Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Integrating Artificial Intelligence & Purpose-Driven Design Within Spiritual, Wellness, Eco-Conscious, & Cultural Brands, Jessica Molina

Masters Theses

This visual thesis explores the practical and ethical applications of artificial intelligence in the work of designers for brands that promote wellness, spirituality, eco-consciousness, and cultural identity. The central challenge in adopting AI will be balancing the capitalization on its benefits with assessing the ethical ramifications of its adoption, while still upholding brand values, the imperative of authenticity, emotional intelligence, and integrity. As the technology and capabilities of AI continue to skyrocket, purpose-driven designers will remain under-resourced and underdeveloped in frameworks for ethical adoption. This work seeks to resolve the existing gap through a literature review, case studies, and a …

The Intersection Of Ethnomusicology And Special Education: An Exploration Of Aba-Infused World Music Play Facilitation In The Social-Emotional Development Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jean-Pierre Ervelt Leroy

Masters Theses

Inspired by experiences across disciplines, this mixed-method study peered into a possible intersection of ethnomusicology and special education. An innovative ABA-infused world music play facilitation program for children was created to examine how culturally diverse musical intervention in combination with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) principles could enhance the social-emotional development in children diagnosed with ASD. To gain an informed context on worldview and structure, this research was conducted within both sacred and secular communities. To gain a comprehensive understanding of how interdisciplinary intervention can impact the self-expression, self-regulation skills, and cultural awareness of children, both quantitative assessments and qualitative observations …

The Catholic Church And The Acculturation Of Immigrants To The United States: Pittsburgh And The Slovak Community During The Gilded Age And Progressive Era, Thomas Frank Demharter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Catholic Church and the Acculturation of Immigrants to the United States: Pittsburgh and the Slovak Community During the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.” Throughout the nineteenth century, hundreds of thousands of immigrants arrived in the United States from southern and eastern Europe, marking a radical change in the cultural and social background of those who arrived in search of work in the industrial world that had come to dominate the economy of the nation. This dissertation will examine the role that the Catholic Church played in aiding these mostly Catholic immigrants in their attempt to conform to and assimilate …

Egalitarianism: A Hermeneutical, Biblical-Theological And Logical Evaluation, Martin Nyanzu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are several sensitive and polarized issues confronting the church in our day, one of them has turned egalitarians and complementarians into warring camps – men and women’s role in the home, church, and society. The last twenty years have seen an intensification in egalitarian publications. However, a critical examination of egalitarian theology in some major works presents a concerning deficit in adhering to the principles of biblical theology, hermeneutics, and logic. This literary research is a biblical canonical survey of egalitarian theology based on existing scholarly perspectives among North American evangelicals. It is apparent that egalitarian biblical theology lacks …

“The Church Is Not Going To Close Until God Closes It”: Survival Of The Neighborhood Church, Karen Kay Warren

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There are churches in working-class neighborhoods throughout America that were built by the community’s residents. Some of these churches are close to or more than 100 years old and still function as places of worship. Riverdale Baptist Church in Roanoke and Fairview Christian in Lynchburg are two such churches. During the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries something changed about the Riverdale Farm and Fairview Heights neighborhoods. New neighbors arrived who were not interested in attending these corner churches, or in having close-knit relationships with their neighbors. The children of the older members had moved to other neighborhoods, and although …

Parallel Lives: Revitalization Of An Ancient Method Of Inquiry, Geoffrey Thomas Uhal

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The Parallel Lives style examination and biography is one of the oldest forms of historical inquiry, providing a comparison between a foreign subject and a more familiar subject as a frame of reference. This style of examination was popular for dissertations in the 19th century among military historians writing about generals who were stylistically known as “Great Captains” for much of history. While the moral comparisons of such histories in bygone eras possess less utility, multimodal comparisons of lives that readers have more and less contextual background to provide a model to bridge the gap between foreign and familiar subjects. …

From Belief To Action: An Exploratory Study Of Theological Perspectives In Influencing Credibility-Enhancing Displays, John Chambers

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this two-phase qualitative research design was to explore the relationship between faith and works, as evidenced by manifest Credibility Enhancing Displays (CREDs), for electronic survey participants in the orthodox Christian community. Exploring the potential links between specific aspects of the theological narratives and the intentions that precede behavior was the central focus of the study. An expert panel was used to develop the Phase One survey. Phase Two retained the same expert panel members but presented them with the Phase One survey analysis to expand the interpretation of the results. At this stage in the research, CREDs …

Church Engagement With Generation Z In A Post Christian Culture, Caleb W. Saunders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to apprehend what has kept Generation Z individuals to continue attending church in a post Christian culture. Understanding what keeps this demographic committed to their faith communities is essential for the FWB church. Focusing on Gen Z individuals that have stayed faithful to their local FWB church gives insight on why Gen Z individuals that have grown up attending church have abandoned their faith. The data collected through in-depth, semi structured interviews with Gen Z participants who met the criteria of sustained attendance and involvement in their local FWB church was practiced. …

Engaging The Hindu Community Of Loudoun County, Va With The Gospel Of Jesus Christ: An Evangelism Course For Telugu Christian Fellowship Church, Ravinder Rufus Bhimanpalli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Doctor of Ministry project addressed the lack of effective evangelism toward the Hindu community by the Telugu Christian Fellowship Church (TCFC) in Ashburn, Virginia. Located 35 miles from Washington, D.C., TCFC serves a suburban congregation of approximately 300 members, with an average weekly attendance of 250. The church is located in Loudoun County, one of America’s most diverse and affluent regions, home to over 44,000 Asian Indians and an estimated 18,000 Hindus. Despite this, the church’s outreach efforts had remained scattered and underdeveloped. Most church members lacked cultural sensitivity, feared offending them, or simply lacked the confidence to engage …

Public Safety Injuries: Treatment And Organizational Support Variations Experienced By Injured Employees, Patrick S. Daugherty Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Public safety employees work in an environment characterized by a greater risk of injury than the workplaces of employees engaged in other professions. The deterioration of trust in public safety workers has increased both the violence against them and their risk of injury, negatively affecting their retention and recruitment efforts. The effect is exhausted and overworked employees who answer an increasing call volume with less resources, resulting in greater stress and frustration. Frustration can be expressed with negativity and isolation toward accommodated employees while they attempt to recover from their injuries. This phenomenon raises the question of “What treatment variations …

A Study Of The Relationship Between The Stress Responses From Rehearsal Preparations For Music Ensemble Performance Evaluations And Performing Arts Adolescents’ Working Memory, Gregory Thomas Minter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The organization of memory retrieval is vital to the association between stress responses and negative educational achievements. These stress responses offer an opportunity to study the harmful consequences of prolonged strain on the developing brain, which may impair emotional restraint, self-control, and cognitive development. However, little research considers the fundamental notions of how stress responses from rehearsals for music ensemble performance assessments impact adolescent working memory. This mixed-methods study explored how rehearsal-related stress in music ensemble settings may affect adolescents' working memory. Participants included high school students in grades nine through 12 who participated in performing arts band ensembles. The …

Charles W. Bolen Faculty Recital: Kiep, Bassoon; September 25, 2025, Gakina Kiep, Paul Nolen, Lu Witzig

School of Music Programs

This is the eighth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

September 25, 2025

Thursday Evening

7:30 p.m.

Charles W. Bolen Recital: Kiep, Bassoon; September 25, 2025, Galina Kiep, Paul Nolen, Lu Witzig

School of Music Programs

This is the eighth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Kemp Recital Hall

September 25, 2025

Thursday Evening

7:30 p.m.

The Grizzly, September 25, 2025, Renee Washart, Julia Picklo, Laela Stackhouse, Sophia Kumar, Claudia Tracy, Caitlin Cunnane, Erin Ewing, Jesse Cherone

Ursinus College Grizzly Newspaper, 1978 to Present

Let's Talk About the CARBO-Nation • Greek Life Numbers • Power Surge: Ursinus Goes Lights Out! • This Time in History! • The Writing is, Literally, on the Wall • GRRRL on the Street • A Sports Switch-up: Lippay Guards Goal for Bears • Football Rolls to 3-0 Start!

Tv Versus Video Games: Their Distinctive Effects On Adolescent Behavior And Academic Achievement, Faiaz Rahman, Kathy L. Schuh

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The current paper uses data collected from a publicly available, nationally representative data set to examine the effects of TV viewing and video gaming on adolescent behavioral problems and cognitive achievement. Results revealed that extended hours of TV viewing were associated with greater anxiety/depression and antisocial problems. On the other hand, extended hours of video gaming were associated with higher reading comprehension scores. Differing effects of TV viewing and gameplay by an individual’s sex was also found during the analysis. It is also important to note that the opposite effects that the two media has on outcomes, indicate that, although …

Chacahoula 2025, Volume 92, Alayna Pellegrin

Chacahoula

The 2025 issue of Chacahoula includes December 2024 and May 2025 graduating classes, as well as stunning photography student life on the banks of Bayou Desiard. With features covering students, faculty, and staff, this year's time capsule preserves an academic year in the life of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.

Holidays, Religiosity, And Democratic Attitudes, Hannah Ridge

Political Science Faculty Articles and Research

Decades of research have linked religion and religiosity to support for democracy and authoritarianism. This study uses a temporal religious prime during national surveys – the European Social Survey and the National Election Survey – to identify the effect of religion on regime-type preferences. Jewish Israelis who took surveys on Friday or Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, expressed more openness to non-democratic governance. They also interpreted the word democracy in a more populist way. Furthermore, non-religious Jews were less democratic on the Sabbath and more interested in strongman rule than they were on days without the religious connotation. Similarly, more religious …

Darlington Church Membership Records, 1832-1843, Darlington Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

Includes membership list of the "colored class" of the church

Center Church Townville Circuit Membership Records 1896-1927, Townville Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Chester Circuit Membership Records, 1890-1894, Chester Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

Ebenezer, Mt. Prospect, Heath Chapel, Bethesda

Center Church Pickens Circuit Class Book, 1865-1881, Townville Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

Includes list of members of the class

Center Church Pickens Circuit Class Book, 1857-1867, Pickens Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

Includes list of members of the class

Center Church Mullins Membership Records, 1886-1931, Mullins Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

No abstract provided.

Center Church Townville Circuit Membership Records 1883-1900, Townville Circuit Quarterly Conference

Methodist Local Church Records

Also includes minutes of church conferences

The Living Dead On Mount Athos: Monastic Politics Of Escape, Patrick Reilly

Dissertations and Theses

The Monastic Republic of Mount Athos is a unique and confounding political entity - both Greek and multi-national, democratic and theocratic, autonomous and subject to the European Union - with more than a millennia of history and institutional memory. While Athos has been amply appreciated for its religious, historical and cultural significance, the political institutions which govern this community have been neglected in the modern era and merit greater attention. Similarly, while much of the recent English-language literature on the topic focuses on the near-death and miraculous resurrection of Mount Athos in the 20th century, this work also tends to …

“Sisters, Are You Running Out Of Menstrual Supplies??”: Exploring #Sistersfightpandemicwithease And Tactical Hashtag Feminism In The Covid-19 Crisis, Qingyue Sun

Interdisciplinary Studies

This article examines the hashtag feminism movement#SistersFightPandemicWithEase (#SFPWE) on Weibo, analyzing how it navigated state censorship, online misogyny, and platform governance during the Wuhan lockdown in China. Through qualitative analysis, I argue that #SFPWE diverges from traditional hashtag feminism,instead operating as a form of pragmatic feminism in crisis. The movement embodies what I term tactical feminist activism—an issue-based advocacy that prioritizes pragmatic problem-solving over structural critique. Its tactical nature lies in its ability to appear politically non-threatening and temporarily valuable to authorities. However, findings indicate that #SFPWE ultimately reinforced state legitimacy rather than challenging the structural gender inequalities underlying the …

Foreshadowed Cruelty: Mary Osgood’S Psychopathic Tendencies In Daniel Mason’S North Woods, Winston P. Kauffman

SPARK Symposium Presentations

In this essay, I examine the character of Mary Osgood in North Woods by Daniel Mason, arguing that her behavior reflects traits associated with psychopathy. While Mary and her sister Alice initially appear to represent a typical form of sibling rivalry, Mary’s cruelty, emotional detachment, and manipulation suggest something more troubling from the beginning. When Mary ultimately kills Alice, this shocking moment confirms the darker implications that had been subtly foreshadowed throughout the narrative. By drawing on psychological research on empathy deficits and psychopathic traits, I argue that Mary’s actions align with modern understandings of psychopathy. Mason uses this characterization …

‘Casar Public Lecture: What Does The Suspension Of The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program Mean For The Mena Region?, The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar

Performances, Events, and Presentations

This public lecture offered an overview of the impact that the suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has had on the MENA region. It begins by tracing the origins of USRAP and its evolution since its establishment in the 1980s. The lecture explores how the program became one of the key legal immigration pathways for African and Middle Eastern immigrants seeking resettlement in the United States. It also critically examines the challenges USRAP currently faces under the present administration, including ongoing legal battles surrounding its termination. Speakers: Zefitret (Zefi) Molla, Doctoral Researcher,The Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität …

Teaching Science And Technology As Stewardship Of God’S Creation, Fred Haan

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Took place on 9/24/25 at Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Lippo Village in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event was called Integration of Faith and Learning in K-12 Education.

Cultural Representation In Global Film Discourse: A Bibliometric Analysis Of Dominant Themes And Western Hegemony, Nur Fajri Hijriyani, Hanun Dzikra Arienda, Firmansyah Firmansyah, Nur Wijaya Hariadi, Alem Febri Sonni

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This study investigates the dominant themes and discursive structures within global film scholarship through a bibliometric analysis of 404 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2019 and 2024. Using VOSviewer to map keyword co-occurrence, citation networks, and authorship patterns, the research identifies five major thematic clusters: Hollywood, feminism, representation, Bollywood, and popular culture. The findings reveal a persistent dominance of Western narratives positioning them at the centre of global film studies. In contrast, themes related to non-Western cinema, such as Bollywood, appear less central and more fragmented within the academic discourse. These results highlight how bibliometric patterns reflect broader ideological structures, reinforcing …