Digital Commons Network^™

Express Yourself! Biculturalism, Ethnic Identity & Expression Through Instagram, Zanira Ghulamhussain

Theses - ALL

This qualitative study examines the relationship between biculturalism, ethnic identity, and Instagram use among second-generation Pakistani-Americans. To answer the research questions for this cross-sectional study, the method of virtual, semi structured in-depth interviews was utilized to collect data. Through interviews with second-generation Pakistani-Americans, the researcher explored how Instagram use intersects with ethnic identity and bicultural experiences. Interview data was collected, transcribed, analyzed, and categorized into various themes. Results suggest that Instagram plays a significant role in shaping and expressing ethnic identity, providing a platform for connection, cultural exchange, and personal exploration. This study contributes to understanding the role of social …

Encrypted Eroticism: Encoding And Decoding Strategies Against Censorship In Chinese Slash Fandom, Xiyin Li

Theses - ALL

This study examines how Chinese slash fans circumvent censorship through coding and decoding strategies (Hall, 1980). Based on online ethnography and participant observation of a 20-year slash fandom of a popular online novel, DMBJ, I find that fans employ linguistic wordplay across morphological, phonetic, and semantic dimensions with their linguistic literacy in Chinese. Fans actively extract scenes or descriptions from the original novel that align with erotic contexts and collage them into new slash fiction. This form of creation is not entirely original but involves poaching and recombining canonical texts to assign new sexual meanings. At the same time, fans …

Annihilation, Reconstruction And Harmony In Carnal Desire, Yukang Tao

Theses - ALL

This thesis investigates the aesthetic, ethical, and philosophical implications of meat consumption and bodily commodification of humans and animals within capitalist hierarchies through the lens of digital art, performance and sculpture. Focusing on the intersection of humanity, animality, and technological embodiment, the project interrogates how contemporary systems of power aestheticize violence and disguise exploitation under the guise of ethical consumption. Inspired by critical theories, particularly of Amber Husain, Jacques Derrida, George Bataille, and Donna Haraway, the thesis examines the ambivalent tensions between seduction and slaughter, subjectivity and domination, and how these dynamics are embedded in both animal and human exploitation. …

From Grief To Reconstruction: From Traditional Community To Modern Community, Zhen Wang

Theses - ALL

Death is an inevitable reality of life, and grief, as an emotional response to death, is a universal and complex psychological experience. This study explores the role of the community in coping with death and grief. It analyzes how traditional culture and modern digital technology help individuals achieve emotional repair and social reconstruction through different forms of support. By combining psychological and sociological theories, including Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's “Five Stages of Grief” and Arnold Van Genep's “Ritual Transition theory,” the emotional transformation mechanism in the grieving process has been revealed. This thesis deeply analyzes two traditional rituals, the Zhongyuan festival in …

Hooves, Paws, And Patriarchy: Reimagining A Multispecies Society In Late Chosŏn Korea, Jenny Paszik

Theses - ALL

In late Chosŏn Korea, domesticated animals were more than passive fixtures of human society and culture, but rather active participants in the negotiation of social power dynamics. This paper proposes a species-inclusive reading of Chosŏn society, focusing on the eighteenth century, to expand our understanding from a patriarchal system to a kyriarchal framework. This thesis examines how horses, dogs, and sacrificial animals were enmeshed in intersecting hierarchies of gender and social class in urban and peripheral spaces. I argue that while interactions and conceptions of animals were shaped by the prevailing Confucian worldview, these relationships also worked reciprocally to reinforce, …

Reckoning With An Icon: Exploring The Activism Of Mĩcere Githae Mũgo, Erica Charles Kiduko

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the activism of Mĩcere Gīthae Mũgo, a distinguished Kenyan literary scholar, playwright, and feminist, whose works remain a vital part of twentieth and twenty-first century liberational struggles across Africa and the diaspora. Through a critical analysis of her literary projects, academic work, and political engagements, this study explores how Mũgo’s intellectual interventions challenged colonial, postcolonial, and patriarchal structures. It draws on feminist, Pan-Africanist, and decolonial theoretical frameworks, to situate career struggles for intellectual freedom, gender justice, and cultural reclamation. The thesis investigates foundational elements of Mugo activism, employing a multi-method qualitative approach: that includes textual analysis, oral …

In Remembrance Of Culture And Heritage: An Examination Of Taino And West African Cultures As It Pertains To Puerto Rico, Marguerita Malina Cruz-Urbanc

Theses - ALL

The Caribbean is made up of many different cultures and peoples, and Puerto Rico is specifically influenced by history, culture, and legacy from the Taínos, West Africans, and Spanish. Throughout history, Spanish heritage was more highly valued, while the Taíno and African heritage, integral to the culture of Puerto Rico, were undervalued. The focus of this research is an examination of the cultural landscape of Puerto Rico and its origins, extending back to the indigenous Taínos who first lived on the island, to the enslaved West Africans who were forcibly brought across the Atlantic Ocean to replace the dwindling Taíno …

Black Filmmaking As Archival Practice, Caroline Charles

Dissertations - ALL

Black Filmmaking as Archival Practice argues that cinema has offered Black cultural workers a generative space to creatively challenge the constraints of traditional archival repositories. I claim that Black filmmakers participate in a tradition of Black archival practice; they intervene in dominant collections and utilize their materials to create filmic counter-histories that negotiate the archive’s limits and attend to Black humanity, life, and memory. I engage with a diverse constellation of late twentieth and early-twenty-first century films that consider archives of Black social movement, abject images, enslavement and portraiture, Black queer and trans existence, and Black family photography. Through historical …

Consider The Culture: The Role Of Local Engagement In Global Conservation, Nicole Bailey

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper discusses global conservation efforts, making a case for community-led conservation on the bases of efficacy and long-term sustainability. As environmental conservation grows ever-important, it’s imperative that the people local to these efforts are holistically integrated into the conservation work and considered as the stakeholders they are. Local human interests are a key condition to assess when aiming for lasting, practical conservation. This paper opens with a look at the reforestation of Gunung Palung National Park as a case study of successful community-led conservation. Chapter 1 outlines the harm of environmental degradation and habitat loss through quantitative data. Here, …

What Modren Dental Dna Sequencing And Tooth Analysis Combined With Historical Context Can Tell Us About The Human Experience, Brynn Butko

D.U.Quark

Dental DNA extraction and visual analysis of teeth are subjects that aid many different research fields. Odontal analysis, specifically combined with forensic science and anthropology, allows for age and sex estimations, the identification of remains, and an in-depth historical account of human history. Because tooth analysis is utilized in various fields, a lack of uniform protocol for handling, analyzing, and extracting teeth persists. This review will explore the methods of dental analysis, the individual dental characteristics that identify age and sex in remains, and a depiction of the past through tooth evaluation. Creating a standardized protocol for the process of …

Reproductive Justice In Motion: Community Doula Work In Central New York, Mariel Rivera-Piluso

Dissertations - ALL

My research is focuses on the role of Black Community-Based Doulas (CBDs) and CBDs of color and the ways in which their work shifted reproductive and maternal health experiences for Black birthing people and birthing people of color in Central New York. Through ethnographic research, I concentrated on two CBD organizations in Syracuse, NY, Village Birth International (VBI) and Doula 4 a Queen (D4Q). Methodologically, I implement participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and digital ethnography to foster consideration and support the continuing efforts of community-based solutions to maternal and reproductive inequities communities of color face in the United States. I focus …

The Politics Of Artisanal And Small-Scale Gold Mining (Asgm) In Tanzania In The 21st Century., Eliud Atugonza Kabamanya

Theses - ALL

This study investigates the politics of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in 21st-century Tanzania, focusing on the organization of miners towards access to key resources, namely land, capital, markets, geological information, technology, and examining environmental degradation, health, and safety concerns affecting miners and surrounding communities. Grounded in historical and dialectical materialism, the research traces ASGM’s evolution from the pre-colonial period through colonial exclusions, post-independence reforms, and neoliberal restructuring. The study employs qualitative methods, including interviews, field observations, and document analysis, conducted over two months across key mining sites in Tanzania. Findings reveal that ASGM is shaped by systemic exclusion, …

University Of Mississippi 172nd Commencement, Class Of 2025, University Of Mississippi, Glenn F. Boyce, Noel E. Wilkin, A. J. Brown

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Nurse Confidence In Labor Pain Management And Respectful Maternity Care Through Implementation Of The Coping With Labor Algorithm, Diane Johnson, Amy Murlowski

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects: College of Nursing

Objective: The objective of this project was to implement the Coping with Labor Algorithm in the labor and delivery setting and study its impact on nurse self-efficacy and on birthing persons’ experiences.

Design: A quasi-experimental pre- and post-design was used for this project.

Setting: The project was conducted in a maternity unit with six labor beds located in the Midwest.

Methods: This project was conducted over twelve weeks. Twenty-five registered nurses were provided in-person education, access to educational materials, and training on how to use the Coping with Labor Algorithm. A pre-test was administered before the unit implementation of the …

The Tests Of Time: An Examination Of Contemporary Indigenous Artwork On Display In Southern Museums, Gwendolyn R. Pfrenger

Honors Theses

This paper examines current practices in three Southern museums of varying sizes and missions as they relate to the curation and display of Indigenous art. Specifically, the paper aims to investigate the place of contemporary Native art in art and anthropology museums: How does display vary across the two disciplines? What is its role, now that cultural institutions are becoming more progressive and making a stronger push toward representing artists from minority groups? This is a fairly new area of study, especially for art history, so much of what is discussed here is drawn from art historians, anthropologists, and museum …

Interactions Between The Deaf Community And Healthcare, Sarah E. Mcfadden

Honors Theses

Background.

This study investigates the issues regarding interactions between the Deaf community and healthcare, focusing on communication barriers, negative experiences, and inaccessibility to health information. Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines requiring healthcare offices to provide interpreters, many health care professionals (HCPs) do not comply for various reasons. The alternatives to an interpreter create gaps in conditions, treatment plans, or post-appointment care.

Methods.

This study involved a review of existing literature and interviews with Deaf individuals and HCPs, including a physician, nurse practitioner, dentist, and registered nurse. The interviewed HCPs work in various settings.

Results. …

Cardiovascular Disparities In Mississippi: A Sociological Study Of Heart Health Literacy Among University Students, Laney Etheridge

Honors Theses

Mississippi ranks among the worst states in the United States for cardiovascular health, with high rates of heart disease, obesity, and hypertension. This thesis examines how race and gender influence heart health literacy and behavioral practices among University of Mississippi students. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this study combines quantitative survey data from a stratified random sample of 1,000 students with qualitative interviews from a public health professional specializing in cardiovascular health and a student heavily involved with on-campus heart health programs. The findings suggest that disparities in heart health literacy both align and differ with broader social stratification patterns observed …

The Rapsody Syllabus: Rescripting The Erasure Of Black Women And Black Women Educators Through Rapsody’S Album Eve, Eghosa Obaizamomwan-Hamilton

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

This syllabus explores the connections between Rapsody’s album and the experiences of Black women, with an emphasis on education. Much like Black women in education, Rapsody 's talents are often obscured and minimized. Her album “Eve ” is a love letter to Black women and serves as a mirror for Black women educators. This syllabus centers on Black women and highlights the beauty and magic of our presence within oppressive institutions. It works to amplify and extend the nonfungible existence of Black women, the humanization of our voices and words as sacred texts, and illuminate our ever-evolving contributions. Black women’s …

2025 Craft Academy Senior Send-Off Program, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

The Morehead State University 2025 Craft Academy Senior Send-Off Program from May 9, 2025.

"Cultural Identity And Economic Challenges": The Socio-Economic Impact Of The Texas Kickapoo Reservation In The South Texas Borderlands, Diana P. Medina-Rendon

Theses and Dissertations

The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas holds a significant place in Texas history. Facing conflicts with other tribes and experiencing broken treaties with the United States government, the Kickapoo slowly migrated from the Great Lakes region in the 16th century to the Midwest, then to the South, and into northern Mexico. Along the way, the Kickapoo encountered the French, British, Spanish, Americans, Texans, and Mexicans. They became involved in historical events such as the French and Indian War, the Battle of Tippecanoe, the War of 1812, the Battle Creek Massacre of 1838, and the Battle of Dove Creek of 1865. …

The Digital Dilemma: How Social Media Is Affecting Our Emotional Well-Being, Jasim Aymen Khaleefah, Ban Yousif Yaaqoob

Al-Nisour Journal for Medical Sciences

Internet and Social media have become an essential part of our daily routine, allowing us to connect and be close with others, share information, and engage in various activities. Nevertheless, the extensive use of social media has raised many questions about its influence on our health and emotional well-being. The purpose of this review is to provide an in-depth analysis of the literature on how social media distresses our emotional well-being. Current review was conducted by investigating existing literature, the works was obtained through searches on academic databases, including PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. The literature found that social networking …

Student Honors And Awards Program 2025, Communications And Marketing

UMM Honors and Awards Ceremony

Recognizing students who demonstrate academic excellence and enrich campus life

Sjsu Erfa Board Minutes, April 7, 2025, San Jose State University, Emeritus And Retired Faculty Association

SJSU ERFA Minutes

SJSU ERFA Executive Board Minutes

April 7, 2025

A Raced Theology Of The Human Person: An Expanded Theological Anthropology, Cary W. Dabney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on race as a critical, yet largely unaddressed, topic in Catholic theological anthropology. In Catholic colleges and universities that are recognized as members of the Cardinal Newman Society, theological concerns about race are deemed irrelevant for theological education in the faith and are altogether absent from the theology of the human person. As a result, this collection of institutions treats race as a specialty within pastoral theology, one that is significant to groups, but not a part of the fundamental theology of the human person. This ‘un-raced’ theological anthropology results in the institution’s inability to respond effectively …

Entropy And Incarnation In The Duchamp Room: An Inquiry Into Aesthetic Time, Jesse Goodman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the posthumous installation of Marcel Duchamp, Étant donnés, as a test case for how particularly historically situated artworks may or may not change over time. It begins with an overview of Duchamp’s biography, and his own theories of art’s relationship to temporality (which influenced the piece’s construction). It then moves through contrasting accounts of aesthetic time from Adorno and Robert Smithson. Section two works with Walter Benjamin’s writing on photography and aura to produce an account of estrangement between the piece and the viewing subject induced by the historical development of the artwork’s “translation” and “replication”—through …

The Contribution Of Catholic Compromise Principles In Global Health, Scott N. Helstad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Roman Catholic tradition has developed comprehensive ethical principles to address complex practical scenarios that encounter foundational value compromises. These are referred to as compromise principles and they have both a narrow and a broad focus. Narrowly, these compromise principles are critical for Catholic healthcare organizations in the United States with regard to the guidelines of the US Bishops in their Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. More broadly, these compromise principles are relevant in the secular realm regarding global health. This dissertation examines these varying perspectives, hence its title, “The Contribution of Catholic Compromise Principles …

Hospital Organizations’ Obligation To Promote Spiritual Well-Being Among Nurses: Development Of A Normative Ethical Argument, Michael Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an innovative strategy to promote the support of nurses' spirituality within hospital organizations. By focusing on the spiritual well-being of nurses by hospital organizations, with a natural extension into nursing schools, the approach aims to enhance nurse’s ability to protect their own spirituality, provide comprehensive spiritual care to patients, and increase nurse moral resilience. By investing in nurses' spirituality and spiritual growth, hospitals can potentially increase job satisfaction among nursing staff, improve patient care outcomes, and create a more holistic healing environment for both nurses and patients. As the nursing shortage continues and the number of nurses …

Kenneth Burke's Epideictic Rhetoric Of Science, Andri Kosasih

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses Kenneth Burke’s challenges, notions, and perspectives on modern science and how we should view, utilize, and apply science to our lives. This project argues that we need more than the rhetoric of science; we need an epideictic rhetoric of science. The term epideictic is important because the encounter between science and society creates a tension between maintaining and changing beliefs. Because science involves belief and is itself a belief, every time we engage with science, it demands a verdict from us: to believe or to reject it. On the other hand, as we seek to maintain our …

Race, Racialization, & Rehabilitation: Intersectional Insights Into The Cuban Revolution’S Campaign To Eliminate Prostitution, Alyssa Garcia

PALARA: Publication of the Afro-Latin/American Research Association

No abstract provided.

Establishment Of Six Flags Over The Deconstruction Of Sandtown, John Ely

Master's Theses

Development, both private and public, has played a crucial role in the knowledge that historians can take from the land, but the desire to build quickly ultimately destroyed many sites before they were properly studied. The Chattahoochee River, along with almost all the other rivers and streams in the Southeast, supported not only survival but civilization. Unfortunately, almost the entire catalog of scholarly sources regarding these places was written by men of European descent, and these writers rarely discuss the details regarding the fate of the sites that were destroyed in the name of industry. Sandtown was an almost mythic …