Digital Commons Network^™

Navigating Yellow Zone Sexual Misconduct Cases: Exploring Title Ix Administrators’ Discretion, Angela E. Hobbs

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations

This study examines how Title IX administrators exercise discretion when responding to ambiguous sexual misconduct reports referred to as yellow zone. The 2020 Title IX Rules and Regulations introduced a more restrictive definition of sexual misconduct, requiring behavior to be severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive (SPOO) to meet the threshold for formal institutional response. Despite the practical challenges these cases present for institutions, there is limited scholarly understanding of how Title IX administrators make decisions when responding to them. Guided by street-level bureaucracy theory (Lipsky, 1969, 1980, 2010), the study explored how institutional actors exercise discretion in response to regulatory …

International Law And The Defense Of Political Prisoners And Prisoners Of Conscience, Judith Abitan

Fordham International Law Journal

The international community continues to witness a concerning trend of political repression and unjust incarceration of dissidents, including political opposition members, activists, intellectuals, academics, journalists, and human rights defenders. From authoritarian regimes to democratic nations, the suppression of dissenting voices has become prevalent. As fundamental rights and freedoms are increasingly violated, the strengthening and enforcement of international legal frameworks become even more essential to sustain the rules-based international order. Against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions, shifting power dynamics, and evolving interpretations of sovereignty, the examination of international legal instruments and mechanisms becomes not only a matter of scholarly inquiry but …

Echoes Across Borders: Comparative Criminal Law And Justice In The Us Landscape, Alessandro Corda

Fordham International Law Journal

Despite its substantial promise to deepen understanding of domestic criminal laws and their operation, offer alternative approaches to policy challenges, and foster cross-cultural dialogue, comparative criminal law and justice remains only modestly visible in the United States—both in academic discourse and policymaking circles. After tracing the trajectory of comparative criminal law and justice in the United States and examining the primary factors contributing to its marginal status in legal scholarship and reform debates, this Article investigates the reasons for its limited prominence through an analysis of findings from a web-based survey of faculty specializing in criminal law, criminal procedure, and …

International Law Duties Not To Recognize, Not To Assist, And To Cooperate Against Peremptory Norm (Jus Cogens) Violations, Diane A. Desierto

Fordham International Law Journal

Peremptory norms (jus cogens) are the highest norms of international law. When these norms are violated, all States and international organizations have, at a minimum, three international legal duties to discharge while the violation is occurring: (1) the duty of non-recognition, where no State or international organization should recognize the situation caused by the violation; (2) the duty of non-assistance, where no State or international organization should render any aid or assistance to maintain this situation caused by the violation; and (3) the duty of cooperation, where all States and international organizations should cooperate to bring the violation to …

He Rengao Super-Consciousness Imagery, A Global Touring Exhibition, Jun Dong

MA Projects

Focusing squarely on He Rengao’s long-developed visual philosophy, this exhibition will take the form of a solo presentation introducing Super-Consciousness Imagery to New York audiences. As one of China’s most established contemporary artists, He has spent decades refining a highly introspective and philosophically grounded painterly language. This exhibition aims to situate his mature body of work within an international conversation, foregrounding painting as a site where civilizational imagination, spiritual inquiry, and aesthetic experimentation converge. The exhibition title, Super-Consciousness Imagery, encapsulates two key elements central to He’s artistic practice; it refers to the expanded state of awareness the artist seeks to …

Artisanal Retreats, Michelle Larose

MA Projects

Artisanal Retreats is a luxury travel provider blending holistic personal wellness with art creation, appreciation, education and collection. We offer our clients an unparalleled retreat experience at our 250-acre pastoral escape, combining traditional wellness amenities and activities with art focused pursuits to aid guests in achieving optimal Creative Wellness. Set on a gorgeous, historic farm near the bucolic town of Middleburg, Virginia, Artisanal Retreats’ guests are transported to a heightened level of relaxation and vitality through our exceptional programming and hospitality. Our team is comprised of seasoned professionals, from both the art world and the wellness industry, intent on bringing …

Michael Scott Is Not A Juror: The Limits Of Ai In Simulating Human Judgment, Sean Harrington, Hayley Stillwell

Faculty Articles

Can AI replace human jurors? More specifically, can large language models predict how jurors interpret evidence and reach decisions based on legally salient facts and demographic characteristics? As legal scholars and practitioners increasingly explore AI-generated jury simulations, this Article offers the first empirical test of whether models like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini can faithfully replicate juror reasoning. The answer, for now, is no. Across a series of mock trial scenarios involving redacted confessions, GPT- 4, Claude, and Gemini repeatedly failed to replicate how real jurors interpret evidence or exercise judgment. Their errors were not random, but systematic. Hidden prompts, built-in …

Examining Leadership Accountability Standards And Protocols In The U.S. Church, Grace E. Emmert

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project addresses the current condition of accountability standards and protocols in the U.S. church. This research focused on U.S. Protestant denominational and nondenominational churches. First, a review of the Scriptural mandate for leadership accountability was examined through a study of the specific impact accountability played in the leadership failures and successes in the lives of Kings Saul and David throughout Books of 1 and 2 Samuel. Second, a literary review examined current formal leadership accountability standards and protocols in the U.S. Protestant church. This review encompassed surveys and polls from the last fifteen years, church censuses, theological journals, …

Understanding And Avoiding Institutional Betrayal Of Congregants When Accusations Of Domineering Pastoral Leadership Are Made, Jonathon R. Hansel

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines institutional betrayal within evangelical churches as experienced by congregants who reported concerns about domineering pastoral leadership and encountered minimizing or dismissive responses from church elders. Institutional betrayal, understood as harm that occurs when trusted institutions fail to respond protectively to wrongdoing within their own systems is examined as a distinct and compounding form of spiritual and relational injury.
The study employed a qualitative research design consisting of two primary data sources: (1) an anonymous online survey of congregants who self-identified as having experienced harm following reports of domineering pastoral leadership and (2) semi-structured interviews with church elders …

Equitable Grading: Practices, Challenges, And Implementation, Hannah Lauree Jacott

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grading methods in K-12 education have remained largely unchanged over the past century. As schools consider revisiting grading policies, multiple factors influence the success and sustainability of reform efforts, particularly because grades serve conflicting purposes for various stakeholders. This thesis investigates traditional grading practices, reviews literature on equitable grading frameworks, and evaluates both existing and proposed grading practices in relation to the purpose of grading and principles of grading equity. The literature suggests that many commonly used grading practices, such as the inclusion of nonacademic behaviors and reliance on percentage-based systems, may reduce the accuracy and consistency of grades as …

Marital Status And Human Rights, Jessica Tueller

Faculty Articles

Although human rights law has established a clear prohibition on discrimination based on marital status, this prohibition is vastly underutilized. This Article argues that increased attention to human rights law's prohibition on marital status discrimination, accompanied by clearer, more consistent, and more robust analysis of this phenomenon, is needed to ensure that everyone whether they choose to remain unmarried or to marry, whether they file for divorce or are widowed-continues to have and enjoy the same human rights and fundamental freedoms as any other person throughout their lifetime. This Article specifically recommends a focus on harmful marital status stereotypes that …

The Rhetoric Of Law In Executive Order No. 12,333, Noah C. Chauvin

Faculty Articles

Scholars have long disputed the extent to which Congress may permissibly regulate the nation's foreign intelligence apparatus. Positions in this debate range from the view that Congress and the President share power over intelligence to the opinion that intelligence matters fall within the President's exclusive Article II authority. This Article examines the extent to which the text of Executive Order No. 12,333-the intelligence community's governing charter-supports the most expansive conceptions of presidential authority over intelligence matters. It concludes that the Order is best understood as recognizing Congress's power to pass laws governing the conduct of intelligence-laws that preclude executive refinement …

The Unconstitutional Attempt To Criminalize Naming Ice Agents, Noah C. Chauvin

Faculty Articles

Some members of Congress propose to make it a crime to publish the name of a federal official with the intent of obstructing that official’s law or immigration enforcement duties. This Essay considers whether the lawmakers’ bill, the Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxxing Act, is consistent with the First Amendment. It is not.

Certiorari Transparency, Alexandra L. Klein, Michael L. Smith

Faculty Articles

Amid increasing controversy over the Supreme Court’s amassing of power, rejection of precedent, reliance on the shadow docket, and Justices’ undisclosed acceptance of lavish gifts, legal scholars, commentators, and politicians have called for bold and far-reaching reforms to the Court, including term limits for Justices, stripping the Court of jurisdiction in certain cases, and adding Justices to the Court. This Article proposes a more subtle reform to the Court’s proceedings: the Court should make its certiorari de-terminations, in which it decides which cases to take up and review, public. Currently, the Court exercises near-complete discretion over the cases it decides …

Generative Ai And The Purpose Of Legal Scholarship, Michael L. Smith

Faculty Articles

What does generative artificial intelligence mean for the future of legal scholarship? The topic has been the talk of the town around academic watercoolers. Some legal scholars have tried their hand at producing legal scholarship using generative Al. The accompanying commentary is varied, but advocates for the technology suggest that generative Al may become a common tool for legal scholars, leaving those who refuse to adapt at a severe disadvantage.

In this article, I contemplate a world in which legal scholars routinely use generative Al to produce academic writing. I argue that an instrumental view of legal scholarship's value-a view …

Panel And Discussion, Kyle Cohen, Heidi Kitrosser, Kate Klonick, Christina Koningisor, Jess Miers, Saurabh Vishnubhakat

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Untalented: What Is The Role Of “Talent” In Art Class?, Sean Bianchi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The concept of talent in art education is widely accepted yet rarely challenged or questioned. This essay critically examines the construction of artistic talent perceptions, the sociohistorical roots of the term itself, and the implications of what talent does for art education. This speculative essay problematizes talent as a persuasive force over art students and art teachers alike, criticizes the accessibility of art to the naïve and art enthusiast alike, as well as the consequences of talent constructs over the future of artistic instruction within public education. Utilizing an aesthetic framework, I explore what the role of talent in art …

Enhancing Military Health System Organizational Efficiency And Quality Of Care Through A Social-Ecological Framework, Eric L. Peipelman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Timely and fair adjudication of incivility-related actions within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Military Health System (MHS) is increasingly crucial for maintaining accountability, mission readiness, and quality of care. Ongoing delays in resolving workplace complaints and inefficiencies in resource-heavy adjudications highlight the need to shift from reactive complaint handling toward proactive civility promotion and transparent decision-making. This Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) introduces the Peipelman Civility Discussion and Assessment Toolkit (PCDAT)—a comprehensive, evidence-based framework designed to improve civility, optimize resources, and enhance communication, even in the MHS. Based on the Social-Ecological Model (SEM) and adapted from the Workplace Power and …

Arts Cures: A Business Plan For Integrating Art As A Biometric Tool For Sensory Wellbeing In Commercial Ecosystems, Xinuo Zhang

MA Projects

In an era of heightened connectivity and data-driven metrics, modern society faces a crisis of sensory impoverishment and emotional disconnection. While technology quantifies human experience, it often fails to address the visceral need for authentic feeling. This business plan proposes "Arts Cures," a venture that repositions art from a passive commodity to an active, systemic solution for well-being. By leveraging insights from neuroscience, design theory, and existential philosophy, Arts Cures develops a suite of B2B and B2C services that integrate art as functional, biometric-responsive infrastructure. Our core offerings include AI-driven sensory pods for real-time emotional regulation, data-informed curatorial services for …

Cogram: A Computational Pipeline For Genome Assembly And Reconstruction Using Graph Neural Networks, William Coggins

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Genome assembly — the reconstruction of a complete DNA sequence from short, overlapping reads — remains a fundamental challenge in computational biology. A central difficulty is distinguishing true genomic overlaps from spurious connections arising from repetitive sequences, a task that traditional assemblers address through hand-tuned heuristic rules applied to de Bruijn or overlap graphs. This thesis introduces COGRAM (Coggins–Ramasamy Assembly Method), a genome assembly pipeline that reframes sequence reconstruction as an edge classification task on a k-mer overlap graph, replacing heuristic graph cleaning with a learned model.

COGRAM constructs a directed overlap graph from raw sequencing reads using a k-mer …

Uncovering The Keystone: Case Study Of The Ubs Art Collection Gift, Loan And Contemporary Voices Exhibition At Moma In 2005 - Twenty Years Later, Maria Glikman Yamarakov

MA Theses

This research aims to reconstruct foundational history of the Case, based on the publicly available sources. Using the established factual background to test the significance of each of the three major assumptions, referred traditionally as motivation behind the studied Case undertaking. Through critical analysis this Thesis targets to uncover the keystone of this Case and use it as the background to introduce the governance Duty of Stewardship concept in the corporate collection context. Assuming the introduced concept sustains initial analysis, assess its potential value for further strategic development of the corporate collections of the contemporary art.

Imagining The Inuit: Myth, Market, And The Making Of The Contemporary Inuit Sculpture Canon, Kristen Sara Davidson-Schwartz

MA Theses

This thesis explores how qallunaat institutions used sculpture to shape and define Inuit life. I argue that contemporary Inuit sculpture, as conceived of by outsiders to support Inuit economic enfranchisement and modernization, became a vessel through which qallunaat institutions circulated ideas about Inuit culture and Arctic lands. Although purported to reflect the voice of Inuit, the meanings attached to Inuit sculpture rarely reflected Inuit intention and consistently aligned to qallunaat priorities: a performance of primitive, ancient, and authentic Inuit life; a gesture of indigenous gratitude and cheerful participation in state-designed development programs; or a masterful expression of the formal concerns …

Constructing Minimalism: Canon Formation, Exclusion, And The Afterlives Of An Aesthetic, Lucy Ewert

MA Theses

Academics, critics, curators, and artists alike have perpetually struggled to agree on a coherent definition of Minimalism since its inception. Who is included in the historical canon, what its defining characteristics are, and the movement's legacy have long since been contested. This thesis will explore the origins of Minimalism, tracing its emergence from movements such as Abstract Expressionism, and discuss the early values that shaped its perception through a handful of fundamental voices. The study will also survey three of Minimalism’s modernist predecessors, questioning the extent of influence these movements may have had.  Understanding the origins of Minimalism will set …

A Visual Analysis Of The Work Of Anna Weyant For Art Historical Precedent, Jordan Arnold

MA Theses

This paper examines the rapid ascent and artistic evolution of Anna Weyant, whose blend of technical rigor, stylized figuration, and sly narrative tension has positioned her as a leading name in contemporary figurative painting. While her market visibility and high-profile representation have often overshadowed critical engagement with her work, a close analysis reveals a steadily developing practice grounded in a set of consistent formal concerns: controlled light and shadow, psychologically charged compositions, and a sustained dialogue with art-historical precedents. By situating Weyant’s paintings in relation to the psychological realism of the Dutch Golden Age, the uncanny and erotic undercurrents of …

Becoming Art Itself: A Study On The Generative Logic And Discursive Structure Of Disability Art Incubation Institutions, Gonghui Lu

MA Theses

This study employs “Becoming” as its core analytical concept to examine how disability art incubation institutions operate at the intersection of contemporary art history and social systems as mechanisms that continuously generate both art and subjectivity. Building on Deleuze’s philosophy of becoming and Guattari’s notion of the rhizome, the study constructs a generative model linking art, institutions, and discourse. Through comparative analysis of international cases, it discusses the shift in disability art from a representational logic to a generative logic, and the dynamic oscillation between deterritorialization and reterritorialization within institutional practices. The study argues that disability art should not be …

The Postmodern Frontier: Richard Prince And The Neoliberal Spectacle Of The American Dream, Taïs Khassanova

MA Theses

This thesis examines the oeuvre of Richard Prince’s as a sustained allegory of contemporary American visual culture, beginning with his Cowboys series as the point of origin from which his later appropriations, including Girlfriends, Spiritual America, and New Portraits, unfold. Through the recursive gesture of appropriation, Prince’s Cowboys expose the myth of rugged independence as a corporate fiction, revealing how the frontier ethos was redeployed under the Reagan presidency to naturalize neoliberal ideology. Building on this premise, the thesis traces how such logic extends throughout Prince’s subsequent body of work, as his Girlfriends refigure the cowboy’s masculine autonomy as the …

From Monasteries To The Market: The Legal And Spiritual Economies Of Himalayan Art In China, Hengshi An

MA Theses

In recent years, the Himalayan art market in China has shown a remarkable transformation, emerging as one of the most dynamic segments within the broader Asian art economy. While much of the global and domestic art market has stagnated, Tibetan and Himalayan artworks have achieved sustainable growth and high auction price with major collections been published, showing structural strength rather than speculative enthusiasm. This paper examines the drivers behind this phenomenon through a qualitative analysis of auction data, dealer networks, and collector behavior across key hubs in China such as Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The findings suggest that …

Beyond Recognition: The Surrealist Strategy Of Face Concealment In The Portraits Of René Magritte And Ewa Juszkiewicz, Darina Kravchenko Eldridge

MA Theses

This dissertation investigates the evolution of the Surrealist strategy of face concealment from a modernist device of perceptual estrangement into a contemporary tool of feminist and postcolonial critique within portraiture. By obscuring the most recognisable marker of identity, it evokes a complex and unsettling emotional response in the viewer, transforming the act of looking at another person into an encounter with absence. The study situates this transformation within broader aesthetic and ideological discourses, drawing on feminist art history as articulated by Linda Nochlin and Griselda Pollock, alongside John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, Jacques Derrida’s hauntology, the Zeigarnik effect and Guy …

When Fine Art And Commercial Art Merge: A Playbook For Emerging Artists Without Gallery Representation To Create Successful And Sustainable Careers, Regina Escobedo Guerra

MA Theses

Pursuing a career as an artist comes with no clear path nor directions. The first years after graduating are filled with confusion and uncertainty. Emerging artists are oftentimes unequipped with the necessary resources to create sustainable and profitable careers. In a saturated market where only a select few are able to make a living solely from art, artists need to gain autonomy and control over their practices. This thesis provides emerging artists with no gallery representation with the tools to create an independent career that prioritizes artistic authenticity and sustains profit. Through a dismissal of the negative perceptions placed on …

Can A Curator Influence Their Nation’S Art Market Value? Adriano Pedrosa, The 60th Venice Biennale, And The Global Repositioning Of Brazilian Art, Maria Joana Ventosa

MA Theses

The 60th Venice Biennale (2024), curated by Brazilian curator Adriano Pedrosa, the first Latin American curator, and the first curator based in the Global South to lead the Venice Biennale, revived long-standing debates concerning visibility and marginalization, who controls canon formation and, in a market where visibility directly affects value, the power of dictating the market. The curator furthered this discussion by curating a show literally titled “Strangers Everywhere”, focused on representations by artists who identify as “othered”, through, for example colonisation and erasure of native cultures, immigration or queerness.  This thesis examines the evolving role of biennials as platforms …