Digital Commons Network^™

We Need A Little Christmas: The Shape And Significance Of Christmas In America, 1945-1950, Ellen D. Blackmon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

As soon as the weather turns cold, countless commercial, domestic, and cultural landscapes across the United States begin their collective metamorphosis into Christmas wonderlands. Christmas is such a force that, not surprisingly, it has received considerable scholarly attention. Numerous historians have traced the evolution of Christmas from a pre-Christian pagan winter festival to a staid Victorian domestic holiday, citing the latter period as the final stage of its development. Christmases since the Victorian Era, they argue, have not deviated significantly enough to warrant further analysis. Others have recognized the uniqueness of Christmas’s twentieth-century form but have not paid sufficient attention …

Understanding The Human Domain: Modification And Utilization Of A Leopold Matrix To Assess The Impact Of Activity Based Intelligence And Open Source Information Or Other Proposed Solutions, Kenneth Sydnor

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The emphasis on understanding the human domain (HD) over the last decade of war, counterterrorism, and counterinsurgency operations has provided opportunities to test multiple new tools, data sources and analytical approaches to age-old intelligence problems. While these tools were utilized in Iraq and Afghanistan with varying degrees of success, a comprehensive analytical method was not developed to assess the benefits of the proposed solutions and their impact on understanding the human domain. Given the paradigm shift away from an academic or scholarly way of viewing the Human Domain towards a nomenclature and understanding denoted in “physical” geography-type terms, what tool …

Their Swords, Our Plowshares: "Peaceful" Nuclear Weapons, Propaganda, And Cold War Memory Expressed In Film: 1959-1989, Michael A. St. Jacques

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed nuclear weapons as tools of warfare and diplomacy. Immediately following the Second World War, American attitudes toward the atomic bomb were overwhelmingly positive. Once the Soviet Union developed their own atomic bomb and the United States lost the atomic monopoly, attitudes started to shift. After the first hydrogen bombs tests, public sentiment, as demonstrated in film, became markedly negative. To counter these negative attitudes and portray their nuclear weapons as peaceful tools instead of weapons of mass destruction, both the United States and the Soviet Union developed …

Standpoint: Black Queer Southern Revelations, Mitchell Joseph Sewell

Senior Theses

This senior thesis project is a collection of spoken word poetry organized around the theme of the experience of one black, southern, queer man.

The Inuit Vs. The Steamboat: Human Exhibitionism And Popular Concerns About The Effects Of The Market Revolution In The Early Republic, Ryan Bachman

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In the early nineteenth century, a new form of human exhibitionism spread through eastern American cities. While public displays featuring live human beings had existed since the colonial era, these new shows specifically focused on Native Americans. This paper examines one such show, the Inuit Exhibition of 1820-1821, as a case study of this phenomena. Primarily through the use of contemporary newspaper accounts, this project argues that shows like the Inuit Exhibition occurred within a cultural context that legitimized the practice of human exhibitionism as a genuine, post-Enlightenment method of educating citizens about the natural world. Furthermore, so-called “Indian Exhibitions” …

Isis Rhetoric: A War Of Online Videos, Kathryn Mcdearis

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In an attempt to combat ISIS recruitment videos, the United States Department of State (USDS) developed the Think Again, Turn Away social media campaign featuring videos attempting to persuade viewers to resist the message of ISIS. In the article “U.S. government: A war of online video propaganda,” authors William Allendorfer and Susan Herring (2015) analyze the textual rhetoric of the ISIS video series Flames of War in comparison to eight Think Again, Turn Away videos. To add to Allendorfer and Herring’s (2015) textual analysis, this study uses the framework of scholar David Blakesley’s (2004) four elements of film rhetoric ( …

De Iniustitia Belli: Violence Against Civilians In The Thirty Years War, Joseph Berg

Honors Thesis

The Thirty Years War stands as one of the most cataclysmic events of German history — and one of the most contentiously remembered. Beginning during the war and encouraged down to our own century, writers and scholars have recorded the Thirty Years War as either a string of wanton destructions or an event far less horrible than the many extant eyewitness testimonies to its horrors. This dispute has obscured the realities of death and suffering. In 17th century warfare, plunder and scavenging were appropriate behavior for a conquering army — within certain bounds. While it would be simplistic and grossly …

U.S. Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity: An Analysis Of Threats, Methods, And Policy-Past, Present, And Future, Justan Phillip Dustan

Senior Theses

This senior thesis focuses on the growth and development of the US critical infrastructure cybersecurity program to better understand where we were, where we are, and where we're going... as well as how we can improve in the future.

After All This Time: A Study Of The Appeal Of Young Adult Fiction Series Among Young Readers, Sarah Jessica Martin

Senior Theses

What is it about young adult fiction that is so addictive? Why do teenagers return to the same characters and situations over and over again in series fiction? This study explores the significance of young adult fiction series with a scientific approach, through the surveying of teenagers on the aspects of those series that are so meaningful to them. Through this study, a greater understanding of the way readers interact with literature is achieved.

The research portion of this study is largely inspired by Reading the Romance by Janice Radway^[1], an investigation that explores the attraction of romance …

Redemption From Darkness: A Study Of Form And Function, Sacred And Secular, Within The Genre Of Apocalypse, Margaret R. Butterfield

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The genre of apocalypse has an irresistible draw. The concepts of beginning and end to humankind as well as the cosmos situate themselves in our daily stories, microcosmic narratives that repeat through time, placing the footprint of humankind a little more firmly into the earth, a place we have called our home from beginning and, naturally, to the end. In a world that constantly pushes forward to the next piece of technological equipment, reducing mass pandemics to mere over the counter solutions, and extending its hand into the abyss of the unknown universe, humanity craves the elusive next chapter in …

Same Story, Different Name: A Survey Of The Causes And Effects Of The Medicalization Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sarah Elizabeth Truesdale

Senior Theses

As society sees a rise in the addition of medical issues to the DSM that were previously deemed non-medical conditions, there is reason for a multi-variate analysis to take place. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was added to the DSM-III in 1980 and has seen change both in the DSM-IV and DSM V. To understand these transitions, we start with a historical analysis of the mental health condition to legitimize its need for medicalization. This will then be followed by an analysis of the medicalization process in order to understand the progress that has been made as a mental health condition that …

Assessing The Feasibility Of An Attack Of Iran's Nuclear Infrastructure In The Event Of A Violation Of The Jcpoa, Cameron Nicholas Rentschler

Senior Theses

Few issues have dominated American foreign policy over the past 30 years than the contentious relationship that America holds with Iran. Of particular concern has been how the US should respond to the existence of an illicit nuclear program within Iran. As of January 16^th of 2016 however, US-Iran relations entered a new era with the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which outlines actions that Iran must take and maintain in order to rejoin the international community as a country with a legitimate interest in nuclear power. However, as we have learned from past nuclear …

Tales Of The Atom!: An Analysis Of Nuclear Discourage In Early Marvel Comics, Kelly Elizabeth Shepherd

Senior Theses

In 1961 the editor of Atlas Comics, Martin Goodman, approached his nephew and staff writer Stan Lee with a pitch. Goodman wanted Lee to create a super hero team to rival DC Comics’, Justice League of America. Lee came up with the Fantastic Four who debuted in November of 1961. The super hero team led by physicist Bruce Banner was the first of many successful titles from Marvel Comics. Much of the popularity of Marvel Comics stemmed from the company’s focus on the characters rather than only action like other superhero comics at the time. Lee developed characters that …

The Solar Power Difference: How Solar Energy Can Boost Economies And Nicaragua's Rural Communities, Matthew R. Feuer

Student Theses 2015-Present

Abstract

In our present age there is a dire and growing need for energy. Nations that are modernizing continue to require more for their expanding populations. The old way of creating energy through non-sustainable methods such as, gas extraction, coal burning, and oil drilling is becoming ever more environmentally hazardous on a global scale. There are alternatives already being implemented today and one promising industry that will help move our dependence off of non-sustainable resources to sustainable is solar energy. However, while solar energy is completely sustainable and up to the task of mass consumption, how will it grow economically …

The Rules Of Engagement: Self-Defense And The Principle Of Distinction In International Humanitarian Law, Tracey Leigh Dowdeswell

PhD Dissertations

This dissertation examines the problem of the mistaken killing of civilians in armed conflict. This occurs when a civilian is intentionally killed by armed forces because he or she is mistakenly believed to pose a threat of harm. The requirement that armed forces distinguish between combatants and civilians who are immune from being attacked is known as the principle of distinction in the international humanitarian law. The problem posed by distinguishing irregular fighters from ordinary civilians has long been recognized in the law, and the modern laws of war were developed, in part, to respond to this problem. At present, …

Rights Of Minorities And Neglected Groups, Deni Barci

Honors College Theses

The right of minorities and disadvantaged groups are essential to human rights and democracy. These issues are multilayered and each specific case presents its own challenges. To further understand the minority rights dilemma, the struggles of minority groups in the United States will be highlighted, as well as the Roma population in Macedonia. The comparison of domestic minority treatment within the United States and how minorities are treated in other nations will help to paint a broader picture of the difficulties that minorities across the world experience. The Roma in Macedonia have faced a more traditional form of limitation of …

Haymarket & Immigration: A Legacy Of Anarchist Fear, Kaysie Harrington

Honors Projects

The 1903 Alien Immigration Act, more commonly known as the Anti-Anarchist Act, was the first United States immigration policy to exclude persons based on political ideology. The following research explores the evolution of anti-anarchist sentiment in the US, following one of the nation’s first experiences with anarchist behavior: The Chicago Haymarket Affair of 1886, an incident in which a pipe bomb thrown in midst of a labor riot ultimately led to the arrest and highly publicized prosecution of eight anarchists. After the Haymarket Affair, both the United States government and the public defined anarchism as being the domain of alien …

A Variationist Perspective On Spanish-Origin Verbs In Paraguayan Guarani, Josefina Bittar Prieto

Linguistics ETDs

Paraguay presents a unique case of societal bilingualism in Latin America. Almost 90% of its population speaks the indigenous language Guarani, and half of the population is bilingual in Spanish and Guarani. However, contemporary Guarani has been described as an unpredictable, ad-hoc mix of Guarani and Spanish. This idea is also reflected in the local term jopara 'mixture', which is used to refer to the variety by its speakers. A particularly salient contact feature are loan verbs, i.e. Spanish-origin roots used with Guarani morphology. To gain an empirical perspective on the presence and motivation of Spanish loan verbs in Guarani, …

Are We In The Clear? : A History Of Military Treatment Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder From The Civil War Until The Wars On Terror, Susanna O. Lee

Graduate Theses

Post-traumatic stress disorder is known as a common element of warfare. However, it has only gained significance during the last century. The Civil War was the first time that the military began to record soldiers who were diagnosed with “nostalgia.” With every conflict that followed, the name of the disorder changed. Along with changing the name, new treatments were implemented.

The goals of the paper are to show depictions of the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder beginning with the Civil War until the present Afghan/Iraqi conflicts and how it was dealt with by military organizations. This paper will also cover …

Breaking The Legacy: Recognizing And Prosecuting Sexual Violence As A Violation Of Human Rights In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, Miranda L. Weinstein

Sustainability and Social Justice

This paper aims to outline the existing policies aimed at providing protection for sexual abuse survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In an attempt to provide justice for the survivors of sexual abuse, an analysis of the 1992-1995 Bosnia and Herzegovina post-conflict reconstruction is included. In particular, prosecution of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war will be provided in order to weigh the benefits and weaknesses of international criminal law. The conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo witnesses widespread and systematic sexual violence abuses. With over 60 armed groups at any given day, …

The Effect Of Weighted Body Armor On Close Combat Reaction Time And Core Muscle Activation 2016, Christopher Banta

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to measure the choice reaction time and myoelectric activity of the right and left rectus abdominus, and right and left external obliques required to initiate movement in response to a visual stimulus that signaled performance of four different closecombat movements (left or right cross and left or right dodge). Reaction time and myoelectric activity were then compared with performing the movements in response to the visual stimulus while wearing a weighted vest that simulated wearing tactical body armor. Myoelectric activity was measured as the average root mean square (RMS) of the surface electromyography (sEMG) …

Using Value-Focused Thinking For Engineered Resilient Systems, Colin A. Small

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The DoD needs their systems to be resilient in the face of an ever changing world. To increase resilience in future systems the DoD has created a program called Engineered Resilient Systems. Resilience can be broken down into two parts, mission and platform resilience. Mission resilience is the ability of a system to repel, resist, absorb, and recover from environments and threats that occur on planned missions. Platform resilience is the ability of a system platform to adapt to new missions and new threats.

The University of Arkansas department of Industrial Engineering is working for the ERS program researching resilience. …

Optimizing Workforce Performance: Perceived Differences Of Army Officer Critical Thinking Talent Across Level Of Education, Richard B. Ayers

Dissertations

The U.S. Army’s operating environment continues to become increasingly complex and unpredictable, where U.S. technological advantage continues to erode. The complexities stem from the Army’s doctrinal assumption that the future operating environment is unknown and constantly changing (Department of the Army [DA], 2014a). Diminishing technological advantage results in more reliance on soldiers’ cognitive capability, and less on high technology weapons systems (McMaster, 2015).

A review of military literature shows extensive research on the importance of Army leaders to be talented critical thinkers (Fischer, Spiker, & Riedel, 2008, 2009; Gerras, 2008; Thomas & Gentzler, 2013). Human capital literature reveals many college …

From The Editor, Jeffrey Smith

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

“Our Women And Children Cry For Food, And We Have No Food To Give Them”: The Environmental Dimensions Of Eastern Shoshone Dispossession, Adam R. Hodge

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

Consequences Of Peaceful Actions: Political Decisions Of The Illinois Indians, 1778–1832, Gerald Rogers

The Confluence (2009-2020)

A series of political decisions led to the decimation of the Native American population in Illinois during its territorial and early statehood periods leading up to the final removal of tribes after Black Hawk’s War.

Spring/Summer 2016, Full Issue

The Confluence (2009-2020)

No abstract provided.

Collaborating With Catastrophe | A User's Guide To Post-Apocalyptic Farming, Patricia Cafferky

Architecture Senior Theses

“Collaborating with Catastrophe” contends that architecture has the capacity to visually manifest unseen forces through design’s reaction to them, allowing people to more fully comprehend and engage the intangible. Climate change, arguably the largest threat to modern day humanity, is not visible, existing only as a collection of data and patterns in a statistical construct. Taking stock of the present day failings of society in the face of crisis, this thesis then extrapolates a potential future dystopia precipitated by man-made pollutants in order to engage the problem at its most severe. Architecture is then able to make the toxic visible …

Restoring Voice To The Mute Clay: Sumer And The Magoffin Collection Cuneiform Tablets, Benjamin Robertson

Graduate Theses

This thesis contains a history of Sumer from the earliest known periods through the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur, a detailed investigation into the lives and careers of Sumerian scribes, a history of modern Mesopotamian archaeology, and the results of eighteen months' research into the cuneiform tablet component of the Magoffin Collection at the Columbia Museum of Art. It finds that the latter documents are Sumerian in origin, with most published during the late twenty-first and early twentieth centuries BCE, based on assessments from cuneiform specialists at institutions across the United States. It includes the first full translation …

Corrie Ten Boom: God's Tumbleweed, Lauren Trittin

History of Christianity II: TH 314

No abstract provided.