Digital Commons Network^™

Conflict Or Cooperation: How Climate Change Is Transforming Geopolitics In The Arctic, Mcrae E. Mayfield

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to show how climate change is transforming geopolitics in the Arctic by creating new economic opportunities leading to the increased militarization of Arctic nations. This thesis triangulates the current Arctic policy of member nations, economic resources and opportunities in the region, and the increased military presence in the region to demonstrate how a potential conflict may occur in the region if the current trend continues. This thesis aims to show how resource greed over non-contiguous territory and an increased military presence escalated tensions in the Arctic.

Dismantling The “Deep State”: The Evolution Of Legitimacy In The American Intelligence Community, Sydney Carol Stanard

Honors Theses

SYDNEY CAROL STANARD: Dismantling the “Deep State”: The Evolution of Legitimacy in the American Intelligence Community (Under the direction of Dr. John Winkle)

This thesis explores the nature of legitimacy and how it applies to the American intelligence community. The laws and regulations that allow the intelligence community to be a legitimate actor within the American democracy have changed over the years, and there have been periods where these safeguards have failed. I will examine how and why these legitimacy crises, were rectified in the past and how current legitimacy questions are affecting the intelligence community. My research is based …

Drones And American Domestic Policy: An Analysis Of Elite And Mass Opinion, Kevin Michael Leonard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have primarily focused on the use of drones for military purposes. Yet, understanding how the use of drones influences domestic policymaking from the perspective of mass and elite opinion was generally absent from the academic literature. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore and describe the perceptions of policy elites and the mass public on the impact of drone use on domestic policy. Guided by Donohue, Tichenor and Olien's theories of media framing and salience, mass opinion was measured through a convenience sample via the Walden Participant Pool, whereas elite opinion was measured through a purposive sampling …

Genetic Data Privacy Solutions In The Gdpr, Kristi Harbord

Texas A&M Law Review

The intersection of healthcare and technology is a rapidly growing area. One thriving field at this intersection involves obtaining, processing, and storing genetic data. While the benefits have been great, genetic information can reveal a great deal about individuals and their families. And the information that can be conveyed from genetic data appears limitless and is constantly growing and changing. Many entities have begun storing, processing, and sharing genetic data on a very large scale. This creates many privacy concerns that the current regulatory framework does not account for. The line between patient data and consumer data is blurred; many …

Animus And Its Alternatives: Constitutional Principle And Judicial Prudence, Daniel O. Conkle

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In a series of cases addressing sexual orientation and other issues, the Supreme Court has ruled that animus-based lawmaking is constitutionally impermissible. The Court treats animus as an independent and sufficient basis for invalidation. Moreover, it appears to regard animus as a doctrine of first resort, to be utilized even when an alternative constitutional rationale, such as declaring a challenged classification suspect or quasi-suspect, would readily justify the same result. Responding especially to Professor William D. Araiza’s elaboration and defense of the Court’s animus doctrine, I agree that this doctrine is sound, indeed compelling, as a matter of constitutional principle. …

Book Reviews

New Mexico Historical Review

No abstract provided.

A Bargain At Any Cost: The Rise Of Dollar General, Frances Evelyn Barrett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dollar General Corporation has grown into a retail titan with more than 15 000 stores across the continental United States. The first chapter of this thesis traces the history of this multibillion-dollar firm since its founding as a family-run business in Scottsville Kentucky in the late 1930s. Situating Dollar General’s history within the evolving contexts of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries illustrates that Dollar General Stores succeed when the economy staggers. Neoliberalism and global finance capitalism have only exacerbated the geographic expansion and profitability of the company as the second chapter begins to explore. Although Dollar General Stores open at …

Hurricane Landing: An Analysis Of Site 22la516 In Sardis Lake, Lafayette County, Mississippi, Joshua John Shiers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Site 22LA516, known as Hurricane Landing, is a single mound early Mississippian site located in the middle of Sardis Lake, Lafayette County, Mississippi. As part of a 2015 joint salvage archaeology project between the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) and the Vicksburg District Corp of Engineers, nine pit features were excavated. Analyses of the ceramics and lithic remains recovered from the features, combined with AMS dates, were conducted with the focus of better understanding Hurricane Landing within its North Central Hills region of Mississippi. Hurricane Landing’s 2015 excavation ceramic collection contains shell tempered and grog tempered plainware with several shell …

My Feet Are Chained: Settler Colonialism And Mobility In The Florida Borderlands, 1812-1866, Christine Antoinette Rizzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project uses the framework of mobility to understand how settler colonialism functioned in a tri-racial southern borderland in the nineteenth-century. Nineteenth-century Florida constituted a borderland characterized by competition for land and resources among Seminole Indians, African Americans, and white Americans. White Americans regulated mobility, i.e. the physical movement of peoples, in order to privilege their own settlement in Florida, divest native peoples of their land, and enslave people of African descent. Beginning in 1812 and lasting through the first half of the 1860s, white Americans used legislation, the settlement of white families, the solidification of a slave system, and …

Disturbing The Ecological Pastoral: An Examination Of Willa Cather's Fictional Spaces In My Ántonia And Death Comes For The Archbishop, Anne Carter Stowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Willa Cather is universally lauded for her ability to render landscape into prose. Critics have observed for years that the landscape often functions as the main character in her fiction, or that her characters can easily be evaluated in terms of how deep and successful their relationships to the land are. In an attempt to evaluate Cather’s treatment of two different “Western” landscapes, I will focus first on My Ántonia, one of her most famous Nebraska novels, and second on Death Comes for the Archbishop, whose narrative unravels on the New Mexican landscape. I argue that Cather treats …

The Relationship Between Witnessing Domestic Violence And Criminal Recidivism Among Juvenile Sex Offenders, Shamyra Marie Shaw

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This correlational archival dissertation focuses on the relationship between exposure to domestic violence and criminal recidivism among juvenile sexual offenders. The study examined archival criminal arrest records and self-reported data gathered from a sample of 67 male juvenile sexual offenders in a residential treatment facility. Given the somewhat limited explanations for and research into the causes of juvenile sexual re-offending and the importance of identifying its determinants, this topic may be viewed as having substantial importance to future research and criminal justice policy. Findings did not support the primary hypothesis that prior exposure to domestic violence would be positively correlated …

A Wto If You Can Keep It, Steve Charnovitz

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

Recalling how the free trader Benjamin Franklin pondered whether politics in America would be able to keep the republic he had helped to create, this essay looks at whether politics in the world will now be able to keep the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the face of the ongoing attacks by the US government. The essay makes several theoretical contributions: (1) to debunk the Trump Administration's arguments that there is a trade-off between American sovereignty and global governance by showing that this is a false dichotomy; (2) to identify the key design features of specialized international organizations that are …

A Study Of Organo-Phosphorous Simulants Thermal Destruction Using Shock Tube/Laser Diagnostics Techniques And Chemical Kinetics Modeling, Sneha Neupane

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-fidelity chemical kinetic models are critical in predictive modeling during design and optimization of next generation energy systems. Shock tube provides an ideal tool to investigate high-temperature chemical kinetics. Non-intrusive laser absorption diagnostics provide in-situ measurements of quantitative, time-resolved species concentration data in this complex chemically reacting system. In this work, shock tube and laser absorption spectroscopy were utilized to measure species concentration time-histories during pyrolysis and oxidation of organo-phosphorous compounds (OPCs). The experiments data obtained were used as benchmark to develop an improved kinetic model of OPCs combustion. Interest in combustion chemistry of OPCs is associated to their use …

Seeds Of Suspicion: The Perpetual Cycle Of Anti-Muslim Stereotypes, Middle East Intervention, And Terrorism, Christopher Ledford

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

The central theory guiding my research is that interstate conflict, at least as covered in mass media, leaves residual cultural attitudes that can shape the political context in which elites formulate policy. Specifically, U.S. interventionism in the Middle East has given rise to fundamental hostilities, founded on misguided biases, that shape involvement in the region today. I focus on one step within that broader theory, to test it empirically: the hypothesis that anti-Muslim stereotypes, when activated, will shape an individual’s foreign-policy preferences. I begin by considering competing accounts that link 1) ethnocentrism or 2) targeted stereotypes with support for the …

“Introduction: Theory, Practice, And Critical Agency In Andrew Marvell’S Poetry, Ben Labreche, Ryan Netzley

English & Linguistics Articles

An introduction for the special issue on theoretical approaches to Andrew Marvell.

Mightier Than The Sword: Benjamin Franklin’S Satirical Rebuke Of British Policy, Bethany L. Fontenot-Miller

Masters Theses

The genius of Benjamin Franklin resides not in his unique personality or worldly manner but in his distinct ability to eloquently express his ideas in written form. One of his most notable and peculiar scripted expressions emanated from his desire to assert American authority in peace negotiations with Great Britain in the final stages of the American Revolution. Franklin’s “Supplement” to the Boston Independent Chronicle, printed in 1782 at his press at Passy, satirized British political and economic procedure in an effort to illuminate British hypocrisy and defend American interests in the peace process. Though the “Supplement” has only recently …

Apocalypticism In The Homiletic Text Of Pesiqta Rabbati: Catastrophic Events At The End-Of-Time, Rivka Ulmer

Faculty Journal Articles

The rabbinic homiletic work Pesiqta Rabbati contains several apocalyptic topoi in its homilies that culminate in descriptions of divine intervention in history, total destruction followed by the messianic age at the end-of-time, and justice at the final judgment. Nevertheless, Pesiqta Rabbati does not present itself as an apocalypse, nor does it belong to the text-type “apocalypse.” It contains midrashic apocalypticism by interpreting scriptural passages, and relied on the existing language of apocalyptic sources to augment the midrashic statements. Previous scholarship relating to the apocalypse in Pesiqta Rabbati focused mainly on the apocalypses of 2 Baruch, Paralipomena Jeremiou, and 4 Ezra. …

Coordination Costs, Market Size, And The Choice Of Technology, Haiwen Zhou

Economics Faculty Publications

Impact of coordination costs and market size on a firm’s choice of technology is studied in a general equilibrium model in which firms engage in oligopolistic competition. A firm establishes an organizational hierarchy to coordinate its production. First, it is shown that an increase in market size leads a firm to choose a more specialized technology. Second, surprisingly, a robust result is that an increase in the level of coordination efficiency leads a firm to choose a less specialized technology.

Radioactive Contamination, Superfund Remediation, And Green Gentrification In San Francisco’S Hunters Point, Lawrie Mankoff

Scripps Senior Theses

Bayview-Hunters Point, a neighborhood in southeastern San Francisco, has long been one of the most impoverished and polluted areas in the city. In an example of environmental racism, much of the African American community in San Francisco was segregated to Bayview-Hunters Point by racist housing policies and practices. This neighborhood was home to the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard (HPNS), which was widely polluted with hazardous wastes from shipyard operation as well as radioactive contamination from the Navy Radiological Defense Laboratory established on this property. The former HPNS was made a federal Superfund site in 1989 and has been in remediation …

The Clashing Island Of Humanity: Virgil's Aeneid As Heroic Threnody, Steffen Mathis

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

This study follows neither the paradigm of pro-or anti-Augustan nor the strict belief that the intention of the poet, like other poets of the time, is one of ambiguity open to multiple interpretations. Virgil’s Aeneid is an epic poem with a clearly woven thesis that the hospitality relationships that its hero enters both transcend and address the difficulties he faces in founding Rome. The Rome that Aeneas founds is, like Augustan Rome’s mythology, built on labors and toils. Aeneas’ labors are moral, they are intellectual, and they are searching for the relationship between the human and the divine that is …

A Persistent Fire: The Strategic Ethical Impact Of World War I On The Global Profession Of Arms, Timothy S. Mallard, Nathan H. White, Victoria J. Barnett, Nigel Biggar, Paul Coyer, Graham Fairclough, Michael H. Hoffman, Mark C. Lee, Marc Livecche, John Mark Mattox, James C. Mcconville, Patrick Naughton, Eric D. Patterson, C. Anthony Pfaff, David Richardson, Michael Snape, Thomas J. Statler

Books and Book Chapters

The profession of arms in the 21st century is at significant risk of losing its status as a profession due to several salient factors. Because of the rapid development of technology in relation to warfare, for instance, there are growing questions as to how much control human beings will retain of future combat, particularly given the speed of decisionmaking required for victory on the modern battlefield. As well, with the rise of new geopolitical and military coalitions, many are concerned as to how much war will remain an act of and in accordance with the political interests, values, and histories …

Chairman Xi Remakes The Pla: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms, Phillip C. Saunders, Arthur S. Ding, Andrew Scobell, Andrew N.D. Yang, Joel Wuthnow, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Dennis J. Blasko, Edmund J. Burke, Arthur Chan, John Chen, Tai Ming Cheung, John Costello, Mark R. Cozad, Andrew S. Erickson, Kim Fassler, David M. Finkelstein, Daniel Gearin, Justin Godby, Brian Lafferty, David C. Logan, Leighann Luce, Ma Chengkun, Joel Mcfadden, Joe Mcreynolds, Ian Burns Mccaslin, Erin Richter

Books and Book Chapters

China’s current military reforms are unprecedented in their ambition and in the scale and scope of the organizational changes. Virtually every part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) now reports to different leaders, has had its mission and responsibilities changed, has lost or gained subordinate units, or has undergone a major internal reorganization.

Skirting The Law: Women In Vice During U.S. Prohibition In South Texas, 1900-1933, Carolina Monsivais

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores both women's participation in the vice industry north of the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas and the ways in which women were policed. The Dissertation analyzes the interactions that occurred between law enforcement agents and the women they arrested, primarily ethnic Mexican women. This analysis illuminates law enforcement tactics that were honed during this era through the interactions that agents had with women who worked in vice industries. I also argue that women in this industry demonstrated knowledge, agency, and resistance. In addition, it created avenues of work for women, particularly in South Texas. However, studies examining …

The Drones' Impact On Precision Agriculture, Ibrahim Naji

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A study to assess the overall impact of drones in the agricultural sector. The specific goal of this research was to provide a drone system to ward off pestering birds from crops to allow for better growth and an increased yield. Along with providing a user-friendly coded drone system for farmers that is cost effective, this project has inspired other areas of use for the drone.

A Wall Of Hate: Eminent Domain And Interest-Convergence, Philip Lee

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

Donald Trump is no stranger to eminent domain. In the 1990s, Trump wanted land around Trump Plaza to build a limousine parking lot. Many of the private owners agreed to sell, but one elderly widow and two brothers who owned a small business refused. Trump then got a government agency—the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA)—to take the properties through eminent domain, offering them a quarter of what they had previously paid or been offered for their land.

The property owners fought back and finally won. Although the CRDA named several justifications, from economic development to traffic alleviation and additional …

From Warfare To Welfare: Reconceptualizing Drug Sentencing During The Opioid Crisis, Jelani Jefferson Exum

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

The War on Drugs officially began in 1971 when President Nixon decried drug abuse as “public enemy number one.” The goal of the war rhetoric was clear—to cast drug abuse and the drug offender as dangerous adversaries of the law-abiding public, requiring military-like tactics to defeat. Criminal sentencing would come to be the main weapon used in this pressing combat. In continuation of the war efforts, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 was passed under President Reagan, establishing a weight-based, and highly punitive, mandatory minimum sentencing approach to drug offenses that has persisted in some form for the last …

The Illusion Of An Abundant End- A Phenomenological Approach To Sustainability: The Progress Trap And The Transformative Potential Of Dialogue, Shantanu Rojatkar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abundance is a concept according to which a thing is deemed to be in plenty. The feeling of satisfaction and assurance, arising from something that is concretely abundant, serves as a material reason for motivation of a desired action. Just like the stock of food lying in our fridge, ensuring more than just the needs of the moment, the abundance cooks the taste of freedom, freedom from worrying about tomorrow. However, over consumption out of greed as a potential outcome of abundance, could result in the increased capacity of a person in order to reach the initial level of satisfaction. …

Redefining Protection Intervention In Humanitarian Aid Through External Factors: A Case Study Of Niger, Valerie Svobodova

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The magnitude of internal displacement worldwide is growing every year and represents a tripling of the existing number of refugees worldwide. Internally displaced persons have specific vulnerabilities and the system of assistance to them needs to be adapted and revised. The purpose of this case study was to identify external factors that influence protection interventions for internally displaced persons in humanitarian response. Using Benet's Polarities of Democracy theory and the Theory of Change Conceptual Framework as a framework, the study sought to identify key external factors influencing protection intervention in humanitarian aid settings. Data for this study was gathered through …

The Role Of The Economic Community Of West African States In Counterinsurgency And Conflict Resolution, Muhammed Touray

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

From 1991 to 2002, the Sierra Leone government and the Revolutionary United Front waged war against each other, subjecting Sierra Leone to a civil war. This war devastated the nation and resulted in many human casualties. Although many researchers have investigated the role of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in counterinsurgency and conflict resolution, few studies have been conducted on the specific role of strategic processing tools used by ECOWAS during the Sierra Leone war to sustain a durable peace resolution in the country. Using Galula's conceptualization of counterinsurgency and conflict resolution as a guide, the purpose …

Using Labeling Theory As A Guide To Examine The Patterns, Characteristics, And Sanctions Given To Cybercrimes, Brian K. Payne, Brittany Hawkins, Chunsheng Xin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the past decade, reports of cybercrime have soared across the globe. Criminologists agree that the increase in cybercrime stems from technological advancements that have changed all facets of societal interactions. While it is agreed that technology has shaped cybercrime, there is less understanding about the dynamics of cybercrime. In particular, some researchers have explored whether these offenses are simply traditional types of crime that are now carried out through different strategies, while others have argued that cybercrimes are, in fact, new types of crime. This ambiguity potentially limits prevention and intervention strategies. In an effort to build our understanding …