Arts and Humanities Commons^™

All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Consuelo Vanderbilt And Transatlantic Marriages In The Gilded Age, Katie M. Cassady

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Between 1865 and the onset of World War I, wealthy American women increasingly married titled European men. These marriages played a critical role for both parties: the newly moneyed elite asserted its claim to social status, and depleted European nobility regained the funds so essential to their longevity. By 1915, 454 American heiresses had married into the European aristocracy. In one famous example, Consuelo Vanderbilt was forcibly wed to the ninth Duke of Marlborough. As the Vanderbilt family labored to assimilate themselves into old-money New York society, the opportunity to tie their family name to English nobility could catapult the …

In Memory Of Jane Widtfeldt Meged, Luis Miguel Brito, Cristina Carvalho

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Short piece in Memory of Jane Widtfeldt Meged, founder member of Editorial Board of the International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Becoming People Who See: Walking Alongside Those Impacted By Trauma, Kara L. Nutt

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"In a world fixated on resilience and overcoming hardship, Christians are called to recognize and respond to the realities of trauma."

Posting about hearing and healing trauma­­­­­­­­ from In All Things, a blog which highlights the shared faithful and orthodox Reformed Christian perspective of our writers, exploring how to fearlessly engage with every aspect of modern life—until all is made new.

Becoming People Who See: Walking Alongside Those Impacted by Trauma

Striking Tools Of Indigenous North America: Rethinking Their Representations In Media, Literature, And Collection Systems, Wesley Martin

University Research

The striking tool as a concept has existed since time immemorial. Once Europeans began colonizing the North American continent, Indigenous striking tools became conflated with the word “tomahawk.” The meaning of tomahawks and other striking tools is distorted in history, because western scholars and artists saw them from a limited worldview. This distortion made its way into archaeological reports, museum displays, and digital collections’ metadata. Some typologies that collectors and museum staff make for tomahawks continue to limit how the public may see them. Professionals working in the material culture fields should consider how this occurs. This article demonstrates these …

Volume Cxlvi, Number 4, October 16, 2026, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Beetle Panic!, Ross Lowrance

Game Design

Beetle Panic! is a 3D game designed in GDevelop that combines exploration, collectible-based scoring, time management, and enemy avoidance in a compact, interactive level. Players navigate the environment to collect four coins, each worth 25 points, while managing a 60-second timer and avoiding a pursuing enemy known as the Beetle Bot. Environmental objects, including movable blocks, provide opportunities for tactical interaction by obstructing the enemy's movement. Contact with the enemy resets the scene, adding risk to the player's efforts to complete the objective before time expires.

The game incorporates a scoring system, countdown timer, audio feedback, and end-state messaging to …

Marbs & Carbs, Kevin M. Mcghee

Game Design

Marbs & Carbs is a 3D rolling game set in an oversized kitchen. Guide Marb across countertops, past stove burners, and through sink-side shortcuts while collecting pasta and donuts that make the marble grow. Larger sizes open new routes, including a breakable sink drain. Collect at least 25 carbs to enter the mouse hole and finish the level. Special pasta can turn Marb into a tumbling cube or pyramid, changing how it moves and adding a score bonus. A results screen tallies your pickups and time before the next run.

This game is inspired by the classic Atari arcade game …

Sociolinguistic Compatibility In Ai Adoption: Extending Doi - Toe In Public Relations, Shadi Abu-Ayyash

CoHSS Faculty Work

Purpose - This study examines how AI adoption in public relations (PR) unfolds in the Arab region and positions that experience against global industry discourses, with attention to the linguistic and cultural conditions that shape adoption trajectories.

Design/methodology/approach – Guided by Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) and the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, the study combines 20 semi structured interviews with senior Arab-region practitioners, association leaders and academics across six countries with a directed content analysis of professional guidelines and industry reports of global, cross-regional and regional scope.

Findings – Adoption is early-stage and selective, concentrated in content assistance, media intelligence and reputation …

2026-2027 Performance Forum - October 16, 2026, Rishi Gurnani, Sheng Yuan Kuan, Paola Nava, Hyunwoo Jeoung, Juanita Jaimes, Andrew Bures, Michael Shipps, Adam Weekes, Pual Brown

Performance Forum

No abstract provided.

Occupational Therapy Student Perceptions Of Sexuality And Intimacy Education: A Cross-Sectional Study, Jennifer H. Barnett, Amanda K. Giles

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Sexuality and intimacy are meaningful activities within the scope of occupational therapy (OT), encompassing valued roles and occupations that contribute significantly to a person’s health, well-being, and identity. Despite acknowledgement of their importance, many occupational therapists overlook these areas during routine assessment and intervention because of feelings of insufficient knowledge, comfort, and confidence. This study used a cross-sectional design to electronically survey 149 occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students across their first, second, or third year of education to determine their perceptions of sexuality and intimacy education. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed via codebook …

Creating Student-Generated Infographics To Foster Civic Engagement Research In A First-Year Seminar, Carlton A. Usher

eJournal of Public Affairs

Infographics, visual tools like charts or diagrams, simplify complex data into accessible formats. This study explores how student-generated infographics foster civic engagement in a first-year seminar. Survey data from first-year students (N=29) revealed 85% rated the project highly valuable, and 87% reported improved retention of societal issues. While research was the least favored aspect, students praised the project’s creativity and peer-sharing potential, with 40% emphasizing its value for visual learning. Most expressed confidence in sharing their work publicly. These findings support the use of infographics as a pedagogical tool for enhancing civic engagement among first-year students navigating academic transitions. Future …

Illuminating Perspectives Through Critical Visual Literacy, Wanju Huang, Filipa Machado Rodrigues, Lee Okan, Catalina Huilcapi-Collantes, Ellen Corrigan, Peter Klubek

Purdue University Press Books

Illuminating Perspectives Through Critical Visual Literacy exemplifies the initiatives put forth by the International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA), a diverse community of professionals dedicated to enhancing people’s understanding of how to interpret visual stimuli and engage with their visual surroundings. Featuring peer-reviewed essays that encourage ongoing dialogue among diverse groups, this book intends to spark new insights into everything from the arts and sciences to business and instructional technology. A key strength of IVLA is its variety of scholarly conferences and publications that encourage thought-provoking interaction between practitioners and theorists. Illuminating Perspectives Through Critical Visual Literacy showcases insightful works that …

The Non-Biblical Source Of Medieval Usury Prohibitions, Phil Gramm, Patrick Gray, Robert B. Ekelund

Journal of New Finance

Ecclesiastical and secular prohibitions of usury—often equated with any charging of interest on a loan—and their impact on commerce and economic progress in medieval Europe have long been recognized. In this paper we revisit one aspect of the debate, namely, the use of the ancient philosophical sources and the biblical texts by ancient and medieval writers. On the basis of a close reading of the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and a review of the secondary literature devoted to it, we argue that in the New Testament Jesus attaches no moral stigma to moneylending. It is therefore surprising that …

Art Inquiries, Vol. 21, Oct. 15, 2026 - Full Issue, Kris K. Belden-Adams

Art Inquiries

No abstract provided.

Fairytale Bounce, Caroline Sexton

Game Design

This project is a 3D fairy-themed platformer created in Unity. Players control a fairy as they travel through a colorful fantasy environment filled with floating platforms, magical mushrooms, collectibles, and enemies. The goal is to navigate through the level, collect fairy dust crystals, avoid enemies, and reach the end. The game includes a health system, checkpoints, background music, and sound effects.

This game was created as my final project for a 3D game development course. I focused on creating a playable level with different platforming challenges while learning more about Unity, 3D level design, scripting, and gameplay mechanics.

Why Nevada Leaves So Much Federal Money Behind, The Lincy Institute

Lincy Institute Events

The Lincy Institute presents new research examining the history, politics, and policies that have caused Nevada to fare so poorly in accessing federal resources for decades and offer recommendations for how Nevada can more effectively interface with federal agencies to reverse this history. The event also features a panel discussion with nonprofit and former state and local government leaders.

Panel

Moderator — David Damore, Executive Director, The Lincy Institute

Panelists — Michael Brown, Fellow, The Lincy Institute — Lisa Corrado, Executive Director, Nevada Nonprofits — Miles Dickson, Chief Executive Officer, Nevada GrantLab — Yvanna Cancela, Chief of Staff, U.S. Representative …

2026 Persimmon Creek - Full Journal, Beth Keefauver, Wayne C. Robbins

Persimmon Creek

Dear Readers: Literary journals are a common component of colleges and universities spanning across many continents. As many students experience the drastic transition from childhood to independence, emotions can feel overwhelming, and life can quickly become flooded with anxiety. Writing is an outlet for many; a place humanity turns to as a form of secure therapy.

In William Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, Berowne muses, “Never durst poet touch a pen to write until his ink were temper’d with Love’s sighs” (Act 4, Scene 3).

Without emotion, writing has no depth. The words on the page might seem eloquent, but the …

I-25, Gabriel Reinhardt

Persimmon Creek

EF-S18-55mm ƒ3.5-5.6 IS II

5184x3456

ISO 400

24mm

ƒ8

4.0s

The Quilt On The Roof, Janny G. Santos

Persimmon Creek

This creative nonfiction essay explores the meaning of home, stewardship, and healing through the story of a veteran who restored a neglected house on a hill in Greenville County, South Carolina. Built in the 1950s by another veteran on land once belonging to the Perry family, the home becomes a place of repair for both the structure and the person caring for it. When the roof fails after years of restoration, the author creates a massive quilt to protect the house, transforming scraps of fabric into a signal of distress and resilience. The essay reflects on land, memory, family, and …

Meet Phoenix, Feng Jiang

Persimmon Creek

One act play

Feelings Of Boredom, Jaden C. Ni

Persimmon Creek

A short story about a boy who's bored with life. That is, until one night, a fateful encounter changes his life for the better.

Roadkill, Kristi S. Miller

Persimmon Creek

Dear Beth Keefauver,

Thank you for considering my short story “Roadkill,” a 3371-word short story, for inclusion in Persimmon Creek. Below is my biography:

“Could you kill someone?” is Kristi Miller’s favorite question. It divides the keepers from the bores, and she can’t tolerate boredom. After growing tired of being a molecular biologist, she moved to Western North Carolina to teach kayaking and live in a van down by the river. Now she’s a professor of nursing. Her husband supports her need for drama – when their biological daughter was almost two, they adopted a sibling group of three. If …

Moths In The Closet, Brandi E. Shuler

Persimmon Creek

a Work of Flash Fiction
This is a personal reflection about clothing and what makes something important. Why do people hold onto things in a world where replacing them would be so easy?

The Tea Party, Adrienne D. Fuehrer

Persimmon Creek

Molly, Erika, Mauve, and Mr. Snuggles are having a tea party. With a focus on imagery and childhood whimsy, “The Tea Party” embraces the restraints of flash fiction to tell a story within a moment.

Built To Last, Jack Andrew Hines

Persimmon Creek

A young man embarks on a career as a carpenter in South Carolina's Lowcountry. He falls under the tutelage of a heavy drinking master carpenter and, together, they strive to master their craft while holding onto their pride in an environment where their culture is being degraded and appropriated.

Cellphone, Kasey Waters

Persimmon Creek

this work describes the toxic relationships that many of us have with our phones and technology.  i wrote this post hurricane helene.

Palace, Kelis D. Rodgers

Persimmon Creek

A poem written about a fallen empire.

Amnesia, Kasey Waters

Persimmon Creek

this poem describes what i call religious trauma, declined mental health, and death to produce when combined.  i wrote this to kind of recount the experience of being brought into purgatory, or the afterlife, to be.  you kind of question everything, unsure what to think as you don't know what will happen next.  death makes even the confident quake in fear.

Happy New Year, Delaney Brown

Persimmon Creek

"Happy New Year," following the poetic style of writers like Kaveh Akbar and Richard Siken, uses freestyle form and interpretive spacing to convey its narrative. The work explores the emotional recoil of a badly ended relationship and the self-doubt that often lingers when one questions their own actions and decisions.

Home, Jaden C. Ni

Persimmon Creek

A short Poem that's not about birds but humans and family.