Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

White Horse Village: A Northern Utah Ufo Narrative, Melissa Petersen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

In the early 1960's a group of UFO believers, called Christ Brotherhood Inc., established themselves in Smithfield Canyon, UT and called their commune White Horse Village. A main house was built where the leader of the group lived and two or three smaller cabins were erected for the believers. Without running water they used an outhouse among them and built a small church where they would meet for lectures. Their beliefs centered around the popular movement of New Age spirituality of the time, which included scientific explanations for Christian beliefs including a belief in benevolent aliens as modern angels. Their …

An Analysis Of Portuguese Colonial Representations Of Sinhalese Women, Chandra R. De Silva, Ramani Hettiarchchi

History Faculty Publications

The history of Sri Lanka until recently has been written mostly as the history of men in the country. This has been particularly true of the early modern period, for which existing records are mostly those of visiting colonizers who were mostly men, writing about their dealings with those in power or with those from whom they could gain profit. This article is an attempt to collect and analyze the admittedly limited data on how the Portuguese who gained political authority over parts of the coastal areas saw local women. It is limited to the women of the majority community …

Mountain Communities During A Time Of War: A Case Study Of The Hutsul Region In The Carpathian Mountains Of Ukraine, Pavlo Rybaruk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ethno-ecological technologies employed by the Hutsul people within the highland agrarian economy of the Carpathian Mountains. Over centuries, the Hutsuls have developed ethno-ecological technologies that maintain ecological integrity while supporting community livelihoods.

The study addresses three primary research questions: What are the most important ethno-ecological technologies of the Hutsul highland economy? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be applied to economic, agricultural, and tourism development in the Hutsul region? How might these traditional ethno-ecological practices be combined with contemporary approaches to encourage sustainable development in the region?

The research explores the devastating impact of the Russian …

Between Hard And Soft Power: A Historical Analysis Of U.S. Defense Diplomacy, Shuhei Takahashi

War, Diplomacy, and Society (MA) Theses

In recent years, countries around the world—those of Europe but also Japan, China, and Russia—have accelerated their efforts to use military assets as instruments of diplomacy. This trend has contributed to the rising prevalence of the term “defense diplomacy” in national security discourse. The United States is no exception. Its abundant military assets and its global network of bases clearly demonstrate that it is the world’s leading practitioner of defense diplomacy. Yet the United States lacks a clear strategic document outlining the concept. Moreover, because existing definitions remain theoretically ambiguous and methods for assessing the effectiveness of defense diplomacy initiatives …

Community Approaches To Digitally Documenting And Sharing Conjunto Music In The South Texas Borderlands, René Antonio Ballesteros

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the rich tradition of conjunto music within the South Texas borderlands, examining how integrating community engagement and digital humanities methodologies can effectively enhance the documentation, conservation, and presentation of this place-based expressive culture. Recognizing existing archival gaps, the research employed community-engaged programming to gather and preserve valuable cultural data. A key methodology outcome involved creating digital maps utilizing place-based data related to conjunto music sites and activities, subsequently integrating these maps into an ArcGIS Online story map for public online access. The findings demonstrate the significant potential of community collaboration and digital humanities tools in amplifying cultural …

Alexander Asboth: Hungarian Separatist And Union Civil War General, Paul T. Brueske

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This thesis reveals the experiences of a Hungarian Separatist, Alexander Asboth, and how he applied those experiences in the American Civil War. It examines Asboth’s biography, his expansive view of the Union, and how he differed from many commanding officers in the Western theater. Moreover, this thesis illuminates Asboth’s military service, including his leadership of a diverse force at Barrancas, Florida, and adds to the understudied collaboration of foreign-born officers and Black soldiers in Gulf Coast Civil War history.

During the 1848 Hungarian separatist movement, Asboth served as an Army staff officer under the leader Lajos Kossuth. However, the separatists …

Local Problems, Global Solutions? Making It Rain In Hong Kong C. 1890-1930, Fiona Williamson

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

The late nineteenth to early twentieth century saw a small but dedicated rise in experimental rainmaking. The possibility that humanity might one day be able to control the weather – especially to alleviate drought – was very attractive to governments and private investors. The late nineteenth century was an era of scientific optimism and a number of rainmaking experiments across the world had brought the potential for weather control out of the realms of discourse and literature and further into tangible near-future science. There has been a small but thorough historiographical literature on this subject, focusing largely on American, British, …

The Seed That Begot America: How Political Principles Of The Reformation Contributed To The American Founding, Gabriel Stisser

Senior Honors Theses

When teaching the American founding, the contemporary public-school curriculum tends to emphasize the influence of the thinkers from the antiquity and Enlightenment periods. However, the curriculum tends to neglect the impact that the Reformation had upon America's formation. Through a qualitative historical review, this study will analyze both primary and secondary sources to examine how Reformed ideals of the political covenant, limited government, and resistance to tyranny influenced the American founding. This analysis finds that the Reformed (sometimes called Calvinist) political ideals from the Reformation had a significant influence upon the formation of the New England colonies, the enlightenment figures …

Black On Black Sounds: Music, Migration, And The ‘Nu-K Blak’ Identity Formation In Early 21st Century Britain, Monique Charles

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

Examining literature on the under researched areas of Afrobeats and African migration to Britain, this article identifies significant internal shifts in the ethnic diversity of Black Britain —i.e., from Caribbean (predominantly Jamaican) to West African (Nigerian, Ghanaian) (ONS 2011). Interpreting literature and applying to the British context, it highlights how Afrobeats reshapes Blackness in Britain, particularly the incorporation of desirable Africanness through Afrobeats music. It argues that demographic and musical shifts in Britain result in a renegotiation of the Caribbean and US dominant 20th century Black Britishness — ‘UK Blak’ identity (as identified by Bradley 2013, Gilroy 1993 & Palmer …

Martial Arts Studies: A Commentary On The Exploration Of Consciousness In Modern Martial Arts, James H. Sutton

Journal of Conscious Evolution

The rapid globalization of martial arts has reconditioned how the beliefs, customs, and philosophies of traditionally based systems are interpreted and applied in modern practice. As contemporary scholarship struggles to accommodate the cultural histories, myths, and traditions that permeate the perception of martial arts in modern contexts, the focus of inquiry has shifted towards explaining cultural variations in practice rather than understanding the nature of self-awareness derived from self-practice. Consequently, the deeper meanings of martial arts as pathways to personal and transpersonal awareness are often invalidated in favor of objective and verifiable explications. In short, the role of consciousness is …

Review Of Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements In The United States By Rafael Martínez, 2024, Gabrielle Cabrera

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Review of Illegalized: Undocumented Youth Movements in the United States by Rafael Martínez, 2024 by Gabrielle Cabrera.

Trump’S Lasting Impact On The U.S. Presidency, Imer Kj Cespedes-Alvarado

Political Science Student Research

The first presidency of Donald J. Trump had a lasting impact on the American Presidency, expanding executive power through robust assertions of constitutional power, unconventional communications, and an unprecedented disregard for political norms. The two terms further blurred the line between governance and personal branding, cultivating this new model of leadership that depends on constant public exposure and polarization among the American people. This research examines how Trump's executive power and political tactics during both of his presidencies redefined expectations of presidential behavior and accountability by consolidating executive authority, reorganizing federal institutions, and placing even greater emphasis on loyalty and …

The Art Critic As Learner: A Review Of Erica Cardwell’S Wrong Is Not My Name, Bronte Cronsberry

Comparative Woman

Erica Cardwell’s debut book Wrong is Not My Name: Notes on (Black) Art is about art, race, family and perhaps most prominently, about grief. Through her personal experiences with these themes, Cardwell’s voice as art critic is still undeniably present throughout the entirety of the text. Wrong is Not My Name reminds readers of the power of art to push us towards growth, but in the context of this issue on Aesthetic Education, I focus on Cardwell’s approach to art as critic, which she continually grounds in her approach to art as learner. It is this orientation in particular that …

Pedagogical Escapism And Western Performativity: A Psycho-Aesthetic Critique Of Belly-Dance Adaption Symbolics, Maryam Farahani

Comparative Woman

This paper addresses positionality misreading in Western pedagogical adaptions of belly dancing. Raqs Sharqi, known in the West as belly dancing, is a predominantly West Asian and North African discipline and performance art with multimodal varieties, globally taught and practiced while crossing sport, narratology, and story-telling boundaries. As a unique performance activity, it portrays a dynamic entertainment space to connect one’s multiple identities. I argue that Raqs Sharqi, not only as an aesthetic-educational art form but also, perhaps unwittingly, reiterated as an Orientalist communication trope in belly dancing, has forged East-West performativity models. However, the historical education-literature for Western women …

Beyond The Madrasah: Digital Pedagogies And Nigerian Yoruba Muslim Women's Engagement With Islamic Knowledge, Abdulgafar Olawale Fahm

Comparative Woman

This paper explores how digital pedagogies are reshaping the landscape of Islamic education among Nigerian Muslim women, with a primary focus on Yoruba communities in Southern Nigeria. Historically, Islamic learning in Nigeria has been rooted in traditional institutions, notably the madrasa, characterized by face-to-face instruction and rigid gender norms. However, the proliferation of digital technologies - particularly online madrasas, WhatsApp study groups, Zoom-based Qur’anic classes, and Islamic mobile applications - has significantly altered women’s access to religious knowledge. Utilizing ethnographic evidence and qualitative interviews, this interdisciplinary study examines how digital platforms enhance accessibility, overcome sociocultural barriers, and enable Nigerian Yoruba …

Lanthorn, Vol. 60, No. 07, November 10, 2025, Grand Valley State University

Volume 60, August 4, 2025 – current

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Think Piece: Urban Echoes: How The New Historiography On Cities Is Reframing Our Understanding Of Mao’S China, Taoyu Yang

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Despite the conventional portrayal of the Chinese revolution as a predominantly peasant-oriented movement, cities emerged as critical arenas for the Chinese Communist Party’s project of modernization and class restructuring during Maoist period (1949–1976). Over the past decade, scholarly attention has increasingly turned to the urban dimensions of the early years of the People’s Republic. This think piece addresses how recent scholarship on cities offers new analytical insights into our understanding of Maoist China by focusing on six recently published monographs. Themes to be discussed in this essay include the contested and evolving notion of socialist modernity, the transformative effects of …

The Game Of Chance, Alieth Caceres

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Through my first semester at college, I was faced with the capability of not coming back due to being from a low-income family. Being a first-gen, I didn’t have anyone to guide me and I went from place to place begging for something to hold on to. My biggest goal for my family and I is to graduate from college and it is unfair that this opportunity will come short only because of financial problems. In some moments I felt all was lost, some telling me that I couldn’t and should just give up. All the connections I had reached …

Breaking Barriers First-Gen Experiences, Fiorella Salazar, Alondra Hernandez, Alieth Caceres, Aolanni Jimenez-Gonzalez, Alberto Martinez, Karol Martinez, Jesus Arias, Julian Melendez Miranda, Gabby Flores, Isabell Lachinpour, Jefferson Ramos, Annette Gomez, Zahir Pineda, Alejandra Rodriguez, Carla Bueno

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

In Breaking Barriers: First-Gen Experiences, first-gen students showcased their stories through poems, art, research, and personal reflections. Every story reflects resilience and creativity as they navigate their educational and personal journeys with a first-gen identity. These are stories that we can connect to and learn from to further build bridges for future generations in The First to Go Program!

An Outline History Of The Unionisation Of Hotel, Restaurant And Catering Workers In Dublin, Norman Croke

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

George Orwell in his classic Down and Out in Paris and London described the hotel industry’s work system as an elaborate caste system, with a prestige graded system to that of a soldier. The elaborate management system placed the manager at the top, followed by the maître d’hôtel, head waiter, head cook, chef du personnel, other cooks, waiters, laundress, apprentices, the plongeurs (menial tasks in the restaurant), chambermaids and cafetières, in that order. A key feature of hotels was the division of labour from the concierge, who looks after arrivals and departures, to the porter, receptionist, housekeeping, restaurant, the maître …

Culinary Collections In The National Library Of Ireland, Joanne Carroll, Nora Thornton

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

The National Library has been collecting, preserving and making the documentary heritage of Ireland available to the public since 1877 and cares for over 12 million items today. In 1926 it became a legal deposit Library so by law one copy of each book and periodical published in the Republic of Ireland must be deposited here. The NLI also acquires books and manuscripts through purchases, such as auctions or private sales and we receive donations of materials into our collections, from individuals and organisations. The Library is made up of different departments including Published Collections, Special Collections and Digital Collections …

Jennie Moran - How To Soften Corners, Kevin A. Griffin

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

No abstract provided.

Jp Mcmahon - An Irish Food Story: 100 Foods That Made Us, Gabrielle Kathleen Machnik-Kekesi

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

No abstract provided.

Breaking The Mould: The Origins Of Irish Farmhouse Cheese In The Countercultures Of The 1970s And 1980s, Finbar Deery

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

This article examines the origins of farmhouse cheese in Ireland, which began in West Cork in 1974 with the creation of Milleens by Veronica Steele. This new farmhouse cheese industry is an example of food production that had no comparable reference in Ireland at the time. The farmhouse cheese industry is examined as an expression of a growing countercultural movement on the island in the 1970s and 1980s. This paper argues that the re-emergence of small-scale cheese production in Ireland is one expression of broader changes in the country and is both connected to and instrumental in the development of …

The Battle To Brand And Market Irish Beef—1950–73, Declan O'Brien

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

This article examines the controversy around the marketing of Irish beef up to Ireland’s entry into the EEC in 1973. The internal industry wrangle simmered from the birth of the modern processing industry in the 1950s but burst into life following the collapse in beef farmer incomes in the late 1960s. The article will explore how the Department of Agriculture and successive ministers for agriculture sought to navigate a middle line between the conflicting positions of the farm organisations and meat factory owners. While the National Farmers’ Association (NFA) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) consistently called for …

Agricultural Extension In Ireland: A Century Of Continuity And Change, Mícheál Ó Fathartaigh, Áine Macken-Walsh, Monica Gorman

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

In 1901, Ireland had the largest publicly funded professional extension service – agricultural scientists helping farmers to farm better – relatively, in the world. Utilising a wide range of historical sources and contemporary data, this paper provides a snapshot of the education and work of Irish advisors and their extension activities then and now. It identifies what has changed and what has not, showing key influences on Ireland’s current advisory services. Education for advisors 100 years ago was characterised by gender segregation, with less capacity and diversity. Continuity in the work of advisors then and now is shown in a …

Why The Irish Don’T Eat Offal, Niall Toner

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

In the past fifty years or so, the diverse and colourful displays of animal offal and organ meats that used to be seen in butchers’ shop windows in Ireland, as well as in the UK and America, have all but disappeared. In Ireland, which has seen a gastronomic renaissance in more recent times, these traditional foodstuffs appear to have been slow to return to our plates. But have offal and organ meats a place in the future of the cuisine, and can the increased consumption of offal and organ meats, produced locally, contribute towards a more sustainable food production system, …

“Add What You Think Proper”: Exploring The Culinary Narrative Of Newbridge House Through The Cobbe Recipe Book (1806–1838) And Archive, Cathal Dowd Smith

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

Newbridge House, in north County Dublin, was built in 1747 by Archbishop of Dublin, Charles Cobbe to designs by prominent architect James Gibbs. Having arrived in Ireland in 1717, acquiring land and ecclesiastical promotion, Cobbe settled in north Dublin and built a house in the Palladian vision for his family. In 1755 his heir and sole surviving son Thomas married Lady Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Beresford, daughter of the 1st earl of Tyrone. Together Thomas and Lady Betty assembled an art collection at Newbridge, extending the house for that purpose. Included in that extension were more bedrooms, but, importantly here, increased servants’ …

The History Of Dublin Coddle And Its Significance As Part Of Ireland’S Intangible Cultural Heritage, Sinéad Mcglynn, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

Dublin coddle is held in great affection by generations of Dubliners and is a significant cultural identifier, yet to date there has been little or no academic research into its historical origins. Dublin coddle is a divisive dish which appears to be linked with the capital city, with almost tribal associations, where other ‘tribes’ refuse to consume it. This study argues for the inclusion of Dublin coddle-making, a regional dish made with sausages, ham or bacon, potatoes and onions, as part of Ireland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as set out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). …

Food Traditions In The Folklore Of Oíche Shamhna (Halloween): An Exploratory Study Of Food In The Schools’ Collection 1937–39, Caitríona Nic Philibín

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

Oíche Shamhna or Halloween marks the end of the harvest, the beginning of winter and the last of the four Quarter Days of the Irish calendar year. While food is plentiful at this time of year, food specific studies of this feast day are few. Through archival research this paper explores food traditions at Oíche Shamhna found in the Schools’ Collection 1937–’39 (folklore collected from more than 50,000 schoolchildren in Ireland). Analysis of a sample taken from the Collection reveals four main themes: ‘Games,’ ‘Games with Divinations,’ ‘Supernatural,’ and ‘Cakes and dishes in general.’ Within these themes the significance of …