Digital Commons Network^™

The Evolved Survival Of Sm Entertainment In The Chinese Market: Legitimation Strategies And Organizational Survival, Weibo Ye, Sou Hwan Kang

Kritika Kultura

AVEX, a Japanese leading entertainment company, decided to withdraw from the Chinese market in 2013 due to its business failure. In contrast, SM Entertainment adapted to the Chinese market and has survived. Organizations are affected by their external environment and implement strategies to adapt and respond to this environment. This study investigates reasons for SM Entertainment’s successful entry into China. We analyze how the corporation’s strategies evolved to acclimatize to changes in the Chinese cultural industry policy from 1998 to 2014, and explored the results of these strategies. From this analysis, we argue that it is important for organizations to …

The New Korean Wave In The Middle East And Its Role In The Strategic Approach To Medical Tourism In Korea, Suwan Kim

Kritika Kultura

The “Korean Wave” (known as Hallyu in Korean) describes the phenomenon whereby aspects of Korean culture have become popular globally. By conducting a cross-cultural analysis, this study identifies the status and shifts of Hallyu in the Middle East, and analyzes the factors that have helped it spread successfully. This paper also seeks a strategic approach for evaluating the role of the new Korean Wave in the Middle East. The number of Middle Eastern patients and families visiting Korea for medical tourism has risen rapidly in the past few years. Medical tourism from the Middle East is expected to grow, improving …

Islam And Local Culture: The Peril Of State Violence And Hallyu Fandom In Indonesia (With Reference To Palestine), Ingyu Oh

Kritika Kultura

The invasion of Hallyu (or the Korean Wave) subculture in Indonesia created a new pattern of gendered cultural consumption in the largest Islam country in the world. The most ardent Hallyu supporters in Indonesia are women who are organizing massive urban fan gatherings, K-pop concerts, and group tours to Seoul. With a long and devastating record of state violence on Marxists, Chinese, and women in general, current public tolerance to Hallyu by the Indonesian government seems flimsy as female Hallyu fandom is threatening the mainstream Islamic value of feminine subservience. Although the strength of the local culture vis-à-vis Islam in …

From Localization To Glocalization: Contriving Korean Pop Culture To Meet Glocal Demands, Ingyu Oh

Kritika Kultura

Hallyu (the Korean Wave) has been around the world since the late 1990s. Over the period of twenty years, Hallyu has evolved from a regional entertainment pop to a global cultural content. The evolution of Hallyu, like any other evolutions, has involved a long process of localization and globalization. Both K-pop and K-dramas, the two major pillars of the Hallyu revolution, are foreign imports. K-pop has mostly been influenced by European and American dance music since the early 1990s, whereas K-dramas have been heavily influenced by Japanese trendy TV dramas in the past, particularly during the 1980s. However, the localization …

Webtoon As A New Korean Wave In The Process Of Glocalization, Wonho Jang, Jung Eun Song

Kritika Kultura

With the development of Web 2.0, the online publication of Korean cartoons has increased substantially. The webtoon is a new genre of publishing Korean comics (manhwa) online, and is considered a unique case in the global cartoon market. The increase of Internet users and digital cultural consumption has established conditions for fostering the platform for webtoons and their production. In addition, the popularity of Korean dramas and K-pop has cultivated the spread of webtoons in the countries receiving dramas and K-pop. This study discusses the characteristics of Korean webtoons and their development using the concept of “glocal culture.” The glocalization …

Monsters In The Pacific: The Philippines In The Hollywood Geopolitical Imaginary, Laurence Marvin S. Castillo

Kritika Kultura

The recent announcement of the American strategic pivot to the Asia Pacific calls for the examination of the ways by which the region, particularly its constituent states, is produced in and by the US imperialist imaginary. This essay responds to such critical imperative by analyzing the geopolitical imagination of the Philippine nation-space in the Hollywood giant monster films Pacific Rim (2013) and Godzilla (2014). The essay first discusses how the nation-state remains a crucial participant in the globalized expansion of capital, and how its participation is imagined in the realm of cinematic geopolitics. It then examines the development of the …

Interrogating Indonesian New Order’S Narrative Of Gestapu: The Leftist Nobles And The Indonesian Communist Party In Umar Kayam’S Stories, Paulus Sarwoto

Kritika Kultura

Although the atrocity around the 1965 coup—better known as Gestapu, Gestok or G 30 S PKI in Indonesia—has been continually on the international humanitarian spotlight, its literary representation in Indonesia has been minimal. The strong hold of the New Order regime and their residue in the current political system must have something to do with this. Among a few vernacular writers coping with the aftermath of the tragedy but is less discussed as such is Umar Kayam. The four texts analysed in this article, “Bawuk,” “Musim Gugur Kembali ke Connecticut,” Para Priyayi and Jalan Menikung: Para Priyayi 2, interrogate the …

Theater And Nation In Contemporary Malaysia: The Work Of The Five Arts Centre, Ricardo G. Abad

Kritika Kultura

How does theater interrogate a nation that preaches racial harmony, on the one hand, yet practices racial inequality, on the other? Focusing on the work of the Five Arts Centre, an artistic company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this paper finds that this interrogation takes place on the symbolic plane of words, images, movement, and sound, all of which cohere in performances that offer middle-class audiences alternative scenarios of a pluralistic Malaysia. Its intent is to destabilize the state’s policies on racial privileging and political suppression, to create a space for free discourse, and to advocate a pluralistic Malaysia. To do …

Multicultural Bildungsroman: Coming Of Age Between Han And Sana, Maria Luis Torres Reyes

Kritika Kultura

The paper explores ways in which the contemporary refunctioning of classical literary and cinematic genres might continue to provide vitality and relevance in building multi-faceted border-crossing societies such as multicultural communities. In the case of Korean hallyu cinema, Punch, the sleeper-hit film of 2011 about a Korean-Filipino character (“Kopino”), the “coming-of-age” genre is located at the nexus between the key features of the Bildungsroman and the project of multiculturalism in dominantly monocultural Korea. In the process of refunctioning, the aesthetics of the film is reworked from a narrative structured by the integrative logic of an individual’s development (Bildungsroman) into a …

The Matrix Of S&M In Korean Cinema: Time, Space, Trauma, Power, Taeyun Yu

Kritika Kultura

Just as Jean Baudrillard predicted that a new era would arrive wherein sexual desire would emerge, the late ’90s in Korea were marked as the fin-de-siècle of sexual explosion in popular culture, in the transition of the culture from pre-modernism to modernism. Sex and nudity became prevalent properties in popular culture and film, as a window onto the world, also joined this parade by equipping its products with erotically provocative visuals and transgressive texts. This study aims to shed some light on the social meaning of sadomasochism (S&M) by viewing it as an expression of power relations (dominance/submission & discipline/punishment) …

Building Successful Justice Worker Programs: Emerging Insights From Research And Practice, Rebecca L. Sandefur, Matthew Burnett

Alaska Law Review

America's deep access to justice crisis has long seemed intractable. But new and potentially transformative models for giving people access to legal services and to their own law are emerging around the country. Among the most promising of these are community justice workers. These are people already trusted in their communities, such as social workers, librarians, health aides, community leaders, teachers, mediators, and everyday citizens who are trained to help people understand and act on the legal challenges involved in critical life issues. These issues implicate basic needs like nutrition, health, income security, shelter, education, and care of dependents, and …

A Study On Common Characteristics And Mechanisms On Growth Of Strategic Scientists From Perspective Of Life Course Theory, Chenghua Lin, Weijia Zhang, Yanyi Wu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

This study was conducted on six renowned strategic scientists in China using the life cycle theory framework. The research explored the key competency characteristics, growth trajectories, and influencing factors in their growth process. The findings revealed that the capabilities of Chinese strategic scientists encompass four dimensions: scientific metacognition, strategic planning, team coordination, and spiritual leadership. These capabilities exhibit staged development characteristics, including phases of enlightenment, wisdom enhancement, and molding. They are influenced by a comprehensive range of factors, including the influence of others, resource conservation, and career construction. To further optimize the environment for cultivating and utilizing strategic scientists in …

The Lived Experiences Of Female Undergraduates At A Private University Regarding Foodways And Wellness: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Kelly Green Kearns

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation study outlines the topic of food and wellness for female undergraduate college students at a private university in the northeastern US. An extensive literature review on the topic of human interactions with food and wellness as well as the potential impact on female undergraduate students is provided, followed by a proposed qualitative study. This dissertation describes the qualitative method of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) using semi-structured interviews and member-checking meetings to learn about the experiences of eight female undergraduate students at a private university’s experiences with food, eating, sourcing, cooking, and sharing and how these behaviors impact and …

Evaluating The Implementation Of Community Schools’ Strategies To Address Post-Pandemic Student Mental Health, Dawn Gordon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the systemic and structural barriers affecting the effectiveness of community schools, particularly in providing mental health services and support, with a specific focus on how principals have responded to these needs in the post-COVID-19 era. Employing qualitative methods, including focus groups with principals from schools implementing the community schools’ model, the study identifies three major themes: difficulties with lead agency collaboration and coordination with host schools, systemic and structural barriers to effective functioning, and holistic approaches to enhancing student support and well-being with mental health.

Difficulties with lead agency collaboration and coordination reveal how inadequate communication and …

Factors Affecting Involvement Of Parents Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Saudi Elementary Schools, Mohammed Alyahya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research explores the factors that influence parental involvement in school children with learning disabilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Understanding these factors is crucial, as parental involvement is widely recognized as essential for the academic success of children, particularly those with learning disabilities. This study used a quantitative approach to collect data from parents of students with learning disabilities, including parents' age, gender, income, employment status, and parental beliefs (responsibilities and capabilities). The findings reveal that parental beliefs regarding their responsibilities towards their child's education are the only significant predictor of parental involvement. In contrast, other variables, including age, gender, …

School System And Student Performance: Examining Science And Mathematics Achievement In Pakistan, Sadia Muzaffar Bhutta, Sohail Ahmad, Aisha Naz Ansari

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

Public and private school systems are the two largest providers of formal school education in Pakistan, differing significantly in their governance, resources, and practices. While previous studies showed differences in Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), often favouring private schools, these comparisons remained largely descriptive. This paper compares elementary grade students’ performance in mathematics and science between public and private schools in Pakistan, accounting for factors such as grade level and geographical region. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 15,391 students from grades 5, 6, and 8, selected through a multistage sampling technique from a total of­­ 153 public and private schools …

Ud In The News Dec. 13-20, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Faculty contributed to New America, Catholic World Report and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Local media featured onMain, the McIntosh scholarship winner, graduation and University of Dayton Research Institute expertise.

It's Funny When You Think About It: Formal Complexity And Emotional Engagement In Twentieth Century American Humor, Noel Stanger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is generally accepted by scholars of humor that humor requires an observer to take on a perspective of “critical distance” – or a perspective through which the observer can be critical of the target of humor. Consequently, work in the field is dominated by an assumption – whether implicit or explicit - that humor (and, especially, twentieth century American humor) necessitates that the observer disengages emotionally from the target of humor. In this project, I challenge this assumption and argue that humor has the potential to be extremely emotionally engaging. Focusing on written humor and building on both classic …

When Do States Outsource Repression: Evidence From Hong Kong, Ming Kong

Student Theses and Dissertations

What explains the variation in states using state versus nonstate actors in responding to civil unrest? Prior research on state repression has predominantly focused on the direct use of force by state authorities, often neglecting the critical role of third parties, such as organized crime groups, in executing repression. This practice, known as "outsourcing repression", enables states to maintain control while preserving plausible deniability, particularly in contexts requiring substantial coercion. This study aims to elucidate the conditions under which states opt to outsource repression. I propose a two-step logical framework. First, I argue that outsourcing repression depends on the availability …

Power-Conscious Legal Work: Building A Roadmap For Rural Access To Justice Through Trust, Accountability, & Trauma-Informed Practices, Cayley Balser, Antonio M. Coronado

Alaska Law Review

The importance of trauma-informed practices has never been greater. In the United States, most of the population has experienced at least one traumatic event in their life. Experiencing a traumatic event may have long-lasting impacts on physical health, including disruption to all major system functioning. Mental health impacts may include behavior changes, memory challenges, inability to complete routine tasks, difficulty with interpersonal relationships, and other symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Extant literature examines the association between past trauma experiences and later interactions with the civil justice system, including litigant conceptualizations of legal system engagement as a traumatic event …

Seizing Welfare From The Bankrupt, Michael D. Sousa

University of Cincinnati Law Review

The earned income tax credit (EITC) is currently the largest means-tested antipoverty program in the United States that assists low-income working families surviving along the edges of poverty. A central component of the national welfare system, the EITC has lifted millions of families with children out of poverty and has produced myriad benefits for their everyday lives. But most of the poor and near-poor endure in the low-wage labor market and often lead turbulent financial lives, plagued by precarious employment along with deleterious material and psychological constraints in budgeting for daily expenses. For the segment of these families also burdened …

A Narrative Inquiry On The Parent-Child Relationships Of Higher-Weight Late Adolescents, Hien Anh Miguel G. Dang, David Rigel Dela Cruz Panes, Belle Beatriex' M. Alemania

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Late adolescence is a crucial developmental phase marked by significant psychological and emotional changes as individuals transition from childhood to adulthood. However, the specific impact of parental influence on the body image of higher-weight adolescents remains underexplored. This narrative study aimed to examine the parent-child relationship of higher-weight Filipino adolescents, delving more into how parental opinions influence late adolescents' well-being and perception of their bodies. To answer the objective, a qualitative method through semi-structured interview was employed where four participants were chosen by conducting purposive and snowball sampling. Various themes emerged, mainly struggles with body weight acceptance and insecurities, internalizing …

Winter Commencement: December 20, 2024, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 20, 2024.

The Ghostly Angel In The Haunted Home: The Haunted House As A Metaphor For A Woman's Body In Crimson Peak, Andrea I. Amado-Fajardo

Theses and Dissertations

Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro), often overshadowed by del Toro's more critically acclaimed filmography, deserves to be acknowledged for its central trauma metaphor and its nuanced approach to gender. Far from being merely a horror movie fueled by disturbing sequences such as those found in contemporary supernatural horror films, Crimson Peak slowly unravels how Allerdale Hall parallels the film's female leads as they house and live with ghosts, revenants of a traumatic past. This essay explores the personification of the haunted house as a metaphor for the personified trauma that resides in a woman's body using Crimson Peak …

Ilaw Ng Ibang Tahanan: Transnational Mothering Practices Of Overseas Filipina Domestic Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Arvin John C. Ramirez

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Filipino mothers traditionally serve as primary caregivers and, at times, as the main breadwinners for their families. With limited opportunities in the Philippines, many seek employment abroad, leaving their children behind. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority indicated that female Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) often engage in elementary jobs, including domestic work and caregiving. The COVID-19 pandemic added a challenge in fulfilling their maternal needs since health and safety have become everyone’s priority. This study investigates the transnational mothering practices of overseas Filipina domestic workers during the pandemic and how these practices differ from those before the health crisis. Through …

Self-Agency As A Strategy In Emergency Remote Learning Among Filipino Grade 10 Students, John Cris C. Tababa, Paul Andrei C. Apo, Golden Grace R. Gammaru, Audrey S. Manaay, Kathrin Anne N. Nadua, James Fhonzy Angelo S. Fontillo

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

The Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly influences students' educational attainment as they actively find and rationalize knowledge obtained from emergency remote learning. As a response, the agency or the ability to regulate one’s learning provides the students with the ability to believe in themselves. Still, it also necessitates the deliberate consideration to create a plan of action and modify it as required to achieve one's objectives. This study obtained knowledge from emergency remote learning (ERL) experiences of Filipino Grade 10 Students in their Social Studies class. The researchers employed a phenomenological approach to understand the self-agency practices of Grade 10 …

Citation Practices Of Contrasting Cultures In Q1 Journal Articles, April Rose C. Gonzales

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Citation is a distinguishing feature in research writing that every researcher must include to ensure credible ethical research. Citing sources is necessary as it provides credit to the original author, refers to previous findings, sets credibility, and enables sustainability of the topic. However, studies least consider culture as an element that influences citation beliefs and practices. Most literature holds a lack of language proficiency as the culprit for poor citation skills. Drawing from Hofstede's Cultural Dimension theory (2011) and Lewis’ (2006) Cultural Behaviour in Relation to Writing, this study explores the influence of culture on citation practices with the hope …

Defining The Social Licence Of Large Language Models In Healthcare, Robin L. Pierce, Jack Gallifant, Ashley Cordes, Amelia Fiske, Matilda Dorotic, Mataroria Lyndon, Shrey Jain, Joe Zhang, Judy Gichoya, Leo Anthony Celi

Seattle Journal of Technology, Environmental, & Innovation Law

As Large Language Models (LLMs) continue to grow and evolve, the ethical, social, and legal challenges they present, especially in terms of data use and sharing, come sharply into focus. Particularly in high-risk domains like healthcare, where the sensitivity of data is pronounced, and the ramifications of data leakages or misuse are profound. These licenses, envisioned to address the complexities introduced by LLMs, still grapple with barriers that hinder their full potential: notably, the absence of authoritative regulatory bodies, ambiguities in defining what constitutes 'sufficient public benefit', issues of data sovereignty, and dilemmas surrounding responsibility and liability. Herein, we delve …

Beyond Bindis, Bhajis, Bangles And Bhangra: Promoting Multiculturalism In Primary Schools In Predominantly White British Places, Suparna Bagchi

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Twenty-first-century education as a powerful means of knowledge will possibly be shaped by the emphasis it places on having classrooms that are race-conscious and multicultural. The present article is based on a doctoral study that explores an under-researched area: experiences and understanding of multiculturalism in mainstream primary schools situated in the predominantly White places of Southwest England. The study was underpinned by a sociocultural theoretical framework; data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the adult participants, students’ classroom activities, and documentary analysis of school displays. The article focuses on the data generated from the students’ classroom activities. Findings show differences …

Subaltern Planet Of Cultural Studies, Charlie Samuya Veric

Kritika Kultura

A contribution to a mostly unwritten history, the essay provides a preliminary account of cultural studies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America from decolonization to globalization. My intention is two-fold, namely, to contribute to the history of cultural studies in the global South and experiment with the writing of planetary history to determine the lessons that can be learned when totality is imagined from below. I argue that whether it is the geopolitics of decolonization in Asia, the politics of indigenization in Africa, or the critique of knowledge-production in Latin America, cultural studies signifies the unfinished task of decolonization.