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Dual Perspectives: Exploring Self-Identity Development in Twins
Get PDFWhile psychological research often uses twins to compare genetic and environmental influences on development, little attention has been given to the lived experience of twins themselves. This study aimed to target this issue by investigating the developmental implications of being a twin, with a particular focus on the formation of self-identity and individuality. Participants were asked to complete a survey that explored topics such as their self-concept, attachment style, and perceived level of experienced social comparison with their sibling. Results found a statistically significant difference between twins and non-twin siblings on a measure of self-concept, in that twins scored higher on identity disturbance compared to non-twins. This implies that growing up with a twin sibling may pose unique challenges to establishing a secure sense of identity, highlighting the need for future research that more deeply considers how twin dynamics may shape identity development in ways not accounted for by traditional models of growth. Although the study’s other three hypotheses were not supported, additional findings revealed a significant positive correlation among non-twins between experienced comparison with their siblings and similarity to those siblings now, as well as between experienced contrast and perceived dissimilarity. These patterns as a whole point to the importance of considering sibling context in identity development. Overall, these results and future research in the field could help to inform parenting strategies, educational approaches, and even clinical interventions aimed at fostering individuality and secure identity, particularly among twins
Escalating Hydrological Extremes and Whiplashes in the Western U.S.: Challenges for Water Management and Frontline Communities
Get PDFThe Western U.S. is experiencing significant changes in its hydrological dynamics, marked by increased variability and rapid “whiplash” shifts between extreme drought and flood conditions. This study quantified these changes using a customized hydrological water year index, which correlated better with surface water storage in the basins than other drought/wetness indicators. Application of the index revealed heightened hydrological extremes and whiplash events post-2015 in all Western U.S. basins, with nearly 72% of stations facing critically dry conditions in 2021 and over 54% experiencing extreme wet conditions in 2023. Future projections indicate a decline of 8.5%–13.2% in non-extreme water year types across major basins, accompanied by increases in both extreme wet and dry water year types. Our findings suggest that similar levels of multi-year drought duration and water deficits will likely occur regardless of future warming scenarios. This trend significantly impacts agriculture, the environment, and urban water use sectors. Notably, vulnerable frontline communities with higher risks and lower resilience experience disproportionate impacts from droughts compared to other communities
Word, Words, Words Books, Libraries, and the Law,
Get PDFThis Article explores the cultural, historical, and legal significance of books and manuscripts, emphasizing their vulnerability to theft, destruction, and neglect throughout history. From ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets to modern libraries, written materials have functioned not only as vessels of knowledge but also as cultural heritage objects subject to political, religious, and economic targeting. The Article traces the development of manuscripts, the emergence of libraries, and the long history of censorship, biblioclasm, and wartime looting. It highlights the legal challenges surrounding the restitution of stolen manuscripts and rare books, examining case studies involving institutions such as Princeton University, the Getty Museum, and the Museum of the Bible. Through detailed analysis of national patrimony laws, international conventions like the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1970 UNESCO Convention, and prominent court battles, the Article underscores the urgent need to strengthen legal protections for literary heritage. Ultimately, it calls for greater awareness and accountability to ensure that books—our “words, words, words”—are preserved as enduring records of civilization
Turnabout Is Foul Play: Sovereign Immunity and Cultural Property Claims
Get PDFIn 1976, Congress enacted the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1601, et seq., to establish the circumstances under which foreign states and their instrumentalities are subject to suit in United States courts. Under the Act, a foreign state is immune from suit unless an enumerated exception applies. Of these exceptions, the “expropriation exception” of section 1605(a)(3) was invoked for various claims to looted or dispossessed cultural property. Most frequent of all were claims arising out of Nazi-era transfers and thefts, a dispossession of art in particular that Congress (unanimously) in 2016 labeled the “greatest displacement of art in human history.” Claims were evaluated without regard to the nationality of the Nazis’ victims, consistent with a 2016 amendment to the FSIA that confirmed its applicability to “Nazi-era claims” defined as those dating from January 30, 1933 to May 8, 1945, as well as with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948.
In 2021 the Supreme Court abruptly changed course. The expropriation exception, the Court held, incorporates the so-called “domestic takings rule,” under which international law is indifferent to crimes by a government against its own nationals. By inserting this additional element into the expropriation exception at odds with the Genocide Convention and § 1605(h), the Court sent a clear message of hostility to cultural property claims that sovereign litigants and the lower courts have followed. What has ensued is a demeaning race to the bottom in which heirs of the Nazis’ victims are forced to explain why international law should protect those whom Germany cast out of the protection of its laws.
Ironically, the Court’s increasing reliance on an unrelated law that addressed the Act of State Doctrine provides the solution. After the Supreme Court declared Cuba’s expropriations non-justiciable under the Act of State Doctrine, Congress asserted its co-equal power to restore access to U.S. Courts with the Second Hickenlooper Amendment. Without irony, the Supreme Court has increasingly cited the Second Hickenlooper Amendment to interpret the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act more narrowly. Congress must take the cue, and act to remind the Court that Congress meant what it said, not the policy that the Court has inserted into the law
\u3cem\u3eChapman Law Review\u3c/em\u3e Looted Art Display
Get PDFThe 2025 Chapman Law Review symposium, “Raiders of the Lost Art: Legal Challenges and Recoveries,” brought together experts from around the country to discuss art law, looted art, and the prosecution of bad actors as a domestic and international concern.
The Hugh and Hazel Darling Law Library and Chapman Law Review put together a display to supplement the symposium. The display exhibited contributions from symposium panelists, focusing on works that showcased their areas of expertise. Topic areas included looted art restitution, the destruction of cultural heritage in Ukraine, museums as bad actors, and laws and cases that concern restitution and repatriation of stolen art. The aim of the display was to further highlight the topic of looted art, the global impact of art theft, and the consequences that the destruction of cultural heritage has had throughout history and around the globe
Successes and Challenges of College Readiness Curriculum for First-Generation Students
Get PDFA raising issue in education is the prevalence of first-generation college students and their ability to succeed in institutional spaces. First-generation college students are defined as the first individual in their immediate family to go to college and complete a BA degree. First-generation students differ from continuing generation students in that continuing generation students have a parent that has attended a 4-year institution and completed a BA degree. The difference in rather or not a student is the first to graduate from college is a significant predictor of their success and can present many additional barriers. These barriers include access to college, cultural knowledge about college, academic preparedness, social preparedness, degree attainment, well-being in college, and more. Due to these differences, first-generation college students require additional support before and throughout their college careers that are not widely available. Many studies have explored this topic and identified specific factors that affect first-generation students and student needs. There has also been research evaluating various college readiness programs that has proved successful in supporting first-generation students, yet there are very few college readiness programs available to students and very few studies outline how and why these programs are significant. This presentation will focus on the challenges and success of integrating college readiness curriculum by addressing the following question through a mixed-methods design: What are the challenges and successes related to designing and teaching college readiness curriculum for first-generation middle and high school students
Fostering Peace Leadership Learning and Practice: A Pilot Study Analysis of the Peace Leadership Development Curriculum
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Presented in this paper is a mixed methods pilot study that analyzes the Peace Leadership Development Curriculum (PLDC). The PLDC was designed to teach integral peace leadership concepts embedded in the areas of Innerwork, Community, Knowledge and Environment to students and community peace leaders. Analyzed herein is the impact of the curriculum in terms of participants’ understanding of leadership topics, the frequency in which they utilize these practices, and their perceptions of their importance for peace leadership. Design/methodology/approach
Study methods include a pre- and post-survey with Likert-scale questions and open-ended response questions. Findings
Findings from the study demonstrated that skills and practices taught in each of the four areas enabled participant growth, particularly in the areas of Community, Knowledge, and Environment. The contents of this paper further explore these findings and conclude with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the PLDC, suggestions for improvement, limitations, and recommendations for other similar programs. Originality/value
This paper provides an analysis of one of the first peace leadership training programs to date. As an emergent field, peace leadership is a new, innovative way to lead groups, communities, and organizations toward positive peace. This article articulates how teaching concepts in the integral peace leadership framework can help enhance these practices
Neighborhood Cohesion and Psychosocial Well-Being: Differences by Race/Ethnicity
Get PDFPerceived neighborhood cohesion is related to numerous mental health benefits, yet some research suggests racial/ethnic disparities in access to neighborhood cohesion. Much of the existing research investigates only one outcome, limiting the ability to synthesize across findings. The strength of the current study is that it utilized an outcome-wide approach to investigate racial/ethnic differences in associations between perceived neighborhood cohesion and four psychosocial outcomes. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we tested the hypotheses that (1) higher perceived neighborhood cohesion would relate to higher life satisfaction and lower anxiety, loneliness, and perceived stress, and that (2) non-Hispanic White participants (n = 5,095) would benefit more from neighborhood cohesion compared to non-Hispanic Black (n = 1,431) and Hispanic participants (n = 1,070). Results from this study confirmed both hypotheses: higher perceived neighborhood cohesion was associated with significantly higher well-being on all 4 outcomes adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, gender, and education level. Furthermore, neighborhood cohesion was more strongly associated with life satisfaction, loneliness, and perceived stress among non-Hispanic White participants than minority groups. These findings suggest that interventions should provide minorities greater access to neighborhood cohesion