Digital Commons Network^™

Introduction: The Geographies Of Star Trek, Mark Alan Rhodes Ii, Fiona M. Davidson, Hannah C. Gunderman

The Geographical Bulletin

There are relatively few media products that can compete with Star Trek in terms of longevity and cultural saturation . First introduced to audiences in 1966, the franchise now encompasses more than fifty years, six television series, thirteen films, countless spin-off novels and ancillary books, multiple annual international fan conventions and an enduring place in the popular culture lexicon of the English language—a remarkable feat for a television show that almost never made it to the screen and, even when it did, was canceled for poor ratings after just three seasons . San Francisco served as both the site of …

Owning The Future: Manifest Destiny And The Vision Of American Hegemony In Star Trek, Fiona M. Davidson

The Geographical Bulletin

As one of the most enduring television franchises of the late 20th century, Star Trek has had an unparalleled influence on the popular culture representation of humanity’s future as ultimately utopian . In this paper, however, I argue that even as the on-screen text of Star Trek was condemning the narrow parochial interests of nationalism, greed, xenophobia and fear, the narrative subtext throughout the fifty years of the franchise supported the idea of the expansion of western hegemonic power . The paper utilizes examples from all f ive series and the thirteen films to illustrate the ways in which western …

Leon Yacher: Scholar, Mentor, And Eclectic Geographer, Michael S. Devivo

The Geographical Bulletin

As Kenzer (2001) has noted, “unlike practitioners in other academic fields, when it comes to the intellectual history of our discipline, geographers love to dabble .” However, examining this dabbling has normally been restricted to examining the contributions of faculty in Ph .D .-granting departments . Indeed, our discipline’s history is rich, but written accounts are incomplete, for the voices of geographers serving in undergraduate programs at colleges and universities of little prestige have for the most part been silent . These programs are housed in institutions that are home to the vast majority of academic geographers, many of whom …

Outbidding With Ontology: Routine, Rebel Justice, And The Competition For Legitimacy, Patrick A. Schmidt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Civil wars upset the everyday routines and relationships of ordinary people. Though recent research into civil wars has significantly increased the degree of study into non-conflict activities of rebel groups, particularly in rebel governance, rebel groups have not yet been seen as ontological security providers, capable of developing and reinstating some form of normalcy for civilian populations. This thesis seeks to promote this view of rebel groups, theorizing that rebel justice systems serve as a distinct space for insurgents to routinize interactions with civilians and signal their desire and ability to serve as capable providers of ontological security. Further, I …

The Lumbee Tribe And Mmiwg2s: How A Crisis Hides Behind Unreported Data, Daniel Oxendine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) crisis has existed since European settlers first came to the continent and has the potential to affect all Indigenous communities in the United States (Schilling 2018). Despite what federal data shows, I argue that the MMIWG2S crisis affects the Lumbee Tribe based on conversations on MMIWG2S that are coming from the Lumbee community. The primary objective of this thesis research project has been to conduct exploratory research through a case study to understand how the MMIWG2S crisis affects the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. I use the critical lenses of …

Rural Cervical Cancer Survivors’ Experiences Of Gender Roles: An Application Of Social Constructionism, Olivia K. Pointer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural cervical cancer survivors, or individuals with a form of cancer that originated in the cervix of the reproductive system, may be uniquely impacted by socially constructed gender roles. The present study utilized the term “females” to describe those who self-identify as having a cervix, which may include cisgender, transgender, intersex, and non-binary gender identities. Rural females have been indicated to hold salience in traditional gender expectations as partners, mothers, community members, and more, which may add survivorship complexity for cervical cancer survivors within this population by to attempting to fulfill gender roles to the pre-cancer level. Moreover, rural cervical …

An Archaeological Exploration Of Fatty's Place And Its Contribution To Early Tourism In The Garden Of The Gods, Aaron Anthony Acosta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Garden of the Gods Park, east of Gateway Rocks, Edwin “Fatty” Rice owned and operated a business that sold curios and offered amenities to visiting tourists. Fatty’s Place was the only establishment of its kind to exist on the grounds of the park. However, not much recognition has been given to Rice’s contribution to tourism in the Garden. This thesis uses archaeological exploration, especially ground-penetrating radar, framed by place theory to shed light on Rice’s involvement in the advent of tourism within the park. By providing three narratives, Rice’s place as imagined, as remembered, and as built, the …

Baby Dust: A Narrative Analysis Of Infertility Journeys On Youtube, Patricia Carrillo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infertility is a distressing experience for those diagnosed and often exacerbated by engagement with biomedical treatments. This thesis is an exploration of infertility “journeys” posted on YouTube. Through a narrative analysis of 8 YouTube channels, several key themes were identified, specifically embodiment of the infertility label, barriers to treatment, and agency. This work uses the mindful body framework to look at how the individual body, social body, and body politic shape and reinforce these themes in the context of biomedical infertility treatment. These findings suggest infertility is a dynamic and distressing experience but by engaging in the narrative process, through …

Dental Modification Among The Classic Maya Of Chac Balam And San Juan, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Katherine Kelly

Honors Theses

Perceptions of beauty and health are embedded within everyday actions, even a simple smile. How do dental modification practices among the Classic Maya from Ambergris Caye, Belize relate to these perceptions and a person’s identity and status? This thesis analyzes the practice of notching, filing, and placing inlays in maxillary incisors and canines through a qualitative analysis of Classic period AD 250-1000 Maya teeth from the sites of San Juan and Chac Balam. A lack of patterns related to sex, socioeconomic status, and the type of modification in the dentition of five individuals, including two males, two females and one …

The Intersection Of Consensual Non-Monogamy, Black Identity, And Power Dynamics: A Review And Proposal For Therapeutic Models, Casey Nelson

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Consensual non-monogamy (CNM) and polyamory are types of relationship structures that differ in many ways from monogamy. CNM is becoming more prevalent (Moors, 2023; Scoats & Campbell, 2022). In the United States and Canada, 1 in 5 people have engaged in some form of CNM (Moors, 2023). As more individuals engage in CNM relationships and potentially seek out couples therapy, therapists will be tasked with assisting individuals navigating relationship distress occurring within these unique relationship structures. There is limited research, or empirically validated, treatment models for working with couples with intersecting identities. To date, there has yet to be an …

Domestic Exertions: Soldier-Servants, Military Elites, And Securitized Labor In India, Taveeshi Singh

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation explores the politics of gender, labor, national security, and social class in India through an examination of a coercive domestic labor regime in the Indian Army. Previous scholarship has focused on the neoliberal state-sponsored global care chains and immigrant women workers from formerly colonized nations, many in Asia, catering to wealthy ‘civilian’ households in the global North. However, little is known about the roles, relationalities, and infrastructures of servitude, inhabited primarily by racialized men, that endure within the domestic life of postcolonial state institutions long after the retreat of European colonial regimes. I present an intervention by providing …

Analysis Of Networks Using Hypergraph Centrality Measures And Other Properties, Sathyanarayanan G

Theses and Dissertations

Network analysis explores the connections between nodes and evaluates their characteristics across diverse fields such as biological, chemical, social networks and so on. Identifying key nodes within a network is crucial for grasping how information spreads, which has significant applications across multiple fields. This includes studying disease transmission, managing rumours, understanding social leadership, enhancing viral marketing strategies, and monitoring public opinion. Influential nodes play a pivotal role in effectively distributing information throughout the network. The centrality measures are paramount in network analysis that uses various metrics to evaluate the importance of the node. The centrality predicts the characteristics and significance …

Rage Against The Archive: Institutional Critique Through New Media Art, Anshul Roy

Theses - ALL

In this paper, I discuss my encounter with the colonial lens of photography in the New York Public Library’s digital archives, which culminated in my thesis project Rage Against the Archive, comprising of video, performance and new media art that critically engages with the question of visual ethics and how institutional archives should display and disseminate certain historical images online. Each chapter in this paper details a significant paradigm shift I encountered during my MFA that transformed my creative practice into a research-based conceptual approach. I draw on scholarship related to photography in colonial India, archives, institutional critique, electronic civil …

The Shaping Of Masculinity In Jamaica: A Historical Perspective, Jovanne Josephine O'Connor

Theses - ALL

ABSTRACT Jamaica, strategically located in the Western Caribbean, has historically been a coveted prize for European colonial powers due to its geopolitical positioning and reliance on tourism and agriculture (The World Factbook 2023, pg. 23). This research delves into the complex dynamics of masculinity in Jamaica, exploring how historical, cultural, and socioeconomic factors intersect to shape gender identities and behaviors. The colonial history of Jamaica, transitioning from Spanish to English rule, has left indelible marks on its culture, including language and social hierarchies. The evolution of Jamaican Patois reflects a history of linguistic and cultural exchange, serving as a marker …

Evolution On High: A Comparison Of The Physiology And Narrative Representation Of Two Native High Altitude Populations, Taylor Shay Harman

Dissertations - ALL

Abstract This dissertation is an interdisciplinary study of human adaptation to high altitude. High altitude environments are known for being very difficult places for humans to live, for several reasons, but especially because they are characterized by low ambient oxygen tension, i.e., hypoxia. In spite of these challenges, there are several human populations that have lived at high altitude for tens of thousands of years. The two best-characterized highland populations, Andeans and Tibetans, have both been shown to perform better at high altitude than their lowland counterparts. This is thought to be due to a series of adaptations that have …

The Exhibit And Beyond: Attendees, Collaborating Organizations, And Decision Makers Responding To A Photovoice Project, Cara Dienno, Corey Martz, Lauren Collins, Mimiko Watanabe

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Photovoice aims to impact those who view photographs and stories in culminating exhibits. This multi-phase research project, completed in partnership with city government and community partners, explored photovoice impacts on exhibit attendees, collaborating organizations, and decision-makers. Results show increased levels of awareness, concern, and willingness to take action among exhibit attendees. Additionally, collaborating organizations and decision-makers saw the power of “thicker” public engagement processes, like photovoice, to provide useful data to aid decision-making.

Social Theories And Service Learning: Towards Building An Integrated Service-Learning Sociological Framework, Mark Anthony D. Abenir, Carol Ma Hok Ka

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This theoretical paper anchors service learning (S-L) in three broad sociological theories. From there, discussions on the actual implementation of S-L based on these theories are explained to build an integrated S-L sociological framework. Four S-L modalities of community engagement are identified—namely transactional, transitional, transformational, and transcendental—with their corresponding respective levels of community participation—namely consultative tokenism, placation, partnerships, and citizen control. The application of such a coherent framework is discussed in the context of contemporary service-learning practices and community impact.

Subversive Service Learning: Shifting The Locus Of The Problem, Neriko Musha Doerr

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article introduces subversive service learning, a new type of critical service learning that shifts the locus of the “problem” from the marginalized group to the mainstream society, subverting both mainstream perspectives and the deficit model of a community being “helped.” Inspired by Whiteness studies, it pursues social change through service learning. This article illustrates how this subversive service learning works in three cases from the author’s college 200-level class in Fall 2016.

Institutionalizing Community Engagement: A Quantitative Approach To Identifying Patterns Of Engagement Based On Institutional Characteristics, Natasha Hutson, Travis York, Daesang Kim, Jamie L. Workman

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Community engagement is recognized as a high-impact practice in higher education. However, while best practices in engagement have been broadly accepted, standard metrics for engagement across institutions have not yet been established. The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between community engagement and a variety of institutional characteristics among higher education institutions in a Southeastern state. Findings indicated that a pattern of engagement existed among the 48 participating institutions.

The Family Story Project: Narrative, Ethics, And Community Collaboration Between Ronald Mcdonald House Of Durham Families And Pre-Health Undergraduates, Denise K. Comer

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The Family Story Project (FSP) brought together families at the Ronald McDonald House of Durham (RMHD) and pre-health undergraduates to co-construct narratives and visual portraits about family experiences. FSP shows that narratives can be rewarding for families and offer formative, skill-building experiences for pre-health undergraduates. FSP also demonstrates the ethical complexities surrounding community-university partnerships in health contexts, particularly with vulnerable populations such as children.

Translating Encounters: Connecting Indigenous Young People With Higher Education Through A Transmedia Project, Kristine Alexander, Hudson Eagle Bear, Tesla Heavy Runner, Ashley Henrickson, Taylor Little

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This piece draws on multiple voices to reflect on a collaborative project between universitybased researchers and a local community organization devoted to Indigenous Blackfoot children and their families. The evolution of the project from one based on photoelicitation to one devoted to building a digital storytelling library meant a methodological shift to acknowledge the role of translation in encounters between university researchers and community practitioners, between Elders and youth, and between settlers and Indigenous people. Our experience provides lessons on the importance of taking seriously the moments when difference is encountered and translated during the research and community-building process.

A Decade Of Publishing: On Reflection And Our Future, Catherine Stemmans Paterson

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This article reflects on the tenth anniversary of publishing The Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education. It also describes an upcoming special edition in partnership with Indiana Campus Compact.

Principal Agency 50 Years After The Lau Decision: Building And Sustaining Bilingual Education Programs For Asian Languages, Kevin M. Wong, Zhongfeng Tian

Education Division Scholarship

This study examined how three champion principals of Asian language dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs—Cantonese, Korean, and Mandarin—in California have navigated the oscillating language-in-education policies after the Lau decision. We explored principals' various roles through a lens of agency in a social justice leadership framework, specifically considering the opportunities and challenges for agentive leadership from three different phases: foregrounding and engaging, planning and implementing, and evaluating and sustaining. Findings demonstrate that the success of DLBE programs goes beyond the overarching language policies that supposedly enable bilingual education; rather it hinges on the bottom-up commitment, collaboration and resilience of principals, …

The Politics Of Heritage And Indigeneity In Assam: Hindutva’S Regional Expression, Tahmina Rahman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Stroke Rehabilitation In Urban And Rural Settings In The Philippines: Protocol For An Interview And Visual Elicitation Study, Sarah Ann Buckingham, Alyssa Marie Dar Juan, Sara Demain, June Ann De Vera, Myrna Estrada, Lorraine Hermosura-Faeldon, Bridie Kent, Maria Teresa Sharon Linog, Roy Francis Navea, Fiona Jones

School of Nursing and Midwifery

Introduction There is a lack of community-based rehabilitation for stroke in the Philippines, and research on this topic is limited. Different challenges may be encountered in urban and rural settings. The aim of the Tulong, Ugnayan ng Lingap At gabaY (TULAY) project is to develop a context-appropriate, community-based stroke support programme, consisting of self-management and training resources to augment the rehabilitation and recovery process. An important stage in the development of this programme is to qualitatively explore the experiences and needs of all stakeholders. Materials and methods Using co-designed and evidence-based topic guides, in-depth semi-structured interviews will be conducted with …

Social Experiences, Life Satisfaction, And Social Support Of Immigrant Families With Young Children In A Highly Urban City, Zeynep Isik-Ercan, Huan-Tang Lu, Nicole Edwards, Madji Fall, Latifa Sebti

College of Education Departmental Research

Grounding this study in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, the authors used a survey that includes psychometrically sound measures, to investigate the social experiences of 54 immigrant families with young children and the factors that shape their perceptions of life satisfaction and social support in a highly urban city. Results show persistent challenges related to discrimination and access to resources. Despite these challenges, participants’ overall satisfaction with life was rated high and positively correlated with their comfort with practicing their culture and with their perceived social support. Implications involve the need to design evidence-based policies and programmes that promote immigrant families’ wellbeing.

Enhancing The Efficacy Of Task-Based Grammar Teaching: A Study Through Error Analysis Of Esl Learners At The Tertiary Level, Dhivya P

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of modern methods of teaching grammar and to test the student's learning through activities and games. The objective is to identify the students' grammatical errors regarding prepositions, articles, concord, tenses, and redundancy by practical methods and task-based activities. The study employed Corder’s Error Analysis method to understand the students' language learning process, indicate errors, and identify opportunities to develop learners' language awareness.

A pilot study was conducted involving both pre test and posttest for the students. The primary research involved pre test, posttest and retention tests for the students to evaluate the error …

National Blue Ribbon School Principals’ Descriptions Of Their Leadership Practices, Demere Houston

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 7% of all U. S. K-12 schools have received the United States Department of Education’s (USDOE) National Blue Ribbon (NBR). Information was needed about how leaders prepare their schools to earn this award. This study was focused on the leadership practices of school principals honored with the award between 2005 and 2021 to learn more about this gap in leadership practice. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how NBR-award principals describe the leadership practices that enabled them to build school environments worthy of the highest designation a school can receive from the USDOE. The conceptual …

Unraveling Factors Influencing Local Willingness To Participate In Sustainable Komodo Conservation And Protected Area Tourism, Imelda Masni Juniaty Sianipar, Chun-Hung Lee, Hurng-Jyuhn Wang, Doo-Chul Kim, I Wayan Koko Suryawan

Forest and Society

Komodo National Park is at the forefront of balancing environmental conservation with the challenges and opportunities of sustainable tourism. This research delves into the attitudes and engagement levels of the local communities within Komodo's distinctive ecological context, aiming to unravel the factors that drive or hinder their involvement in sustainable tourism and conservation activities. Through Exploratory Factor Analysis, we distilled key influences on community engagement, followed by a K-Mean Cluster Analysis to segment the community by their involvement levels. Logistic Regression was then employed to explore the likelihood of continued participation in these initiatives. The analysis identified three primary factors …

Unleashing Hegemonic Horizons In Kavita Kane’S Cultural Literary Landscape, Durga R

Theses and Dissertations

Mythology cannot be defined as a set of stories but these stories culturally bind, and make people understand their tradition. It also serves as a conduit of worldview and makes people realise their position in the cosmos. Mythopoeia is the art of myth-making that either a new myth is created or some alterations are made in the point of view or identity of the characters after adapting the framework from the original. The present research aims to explore the presence of cultural hegemony in the select works of the Indian mythopoeic writer Kavita Kane.

Kavita Kane (1966) is a former …