Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Book Review: Philip Ball. The Water Kingdom: A Secret History Of China, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

Over centuries scores of sinologists have sought to define the essence of China. Philip Ball addresses and goes well beyond the materialist paradigm of Karl Wittfogel’s hydraulic thesis, which described the role of water management in China as stimulating state development. In his theory, government emerged as the central institution to manage transportation, flood control and irrigation. Ball also sees water management as critical in Chinese civilization and injects his description with spiritual and moral content, drawing on poetry, art, biography and extensive reference to historical events. His book is an exploration of the role of water in China’s culture, …

Global Security In The Third Millennium Of The Common Era, Michael Andregg

Comparative Civilizations Review

The primary purpose of this short essay is to catalyze discussion among security professionals about how perspectives on ‘global security’ and ‘wise civilizations’ might affect military affairs during a time of great, interdisciplinary stresses that impact everyone on earth today.

Global civilization faces two main existential threats this century. The first is a quick death from general thermonuclear war or release of other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) like exotic, genetically engineered biological weapons. The second is a slow death from incremental destruction of the living system that supports all civilizations, wise or unwise, by mechanisms like deforestation, desertification, climate …

Book Review: Steven Sabol. The Touch Of Civilization: Comparing American And Russian Internal Colonization, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

America and Russia are derivative civilizations from the same Greco-Roman source, with very different results. After the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, Russia proclaimed itself to be the Third Rome as it lifted the Tatar yoke. Although the U.S. did not become a country for another three centuries, the colonial experience and culture remained closer to England’s – a nation proudly conscious of its lineage.

End Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Is Civilization A Good Thing?, David Wilkinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

How do we feel about “Civilization”? What emotions does the idea of “civilization” evoke from us? Why are these emotions attached to that idea? In more technical terms, what are the “connotations” of “civilization”? Laudatory or derogatory? And why do we feel the way we feel about it? What makes us welcome civilization, fear it, praise it or shun it?

The Possibility Of A Global Civilization, Robert Elliott Allinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

This article inquires into the question of what is civilization. It considers that a sine qua non of a civilization is a non-violent culture. It investigates the concept of violence and extends the concept to cover examples of citizens who live in conditions of poverty, ill health, lack of food, lack of education, lack of adequate housing, and inadequate living conditions. The argument in the article is that a civilization that allows such conditions to exist perpetrates violence upon its citizens and therefore does not deserve the appellation, ‘civilization.’ Those citizens who do not protest against such violence are not …

Front Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

The Theoretical Status Of The Concept Of Civilization, Roger W. Wescott

Comparative Civilizations Review

This paper may be regarded as an effort to answer some questions concerning the conceptualization of civilization.

1. Whether or not concepts are essentially verbal, is the concept of civilization primarily denotative (referential) or connotative (emotive) in meaning?

2. If the concept of civilization is primarily emotive, is its emotive force predominantly laudatory or derogatory in effect?

3. When the concept of civilization is derogatory, is it decadence or outdatedness that is primarily derogated?

4. If the concept of civilization is primarily denotative, is its denotation primarily abstract (referring to culture and associated mentifacts) or primarily concrete (referring to people …

Monitoring Wise Civilization By Creating An Index, Andrew Targowski

Comparative Civilizations Review

The Wise Civilization Index will assess how wise we are in developing and living in a sustainable civilization.

Recently, people have started to worry about the state of the climate. This has been reflected in the finding that the climate temperature should be kept to a growth of below two degrees Celsius by 2100 to save our species from a slow death (The Paris Agreement of 2015). After all, raising the human body temperature by two degrees threatens illness and even death by four degrees. The same (relatively) can be done with Earth. However, apart from the climate, the problem …

Book Review: Erich S. Gruen. Cultural Identity In The Ancient Mediterranean, John Berteaux

Comparative Civilizations Review

Erich S. Gruen’s edited collection Cultural Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean first appeared in 2011. I feel the significance of this collection is that it teases out and asks us to assess unreflective assumptions that inform not only our vision of the past, but also our grasp of present-day collective identities. Early on Gruen reports that while moderns tend to focus on difference, dissimilarity, or contrast when distinguishing cultures, in the eight sections of this text scholars identify and investigate complex connections that resulted in the cultural identities we associate with the ancient Mediterranean world. The essence of Gruen’s argument …

Book Review: Michael Farmer. An Atlas Of The Tibetan Plateau. Volume 50 In Brill’S Tibetan Studies Library Series, Constance Wilkinson

Comparative Civilizations Review

An Atlas of the Tibetan Plateau is a masterful melding of science and art created by British architect and cartographer Michael Farmer. Based on extensive contemporary data painstakingly woven from satellite imagery, the intrepid and apparently indefatigable Mr. Farmer has, over decades, produced a unique and indispensable reference work

The Mything Link: Why Sacred Storytelling Is A Key Human Survival Strategy, Ken Baskin

Comparative Civilizations Review

For several decades, societies across the globe have faced a real existential threat with challenges such as global warming. Yet no one in the elite has been able to do anything to improve conditions. We seem to be trapped in the kind of situation that Einstein described when he discussed problems that can’t be solved with the logic that created them.

Buber The Radical Egalitarian And Buber And Psychology, Kenneth Feigenbaum

Comparative Civilizations Review

My first iteration for this paper was to present Martin Buber in the context of radical politics in Germany and to focus upon his relationship to the anarchist Gustav Landauer. After a brief search, I found too few sources that were easily accessible from here in the United States, so as part of this presentation I situate Buber in the radical politics extant mostly during his time in Germany and in Berlin. I focus here on Buber’s psychology but include several intellectual side trips visiting aspects of Buber’s philosophy and his politics. I cannot separate them in discussing Buber and …

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

“Early Covid” Changes In Parenting, Education, And Work On Parental Stress: A Gendered Comparison Of Canadian Parents, Holly Harris

Undergraduate Honors Theses

In May 2020, data were collected through survey as the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding and still in its “early” months. The sample N=1,208 is of Canadian parents in a residential romantic relationship, who live with a residential child under the age of eighteen years old, who have access to the internet, and speak English or French. I examine how disruptions to child’s education/daycare, work, and parental childcare activities predicted parental stress through regression models. Findings indicate that fathers and mothers stress since the onset of COVID-19 were the same and that gender was not a moderator to parental stress. A …

What Are Our Unenumerated Rights As Americans? An Analysis Of The Ninth Amendment And The Fourteenth Amendment’S Privileges Or Immunities Clause Using Original Intent Originalism, Bryan Habashi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research aims to determine what the author believes is the original intent of the Ninth Amendment and the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The author plans to do this through a variation of original intent originalism, the philosophy that the original meaning of the text should be what the framers (and secondarily the ratifiers) said the text means. The author believes that original intent originalism is the correct method to interpret the Constitution. This thesis will begin with a defense of this philosophy. Then the author will use this philosophy to determine the original intent of …

Party Contacting, Group Identity, And Covid-19: An Analysis Of Asian American Voter Turnout, Suzy Yi

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many scholars have focused on what affects voter turnout rates among Black and Latinx voters, with some emphasis on party contacting. However, questions about what affects voter turnout in Asian Americans remain, especially when considering Asian American voter turnout peaked in 2020 despite being consistently low in previous elections. In this paper, I use ANES data from 2016 and 2020 to study the impact of party contacting and racial group identity on Asian American voter turnout. I conduct a series of logit regressions on self-reported voter turnout with party contacting and measures of racial group identity. I find that Asian …

A Qualitative Case Study Examining Discrepancy Between Prospective Outcome Using Rom And Narrative Client Retrospective View, Jarom J. R. Hickenlooper

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis is a qualitative case study which examines an observed discrepancy in psychotherapy outcomes between prospective routine outcome measurements (ROM) and narrative retrospective assessment by two clients. Although ROM has proven to be effective in improving therapy efficiency and effectiveness (De Jong et al., 2021; Lambert et al., 2018), recent research investigates discrepancies between ROM categorizations of improvement and deterioration and the lived experience of the client. Researchers have found that the narratives delivered through client structured interviews can provide additional and more nuanced insight into therapy outcomes, which can complement and enhance ROM (Roubal et al., 2018; De …

Securely Ever After: Attachment,Trust, And Commitment In Married Adult Adoptees, Jill P. Burgon

Theses and Dissertations

Past research suggests that adoptees face a higher risk of insecure attachment and encounter more challenges related to trust and commitment in their romantic relationships compared to nonadopted individuals. This study examines the association between adoption status and marital security among newly married couples, with a focus on the potential moderating role of gender. Using data from a representative sample of newly married couples in the United States (n = 2,110), the relationship between adoption status and multiple measures of marital security were measured using OLS regression. Findings indicate that, during the early stages of marriage, adult adoptees exhibited comparable …

Analyzing The Continuum Of Control And Freedom In Intimate Relationships: A Grounded Theory, Daniel Smedley

Theses and Dissertations

Although research identifying and addressing extreme forms of control exists, all relationships experience some amount of control and some amount of the opposite of control, which is freedom. Large gaps in prevalence estimates and varied definitions of control suggest a need to better define the spectrum of control from mild to extreme forms, including looking at non-physically violent forms of coercive control. The purpose of this study was to expand knowledge of control in intimate relationships by examining the continuum of mild and extreme experiences of both control and freedom. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, the two categories of control …

Semi-Automated Techniques And Tools For Efficiency: The Case Of Etd Cataloging, Nicole Lewis

Faculty Publications

Technological advances in the library industry have opened doors for new approaches and techniques for efficiently managing, manipulating, and remediating metadata. However, the thought of automation can often bring visions of garbage in the catalog or, worse, job consolidation or loss. With the right balance of automation and manual review, catalogers and metadata experts can optimize workflows for efficiency and quality. This frees up time for other essential projects. Developing efficiency skills may also help increase productivity and excellence in current job duties and provide job advancement opportunities regardless of background. Using an ETD cataloging workflow as a case study, …

Emotion Regulation Difficulties And Couple Relationship Quality Across Eight Sessions: A Dyadic Analysis With Latent Growth Curve Modeling, Min Xu

Theses and Dissertations

While previous studies have demonstrated significant associations between partners' emotion regulation and overall well-being, few studies provide knowledge on emotion regulation in clinical couples, especially across couple therapy sessions. With 168 heterosexual couples who attended at least the initial eight sessions of couple therapy, the current study was designed to examine the intra- and inter-personal effects of emotion regulation difficulties (i.e., lack of awareness, nonacceptance, limited strategies, and impulsivity) on the development of relationship quality over the course of couple therapy. The results of the current study provide a few important findings. First, gender differences exist in emotion regulation and …

Presenting Issue Agreement And The Therapeutic Alliance In Family Therapy, Emilee Oldroyd

Theses and Dissertations

Research has consistently shown a positive association between the therapeutic alliance and family therapy outcome. Theory and preliminary research suggest that parent and adolescent agreement on the presenting problem would be a significant predictor of the therapeutic alliance in family therapy. This study used de-identified data from the Marriage and Family Therapy Practice Research Network. The presenting problem was assessed at the first session, and agreement in presenting problems was determined by matching the responses between the parents and adolescents. The within-system alliance item of the Intersession Alliance Measures-Family (IAM-F), assessed at the fourth session, was used to measure the …

The Hidden Power Of “Thank You”: Exploring Aspects, Expressions, And The Influence Of Gratitude In Religious Families, Joe M. Chelladurai, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Heather H. Kelley, David B. Allsop

Faculty Publications

Gratitude has been extensively studied over the past two decades. Among several predictors, aspects of religiosity and spirituality have been consistent predictors of gratitude. To explore the religious motivations and processes that foster the practice of gratitude, we undertook a systematic thematic analysis using interview data from a national qualitative project of 198 highly religious families. Participants (n = 476) included mothers, fathers, and children from various socioeconomic backgrounds and from diverse religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds in the United States of America. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes. Data for this study were analyzed using a team-based …

The Affirm Model For Navigating Challenges In Divergent-Interfaith And Consistent-Interfaith Marriages, Justin J. Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations

The current study utilized a qualitative approach to identify the specific processes and principles that promote stability and happiness in exemplary interfaith marriages. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 interfaith couples (N = 63) that had been recruited through purposive sampling who reported being happily married on average 20 years. Six core themes were identified through team-based systematic analysis using NVivo 12. Many couples reported several significant challenges because of their religious differences, as discussed in our first theme. We organized the five themes regarding how couples navigated religious differences into the AFFIRM model. That is, the adaptive processes and …

Did Covid Change Everything Or Nothing At All? Canadian Family Life During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Carlee Guenther Dynes

Theses and Dissertations

In March of 2020, Canada, along with the rest of the world, declared the COVID-19 pandemic a national emergency and responded with society-wide lockdowns, granting exceptions only for essential workers. Canadians across all demographic categories were significantly impacted, and many parents of children under 18 faced the difficult task of caring for their children while simultaneously meeting their work obligations. Using novel in-depth interview data from 30 Canadian parents (in 15 couples) collected between April 2022 and May 2023, I explore three main changes to family life resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic: expanded family-friendly work practices, increased time with nuclear …

The Effect Of Therapeutic Alliance Quality On Relationship Quality, With Latino Ethnicity As A Moderator: An Exploratory Study, Ivana Elisa Borba Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

A strong therapeutic alliance is consistently related to successful outcomes in couple therapy. However, most of the research done on therapeutic alliance has been done among non-Latino White individuals and couples, failing to account for other ethnic minorities like Latinos. Latinos tend to share certain commonalities as opposed to non-Latino clients that may alter the relationship between alliance quality and relationship quality. This exploratory study was designed to understand whether Latino clients have higher initial levels of alliance and a stronger alliance-outcome relationship in couple therapy when compared to non-Latino White couples. The sample consisted of 567 couples seeking therapy …

The Future Of International Law Freedom Of Journalism: A Transitional Justice Framework, Edward L. Carter

Faculty Publications

The overwhelming majority of digital and physical attacks on journalists are done with impunity. This results in lower-quality journalism, less scrutiny of government, and less healthy societies and democracies. The international human rights law concept of transitional justice could bolster collective will and inform legal mechanisms to combat such impunity. Judges and investigators in several recent cases of attacks on journalists have invoked transitional justice concepts, including truth-telling, criminal investigations and prosecutions, reparations, and institutional reforms to guarantee non-recurrence. These mechanisms should be fully implemented to protect journalism at local, national, and international levels.

Caveat Emptor: Scan Quality Of Elsevier's Digital Backfile Pdf Collection, Gregory M. Nelson, Paul K.J. Robbins, Dennis L. Eggett

Faculty Publications

Scans of journal articles originally published in print, otherwise known as digital journal backfiles, benefit library patrons by providing near instantaneous access to important older information and full-text searchability. Digital backfiles can serve as a reliable surrogate for their corresponding print journals which could be removed from the library, freeing up space for other patron services. Both benefits are realized when the scanned articles are of sufficient clarity to replace the print versions. Several studies have analyzed small and subject-narrow sections of Elsevier’s digital backfile. This article contains a scan-quality analysis from 1578 journals that contain nearly four million articles …