College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University
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Math Course Placement Models at CSBSJU Using Data Analysis
No full textMany majors at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University (CSBSJU) require students to complete a course in calculus or statistics, however incoming students have various levels of preparation for these courses. This research investigates strategies for predicting student success in these courses and potential recommendations for remediation courses, e.g., pre-calculus or pre-statistics. The research uses data analysis to make this determination based on their previous math coursework and other data incoming students provide. Trends for success in math classes at CSBSJU have previously been based on outdated and inequitable methods. This project identifies correlations between prior coursework and success in future math classes. Statistical models have been created to help visualization. These models communicate a data-driven approach to where students will be successful. Students benefit from completing prerequisites before advancing to higher-level courses, as this helps establish a stronger and more knowledgeable foundation. Without proper preparation, students are unsuccessful in future courses, which can negatively impact their overall academic performance. Therefore, the math department needs to implement a new placement method for incoming students at CSBSJU based on this research. By refining the placement process, students will be set up for success in their first math class and future coursework
Democracy, Rights, Historical Memory, and Interfaith Relations in the Works of Fatima Mernissi and Asma Uddin
Full text linkThe works of Moroccan-born Muslim scholar Fatima Mernissi (1940-2015) and United States-born Muslim scholar Asma T. Uddin (b. 1980) are distinctive contributions in modern conversations about the intersections of Islam, law, human and civil rights as well as historical memory and interfaith relations (AncestryLibrary, n.d.; Fox, 2015; Florida Bar, n.d.; Justia Lawyers, n.d.; Rodoski, 2011; Sadiqi, 2018).[i] Mernissi, who was a professor of sociology at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, and Uddin, who is an attorney and scholar based in the United States, are influential and delve into the intricate relationships between Islamic ideas and modern legal frameworks, albeit from different geographical and contextual standpoints (Fox, 2015; Mernissi, 2002; Rodoski, 2011; Uddin, 2019). This essay analyzes, compares, and contrasts Mernissi\u27s interpretations of Islam in light of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) with Uddin\u27s interpretations of Islam concerning the United States Constitution\u27s first amendment rights related to religious freedom and liberty, while analyzing the implications of both intellectuals’ ideas with respect to historical memory and interfaith relations (Mernissi, 2002; Uddin, 2019)
Dalit Poetry on the Eve of Indian Independence: Gurram Jashuva and the Quest for Critical Consciousness and Collective Remembering
Full text linkThe Dalit Literary movement irrupted on the scene in the early 1970s in the state of Maharashtra, India. Unblinking in its criticism of casteism and unnerving in its depiction of Dalit oppression, the movement sought to concretize the political aims of B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) through cultivating a critical Dalit consciousness liberated from caste identity and history. The movement enjoyed success in uniting Dalit groups across the country under this new name. However, fifty years later a new generation of Dalit and Dalit-supporting thinkers have begun to critically examine the implications of Dalit identity focusing particularly on its rootedness in suffering at the expense of a liberative and transformative social vision. At the center of this critique is a concern for memory—how the past is perceived and received by Dalit communities and the Dalit Literary movement’s assessment and application of pre-“Dalit” Dalit traditions. Writing prior to the advent of the Dalit Literary movement and on the eve of Indian independence, the Telegu poet Gurram Jashuva (1895-1971) in his celebrated epic poem Gabillam (The Bat, 1946) provides a model that holds in tension the hopes of both the early Dalit poets and a new generation of writers and activists
47th biennial convention of Sigma Gamma Epsilon, Western Illinois University, April 11–13, 2025
Full text linkThe Society of Sigma Gamma Epsilon (SGE), the national honorary society for the Earth sciences, held its 47th biennial convention (April 11–13, 2025) at the Quad Cities campus, located in Moline, Illinois, of Western Illinois University (WIU). The convention was hosted by SGE’s Delta Psi Chapter and the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Geographic Information Sciences at WIU. Ten (10) of SGE’s approximately 57 active collegiate chapters sent delegates to the convention. The traditional convention field trip, an exploration of the Paleozoic stratigraphy and economic geology of the Quad Cities area of Illinois and Iowa, made stops at the Fryxell Geology Museum, Black Hawk Historic Site, Allied Stone Quarry, and Wildcat Den State Park. Key accomplishments of the convention include amending the Constitution and Bylaws to explicitly permit students enrolled in Earth science minors to join SGE and the formation of an ad hoc Social Media Implementation Group to improve SGE’s use of social media in support of its mission. This report provides details about the convention proceedings and includes the various reports presented by national officers, individual chapters, and student committees
Reading the Minoan Sacral Knot
No full textThe sacral knot, a term first coined by Sir Arthur Evans, is an iconic symbol in Minoan iconography, but there is surprisingly little information about it. Various interpretations have been suggested regarding the meaning of this knot, the most popular and well-known being a religious function.There is no doubt that the so-called sacral knot” had an important meaning in Bronze Age Greece, with a number of depictions showing the knot alongside other significant symbols, such as bulls, figure-of-eight shields, and lions. However, the knot also appears to function as a symbol on its own. This analysis draws from a compilation of forty-one examples of sacral knots from the archaeological record of various materials and forms and attempts to decipher both the meaning behind the knot and any potential influences, such as those from Egypt and West Asia
Korean Adoptees: Peer and Parental Socialization, Internalized Racism, and Diasporic Identity
Full text linkThere have been approximately 110,000 Korean children adopted to the United States since the end of the Korean War in the 1950s (as cited in O. M. Kim et al., 2024). Many of these transracial adoptees were, and still are, placed into white, middle-class, Judeo-Christian families (Reynolds et al., 2017), resulting in what is termed transnational, transracial adoption (Lee, 2003). Historically, these white adoptive parents were advised to raise their Asian adoptee(s) no differently than a white biological child, with the goal of assimilation (as cited in Lee & Miller, 2009). As a result, Korean Adoptees may internalize harmful, White supremacy-based anti-Asian ideas about themselves (termed “internalized racism”). However, it’s possible that peer socialization and parental socialization may weaken these harmful ideologies that Korean adoptees may hold. This study hypothesized that 1) higher internalized racism (T1) relate to less Korean adoptee diasporic identity (T3) and lower racial and ethnic peer socialization (T3), and 2) higher racial and ethnic parental socialization (T1) relate to higher racial and ethnic peer socialization (T3). A secondary data analysis was conducted using the Korean Adoption Project data. Korean adoptees mainly across MN (N = 58) were surveyed twice, in 2007 as teens (T1) and in 2019 as adults (T3). Participants completed modified versions of the Cultural Socialization Scale (Johnston et al., 2007), Internalized Racism Scale (Song, 2009), and Diasporic Identity Scale (Kim et al., 2021). Results partially supported the hypotheses. Internalized racism was positively skewed, so Spearman\u27s rho (ρ) was used. Internalized racism as a teen was not correlated with adult diasporic identity solidarity (ρ = -.15), adult attachment to Korea (ρ = -.04), or adult ethnic peer socialization (ρ = -.16), but it was significantly correlated with less adult racial peer ethnic socialization (ρ = -.36). Ethnic parental socialization as a teen was not correlated with adult ethnic peer socialization (r = .20) or racial peer socialization (r = .17). Lastly, racial parental socialization as a teen was also unrelated to adult ethnic peer socialization (r = .21) and racial peer socialization (r = -.02). Small sample size may have reduced our power to find statistically significant correlations, and many relationships were of the small effect size. Notably, internalized racism showed a significant negative correlation with racial peer socialization, suggesting that greater engagement in racial peer socialization may be associated with lower levels of internalized racism
Lunch & Learn: Unexpected Joys of My Sabbatical
No full textRodger Narloch is back in his role as Benedictine Institute Director and Professor of Psychology after his sabbatical last semester. Rather than speaking about the academic work he did, Rodger reflects on unexpected glimpses of God that arose during that time
Dalit and Tribal Women as Ecological Victims
Full text linkThe essay examines the ecological marginalization of Dalit and tribal women in India, especially by analysing the three points of intersection, namely, caste, patriarchy, and gender. Though it starts with a global outlook on the African water crisis, it substantiates the argument with Indian realities of water inequality and resource depletion. While showing caste as the root cause of water discrimination in the country, it exposes the abetting roles of patriarchy and gender in keeping the Dalit and tribal women at the lowest position in the Indian social fabric. Environmental casteism and exclusion from decision-making processes add to the invisibility of the marginalized women from helpful discourses and perpetuate their marginalization further with no respite. Employing the example of the Samaritan woman from John 4 as an ecological victim on par with Dalit and tribal women, the article calls for recognitional justice to advance robust policies enhanced by a radical commitment to transformative praxis to not only improve the lot of the marginalized women but also to make them agents of their own liberation