Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Communiqué: College Of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine, Volume 11, 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. College Of Humanities, Arts, And Sciences.

Communiqué: College of Humanities, Arts & Sciences Alumni Magazine

Contents:

EVERY ISSUE
Message from the Dean --- 4
Donor Feature --- 5
CHAS Briefs --- 36
Class Notes --- 38

FEATURES
Engineering Advances --- 6
Japan Water Quality Trip --- 10
Theatre Outreach --- 14
A Future in Physics --- 18
International Teaching --- 24

STORIES
SLP Community Partnership --- 22
Professional Readiness --- 28
Syndaver Lab --- 30
Art Teaching Sisters --- 32
Math Alum Now NBA Coach --- 34

Bridgeville Elementary: A Big History Of A Small School, Virginia Howard Mullan

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

Bridgeville Elementary: A Big History of a Small School is not a work of writing that is meant to be read from the beginning to the end. It is for those of us who only attended Bridgeville School for a short time but wanted to recapture those years. It is for teachers and students bitten by the nostalgia bug that want to revisit the school, (like Sean Byrd in 2024 or Mary Brandenburg (Jardin) in 1999) but don’t have the time or means to make a trip to the remote northwest.

Introduction To Literature Syllabus, Lesley Broder

Open Educational Resources

This asynchronous Introduction to Literature syllabus focuses on major literary genres, like fiction, poetry, drama, through open educational resources (OER) at zero cost to students (ZTC).

Sunbathers, Marta Louise Sorenson

Art and Art History Honors Projects

Sunbathers is a Studio Art Honors project that explores the awkward intimate nature of introspective life through autobiographical, figurative ceramic sculptures. The forms capture the relationship between body and reality. The project consists of seven portraits, varying in size and display, arranged together on pink pedestals. Each figure communicates a part of self, embodying the internal interactions of everyday existence. The sculptures perform as objects yet speak with the specific sense of being seen/presented. Features shift in and out of focus—glossy glazes draw the eye, while matte colors move inward; the exaggerated, slumped forms are adorned with bright, illuminating glazes. …

A Jesus Seminary: More Than A Classroom, Jeff Thorp

Doctor of Ministry

Ember Discipleship College (EDC) reimagines church internships for young adult Christians in the Northwest U.S., revitalizing spiritual formation and equipping them with practical ministry experience. This opportunity helps deepen their faith and engage in ministry within a rapidly changing culture. Unlike traditional programs that focus on students serving the church, EDC combines theological education, hands-on ministry, and immersive experiences to cultivate well-rounded disciples of Jesus. Research indicates that immersive learning, referred to as “experiential learning,” “action learning,” or “orchestrated immersion,” is among the most effective learning methods. This approach emphasizes formation over mere information, creating environments where context serves as …

A.R.C.Hitecture For Mission: Prototyping Pathways To Renew The Heart Of The Church, David Sunde

Doctor of Ministry

Despite churches’ commitment to making disciples, many earnest Christians—active in church teaching, volunteering, and community life—feel ill-equipped to disciple others. While biblical instruction and resources abound, spiritual formation weighted toward cognitive learning relies on willpower and falls short in shaping identity and desires. The focus on personal salvation often reduces faith to sin management, leaving many underwhelmed and uncertain about how to live meaningfully as citizens of the kingdom. Without qualitative, relational, and reproductive disciple-making, faith lacks transformative power. A.R.C.hitecture for Mission: Prototyping Pathways to Renew the Heart of the Church is a pracademic manuscript that explores disciple-shaping movements from …

Canine-Assisted Spiritual Care Handbook: Integrating Facility Dogs Into Professional Chaplaincy Practice, Ann M. Snowberger

Doctor of Ministry

This project's researcher finds that Spiritual Care Facility Dog Teams (dog handlers and their dogs) lack resources and practical guides to advance Canine-Assisted Spiritual Care (CA-SC) in healthcare and facility settings. The Canine-Assisted Spiritual Care Handbook offers a comprehensive guide for establishing and sustaining CA-SC programs. It promotes standardized terminology, ethical practices, and interdisciplinary collaboration. By featuring practical tools, case studies, and training plans, the handbook supports the professional development of chaplains. Its holistic framework enhances spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness, while emphasizing the well-being of both handlers and their working dogs. The handbook’s focus on program sustainability and real-world …

Forming The Blessed Alliance: Spiritual Formation For Mutual Leadership In The Church, Erin Richer

Doctor of Ministry

This project is an on-ramp to a spiritual formation pipeline to address the unique formational needs of men and women for effective, cross-gender mutuality in church leadership. The most critical need which female stakeholders identified for leadership in these church spaces is male allies. Therefore, this project provides a practical and concrete formational on-ramp for male leaders to develop as allies for cross-gender mutuality in ministry leadership. This workshop—Forming the Blessed Alliance—will use evangelical language to frame allyship. The workshop launches by laying the biblical groundwork and by teaching 3-Way Listening with a focus on self and spiritual reflection. The …

Elder As Disciplemaker: God’S Strategy For World Change, Dan Turis

Doctor of Ministry

This research examines Christian discipleship’s theological, historical, and structural dynamics, emphasizing its central role in addressing the decline of church attendance in the Western church. Recent data, such as Barna’s 2020 report indicating a 50% drop in regular church attendance, underscores a more profound issue beyond numerical decline—namely, a crisis of commitment and spiritual formation. The church’s inability to cultivate a community of believers who follow Jesus as disciples highlights a shift from relational, life-on-life mentorship to programmatic, clergy-centered approaches. Historically, discipleship was characterized by a personal mentoring relationship where elders or spiritual leaders walked alongside believers to guide their …

Mini Research And Creativity Project, Amie Macdonald

Open Educational Resources

As part of a faculty development seminar on remixing Open Educational Resources philosophy professor Dr. Amie Macdonald created this creative research project in which students investigate "the jurisdictional maze regarding sexual assault of indigenous women," by reading and creating multimedia artifacts that they then present.

Connections And Contrasts Between “Enactments Of Power: The Politics Of Performance Space” By Ngugi Wa Thiong’O, Kendrick Lamar’S 2025 Superbowl Performance, And Sunni Patterson’S “We Made It.”, Crystal Endsley Taylor

Open Educational Resources

This assignment by Dr. Crystal Endsley Taylor uses all Open, "low-tech" solutions to create an active learning module that prompts students to pause, retrieve, re-state and reconsider several texts, including The Politics of Performance Space” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Superbowl performance, and Sunni Patterson’s “We Made It.” It was made as part of a workshop on OER-based Active Learning at John Jay College in 2025.

Active Learning With Oer: Close Reading Cuny Iee Principles, Sara Meister

Open Educational Resources

This "low-tech" module created by Sara Meister uses principles from active learning, asking students to do close reading in short bursts and interleave their analysis with reflection. This assignment was created for a workshop on OER-Based Active Learning at John Jay College.

Benedict's Gospel Vision: Chapters 36 And 53 Of The Rule Of St Benedict, Barbara Marincel

Obsculta

This is a comparison exegesis of the Rule of Benedict’s Chapters 36 and 53 with Chapters 69-70 and 79 in the Rule of the Master. Chapters 36, “The Sick Brothers,” and 53, “The Reception of Guests,” demonstrate how the central themes of caritas, service, and hospitality are present in the RB, as the sick person and the guest are to be treated and received as if they are Christ. The kindness and compassion with which the vulnerable person is to be tended exemplifies Benedict’s vision of the Gospel as seen throughout his rule and greatly contrasts with the Rule of …

The Mystery Of Faith In Dialogue With The History Of God And Human Beings, Melissa Tovar-Guerrero

Obsculta

The mysteries of God are unfathomable, and for this reason theology uses analogies to express its meanings. The purpose of this paper is to develop some reflections on how I understand theology. To begin, I would like to make an analogy to highlight the importance of dialogue, stories, and their contexts in theology: we are made of stories, we are the stories we build with words, our contexts are determined by the way we dialogue, and stories shape the cosmogony that gives meaning to our lives. In the construction of stories, dialogues and contexts are fundamental because they connect the …

Images: Cross In Roman Colosseum And Sacred Heart Chapel, Garrett S. "Faustino" Miller Oblsb

Obsculta

No abstract provided.

Icons, Theology, And Culture, Patrick Russell

Obsculta

This article presents an overview of Eastern Orthodox understandings of the theology of icons and how icons are used in liturgical spaces to communicate important theological truths. Specifically, as it relates to eschatology and liturgical practices around icons and the cultural importance of saints who come from different continents and times and how that helps us see a bigger picture of a truly cosmic future reality embodied in the Church in the present.

Image: Organ And Subiaco, Garrett S. "Faustino" Miller Oblsb

Obsculta

No abstract provided.

The Liberation Of The Disabled Christ And What That Shows Us About Our Human Sacredness In Healthcare, Hannah Miers

Obsculta

This paper explores the significance of Christ’s identity in relation to disability, emphasizing the need for a liberating theology that acknowledges and affirms the dignity of disabled individuals in healthcare settings. It advocates for a Christological perspective that integrates the image of a disabled Christ, calling for awareness and equitable treatment for the disabled within a healthcare framework. By recognizing the connections between disability theology and the holistic needs of human beings, this paper aims to inspire a shift towards greater respect, grace, and compassion in caring for vulnerable populations, thereby addressing systemic inequities inherent in medical practices.

An Acrostic Ekphrasis On The Frauenkirche In Dresden, Germany, Aaron Christie

Obsculta

The Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany, is widely regarded as the apex of confessional Lutheran architecture. This acrostic ekphrasis is written from the viewpoint of a Lutheran parishioner shortly after the Frauenkirche’s dedication in 1743. The church was built in the milieu of the confessional struggles that ensued in Electoral Saxony when Augustus the Strong converted to Roman Catholicism to become king of Poland. Several sections of this ekphrasis move forward into modern times to recount the Frauenkirche’s destruction in WWII and her rededication in 2005.

Dies Legibiles V

Dies Legibiles

Welcome to the fifth volume of Dies Legibiles!

As always, I was blown away this year by the superb work undergraduate students submitted to this journal, some first forays into medieval studies and others final projects before pursuing a graduate degree in the field. If the submissions to Dies Legibiles are any indication, the next generation of medievalists are thinking deeply about the past, about which histories have been neglected, and about what those histories reveal about the present moment.

Sir Fig Newton And The Science Of Persistence (2023) By Sonja Thomas, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Middle Grades Books

When twelve-year-old Mira Williams’s companion and confidant, the cat Sir Fig Newton, contracts diabetes, her parents say she may have to give him to someone who can afford his treatment. The resources Mira will need to save Fig and keep him close include ingenuity, family ties, friendships, and the kind of faith she finds can be compatible with science. Thomas’ novel shows a teenager’s sophisticated engagement with complex questions of race, faith, science, and relationships.

Wildful (2024) By Kengo Kurimoto, Maughn Gregory

Middle Grades Books

Kengo Kurimoto’s graphic novel Wildful explores the transformative power of nature and deep attention. Poppy is struggling with her mother’s depression after her grandmother’s passing. Initially absorbed in digital distractions, Poppy is drawn into the wilderness when her dog, Pepper, chases a fox. She meets Rob, a boy who teaches her to observe nature with curiosity and respect—tracking animals, noticing patterns, and sitting in silence. Poppy learns that being in nature can assuage generational grief through a renewed sense of wonder and connection.

Safiyyah’ S War (2023) By Hiba Noor Khan & The Grand Mosque Of Paris (2009) By Karen Gray Ruelle & Deborah Durland Desaix, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Middle Grades Books

Suppose that somebody takes over your city and begins harming your friends and neighbors. How do you respond? When is it your responsibility to act, and what kinds of risks should you take? How do these new moral demands change your relations to your neighbors, people in authority, and even your family? How do you stay sane and resolved when your safety is under constant threat? Telling the story of how the Muslim community in Paris risked their lives to save hundreds of Jews when Germany invaded France in World War II, this middle-grades novel and picture book also tell …

Donald Griffin, Cognitive Ethology, And Animal Life Histories, Walter Veit

Animal Sentience

Carolyn Ristau offers a stellar investigative biography of Donald Redfield Griffin and his influence on the science and philosophy of animal minds. This commentary focuses on his aim to study animal minds through an ethological lens—that is, by examining the evolved, adaptive functions of mental capacities and consciousness in natural environments, rather than confining research to controlled laboratory settings. I argue that, far from being romantic, this approach can be firmly grounded in modern life history theory.

Leaden Circles, Eternal Springs, And Rusty Pumps: Time, Nature, And Industry In Mrs. Dalloway, Katherine Evans

Anthós

This article explores often-overlooked ecocritical aspects in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, analyzing Woolf’s literary intersection of time, nature, and industry as a precursor to contemporary Anthropocene discourse. Acknowledging prevailing interpretations of Mrs. Dalloway through social lenses of trauma, class, and gender, Evans reveals how Woolf’s exploration of human-environment relationships is not only present but integral to interpreting the text fully. Drawing from textual close readings, scholarship on Woolf, and environmental humanities frameworks, Evans demonstrates how Woolf utilizes the Big Ben and a beggar woman to symbolize human-nature relationships. Evans’ ecocritical reading of Mrs. Dalloway repositions the 1925 novel within contemporary …

Analyzing Rap Through Poetry: “Zen Scientist” By Milo & Kenny Segal, Mason S. Jensen

Anthós

milo, now known as R.A.P. Ferraria, has described his music as synonymous with poetry. This article examines his song “zen scientist,” testing the linkage of poetry and rap through poetic analysis. Jensen analyzes the song through metrical systems, marking it in scansion, poetic feet, and rhyme to delineate rhythm and to show how rhythm is created and experimented with. Jensen then applies Vendler and Chan’s methods for deriving poetic meaning, providing potential interpretations of “zen scientist.” Jensen argues these poetic methods dissect the rap song into perspicuity. The article concludes that poetic analysis can be used effectively to analyze rap …

Voices To Faces: The Midnight Cowboy’S Picaresque Journey, Dave Patterson

Anthós

John Schlesinger’s 1969 film, Midnight Cowboy, tells the story of Joe Buck, a Texan who dreams of working as a hustler in New York. Schlesinger’s resulting tale follows the framework of the picaresque, wherein a naive rube ventures to the big city to pursue a better life and exposes societal ills along the way. In this article, Patterson reveals how Joe Buck’s internal tension derives from his materialism, symbolized as disembodied voices, and his devaluing of human connection and empathy, symbolized as faces. The voices from his radio’s advertisements and game shows reinforce his flawed assumptions about life. A midpoint …

The Chemical Nature Of Colors, Bryant Corbin, Bryant Corbin

Longwood Senior Thesis Proposal

No abstract provided.

La Enseñanza Del Arte A Estudiantes Con Trastorno De Déficit De Atención: Una Aproximación Fenomenológica Desde La Perspectiva Docente, María Torres Guzmán

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada se diseñó con el propósito de explorar, describir y entender las experiencias fenomenológicas de los docentes en la enseñanza del arte a estudiantes diagnosticados con Trastornos de Déficit de Atención (TDAH). Se documentaron las vivencias, se explicaron las experiencias y se describieron los problemas que enfrentan los docentes en su proceso de enseñanza a los estudiantes con TDAH. El marco teórico empleado fue la Teoría de las Inteligencias Múltiples de Howard Gardner, que plantea la existencia de ocho inteligencias que son la musical, la corporal cinestésica, lingüística, lógico-matemática, espacial, interpersonal, intrapersonal y naturalista.

Esta investigación tuvo un …

Development And Pilot-Testing Of Remote Counseling Treatment Manual And Protocol For 15-Year-Old And Above Osaec Survivors, Maria Caridad Tarroja, Ma. Araceli Balajadia-Alcala, Patricia D. Simon, Agnes B. Villegas

SDRC Projects

This mixed-method action research developed and pilot-tested a brief, evidence-based remote counseling program for victim-survivors of online sexual abuse or exploitation of children (OSAEC) aged 15 years and older. Building on evidence and stakeholder consultations from Phase 1, the research team developed a treatment manual and remote counseling protocol guided by the Multimodal Social Ecological Framework. The program followed trauma-informed, culturally and developmentally appropriate, and empowerment-focused principles. Three experts with extensive experience in counseling children reviewed the manual before its pilot implementation.

The program comprised eight counseling sessions organized into three modules. Nine registered psychologists trained in the use of …