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Winona State University Improving Our World Blog: 2013-2022, Winona State University

Winona State University Blogs

The Winona State University (WSU) Improving Our World Blog articles and entries from September 2013-February 2022. Note: there may be format coding in the document.

Introduction To Special Issue On Early Cinema History (Understanding Visual Culture Through Silent Film Collections), Mark Williams

The Journal of e-Media Studies

This special issue and the Early U.S. Cinema Compendium are dedicated to the memory of Paul Spehr.

Naive Literary Tourism In Dracula And The Hound Of The Baskervilles, James Krasner

Journal of Dracula Studies

No abstract provided.

Escaping The Peripherality: Local Experiences Of The Us Military Presence In Northeast Thailand, Wipawee Srifa

CGU Theses & Dissertations

From 1964 to 1976, the United States military deployed troops to Thailand as part of its strategic operations during the Vietnam War. Most of these military personnel were stationed in Isan, a northeastern region of Thailand, due to its proximity to key bombing targets in Indochina. Historically, Isan was affiliated with Laos and was assimilated into Thai governance in the late eighteenth century. Until the 1950s, most of Isan’s population resided in rural, agricultural communities and were politically, economically, and culturally marginalized by mainstream Thai society. The Thai state’s internal colonization exacerbated socioeconomic disparities for Isan peasants, severely restricting avenues …

Music As A Time Capsule: Connecting Personal And Cultural History Through Music, Lekha Pattim

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

In this lesson titled "Music as a Time Capsule: Connecting Personal and Cultural History Through Music," students will explore how music can act as a powerful tool for storytelling, preserving personal and cultural moments in history. By analyzing song lyrics and their contexts, students will understand how music reflects both individual identities and broader societal experiences. The lesson encourages students to engage deeply with music’s emotional and historical significance and challenges them to create their own “musical time capsules” to connect their personal milestones with cultural events. The goal is to bridge personal and shared histories through the universal medium …

The Disney+ Kingdom : Essays On Nostalgia, Representation And Branding, John Perlich, David Whitt

BSU Faculty PubCast

Listen to a conversation with Dr. John Perlich (Bemidji State) and Dr. David Whitt (Nebraska Wesleyan), editors and contributors on the book Disney+ Kingdom: Essays on Nostalgia, Representation and Branding. It is a collection of essays that examines a variety of Disney+ content.

Credit: Podcast produced by Tammy Bobrowsky (Bemidji State). Music "Collaboration"by Radioontheshelf, 2025 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0).

Juvenile Delinquents Of Taiwan New Wave Cinema: Visual Language And Political Transition In A Brighter Summer Day And Rebels Of The Neon God, Alaina Card

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is an examination of A Brighter Summer Day (1991, dir. Edward Yang) and Rebels of the Neon God (1992, dir. Tsai Ming-liang) as two Taiwan New Wave films depicting juvenile delinquency in settings of political transition. Through an analysis of visual language (the use of lighting, shot composition, color, set design, and costuming) in each film, this work explores depictions of the search for personal identity through delinquent acts under the pressure of two transitional periods in Taiwan: the beginning of the White Terror and the beginning of the shift to democracy in the birth of the technological …

Reshaping Black Brilliance: Towards The Development Of A Pan-Afrikan Pedagogy, Amiri Mahnzili

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The academic experience of Afrikan students is constantly perceived through deficit paradigms. Reshaping Black Brilliance is informed by the axiom that the academic experience of Afrikan students should be grounded in the richness and complexities of Afrikan culture, as opposed to the deficit paradigms. This project proposes to reimagine the possibilities of academic success for Afrikan students through an Afrofuturistic methodological approach intended to highlight and bring out the brilliance of Afrikan students. This work seeks to investigate the expansive possibilities of Afrofuturism as a methodology for the production of a Pan-Afrikan pedagogy, examining the power of the imagination through …

British Translators, Bhagat Singh, And ‘Atheism’: How ‘Reverse Translation’ Alters The Meaning Of Philosophical Concepts, Ruth Vanita

Global Humanities and Religions Faculty Publications

This chapter is a preliminary enquiry into a process for which I have invented the term ‘reverse translation’ since there seems to be no specific term available for it. Reverse translation is the process by which the meaning of a Hindu philosophical concept changes in Indian languages because of a process of incorrect translation to and from English.

Ignatian Values And International Conference On Disability, Enaya Hammad Othman

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

This essay focuses on the values of Ignatius Loyola (1491–1556) concerning the issues related to disability and how the mission of the “Conference on Disability at the Intersection of History, Culture, Religion, Gender, and Health” hosted by Marquette University embodies those values. This conference, which was first held in 2022 and planned to take place in 2025 again, serves several goals shared by Jesuit education, Catholic values and Ignatius’ philosophy. It aspires to contribute to social justice, deep thinking and reflection, and meaningful change in society. Above all, the conference is motivated by ‘service’ to humanity and thus to the …

Exploring The Impact Of S. Mutans And L. Casei On Cellular Disruptions: Insights From C. Elegans As A Model For Microbial Dysbiosi, Ana Cedeno Escobar

Theses & ETDs

The term microbial dysbiosis describes the interaction of microorganisms with cancerous cells, facilitating tumor progression and metastasis. Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), a cariogenic bacterium, employs its adherence and acid-tolerant capabilities to collaborate with other bacteria in invading host cells, thereby promoting oral squamous cell carcinoma and other extra-oral diseases. In contrast, Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) exhibits probiotic properties known to assist in the treatment and prevention of intestinal cancers, fostering microbial homeostasis. When grown together, S. mutans and L. casei engage in a competitive relationship, with L. casei hindering the dominance of S. mutans. However, the intricacies of this relationship …

Cracked Reality: The Theater Of Chaos And Accessibility In Academia: Building A More Inclusive And Less Intimidating Environment, Remy Katz

Theses & ETDs

Absurdist humor and horror is the only way to survive in the nonsensical world. Situational comedy, irony, and the macabre; this is the essence of the world of spontaneity. My work is fueled by the need to provoke unsettling emotions, leaving audiences to sit and digest feelings of discomfort and joy in the catharsis of humor. I mean, what’s more funny than watching someone have a mental breakdown? Like, come on, you’re not special, all of us are freaks. SO, I’m a bit of a freak. I like building on ideas as I produce art, feeding my emotions into all …

Home On The Grange: Ethnobotanical Entrevues In Outaouais, Michael Bolesh

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is based on two months of ethnographic research on a farm/apothecary homestead in Outaouais, Québec. There I strived to unearth the approaches both botanical and market employed by Twin Lakes Apothecary to better understand and contextualize the contemporary manifestations of ethnobotany in Québec. I pursued this primarily through a participant-observer approach in which I opportunistically followed networks of exchange and information to gradually traverse the life history of products and people at the apothecary. In examining the apothecary through such a lens, I illuminate the mythos and notions of production and validity in sectors often described as organic, …

Hss 404-108: Newark Narratives: Art/Culture/Site Literacies, Jonathan Curley

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Hss 404-H04, H06: Newark Narratives: Art/Culture/Site Literacies - Honors, Jonathan Curley

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Sts 201-102: Understanding Technological Society, Pedro Delatorre

Humanities Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Why The General Trust Of Chinese People Is Higher Than That Of Japanese People?, Pingping Lin

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

Several major international comparative surveys (World Values Survey, East Asian Social Survey) have repeatedly shown that Chinese people report higher levels of general trust towards people than Japanese people. It has been pointed out that if Chinese people recall the people around them when answering the question “Most people can be trusted?”, this could explain their high general trust (Yoshino and Osaki, 2013), but there are no empirical studies yet. Therefore, in this study, we will compare general trust between Japan and China by focusing on “Who comes to mind in response”. A total of 318 Japanese and 476 Chinese …

Strands Of Repair: Textile Treasures As Sustainable Pathways To Reconnect With The Lost Past, Sareekah Agarwaal, Ruby Kashyap Sood

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Textiles, fundamental to all human experiences, are meaning-laden objects that possess a remarkable ability to evoke emotions and memories, serving as powerful mnemonic devices.

Almost everyone experiences unplanned encounters with textiles in their lifetime and in different contexts. Hence, most every piece is loaded with personal, cultural, or historical data, fostering a deep emotional connection between the owner and the object. Consequently, these textiles are cared for, preserved, and often repurposed. But not much literature exists on how textiles and their stories can be used to augment the understanding of the identity of an individual, a group, a region, or …

Negro Cloth: African American Textile Design History, Karen Baker

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Negro cloth is American history. Filled with the contributions to free and enslaved African Americans, this history has gone untold. Even within the narratives and historical archives on African Americans' history with cotton, this conversation goes beyond suffering, pain, and separation. The research reveals how African Americans contributed to indigo and cotton agriculture, weaving, and manufacturing from 1745 to 1865. The historical and narrative research has revealed the buried history of African American textile history, the American Civil War in Federal Writers' Project: Slave Narrative Project. The narratives reveal that enslaved African Americans were weavers who carded, spun, dyed, and …

Dung Dkar Cloak: Exploring Soft Interfaces For Sonic Interactions, Judit Eszter Kárpáti, Esteban De La Torre

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The importance of crossmodal interaction within the contemporary cultural, technological and scientific panorama has evidently gained significant attention due to its remarkable advantages in creating a meaningful, interwoven, and integrated experience. The use and recontextualization of textiles in such exploratory quest into the human senses has proven to be critical. Computational science, algorithmic logic and digital devices have always been rooted and closely interwoven with textile crafts and practices. Recent technological advancements have further combined technology and textile, generating interactive textile surfaces, constructing endless possibilities for multisensorial experiences. In this presentation we will examine how we can weave a sensitive …

Incursive Heritage: Socio-Digital Mediations Of Mediterranean, Maria Ida De Ioanni

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Drawing upon the ongoing research endeavors within my doctoral program, this paper articulates a dual objective. Firstly, it undertakes the recognition and systematic delineation of collaborative repositories hosted on social media platforms, which serve to revitalize and perpetuate textile traditions through the curation of oral histories and diverse forms of visiotextual materials. The focal point of this inquiry encompasses social media accounts that reconfigure and contest prevailing heritage narratives by foregrounding hitherto marginalized personal and communal accounts surrounding textiles and fabrics. Functioning as dynamic digital repositories, these accounts subvert conventional heritage discourses by not only archiving and structuring knowledge but …

Weaving “National Spirit”: Jacquard-Woven Silk Images In The Nanjing Decade (1927–1937), Brielle Pizzala

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Industrial silk factories in Hangzhou and Shanghai represent active efforts to modernize and weave together the turbulent Republic of China (1912–1949). The Guomindang government, under Chiang Kai-Shek (1887–1975), acculturated modernity, as demonstrated by the silk industry, to unite China and secure the nation from trans-colonial threats, including economic security. Countless silk reelers, weavers, and businessmen in China, altered traditional sericulture with imported industry and ideologies in order to secure national autonomy. Imported steam reeling and jacquard loom factories became means to secure economic survival and national autonomy during this anxious and extremely political period. How did creating silk tapestries materialize …

Repatriation And Conservation, Sandra Sardjono, Kristal Hale, Christopher Buckley, Saiful Bakhri, Absari Hanifah

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Textile represents one of the most important cultural heritages in Indonesia and is an integral part of social and religious lives of traditional communities. Due to colonial impact, shifts in indigenous belief systems and values, modernization, and tourism, many textiles have left their original environments. Many gained new contexts as museum objects housed in regional museums or private collections in Indonesia and abroad.

In Indonesian museums, these objects are cared for by museum staff with various backgrounds and levels of expertise, who are shifted to new positions every two-three years by the Indonesian Ministry. This methodology is intended as a …

Law Enforcement Use Of Facial Recognition - A Comparative Approach Between The United States And Europe To Tackle The Racial Bias Of Facial Recognition Against People Of Color, Louise Grégoire

American University International Law Review

This article is focused on the use of Facial recognition technology (FRT) by law enforcement in the United States and Europe and the issue of racial bias.

Collaborative Leadership For Research Investigating Stem Teacher Preparation Across Many Institutions, Dana P. Franz, Keith Hubbard, Devon Brenner

Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations

This paper describes the creation of a collaborative research team investigating the impacts of education preparation on the recruitment and retention of science and mathematics teacher candidates in rural settings. Our collaborative research includes a core leadership team across 3 institutions and with collaboration across 14 total universities. We discuss the process from the inception through year two of this program, including the structure of leadership, communication techniques with the large group, and efforts to translate this research into scalable action. Using a framework for transdisciplinary research (Hall et al., 2012), we describe the processes and challenges that we encountered …

The Specter Of Representation: Computational Images And Algorithmic Capitalism, Samine Joudat

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The processes of computation and automation that produce digitized objects have displaced the concept of an image once conceived through optical devices such as a photographic plate or a camera mirror that were invented to accommodate the human eye. Computational images exist as information within networks mediated by machines. They are increasingly less about what art history understands as representation or photography considers indexing and more an operational product of data processing.

Through genealogical, theoretical, and practice-based investigation, this dissertation project traces a lineage of computation through images from early cybernetics to contemporary machine learning under algorithmic capitalist conditions of …

From The Inside Out: Excavating The Performing Arts Society Of Los Angeles, Wilfred Joseph Doucet Iii

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This work examines the Performing Arts Society of Los Angeles (PASLA), one of several cultural arts responses to the 1965 Watts Rebellion. Fundamentally, this work seeks to restore to memory and discourse the work of the Performing Arts Society of Los Angeles, its founder Motojicho Vantile Whitfield, and the PASLA Community Players. The Performing Arts Society of Los Angeles demonstrated a dynamic praxis in the South Central Los Angeles community, expressed through the organization’s motto, “social growth through the performing arts.” The Performing Arts Society of Los Angeles offered workshops in the literary, performance and technical aspects of drama and …

The Influence Of Religion In Frantz Fanon’S Decolonial Theory And Ethics On Violence, Dorival Pimenta Do Nascimento

CGU Theses & Dissertations

How does religious language influence Frantz Fanon’s Decolonial theory and ethics onviolence in the struggle for decolonization and disalienation? This is the question I address in this dissertation carefully observing Patrick Crowley's mention of the presence of religious language in Fanon's work. Crowley’s argument is that Fanon’s thought is apocalyptical in structure and is marked by a dramatic sense of temporality prior to his arrival in Algeria. Crowley develops his article focusing on the messianic question, while the religious language in Fanon's work he ends up relegating to a second plan. In this sense, this dissertation is developed with the …

Esther And The Maccabees: The Creation Of A Hellenist Jewish Heroine, Nolan Lebovitz

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The Book of Esther maintains many enigmatic qualities when compared against the other books within the canon of the Hebrew Bible. These unique characteristics stretch through its characters, its developed literary style, and the ideology it espouses. Academics often address individual issues in isolation such as its various scriptural forms in Greek and Hebrew, its absence from Qumran, and the many factors considered in its authorship and dating. Scholarly consideration for the book’s authorship spans from the 5 th Century through the 2nd Century BCE. This period in question saw a transition between the Persian Period to the Hellenistic Period, …

Trauma As Cultural Capital: A Critical Feminist Theory Of Trauma Discourse, Lucy Britt, Wilson H. Hammett

All Faculty Scholarship

This essay theorizes a problem for feminism posed by a particular form of trauma discourse. Feminists have played an important role in developing cultural and clinical conceptions of trauma, but one result of the destigmatization of trauma has been that trauma discourse is sometimes used as a form of cultural capital to reinforce existing hierarchies. In a novel application of Pierre Bourdieu's theory of distinction, we show how, when instrumentalized as cultural capital, trauma discourse can be used to reinforce patriarchy and other systems of oppression. We trace a critical feminist history of the struggle to understand and treat trauma. …