Digital Commons Network^™

Liberatory Librarianship - Authors@Eiu Book Talk, Brian W. Keith, Laurie N. Taylor

All Faculty Scholarship

In Liberatory Librarianship: Stories of Community, Connection, and Justice, Brian Keith, Laurie Taylor, and Shamin Renwick explore how librarianship can be a vehicle for empowerment, equity, and social justice. In this Authors@EIU talk, Brian Keith and Laurie Taylor share the inspiration, process, and key ideas behind the book, including how their work with the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC) shaped their thinking about uncolonized, community-driven models for digital libraries. Drawing from examples across cultural heritage institutions, the speakers trace how traditional archives have often perpetuated colonial power structures, and how liberatory librarianship proposes a forward-looking alternative that centers …

Well-Being In Disney Animated Feature Films, 2013–2023, Ruth Zeman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Most existing research on Disney animated films has concentrated on problematic themes, including stereotypical portrayals of romantic relationships or aggression, while comparatively little attention has been given to how these films may also convey positive messages and promote prosocial behavior. Research on well-being is particularly relevant, given its strong association with improved health outcomes and the development of positive interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore how well-being is portrayed in Disney animated feature films released between 2013 and 2023. Seligman’s model of well-being, which consists of the pursuit and attainment of five core pillars—positive …

Through The Looking Glass : Diversity Through The Eyes Of A Dress Form, Amara Copeland

LSU Master's Theses

This article aims to look into educational institutions and how they address diversity using curatorial displays. Does fashion and costume curation add to the seclusion of luxury? Looking into this correlation, this study aims to answer these next couple of questions. How does museum curation add to fashion social norms? Is it a subconscious or conscious decision when deciding on a mannequin or dress form? How do museum and fashion curations add to the exclusion of minorities in the world of luxury? What is costume luxury, and who do we say can obtain it?

This research aims to understand the …

Chaos And The Human Experience: An Intertextual Study Of Job, Qohelet, And Jonah, Andy Tse Chang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Hermann Gunkel’s landmark work Schöpfung und Chaos was a pioneering work in biblical studies, largely in part because it highlighted the importance of considering the language, culture, and context of the broader Ancient Near East with regard to Old Testament imagery. While Gunkel’s claims that the Genesis 1 account of creation was borrowing from Ancient Near East myths is now largely rejected, still, the enduring value and legacy of Gunkel’s work is that biblical scholars see the importance of contextual studies in exegeting the Old Testament texts, as well as how to apply the material exegetically to the Old Testament. …

Of Cicadas And Ducks: Humor In Emmanuel Chabrier's "Les Cigales" And "Villanelle Des Petits Canards", Hope Dornfeld

Liberty University Research Week

The goal of the performing arts presentation from which this oral presentation is derived was to analyze the use and presentation of humor in Emmanuel Chabrier’s “Les cigales” and “Villanelle des petits canards,” two French mélodies. The program notes that accompanied the original performance detail the historical context of Chabrier’s work and give a brief summary of the mélodie genre. In addition, they trace the steps inherent in presenting a work of performance art. The primary research question behind the study is, “How can a vocalist successfully portray the humorous qualities of Chabrier’s work through performance art?” Subquestions include the …

The Role Of Myosin 5b In Intestinal Health And Disease: From Microvilli Assembly To Colorectal Cancer Progression, Sarah Aline Dooley

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

Background: Myosin Vb (Myo5b) is an essential molecular motor responsible for delivering diverse cargo to the apical membrane of enterocytes. Mutations in Myo5b cause congenital enteropathies, but its broader role in maintaining the integrity of the intestinal brush border under normal physiological conditions and in disease remain unclear. We hypothesize that Myo5b participates in the assembly and maintenance of the intestinal brush border by transporting members of the intermicrovillar adhesion complex (IMAC) and the xenobiotic efflux pump P-glycoprotein (P-gp) to the apical membrane of enterocytes. We further hypothesize that dysregulation of the myosin chaperone protein, UNC45A, and downregulation of Myo5b …

Brewing Revolution: The Influence Of Cafés In Eighteenth-Century France, Ian Landry

Liberty University Research Week

The cafés of eighteenth-century France occupy a central role during this era. They were places that both the literate and illiterate flocked to in order to receive the latest news and debate about relevant current events and topics. The material disseminated from these places prompted discourse and ultimately shaped the public’s opinion. With this in mind, cafés deserve a more prominent role in the discussion on eighteenth-century French studies in general as well as the French Revolution specifically.

An Empire In A City: Foundations Of Washington, D.C., 1776 To 1861, Ronni Desjardins

Madison Historical Review

This research project will examine the foundations of Washington, D.C., and how the city’s map and construction identify imperial inspirations that influenced its design and use. It will also examine how these imperial frameworks were intentionally created to sustain historical narratives about the American people and their government. Using correspondence from James Madison and other Founding Fathers, the intention behind the construction of the national capital city becomes significant to our understanding of the political and national philosophy that exists in the current national atmosphere. By placing the capital at the geographic and economic center of the empire, the government …

"They Looked At Us Like An Astronomer Would View Pluto": High-Church Christianity And Rural America, Jacob Battle

Liberty University Research Week

This is one of two projects conducted over the summer of 2024 by Jacob’s team. The now-defunct St. Mary’s Redbank Episcopal Church—the most northern, remote, and poor establishment in the Diocese of Pittsburgh—is situated amidst the picturesque hamlets and rolling hills of the Redbank Valley in rural Pennsylvania, overlooking the Alleghany River. This small country church spent countless years acting as both a center of worship and social activity for the virtually abandoned village of Redbank and its community. The mission is of simple construction, seating between fifty to seventy-five congregants, and is embraced by a proud cemetery boasting veterans …

Physicists As Environmental Experts, Rachel Rothschild

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.

Pain For Profit The Motivations Of Slave Surgeons In The Eighteenth To Nineteenth Century Caribbean, Gabe Smock

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

When late eighteenth- century British surgeon Dr. Alexander Falconbridge ventured belowdecks to check on the hundreds of slaves chained there, he had no illusions about the horrors of the Middle Passage. After all, this was not his first voyage providing medical care for slaves until they disembarked at the infamous markets of colonial Kingston, Jamaica. He took a moment to brace himself, then ventured down into the damp air below only to encounter a sight so awful that it was difficult to put into words when he recounted the experience years later to Parliament. As a consequence of being packed …

An Investigation On Food Restriction In The Medieval British Church, Cope Makechnie-Hardy

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

When Seaxburh, Queen of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent, retired to her sister’s newly established religious house at Ely in 665 she was a physically broken woman, with “wan cheeks from fasting” and a body frail from years of food restriction.1 Already throughout her life Seaxburh had used her body as an integral part of her devotion to Christ, and after arriving at Ely “signed her stomach with the mark of Christ so that she might not burden it with food.”2 Nearly six hundred years later, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary would engage in a similar practice, referred to by historians …

Editor's Note, Cope Makechnie-Hardy

The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing

The medieval historian William of Malmesbury wrote that the legendary King Arthur was “worthily deserving to be celebrated, not by idle fictions, but by authentic history.”1

Parody And Mis-Unda-Stendings In Comics Art World: Bridging The Gap With New Criteria, Yannis Koukoulas

SANE journal: Sequential Art Narrative in Education

The word parody and its many cognates such as appropriation, adaptation, pastiche, travesty, forgery, homage, tribute, swipe, etc., have often been at the centre of fierce debates within the traditional Artworld and various criteria have been proposed for the critical evaluation of visual and literary works. In particular, parody as a dominant practice in postmodern art is a concept that is subject to misunderstandings as to its content and meaning. In Comics Artworld, however, within which recontextualizing practices are very common, often with humorous content, the attempt to describe artists' works and intentions by the criteria applied to other arts, …

The Emotional World Of Ex-Confederate Expatriates In Latin America, 1865–1870, Chase H. Mccarter

History ETDs

From 1865 to 1870, tens of thousands of ex-Confederate soldiers, officials, and citizens fled the South for destinations in Latin America. They did so because their defeat in the U.S. Civil War instigated an emotional and identity crisis. Ex-Confederates felt that they could no longer live in the South given the changes wrought by Reconstruction. Rather than remain in the region, many looked toward Latin American states, such as Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, and British Honduras (Belize), where they believed they could create a way of life like that experienced in the Old South. To do so, ex-Confederates sought settlement in …

Dictating The Divine: Revisiting Authorship, Intention, And Authority From Sacred Texts To Generative Ai, James Hutson, W. Travis Mcmaken

Faculty Scholarship

This article interrogates the historical practice of mediated authorship in religious texts to draw critical parallels with contemporary debates surrounding generative artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models (LLMs). By juxtaposing the mediated authorship of sacred texts, such as the Hebrew Bible and New Testament—where figures like the Apostle Paul dictated theological concepts to scribes who infused these directives with their interpretive insights—with the generative processes of LLMs, this research underscores the shared dynamics of co-constructed authorship across historical and technological contexts. Employing interdisciplinary methodologies from art history, textual studies, and reception theory, as well as theological and biblical studies, …

The Absurd Ballet Of American Indian Policy Or American Indian Struggling With Ape On Tropical Landscape: An Afterword, Rennard Strickland

Maine Law Review

On a recent visit to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C., I was particularly struck by a painting that I encountered. Quite accidentally I came upon an Henri Rousseau primitive painting of a tropical landscape, in which, amidst abundant, lush foliage, was a tiny American Indian wrestling a giant ape. The plate identifying the work read: “‘Tropical Landscape: An American Indian Struggling With An Ape,’ Henri Rousseau, 1910." At that moment it occurred to me that this artist had captured an essential theme underlying the history of American Indian law and policy. This essay reflects upon and …

War, Violence, And Womanhood: (Re)Membering Women’S Military Narratives In China’S Revolution And Civil War, Szu-Nuo Chou

Kritika Kultura

In this ethnographic study, the author interviewed Chinese women aged 85 and older to explore their childhood and adolescent experiences of exile and military violence in the context of World War II and Chinese Civil War. Throughout the years of China’s revolution and interparty conflicts, ordinary Chinese women suffered from war-related violence—not only on the frontlines, but especially in domestic spaces, where the head of the household (e.g., father,husband, or son) engaged in a variety of violent and misogynistic performances associated with culturally-rooted Chinese patriarchy and masculinity. The author argues that in our current political discourse, the Chinese revolution and …

“Ghosts At The Banquet”: The Kenyan Mau Mau In Global Memory, Christian Alvarado

Kritika Kultura

In the decades since Kenyan independence from British rule, scholarship regarding memory of the Mau Mau Uprising has been bound by its nationalisms. “Nationalism” in the plural is apt because of the ways of remembering Mau Mau. It has investigated pressing issues in both Kenya and Great Britain itself. This article engages both foundational and recent scholarship in this vein in order to identify the set of assumptions that has shaped these debates and point toward new ways of thinking beyond them. In pursuance of new avenues in the study of global memories of Mau Mau, it also attempts a …

The Internal Flame, Bailey Robydek

Interior Design Capstones

This body of research and design explores the vital relationship between interior environments and the well- being of firefighters. Challenging the traditional assumptions about how fire station design impacts their health and recovery. Firefighters endure significant physical exertion, psychological stress, and exposure to traumatic events, yet many fire station interiors remain focused primarily on operational functionality rather than personal wellness.

This research underscores the urgent need for fire station design to transcend traditional assumptions and evolve into a model that actively supports holistic recovery. Firefighters require spaces that address the cumulative impacts of their profession, both physical and mental taxation. …

Understanding The Strategic Value Of The Assassination Of President Juvénal Habyarimana, Jonathan R. Beloff

Journal of Strategic Security

This article examines the assassination of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana through the utilization of strategic theory. The President's assassination on the night of April 6, 1994, ignited the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which killed up to a million Rwandan Tutsis and non-extremist Hutus within 100 days. While the assassins are still unknown, speculation exists of whether the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) or the former ruling akazu ordered the attack. It concludes that the akazu was the most likely actor behind Habyarimana's assassination, given that the structure of strategic incentives favored its position over the alternatives.

A Peculiar Hobby: A Brief History Of Civil War Reenacting, Donald C. Matthews

Tenor of Our Times

This article explores the rise, development, and decline of Civil War reenacting as a uniquely American subculture. Originating in postwar commemorations and evolving into a widespread hobby during the Civil War Centennial, reenacting has served as a lens through which Americans engage with history, heritage, and identity. Drawing on historiography, cultural memory studies, and contemporary critiques, the paper examines how shifting demographics, changing cultural attitudes, and public controversies particularly around Confederate symbolism have shaped the trajectory of the hobby. While participation is declining, reenacting continues to reflect broader societal dynamics regarding how the past is remembered, performed, and contested.

Identifying Universal And Language-Specific Features In Play-Based Writing Of Young Children, Shaya Helbig

Dissertations

Young children’s marks when writing consist of universal features such as scribbling and drawing, and language-specific features such as letters or letter-like forms and spaces (Clay, 1979; Puranik & Lonigan, 2011; Rowe & Wilson, 2015; Teale & Sulzby, 1985). It is widely agreed that exposure to words and written language play a pivotal role in children’s writing development (Clay, 1979; Teale & Sulzby, 1986). However, it remains unclear whether children form more complex writing skills through specific developmental stages, and if age plays any part in this progression (Clay, 1979; Justice & Vukelich, 2008; Teale & Sulzby, 1986). The lack …

Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1860-1862 The Effects Of Military Occupation On Unionist And Secessionist Convictions, Riley P. Bogema

GLI MA in American History Student Works

Local histories of Civil War occupation provide a human face to the larger history of the American Civil War. The interactions between citizens and outside occupiers furnishes greater clarity and revelations on the human cost of conflict. It also presents greater evidence, either supportive or not, on broader arguments expressed in scholarly works on the Civil War. This work examines how prior attitudes towards the Unionism and secessionism were provoked during the process of military occupation. It argues that in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the citizens’ allegiances and relationships were challenged by the occupation of both Union and Confederate …

A Theoretical Framework For Examination Of Context In Complex System Governance, Meggan M. Schoenberg

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

“A complex system’s identity and viability are directly related and affected by its context. It is important to identify, monitor, and manage (or mitigate risk) system contextual elements” (Keating C. B. et al., 2022, p. 209). Despite this importance, there is very limited research and literature on complex systems context. This research seeks to expand our understanding of complex system context and improve our ability to govern complex technology development programs effectively. The ability to analyze complex systems and their problems is necessary for this improvement.

A “clear understanding of the specific complex system context is fundamental to the process …

Unveiling Narrative In Liszt’S Dante Sonata Through Topical Analysis, Jasmine Olivia Harry

Theses and Dissertations

Narrative theory and its application in music have increasingly captured the interest of musicologists. Despite this growing attention, the analytical model remains relatively new compared to more established methods. Continued exploration and application are necessary to demonstrate its value alongside traditional theoretical frameworks. This dissertation employs narrative theory to examine the ironic comedy archetype in Franz Liszt’s Dante sonata, utilizing a bottom-up approach to construct a detailed musical narrative across three analytical tiers. Chapter two, representing the primary level, analyzes the sonata-fantasy macro-structure, uncovering key themes and the dynamic interplay between contrasting dichotomies. Chapter three, the secondary level, investigates semiotics, …

A Model To Measure The Brand Equity Of South African Business Schools: A Case Study Of The North-West University Business School, Christo A. Bisschoff

AMTP Proceedings 2025

This study aims to measure the brand equity of a regional business school in the North-West province of South Africa. A tailor-made approach implied identifying relevant brand equity dimensions and their respective measuring criteria from the literature. Professionals and managers in the Gauteng and North-West provinces were targeted in a judgmental sample to complete the questionnaires, and 97 responses from the combined nine student research papers were analyzed. Five brand equity dimensions were identified from the literature and measured. They are: (1) Perceived quality, (2) Brand awareness, (3) Brand associations, (4) brand loyalty, and (5) University reputation. The results show …

Humanist Copyright, Jane C. Ginsburg

Faculty Scholarship

This exploration of the role of authorship in copyright law proceeds in three parts: historical, doctrinal, and predictive. First, I will review the development of author-focused property rights in the pre-copyright regimes of printing privileges and in early Anglo-American copyright law through the 1909 U.S. Copyright Act. Second, I will analyze the extent to which the present U.S. copyright law does (and does not) honor human authorship. Finally, I will consider the potential responses of copyright law to the claims of proprietary rights in AI-generated outputs. I will explain why the humanist orientation of U.S. copyright law validates the position …

Negotiating Power: The Influence Of Women In Shaping Colonial Barbados And Jamacia, From 1750-1833, Giselle Rivera

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

This study investigates the roles of European, Mulatto, and African women in colonial Barbados and Jamaica from 1750 to 1833, arguing that these women were not passive recipients of colonial structures but active agents in shaping and contesting them. Drawing on a wide array of primary sources including personal journals, legal documents, medical texts, maps, and colonial artwork this paper explores how women negotiated the intersecting hierarchies of race, class, and gender in both rural and urban contexts. In plantation settings, European women exercised informal authority within patriarchal confines, often reinforcing racial and gendered oppression, while enslaved African women navigated …

The Blood Moon, Omar Shafi

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

What turns someone into a monster? Is it their nature—or what the world has taken from them? These are the questions at the heart of The Blood Moon, a short story that reimagines the origin of the werewolf myth through a tragic lens. Created for an upper-division honors course titled Monsters and Monstrosity, this project draws from literary research, folklore, and cultural analysis to examine how trauma, grief, and unresolved hatred can transform even the most innocent among us.

Set in a mythic past, The Blood Moon follows Warrei, a young, wolf-like creature known as a Wolven, who loses everything …