Digital Commons Network^™

The Federal Death Penalty As A Sign Of The Times, Ngozi Ndulue

Georgia State University Law Review

Scholars have been predicting the demise of the American death penalty for much of the twenty-first century. This prediction finds support in state-by-state abolition, reduced numbers of new death sentences, and continued reductions in the death row population. Despite significant movement away from the death penalty, the punishment remains stubbornly persistent, with a small number of states continuing to aggressively pursue executions and scattered local jurisdictions securing a disproportionate amount of new death sentences.

While several legal academics have looked to historical precedent and international experience to map the future trajectory of the American death penalty, this Article seeks to …

The Free Exercise Of Religion As A Privilege, Kyron Huigens

Georgia State University Law Review

In the span of a decade, the Supreme Court has restructured the Free Exercise Clause entirely. It has removed the counterweight of disestablishment; it has sought parity between religion and secularity by means of strict scrutiny analysis turning on a principle of nondiscrimination; and it has opened the way to a general exemption from secular law for the faithful by ceding the question of what counts as an exercise of religion to the faithful themselves. This Article proposes reading the free exercise of religion as a privilege in response to these changes. This privilege stands against secular law in the …

Affordable Housing Cooperatives As Shared Equity Homeownership: Part I – An Expanded View Of Organizational Law And Its Governance Dimensions, Jerome Hughes

Georgia State University Law Review

Scholars and advocates have emphasized affordable housing cooperatives as an important opportunity for shared equity homeownership. Yet, except for a few jurisdictions, these entities comprise a small share of the housing market. This article situates the limited presence of affordable housing cooperatives as arising from the constraints and frameworks of organizational law.

Using affordable housing cooperatives as a descriptive context, this Article advocates for an expanded view of what constitutes organizational law. A first and foundational claim of an expanded view is that while business entity statutes are important loci, organizational law is constituted by multiple areas of law. Secondly, …

Undue Burdens: Georgia’S Life Act And Its Disporportionate Impact On Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence, Kathryn A. Hammock

Georgia State University Law Review

More than half of women in Georgia report experiencing some form of intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. Women experiencing IPV are not only at greater risk of unintended pregnancy, but those who do become pregnant often face more frequent and severe abuse, increasing their risk of miscarriage. Despite clear evidence of its impact on women’s reproductive health and access to abortion, consideration of IPV is largely absent from policy discussions concerning abortion restrictions and bans.

This Note explores the outsized impact that Georgia’s Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act has on women experiencing IPV—effectively functioning as a …

Addressing The Inadequacies Of Defamation Law As A Method Of Stopping Disinformation: The Possibilities Of Post-Adjudication Injunctive Relief, Elijah Byrd

Georgia State University Law Review

Individuals harmed by weaponized disinformation possess only one avenue for legal recourse: bringing a defamation suit in civil court. Monetary damages are the standard remedy for the defamed, and while sufficient in some cases, plaintiffs may seek to use the legal system to stop the further spread of the very disinformation that harmed them. In theory, a large judgment or settlement should deter the defamer from continuing to spread disinformation. However, reality shows that this is not always the case, as payments of judgments are held up in bankruptcy court, or the defamer continues to spread lies about the plaintiff, …

Arbitration Unplugged: Heckman V. Live Nation And The Future Of Compelled Arbitration, Will Knowles

Journal of Dispute Resolution

“Long story short, it was a bad time.” The lyrics from Taylor Swift’s 2020 song Long Story Short resonated strongly with her fans in 2022 when they attempted to purchase tickets to her record breaking Eras Tour. The self-proclaimed “Swifties” waited for weeks to purchase presale through the tour’s official ticketing partner, Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster, an American ticketing giant owned by Live Nation, handles over seventy percent of all ticket transactions in the country. November 15 arrived and the Swiftie army entered the virtual queue with hopes of securing tickets to see their hero. Ticketmaster, however, did not prepare for the …

Hstr 358.01: Russia Since 1881, Lily S. Scott

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Comx 491.80: Special Topics - Rhetoric Of Health And Medicine, Megan E. Cullinan

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Lit 120l.02: Poetry, Sam Mcphee

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Russ 494.80: Seminar: Dostoevsky And World Culture - Honors, Clint B. Walker

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Writ 201.05: College Writing Ii - The Art Of The Essay, Kate Schini

University of Montana Course Syllabi, 2026-2030

No abstract provided.

Future Trends In Cybersecurity: A Meta-Review, Yara Mohammed, Manar Alsaid, Gahangir Hossain

Faculty Publications

The increasing importance of cybersecurity in protecting digital assets, data and infrastructures necessitates a reevaluation of research priorities within the discipline. As of today, numerous emerging cybersecurity topics are gaining significant importance in both academic research and industry applications. To identify recent trends in cybersecurity topics, this study extracts scholarly articles from two prestigious academic databases, the ACM Digital Library, and Google Scholar, covering the period from early 2015 to late 2024.Through a systematic identification of trends and focal points in cybersecurity research, a comprehensive analysis is facilitated, including Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), Biterm Topic Modeling (BTM), keyword frequencies, and …

Food Systems Advocacy In The Global South: A Framework And Pilot In India, Anita Rajan, Jah Ying Chung, Allison Troy Phd

General - Animal Protection

This exploratory study forms the first stage of a broader project to improve the cultural and strategic alignment of animal advocacy efforts across the Global South. It seeks to develop a practical framework that helps advocates and funders identify and integrate key contextual factors into campaign design. The project will begin with India as a pilot site, with potential for future replication in other countries.

Fair + Equitable February 2026, International Association Of Assessing Officers

Fair + Equitable

The February 2026 issue examines the response to property assessment changes in Jackson County, Missouri, including the recall of an elected official over assessment outcomes.   Also in this issue:

• Companion article on Missouri property tax reform and impact on businesses in one county.
• IAAO library annual review 
• Upcoming GIS/Valuation Tech Conference
• Pillars of accurate property valuation 
• Insights from IAAO’s AI task force
• WIN program updates
• Member news, new instructors, job announcements, designation results, and awards program
• IAAO 2025 Annual Report

Democracy And Public Policy Network Expert Analysis On February 2026 Poll, Robert Alexander

Democracy and Public Policy Network Polls

No abstract provided.

Management Of Displaced Supracondylar Fractures Of The Humerus Using Lateral Versus Crossed Kirschner Wires: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial, Ashlee Dobbe, Emily K. Schaeffer, Njalalle Baraza, Firoz Miyanji, Christine Alvarez, Anthony P. Cooper, Chris W. Reilly, Kishore Mulpuri

General Surgery, East Africa

Aims: We sought to evaluate whether loss of reduction in lateral Kirschner (K)-wiring is noninferior to crossed K-wiring in closed reduction and percutaneous pinning of Type III supracondylar humerus fractures.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, non-inferiority trial was conducted. Emergency department patients aged three to seven years with Type III supracondylar humerus fractures were invited to participate with informed consent. Block randomization allocated patients into one of two pin configuration groups (lateral or crossed). Surgical technique and postoperative management were standardized between groups. All patients were treated with above-elbow casts, but no strict standardized protocol was applied. The primary outcome was …

A Phenomenologically Informed Study Of Black Male Preservice Teachers’ Lived Experiences: Professional Socialization, Social Representation, And The Redesign Of Teacher Education For Equity, William A. Anders

Student Theses

This qualitative research explores the experiences of Black male preservice teachers in New York City’s teacher education programs. To examine the underrepresentation of Black male preservice teachers, the research employs Critical University Studies and Critical Race Theory to investigate the institutional barriers they face. Using semi-structured interviews with seven participants and reflexive thematic analysis, the findings revealed six paramount themes: Pathways in Teaching, Representation and Identity, Experiences in Teacher Education, Racial Bias and Institutional Challenges, the Role of Mentorship and Support Networks, and Teaching Philosophy.

Participants described the challenges that Black male preservice teachers face, including isolation, economic hardships, unsuitable …

College Athlete Revenue Sharing And Nil: Financial Considerations And Implications, Julie Staples, Keith Lowe

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Student athletes have not historically been recipients of cash-based compensation while simultaneously participating in collegiate sports.  Alternatively, these respective athletes have received academic “in-kind” or “non-cash” funding in the form of scholarships.  While these aforementioned scholarships often vary by individual sport and institution, they often include several of the following classifications: tuition, housing, meal plans, textbooks, and related supplies/expenses (Brown, 2019).  Until recently, student athletes have not been allowed to seek external revenue aside of their scholarship as a condition of maintaining their “amateur status” as regulated by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), the governing body of collegiate sports …

Distribution Of Power In South Asia: Assessing Sino-Indian Conflict Propensity, Fatima Faisal

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In international relations, the distribution of power is a key theme impacting the propensity for nations to break into wars; however, the vast academic literature is Eurocentric with a concentration on the United States and the Soviet Union. This paper shifts to the unexplored distribution of power in South Asian with a particular focus of Sino-Indian border conflicts namely the Sino-Indian War (1962), the Nathu La and Cho La clashes (1967), the Arunachal Ambush (1975), Sumdorong Chu standoff (1987), the Armed Confrontation (2013), and the Doklam Standoff (2017), and the Galwan Valley (2020) to determine if the region was more …

Finding Luis: A Creative Nonfiction Account Of Law & Society, Jason M. Leggett

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This essay explores the contradictions in legal theory and human experience through creative nonfiction. Its main purpose is to argue that a truly just society requires acknowledging the profound influence of individual narratives on the law. This is supported by blending personal narratives, critical analysis, and philosophical inquiry to reveal the gap between codified law and lived realities for marginalized individuals. This unique Legal Poetics methodology employs a series of six vignettes, such as the author's and Luis's shared experiences with traumatic brain injury and the denial of justice, as data. By integrating autoethnography, law as narrative, and performativity theories, …

Mechanistic Studies Of Aerobic Photochemistry: Gold Nanoclusters, Nanoparticles, And Solution-Phase Systems, Serah Essang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis comprises five chapters as enumerated below.

Chapter 1 describes our findings on the reactions of Au glutathione nanocluster (Au₂₀SG₁₆) with singlet oxygen (¹O₂) in D₂O. We noticed it underwent a self-photooxidation reaction. Leading us to mechanistic studies using photophysical, photochemical, theoretical, and indirect trapping methods. We found rapid total quenching of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) by ground-state Au₂₀(SG)₁₆, with evidence for dioxygen insertion into the nanocluster. Supported by analyses with IR, ESI-MS, and density functional theory, we propose the formation of …

Recognition At Work: How Managerial Acknowledgment Shapes Team-Level Outcomes, Annalissa Thomas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Employee recognition has become a central focus for organizations worldwide, with billions of dollars spent annually on recognition programs. Despite this investment, scientific research on the effectiveness of recognition beyond performance outcomes remains limited. Furthermore, little is known about how recognition operates at the team-level and the specific attributes that make recognition impactful. This study addresses these gaps by disentangling the nuanced attributes of recognition and exploring their influence on employee perceptions of recognition. It also examines how these perceptions affect key outcomes, including perceptions of manager support, job security, autonomy, team cohesion, and engagement, and tests whether trust moderates …

The Digital Divide In Political Redistricting: Ai's Impact On Minority Representation, Jaime Rodriguez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Technology plays a significant role in people's daily lives worldwide. It has infiltrated many aspects of our lives, from education and healthcare to politics. With our increasing reliance on technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has become well-enmeshed in our political systems, affecting people everywhere, especially minority groups. This essay will investigate the potential effects of AI on the political influence of racial and ethnic minorities, specifically focusing on its role in altering voting district boundaries— a practice referred to as redistricting. There are several areas of concern under which AI could unintentionally worsen gerrymandering, impact equity in the representation of minority …

I Wear The Past In The Cold, Cecilia Knaub

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

“I wear the past in the cold” is a multi-modal archival project exploring themes of intergenerational memory and postmemory. A hand-knit sweater acts as an archive, encoded with metadata about a collection of newspaper articles written by my late father, as well as affectual elements of memory and grief. The accompanying website provides additional detail into the project and design choices. The piece builds on work from memory studies, craft studies, digital humanities, and critical data studies to create a tangible and personal archival object. By accepting the invitation from the #DHMakes movement (Visconti, Dombrowski, and Berger 2020) to embrace …

Computational And Functional Characterization Of Terebrid Venom Peptides, Favour T. Achimba

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Venom peptides represent a natural repertoire of bioactive compounds that are potent modulators of ion channels. Teretoxins, venom peptides from terebrid snails, remain underexplored despite their structural and functional diversity. This thesis is the first to comprehensively explore the structure and function of teretoxins using a comparative computational sequence and structure model followed by experimental assays. The majority of the functional focus has been on identifying the ion channel molecular targets of uncharacterized teretoxins. Teretoxins, like other venom peptides, are hypothesized to manipulate the cellular function of a diversity of ion channels. Dysregulation of ion channels leads to several …

Dumatree: Free Online Education In Bridging The Migrant Digital Divide, Mia Lee

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Research Questions: This capstone project addresses two primary research questions. First, it examines the digital divide within the immigrant-serving non-profit sector, specifically investigating the lack of computer and digital skills training in organizations that serve refugees and migrants. Second, it asks: is it possible to build a scalable, professional-grade tech curriculum using only free, Wi-Fi-accessible online tools? To address the first question, 50 non-profit organizations serving refugees and migrants were reviewed to assess their technical education offerings. To address the second question, Dumatree.com was developed using universally accessible digital resources. A website was the most appropriate format for this project, …

Sometimes I Picture You Dreaming: How American Female Directors Use Women-In-Prison Films As A Pathway For Public Education And Activism In The Era Of Mass Incarceration, Nicolette Natale

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines the role of female directors in creating media that showcases how prisons perpetuate sexism or gender-based violence. As mass incarceration began to take off in the 1970s, this paper begins with an analysis of Jack Hill’s The Big Doll House (1971), which often served as the model for women-in-prison (WIP) exploitation films. While Hill perpetuated the white and male gaze in The Big Doll House, Stephanie Rothman subverts oppressive gazes in her WIP film, Terminal Island (1973), and demonstrates a concern with the historical gendered realities of prison – moving beyond representations of prison on the …

Social Capital And The Spread Of Information On Twitter Related To Change In The Criminal Legal System, Sebastian Hoyos-Torres

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Criminal legal reformers and abolitionists have differing visions for change within the criminal legal system, where reformers seek to modify and abolitionists aim to dismantle it altogether (Davis 2005; Foucault 1977; Kaba 2020). Advocates used print media to disseminate information related to their proposed changes to broader audiences. While print media remains a valuable tool to reach wide audiences, the advent of social media introduced new mechanisms to interact with broad audiences at very low cost while leaving traces of digital data which could be analyzed to better understand the social factors which impact whether information is spread. Throughout this …

Development Of Novel Anti-Cancer Colchicine Analogs: Synthesis And Configurational Studies, Orugbani S. Eli

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Colchicine, a naturally occurring alkaloid, has long been known as a potent therapeutic agent. Despite its efficacy treating gout and other inflammatory disorders, its severe toxicity, limited selectivity, and poor pharmacological profile have restricted its broader clinical application. Reported advantages of colchicine-site ligands as vascular-disrupting agents, including reduced susceptibility to multidrug resistance, have revived interest in the colchicine site on tubulin as a validated therapeutic target for cancer. This dissertation focuses on the development of new colchicine analogs, detailing the synthetic method to functionalized AC-ring derivatives, as well as the evaluation of their configurational stability and biological activity.

In Chapter …

Replanting Hawthorns: Towards A Diachronic Translation Of À La Recherche Du Temps Perdu, Gerardo Bandera

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A novel as long and complex as Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu poses a challenge of methodology to its translators: how should one proceed with rendering its unique style, its bifurcating sentences, its aesthetic philosophy, and the interplay between content and form? What should one prioritize? This dissertation proposes a method of translation that gives priority not only to sentence structure, as most English translators of the novel have done, but also to the repetition and diachronic development of images, themes, and phrases in order to capture and recreate certain recursive effects of the novel’s form. It …