Digital Commons Network^™

Engaging With Culturally Relevant Curriculum Development Practice In First-Year Writing Courses Through A Community Of Practice, Mitchell Dallas Herring

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research study provides a case study of a community of practice (CoP) comprised of six faculty who teach first-year writing at Southern Technical College (pseudonym) as they engaged with culturally relevant teaching to review their curriculum development practices. The guiding question of this study was: How does engagement with culturally relevant pedagogy within a community of practice impact faculty who teach first-year writing's curriculum development practice, especially given their perceptions of students' needs and literacies? The study used a case study research design to document the faculty's experiences discussing and reflecting on their practice and perceptions of …

Stereocontrolled Synthesis Of Lactam-Fused Tetrahydropyrans As Potential Antidiabetic Agents, Ifeyinwa Stella Anosike

All Master's Theses

Functionalized tetrahydropyrans are structural motifs in diverse natural products, including polyether antibiotics, marine toxins, pheromones, and pharmaceuticals. They are frequently used as versatile building blocks for accessing stereochemically sophisticated biologically active compounds. Specifically, functionalized bicyclic tetrahydropyrans bearing contiguous stereocenters have garnered interest in the synthesis and medicinal chemistry communities. Thus far, some synthetic methods have been developed for their construction and functionalization. These methods include Prins' cyclization reactions, intramolecular oxa-Michael reactions, hetero-Diels-Alder cyclization, ring-closing metathesis, radical cyclization, and halocycloetherification. However, these methods have some drawbacks such as the need for expensive reagents and catalysts, substrate limitations, and environmentally unfriendly conditions. …

Gnss Radio Propagation Through Trapped Atmospheric Lee Waves In The San Bernardino Valley, Ca, Logan Grey

All Master's Theses

Atmospheric lee waves, also known as mountain waves, are a type of gravity wave that form as air that is forced over a mountain creates turbulence downstream. Trapped, or stationary, lee waves located directly over a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver on Earth’s surface appear to lead to anomalies in the receiver’s position estimate, usually skewed toward the neighboring mountain range. The exact mechanism by which trapped lee waves might cause these anomalies is not known, and so my research aims to understand this. GNSS station P612 located in the lee of the San Bernardino Mountains in southern California …

Quality Inclusive Classrooms And Integrating The Project Approach With Children With Special Needs, Marie Elizabeth Helmrich

Graduate Research Papers

This literature review aims to identify what elements define quality preschool inclusion. The Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP) is a measure discussed for quality improvement purposes. The challenges that arise with quality inclusion are also explored. The Project Approach (PA) is explained, including the benefits of the approach, along with the successes and challenges it presents when implementing it in an inclusive classroom. The conclusion of this literature review includes recommendations for educational policies and practices and a recommendation for future research regarding quality inclusion and the implementation of the PA.

Punitive Experiences: Perspectives Of School Discipline Among Black American Males, Joseph Martin King

Theses and Dissertations

Among student groups within American public schools to date, Black males continue to be one of the most marginalized student groups in America. In spite of all the documented research findings that describe the problem from a research, policy, and practice standpoint, and given the plethora of well-documented knowledge of structural patterns identified and labeled as zero-tolerance policies and/or the school-to-prison pipeline, in conjunction with school reform attempts, Black males remain the largest segment of students who are academically discouraged and disproportionally affected by discipline in American public schools. Among the abundance of academic literature that describes the academic marginalization …

Fiscal Equity: The Non-Profit Model Of Corporate Ownership, Eric A. San Juan

American University Business Law Review

In an era of excessive executive compensation, the non-profit corporation serves as an exemplary alternative. Voluntarily, some brand-name manufacturers operate under existing law that permits non-profit ownership. Virtually all corporations could become non-profits under a legislative reform potentially more effective than past redistributive measures. Twentieth-century progressive taxation has waned, while initiatives to endow impoverished children with personal accounts have not expanded beyond pilot programs. Instead, economic inequality widens with global industrialization. Traditionally, deprivation led to the call for the abolition of private ownership of the means of production, yet this proved impracticable under revolutionary regimes. A review of the evolution …

The Chicken Or The Egg: The Proper Order Of Analysis When Determining The Enforceability Of A Delegation Clause And The Broader Arbitration Agreement In Consumer Contexts, Parker Reynolds

American University Business Law Review

First, this Comment will provide pertinent background on the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) to better understand the intent of the legislation and how it has historically been applied. Second, this Comment will seek to not only explain the underlying cause of the circuit split but also offer a framework for the proper order of analysis in situations with both a delegation claim and an unenforceability claim. Specifically, this Comment will argue that although a delegation clause’s enforceability must be analyzed separately from the entire agreement’s enforceability, the delegation clause must be examined within the context of the arbitration agreement to …

Accidental Corporate Social Norms, David Kwok

American University Business Law Review

Corporations deliberately attempt to shape social norms through advertising, publicity, and political contributions. This paper considers the threat of corporations’ accidental influence on social norms and expectations. When corporations have accidents, we frequently focus on direct harms: an oil platform may catch fire and explode, leading to environmental and human losses. These accidents may also impact social norms, though. If users stay with a dominant social networking firm despite repeated data privacy breaches, for example, people might come to accept a lack of data privacy. Dominant firms may inadvertently facilitate rapid reshaping of societal expectations. Judicial recognition of this threat …

The Domestic And International Limitations Of The Third-Party Doctrine In The Digital Age, Miguel E. Serrano

American University Business Law Review

This Comment argues that the third-party doctrine further alienates EU-U.S. partnerships because the doctrine subverts privacy interests as binding legal precedent. Part II will explore the history of the third-party doctrine up until the Carpenter decision and explain why U.S. privacy rights are linked with access to third-party information. This Comment will further outline EU data protection laws, EU legislation, and the CJEU’s Schrems II decision. In Part III, this Comment will also analyze the new data protection framework, Executive Order 14086, and discuss whether it fails to overcome the CJEU’s concerns over U.S. privacy laws for EU subjects. By …

Rediscovering Adam Smith: An Inquiry In The Rule Of Law, Competition, And The Future Of The Federal Trade Comission, Melissa Holyoak, Christopher G. Mufarrige

American University Business Law Review

It is my privilege to be here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (³CEI´), along with the 300th birthday of Adam Smith. For decades, CEI has been at the vanguard of free-market advocacy, and it is wonderful to combine CEI's anniversary with a celebration of Adam Smith. I will start with a standard disclaimer: The views I express today are my own. They do not necessarily represent those of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or ³Commission´) or any other commissioner.

U.S. Securities And Exchange Commission And The "Deep Administrative State": A Case Study Of Its Esg Rules, Jerry W. Markham

American University Business Law Review

This study examines the highly controversial “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) rules that were adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2024. Those rules require large public companies to disclose their policies for dealing with climate change and report their greenhouse gas emissions. Critics charge that those rules are the product of a “deep state” administrative agency that is operating outside the checks and balances imposed by the Constitution on other government actors. The study relates the background for these deep state concerns and the constitutional and statutory restraints that were intended to prevent the development of such …

State Taxing Power Over Tribal Leasing Activity: Balancing Bracker With The Call To Modernize, Caitlyn Lindstrom

American University Business Law Review

Federal law operates on the premise that state jurisdiction does not interfere with American Indian jurisdiction, and it is generally accepted that states may not tax Indian entities or members. However, the Supreme Court held that there are circumstances in which states may extend taxation onto non-Indians residing on tribal lands. In cases where Indians believe that states are violating legislation or regulations prohibiting state taxation, the Court follows the Bracker balancing test, an interest balancing test that weighs state, federal, and tribal interests. As with most balancing tests, this test lacks strict guidance on how to properly weigh certain …

Alternative Ontology For Ante Rem Structuralism Based On Huayan Buddhist Metaphysics, Chul Soon Hwang

CMC Senior Theses

Ante rem structuralism is a version of mathematical structuralism presented by Shapiro (1997) that asserts the existence of mathematical objects. It stands out amongst other structuralist views in that it secures a face value semantics for mathematical statements. In this paper, I propose an alternative ontology where structures are fully explained by relations. I argue that this alternative ontology avoids arguments against ante rem structuralism’s endorsement of indiscernible entities while retaining the convenience of a face value semantics for mathematical expressions.

This ontology is based on mereological nihilism and the Huayan Buddhist argument that an object can be fully described …

Shame Clogs The Arteries Of Love: How To Love In The Face Of Shame And Conditions Of Oppression, Theodore J.M. Siasat

CMC Senior Theses

Love and shame, on its face, are at odds with one another. Love tends to foster connection while shame makes one want to hide and isolate oneself. This thesis aims to resolve this tension, particularly in cases of mistaken shame, where the ashamed agent need not feel ashamed, such as in cases of internalized racism, sexism, etc. To do so, this thesis begins by exploring similar cases of love driving people away, looking at (1) love under conditions of oppression and (2) love as seen in Vida Yao’s “Grace and Alienation,” where she is also concerned with ashamed beloveds. …

“Our Hands Are Tied”: How State Educational Diversity Laws Affect Iowa Public Educators And How Educators Respond, Lydia Berns-Schweingruber

Honors Program Theses

In May 2023, Iowa passed Senate File 496, which restricts public educators from sending students social-emotional learning surveys, requires public educators to inform parents when students request a pronoun change, and bans any books depicting a sexual act from public schools (Iowa Legislature 2023). Iowa and other states’ recent educational diversity laws are part of a broader history of public school censorship. This study examines how state educational diversity laws affect Iowa public educators and how educators respond. This paper draws on data from eight interviews with Iowa public teachers, administrators, and counselors. The findings show that state educational diversity …

Changing Demographics In A Rural Iowa High School: A Case Study Of The Experiences Of Emergent Bilinguals, Lindsay Carter

Honors Program Theses

For this thesis project, I conducted a qualitative case study of a rural high school facing demographic changes that affected the district’s population of English language learner (ELL) students. This study took place in Smalltown Community School District (all locations and names in this study are pseudonyms), an Iowa school district located in a very rural area of the state. I have close ties to this district and have spoken with people involved in their efforts to work with this population change they are facing. As a future teacher of ELL and multilingual students, I was highly interested in pursuing …

Unreliable Narrators; Origins And Impact, Lauren Fetzer

Honors Program Theses

Unreliable narrators can be found in every source of information. They mediate the text for the reader and raise our perceptions of stories, news articles, and forms of receiving facts. While they can be seen in a variety of different genres and forms of literature over the span of many decades, the understanding and acceptance of unreliable narrators have shifted over time. During the late nineteenth century, many authors utilized neutral narrators, intended to be without opinions or bias, when discussing social issues. In Stephen Crane’s 1893 novella Maggie: a Girl of the Streets the narrator is not the main …

"Sit Still, Look Pretty To Survive": An Analysis Of The Hunger Games Trilogy, Bryleigh Sharon De Jong

Honors Program Theses

In this thesis, it emphasizes that the analysis of this topic was done through an extensive literature review. Throughout the research process, academic and scholarly articles were reviewed and quoted from previous studies. From previous literature, results express the idea of varying ideals and needs for the “perfect” film adaptation; additionally how the people researched the workers within the film and seeing the differences involving work with the script and actors. Screenwriting theory was also taken into account through previous research.

At the end of a decade, a literary trilogy became a new pop culture phenomenon, The Hunger Games. The …

Language Barriers In The U.S. Legal System For Primarily Spanish Speakers: Attorney Perspectives And Potential Solutions For True Equal Access, Emma F. Kizer

Honors Program Theses

The U.S. legal system is difficult to navigate for anyone who is attempting to use it, but non-English-speaking individuals have a unique set of obstacles to overcome. Communicating and understanding legal jargon and processes can become increasingly strenuous when one does not speak English in a predominantly English system. This study is specifically focused on the barriers that Spanish-speaking clients face and potential ways to change the system in order to make the experiences of non-English speakers more accessible. By interviewing attorneys who work with both English and Spanish speaking clients, we gain insight into their perspective on issues they …

¿Tengo El Derecho A Votar?: Un Análisis De Las Leyes Del Acceso Lingüístico Y Los Impactos De Recursos Multilingües De Votación En La Participación De Votantes Hispanos En Iowa Y Michigan, Madeline L. Hinz

Honors Program Theses

This thesis examines the linguistic accessibility of voting from multiple perspectives through the analysis of federal and state level electoral legislation in conjunction with language access services available in Iowa and Michigan. It compares a variety of influences on Spanishspeaking participation in elections and the linguistic accessibility of voting in the two states. I have chosen these states because of their similar linguistic makeup and populations of Spanishspeakers and Hispanic/Latine groups as a percentage of their total population. This research includes a discussion of language laws at the state level, how each of these laws impacts voting accessibility, and is …

Beyond The Classroom: Do The Iowa Civic Virtues Standards Achieve Their Goals?, Damien Foster

Honors Program Theses

Civic education is essential in shaping informed and active citizens, and evaluating its impact is equally as fundamental. This study examines the connection between the Iowa civic virtues standards and the civic behaviors and attitudes of recent high school graduates. Through an online survey of college students in Iowa, findings suggest that while the standards effectively communicate civic values, there is a gap in translating this knowledge into practical engagement, particularly in political participation. Additionally, the rising influence of digital media on students' political decisions highlights the need for enhanced digital data and information literacy education. This study provides many …

Balancing Progress And Ethics: Exploring The Science And Ethics Of Gene Editing: Literature Review, Jackson Burgess

Honors Program Theses

Two decades ago, the completion of the Human Genome Project marked a pivotal milestone in scientific history, unraveling the blueprint of human DNA and laying the foundation for the Genetic Revolution. This monumental achievement allows researchers to uncover the correlations between DNA sequences and biological functions. Today, this movement has propelled modern geneticists toward the peak of human health sciences: the ability to manipulate the very essence of our being. With the aid of Genetic Engineering, scientists now possess the capability to alter the fundamental framework of our genetic code, offering the potential to cure fatal genetic disorders alongside other …

Gender Socialization And Social Media In College Students' Fear Of Crime, Ashlyn C. Miller

Honors Program Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between gender (socialization), viewing crime related material on social media, and fear of crime experienced by college students. While violent crime rates have fallen, the majority of college students report levels of crime are increasing. Many individuals lack both knowledge and experience related to crime, leading media exposure to influence their levels of fear. Previous research has focused on television media related to fear of crime with little research on social media, the preferred media source of young adults. College students (n = 124) from a midwestern university completed a …

We Did What? To Whom? An Analysis Of How Us Educational Materials Present The Philippine-American War And Occupation, Jude Beekman

Honors Program Theses

Since the turn of the 21st century, decisions of American leaders have continued traditions of American exceptionalism and general attempts at dominance, although this is continuously brought into question. A generation has since passed through school and experienced curriculums that have implied such American exceptionalism and dominance. Acknowledged for decades, the military-industrial complex has extended into the 21st century with involvement across the globe, but notably in the Middle East. For those indigenous to the Pacific, militarism extends to how people perceive the bodies and selves of indigenous peoples. There exist multiple definitions of colonialism and imperialism, but in essence, …

Impact Of Esg Initiatives On Stock Returns, Reagan Lommell

Honors Program Theses

In recent years, there has been an uproar of the term “ESG” to describe a firm’s risk on the environmental, social, and governmental aspects of their business. The term/concept was not new, per se, as it was referred to in other ways, such as “Triple Bottom Line,” PPP (People, Planet, Profit, SRI (Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), etc. With the recent traction, consumers as well as stakeholders, have become more concerned with how their business is being managed, especially in terms of environmental, social, and governance issues. While companies utilize many practices to promote the framework and subsequently add value to …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Montessori Approaches To Learning Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic In Iowa, Ellie Penick

Honors Program Theses

This research focused on the unique and innovative ways two Montessori Schools handled the pandemic in the context of Iowa’s COVID-19 regulations. Research focused on the state of Iowa due to its relevance and proximity to the researcher and its notably relaxed approaches to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the purpose and scope of this study, research focused on two Montessori contexts within the state of Iowa. While this research is not representative of all Montessori schools in Iowa, it provides useful insight into the topic that can support further research on Montessori approaches to COVID-19.

The driving question behind this …

"Appropriate" Appropriations Challenges After Community Financial, Chad Squitieri

Scholarly Articles

The standard federal agency must come to Congress each year, hat in hand, and request another round of congressional funding. This annual appropriations process ensures that Congress maintains at least some influence over the vast array of rules and regulations that govern Americans' daily lives. Sure, Congress might have delegated broad authority to administrative agencies to develop national policy on Congress's behalf. But an agency reliant on annual appropriations is an agency with the financial incentive to exercise its delegated authority with an eye toward pleasing congressional appropriators. The annual appropriations process is therefore a sensible (even if insufficient) step …

Why Equity Follows The Law, Adam J. Macleod

Scholarly Articles

Renewed attention to equity in higher education is welcome because true equity helps us to reason together well. When administered correctly, the jurisprudence of equity models civil discourse and, therefore, can teach us how to carry out civic engagement reasonably. Equitable interpretation of the law teaches us how to understand each other charitably. And equity’s deference to law teaches us how to reason well together about our practical problems. Law is the practical reasoning that we do together. Equity serves the ends of justice by serving law, rather than undermining it. These functions of equity in adjudication point toward a …

Section 546(E) Safe Harbor Provision Applies To Transactions Involving Private Securities, Nino Aspanadze

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

A bankruptcy trustee may not avoid a margin or settlement payment made by, to, or for the benefit of a financial institution (or another covered entity) when the payment is made in connection with a securities contract as defined in section 741(7) of title 11 of the United States Code (the "Bankruptcy Code"). "A transfer is ‘in connection with' a securities contract if it is 'related to' or 'associated with’ the securities contract.' A bankruptcy trustee may avoid a covered transaction only if it was made with actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud creditors. The purpose of Section …

U.S. Bankruptcy Courts Balance The Statutory Protections Of Stakeholders With The Needs Of Discovery In Foreign Bankruptcy Proceedings, Conor Carman

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Chapter 15 of title 11 of the United States Code (the "Bankruptcy Code") establishes methods for managing insolvency cases that encompass debtors, assets, claimants, and other parties across multiple nations. Section 1521(a)(4) allows courts to grant discovery relief. To determine whether to grant discovery relief, courts balance the right to discovery relief with stakeholder interests. As part of a U.S. courts’ analysis, it considers principles of comity to support a foreign bankruptcy proceeding.

This memorandum discusses the statutory availability for discovery relief under chapter 15, limitations on discovery imposed by courts to protect stakeholder interests, comity, and how courts …