The Church As Provider Of Pastoral Care: Relational Presence, Narrative Listening, Preaching, And Advocacy In African American Missionary Baptist Churches In Southside Fort Worth, Texas, Michael R. Timberlake

Doctor of Ministry Projects and Theses

Abstract

Michael R. Timberlake, Sr.

May 1, 2026

THE CHURCH AS PROVIDER OF PASTORAL CARE: RELATIONAL PRESENCE, NARRATIVE LISTENING, PREACHING, AND ADVOCACY IN AFRICAN AMERICAN MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCHES IN SOUTHSIDE FORT WORTH, TEXAS

The purpose of this research project is to restore and maintain the resiliency in the African American Missionary Baptist churches in the Southside of Fort Worth, Texas. The research identified a high level of importance for African American churches in Fort Worth to resemble the historic legacy of spiritual leadership, communal care, and social advocacy while ministering within contexts marked by racial and economic marginalization. Enabling practical …

Efficacy And Equity In Type 2 Diabetes Care: Comparing Glp-1 Therapy And Dietary Interventions Through Clinical, Social, And Ethical Lenses, Makayla Bogle

Honors Projects

Objective: Explores the clinical and sociocultural dimensions regarding type 2 diabetes (T2DM) care, comparing GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) therapy and dietary interventions for adults with T2DM. Part I consists of a narrative literature review examining clinical outcomes such as glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and weight management for the two compared treatment methods. Part II conducts a narrative literature review examining the structural and social determinants that influence access to diabetes treatments. The review evaluates how social determinants of health (SDOH) shape the real-world implementation of both GLP-1 RA therapies and dietary interventions. The discussion highlights differences in measurable clinical …

Fluid Identities: Using Seattle's Diverse Water Narratives To Shape Cultural Values And Adaptive Conservation Strategies, Brooke J. Vanden Berg

Honors Projects

This paper explores human interactions with the environment in and around Seattle, Washington, following its trajectory from the Vashon glacial episode to its present standing as a city on the frontier of future urban climate resilience. By examining the shift from indigenous stewardship to a twentieth-century settler-led industrial “taming” paradigm, ecological vulnerabilities are considered through the lens of ill-advised hydraulic regrading and the centralization and privatization of water infrastructure and rights. This history is contextualized in the 21st century as climate projections indicate that Seattle's reliance on mountain snowpack, increasing thermal extremes, sea-level rise, and hydraulic instability caused by climate …

Undergraduate Commencement Exercises Program, May 16, 2026

Bryant University Commencements

No abstract provided.

Whiny Women: How Medical Gaslighting Becomes Medical Trauma, Neena Marcus

Honors Projects

Background: The idea of “medical gaslighting” has been present since 1969, but it has increased in popularity in the recent century. Women in particular are at increased risk of being dismissed by their healthcare providers, as throughout history they have been deemed “hysterical” or untrustworthy when recounting their symptoms.

Methods: Articles were compiled from CINAHL Complete, Google Scholar, and the University of Washington library. A total of 33 articles were chosen and reviewed.

Results: Medical gaslighting results in lasting medical trauma, a decreased quality of life and detachment from standard healthcare. Six themes were recurrent in the papers utilized: sexism, …

Agricultural Water Management, Farmer Decision-Making And Climate Adaptation In Dryland Agriculture: A Case Of The Middle Rio Grande Basin, Oluwatosin A. Olofinsao

Economics ETDs

Agriculture in dryland regions faces mounting pressure from climate change, water scarcity, and shifting land-use demands. The Middle Rio Grande Basin (MRGB) of central New Mexico exemplifies these challenges, where irrigated agriculture relies on increasingly variable surface water supplies. This dissertation examines agricultural water use, farmer decision-making, and adaptation strategies across farm types and climate conditions in the MRGB. The first study presents a spatial descriptive analysis of farm size, crop patterns, groundwater access, evapotranspiration (ET), and effective ET, revealing a landscape numerically dominated by smallholder farms that account for a substantial share of irrigation water use. The second study …

Latinos And Liberalism: An Evangelical Explanation For Us Latinos’ Record Support For Donald Trump In The 2024 Election, Charles Daniel Iii

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Reviving The Sacred: Reintegrating Traditional Tantric Philosophies Into Modern Yoga And Meditation Practices, Cameron J. Geary

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Sacralized Violence And The Feminized Body In The Book Of Revelation, Caroline Shane

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Gentleness, Meekness, And Propriety: John Chrysostom, Empire, And Women Patrons, Brodie Selmon

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Mahayana Buddhist Architecture And Sculpture In Central Vietnam: Harmony With Nature Through, Quyen Nguyen

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Notes From The Editors, Katie Corner, Julia Loeffler

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Remaking Buford Highway: Immigration And The Struggle For Walkable Suburbia, Amit Kamma

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

Constructed according to a car-centric vision typical of American suburbs, one segment of Buford Highway outside Atlanta has become a corridor defined by immigrants who often walk and use public transit. These behaviors conflict with the existing car-focused infrastructure, compelling government actors to make the Highway more multimodal. Progress towards that goal is ongoing and precarious, demonstrating wider systemic challenges in U.S. planning and local governance.

Navigating The Borderlands: Testimonios Of First-Generation Chicanas In Counselor Education, Jessenia Garcia, Heather Trepal

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This research applies Anzaldúa’s (1987) Borderlands Theory to examine the testimonios of first-generation Chicana faculty in counselor education. A narrative methodology was employed (n=10), leading to the identification of several themes that illuminate their unique challenges and resilience. Four themes emerged: (a) balancing worlds: family and academia, (b) weaving identity into academia, (c) cultural identity in the borderlands, and (d) disrupting borders, including the subtheme: Red tape and higher ed mafia. These findings provide insight into the institutional barriers and identity navigation experienced by these faculty members. Recommendations for recruitment and retention are included.

Yes, We Can: Understanding The Experiences Of Brown (Latino/X) And Black Male Students Success At Community Colleges, Carlos L. Maynard

Educational Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This is a concurrent mixed methods study that examines the factors and experiences of Brown (Latino/x) and Black male students enrolled in community college (CC) and their higher education success. The following research questions guided the study: what factors contribute to these male CC students’ successes? What experiences contribute to these male CC students’ successes? How do these male students make meaning of their experiences with CC college stakeholders during their success journey? An asset-based integrated conceptual framework was developed to better understand relevant demographics, other factors, and the students experiences with college professionals and peer student workers contribution …

Educated Sons And Evolving Traditions: A Qualitative Exploration Of Male Family Roles, Inheritance Customs And Cultural Identity In Matrilineal Meghalaya., Boby John

Educational Studies Dissertations

Abstract

This study examines how increased access to higher education among Khasi boys reshapes family roles, inheritance customs, and cultural identity within the matrilineal society of Meghalaya, India. While matriliny has often been portrayed either as empowering women or disadvantaging men, limited scholarship has explored how access to higher education interacts with gendered inheritance structures and moral responsibility within such systems. This research addresses that gap by investigating how educated sons, youngest daughters (Ka Khadduh), and elders experience continuity and change in contemporary Khasi families.

Guided by Cultural Capital Theory, Social Role Theory, and Cultural Modernization Theory, the study employed …

Red, Blue, And Bordered: Factors Influencing Immigration Attitudes, Estefania Morales Vilchis

Political Science Student Papers and Posters

The paper will explore the various social and individual variables that will impact how people perceive immigration as either beneficial to society or a societal threat. Some of the primary variables that will be examined in detail are one’s political affiliation, age, and geographical location; this will address the profound "why" behind our current beliefs on newcomers. The study will particularly address the "Contact Hypothesis" versus "Group Threat Theory" through the lens of how one's personal experiences with immigrants, or lack of, will shape public opinion. The study will focus on the rising psychological issue of "demographic anxiety", specifically, fears …

Conflict, Climate, And Child Health: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa, Brian C. Thiede, Nigel C. James

Health Studies Faculty Publications

Many parts of the world are experiencing social and political instability, as well as ongoing climatic changes that are expected to accelerate in the years ahead. These changes can undermine children's health through multiple pathways, and the growing frequency of sociopolitical and environmental stressors increases the likelihood that individuals are exposed to multiple risks simultaneously. Few studies have quantified the effects of such concurrent shocks despite conceptual motivations for doing so. We address this gap by measuring the independent and compounding effects of conflict and climate exposures on the weight-for-height of 0–23 month-old children across 32 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. …

Sesquicentennial Commencement [Program], May 15-16, 2026, University Of Northern Iowa

UNI Commencement Programs

Contents:

Brief History of UNI --- 2
Board of Regents --- 3
Institutional Leadership --- 3
Ceremony Symbols & Traditions --- 4
Commencement Over the Years --- 6
University Honors Program --- 8
Graduation with Honors --- 8
Legacy Graduates --- 8
Military Science --- 9
Merchant Scholarship --- 9
Outstanding Student Leader --- 9
Commencement Student Speakers --- 9
Purple and Old Gold Awards --- 10
Lux Service Award --- 11
7 p.m. Program --- 13
College of Education --- 15
David W. Wilson College of Business --- 22
10 a.m. Program --- 29
College of Humanities, Arts & …

Ud In The News May 8-15, University Of Dayton

News Releases

Students took top billing as media highlighted the UD Sinclair Academy, graduates and another who surprised her mother by being featured on a UD billboard. The Conversation, The National Desk and Catholic World Report also tapped faculty expertise.

“There Was Nothing Left To Give”: Experiences Of Compassion Fatigue Among Former In-Patient Psychiatric Clinicians, Katie Ladner

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Compassion Fatigue (CF) is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from prolonged exposure to stressful or traumatic experiences, specifically among healthcare workers, and it negatively impacts their ability to provide care to their patients and perform their jobs effectively (Singh et al., 2020). The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the lived experiences of compassion fatigue in mental health clinicians who previously worked in in-patient psychiatric hospitals and their subsequent resignations. This phenomenological research explored participants' understanding and descriptions of their CF experiences in their roles within psychiatric hospitals and how CF contributed to their leaving …

Proximal Stress And Gender Identity: The Role Of Internalized Transphobia In Future Expectations, Maribelle Almonacy

Student Theses and Dissertations

Transgender and non-conforming (TGNC) youth and young adults are more likely to experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress due to identity-specific abuse. Studies on the impact of trauma on negative expectations in high-risk youth show a high association between pessimism, nihilism, and instability. Internalized transphobia, similarly, is correlated with negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety, and the internalization of social messages and discrimination. These studies are not specific to the experiences of gender minorities and do not explore the intersections of internalized stressors or trauma in young adults. To address this gap in literature, this study sought to …

War Photography & The Limits Of Empathy, Andrea Shi

Student Theses and Dissertations

The proliferation of photography, particularly war and poverty photography, has had massive implications for the level of vividness with which Americans are able to picture suffering beyond their doors. The mass atrocities that have occurred since the advent of photography – that is to say, the last 200 years – are so relentlessly circulated that they feel, sometimes, as an inevitable byproduct of human nature. It’s not surprising, then, that a lot of media theory and analysis reduce the dilemma of atrocity photographs to a psychological level. Do they numb us, or do they incite empathy? Are they a call …

Stalking Victimization Risk Factors Among College-Aged Men And Women: Does Relationship Type Matter?, Nicole Cebak

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Research assessing stalking—or a pattern of repeated, unwanted behaviors directed at a specific individual that causes fear, distress, or concern for their safety—has identified several factors that can increase a person’s vulnerability to this form of victimization (e.g., demographic predictors, lifestyle factors, individual characteristics) (Fissel et al., 2023; Fox et al., 2016; Reyns et al., 2016; Reyns & Scherer, 2016). However, stalking can manifest within a wide range of relational contexts, suggesting that risk factors identified for stalking victimization more broadly may be insufficient across different victim-offender relationship types (e.g., stranger, intimate partner) (Reyns et al., 2016; Strauss et al., …

Organizational Justice And Staff Well-Being In Probation And Parole, Deena R. Devore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how probation and parole (P&P) officers perceive fairness within their organizations and how these perceptions relate to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and emotional exhaustion. Organizational justice research has been conducted primarily in business and policing contexts, with limited attention to whether established measurement models accurately capture fairness in community corrections. Because P&P officers operate within hybrid roles characterized by discretion, sustained supervisory relationships, and bureaucratic constraint, fairness perceptions in this setting may not align cleanly with existing dimensional frameworks.

Using survey data collected from P&P officers in a western U.S. state, this study evaluates competing measurement structures …

The Dehumanization Of Nfl Players In The Media, Destiny D. Farley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This creative thesis aims to bridge the gap in sports journalism by humanizing National Football League (NFL) players, showcasing their lives outside of sports, and exploring their nuanced relationships with the media. NFL players are objectified in the press in a variety of ways, with some common themes including coverage of drafting/trading, performance statistics, salary/contracts, and their overall celebrification. Through an episodic visual narrative podcast, the project grants autonomy back to the players by providing them with a platform to showcase their personalities, discuss media experiences, and share untold stories. This podcast series—featuring a blend of A-roll and B-roll—immerses audiences …

"Home Means Nevada": Latinx Belonging In A New Destination, Maria G. Hermosillo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project examines how Latinx individuals construct meanings of home and belonging in a Southern Nevada micropolitan city. Nevada is considered a new “Hispanic settlement state” and “New Immigrant Destination” as the state has experienced significant Latinx population growth since the 1990s. This research addresses an empirical gap by centering Nevada in understanding Latinxs lived experiences through the taken-for-granted concept of “home” and a theoretical gap by advancing New Destinations research where moral order, economy, and region influence ethnic incorporation.

Drawing on 32 in-depth semi-structured interviews with current and former Latinx residents and supplemented by participant observation, the study analyzes …

Impairment And Disability In Mesoamerica: Bioarchaeological Evaluation And Interpretation Of The Maya Of Palenque, Dayanira Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The application of disability theory to the past is of growing interest among bioarchaeologists, both nationally and internationally. However, its application poses greater challenges when considering ancient contexts, such as Mesoamerica. Nonetheless, engagement with disability studies has led to the development of various theoretical frameworks in bioarchaeology, including dis/ability. This model views physical impairment as a fluid state that may exhibit adaptability and resilience rather than a biological deficit. Importantly, it views ability on a spectrum and does not make assumptions about social and cultural perceptions of ability where there is a lack of contextual data. Thus, it is a …

Protest Policing And Legitimacy: A Comparative Analysis Of Myanmar And The United States, Khaing Sandee Lynn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Political protests garner immense attention during academic, socio-political, and policy discourse discussions. More specifically, the manner in which government, police, and protestors interact during protest events is heavily observed and debated. Research shows that legitimacy is established when power-holders act in accordance with legal frameworks and various political and institutional norms. With focus on the intersection of legitimacy and protest policing, the current study aims to explore how political, legal, and institutional legitimacy influence police compliance with state and institutional directives, and protestor compliance with police directives in two distinct sociopolitical contexts.

For this purpose, qualitative data was collected through …

Exploring The Impacts Of Contextualized Learning In An Engineering-Specific Corequisite Precalculus Course On Student Achievement, Motivation, And Belongingness, Amy Mathis-Leonard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the design and implementation of a contextualized engineering-specific corequisite Precalculus I course and its impacts on student achievement, motivation, and sense of belonging. This study was conducted in response to decreasing national rates of mathematical readiness, the elimination of stand-alone developmental mathematics courses across multiple states and systems, and the demand for research related to effective corequisite models in mathematics coursework. The intervention created an experimental section of corequisite Precalculus I in which all the students were engineering majors who did not demonstrate readiness for a college-level precalculus course. Unit lessons incorporated engineering-specific topics and career-oriented discussions. …