Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Village Elections And Their Impact: An Investigative Report Of A Northern Chinese Village, Yusheng Yao

Faculty Publications

This article examines a series of four direct elections and their impact in a poorly governed Chinese village near Beijing. Based on the problems exposed in the elections and governance, it identifies the main contradiction in the village to be that of economic justice between villagers on one side, and the old and elected officials, and village toughs and predatory entrepreneurs, on the other. It illustrates the dynamics of politics in the village, in particular factionalism, since the beginning of direct elections and the rise of village toughs and predatory entrepreneurs in recent years and the damaging effect of the …

Theological Complexity And The Characterization Of Nicodemus In The Gospel Of John, Craig R. Koester

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Attending To Reality: Iris Murdoch’S Ethical Realism, Ante Jeroncic

Faculty Publications

Even a scant acquaintance with current cultural and philosophical trends will readily point to a widespread predilection for subjectivist forms of moral reasoning. By “subjectivist” I refer to various non-cognitivist and constructionist paradigms in moral philosophy and popular parlance that reduce ethical statements to expressions of individual or collective preferences, feelings, or prejudices stripped of any object-given normativity. The following are but some of the factors that fuel such perspectives: the proverbial fact/value dichotomy and anti-realist sentiments pervading large swaths of analytic philosophy; poststructuralist and postcolonial “genealogies” that tie the language of universal morality to discourses of power, patriarchy, and …

La Sabiduría Como Un Proceso Psicológico: Su Desarrollo En Un Contexto Educativo, Gus Gregorutti

Faculty Publications

Desde el punto de vista histórico la noción de sabiduría transitó desde ser considerada el bien último del hombre a ser vista como un bien privado, siendo actualmente relegada por los conocimientos y descubrimientos científicos de los saberes disciplinarios, que son los que se enseñan en la universidad. Sin embargo, múltiples investigaciones han encontrado que las personas sabias viven más y mejor (Peterson y Seligman, 2004), tienen mayor satisfacción personal, salud física y mejores relaciones familiares (Ardelt, 2000), además de enfrentar mejor la muerte y un mayor desempeño global (Estudillo, 2010). Se propone que la sabiduría está sostenida por una …

Empirical Validation Of Reading Proficiency Guidelines, Troy L. Cox, Ray Clifford

Faculty Publications

The validation of ability scales describing multidimensional skills is always challenging, but not impossible. This study applies a multistage, criterion‐referenced approach that uses a framework of aligned texts and reading tasks to explore the validity of the ACTFL and related reading proficiency guidelines. Rasch measurement and statistical analyses of data generated in three separate language studies confirm a significant difference in reading difficulty between the proficiency levels tested.

Career Path Trends Of Alumni From A U.S. Tesol Graduate Program, Mark W. Tanner, Eimi Priddis, Lynn E. Henrichsen, Ben Warner, Neil J. Anderson, Dan P. Dewey

Faculty Publications

As English expands across the world, quality English teachers are increasingly needed. However, reports that even degree-holding TESOL professionals have a hard time obtaining stable employment are prevalent. This study sought to provide empirical evidence about career paths in TESOL based on survey responses from 250 alumni of a well-established U.S. university TESOL graduate program who had successfully completed their course of study and had worked during a 35-year period since the program’s inception.

The results indicate that TESOL graduates spend about half of their career time in TESOL-related employment. Most are involved in teaching, but jobs in administration, materials …

The Case For A Custer Battalion Survivor: Private Gustave Korn's Story, Albert Winkler

Faculty Publications

Almost all of these claims of men having survived Custer’s Massacre at the Battle of the Little Bighorn have proven to be false, Gustave Korn’s case has merit. He was with Company I of Custer’s Battalion when it was attacked and later overwhelmed by the Indians. Korn claimed that his horse was wounded, became unmanageable, and carried him away from the Custer’s Battalion before it was wiped out. The circumstantial evidence supports his claim, and many of the other men in the Seventh Cavalry believed him. Korn was also famous because he cared for Comanche, the horse that was badly …

School Culture, Struggling Adolescent Readers, And The Dialogical Self, Dawan Coombs

Faculty Publications

Sociocultural perspectives of literacy emphasize the role of the larger environment in the shaping of literacy practices. As a result, some researchers theorize students don’t fail in school, but that schools fail students by denying them opportunities to practice literacy in personally meaningful ways. Evidence of such is manifest in the narrative identities of struggling adolescent readers. Identities result from the selective emplotment of events, signs, and symbols into narratives that help the individual make sense of the world and the self’s role in it. Narratives, and the identities that result, represent the coming together of the stories individuals tell, …

Jacob's Textual Legacy, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

Today, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know what texts are considered authoritative—namely, the standard works. As members, we recognize a formal process for canonization; for example, at the Saturday afternoon session of general conference in April 1976, President N. Eldon Tanner announced that the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve had approved two revelations for inclusion in the Pearl of Great Price and called for a sustaining vote. This concept of canonization in the restored church has echoes from earlier Christian practices and councils.

Ball Don’T Lie: Connecting Adolescents, Sports, And Literature, Alan Brown, Chris Crowe

Faculty Publications

A few months ago, a group of middle and high school media specialists invited me to help them consider approaches for engaging reluctant male readers. I thought long and hard about my own experiences, both as a reluctant male reader and as a teacher of reluctant readers. To begin to respond to such a query, I suggested, meant that we must first ponder several equally important questions:

• What are students doing instead of reading?
• In what literary practices are they already engaged outside of school? 
• How can educators connect current extracurricular interests with ongoing curricular activities? 
• How can books further …

Give Them Something To Talk About: The Role Of Dialogue In Mentoring Relationships, Dawan Coombs, Kate Goodwin

Faculty Publications

An effective mentor/protégé relationship is essentially dialogical. Given that the mentor learns as the beginner learns, the mentor needs to take a dialogical stance to promote open conversations and investigation. Journals, blogs, observations, and subsequent debriefings help both the mentor and the beginner to learn much about teaching and learning.

Reminiscing About Ken Donelson: Tar Coeditor (With Alleen Pace Nilsen) 1974-1979, Chris Crowe

Faculty Publications

I knew of Ken Donelson long before I ever met the man.

As a brand new high school English teacher in Tempe, Arizona, I had read some of his work in the Arizona English Bulletin and English Journal. In fact, one of his English Journal articles appeared in the September 1977 issue, right when I started my teaching career in Arizona. That article, “Some Responsibilities for English Teachers Who Already Face an Impossible Job,” made clear not just that he understood the myriad challenges my colleagues and I faced, but also that he was incredibly well read and that he …

Christ's Crucifixion Reclamation Of The Cross, Gaye Strathearn

Faculty Publications

Twenty-three years ago, I came to BYU as a student. This was a major, life-changing event for me. My mother and grandmother had joined the Church in Australia in 1958, and I spent most of my early life growing up in a very small branch of the Church, small even by Australian standards. You can perhaps imagine my feelings of excitement at the thought of coming to live in the heartland of the Church. It was quite a novel thought that I would be able to go to Church with my roommates.

Cathedral Of Kairos: Rhetoric And Revelation In The “National House Of Prayer”, Richard Benjamin Crosby

Faculty Publications

Traditionally, kairos is defined by its transience. Scholars assume that in order to capitalize on the rhetorical power of kairos, a speaker must capture the “opportune moment” before it passes. his article makes the case that the kairic moment can be sustained indefinitely through the sacralization of physical space. Linking rhetorical theories of kairos as “God’s time” to Mircea Eliade’s discussion of “sacred hierophanies,” the article performs an analysis of the National Cathedral in Washington DC and concludes that rhetoric can circumvent traditional contingencies when deployed within kairic space.

Review: "Of Africa", Aaron Eastley

Faculty Publications

“A truly illuminating exploration of Africa,” suggests Wole Soyinka in the preface of his new book, Of Africa, “has yet to take place.” Soyinka is not writing here of a physical exploration, of course, but of a humanistic or spiritual one. This, at the root, is what the eight essays that comprise Of Africa urge readers to consider: ways in which Africa can lead the world forward into “a deeply craved Age of Universal Understanding.” In Soyinka’s estimation Africa today is very nearly as misapprehended and undervalued by the world at large as ever it was in the past. But …

The History Of Lds Seminaries And Institutes In Taiwan, John Hilton Iii, Po N. Chou

Faculty Publications

Taiwan is a vibrant nation of approximately twenty-three million people, living in an area about one-sixth the size of the state of Utah. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remains relatively small in Taiwan. Its 55,805 members compose just 0.2% of the population. Yet the LDS Church is growing, and an important part of that growth is found in the Seminary and Institute (S&I) program.

The Silent Lesson, John Hilton Iii

Faculty Publications

One day during my second semester as a part-time seminary teacher, a student named Mindy came into class and asked, “Brother Hilton, are we going to do a silent lesson this year?” When I told her that I had never heard of a silent lesson, she said, “Brother Kirkham just taught a silent lesson, and I heard it was really awesome. You should ask him how to do it.” Wanting to be a good seminary teacher, I approached Brother Kirkham and asked him to teach me about silent lessons. He obliged, and I began regularly using them in a variety …

This Is The Way, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

The limited objective of this paper is to clarify some of the key terminology used by Book of Mormon writers. In particular, I will show that they used such terms as gospel, doctrine, way, and word interchangeably, but that the plan of salvation should be distinguished from these. It is probably inevitable that Latter-day Saint scholars will bring assumptions from their academic studies of the Bible and Christian theology to their study of the Book of Mormon. While the Book of Mormon obviously has a great deal in common with the Bible, I am increasingly convinced that Book of Mormon …

Speculative Fiction, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Speculative fiction describes a broad grouping of fiction types containing fantastical content. It includes genres such as horror, science fiction, and fantasy. It can include other genres such as mystery and romance if stories in those categories alter reality with elements of magic and the supernatural. It can include non-genre fiction and any story with strange, weird, or amazing things going on. Speculative fiction takes readers out of the real world into a place beyond reality, a place where anything is possible. Mormon writers, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), appear to be particularly …

Communication Barriers, Trevor O'Reggio

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Mormon Influence At Disney, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

“The Mormon Influence at Disney,” provides a history of Mormons—members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)— involved with the Walt Disney Company, including animators, composers, and administrators. Beginning with cartoonist Floyd Gottfredson’s influence on the development of Mickey Mouse, the history continues with the influence of animators like Eric Larson, Les Clark, Judge Whitaker, Scott Whitaker, Don Bluth, and Richard Rich. Beginning as an animator on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Larson went on to become a member of the Disney Studio’s powerful board known as “the nine old men.” Mormon composers covered …

Using Elicited Oral Response Testing To Determine The Need For An Interpreter, Troy L. Cox, William G. Eggington

Faculty Publications

Hamza,' an African immigrant, travels on a domestic flight in the United States. He harmlessly flirts with his young seatmate, until she becomes angry with him and moves. When he exits the plane, the police approach him and request an interview. He quickly realizes that something serious is happening and he is being interrogated about his conversation with the young lady. He does not understand what is occurring, but because, in his culture, compliance with authority is seen as a practical and civic duty, he agrees with many of the police's statements. Unfortunately, his English language ability is too poor …

Cultural Identity And Education: A Critical Race Perspective, Theodorea Berry, Matthew Candis

Faculty Publications

The article discusses cultural identity, experience, and gap, along with the connections of critical race theory (CRT) and critical race feminism (CRF) with cultural identity and experience. Topics include the definition of cultural experience, the identity of African American educators, and the cultural gap experienced by African American students.

“Francisco Del Río Cuenca.”, Jo Farb Hernandez

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Electron: Greek Etymology And Baltic Mythology, Marianina Demetri Olcott

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Manuscripts, Editors And Sophocles, Philoctetes, Marianina Demetri Olcott

Faculty Publications

The thesis of the article may be briefly summarized as follows: Lines 671-673 in all of our ancient MSS are consistently assigned to Philoctetes. Modern editors however, following in the footsteps of nineteenth century scholars regularly assign these lines change in line assignment was made on purely subjective grounds for no reason that can be substantiated by the dramatic situation therefore, the article concludes that in the absence of any sound reasons for the alteration we should return to the readings of the major manuscripts and the earliest editions of the play.

You, Your Neurons, And Free Will: Concerns About Reductionism And The Popularization Of Cognitive Science, Karl G. D. Bailey

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Robert Julius Trumpler And The Cosmos: The Contributions Of A Swiss American Astronomer, Kurt Winkler

Faculty Publications

Swiss American scientists have made many valuable contributions to a more precise understanding of the universe. Among the most influential of these was the astronomer, Robert Julius Trumpler, who did much to advance our knowledge of the Pleiades star cluster, the planet Mars, globular clusters, and the theories of his fellow Swiss American , Albert Einstein. Trumpler made his contributions at an important time in the development of astronomical theories that more accurately explained the nature of the universe, and his advances are still important today. He is also fondly remembered as one of the most significant astronomers of his …

Maude Adams And The Mormons, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden was born in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1872. Her mother, Annie Adams, was the daughter of first generation Mormons who trekked across the plains and an actress at the Salt Lake Theatre. Maude Adams began her acting career at the age of five in some of her mother’s plays. She continued to act into her adult years, achieving her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 1905 Broadway production. She became the highest-paid performer of her day. Discussed here is Adams’s career and her relationship with her Mormon relatives …

Sundance Film Festival / Computer Generated Imagery / Video Game Industry / Battlestar Galactica / Pageants / Stereophonic Sound, J. Michael Hunter

Faculty Publications

Many people are unaware of how influential Mormons, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), have been on American popular culture. Mormons and Popular Culture: The Global Influence of an American Phenomenon parts the curtain and looks behind the scenes at the little-known but important influence Mormons have had on popular culture in the United States and beyond. Included here are six sidebars that reveal some of the more fascinating contribution Mormons have made to American popular culture.