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Missionaries And Magic: Freed People, Conjure And Reformation During Southern Reconstruction, Sanaa Belton

Undergraduate Research Awards

I argue in the pages to follow that during the Reconstruction period, reformation efforts by white northern activists attempted to shift the perception of Conjure from a dangerous yet useful spiritual tradition that served both the enslaved and their enslavers, to a spiritual tradition representative of a savage and backwards African people. Mainstream religious movements of the 1800s, the same movements that contributed to the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s and early 1930s, were centered on the moral reformation of the United States. Missionary societies that branched off from these larger religious movements sent workers into southern states to …

Connecting Mens Rea And Actus Reus: Toward A New Theory Of Correspondence, Elise Sugarman

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

The justifiable imposition of criminal liability requires more than possession of mens rea and performance of an actus reus. A defendant’s mens rea and actus reus must also connect in a particular way. While this is a well-recognized principle in Anglo-American criminal law, the nature of the required connection—“correspondence”—is poorly understood.

This Article identifies three conflicting existent theories of correspondence from the criminal legal literature and from judicial reasoning: contemporaneity theory, actuation theory, and normative theory. According to contemporaneity theory, correspondence requires that mens rea overlap in time with the actus reus. According to actuation theory, correspondence requires that mens …

Leveraging Intellectual Property For Development: Insights From South Korea For Developing Countries, Gracie Alinafe Chimvula

Cybaris®

No abstract provided.

Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Catholic Legal Tradition Perspective, David Mina Ibrahim

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Finding Freudenfreude: Deriving Subjective Well-Being From Passive Observation Of A Relational Tie’S Happiness Via Social Media Post, Alfred Kwabena Obiri, Deborah Aku Shika Pappoe, Elvis Kofi Otoo, Caleb T. Carr

Faculty Publications - Communications

Social media are known for their overly-positive contents posted by diverse network members; but little research has directly explored the effects of individual happy posts on receivers’ well-being. Two original online experiments (Study 1: N = 326 adults in English-speaking countries; Study 2: N = 111 undergraduates in the United States) tested the effects of the desirability of a post’s content on subjective well-being, as well as direct and moderating effects of the relational tie, and additionally moderated by the perceived selective self-presentation of the post. Results of the 2 (envy: high v. low) × 2 (relational closeness: close v. …

Sibling Relationships Within The Context Of Chronic Conditions, Megan M. Sulak

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation explored how siblings and caregivers experience family life when one or more children have a chronic condition, with specific attention to examining what promotes connection, bonadaptation, and resilience among sibling pairs. Interviews with 10 members of 4 families contributed to the development of a grounded theory whose core theme centered on how knowledge often drove sibling relationship quality.  When individuals with chronic conditions, along with their siblings and parents, were able to access accurate knowledge and understanding about their condition, how to navigate fluctuations in health or illness, and the health care system, they reported being better able …

Comorbidity And Violence: What Role Does Resilience Play In Preventing Violent Acts?, Madeline J. Petit

Theses and Dissertations

The conjunction of substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and violence has been shaped through traditional risk-centered models, yet these approaches fail to explain why most individuals do not engage in violent behavior despite being high risk. This study aims to investigate how resilience may buffer the criminogenic effects of comorbidity and help understand the majority of those at risk who remain nonviolent. The data for this study is drawn from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, which consisted of 2.255 person-waves, as the data examined comorbidity across 5 waves, consisting of 451 participants in each wave.Each participant in each wave …

Institutional Retention And Graduation Outcomes Before And During Covid-19: A Comparison Of Online-Experienced And Online-Inexperienced Four-Year Institutions, Nicholas J. Finnessey

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether student success outcomes and their trajectories over time differed across higher education institutions before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic based on prior experience with online education. Guided by Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) framework, pre-pandemic participation in online coursework was conceptualized as an institutional-level environmental condition. A quantitative, causal-comparative research design was employed, using secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), to examine longitudinal differences in institutional retention and graduation rates across institutions classified by their pre-pandemic participation in online education. The sample included 528 Title IV-eligible, degree-granting, four-year institutions observed across five …

Kingsley And The Deliberate Indifference Circuit Split, Kevin Scanlon

Student Works

No abstract provided.

2026 Faculty Summer Seminar - Modern Misenchantments: St. Augustine’S Wisdom For Challenging The Idols Of Consumerism And Nationalism, Center For Catholic Studies, Seton Hall University

Center for Catholic Studies Faculty Seminars and Core Curriculum Seminars

About the 2026 Faculty Seminar - p.6

Josephine De Vito - p.9 The Idolatry of Saint Augustine for College Students

Anthony Haynor - p.12 Checking Idolatry Creep in Catholic Universities

Mark Horowitz - p.20 Can the Universal Church Transcend the Tribal Chimp?

Richard M. Liddy - p.26 Cavanagh’s Distinction and Lonergan’s Intellectual Conversion

Jose Lopez - p.32 Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness Under Pressure

Jon Radwan - p.37 Idolatrous Grasp, Sacramental Encounter: Communication and Contact Before, During and After Babel

Elizabeth Brewer Redwine - p.46 Saint Augustine, Idolatry and Service: A Pedagogical Response

Lisa Rose-Wiles - p.50 Useful …

The Restorative Effects Of Virtual Reality Nature Simulations: An Empirical Investigation, Isabel T. Folger, Yichen Zhang, Kenneth B. Abrams

Psychology Faculty Work

Although extensive research demonstrates that nature films can facilitate recovery from stress and cognitive overload, it remains unclear whether more immersive media, such as virtual reality (VR), are more effective than similar two-dimensional films. The present study examined the effects of immersiveness on affective, cognitive, and physiological restoration. Three levels of immersiveness for film viewing were employed: 2D (computer monitor), standard VR (visual and auditory input), and enhanced VR (standard VR plus olfactory and haptic input). All participants were exposed to parallel versions of a six-minute nature film. We hypothesized that greater immersiveness would produce stronger restorative effects. All versions …

Learning Design To Advance Human-Ai Collaboration In K-12 Education, Wing Sha Chan, Jinhee Kim, Seongryeong Yu, Rita Kay Detrick

STEMPS Faculty Publications

This chapter explores key components for designing effective Human-AI Collaboration (HAC) in K–12 education, addressing the current lack of theoretical and conceptual frameworks for structuring and implementing HAC in teaching and learning. It examines four essential areas: curriculum design, student and teacher–AI interaction, learning environments, and the evolution of HAC over time. The chapter introduces the concept of HAC in K–12 contexts, highlighting how humans and AI can leverage each other's strengths through co-evolutionary processes that foster mutual learning and collaboration. It reviews current HAC practices in schools and discusses their contributions to both teaching and learning. Finally, it presents …

Ele 3280 : Developmental Reading In The Elementary And Middle Schools, K-8, Teaching, Learning, And Foundations

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

J Am Coll Dent 2026 92 2b

Journal of the American College of Dentists

This special issue of the Journal of the American College of Dentists responds to a growing but long-underrecognized demand for humanities and ethics in dental education, practice, and scholarship. It emerges from the work of the National Collaborative on Humanities and Ethics in Dentistry (NCHED), a multi-institutional partnership formed in 2023 to address the persistent exclusion of dentistry from broader health humanities conversations. Through national webinars and scholarly collaboration, NCHED has demonstrated substantial interest in ethical reflection, historical analysis, narrative inquiry, and the arts as essential to understanding oral health and dental care.

The unexpectedly strong response to the call …

Eng 3000 : Multigenre Writing Workshop, English

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

His 4955 : History Of Us Territories, History

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Sed 4335 : Effective Teaching Environments In Secondary Schools, Teaching, Learning, And Foundations

Approved Course Proposals

No abstract provided.

Mission Critical: A Mixed-Methods Study On Strengthening The Ninthgrade Trajectory For At-Risk Students, Jennifer A. Skitromo

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Many adolescents experience difficulties during the transition to high school, which increases the risk of lower academic achievement, higher absenteeism, and behavioral challenges. This mixed-methods Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice examined how educators at the HSI, a Grade 6–12 magnet school in the Northeastern United States, addressed adult practices that hinder students’ transition to ninth grade. Nine educators participated in an eight-week student-centered meeting protocol designed to strengthen collaboration and support ninth-grade students at risk of falling off track toward on-time graduation. Quantitative data included partial-interval observations of participant engagement, pre- and post-test results from the adapted Teacher Collaboration Assessment, …

Enhancing Paraprofessional Self-Efficacy And Skill: The Impact Of Trauma-Informed Professional Learning On Support For Middle School Students With Disabilitie, Betsy Jean Paddock

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice explored the impact of a seven-week professional learning series on trauma-informed practices for paraprofessionals and certified educators supporting Students with Disabilities (SWDs) at Smithville Middle School. Grounded in Adult Learning Theory, Transformative Learning Theory, and Trauma Theory, the study employed a mixed methods design to examine changes in participants’ self-efficacy, trauma literacy, and professional collaboration. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-surveys using the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and the Trauma Literacy Survey (TLS), while qualitative data were gathered through reflective journals and focus group discussions. Quantitative results revealed statistically significant …

Exploring The Impact Of The Video Game Model On Classroom Climate In A High-Achieving High School, W. Michael Mclachlan Iii

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This mixed-methods Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice explored the impact of a six-week professional learning series on the Video Game Model (VGM) on classroom climate in a high-achieving high school. The study measured teacher perceptions of the VGM on student achievement goal orientation, student engagement, and teacher well-being. Using the VGM framework rooted in the neuroscience of motivation, the change idea included six high school English teachers attending focus groups and implementing five VGM lessons. In this convergent mixed-methods study, the researcher merged quantitative data from pre-test and post-test teacher questionnaires with qualitative data from focus group field notes, exit …

Rise: Renew, Inspire, Strengthen, And Empower: A Healing-Centered Affinity Space, Elba Llantin-Cruz

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) examined the benefits of a healing-centered affinity community for educators from racially and culturally underrepresented groups in Connecticut. A low rate of educators of color (EOC) impact student achievement and engagement outcomes. Higher attrition rates due to toxic working conditions, microaggressions, and invisible labor negatively impact EOC’s sense of belonging and professional growth. Using the Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) and a qualitative case study methodology, the researcher implemented a six-week healing-centered professional learning affinity space with four educators who identified as Black or Latina to foster belonging, connections, and well-being while …

Completing The Circle: Consultee-Centered Group Consultation As Professional Development To Improve Restorative Practices Implementation In A Middle School, Sara A. Tennyson

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

This mixed-methods Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice (ISDiP) examined the impact of consultee-centered group consultation on educators' knowledge and the frequency of implementation of Restorative Practices (RP) in a middle school setting. Participants included 17 educators with various roles at a suburban middle school in the mid-Atlantic United States: Nine participated in the consultee-centered group consultation, and eight did not. The researcher administered pre- and post-surveys to both groups and examined the results using descriptive statistics. The researcher conducted participant surveys, recorded group consultation sessions, and analyzed journal entries to form qualitative themes. Quantitative findings indicated that the participant group …

From Deference To Dialogue: How International Gtas From High Power Distance Cultures Adapt To U.S. Classroom Dynamics, Deborah Akua Afi Appiah

Theses and Dissertations

International graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from high power distance cultures play a significant role in undergraduate education at U.S. universities, yet they face challenges that go well beyond language proficiency. Coming from educational backgrounds where teacher authority is unquestioned and hierarchical, these GTAs must navigate American classrooms that operate on fundamentally different assumptions, where authority is earned rather than assumed, informality is the norm, and students expect to question, negotiate, and be personally known by their instructors. The present study examined how eighteen (18) international GTAs from seven (7) high power distance countries perceived and adapted to these differences while …

America The Not Yet Beautiful: Unfulfilled Promises In A Racist-Capitalist Society, Kaitlyn Tibbetts

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis draws from Langston Hughes’s poem “Let America Be America Again” to analyze four American novels that demonstrate the United States’s unfulfilled promises for lower-class individuals and minorities. The four novels examined in this thesis include: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, There There by Tommy Orange, and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Utilizing theoretical frameworks such as social reproduction theory, intersectionality, and Burden-Shelly’s theorizations on racist-capitalist oppression, this thesis argues that the policies and systems that the U.S. is founded on are designed to primarily benefit economically …

"Aren't You Old Enough To Know Better?": Judgments Surrounding Infidelity As A Function Of Age And Gender, Josephine Kirby

Theses and Dissertations

Relationships are often deeply affected by infidelity on several indicators such as marital satisfaction, forgiveness, and relationship longevity. With older adults often stereotyped as being asexual and women often being judged more harshly due to a sexual double standard, how do people perceive these groups in the context of infidelity? The purpose of my study was to investigate whether perceptions and judgments surrounding infidelity are affected by the age and gender of the person who committed infidelity. Using an experimental vignette method, participants were randomly assigned one version of a hypothetical couples’ counseling intake assessment form that, in part, described …

Reawakening Waⁿdat: Community Research & Reclamation, Darcy Allred

Theses and Dissertations

The Wyandot(te) have undergone language dormancy due to settler colonial impacts of warfare, refugee relocation, forced removals, and U.S. assimilation projects. One of the most pressing priorities among our people today is reawakening our ancestral language, Waⁿdat. The common follow-up question is: how? Through the conduit of Waⁿdat language reclamation, this project grapples with the above question in collaboration with the Wyandot(te) community, and in adherence to the tribal sovereignty of the Wyandotte Nation. The project engages with diasporic perspectives, community-based pedagogy design, and tribally specific research protocols and policies. The living collective knowledgebase with which I engage in this …

Staff Attitudes Toward Ai Adoption At A Private Research University, Ashley C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the limited research on university staff attitudes toward artificial intelligence use and adoption. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) research framework, the General Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), and quantitative survey methodology, the study examines the attitudes of higher education staff toward AI, specifically examining whether demographic or professional characteristics are factors. The findings indicate that staff had moderately negative attitudes toward AI while also expressing some concerns. The results suggest that more resources and support for AI are needed for staff to address concerns. It also suggests that construct-level analysis …

Reconciliation, Draper Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis exhibition, Reconciliation, examines how memory, loss, and lived experience shape personal identity over time. Through sculptural works composed of cast, blown, and hot-sculpted glass combined with mixed media, the exhibition explores the pressures that life events place upon individuals and the ways those pressures persist, transform, and become integrated into the self. The work considers identity not as a fixed state but as a continual process of negotiation between past experiences, present circumstances, and future possibilities.

Central to the project is the material analogy between glass and human experience. Glass, a material formed under extreme heat and pressure …

"I Didn't Teach It Again Because It Wasn't Worth It": How Grades 6-12 English Language Arts Teachers Select Texts And Navigate The Obstacles That Impede Them, Steve Poggendorf

Theses and Dissertations

Classroom texts not only function as tools through which teachers can build curricula, but they can also engage and empower learners. Despite the importance of engaging texts in the classroom, teachers encounter obstacles, both social and institutional, that impede their ability to select the texts they believe will best foster student engagement and empowerment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how teachers make text selections, as well as the nature of the obstacles that stand in the way of teachers who hope to inspire and engage their students through lessons built around texts of their choosing. The …

Iberoamerican Neomedievalisms: “The Middle Ages” And Its Uses In Latin America, Edited By Nadia R. Altschul And Maria Ruhlmann, Emily Francomano

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.