Digital Commons Network^™

Securitization Of African Migrants In Europe And North America, Chick Edmond

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The securitization of African migrants in Europe and North America refers to the framing of immigrants as an existential security threat rather than a socioeconomic or humanitarian concerns. This discourse driven by political rhetoric, media narratives, and policy measures, often depict African migrants as risks to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. Governments in host countries employ stringent border controls, detention and deportation policies often justified by counterterrorism and crime prevention frameworks. However, critics argue that securitization exacerbates xenophobia, violates human rights, and fails to address root causes of migration, such as conflict, poverty, and climate change. This paper …

Rethinking Trust In The Refugee Resettlement Process: How Service Providers Can Enable Refugee Agency Through Diasporic Connections, Mahfoudha Sidelemine, Emily D. Campion

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Current guidance for refugee resettlement agency workers encourages the simultaneous pursuit of trust-building and administrative tasks (e.g., housing, transportation and employment). This dual goal is resource-intensive, and focusing on the former may come at a cost to the latter. The purpose of the current research is to challenge the importance of trust-building by resettlement agencies. Drawing from our qualitative data from in-depth interviews with resettled refugees (N = 20) and agency workers (N = 15), we adopt a grounded theory approach and find that the burden of responsibility for both caregiving and administrative responsibilities can overtax agency workers …

Moral Identity And Its Relationship To Higher Education Mentoring And Community Service Engagement, Maria O. Rodriguez

Dissertations

Problem

A moral action is a result of the engagement of multiple psychological processes set in motion when an individual faces a moral conflict. Research suggests that an individual's moral reasoning and moral identity strongly influence the psychological processes that precede a moral action. Recent studies have shown that higher education positively influences students' moral reasoning; however, there is a lack of understanding as to the degree to which higher education can influence the moral identity of students.

Method

This study performed a quantitative cross-sectional study to investigate the relationship between independent variables—mentoring experiences and community service engagement—and dependent variables—moral …

Manifesting A Shift In The "Overton Window": The Threat Of Project 2025 On The Lgbtq+ Community In Higher Education, Athena M. King, Sara Sanatkar

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

Since the first Trump administration, historically marginalized groups in the United States have been subjected to greater instances of bigotry and discrimination due to conservative influence on sociopolitical institutions. These actions suggest a shift in the "Overton Window," whereby policy preferences previously deemed "unacceptable" are given consideration in the mainstream, especially by conservative policy actors. "Project 2025" is a comprehensive plan to restructure the federal government according to conservative dictates in the second Trump administration. This article is an examination of how higher education may be impacted by this plan, especially as it relates to LGBTQ+ faculty, administration, staff, and …

Support Needs Of Agrarian Women To Build Household Livelihood Resilience: A Case Study Of The Mekong River Delta, Tran Thi Ngoc Tran

Dissertations

Problem

Rural livelihood faces significant challenges due to the increasing frequency and severity of climate change impacts. However, the development of women’s livelihood resilience remains constrained by gender-blind policies, limited sex-disaggregated data, and a lack of integration of gender-specific needs and priorities in resilience-building interventions. This study aims to address these critical gaps. This study aims at exploring the perceived support needs of rural agrarian women in building household livelihood resilience to climate change. Specifically, it seeks to (1) understand how household livelihood resilience is perceived by rural agrarian women, and (2) identify the support they require to effectively adapt …

Religious Participation, Subjective Happiness, And Purpose In Life As Predictors Of Psychological Resilience Among College Students At A Faith-Based Institution In The United States, Elaine Powell Oliver

Dissertations

Problem

During the transition from adolescence to adulthood, also known as emerging adulthood, many college students experience psychological distress, such as anxiety, depression, stress, and loneliness (Arnett & Tanner, 2009; DeRosier et al., 2013). For some students, their psychological distress will impact how they perform academically and whether they will persist in their academic goals (Hartley, 2012; Robbins et al., 2018). Many students lack the resilience needed to survive and thrive amid the challenges of college life (Lane, 2020; McLafferty et al., 2022; Watkins et al., 2012). -- Resilience is considered an essential psychological characteristic to assist students in navigating …

Editors’ Introduction: 25th Anniversary Issue Of The Jiws, Diana J. Fox, Kimberly Chabot Davis, Priyanka Tripathi, Catherine Ndinda

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Unveiling The Vulnerability Of Return Migration: A Feminist Embeddedness Perspective On Bangladeshi Women Workers, Faraha Nawaz, Tania Afrin Tonny

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study explores the vulnerability of migrant workers returning to Bangladesh through the lens of van Houte and Davids’ (2008) embeddedness framework. Centering women’s narratives offers a feminist method of embeddedness, focusing on the economic, social, and psychosocial dimensions of returning migrants’ experiences. This paper addresses the vulnerabilities experienced by women upon their return, particularly those returning from the Middle East. Drawing on qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 30 Bangladeshi women domestic workers, this study identifies two primary causes for their return from the Middle East to Bangladesh: coercion by family members and coercion by employers. The findings indicate …

Migration And Work: An Intersectional Perspective On Women Workers In Brick Kilns In The Sivasagar District Of Assam, India, Kashmiri Saikia, Sikha Das

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper is based on fieldwork regarding brick kiln workers in the Sivasagar district of Assam, located in Northeast India. Apart from family migration, women migrate alone to these brick kilns in search of work opportunities. Despite progress, evidence suggests that many women who work in brick kilns are not afforded workplace rights and are underrepresented, unregistered, and paid lesser wages compared to men workers. Many kilns are unregulated and remain outside the purview of workplace laws. Through interviews and conversations with women workers, this paper aims to understand and analyse the dynamics of gender, migration, and work in the …

Subdued Voices And Marginalized Lives: Reading R. K. Narayan’S Waiting For The Mahatma Through Feminist Standpoint Theory, D. Sundar Singh, S. Pressila Daissy, Roland Rencewigg P.

Journal of International Women's Studies

Standpoint feminism, based in second-wave feminist theory, insists that knowledge is situated in the social world and contends that marginalized groups, through their experiences of oppression and struggle, hold experiential understandings of power relations. This paper examines R. K. Narayan’s complex depiction of a young woman actively involved in India’s freedom struggle in his novel, Waiting for the Mahatma (1955/2004), through the lens of Sandra Harding’s feminist standpoint theory. The novel’s central character, Bharati, through her varied trajectories of resistance and accommodation within patriarchal structures, illustrates marginalized women’s understandings and their mirroring of social inequalities and power relations that are …

Recasting Gender Roles: The New Woman And The New Man In Women-Centred Contemporary Malayalam Films, Roshan B. Karimpaniyil, Shashikantha Koudur

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article examines the representation of gender roles in select women-centred contemporary Malayalam films. It attempts to expand on the idea of the “new Indian woman” and develop a concept of the “new Indian man.” The new Indian woman is a byproduct of the cultural metamorphosis caused by liberalisation, while the new Indian man could be understood as the product of modern culture’s attempt to undermine traditional masculinity. By analysing the movies Biriyaani (2020), The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), Aanum Pennum (2021), and Sara’s (2021), as well as the short films Memories of a Machine (2016), Freedom @ Midnight (2021), …

Al-Rawabi School For Girls: The Arab Mean Girls?, Leen Masoud

Journal of International Women's Studies

Released in 2021 on Netflix and directed by Jordanian actress and director Tima Shomali, the television series Al-Rawabi School for Girls garnered international attention for its daring depiction of Jordanian girlhood and discussions of hard-hitting topics such as bullying, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and honor killings. Despite its Jordanian context, the series engaged heavily with Hollywood tropes regarding girlhood, specifically the “mean girl” trope; the show referenced this trope so often that it began to be called “the Arab Mean Girls,” referring to the cult classic US film Mean Girls (2004). This essay critically examines the utilization of popular …

Advancing Gender-Inclusive Financial Systems: A G20 Policy Agenda For South Africa, Tinuade A. Ojo, M. E. Sotunsa, Diana J. Fox, Karen Carpenter, Leith L. Dunn

Journal of International Women's Studies

This policy brief calls for comprehensive reforms of South Africa’s financial systems to broaden women’s access to capital. Women’s economic empowerment is critical to inclusive and sustainable development in Africa. Despite ongoing global commitments to gender equality, systemic financial exclusion continues to marginalise women—particularly in South Africa—thereby impeding their full economic participation. Microfinance has emerged as a pivotal strategy for fostering financial inclusion among women, especially those in rural and economically disadvantaged urban areas. International models, such as the Grameen Bank, have illustrated that women from low-income backgrounds often exhibit higher loan repayment rates than their male counterparts. Institutions specifically …

Film Review: Breasts And Body Politics In B 32 Muthal 44 Vare, Aswathy A., Meenu B.

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Translating And Retranslating Sarmiento’S Facundo, Gabriel González Núñez

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

This study seeks to contribute to a gap in our understanding of retranslations through a case study, specifically one that focuses on Domingo Faustino Sarmiento’s Facundo. This book, widely held to be a Latin American literary classic and cultural touchstone, took shape in the late nineteenth century. It was translated from the Spanish into English by Mary Peabody Mann in 1868 and Kathleen Ross in 2003, providing a rare instance of a retranslated work of Latin American thought. The present study will specifically focus on two aspects of retranslation: production and reception. It will consider production by focusing on the …

Disability Awareness And Inclusion, Claudia C. Gonzalez, Raquel C. Vasquez, Bruce J. Reed

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) reported an increase in the prevalence of persons with disabilities affecting one in four people in the United States. Disability awareness and inclusion describe how a combination of understanding, acknowledgment, compassion, and acceptance can allow persons with disability the same opportunities as those without disabilities. This can be seen with the increase in persons with a disability graduating from postsecondary institutions, about 14% from 2012 to 2022 of persons over 25. This chapter covers foundational material regarding disability awareness and inclusion, including the prevalence of disability in general and in educational settings, …

2025-2026 Craft Academy Student Handbook, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

The 2025-2026 Craft Academy Student Handbook.

[Review Of The Book Alternative Politics In Contemporary Japan: New Directions In Social Movements, By D. H. Slater And P. G. Steinhoff (Eds.)], Charmaine N. Willis

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Scholars have characterized Japan’s civil society as having been in an “ice age” for several decades, especially when focusing on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (Robert Pekkanen, Japan’s Dual Civil Society: Members Without Advocates, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006). This is in stark contrast not only with the vibrant civil societies in most Western democracies but with prominent social movements in Japanese history, such as the anti-Anpo protest movement that began in the late 1950s. This movement opposed the renewal of the US-Japan security treaty (Anpo), which permitted the US its massive military base presence in Japan. There were strikes, mass …

Quota Fairness, Procedural Justice, Turnover Intentions, And Turnover: A Multi-Path Model Of Salesperson Perceptions, Support, And Trust, James Deconinck, Julie Johnson-Busbin

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study investigates how salesperson perceptions of quota difficulty, quota fairness, and procedural justice influence perceived organizational support (POS), organizational trust, and ultimately turnover intentions. Drawing on social exchange theory and fairness heuristic theory, we propose and test a multi-path model in which quota-related justice perceptions shape salesforce attitudes and behavior through both direct and indirect mechanisms. Data from 313 business-to-business salespeople and their 142 managers reveal that perceived quota difficulty significantly predicts fairness, which in turn is positively related to POS and organizational trust. While fairness was a significant predictor of turnover intentions, procedural justice was not directly related …

An Immanent Postfoundational Methodology For Researching The Violent Trans-Sections Of Ableism, Classism And Sexism, Elizabeth Done, Cara Baer

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

This paper charts the unfolding of a small-scale qualitative study, presented at institutional ethical approval stage as drawing on posthumanist theorising and seeking to (re)configure the concept of intersectionality, and focusing on the lived experience of postgraduate students of lower socio-economic status with disabilities. The self-selected sample comprised six women, three of whom volunteered accounts of sexual violence that complicated their experiences of dis-ability and class, and highlighted the complexity of their lived experience of intersectionality. We describe a research process in which interviewing became intra-viewing, lived experience came to be understood through Deleuzian and Deleuzo-guattarian concepts and intersectionality became …

Exploring Islamophobia Through Intersectionality., Suparna Bagchi

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Masculinity, Muscles, And Minds. Investigating The Interplay Of Factors Affecting Gym-Attending Men For Psychological Formulation., Abigail Middlecote

School of Psychology Theses

Background: This study explores pursuits of a muscular ideal among gym-attending men, to aid understanding and exploration of Drive for Muscularity, considering potential for a Compassion Focused Therapy formulation.Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, the research examines psycho-social dynamics surrounding ideals and experiences of men, particularly the role of masculinity within a western society. Quantitative data from 80 men analysed relationships among Gender Role Conflict, Traditional Masculine Ideology, body image, Drive for Muscularity, social rank, Attachment, Self-Compassion, Body-Compassion, and Help-Seeking. Qualitative interviews with eight participants focused on relevance of the CFT-formulation in considering these dynamics.Results: Quantitative findings demonstrated most variables significantly …

Exploring The Experience Of Co-Designing Mental Health Services In The National Health Service As An Expert By Experience, Annabelle Mccall

School of Psychology Theses

AbstractPurposeThe number of Experts by Experience (EbE) working in mental health services has grown in recent years. The National Health Service (NHS) five year plan states EbE should be employed across different levels, including service delivery, design and commissioning. While current research explores the role of EbE in service delivery, little is known about their experiences of co-designing services. This research explored EbE experiences of co-designing NHS mental health services. DesignThis research utilised qualitative semi-structured interviews with 10 participants who had worked on projects focused on co-designing NHS mental health services as an EbE. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic …

Sexual Communication Patterns Of Heterosexual-Identified Men Who Have Sex With Men, Travis R. Scheadler, Megan W. Rowe, Salem Rao, Oliver W.J. Beer, Tyrone J. Curtis, Sandra Kwan, Shih Ju Claire Lung, Adam Busch, Daniel Vandervoort, Paul A. Shuper, Andrew D. Eaton

School of Health Professions

The sexual communication patterns that comprise how heterosexual men with concordance between identity and behavior navigate their sexual encounters with women are well-established. Some heterosexual men experience discordance between their sexual identities and behaviors and may have unique practices of sexual communication, but this has not been studied. Knowledge of their sexual communication practices is an important step toward understanding and improving their sexual experiences. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 heterosexual-identified men who have sex with men to learn more about their sexual communication strategies. Three themes were identified through interpretative phenomenological analysis: meeting sex partners, clear communication …

Educator Equity And Pedagogy: Multilingual Learners In Rural Schools, Marsha R. Martin Kerr

Doctor of Education

This sequential explanatory mixed-method design study aims to understand and identify educator experiences and beliefs and how they affect equitable pedagogy with multilingual learners(MLLs) in rural K-12 public schools today. The research questions the significance of equitable pedagogy, systems, and resistances instructing MLLs to create dialogue supporting educator self-awareness, critical thinking, and collaboration while supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultivating a positive school climate through multicultural education. The theoretical framework threads social learning theory through psychological mechanisms of observance and behavior from others, and social theory examines educational institutions through sociological perspectives and methodologies. These theories support teaching and learning …

The Concept Of Israel In The Old Testament And Its Divine Purpose: An Exegetical And Theological Analysis, Gregory Arutyunyan

Dissertations

The aim of this study is to undertake a fresh look into the concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its divine purpose in the context of the overarching theology of the Hebrew Bible. The working method used in this research is a theological and exegetical analysis of relevant Hebrew text along with incorporating historical and socio-archaeological background studies.

The conclusion that is reached is that Old Testament Israel was a cosmopolitan community of people connected through biological links, intermarriage relationships, and political alliances. In a spiritual sense, the term Israel served as a characterizing title granted to Jacob …

2025 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

SoTL Commons Conference

2025 Conference Program

Creating A General Psychology Curriculum That Embeds Humane Education, Kristina Marie Pham

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Academic freedom is under attack in the United States, hindering the ability of educators to develop critical thinking skills in students to prepare them for their roles as participating members of a democracy. The inquiry that informed the curriculum development is as follows: How to embed Humane Education and Participatory Action Research into a General Psychology class? The theoretical framework of Humane Education was the basis for utilizing the principles of Participatory Action Research in the General Psychology curriculum co-created with rural community college students. The Backward Design Model was chosen because the curriculum was created using an existing General …

An Examination Of Harm During The Real-Life Experience, Michelle E. Balch

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The Real-Life Experience (RLE) has been described as a coercive and arbitrary requirement without evidence of validity or reliability. This can cause more harm than it prevents for a significant subset of transition-seeking transgender clients. For these reasons the RLE was dropped from the WPATH Standards of Care after version six. However, the RLE has been adopted by a number of health insurance companies as a measure of readiness to receive transition services. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and semi-structured interviews of five individuals were conducted to evaluate their perceptions of RLE and the meaning they attach to their broader …

Beyond Strong: A Phenomenology Of Women Executives And The Connection Between Leadership And Fitness, Nozomi Bullock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Senior-level executive leaders’ work in a dynamic, competitive, 24/7 business environment can be physically rigorous, mentally demanding, and emotionally isolating. The same holds true for women pursuing senior-level leadership roles in corporate America. Women who achieve and succeed in such roles remain the minority: Outsiders in elite spaces who are held to higher standards and overly scrutinized. Among senior-level executive women leaders, those committed to a fitness and training regimen including weightlifting constitute an even smaller minority. Senior-level executive roles require stamina, resilience, and courage—qualities that make up the foundation of the mindset of fitness and strength training (Foyster et …