Digital Commons Network^™

Melodramatic Joy In Ibrahim Nasrallah’S Trilogy Of The Bells, Adam V. Spanos

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

This essay argues that absurdist humor, so often theorized as a challenge to metaphysical and identitarian claims, in fact supports such claims within the context of anticolonial nationalist melodrama. In his Trilogy of the Bells [2019], Palestinian writer Ibrahim Nasrallah uses the conventions of melodrama to make an epistemological claim specific to Palestinian experience. Confronting a regime that has been largely successful in determining the internationally accepted common sense about the conflict, Nasrallah aims to present the external world with a narrative of Palestinian history, experience, and aspirations. The Manichean distinctions, spectacular displays of pathos, and manifestations of suppressed secrets …

The Enduring Significance Of Nuanced Ideological Voting In The Supreme Court Of Canada, C. L. Ostberg, Matthew E. Wetstein

Osgoode Hall Law Journal

THE CHARTER REVOLUTION IN CANADA has ushered in a new era of politics on the Supreme Court of Canada that places the Court at the centre of controversial policy questions that are fundamental to a democratic society. Through its early Charter rulings, the Court advanced a host of rights and liberties claims resulting in the charge that it had become far more activist. This shift exemplifies a broader pattern occurring across high courts around the world in the late twentieth century that some scholars describe as the growing judicialization of politics. The Court’s increased role in reviewing government policy has …

From Heroic Imagination To Belonging-Focused Healing: A Tribute To Philip Zimbardo, Agnieszka Wilczynska

Heroism Science

This article offers a reflective account of the Polish adaptation of the Heroic Imagination Project (HIP), a global educational initiative founded by Philip Zimbardo to promote everyday heroism through psychological awareness. As HIP took root in Poland, we developed a robust infrastructure of certified trainers, academic collaborators, and educational centers, reaching over 250 schools and 800 educators. Grounded in core psychological principles -- such as the bystander effect, social conformity, and prejudice -- the program empowered participants to resist negative social influences and cultivate moral courage. The experience also gave rise to Belonging Focus Therapy (BFT), a psychobiological and sociocultural …

Varieties And Domains: A Syncretic Synthesis Of Law And Justice In India ( Including A Special Emphasis On Alternate Dispute Resolution), Amrith Bhargav B

Theses and Dissertations

From the abstract idea of Dharma that enabled the practice and sustenance of local custom and usage, law was defined without verbiage but in meanings and understandings. In the colonial age, law was constantly being defined and codified not just textually, but through projects of economies of politics, knowledge and power in a way that their transactional metrics produced social and cultural genres that changed India forever. In that state of play, lawyers and their associated players contributed to the emerging culture of power and dominance with their tool of making the law through cases and mainstreamed the colonial legal …

Benefits And Impact Of Global And Bilingual Education: Dual Master’S Degree In Spanish Language And Culture For Educators, Diana Meza, Felix Wang, Yenisei Montes De Oca

International Journal on Responsibility

The dual master’s degree program in Spanish Language and Culture (SLC) for educators represents a pioneering initiative, emphasizing internationalization and global education through collaboration between James Madison University (JMU) and the University of Salamanca (USAL). This program addresses the escalating demand for bilingual education and the growing population of Spanish speakers in the educational landscape of the United States. The SLC program highlights educators’ responsibility to engage with and promote cultural and linguistic diversity by supporting bilingualism and cultural literacy in diverse communities where Spanish is widely used, particularly in regions where Spanish-speaking populations are marginalized. The program offers the …

Breaking The Odds: A Gendered Analysis Of Women And Gambling Behaviors, Rowland Edet

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Gambling is increasingly recognized as a complex public health issue with wide-ranging implications for individuals, families, and communities. While traditionally male-dominated, recent shifts reveal a growing participation among women, facilitated by gender-specific gambling products, targeted marketing, and evolving societal norms. This paper critically examines the prevalence, motivations, and harms associated with gambling among women, drawing on theoretical perspectives such as social capital theory, cultural geography, and gender role theory. By synthesizing existing literature, this review highlights distinct gendered patterns in gambling behaviors, including the use of gambling as a coping mechanism for stress, isolation, and caregiving burdens, and the role …

The Development And Psychometric Properties Of Climate Change Awareness Scale Among Higher Education Students, Şuay Nilhan Açikalin, Şefika Şule Erçeti̇n, Nihan Potas, Mehmet Sabir Çevik

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Higher education has a pragmatic and educational approach to mitigating climate change and solving environmental challenges by enhancing awareness. Therefore, the study aims to develop a scale in a survey model to measure higher education students' awareness of climate change. The study group comprises higher education students enrolled at Public Universities in Ankara during the 2023-2024 academic year. For data analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, convergent and divergent (discriminant) validity, item analysis, and reliability analysis were employed. The scale was rigorously validated through exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and other measures. As a result of the exploratory …

Intercultural Communication

Communication Research Trends

For the survival and development of important human values, the study of intercultural communication may be one of the critical areas of communication research. One has only to witness "Kojak" and "Starsky and Hutch" bouncing off satellites into the intimacy of minds and homes in cultures of India and Thailand to realize this. Vendors of communication technology are rushing to pen a Pandora's box of influences which may erode cultural ideals created over thousands of years. Once again we are not prepared to cope with the human and social implications of communication technology.

But the focus of research in intercultural …

Seoul’S Soul: A Study Of Drag Culture’S Influence On Queer Young Adult’S Education In South Korea, Ian Sollender

Capstone Collection

Drag performance has long been considered a site of artistic expression, political resistance, and community-building within LGBTQ+ spaces. This capstone research project explores the educational impact of drag culture in Seoul, South Korea, with a particular focus on how drag performances serve as a pedagogical and educational tool that challenges gender norms, fosters queer community, and provides a platform for political discourse. Through qualitative analysis of participant observation, bilingual Korean and English survey responses, and in-depth English interviews with drag performers, performance organizers, and audience members, this research highlights the ways in which drag can function as a site of …

Let Us Break Bread Together: A Historical Analysis Of African American Chefs’ Influence On American Gastronomy, Danielle S. King

Capstone Collection

This Capstone project examines the historical impact of African American chefs on American gastronomy, highlighting their substantial contributions to the nation's culinary heritage from 1619 to 2024. By employing Jessica B. Harris's book High on the Hog as a foundation, the research identifies a critical gap in existing study abroad programs: the Black diaspora within the United States. The proposed four-week educational program aims to immerse participants in African American culinary heritage across four culturally rich cities: Charleston, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois, and Oakland, California. With a community cultural wealth framework, the program integrates historical research, hands-on …

Race-Neutral Pft: Implementing Patient Activation Measure Following Race- Neutral Pulmonary Function Testing, Ann M. Way

Dissertations

Abstract

Background

The introduction of a race-neutral equation to predict normal values on pulmonary function testing (PFT) has led to changes in the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases previously diagnosed using a race specific equation. Minority patients appear to be most likely impacted by this change, potentially impacting how they self-manage their pulmonary health. Patient self-management can be measured and assessed by using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) tool.

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to assess patient activation levels amongst minority patients with a new or changed pulmonary diagnosis to identify a possible need for interventions to improve patient …

Exploring The Impact Of The Emergency Department Built Environment On Physician Workplace Stress: A Qualitative Study Utilizing High-Fidelity Virtual Reality, J Matthew Fields, Alan Price, Billie Faircloth, Eden Blas, Marah Sakkal, Sabrina Naumovski, Robert Ries, Callum Hamilton, Kit Elsworth, Morgan Hutchinson, Bon Ku, Christopher Connock, Jennifer Kahoud

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: Physician burnout in emergency medicine has serious consequences. An underrecognized stressor for physicians may be the emergency department (ED) environment itself. EDs can be noisy and chaotic, lack natural light, and have challenging layouts that create patient care and safety concerns. This study examines the relationship between the ED-built environment and physician workplace stress.

METHODS: A qualitative study of ED-attending physicians from a level I trauma center ED in Philadelphia was conducted. Participants underwent a semistructured interview followed by a walkthrough of a high-fidelity virtual reality (VR) simulation of the participant's ED. In the VR simulation, they rated the …

Everyday Life In The U.S.: An Intersectional Approach To A North Korean Refugee Woman’S Identities, And Experiences, Lyounghee Kim

Communication ETDs

This dissertation examines everyday experiences of a North Korean refugee woman in the U.S., centering her narratives as sites of critique, resistance, and meaning-making. Grounded in Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and Critical Intercultural Communication and framed by intersectionality, it explores how interlocking structures of power shape and are shaped by her life. Rather than focusing solely on trauma or assimilation, this study highlights her digital storytelling, faith, and mutual aid practices as acts of survival, dignity, and moral agency. Using a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach grounded in critical reflexivity, it thematically analyzes her stories to reveal how she …

Bias In The News

Communication Research Trends

Over the past 100 to 150 years, print and now broadcast news have built an image as the vital support of democratic public decision-making. Journalists have presented themselves as the watchdog of government, a Fourth Estate. The ideals of freedom of the press and objectivity of news are revered as sacred institutions.

Current research on newsmaking is questioning profoundly the validity of these claims. Some researchers conclude that the snippets ofinformation in the evening news cover over deeper issues and only create an illusion of being informed. TV news is increasingly designed as entertainment, little different &om the soaps that …

Anticipation And Aesthetics After Automation, Tanya Ravn Ag

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

This paper explores generative technology’s ongoing aesthetic evolution through the lens of anticipation. It proposes anticipation as an alternative perspective to automation to understand the implications of generative technology in relation to aesthetic production and evolution. By focusing on anticipation, the discussion shifts from merely considering AI’s impact on aesthetics as instrumental to creative production to examining the anticipative behaviors and affective responses these technologies develop, engage, and cultivate through our interactions with them. Understanding generative technology as anticipatory highlights how deeply human and cultural expectations influence the design, recursive adaptation, and future anticipations of AI systems. Viewing our engagements …

Television's Influence On Cultures

Communication Research Trends

It is widely assumed by the public, broadcasters and some communication researchers that television has caused major shifts in contemporary world view and values. McLuhan introduced the notion that the form of the medium itself- the simultaneous sound and vision - has brought about a new intuitive, holistic pattern of thinking. For McLuhan, the generation gap is the product of a television generation. Gerbner sees television as the central cultural arm of American society. Like a religion, it is the chief source of repetitive and ritualised symbol systems cultivating the consciousness of mass publics.

Others think that the process is …

The Language Of Film And Television

Communication Research Trends

An increasing number of people receive most of their news, entertainment and even religious inspiration through the visual media of film, television or illustrated magazines. We all "watch" television.James Monaco notes that some cats watch television attentively! But how well do we grasp the specific language of the visual media?

In countries such as the U.S., there is evidence that the post-1950 generation that has grown up with television has a pattern of thinking more attuned to the visual than to print media. Yet, some cross-cultural studies suggest that many American children, for all of the long hours of TV …

Savoring The Seaweeds: Health And Sustainability Through Creole Foods, Roxanna Belleau

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

Incorporating kelp into American diets offers a promising avenue for enhancing nutrition and environmental sustainability. Despite its nutritional richness and ecological benefits as a "superfood" and carbon sink, cultural resistance presents a barrier to its widespread acceptance. This study delves into kelp's nutritional content and ecological advantages, exploring its potential to reshape dietary habits. Drawing insights from interviews and surveys, cultural norms emerge as a significant obstacle to kelp's integration into American cuisine. Strategies inspired by successful culinary adaptations, such as creole dishes, are proposed to navigate these challenges and shift societal perceptions. Furthermore, integrating kelp into familiar American foods …

The Challenge Of Cable Television

Communication Research Trends

Cable television is at least thirty years old, yet it is still talked of as a new communications medium. Why? Optimists say because it has yet to realise its multi-channel potential to enrich and diversify television programming. Even better, cable will provide the citizen with a host of interactive information, educational, and transaction services.

Sceptics see cable offering old programming in new packages. They ask: Will only the well-off benefit? Who will control cable systems? Can privacy be protected? Does cable TV damage public service broadcasting? What do we really want cable for?

In many countries cable is on the …

Questioning In Contested Spaces And Cultural Currents In Popular Culture And Pedagogy: Book Bans, Music, Horror And Poetry, Anna Cohenmiller

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Questioning in contested spaces and cultural currents in popular culture and pedagogy: Book bans, music, horror and poetry

How do the texts we encounter affect, and reflect, the cultures in which we live? How about the educational spaces and the communities we inhabit? How might we engage with popular culture texts to better understand today, and create more inclusive futures?

Constructing Victims And Perpetrators: A Textual Analysis Of Media Discourses On Sexual Violence, Farah Ali

Global Language Studies Faculty publications

Sexual violence has become increasingly visible in the public eye, which has in turn prompted scholarly research across disciplines to critically examine how such cases are handled, ranging from the investigation processes to how the accused and accusing parties are impacted. Linguistic research in particular has made an important contribution to our understanding of the role of language in interpreting and evaluating sexual violence by focusing on the narrations of specific cases. Yet linguistic perspectives are somewhat sparse with regard to mass media discourse, which can play an influential role in shaping discussions on sexual violence. This study examines discourse …

Ruptured Atlas: A Trauma-Informed Approach To Spatial Storytelling For Survivors Of Genocide (The Case For Yazidis In Iraq), Sana Murrani, Kimbal Bumstead, Zoe Paris, Ghazi Murad Ismael, Jameela Rasho, Omeed Khider Joqey

School of Art, Design and Architecture

The Ruptured Atlas project (December 2023 – December 2024) employs innovative, participatory mapping techniques to document the complex spatial and lived experiences of the Yazidi community in the aftermath of the genocide perpetrated by ISIS, which commenced in August 2014. This collaborative effort involves 15 Yazidi researchers and key partners, culminating in an online atlas and a trauma-informed policy toolkit. Designed to influence housing and migration policies in both Iraq and the UK, the project prioritises trauma-informed practices and community empowerment. The online atlas was not only a conceptual device, but a vital visual tool, enabling participants to represent trauma …