Other International and Area Studies Commons^™

Overview & Acknowledgments, Mathew Schmalz

Journal of Global Catholicism

This Introduction overviews the work of contributors from the Graduate Symposium sponsored by the Journal of Global Catholicism and the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.  The Introduction also highlights the independent peer reviewed submission from Dr. Agnieszka Laddach of the University of Warsaw.

Cbdcs Vs Decentralized Currencies: Considerations For 21st Century Global Financial Challenges, Andrew Michael Sobhy, Shuai Wang

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

As digital currencies gain prominence in everyday life, policymakers in the United States at the federal, state, and local levels debate the potential for innovation, surveillance, global relations, and a plethora of areas that concern citizens. While existing literature highlights the opportunities and pitfalls within this new digital age, including inclusivity and challenges to traditional banking, this study aims to contribute a quantitative approach to the discussion utilizing Federal Reserve data, studies from financial institutions, and various credible resources that hold a stake. Specifically, comparing novel Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) and Decentralized Financial Currencies (DeFi) will provide a foundation …

An Unlikely Ironic Intervention: Reimagining The Fourteenth Amendment Of The United States Of America, Jennifer Paola Hernandez

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The project of interest is an intervention in the United States of America to reform racial and minority vote dilution, along with systemic entrenchment of power within gerrymandering, to undo the legacies of colonialism and racism within the states. Holding the government accountable to Constitutional and human rights is a patriotic act, even if many Americans don’t see it that way. Though often linked to the Global South, peacebuilding can also include institutional reform in non-war contexts. Peacebuilding processes are intended to improve society’s institutional structures for the betterment and sustainability of its constituents. I argue that the United States …

Peaceful Change Management: Cultivating Empathy And Curiosity To Foster Resilience And Trust In Healthcare, Erica W. Martin, Anne Kampa

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

The ongoing evolution of healthcare, driven by technological advancements, necessitates equipping leaders with human-centered approaches to change management. This proposal examines the current responses to change within healthcare environments, addressing the underlying mechanisms that contribute to success or breakdown and emphasizes the imperative need for adaptive strategies from change leaders.

A human-centered approach incorporating emotional intelligence, the ADKAR change management model, and peace-focused leadership, can mitigate potential conflicts and foster a trust-based work environment. This research explores the theoretical framework of positive peace, underscoring the pivotal role of leadership in enhancing relational dynamics and addressing communication barriers. By focusing on …

Peace Innovation And Healing: A Design Justice Framework To Support Change Processes, Strengthen Relationships, Foster Trust, And Build Community, Michelle Helman

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Many organizations aiming to achieve peace and health equity outcomes often focus their design processes and innovation efforts externally without addressing how their organizational culture can unintentionally reproduce the very harms they are trying to address. The purpose of this qualitative design research study is to explore the role of a design justice framework in piloting a Peace Innovation Project aimed at facilitating an organizational culture change process. Specifically, the study focuses on better understanding how integrating a design justice approach could support research collaborators to center equity and justice as core components in building a culture of peace and …

Discourse Markers In Conflict Management: A Literature Review, Erica W. Martin, Krystle L. Hunter

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

Discourse Markers in Conflict Management: A Literature Review

Discourse markers, often seen as fillers in conversation, are important for managing interpersonal conflicts. This literature review aims to show how these markers influence conflict dynamics, with implications for promoting peace and strengthening community relationships. By combining research from linguistics, communication studies, and conflict resolution, the review looks at how discourse markers function during three phases of conflict: initiation, escalation, and de-escalation. The authors aim to improve both theoretical understanding and practical approaches to engaging constructively in conflicts, enhancing cohesion within global and local communities through better communication.

Using a qualitative synthesis …

Embodying Design Justice: A Peace Education Framework To Strengthen Relationships, Foster Trust And Build Community, Michelle Helman

Peace and Conflict Studies Journal Conference

BACKGROUND

Groups working toward creating peace and equity often focus on external innovation without addressing internal culture shifts necessary to navigate change and achieve their goals. Michelle’s doctoral research and practice address this challenge through a design research study and peace innovation project focused on organizational culture transformation through a design justice framework. Findings suggest that interweaving the framework with storytelling, arts, and embodiment practices are key to support people in navigating change processes to strengthen relationships, foster trust, and build community.

ABOUT

The workshop offers an applied learning experience for participants to explore the concepts of design and innovation …

On The Future Of The Blue Economy: Comparing Indonesia’S Role In The Asean And Lac Regions, Darynaufal Mulyaman, Bambang Dwi Waluyo, Dewi Aulia Maharani

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This study aims to determine the concrete development and implementation of blue economy programs in the future by examining Indonesia's role in the context of international political economy, particularly through maritime diplomacy and cross-regional cooperation such as ASEAN, the Indonesia-Latin America and Caribbean Business Forum INA-LAC, and the Alliance of Island States AIS. Using a constructivist approach, this study concludes that Indonesia, as a middle-power country, utilises soft resources, such as maritime identity, sustainability values, and diplomatic leadership, to strengthen its position in global blue economy governance. The results of the study show that Indonesia has strategic potential for developing …

Vacuum Wars: The Belt & Road Initiative’S Rise In The Arab League, Corabeth R. Pierce

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The world has shifted and changed in the last decade, resulting in a new world order. The Middle East and North Africa region houses the Arab League, which has drawn the attention of several states throughout the world. China has shown particular interest in the region since its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first created in 2013. The BRI demonstrates how China has become more involved in the region and that these Arab states are more interested in what China has to offer compared to other countries. With the United States developing more nationalist policies, the European Union facing …

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 …

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 …

Project Hourglass Dan Representasi Multidimensional Perbatasan Israel-Mesir, Dhannya Febryana

Multikultura

The Israel–Egypt border functions not merely as a geographic demarcation, but as a social, political, and cultural space imbued with symbolic meaning. Since its establishment in 1906 up to the construction of Project Hourglass in 2010, this border has shifted from a colonial administrative line to a fragile symbol of peace and a site of global securitization. This study employs a qualitative approach based on literature review and representational analysis, drawing on Stuart Hall’s representation theory as well as David Newman and Anssi Paasi’s concepts of borders in area studies. The findings reveal that the Israel-Egypt border is represented through …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Digital Transformation In Jamaica's Education Sector, Grace Willis

Capstone Collection

Digital transformation in Jamaica’s education sector, significantly spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, represented a seismic shift on this small Caribbean island I call home. This transformation was central to national education reform and involved multiple projects aimed at modernizing educational delivery, infrastructure, and the supporting ecosystem. This study explored the multifaceted implications of these initiatives through qualitative research conducted with ten key stakeholders, complemented by a review of publicly available materials. Interviewees included school administrators, Information Technology (IT) teachers, funding sponsors, representatives from national education bodies, and international development agencies engaged in domestic strategic efforts. Participants were recruited through cold …

“Redefining The Fortress” Migrant Experiences, Adaptation And Connection Within Serbian Borderlands, Nicholas J. Leone

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This thesis seeks to examine migrant experiences due to Serbia's geopolitical significance along the so-called Balkan route, and how this is specifically exemplified in the northern autonomous region of Vojvodina. Serbia’s position outside the external border of the European Union has caused it to be a strategic transit point for migrants en route to desired destinations, typically within Western and Northern Europe. However, the European Union’s externalization policies in partnership with Serbian authorities have played an extensive role in migration mobility patterns and humanitarian conditions for migrants traversing within the Serbian borderlands, specifically along the border with Hungary. The …

Exploiting Vulnerability: Human Trafficking As A Tool Of Genocide, Madison Bryant

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This thesis examines the relationship between human trafficking and genocide, arguing that when trafficking is used with the intent to destroy a targeted group, it should be understood and prosecuted as an act of genocide. While international law traditionally treats genocide and human trafficking as distinct crimes, historical and contemporary evidence reveals significant overlap in their mechanisms, motivations, and outcomes. Through a thematic analysis of three case studies, this research demonstrates how trafficking has been systematically employed to further genocidal objectives, including displacement, exploitation, cultural erasure, and the destruction of communities. The case studies are the genocide of Indigenous peoples …

Tensions In The Arctic: Avoiding Escalation, Emma Loeber

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

The Arctic has long been considered a place of peace and scientific cooperation largely unaffected by international tensions. In the past decade, however, climate change has made the Northern Sea Route (NSR) increasingly navigable, and its status as an important trade route in a time of recurring great power rivalry has increased tensions in the Arctic. Coupled with the Arctic’s strategic location for both Russia and the United States, this has led to the militarization of the region and fears of a security dilemma that could lead to escalation and conflict. This paper will focus on the eight Arctic states …

Global Constructions Of Gender, Sexuality, And Migration: An Analysis Of Five Immigrant Memoirs, Grace Halvorson

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This capstone analyzes five memoirs by LGBTQ+ migrants—Jose Antonio Vargas, Edafe Okporo, Staceyann Chin, Danny Ramadan, and Samra Habib—to explore how governments weaponize gender and sexual orientation to construct national identity and exert control over both citizens and migrants. Their diverse migration experiences highlight how “gender border control” operates across families, communities, and national government systems, reinforcing heteronormative structures that regulate queer identities. My analysis of their memoirs reveals how both formal tools, such as immigration policies, and informal tools, such as social exclusion, make individuals outside heteronormative identity categories susceptible to state and societal violence. These personal narratives shed …

What Are The Key Government And Economic Factors That Influence The Adaptation Of Western Human Rights Norms In China, India, And Turkey?, Carlota Rahola Funallet

Senior Theses

I.Abstract The adaptation of global human rights norms poses a significant challenge in diverse political and cultural contexts. In China, India, and Turkey, government policies, economic priorities, and cultural dynamics uniquely shape how these norms are engaged. China’s centralized governance prioritizes economic stability and collective rights, often at the expense of individual freedoms. In India, a democratic values and constitutional protections align with Western ideals, but caste and gender inequalities persist as systemic barriers. Turkey’s dynamic approach, influenced by secularism, religious tensions, and EU aspirations, reveals the impact of both external pressures and domestic political shifts. These case studies illustrate …

Gis And The 1944 U.S.–Mexico Treaty: Rethinking Transboundary Governance Under Climate And Demographic Stress, Pedro L. Sarabia

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the structural limitations of the 1944 U.S.–Mexico Water Treaty in the context of intensifying climate stress and growing population demand. Using GIS-based raster analysis of precipitation from 1981 to 2024, it maps hydrological trends in treaty-bound basins—particularly the Rio Grande and Lower Colorado—which exhibit persistently low and variable precipitation. These conditions, coupled with institutional rigidity, threaten the sustainability of binational water management. In addition to quantitative analysis, the study includes a qualitative assessment of transboundary governance dynamics, highlighting how institutional fragmentation and policy contention impede adaptive responses. The Treaty’s current surface-water-only framework excludes groundwater management, real-time data …

Breaking The Ice: China And Lawfare In The Arctic, Sophia Toner

Honors Theses

This thesis examines China's engagement with international legal frameworks in the Arctic through a lawfare lens, using a structured analytical framework to assess whether Chinese activities constitute lawfare. Focusing on two key cases—China's involvement in submarine cable infrastructure and its navigation of the Northern Sea Route—the research applies Andrea Beck's three-part definition of lawfare: "(1) the misuse of the law in order to, (2) achieve a military objective, and (3) undermine the legal framework." The analysis reveals that China's Arctic engagement does not fully constitute lawfare according to this definition. Rather than misusing legal frameworks, China operates within existing structures …

Using Expressive Arts Therapy With Autistic Children To Help Regulate And Build Coping Skills: A Literature Review, Swara Swaminathan

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review is about whether we can use Expressive Arts Therapy with autistic children to regulate and build coping skills. The author could not find articles that covers the entire topic, but she split the topic in terms of autism in India and various application of Expressive Arts Therapy globally. She was able to find Expressive Arts Therapy or Creative Arts Therapy was helpful to autistic children, or children with trauma. She could also notice the stigma of autism in India in some of the articles.

Recent U.S. Government Policy Literature On Critical And Strategic Minerals, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Critical and strategic minerals have become increasingly important in U.S. government civilian and military policymaking in recent years. This is demonstrated by the heavy use of such minerals in many critical civilian and military infrastructures. This work will discuss how this subject has been addressed in laws, presidential documents, and works by government agencies along with congressional oversight committees and support agencies. It will stress how the United States is heavily dependent on strategic minerals from adversarial foreign countries such as China and will examine U.S. efforts to increase its ability to produce such materials in the United States by …

Global Nomads: Identity And Belonging In Third Culture Kids And Adult Third Culture Kids, Vallon Bucayu-Lee

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone examines the subculture of Third Culture Kids and Adult Third Culture Kids who have experienced living abroad as children. There were two main objectives in this study. First, to understand the perceptions of Adult Third Culture Kids on how their global childhoods have impacted their self-identity and sense of belonging as adults. Secondly, to understand the opinions of Adult Third Culture Kids on transitional programs through their personal experiences with them. The methodology of this capstone included a twelve-question survey distributed to seventeen Adult Third Culture Kids born in six different countries around the world. The questions in …

Preliminary Assessment For Quality Improvement Of Hypertension Management In Kenya, Shubhangi Singh

Honors Theses

Hypertension is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a disproportionate burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite relatively low rates of common behavioral risk factors, the Kasigau region of Kenya experiences high prevalence of hypertension and hypertension-related complications. This study explores self-efficacy, health beliefs, and management behaviors among adults in Kasigau to provide pilot quality improvement data for providers and future intervention planning. A cross-sectional, randomized survey of 45 adults was conducted at the Bughuta Clinic in southeastern Kenya. Participants completed a five-question hypertension-specific, self-efficacy assessment and a health belief model-based survey, with …

Making An Online Kitchen, Two Southern Women, Foodways, And Social Media, Olivia B. Merrell

Honors Theses

This thesis attempts to understand the ways in which social media has shaped southern women, specifically the ways it has shaped southern women in the kitchen. While exploring this topic, I spoke with both a Black and white southern woman from the south, both of which have grown a social media following based off the southern food they share online. This thesis aims to explore how social media has played a role in reshaping the southern kitchen for women across the south.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (Csis), Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

April 24, 2025 presentation for Canada's GovInfo Day Spring 2025 hosted by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and Internet Archive Canada. Provides information about the publicly available information resources produced by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) which is the Canadian Government's foremost national intelligence agency. Provides information about this agency's statutory organization, types of publicly available reports they produce, information about other Canadian government intelligence agencies, and parliamentary oversight of Canadian government intelligence operations. Lists additional resources for finding information about CSIS and explains the benefits of having access to these resources for users.

Sex Differences In Adult Frailty At The Late-Terminal Classic (C. 750-1000 Ce) Maya Site Of Lower Dover, Rose Rioux

Honors Thesis

While it has been suggested that the compounded effects of population growth and climatic pressures over the Classic period (c. 300-1000 CE) led to a health crisis among the Maya, there is no current knowledge of whether there were significant sex differences in risks of mortality and frailty associated with metabolic stressors. This research assesses sex differences in frailty and mortality of adults (n=52) from the medium-sized Maya polity of Lower Dover in the upper Belize River Valley from the Late Preclassic (c. 300 BCE-150 CE) to Terminal Classic (c. 750-1000 CE). Osteological methods of estimating age and sex were …

Foreign Involvement And Economic Outcomes In Coups, Paul Hanson

SPARK Symposium Presentations

A variety of factors come into play when determining economic outcomes. One of these factors is tied to political stability. After coup events, the literature finds that economies perform worse overall. This literature has explored other factors tied to coup events, such as overall political stability and the effects of different governing types on economies. Previous methods of exploring coups did not permit foreign intervention to take an active role, or even any role in most cases, in their models. This study will explore the correlation between economic output, utilizing GDP data from the Penn World Table, and foreign intervention …

Measuring The Paris Agreement’S Impact On Wind Energy Usage In Member Countries, Jadyn Lucey

Global Tides

This review examines the impact of the Paris Agreement's implementation on the development of wind energy across three regions, the European Union (EU), Brazil, and Saudi Arabia. These selected regions respectively represent developed, developing, and OPEC member countries. The Paris Agreement aimed to limit the global warming temperature 1.5 C by 2030, encouraging actors to transition their energy into cleaner, renewable sources. Wind energy thus emerged as a tool in the decarbonization efforts of the agreement. This review compares wind energy growth before and after the Paris Agreement's establishment, through analyzing each region's strategies in response to their differing economic …