Religion and the Maintenance of Hierarchy in Murder Pamhplets in Renaissance England

In early modern England, common people often received news of current events through cheaply printed and widely distributed pamphlets. The more interesting of these pamphlets were entirely devoted to relating stories of recent crimes, especially murders. While at first reading [one such] pamphlet appears to be a simple news tabloid, it is, under the surface, much more. Murder pamphlets such as A Briefe Discourse served as messages to the public, instilling religious morals and the importance of maintaining the Great Chain of Being

Influence of topography and moisture and nutrient availability on green alder function on the low arctic tundra, NT

The Arctic has warmed by at least 3°C over the past 50 years and this rapid warming is expected to continue. Climate warming is driving the proliferation of shrubs across the tundra biome with implications for energy balance, climate, hydrology, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. Changes in tundra plant water use attributable to shrub expansion are predicted to increase evapotranspirative water loss which may amplify local warming and reduce run-off. However, little is known about the extent to which shrubs will enhance evapotranspirative water loss in these systems. Direct measures of shrub water use are needed to accurately predict evapotranspiration rates and the associated hydrological and energetic impacts. In addition, it is crucial that we understand the abiotic factors that drive shrub distribution and physiological function to forecast further changes in tundra ecosystem function. Shrubs are expanding in areas that have a higher potential of accumulating moisture, such as drainage channels and hill slopes. Shrub expansion may be limited by variation in water and nutrient availability across topographic gradients. Nevertheless, the associations between shrub function and abiotic limitations remain understudied. To address these knowledge gaps, we measured sap flow, stem water potential, and a range of functional traits of green alder (Alnus viridis) shrubs and quantified water and nutrient availability in shrub patches on the low arctic tundra of the Northwest Territories. Frost table depth was a significant negative driver of sap flow and underlies decreased surface water availability with thaw. This was further supported through significantly lower stem water potential values as the growing season progressed. Shrubs in upslope locations had significantly lower water potentials relative to shrubs in downslope locations, demonstrating topographic variation in shrub water status. Shrubs in channels and at the tops of patch slopes significantly differed in leaf functional traits representing leaf investment, productivity, and water use efficiency. Channel shrubs reflected traits associated with higher resource availability and productivity whereas shrubs at the tops of patches reflected the opposite. This work provides insight into the abiotic drivers of tall shrub water use and productivity, both of which will be essential for predicting ecosystem function

Creating Presence Through Video in Teaching Shakespeare Online

The article focuses on Community of Inquiry model that is a framework for creating meaningful learning experiences such as defines three kinds of presence that contribute to an effective online course such as teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Topics include examines that social presence describes the ability of instructors and students to trust and connect with each other as human beings

HIS 103: United States History to 1865 Mock Trial Exercise

In the summer of 2021, Profs. Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski were awarded a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PA Goal program) to rework Misericordia\u27s introductory US History courses to use open-access texts in lieu of costly textbooks. Their goal was to make learning more affordable for their students, while increasing the range of voices represented in the US History survey courses. The attached teaching resources represent the fruits of their labors. This classroom exercise was developed by Jennifer Black (Misericordia University History Department) and is shared as part of the deliverables for the summer 2021 project generously supported by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1

Re-visioning White Nudes: Race and Sexual Discourse in Ottoman Harems 1700-1900

As a viable social actor, art constitutes one of many institutions participating in the creation and reification of ideologies constructed within our society. Investigating the work of Ingres, Gérôme, and others reveals striking connections between the ritual use of Europeanized women in Orientalist harem paintings and the perpetual nature of women’s social oppression. A close examination of prominent works provokes the question “why paint recognizably white women against such non-white Eastern backdrops?” Continually, visual hierarchies and prescriptive codes allow the virtual entrance of the male voyeur into the painting. (first paragraph

Reforming 501(c)(3): Putting the Charity Back in the Charitable Deduction

This paper seeks to lay out a proposal to redefine what it takes to receive tax-deductible donations. Part H of this paper will summarize the current state of the law as it applies to the charitable contribution deduction and the qualification for tax exemption under the Internal Revenue Code. Part III discusses the Charities Act 2006, a recent British act aimed at attempting to redefine charity for England and Wales by requiring organizations to prove that they provide a public benefit before receiving the benefits of being a charity. Part IV proposes additions and changes to the Internal Revenue Code which, if implemented, would redefine the requirements for an organization to receive tax-deductible contributions based on their ability to provide for the public benefit. Finally, this paper concludes that change is needed to ensure that only those organizations providing sufficient public benefits are receiving tax-deductible contributions

Reforming 501(c)(3): Putting the Charity Back in the Charitable Deduction

This paper seeks to lay out a proposal to redefine what it takes to receive tax-deductible donations. Part H of this paper will summarize the current state of the law as it applies to the charitable contribution deduction and the qualification for tax exemption under the Internal Revenue Code. Part III discusses the Charities Act 2006, a recent British act aimed at attempting to redefine charity for England and Wales by requiring organizations to prove that they provide a public benefit before receiving the benefits of being a charity. Part IV proposes additions and changes to the Internal Revenue Code which, if implemented, would redefine the requirements for an organization to receive tax-deductible contributions based on their ability to provide for the public benefit. Finally, this paper concludes that change is needed to ensure that only those organizations providing sufficient public benefits are receiving tax-deductible contributions