Digital Commons Network^™

The Machine And The Masses: A Sociolinguistic Study Of Ai Political Rhetoric, Yaseen Tasnif

2026 Spring Honors Capstones Projects

With increased use of and access to generative Artificial Intelligence, or AI, political communications have begun to see its influence, leading to the question of how this AI generated political rhetoric is received. In previous research, AI output has been extensively researched and indexed, highlighting specific qualities such as overly polished speech as indicators of use. Research has also been done on perception and detectability of AI, showing that people can accurately identify AI-generated text, but tend to be overconfident. However, such research has not been done in the context of political rhetoric, which is consumed in different ways than …

University Of Richmond Magazine - Spring 2026

University of Richmond Magazine

No abstract provided.

A Living Epidemic: The Persistence Of Tuberculosis In Contemporary Indigenous Alaska, Sharon Kim , ‘26

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

No abstract provided.

Commemoration Within Palestinian Refugee Camps: Knowledge Production And External Influence In Lebanon, Hope Lee

Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Macroinvertebrate Response To Two Highway Construction Projects In West Virginia, Brenden Nauman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Highway development and construction are frequently required to provide efficient transportation for an increasing human population. Specific to the Appalachian region, highway development has been a major goal since the mid 1900’s, with the aim of promoting economic growth and ease of travel. While highways provide necessary services to humans, their construction and presence often impact nearby waterways through multiple mechanisms including sedimentation and urbanization. To understand the degree of impact, streams are often monitored using biological data, which can be used to quantify effects. In this work I used freshwater macroinvertebrate communities to monitor changes in stream health surrounding …

Conspiracy And Social Movements, Steffen Seitz

Michigan Law Review

Conspiracy prosecutions of social movements are on the rise. From anti-“Cop City” protesters in Atlanta to pro-Palestinian protesters in California, prosecutors are increasingly wielding conspiracy law to suppress social movements. This development is troubling. Social movements have long served as vital engines of democratic self-governance; they crystallize issues, foster public discourse, and mobilize citizens. Yet conspiracy law endangers these movements— and thus democracy—by targeting what makes them work: public expression and social ties between activists.

This Article makes three significant contributions to our understanding of this threat. First, it demonstrates that a charge of conspiracy requires remarkably little—just the appearance …

Dan Subotnik Kept It Real, John Mcwhorter

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Black Suburbanization: Potent Hope Or Illusory Promise?, Mary Jo Wiggins

Marquette Law Review

Suburbs are popular. People like living in them, and scholars like studying them. For the first time, more Americans live in the suburbs than in central cities. Perhaps more noteworthy is that more Black Americans live in the suburbs than ever before. Given these realities, it is not surprising that the suburbs have become a laboratory for analyzing a host of political, legal, and economic questions.

In previous scholarship, I examined the complex phenomenon of Black suburbanization through the lens of two communities: South DeKalb, Georgia and Prince George’s County, Maryland. These communities were part of what I called the …

Sports And Corporate Innovation, Bing Qin

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Driven by the digital economy and intensifying global competition, corporate innovation has become a core driver of sustainable growth. Topmanagement members are key strategic decision-makers, and their individual characteristics critically influence the formulation and implementation of innovation strategies. While existing studies have examined the impact of topmanagement’s cognitive and psychological traits on innovation performance, significant gaps remain in understanding how their routine behavioral preferences—particularly running, a globally prevalent exercise—affect innovation performance through psychological mechanisms. The systematic relationship between running preferences, top management’s psychological traits, and organizational innovation outcomes remains underexplored.

Against this backdrop, the study investigates the mechanismthroughwhich top management’s …

2026 Document For Faculty And Staff Scholarship Spring Soirée, Kara Schleck, Diana Symons

Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day (2018-)

No abstract provided.

Mosaics: An Artist’S Thesis Of Identity Through Memory And Belonging, Sofia I. Menco

Honors Theses

Conceptually, this thesis engages visually with Magical Realism as pioneered by Colombian writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, as well as the symbolic color fields of Colombian painter Alejandro Obregon, and the narrative portraiture of Spanish illustrator, David de las Heras, by situating my personal narratives within broader themes of memory, color symbolism and faith-based art. Having this visual research in mind, I drew a lot of inspiration from Colombian Artisan Practices such as Mochilas Wayuu and the folkloric colors of such. At the same time, I explored the sociological and religious lens coming from a theoretical approach of George Hebert Mead’s …

Paradise Lost And Character Motivation: Sinful Behavior Or Inferiority Complex?, Esperanza Barrios

Honors Theses

Sin is a concept that is always viewed through a religious perspective. But, through Paradise Lost, John Milton was able to bring further understanding towards human nature and one’s own sense of committing what’s perceived as sinful behavior without the veil of religion glazing over academics' understanding. In religious terms, sinful behavior is the idea of defying God’s commandments, but for this research, sinful behavior may be described as abnormal behavior that damages our best interests and relationships, usually for selfish gains. Each of Milton’s main characters, Satan, Adam, and Eve, fell from grace because all three damaged their relationship …

“Wandering Between Two Worlds”: From One Marshall To Another, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

This personal essay chronicles my journey from Marshall, Texas, where I lived for 14 years, to Marshall University, where I have taught for 17 years. I discuss not only the move itself, but a pivot from Victorian studies to Appalachian studies, a change I made so I could focus on the region in which I live. The essay’s central question is mentioned in the title: how long do I have to live here before I can call myself a West Virginian, and before others will regard me that way as well? Is 17 years enough? If not, will I eventually …

Exploring Shared Experiences As Citizen Sport Diplomats: A Collaborative Self-Ethnography, Randall J. Griffiths, Jacob K. Tingle, Angela Breidenstein

School of Business Faculty Research

Research purpose: This study was a critical analysis of the lived experiences of three American university professors who served as volunteer citizen diplomats in a bi-lateral U.S. State Department sport exchange program with North Macedonian volleyball coaches.

Research methods: With the aim of capturing the experience of serving as citizen sport diplomats and making sense of it to inform future practice, this research utilized a collaborative self-ethnography approach. This reflexive approach brings together: (a) analytic autoethnography as individuals themselves are engaged in the ethnography and study, and (b) collective ethnography as a team collects and makes sense of shared data …

The Table Between Us: Cultivating Intergenerational Discipleship And Belonging In The Local Church, James Irwin

Doctor of Ministry

Many members of Generation Z, born in the mid-1990s to the early 2010s, have grown up amid digital saturation, social fragmentation, mental health challenges, and institutional distrust. At Holy Savior Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, many Gen Z participants seek deeper, more meaningful relationships beyond Sunday worship. This project addresses the concern expressed by these Gen Z members at Holy Savior.

This dissertation asserts that intergenerational ministry provides a theologically grounded, culturally responsive approach for engaging Gen Z in meaningful discipleship at Holy Savior Lutheran Church. By grounding this approach in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Sanctorum Communio and Life Together, and …

Sancocho Leadership: Nurturing Leadership And Vocation Of Latinas, Miriam Méndez

Doctor of Leadership

Latinas are vital to the future of the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey (ABCNJ), but the church has failed to properly nurture and develop their pastoral leadership gifts. They contribute significantly to congregational life, pastoral care, community outreach, and theological imagination. However, their presence in formal pastoral leadership roles remains limited. This dissertation examines the structural, cultural, and theological factors that influence Latina pastoral development. The solution for developing Latina women into pastoral leadership positions in the ABCNJ is the introduction of a contextual, culturally rooted model called Sancocho Leadership. Drawing on practical theology, Latina feminist theology, and leadership …

Women’S Marital Surname Change: Adjustment & The Novel Concept Of Name Decision Match, Sarah E. Fox

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Marriage is a significant, complex life event that most international and U.S. adults experience. Marriage offers numerous opportunities for decision-making, including the marital surname change choice. A woman may choose to adopt her husband’s surname (i.e., Changers), keep her birth surname (i.e., Keepers), or an alternative (i.e., Creatives). Enduring societal norms and traditions are reflected in most women who are Changers. Conversations surrounding marital surname change choice may offer insight into the couple’s agreement on the ultimate decision, referred to in this study as name decision match (NDM), a novel concept. The purpose of the study was to analyze women’s …

Transformative Paths: Advancing Inclusive Healthcare Education, Morgan Young

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2026

Transgender individuals continue to experience significant healthcare disparities, provider bias, discrimination, and barriers to accessing affirming healthcare services (White Hughto et al., 2015; World Professional Association for Transgender Health [WPATH], 2022). Despite increasing awareness of these disparities, healthcare education often lacks comprehensive training related to gender-affirming care (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2021; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], n.d.; White Hughto et al., 2015). A concurrent scoping review was conducted to answer the research question: Among healthcare providers, how do educational strategies grounded in transgender perspectives and lived experiences affect provider competence in transgender healthcare? The review …

Musicking In The Greek Diaspora Of Perth, Western Australia, Alix Simatos

Theses : Honours

This research investigates music making among second- and third-generation Greek Australians in the diaspora community of Perth, Western Australia. It explores how musical practices serve as a medium for expressing and negotiating Greek identity, with particular attention to how multiculturalism is embodied through music education, performance and communal exchange. Fieldwork was conducted in Perth between July and September 2025, using a methodology that included semi-structured interviews, participant observation and experiential learning through musical events. The findings highlight music’s significance in sustaining cultural heritage and shaping identity within diaspora communities. Key themes include the influence of physical and digital media on …

Racial Disparities In Maternal Mortality: The Role Of Explicit And Implicit Bias In U.S. Healthcare, Lailah Allen

Capstone Showcase

Maternal mortality in the United States remains a critical public health crisis, with disproportionately high rates among Black and other minority women. Despite advances in obstetric medicine, racial disparities in pregnancy-related deaths persist due to structural inequities, implicit bias in healthcare delivery, unequal access to prenatal and postpartum care, and broader social determinants of health. Nationally, Black women are significantly more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity and mortality compared to White women, reflecting longstanding inequities embedded within the healthcare system. This paper examines the relationship between race, healthcare access, and maternal outcomes through a focused case study of and …

Visual Aids And Numeracy In Healthcare: Leveraging The Drawing Effect, Zephyr J. Markley

Capstone Showcase

Healthcare decisions often require patients to interpret numerical risk information under stress, yet many struggle with low numeracy, which can distort comprehension and undermine informed consent. Well-designed visual aids can improve diagnostic inference, calibrate confidence, and support better choices, especially for patients with limited numeracy, but their impact depends on whether users can actually interpret the format accurately. Drawing may further enhance these tools by adding a tactile, generative layer that engages visual, semantic, and motoric processing while helping patients organize information into concrete models.

Passive visual aids appear useful but limited because they often position patients as observers rather …

Roll The Dice: Do Fostered Youth Stand A Chance In Juvenile Justice?, Marina Rios

Capstone Showcase

Foster youth remain dramatically overrepresented in the juvenile justice system, accounting for up to almost a quarter of system-involved youth despite comprising less than 5% of the general population. Prior research on this subject indicates that foster youth tend to face disproportionately punitive responses, systemic challenges linked to trauma, placement, and instability, as well as limited access to diversion programs. This project aims to examine the disparities that foster youth face that result in juvenile justice involvement, as well as focusing on how structural barriers influence detention rates, sentencing outcomes, and opportunities for rehabilitation. Through an analysis of current literature, …

From County To Commonwealth: A Study Of Kentucky County Election Office Websites And Collaborative Solutions For Strengthened Voter Information Accessibility, Marissa A. Robinson, Marina E. Smart

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In 2022, the League of Women Voters discovered inconsistencies across Kentucky county clerk websites in how they offer voter information and in website accessibility and clarity. County clerk websites serve as an important source of accessible voting procedural information, trusted by constituents. Through an audit of county clerk websites and interviews with county clerks, this project identifies how county election office websites can better provide equitable, accurate, comprehensive, and consistent voting information. Recommendations based on the findings include linking the Kentucky State Board of Elections Voter Information Portal universally, adding website training, and state-established website guidelines.

Substance Abuse: Causes, Effects, And Treatment Approaches, Ambrea A. Watkins

Integrated Studies

Abstract

Substance abuse continues to be one of the most significant public health and social challenges facing the United States. Substance use disorders affect millions of individuals each year and have serious consequences for families, communities, and public systems such as healthcare and criminal justice. Addiction is widely recognized as a chronic brain disease that can alter behavior, decision making, and impulse control. Many individuals who struggle with substance abuse also experience related issues such as mental illness, homelessness, poverty, and involvement in the criminal justice system.

This research paper examines the causes, impacts, and treatment approaches related to substance …

Lost, Never Found: Syria's National Commission For The Missing, Sara Jordan

Loyola University Chicago International Law Review

This article discusses the enactment of Presidential Decree No. 19, enacted by interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which established the National Commission for the Missing. This body was created in May 2025 and is tasked with researching missing and forcibly disappeared persons, including creating a national database, providing legal and humanitarian support to victims’ families, and documenting cases. The Commission’s findings, however, cannot be used in criminal trials, and the international community, including groups such as Amnesty International, has voiced concerns about its potential ineffectiveness. Following a brief history of conflict under the Assad regime, this article offers an analysis …

Ambivalence In The Context Of Competing Narratives: Exploration Through A Case Of The Us Military Base Issue In Okinawa, Maho Aikawa, Andrew Stewart

Psychology

The current research focused on how competing narratives (i.e., dominant and resistance narratives) are endorsed among low-status group members, through the case of the US military base issue in Okinawa, Japan. Specifically, we explored patterns of Okinawans’ narrative endorsement (i.e., dominant and resistance narratives surrounding the presence of US military in Okinawa), as well as their behavioural responses (e.g., resistance and compliance) using survey responses of Okinawan participants (N = 172). Following the identification of factors in narrative endorsement and behavioural responses through exploratory factor analyses, we identified narrative profiles of participants through a latent profile analysis. Then, we mapped …

More Than Meets The Eye: Operation Blue Star & Us-India’S Deadly Exchange, Jannat Verma

Scripps Senior Theses

Operation Blue Star is often memorialized as an independent action carried out by India's Congress Party. While such an understanding is not entirely historically inaccurate, it fails to account for the role played by US influence in the operation. An examination of CIA files and America's involvement in the subcontinent during the Cold War calls for a re-interpretation of Operation Blue Star, not as a solo campaign, but rather as a product of counterinsurgent and deadly exchange between the US and India.

Appalachia In Presidential Campaign Rhetoric Since 1964, Meredith Morello

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines how presidential candidates have invoked Appalachia in campaign rhetoric from Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 election through 2024, arguing the region functions not as a geographic reference but as a strategically deployable political symbol. Through mixed-methods analysis of 83 campaign-period sources archived in the American Presidency Project, a structured thematic coding schema traces how candidates frame the region across six decades using two analytically distinct modes: objective-economic and moralized-culture framing.

Five major structural patterns emerge: Johnson's institutionalization of the region as bounded domestic poverty; strategic silence during national instability; reframings enabling rhetorical reentry; symbolic portability across ideological projects; …

Food Stamp Participation And Health Outcomes In Ca Immigrants, Esther Kang

Scripps Senior Theses

The U.S. social welfare system includes programs aiming to increase access to nutritious food to reduce nutrition insecurity. However, studies suggest that immigrants continue to face disproportionate risks of nutrition insecurity and may face barriers to enrollment due to legal status. This study, using secondary data from the 2023 California Health Interview Survey, examines the associations between food stamp participation, food insecurity, and clinical diagnosis of diabetes among adult U.S.-born, naturalized, and non-citizen adults in California. The findings suggest that those enrolled in food stamps are more likely to report food insecurity than those who are not enrolled, and that …

Understanding Child Development Through Social And Environmental Systems, Collin E. Curling

Integrated Studies

For this 50-page research paper, this study focuses on “The Role of Family Structure in Childhood Development.” The categories examined in this research include: Two-parent households, Single-parent households, Blended/Stepfamilies, Multigenerational households, and Foster and adoptive families. This research seeks to demonstrate the impact of different family structures impact and influence the developmental states of children. Using perspectives from education, economics, psychology, sociology, and public policy, this study argues that the structure of families alone does not determine the development of the child. Instead, factors such as family stability, access to resources, quality of relationships, and cultural context play a huge …