Front Matter
1 January 2025
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Humanities
1 January 2025
Traveling Jack: Tracing Settler Identity Through Appalachian Folklore
Archaeology and Folklore have long had a tense relationship, but in an era of archaeology focusing more and more on the current and descendant communities it is imperative for archaeologists to begin engage folklore traditions in their work. By engaging archaeology and folkloric methods both fields can benefit. In the case of this study, I have used the "Traveling Jack" story, a common folk tale with English, Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian versions that involves a young man using his wits to overcome a series of challenges to achieve various happy endings, to trace Scottish and Irish settlement and reinvention in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States South. By analyzing various "Traveling Jack" tales and comparing motifs across cultures I argue that Scottish and Irish identities are maintained in Appalachian identity through "Traveling Jack" tales.Current Articles
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Humanities
1 January 2025
Traveling Jack: Tracing Settler Identity Through Appalachian Folklore
Archaeology and Folklore have long had a tense relationship, but in an era of archaeology focusing more and more on the current and descendant communities it is imperative for archaeologists to begin engage folklore traditions in their work. By engaging archaeology and folkloric methods both fields can benefit. In the case of this study, I have used the "Traveling Jack" story, a common folk tale with English, Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian versions that involves a young man using his wits to overcome a series of challenges to achieve various happy endings, to trace Scottish and Irish settlement and reinvention in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States South. By analyzing various "Traveling Jack" tales and comparing motifs across cultures I argue that Scottish and Irish identities are maintained in Appalachian identity through "Traveling Jack" tales.Humanities
1 January 2025
Shakespeare’s Portia: A Feminist Icon but Figure of Hierarchy
In Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Portia achieves a level of agency that few Shakespearean women do with her wealth and wit despite having to conform to her father’s wishes for her marriage with the casket test. Through dressing as a man during Antonio’s trial, Portia even assumes a physical appearance that reflects her skill in gaining influence and gives her more power over the men. Because of her ability to assert control in her home and the courtroom, literary critics often present Portia as a feminist icon. However, Portia restricts other characters like the Prince of Morocco and Shylock in the same way that the men in the play restrict her. She does not stop the cycle of abuse but simply becomes the oppressor instead of the victim–a fact that many critics hint at but often fail to analyze further. In analyzing Portia's agency as the product of discrimination in this article, I recognize that Portia’s character illustrates the way one subjugated character can gain power over her oppressors by subjugating others, and while Portia rightfully remains a hero for many of the characters, audience members, and literary critics as a woman who gains agency, she manipulates hierarchies to suit her needs.Social Sciences
1 January 2025
Addressing Economic Instability and Workforce Turnover in Early Childhood Education: The Role of Stipends, Wage Supplements, and Professional Development
Child care workers are vital to early childhood education, yet they face persistent economic instability, low wages, and high turnover rates. To address these challenges, states and policymakers have implemented stipends, wage supplements, and professional development programs aimed at improving financial security, job satisfaction, and workforce retention. This literature review examines the effectiveness of these initiatives across the United States, drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Vroom’s Expectancy Theory and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory to contextualize their impact. Research indicates that financial incentives significantly reduce turnover, while professional development fosters job satisfaction and career advancement. However, sustainability concerns remain, particularly with the expiration of temporary funding sources like the American Rescue Plan. The review highlights gaps in long-term research, equity considerations, and regional disparities, emphasizing the need for continued investment to ensure a stable, skilled, and well-compensated early childhood education workforce.Life Sciences
1 January 2025
Impacts of Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman) on Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda L.) Canopy and Water Use in the Homochitto National Forest, Mississippi, USA
Abiotic and biotic forest disturbances can have many impacts to forest ecosystem services, including to forest water use. Studies on impacts to forest evapotranspiration have been conducted on the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in western North America, but not on the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis), which is a native pest of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), in the southeastern United States. Stressed pine trees produce pheromones that attract southern pine beetles and, with enough stressed trees, beetle populations can quickly grow to epidemic levels and attack healthy trees, which results in widespread tree mortality. This study aimed to examine the impact of southern pine beetle spots on canopy density and evapotranspiration in loblolly pine stands in the Homochitto National Forest from 2012-2021. Locations of documented beetle spots from the USDA Forest Service were used to extract normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values using Landsat satellite observations on Google Earth Engine, and evapotranspiration data at stand level from the OpenET platform for two years pre- and post-southern pine beetle detection for comparative analysis. Results demonstrate that southern pine beetle outbreaks reduce NDVI and evapotranspiration, but also highlight that other factors (e.g., understory vegetation) can result in stand-by-stand variation in hydrologic cycle impacts. Further, this study demonstrates that satellite observations can provide critical environmental data on impacts of forest pests. By understanding the relationships between biotic disturbance agents and forest water use capability in forest ecosystems, we can improve our understanding of the impacts of forest disturbance agents on ecosystem services and possibly help direct management of forest stands impacted by these disturbances.Front Matter
1 January 2025
Humanities
1 January 2025