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“The Old Lie”: The Effect Of Classical Heroism On The Wwi Soldier, Sage Fikse

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Before the outbreak of World War I, poet Wilfred Owen studied Greek and Roman literature, which presented him with idealized notions of patriotism, glory, and sacrifice. Influenced by classical texts such as The Iliad and the writings of Horace, these ideals of heroism left him unprepared for the brutal realities of anonymous warfare and for what it meant to be a “hero” in the twentieth century. In his poem “Dulce et Decorum Est,” Owen draws on his classical education to challenge the romanticized ideals of heroic sacrifice and glory. However, through the poetic nature of his death, dying exactly one …

The Black Panther Party: From Militancy To Social Activism, De'andre Brown Jr.

History and Political Science | Senior Theses

This research project examines the ways in which the Black Panther Party (BPP) was negatively portrayed by the media and targeted by the government from the moment of the organization's inception in 1966. The BPP’s shift in rhetoric style from militancy to social activism is emphasized by examining the organization’s “survival” programs, such as the Free Breakfast Programs, Free Health Clinics, and Education Programs, and their impact on black communities around the country. Past scholarly opinions about the BPP were driven by a fear from white America toward the organization’s aggressive style of protest and social activism. The government looked …

Transnational History And Asean’S Young Scholars In Regional Connectivity : Perspectives From Mainland Southeast Asia, Liem Vu Duc, Thu Ha Nguyen Thi

Journal of Urban Culture Research

Past legacies profoundly shape contemporary relationships between ASEAN’s countries. Unfortunately, voices of history do not always generate a healthy motivation for regional connectivity, but recall painful images of warfare and conflict between polities that developed into present-day Southeast Asian nation-states. Such histories can be seen in ongoing disputes over the South China Sea, or at a temple on the Thai-Cambodian border. Taking countries in mainland Southeast Asia as a case study, this paper explores the role history education and Southeast Asian studies play in managing past legacy and facilitating the ASEAN Community with a particular focus on the integration of …

The Wild Dark Or, La Oscuridad Salvaje: Illuminating Identity Through Failure, Worley B. Gierhart

Undergraduate Theses

This thesis, "The Wild Dark or, La oscuridad salvaje: Illuminating Identity Through Failure," explores how the narrative power of darkness can serve as a catalyst for profound self-discovery, particularly in the aftermath of significant failure. Drawing upon literary analysis and the author's personal experience of shifting academic paths, the study examines how confronting metaphorical darkness allows for a critical rebuilding of identity and self-concept. The play referenced in the title, "The Wild Dark or, La oscuridad salvaje," serves as a central point of analysis, investigating the interplay of theme, setting, and scenario in depicting this transformative process. By engaging with …

Islamic Finance, Commercial Law, And Economic Justice: Apocalyptic Challenges To The Global Order, Ali Rod Khadem

Emory International Law Review

This Article engages with the heated debates about the Islamic finance industry, which range from praise as an ethical model of ESG principles to sharp criticism as a vehicle for financing terrorism. Offering a novel lens, this Article examines several case studies of Islamic thinkers and movements that have disrupted global politics, exploring how they deploy apocalyptic ideology to promote vastly different visions of future economic orders. Some of these case studies reinterpret key concepts from Islamic commercial law—like unjust enrichment, limited liability partnerships, insurance, almsgiving, and inheritance—while others call for a return to abandoned practices, such as slavery, discriminatory …

The Evolution Of Social Protection Norms Within The International Monetary Fund, Cindy W. Ziem

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the evolution of social protection norms within the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and identifies the key norm entrepreneurs. Social protection, which encompasses policies and programs designed to help individuals and communities manage risks, combat poverty and inequality, and access economic opportunities, has undergone significant transformation on a global scale. Traditionally, social policies were not included in the IMF’s agenda, which primarily focused on fiscal matters. However, the Fund has increasingly recognized social protection as vital for macroeconomic stability. This shift reflects a broader transformation in international norms and the progressive inclusion of social policies within global economic …

Delay, Deny, Tax, Samuel D. Brunson

Faculty Publications & Other Works

Health insurance companies are having a moment in the United States. Their moment involves widespread public objections to their seemingly random and increasing willingness to deny coverage and reimbursement to insureds. These denials are in large part not part of a program to improve health coverage but, rather, to reduce insurance companies’ expenses and, in turn, increase their profits.

There is broad consensus that something has to change. The public demands it. Bipartisan groups of senators and representatives have investigated it. Even the health care industry acknowledges that something needs to change. To actually make the health care system better …

Processing Warfare And Navigating Defeat: The Mexican Narrative Constructed During The Mexican American War Of 1846-1848, Hailee Brandt

Undergraduate Research Awards

It is undeniable that the citizens of Mexico and the United States of America processed the Mexican American War as it occurred in exceedingly different ways, and wished to remember it differently. This thesis will delve deeper into the Mexican narrative that was constructed during and in the immediate aftermath of the war, about the war, and will highlight some of the most salient differences.

Advancing Vapor Intrusion Science Using Systematic Frameworks To Foster Informed Decision Making, Hong Cheng Tay

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Vapor intrusion, the migration of subsurface vapors into indoor air spaces, is an important source of indoor air contamination to consider at hazardous waste sites contaminated by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). There is considerable uncertainty and variability in the factors that influence vapor intrusion processes, which poses a significant challenge for decision making, despite advancements in vapor intrusion science. This dissertation consolidates knowledge from existing scientific advances and investigates scientific gaps associated with the vapor intrusion preferential pathway conceptual model (i.e. conduit vapor intrusion), associated with the vapor entry pathway into buildings via sewer systems. The overall goal of this …

Feeling And Experience In American Women's Writing From The First World War, Anika Jensen

Theses and Dissertations--English

This dissertation analyzes the political capacity of feeling in American women’s autobiographical and semi-autobiographical writing from and about their work during the First World War. Women produced emotionally complex accounts that resist easy categorization, and I argue that attending to feeling clarifies not only their emotional experiences with war work but their social and political projects. This dissertation closely examines portrayals and rhetorics of feeling, considering the intersections of gender, class, race, and labor in impacting how feelings are depicted, negotiated, and conveyed. While British women were more compelled to perform and convey feeling according to a rigid class system, …

“A True And Broad Sympathy:” Thomas Hughes, Medievalism, And Social Justice In The Nineteenth Century, Sarah E. Stapleton

Theses and Dissertations--History

Thomas Hughes, author of Tom Brown’s Schooldays (1857), used medievalism to help solve social problems of the Nineteenth Century. This contravenes the traditional view of medievalism, especially Anglo-Saxonism, since others have used it to justify the subjugation of people of lower social status, namely the poor in England, enslaved African Americans in the United States, and Indians under British rule.

While the use of medievalism is veiled in Hughes’ work, the subtext of Tom Brown’s Schooldays demonstrated Hughes’ Anglo-Saxonism. Tom Brown and the intertextual material surrounding his narrative exhibit the characteristics of Anglo-Saxonism through cultural primitivism, the concept of allodial, …

Acoustic Characterization Of A Quadcopter Using A Test Stand, Jared Schmal

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with multirotor propulsion and control, commonly called drones or multicopters, generate a complex acoustic field that is not entirely understood. Many components and their interactions contribute to the overall noise level and behavior of the acoustic field. However, performing acoustic measurements on a multicopter in a confined space, such as a small anechoic chamber, can be an extremely difficult and time-consuming process. A test stand was developed to allow for rapid and safe acoustic measurements in a controlled environment. The design, development, and initial measurements are discussed. The performance and acoustic response are assessed to examine …

Cultivating Hegemony: Cultural Engineering And The Art Of Power Maintenance In Military Movies, Samuel Lockridge

Theses and Dissertations--Arts Administration

This research explores how the United States military’s assistance to film productions can be better classified and understood as a form of cultural policy. There is a significant gap in the existing cultural policy research concerning interventions into the arts and culture by the military aimed at influencing the thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes of the population. The degree to which the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) long partnership with the film industry should even be considered “cultural policy” remains an open, and largely unexamined question. This dissertation presents an exploratory multiple case study of two films which received DoD production …

Scythian Spoils: Cultural Property Law And Antiquities Looting During The War In Ukraine, Charles Buschmann

Student Works

No abstract provided.

A Political History Of The Internet: Myth, Material, Territory, Kevin Chamow

Student Works

No abstract provided.

The “Ownership” Of Real Property: The Consequences Of Kelo V. City Of New London, Joseph E. Decker

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Showdown In The Black Hills: The Sioux Nation’S Continued Land Claims Battle Against The Us Government, Kevin Mckenzie

Student Works

No abstract provided.

Contagion Chronicles: A Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Armed Conflict And Infectious Disease, Devyn Escalanti

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation examines the relationship between armed conflict and infectious disease transmission through a novel theoretical framework that integrates ecological disturbance and health systems resilience theories into epidemiological contexts. The framework conceptualizes diseases along a continuum from "pulse" to "press." Pulse diseases, like Ebola, are characterized by sudden onset, high mortality, and short-term outbreaks. Press diseases, like HIV, progress gradually with lower mortality and long-term persistence. Grounded in this pulse–press disease typology and ecological and health systems resilience, the theory suggests that the absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity, and resilience of community health workers in conflict areas can influence disease transmission, …

A Comparative Analysis Of Figurines From The Lower Rio Verde Valley From Oaxaca, Raynaliz C. Velazquez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis investigates 618 ceramic figurines from the Lower Río Verde Valley in Oaxaca, Mexico, to explore how figurine use varied across civic-ceremonial, domestic, and outlying contexts during the Terminal Formative and Late Classic periods. The central hypothesis proposes that figurines from the Río Viejo Acropolis, a civic-ceremonial center, would be larger and exhibit greater labor investment than those from residential and peripheral sites, reflecting more labor-intensive ideologies and ceremonial practices. Through typological, spatial, and material analysis, the study examines attributes such as size, surface treatment, production method, and the presence of musical elements. The dataset includes newly analyzed figurines …

A Post Apocalyptic Romp: Designing Costumes For Phoebe In Winter, Emmalee Berger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis will document the process of costume designing for Phoebe in Winter by Jen Silverman. It will examine the process from first read of the script through initial and final design meetings and to execution and production of the design. This will report on challenges specific to this production, such as nudity and violence on an academic stage, and the subsequent solutions. Phoebe in Winter was produced by West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance in October of 2024. The design process began in February of the same year.

A Maintenance Repair And Overhaul Model For Operational Sustainability; Incorporating Processes And Risks., Linn Guinn, Mary M.H. Woody, Eva Maleviti

Publications

Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) companies are integral to the aviation industry, with the core responsibility of ensuring aircraft remain safe and airworthy. Their role is critical in maintaining the industry’s high standards of performance and safety. To remain competitive, MROs must provide a wide range of services—including inspections, periodic checks, engine overhauls, avionics repairs, fuselage and cabin modifications, and interior refurbishments— while consistently meeting regulatory and safety requirements. Beyond technical compliance, MROs must adopt a quality-driven, continuous improvement approach to manage risks effectively. This requires the integration of processes, programs, and systems aligned with international standards to strengthen resilience, …

Ukraine’S Proxy War Against Russia And Its Lessons For Europe, David M. Sip

Journal of Strategic Security

Much focus in the research on the topic of proxies and Ukraine is on the Russian proxies in the Donbas. But Ukraine itself is fielding several proxy groups formed from Russian exiles and minorities such as Chechen's fighting for the freedom of their home. By interpreting Ukraine’s proxy war against Russia as a means of inter-war deterrence this article proposes that Ukraine aims at deterring Russia from a general mobilization and an all-out escalation of the war. The effectiveness of this approach, its limits, and problems are analyzed, as well as the mistakes Ukraine has made in taking this approach. …

Artificial Intelligence In Warfare: The Case Of The Russia-Ukraine War, Baurzhan Rakhmetov, Kamila Murzagulova

Journal of Strategic Security

The last decade has marked the rise and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across various spheres. Nowadays, militaries worldwide apply AI to optimize and revolutionize warfighting tactics. The war in Ukraine has shown how AI-driven technologies enhance traditional military equipment, such as by automating drone take-off, landing, and even targeting. Moreover, AI has begun to play a crucial role in information warfare, enabling both sides to manipulate public opinion, destabilize adversaries, and mislead populations, but also counter disinformation. This qualitative study analyzes the approach to AI integration in information and kinetic warfare by both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, forecasts …

Isolation And Characterization Of Rhizobia Bacteria From Midwest Soils, Jr Loya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Symbiotic bacteria, known as rhizobia, can colonize the roots of legume plants and then convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form by the host through the process called biological nitrogen fixation (BNF). Many of these bacteria produce other plant-growth-promoting benefits, such as nutrient acquisition, phytohormone production, and the modification of plant stress responses. Agricultural inoculants made from these bacteria have helped reduce the need for man-made nitrogenous fertilizers, known causes of pollution and eutrophication. There are additional benefits in developing bacteria inoculants local to regional soils. The ability to survive and compete in Midwest soil and climates present an opportunity …

Ukrainian Studies On Terrorism: Contemporary Overview And Thematic Classification, Lesia Horodenko, Yevhen Tsymbalenko

Journal of Strategic Security

This article presents the first systematic and reproducible map of Ukrainian academic scholarship on terrorism (2000–2024). It addresses three questions: what directions the field has developed, which methods prevail across periods and disciplines, and where the gaps lie. The central argument is that clarifying the boundary between media terrorism—amplification via media logics—and information terrorism—manipulative information operations—reorients the field under conditions of hybrid warfare. Methods: systematic search of national repositories and journals; mixed-methods content analysis with iterative thematic coding and periodization (pre-2014; 2014–2021; post-2022). Corpus: n=896 publications. Results: a post-2014 surge and a post-2022 consolidation around hybrid warfare strategies, information operations, …

Structuring The President’S Removal Power: An Agency-Specific Approach, Peter Margulies

American University Law Review

Recent Supreme Court decisions have taken a broad view of the President’s power to remove executive branch officials. According to the Court, the President’s Article II obligation to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” generally requires that the President have authority to remove officials at will. The Court has thus far declined to overrule Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, a 1935 decision upholding “forcause” restrictions on removal for multi-member “quasi-judicial” bodies such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Nonetheless, recent Court decisions have eroded the rationale in the earlier case, which has received additional attention because of efforts …

In The Kingdom Of The Thunder Dragon: Happiness, History, And Environment In A Changing Bhutan, Betsy Bolton

English Literature Faculty Works

Landlocked, mountainous, and surrounded by global giants India and China, Bhutan has provided remarkable leadership on both climate action and human happiness, despite its pre-2023 status as a least-developed nation. Bhutan was the first country to be internationally recognized as carbon neutral; it is also the birthplace of “Gross National Happiness” (GNH), a pointed alternative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a means of measuring the success of national policies in promoting citizens’ wellbeing. Yet Bhutan has also been a site of ethnic conflict, with roughly tens of thousands people displaced into refugee camps in the 1990s and eventually resettled …

A Peculiar Decoration: Production, Exchange, And Access To Usulután Pottery In The Late And Terminal Formative Southern Maya Region, Caitlin Reddington Davis

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dissertations

Usulután is a pottery style featuring a bichromatic design in the form of parallel lines and blotches, often in yellow and orange colors. Although it is often associated with El Salvador, pottery in this style is commonly found across Southern Mesoamerica during the Formative period. During the Late and Terminal Formative periods (300 BCE - 200 CE) an intensive network of competitive city-states developed in the Southern Maya Region, including the Guatemalan Highlands, Pacific Slope, and Western El Salvador. Despite the abundance of Usulután pottery in the archaeological record of these cities, there has never been a study focused on …

The Silent Cycle Of Violence: The Consequences Of Forced Return Migration And Strategies For Sustainable Reintegration, Guadalupe Loza-Mendez

CMC Senior Theses

The consequences of weaponizing deportations reshape human security in countries receiving high levels of forcibly returned migrants. Through a comparative case study, this thesis examines how different forms of organized crime — cartels in México and gangs in El Salvador — interact with and capitalize on returnee populations. While the origins and manifestations of organized crime differ between México and El Salvador, both demonstrate clear linkages between forced return migration from destination countries and declining human security in countries of origin through three key mechanisms: imported criminal structures, targeted recruitment of vulnerable returnees, and trickle-down effects on local communities.

Many …

Death Of A Doctrine: The End Of Classical Deterrence In A Complex Multipolar World, Daniel H. Wang

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Today's deterrence is dramatically different from that during the Cold War. This thesis examines how changes in global geopolitics altered deterrent frameworks and how those changes threaten strategic stability. Traditional nuclear deterrence is built on clear adversaries, established escalation protocols, and predictable outcomes that are increasingly obsolete when facing modern realities. Adversaries employ hybrid strategies below the traditional thresholds of nuclear deterrence while integrating nuclear capabilities into these hybrid tactics, driving a distinct disadvantage for traditional deterrence frameworks. Russia uses nuclear signaling with gray zone operations, China combines multidomain operations with nuclear deterrence to employ a full spectrum of capabilities, …