Digital Commons Network^™

Interiorization And Localization: An Analysis Of Immigration Enforcement In Local Contexts, Manuel N. Leiva

Theses and Dissertations

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal agency that plays a large role in surveilling, apprehending, detaining, incarcerating, and deporting undocumented immigrants in the United States. Due to constraints on the number of ICE’s available personnel and resources, the agency relies on deputizing, or devolving to local law enforcement agencies the authority to enforce federal immigration policies. Prior to the 1990s, the enforcement of policies directed at controlling flows of undocumented immigrants was generally under the purview of federal law enforcement agencies and administrators, not state or local ones. The attacks on September, 11^th 2001 represented a flashpoint, …

A Tenth Of A Second, Natalia Andrea Mejía Murillo

Theses and Dissertations

A Tenth of a Second is an installation that explores modes of cartographic representation of the universe, specifically the moon, in dialogue with poetic language. The work is based on research and reflection on disciplines such as astronomy and archaeology and addresses issues such as the fragility of the reference and categorization systems we use to approach reality, tactility and the body as a standard of measurement.

Rooted In Between, Manavi Singh

Theses and Dissertations

Rooted in Between is a personal project that explores the complexities of belonging and the emotions that come with navigating between spaces that we call home. This written thesis is in support of the carefully curated video based and photographic work presented at an exhibition of the same title. The project's primary objective is to delve into the physical and emotional baggage that we carry with us as we move from one place to another. The project highlights the coping mechanisms adopted by the different generations in my family while struggling to find a place where we truly belong.

An Arbitrary Aesthetic: Cultural Reproduction And Hegemonic Canonical Formations In The Western Theatrical Academy, Sim C. Rivers

Theses and Dissertations

Theatre as an artistic practice has often been celebrated as an art of and for the people, being a modality that in theory the common person has access to learn, explore and experience. In recent years I have become preoccupied with the growing rarification and privileging of this art form, particularly in how it is cognized and taught in the academic world. As such, I set out to investigate the mechanisms at work at levels structural, artistic, and personal that determine how theatre is taught and understood within the western academy.

This thesis seeks to examine and unpack the perceived …

Using Bovid Tribe Proportions To Reconstruct Paleoenvironments Of Eastern African Paranthropus, Lisa Day

Theses and Dissertations

There are conflicting theories about the eating habits and corresponding environmental needs of Paranthropus boisei and Paranthropus aethiopicus, two species of extinct hominins that existed ~2.8 to ~1 Ma in eastern Africa. Paranthropus species are well-known for their unusually large molars and sagittal crest (a bony ridge on their skulls which allowed for large chewing muscle attachments), these skeletal adaptations were once thought to be due to their feeding on hard foods; however, recent isotope data and dental microwear studies question the simplicity of this assumption. This has revealed a gap in our understanding of the environmental needs of …

The Living Legends Of Sholoukh – شلوخ الأساطير Facial Scarification In Sudan, Ayah S. Elnour

Theses and Dissertations

Sholoukh — ritual face scarring—is a dying art form in Sudan.

Used to distinguish members of one tribe from another,

Sholoukh reflects the tribal pride of an individual. In the past,

sholoukh was seen as important as having a passport for a tribe

member, however, it was not always applied by choice. Using

just a razor blade, the wisest, most senior tribal elder would scar

the face of a child, initiating them into the tribe for life.

As this tribal art form fades away, the dwindling Sholoukh-bearers

have become living legends in Sudan. To honor them, I create

a collage …

How Do Cultural Norms Shape Healthy Eating In African Americans? The Role Of Cultural Congruence And Mindsets Of Health In Healthy Eating Intentions Among African American College Students, Danyel Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Targeting dietary behaviors is a predominant strategy to reduce rates of obesity among African Americans, across the lifespan. Notably, dietary behaviors are shaped by social, cultural and environmental affordances. This study integrated Theory of planned behavior (TPB), identity-based motivation, and mindset theory to unearth cultural mechanisms that inform motivations to eat healthy among African American college students. This project employed a cross-sectional (Study 1) and experimental design (Study 2) to contextualize the antecedents of intentions to eat healthy among African American college students. Recruitment occurred via university-wide digital channels. Eligible participants: were 18+ years; Black/African American; were undergraduate students; and …

Nonhuman Animals And Hope: Kazuo Ishiguro’S Never Let Me Go And Philip K. Dick’S Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, David P. Rando

English Faculty Research

What can critical animal studies learn by temporarily directing attention away from representations of nonhuman animals in literature? Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? allow readers to experience the hopes of engineered or artificial nonhuman creatures. Without presuming to know the unknowable or to make the animal speak, these novels help to further animal liberation discourses by democratizing the ostensibly human concept of hope, opening new paths of empathy between nonhuman and human animals while making it harder to accept the instrumentalization of nonhuman animals under anthropocentric capitalism.

Religious Convictions, Anna Offit

Faculty Publications

The Anglo-American jury emerged at a time when legal and religious conceptions of justice were entwined. Today, however, though the American public remains comparatively religious, the country’s legal system draws a distinction between legal and religious modes of determining culpability and passing judgment. This Article examines the doctrine that governs the place of religious belief and practice in U.S. jury selection proceedings. It argues that the discretion afforded to judges with respect to applying the Batson antidiscrimination doctrine has given these beliefs and practices an ambiguous status. On the one hand, judges aim to protect prospective religious jurors from discrimination. …

Mirabile Dictu: The Bryn Mawr College Library Newsletter 26 (2023), Bryn Mawr College Library

Mirabile Dictu: Newsletter of the Bryn Mawr College Libraries

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Theological Method From The Knowledge Of The Forgotten, Alexandre A. Martins

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Using Machine Learning To Predict Student Outcomes, Saba Fatima

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Predicting students’ performance to identify which students are at risk of receiving aD/Fail/Withdraw (DFW) grade and ensuring their timely graduation is not just desirable but also necessary in most educational entities. In the US, not only is the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) major becoming less popular among students, the graduation rate of STEM students is steadily declining. The lack of STEM graduates in the US is a serious problem that will place this country at a disadvantage as a competitor in international technological advancement. In order to secure its status as a technological leader internationally, the US institutions …

Fraternal New Member Processes: An Alumni Perspective, C J. Gibson

Masters Theses

Hazing has always been an issue in fraternities and sororities. Even though there has been a push to reduce the amount of hazing through research and trainings, it continues to cause harm to the community. The purpose of this study is to gain incite from fraternity alums toward understanding the use of hazing activities while orienting fraternity men to the organization. This study examined the issue from the individuals experience, to their role in inducting new members, and now as alums to gain insight in to why chapters continue to that cycle. Results showed that individuals in groups social construct …

Structural Violence And Cooperation For Survival: Exploring Livelihood Strategies In Rural Mexico, Luis Chavez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research investigates the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement on trade between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. As a result of increased competition in the agricultural sector, households in El Fresno, Michoacán, and El Paso de Piedra, Jalisco in Mexico had to compete with conventional agriculture from the United States. This ethnography studies how community members cooperate and work together to overcome difficulties caused by open markets. The research involved conducting twelve interviews in El Fresno and El Paso de Piedra using the framework of sustainable livelihood approach to understand how households use their resources to …

What A Difference A Day Makes. A Qualitative Case Study On Student Experiences Of Involvement In Clubs And Organizations During Covid-19, Luevinus Muhammad

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the experiences and sense of belonging for Valiant Region College (pseudonym) students who served as club leaders/officers during the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school year. Twelve students total were interviewed either individually or within focus groups and shared their personal experiences, trials and triumphs as they navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of this study highlighted four themes: (a) the importance of in-person activities, (b) participants felt a sense of belonging with face to face (F2F) engagement prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, (c) students struggled to create involvement activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (d) …

Anvaya And Vyatireka: The Byzantine Iconophile’S Christological Dilemma, Sarju Patel, Sarang Patel

Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

No abstract provided.

Freedom And Heteronomy In The Anthropocene, Alexander M. Stoner, Harry F. Dahms

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Abida Parveen, Katie Ashton

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

Within Sufi Islam is a musical tradition called Qawwali, which blends Hindustani classical music with Sufi Islamic poetry. Already a bled of multiple religious elements, Qawwali is certainly not orthodox in its worship; nevertheless, it certainly works as a powerful form of religious worship through a combination of Hindu music Sufi poetry. Qawwals (Qawwali musicians) often know poetry in four or more different languages and have experimented with many Hindustani Ragas (musical traditions learned experimented with as musicians studying for a decade or longer).

International Coastal Cleanup: A Wave Of Change, Declan Ridgeway, Alexander Lavin, Julia Kruger, Luke Flajole

High Impact Practices Student Showcase Fall 2023

The Service-Learning Marine Conservation and Restoration class organized and planned an International Coastal Cleanup that was held at Canaveral National Seashore on September 23, 2023. We operated educational tables that allowed for community engagement and provided an understanding of the presence of microplastics in the ecosystem. The team created promotional posters to inform the public about the event and what would be taking place throughout the day. We shared these posters in our spheres and garnered interest from those in the UCF community and abroad. We had the opportunity to remove harmful debris throughout many crucial habitats of the Canaveral …

Runner Up Entry For 2023, Isa Amaro Varas

Library Research Prize

No abstract provided.

Runner Up Entry For 2023, Austin Robertson

Library Research Prize

No abstract provided.

Muslim Americans’ Experience Of The Pandemic At The Intersection Of History, Culture, And Gender, Enaya Othman, Lee Za Ong

Arabic Languages and Literatures

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Muslims in the U. S during the COVID-19 pandemic. Religion has been playing an important role in individuals’ experiences of the pandemic. Many studies were essays on how to utilize a theological approach to respond to and cope with the pandemic. There is limited research on the impact of how Muslim communities in the U. S responded to the pandemic, particularly from the lens of Islamic history, religious beliefs, and attitudes, and being minoritized in a predominantly Christian country. Using an oral history approach, individual virtual interviews were conducted. …

Just Because We Are Black: Exploring The Impact Of Racial Trauma On African American Adults And Introducing An Approach To Assessment, Charessa L. Mcintosh

DSW Capstone Projects

Racial trauma, also referred to as race-based traumatic Stress (RBTS), is a significant problem that African Americans experience. Racial trauma refers to people of Color and Indigenous individuals' (POCI) reactions to dangerous and threatening events and real or perceived experiences of and exposure to racial discrimination. RBTS can be experienced by other racial minorities, but it is the most frequently experienced by African Americans. The origins of racial trauma include racism, exposure to racism, experiencing and witnessing physical violence, the threat of injury, and numerous other emotionally traumatic events involving race. It is not uncommon for secondary traumatic stress disorder …

The Transformation Of Kurdish Women From Victimization To Liberation Through Learning Under Oppression In Turkey: A Phenomenological Study, Ebru Ilhan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This dissertation focuses on the experiences of Kurdish women involved in the Kurdish women’s movement in Turkey. By utilizing intersectionality and social movement theories, this phenomenological study explores how these women navigate learning processes under oppressive conditions. Specifically, the concept of intersectionality, viewed through the lens of critical race theory, will be employed to examine the multiple oppression Kurdish women face due to their ethnic, gender, and religious identities. The aim is to understand how their lived experiences and pivotal moments have influenced their current positions within social movements and the political sphere. This research applies the theory of social …

Prospecting, Sharecropping, And The Recording Industry, Olufunmilayo B. Arewa, Matt Stahl

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

Digital-era disruption has had a significant impact on the recording industry and the business of music more generally. Digital-era music disruption draws attention to patterns of continuity within the recording industry. Notably, despite widespread use of digital technologies for the creation, dissemination, and consumption of music, core recording industry business models largely still draw from the predigital era. Recording industry business models have long been compared to other exploitative business models based on debt, including the sharecropping business. Business models in the recording industry have been a source of dispute by a broad range of recording artists, including highly successful …

Wayfinding, Kalani N. Padilla

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Improving Technology Use, Digital Competence, And Access To Community Resources Among Older Participants In The University Of Rhode Island Engaging Generations Cyber-Seniors Digiage Pilot Study, Skye N. Leedahl, Kristin Souza, Alexandria Capolino, Melanie S. Brasher, Emma Pascuzzi, Christina Azzinaro, Tyler-Ann Ellison, Erica Estus, Maureen Maigret

Human Development and Family Science Faculty Publications

This pilot study aimed to bridge the digital divide between older and younger adults. The goal was for older people in the state to become digitally literate by engaging them in a program that provides digital devices (i.e., Apple iPads), internet connectivity (i.e., through HotSpots), and training from supervised university student mentors. This project, funded as a key policy initiative through the state’s unit on aging, specifically promoted social and economic equity by targeting participants from lower-income communities and areas hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our university partnered with senior/community centers to recruit and support English- and Spanish-speaking adults …

Nepantla/Coatlicue/Conocimiento, Gerald Torres

Michigan Law Review

A Review of Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. By Gloria Anzaldúa.

Expanding The Agency Of Incarcerated People, Amber Kim

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

The Origins Of Dance: Characterizing The Development Of Infants' Earliest Dance Behavior, Minju Kim, Adena Schachner

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Dance is a universal human behavior and a crucial component of human musicality. When and how does the motivation and tendency to move to music develop? How does this behavior change as a process of maturation and learning? We characterize infants’ earliest dance behavior, leveraging parents’ extensive at-home observations of their children. Parents of infants aged 0–24 months (N = 278, 82.7% White, 84.5% in the United States, 46.0% of household incomes ≥ $100,000) were surveyed regarding their child’s current and earliest dance behavior (movement by the child, during music, that the parent considered dance), motor development, and their …