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

My research illuminates the ways that the Tibetan Children’s Village Summer School program, despite its positive intentions, does in fact reinforce a fixed Tibetan identity by intertwining authenticity with a specific set of embodied experiences that do not match that of Tibetan youth living in the United States. Drawing on MacPherson’s (2011) “Fallacies About Language Sustainability” and recommendations for cultural preservation education, I evaluate the summer program’s curriculum as insufficient for promoting new articulations of Tibetan identity that reflects participants’ lived experiences in the United States, and argue that the current system in fact is exacerbating the difficulties that these …

Tactile Manipulatives, Color Coding, And Storytelling As Effective Strategies For Improving Second Language Fluency, Erin Fell

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Sawft.Servindat... [V1.7], Ray Ferreira

Theses and Dissertations

A descriptor of my artistic practice, a text piece, a series of linguistic musings, and more, Sawft.servindat… [v1.7] attempts to explore the dance between language, embodiment, and performativity. More specifically, the text moves through metaphor and metonym, Englishes, Spanishes, and Images, the performativity of representation and the representation of performativity —my body. My body moving across spaces and times. As part of the Sawft.servindat… series, Sawft.servindat… [v1.7] uses the scroll down format of most PDF reading software to activate the inherently embodied experience of intra-acting with technologies, resisting the dichotomy between the virtual and analog. Englishes juxtaposed with Spanishes juxtaposed …

Lawrence, Volume 97, Number 2, Spring 2016, Lawrence University

Alumni Magazines

No abstract provided.

Of Reasonable Readers And Unreasonable Speakers: Libel Law In A Networked World, Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky, Ronnell Andersen Jones

UF Law Faculty Publications

Social-media libel cases require courts to map existing defamation doctrines onto social-media fact patterns in ways that create adequate breathing space for expression without licensing character assassination. This Article explores these challenges by investigating developments involving two important constitutional doctrines-the so-called opinion privilege, which protects statements that are unverifiable or cannot be regarded as stating actual facts about a person, and the actual malice rule, which requires defamation plaintiffs who are public officials or public figures to prove that the defendant made a defamatory statement with knowledge of or reckless disregard for, its falsity. Given the critical role these two …

Innovation As Everyday Action: A Case Study Of Organizational Discourse And The Local Meaning Of Innovation, Jennifer C. Batra

Open Access Theses

This study describes and explicates the nuanced nature of commonly adopted buzzwords such as innovation by analyzing how innovation is defined and embedded structurally within a single organization. Working to uncover how the individual construction of a local definition of innovation within the global context of a quasi-academic organization changes as organizational priorities and practices evolve over time, I present the varied framings of innovation at the micro, meso, and macro levels, through two research phases (a) the definition phase and (b) the practice phase over the course of one year.

This thesis project is situated within a single Mid-Western …

Rethinking Reference: Towards A Holistic Approach To Linguistic Reference, Libby C. Chernouski

Open Access Theses

In this thesis, a review of linguistic reference identifies four entities (speaker, hearer, term, and object) and their interrelations as falling under the umbrella of reference. This review brings to light certain underdeveloped areas of research into linguistic reference, and the second chapter addresses these gaps by distinguishing between the experiences of speaker and hearer as regards linguistic reference, differentiating between the cognitive processes required by each interlocutor, asking how the speaker establishes reference pre-utterance, and drawing on various pragmatic, philosophic, and semantic approaches and theories to see how they could begin to approach for this important issue. …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Development Of Fluency Of Novice Japanese Learners: Analysis Using Objective Measures, Saori M. Houston

Open Access Theses

Fluency has been studied extensively in ESL and EFL mainly to determine what spoken features are characteristics of fluent speech by comparing students who participated in study abroad programs with those who did not. These studies were mainly done with advanced learners of English as a second or foreign language, and there have not been many studies conducted with novice-level learners of foreign languages. Japanese fluency studies are especially in the minority. It is necessary to investigate the characteristics of fluency in Japanese novice-level learners since Japanese shares very little in common with English.

This study investigated the developmental changes …

User-Centric Workload Analytics: Towards Better Cluster Management, Suhas Raveesh Javagal

Open Access Theses

Effective management of computing clusters and providing a high quality customer support is not a trivial task. Due to rise of community clusters there is an increase in the diversity of workloads and the user demographic. Owing to this and privacy concerns of the user, it is difficult to identify performance issues, reduce resource wastage and understand implicit user demands. In this thesis, we perform in-depth analysis of user behavior, performance issues, resource usage patterns and failures in the workloads collected from a university-wide community cluster and two clusters maintained by a government lab. We also introduce a set of …

Bilingualism Effects At The Syntax-Semantic Interface: Evidence From The Spanish Present Tense, Julio Cesar Lopez Otero

Open Access Theses

The current study examines the acquisition of the semantic values of the Spanish present tense among English-speaking second language learners and Spanish heritage speakers. With a few exceptions (Cuza, 2008, 2010; Klein, 1980; Pérez-Cortés, 2012; Sánchez-Muñoz, 2004), an area of research still underexplored. The predictions for this study is that bilingualism effects will be evidenced in lower patterns of use, acceptance and preference of the simple present with an ongoing meaning in bilingual speakers, as well as preference for the progressive in ongoing contexts, as this is the pattern available in English. In addition, it is predicted that the heritage …

Effects Of A Timed Dictation Activity In The Introductory Course In Japanese Focusing On The Accuracy And Fluency Of Writing Katakana, Aya Okada

Open Access Theses

The importance of mastering one of the Japanese syllabaries, Katakana, is acknowledged by both Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) learners and teachers. Katakana is a phonetic syllabary that is used to transcribe loanwords primarily from European languages and onomatopoeia words. These loanwords are nowadays called Katakana words. The number of Katakana words in Japanese language has been increasing, and it is reported that many JFL learners in Japan often encounter difficulty in understanding these words. Though teachers are also aware of the importance of teaching Katakana, it is treated less importantly. For example, after spending some time and effort …

A Framework For Organizational Performance Assessment In The Construction Industry, Zenith Rathore

Open Access Theses

Organizations have been trying to increase their efficiency and improve their performance in order to achieve their goals. Organizational success is determined by various factors that impact organizational performance. Construction industry is a project based industry which is extremely dynamic in nature. The need to identify the weak points and search solutions to improve performance of construction organization is extremely crucial. Previous research works have primarily focused on the measurement of financial or tangible assets. Industry has always focused on measure of project success. However, previous studies lack the understanding of qualitative factors and their combine effect on organizational performance. …

The Disembodied Rule And The Rule Made Flesh: Propositions, Illustrations, And The Placement Of Citations, Stephen E. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Conexiones Transatlanticas: Expandiendo Limites En El Mundo Hispano (1890-1910), Argelia Garcia Saldivar

Open Access Dissertations

Este trabajo examina las transformaciones a patrones socio-culturales en el mundo hispano, que permiten a la mujer incorporarse a la fuerza productiva; como producto de la presión ejercida por comunidades de escritoras en foros internacionales sobre el atraso educativo y cultural que sufre la mujer. En esta disertación se estudia una economía que gira alrededor de las necesidades de la mujer promovida por la prensa periódica, que además de fortalecer la industria cultural y de entretenimiento, también auto-educa a la sociedad sobre la necesidad de educación profesional, mejora de condiciones laborales y apertura a espacios comerciales y profesionales para la …

A Black Art: Ontology, Data, And The Tower Of Babel Problem, Andrew J. Iliadis

Open Access Dissertations

Computational ontologies are a new type of emerging scientific media (Smith, 2016) that process large quantities of heterogeneous data about portions of reality. Applied computational ontologies are used for semantically integrating (Heiler, 1995; Pileggi & Fernandez-Llatas, 2012) divergent data to represent reality and in so doing applied computational ontologies alter conceptions of materiality and produce new realities based on levels of informational granularity and abstraction (Floridi, 2011), resulting in a new type of informational ontology (Iliadis, 2013) the critical analysis of which requires new methods and frameworks. Currently, there is a lack of literature addressing the theoretical, social, and critical …

Toward A Genre Writing Curriculum: Schooling Genres In The Common Core State Standards, Michael J. Maune

Open Access Dissertations

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS), published in 2010 and adopted by the majority of U.S. states, established a set of expectations for student writing in K-12 education. In describing these expectations, the CCSS used three general “text type” classifications: Narrative, Informative/Explanatory, and Argumentative. While the CCSS outlines the general expectations for students writing in these text types, the linguistic and genre expectations were not fully expressed. This study examines 34 student exemplar texts provided in an appendix to the CCSS in order to determine the genre and linguistic expectations for student writing in K-12 education. Using a genre typology …

All Copying Is Not Created Equal: Borrowed Language In Supreme Court Opinions, Adam Feldman

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Lay Witness Opinion Testimony On Mental State And Depression: A Call For Reform, Adam Santeusanio

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Europe & Central Asia Coverage, Human Rights Brief

Human Rights Brief Spring 2016 Regional Coverage

No abstract provided.

Why Knowing How To "Engage" Cross-Culturally Matters: Kenyan Principals' Experiences In Cross-Cultural Collaboration, Andrea Nelson

Doctor of Education (EdD)

How Kenyan principals engage cross-culturally may provide applicable approaches for others in education. This study sought to examine how Kenyan principals navigate the complexities of working in such a diverse country as Kenya, with over 40 native tribes. Through the interview process the principals shared their many challenges working cross-culturally, but more importantly, what strategies and approaches they use to navigate these complex relationships. This study also examined how these strategies and approaches align with the current cultural frameworks; cultural competence, cultural intelligence and cultural humility. The findings show that Kenyan principals use multiple approaches that align with all three …

Experiences Of Early Career Teachers And Their Influences On Teacher Retention, Rachael Harms

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Nationwide, the attrition rate for beginning teachers is near 50%. As a result, school districts are counting the costs and paying attention to teacher retention in new ways. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of ten early career teachers and four of their mentors to discover how those experiences influenced their decision to remain in the teaching profession. Data was collected through personal interviews with early career teachers and their mentors from one large Oregon school district. Several important findings emerged which have relevance for school leaders, school district leaders, mentoring and induction program coordinators, …

Bitcoin And The Uniform Commercial Code, Jeanne L. Schroeder

Articles

Much of the discussion of bitcoin in the popular press has concentrated on its status as a currency. Putting aside a vocal minority of radical libertarians and anarchists, however, many bitcoin enthusiasts are concentrating on how its underlying technology – the blockchain – can be put to use for wide variety of uses. For example, economists at the Fed and other central banks have suggested that they should encourage the evolution of bitcoin’s blockchain protocol which might allow financial transactions to clear much efficiently than under our current systems. As such, it also holds out the possibility of becoming that …

Table Of Contents

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Madness, Death, And Civilization: Non-European Women Under Patriarchy And Imperialism, Mengying Li

Masters Theses

In light of Wide Sargasso Sea, through which Jean Rhys intends to provide the madwoman Bertha in Jane Eyre with a voice and a life, this thesis attempts to reread Jane Eyre from a postcolonial perspective, arguing that both texts can be read as critiques of the cruelty and inhumanity of European civilization. After the English beat the Spanish at sea, and complete the First Industrial Revolution, it establishes the country as the greatest imperialistic power in the world. The need of labor, raw material, and new market leads them to develop colonies in remote areas like the Caribbean. By …

Chinese Students’ Perceptions Of Level Of Stress, Qinwei Veronica Zhang

UCARE: Research Products

With a hope of providing more contextual effective and culturally appropriate services for Chinese and international students in the future, this descriptive study aims at finding out current Chinese students' perceptions of their experiences and stress in US colleges along with a variety of coping strategies they utilize to combat the stress during their process of adaptation and adjustment to the new environment.

Motivation Of High School Students In A Startalk Chinese Immersion Program: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Fei Yu

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

The focus of this dissertation was the development and dynamics of student learning motivation during and beyond a Chinese immersion program.

The need to conduct this study emerged as a result of the rise in popularity of Chinese language study and the increase in Chinese immersion programs in the United States. However, the number of students who continue their studies remains low. This seeming paradox was investigated by examining high school students’ Chinese learning motivation in a STARTALK Chinese immersion program. The investigation was grounded in Gardner’s socio-educational model (2006, 2010) and Dörnyei and Ottó’s process-oriented model of student motivation …

2016 Imsaloquium, Student Investigation Showcase, Illinois Mathematics And Science Academy

IMSAloquium Event Booklets

"Welcome to the twenty-eighth year of the Student Inquiry and Research Program (SIR)! This is a program that is as old as IMSA. The SIR program represents our unending dedication to enabling our students to learn what it is to be an innovator and to make contributions to what is known on Earth."

Views On Identity And Services: English-Speaking Morris Residents Consider Latino Immigration, Christina Nyquist, Hannah Wahstrom

Undergraduate Research Symposium 2016

According to the US Census Bureau, the Latino population of Stevens County increased by almost 300% from 2000 to 2010. Previous research in the Morris community focused on the concerns of the Latino population and education staff at Morris public schools. This project examines the perspectives and experiences of English-dominant Morris residents, particularly civic leaders and business owners, to better understand how they view their communities and the changes taking place. Our project conducted 15 semi-structured interviews where questions focused on how participants understand their own identities, their knowledge about and interaction with the Morris Latino population, and the challenges …

Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Importance Of The Arts As A Means Of Instruction In The Classroom, Chudney Shanta Mcclurkin Patrick

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the arts have been utilized and recognized as a vital part of instruction. There has been little research, however about the perceptions and attitudes that pre-service teachers have about the use of arts integration as a means of instruction in the general education classroom. In this study, data collected from 71 pre-service teachers revealed that pre-service teachers perceive that arts integration is an important part of the educational process for students. While they perceive that the arts are important, they hold some apprehension for their ability to effectively provide instruction in particular art forms. Over half (59.2%) …