Digital Commons Network^™

Autism In Real Life: Performance As Pedagogy And Advocacy, Paula Horton

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how autoethnographic performance can function simultaneously as public pedagogy and disability advocacy through the analysis of Autism in Real Life, a solo performance created and staged at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Drawing from performance studies, psychology, sociology, and disability studies, the project explores how embodied storytelling communicates autistic lived experience to audiences unfamiliar with autism. The performance combines narrative, humor, direct audience address, visual media, and accessibility-centered theatrical design to move beyond clinical representations of autism and toward a relational understanding grounded in neurodiversity and the social model of disability.

Using an autoethnographic performance methodology, this thesis …

Crummer Graduate School Of Business Bylaws - May 2026, Crummer Graduate School Of Business Faculty

Crummer Graduate School of Business Bylaws

No abstract provided.

Homelessness In The Caribbean: From Colonial Roots To Rights-Based Responses, Wilmy Dessalines, Tamar Ezer, Gabriela Valentín Diaz

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

This Article provides an analysis of homelessness across four Caribbean localities—the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Each locality brings a diverse history connected to colonial legacies and realities from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They capture a cross-section of the Caribbean and reveal that homelessness is shaped by legal and governance systems rooted in colonial inheritance that promote exclusion over social protection: from vagrancy laws that regulate presence in public space to land systems that legalize dispossession and facilitate displacement. Laws punishing vagrancy and life-sustaining activities serve as instruments of social control that systematically …

A Foot In Two Campuses, Eric F. Spina

President's Blog: From the Heart

I don’t have to look far on our campus to find students who began their journey at Sinclair Community College but quickly made the University of Dayton their home, too. They arrive with a foot in two campuses, and they’re everywhere.

Jeffrey Sohl Named Unh Paul J. Holloway Entrepreneur Of The Year, Katherine Keenan

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Closing The Gap In Crawford County: Enhancing Collaboration Through Interorganizational Communication, Hailey N. Goodrich

Graduate Student Creative Works

This project examines how organizations in Crawford County, Kansas communicate services related to poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, and crisis support. Through a qualitative content analysis of five local organizations, the project explores how communication practices shape accessibility, service navigation, and coordination across community resources. Guided by interorganizational relations (IOR) and domain theory, the project analyzes public-facing communication including websites, referral information, service descriptions, and organizational messaging. Findings reveal a consistent pattern of strong internal communication but limited visible coordination between organizations. While each organization clearly communicates its own services and role within the community, communication rarely reflects a …

Jtc 26: Fields Of Dreams, Christina Steube

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2026 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Jtc 26: A Winding Path To A Clear Calling, Jennifer Parsons

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2026 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Jtc 26: Advocate, Scholar And Storyteller, Whitney Woods

University of Mississippi News

This story is part of the 2026 Journey to Commencement series, which celebrates the pinnacle of the academic year by highlighting University of Mississippi students and their outstanding academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.

Prematurity And Special Education: Raising Awareness Of The Connections Between Preterm Births And Special Education, Nadia R. Corder

Honors Theses

In this thesis, the goal was to find the link, if any, between prematurity and special education, with regards to probability of special education and outcomes, and to create a means of professional development for not only special education teachers about prematurity risks and effects on students but also parental education about the possible procedures of their child’s education. This is accomplished through the organization of infographic pamphlets for parents and an online professional development presentation. Both these formats are compliant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility parameters. A literature review was conducted to achieve this goal using …

Honors Accounting Thesis, John Cordia

Honors Theses

This thesis includes a variety of topics related to public accounting. I completed a series of six case studies completed during the Accountancy Honors Professional Development course at the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. In this course, Dr. Victoria Dickinson often challenged her students to “think like an auditor.” The variety of cases coupled with the auditor mindset allowed me to gain a brief understanding of financial reporting and public accounting before I had any practical experience. In the group cases revolved around Home Depot and General Mills, we analyzed their 10-ks, pulled relevant information from reliable sources, and developed …

Homeschool Policy In Mississippi: Perceptions Of Regulations Among Parents, Alumni, And Policy Advocates, Kaley Lecroy

Honors Theses

In recent years, the growth of homeschooling and alternative education methods such as hybrid and virtual schools has reshaped educational opportunities for both parents and students. As more options become available and more parents opt for the flexibility of non-traditional school, it is imperative that we examine the educational guardrails in place for these students. Even more importantly, it is imperative that the perspectives of home educators and homeschool alumni have a place at the table when we review the regulations in place. This thesis seeks to understand the perspectives of current and former Mississippi home educators, Mississippi homeschool alumni, …

Akan Proverbs And Social Media Commentary: The Representation Of Women In Ghanaian Society, Richard Ayertey Lawer

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines how gender ideologies embedded in Akan proverbs are reproduced, negotiated, and contested within contemporary Ghanaian digital discourse. Drawing on feminist rhetorical analysis and digital discourse studies, the research analyzes a purposive sample of 25 Akan proverbs and 36 social media posts and comments from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok (2022–2025) focusing on women in public roles. The study demonstrates that Akan proverbs function as enduring ideological resources that construct women’s agency as conditional, subordinate, and morally regulated. These ideological patterns are recontextualized in digital spaces through both explicit citation and implicit proverbial reasoning, where users mobilize cultural logics …

Postoperative Stress Accelerates Atherosclerosis Through Inflammatory Remodeling Of The Hdl Proteome And Impaired Reverse Cholesterol Transport, Dominique M. Boucher, Victoria Lorant, Valerie Rochon, Abigail Carter, Cameron Stotts, My Anh Nguyen, Thomas Laval, Christina Emerton, Nathan Joyce, Nysa Vinayak, Marlena Scaffidi, David Cook, Katey J. Rayner, Rebecca C. Auer, Scott M. Gordon, Mireille I. Ouimet

Physiology Faculty Publications

Over 10 million patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery each year face major cardiovascular complications within 30 days, many due to destabilized atherosclerotic plaques. Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), driven by HDL and Apoa1, protects against plaque progression, but the effects of surgical inflammation on this pathway remain unclear. Using an abdominal laparotomy model in ApoE^−/− mice on a Western diet, we isolated the impact of surgical inflammation without confounding blood loss. Surgery acutely impaired RCT and cholesterol efflux, with inflammatory remodeling of HDL marked by elevated SAA1/2 and reduced Apoa1. Plaques exhibited higher intracellular lipids, PLIN2 expression, and cleaved caspase-3, indicating …

Early Prevention Of Social Isolation And Depression In Digitally Connected Youth In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Kristen Lasker

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement

The goal of this social change project is to reduce social isolation, depression, and suicide risk among children ages 9 to 11 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, by promoting digital literacy, emotional awareness, and healthy engagement with social media and AI-driven digital environments during a critical stage of social and identity development.

Significant Findings

Social isolation, depression, and suicide risk among youth are increasing public health concerns at the national, state, and local levels, with growing evidence linking these trends to social media use and AI-driven digital environments (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023; Twenge et …

Beyond Religious Narcissistic Identification: Agnostic And Atheistic Narcissism, Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Jarosław Piotrowski, Bartłomiej Nowak, Vassilis Saroglou, John Maltby, Constantine Sedikides, Mladen Adamovic, Nur Amali Aminnuddin, Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah, Rahkman Ardi, Zana Hasan Babakr, Einar Baldvin Baldursson, Sergiu Bălțătescu, Muhammed Bilgehan Aytaç, Aidos Bolatov, Bruno Bonfá-Araujo, Matthias Burghart, Phatthanakit Chobthamkit, Marilyn Clark, Magali Clobert, Richard G. Cowden, Jesus Alonso Datu, Sandesh Dhakal, Sonya Dragova-Koleva, Begoña Espejo, Dmitry Grigoryev, Emanuela Gritti, Katherine Gundolf

All Works

Agnosticism and atheism are often grouped simply as nonreligious identities, yet emerging research highlights their distinct psychological profiles and social implications. Among these distinctions, collective narcissism–characterized by strong attachment to one’s group, exceptionalism, and grievance for recognition–offers a framework for understanding identity processes in both nonreligious groups. We examined whether agnostics and atheists exhibit collective narcissism and its forms (agentic–focused on exceptional effectiveness; communal–focused on exceptional morality) similarly to believers. We explored cross-denominational variance in agentic and communal collective narcissism levels relying on data from 77 countries (N = 3,570; 1227 agnostics, 2343 atheists). Agnostics and atheists from secular countries …

Narrating Injustice: Race, Law, And American Literature, Taylor A. Levine

Honors Scholar Theses

This project examines the relationship between race and law as it is portrayed by works of American literature. It argues that the gap between the legal system’s claims of neutrality and the lived experiences of Black individuals exposes systemic injustice that may be concealed in traditional legal discourse. Texts examined include Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Additionally, Prison Noir, an anthology of narratives written by incarcerated individuals edited by Joyce Carol Oates, is examined to emphasize how modern mass incarceration works to …

Practicing In Broken Systems: An Advanced Integrated Social Work Portfolio, Andrew Tomt

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents my development as an advanced integrated social worker within behavioral health and crisis response systems. Grounded in the ten CSWE competencies, it illustrates my progression from foundational generalist practice to a more complex, systems-oriented approach that integrates ethical decision-making, trauma-informed care, research-informed practice, and policy awareness. Drawing on my practicum experience in Mobile Crisis Assessment and Triage (MCAT) in Spokane, Washington, the portfolio demonstrates my ability to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate across micro, mezzo, and macro levels. It highlights my commitment to social justice, cultural humility, and least-restrictive care, while also addressing the challenges of working …

Master Of Social Work Portfolio - Rooted In Relationship: A Journey Toward Integrated, Justice-Oriented Social Work Practice, Elisabeth Noel Marshall

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio represents my professional development throughout the Master of Social Work program at the University of Montana. Grounded in systems and ecological perspectives, trauma-informed practice, and the Just Practice framework, this work demonstrates the integration of clinical, mezzo, and macro social work practice across diverse settings, including therapeutic residential care, collegiate wellbeing, assisted living, and substance use treatment.

Through direct practice experiences, policy analysis, program evaluation, advocacy, and community engagement, this portfolio highlights the development of competencies aligned with the Council on Social Work Education’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Particular emphasis is placed on relationship-centered practice, justice-oriented advocacy, …

Professional Portfolio: Becoming A Justice-Centered Practitioner, Akemi Nakagawa

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This professional portfolio reflects my learning through this program, including the knowledge and skills I have developed, how my learning has been shaped by the people I have learned from and alongside, and what I will carry forward into future practice. I share my developing theoretical orientation that guides my thinking and practice, grounded predominantly in the Reproductive Justice framework, Critical Social Work, Janet Finn’s Just Practice framework, and by the work and wisdom of Paulo Freire–particularly his pedagogy of popular education.

This portfolio also reflects my ongoing development as a social worker who is committed to advancing intersectional justice …

Master Of Social Work Portfolio, Tara L. Beckman Ballis

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio demonstrates my professional growth throughout the MSW program through the application of social work competencies. It includes coursework, practicum experiences, research participation, advocacy, and volunteer work. Areas of focus include Wellbeing Support Coaching, cultural responsiveness, reproductive justice, maternal health advocacy, Indigenous research methods, and strengths-based practice.

Msw Portfolio, Hannah N. Vasquez

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio documents my development as a Master of Social Work student, demonstrating integration of relational, trauma-informed practice with systems-level analysis. Drawing on coursework and practicum experiences, it illustrates competency across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice. Selected artifacts highlight the application of theoretical frameworks, engagement in critical self-reflection, and a commitment to advancing social justice. Particular emphasis is placed on caregiver engagement, community-based practice, and addressing structural barriers that impact well-being. Overall, this portfolio reflects my readiness for professional social work practice and my commitment to equitable, relationship-centered, and systems-informed approaches.

Strategies Leaders In The Financial Industry Use To Create A More Diverse, Equal, And Inclusive Culture To Improve Business Performance, Wendy Lynne Hines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Understanding Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of Liberia’S Accelerated Learning Program: A Generic Qualitative Study, Aagon Fremling Tingba, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education On Lipoprotein (A) Screening And Clinical Follow-Up In Primary Care, Deshawntae Griffin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Design Optimization Of Active-Stabilizing Canards For High-Powered Rockets, Simon Babcock

Senior Honors Theses

Rocket canards are a common means of stabilizing a high-powered rocket in flight by producing aerodynamic forces to correct the rocket's trajectory. The size, shape, and position of the canards relative to the rocket body determine their control effectiveness and aerodynamic efficiency – two objectives of canard design with an inverse relationship to each other. By integrating automated iterative rocket trajectory simulation with adaptive surrogate modelling, this research optimized the canard planform geometry for a high-powered rocket to maximize the canards’ control effectiveness and aerodynamic efficiency through multi-variable, multi-objective design optimization. The canard design was first parameterized into four design …

Pioneering Change: Digital Reformatting For Sustainable Av Stewardship, Cory Nimer, Ben Harry, Abby Beazer, Miya Jensen, Michael Gates, Karen Glenn

Faculty Publications

Archives and libraries face growing preservation challenges from aging audiovisual collections due to carrier degradation and playback equipment obsolescence. As the media becomes more difficult to access, its archival value decreases, leading to questions about its ongoing storage. One proposed solution has been to digitize and discard the original media, preserving the recordings as digital masters with derivative files for public access. The suggestion to reformat audiovisual materials raises questions for cultural heritage professionals, and each stakeholder group may have its own concerns. Yet as media capture and digital preservation technology improve, to maintain our program's sustainability, we have begun …

Friedel–Crafts Addition Of 3-Alkylated Indoles To Aldehydes: 2-Hydroxyalkylation Promoted By Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate, Eric Zhou, Helen Xia, C. Wade Downey

Chemistry Faculty Publications

In the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) and 2,6-lutidine, 3-alkylated indoles undergo Friedel–Crafts silyloxyalkylation when treated with nonenolizable aldehydes. The reaction is general across a wide range of aromatic aldehydes and tolerates a variety of N-alkylated indoles. Deprotection of the silylated product occurs under standard conditions, and in certain cases the initial TMS-protected product can be isolated in high yield.

Sir Gawain, The Travelling Sun Of Medieval Literature, Leah H. Dascoli

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper examines Sir Gawain’s roles in Medieval Arthurian literature from various geolinguistical regions in Europe. Starting in the twelfth century and extending to the late fifteenth century, there is a shift in literary legends that can be glimpsed through understanding what roles the authors of the Arthurian genre use for Sir Gawain.

By incorporating evidence within the text and supplementary evidence of historical context during which the stories were written and translated, this study seeks to create a discussion between the more obscure sources and more circulating sources in which Sir Gawain is a common factor. It argues that …

Development Of A Putting Green Manufacturing Process, Jose Andres Cepeda Santiago

Honors Theses

Our Capstone project investigates the end-to-end design, development, and production of a 6‑foot long portable putting green marketed for individuals seeking a high quality, competitively priced golf product for home or office use. The capstone project examines the full lifecycle of product creation applying manufacturing principles learned through the center of manufacturing’s coursework. From the initial concept through engineering design, market research, prototyping, manufacturing optimization, and final production the project emphasizes cross‑functional collaboration across engineering, business, and accountancy majors. Methods used to gather data included marketing surveys, CAD drawings, time studies during production runs, value stream mapping, and controlled documentation …