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Author Archive | Robbie Bolton

Sharon Norris

By on March 31, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Norris, Sharon E.”Transformative Curriculum Design and Program Development: Creating Effective Adult Learning by Leveraging Psychological Capital and Self-Directedness through the Exercise of Human Agency.” In Andragogical and Pedagogical Methods for Curriculum and Program Development, edited by  Victor C. X. Wang and Valerie C. Bryan, 118-141. Hershey, PA:IGI Global, 2014. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-5872-1.ch007

Transformative Curriculum Design and Program Development: Creating Effective Adult Learning by Leveraging Psychological Capital and Self-Directedness through the Exercise of Human AgencyThe objective of this chapter is to introduce improvisational self-directed learning as a transformative approach to developing effective adult learning. Improvisational self-directed learning is a method that encourages individuals to leverage their psychological capital and self-directedness through the exercise of human agency. It is common practice to focus on content-related learning objectives while designing educational curriculum and programs. Less routine is a simultaneous focus on the psychological state, human agency, and self-directedness of those involved in the entire process. The type of transformative learning communities necessary for effective 21st century adult education require ongoing faculty and student development. This chapter provides a theoretical framework based on human agency, psychological capital, improvisational behavior, and adult learning. The use of improvisation is presented as a technique for leveraging psychological capital, human agency, and self-directedness to create thriving 21st century learning communities.

Mark Correll

By on March 17, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Correll, Mark R. Shepherds of the Empire: Germany’s Conservative Protestant Leadership–1888-1919. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2014.

Shepherds of the EmpireThe late nineteenth century was a time of rapid industrialization, mass politicization, and modern philosophy. The resulting political and cultural upheaval confronted the German protestant church with deep questions of identity. On the one side sat an educated academic guild whose explorations of history, philology, and emerging social scientific disciplines gave rise to serious questions about the Christian faith and its meaning for today. On the other sat parish clergy faced with the complexities of daily life and leadership in common communities. For these parish clergy the pressure was great to support and bolster people not only in their life as Christians, but in their life as Germans.

Shepherds of the Empire engages timeless questions of identity and faith through the time-bound work of four key thinkers who attempted, and ultimately failed, to carve a middle way for the German parish clergy in that environment.

George Griffin

By on March 17, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Griffin, George, Maia Noniashvili, and Mikheil Batiashvili. “The Implementation and Results of the Use of Social Media in the Republic of Georgia.” Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research  1, no. 1 (2014): 8.

Abstract: The Republic of Georgia has begun a transition from old world economics to integrating social media and the Internet to provide a global presence for the country. Research shows that the Georgian people have significantly embraced social media as a means for conducting business and connecting with many countries on a global basis. Internet subscribers have continually increased in numbers; thus the numbers of social media participants has also increased. This paper addresses the history of Georgia, the current status of social media in Georgia, and the future for social media as it permeates the Georgian population. In order to maintain a robust economic recovery, Georgia citizens and businesses must continue to conduct business through social media pathways that will keep Georgia in the global market.

Michael Buratovich

By on March 15, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Buratovich, Michael. “The Singing Heart of the World: Creation, Evolution, and Faith.” Christian Scholar’s Review 43, no. 2 (2014): 195-197.

Feehan uses the word “acclaim” to refer 196 t° answer for questions of ultimate meaning. Because of this acclaim that each organism gives to its Creator, all living things and their ecosystems have value, and therefore, to destroy them as wantonly as we have is to destroy worshipers of the Maker of Heaven and Earth. […]Feehan defines the goal of humanity, or in his words, “human acclaim” (157).

Gregory Robinson

By on March 1, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Robinson, Gregory. “The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights: A Call for Reappraisal.” Steinbeck Review 11, no. 1 (March 2014): 46.

Abstract: John Steinbeck had an ambitious lifelong desire to recast the Arthurian chronicles into a modern version of the epic legends. In fact, “John Steinbeck spent months of his life in England exploring Arthurian locations and living in a medieval cottage in Sommerset rewriting Malory with a biro refill stuck into a goose quill” (Hardyment 10). A significant portion of what he accomplished survives as The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (1976). The book remains almost universally disparaged by the establishment in academe, both medievalist and Steinbeckian. In my opinion, these judgments are wrong. Steinbeck’s 293-page adaptation stands as a noble literary attempt worthy of accolades, since his narrative perfectly satisfies the medieval Arthurian romance traditions and Steinbeck’s own perceptions of contemporary literature with evocative character relationships and courtly interactions—universally adapted for the interests of a new generation. The Acts conveys the distinctive impression of a medieval saga written with a long-established literary voice, but now in Steinbeck’s modern prose.

John Hawthorne

By on February 18, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Hawthorne, John W. A First Step into a Much Larger World: The Christian University and Beyond. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2014.

A First StepHow do Christian students approach their years at a Christian college or university? What are the connections between all those hours of study and the Christian life? A FIRST STEP INTO A MUCH LARGER WORLD invites students, parents, and educators into a broad conversation about faith and learning in a postmodern age. Students will explore how to respond to diversity while maintaining community, how to make learning sensible as an expression of faith, and how to move from passive recipients of education to active and engaged co-learners with others. In so doing, they can transform their undergraduate years into a springboard for engaging the culture beyond the university.

John Obradovich

By on January 1, 2014 in Faculty Publications

Gill, Amarjit, Nahum Biger, Léo–Paul Dana, John D. Obradovich, and Ansari Mohamed. “Financial Institutions and the Taxi–cab Industry: An Exploratory Study in Canada.” International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business 22, no. 3 (January 1, 2014): 326–42. doi:10.1504/IJESB.2014.063779

Abstract: A current challenge taxi–cab owner/operators face in Canada is the lack of financing for taxi–cabs. This article examines business opportunities and lending risk; it also provides risk management strategies for financial institutions to manage the risk of lending to the taxi–cab industry. Members of the boards of directors and shareholders from the Canadian taxi–cab industry, and lenders from financial institutions that do not provide financing to taxi–cab owner/operators, were interviewed. Board members and shareholders were asked about their perceptions regarding business opportunity, risk, and their willingness to provide collateral for taxi–cab loans. Lenders of financial institutions were asked about their reasons for not providing taxi–cab loans. The findings of this study show that there is a reasonably attractive opportunity for financial institutions to offer financing for taxi–cab owner/operators. However, the findings also show that there are both systematic and unsystematic risks in lending to the taxi–cab industry. This offers recommendations on risk management strategies for Canadian lenders to mitigate the risk in lending to the Canadian taxi–cab industry. Our findings may be useful for new and existing financial/lending institutions, lenders, investors, and taxi–cab owner/operators.

Robert Woods

By on December 3, 2013 in Faculty Publications

Woods, Robert  and Kevin Healy, eds. Prophetic Critique and Popular Media: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications, New York: Peter Lang , 2013.

Prophetic CritiqueThis book positions the «prophetic» as an organizing concept that can bridge religious and secular criticism of popular media. Drawing from philosophical ethics and moral psychology, the book argues that prophetic critique engages a complex set of universal human capabilities. Whether religious or secular in origin, prophetic critique requires developmentally complex modes of critical reflection, imagination, empathy, and communication. Although this book is diverse in perspective, each author seeks to expose how the content, institutions, and technologies of popular media alternately support – or undermine – the basic values of equality, human dignity, and social justice. By foregrounding such universal principles, the authors distinguish their arguments from critical/cultural scholarship that fails to acknowledge its own normative foundations and implicit theology of culture. The authors demonstrate the efficacy of this framework by applying it to specific case studies in popular media including theater, film, music, journalism, and digital culture. The book argues that the prophetic critique of mass media is essential to maintaining a productive tension between religious communities and the institutions of secular democracy. More broadly, in outlining an inclusive understanding of prophetic critique, this book builds bridges between religious and secular scholarship and generates a unique vision for a revitalized, mass-mediated public sphere.

Paul Patton

By on December 3, 2013 in Faculty Publications

Patton, Paul. “The Prophetic Imagination and Passion of David Mamet.” In Prophetic Critique and Popular Media: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications, edited by Robert Woods and Kevin Healy. New York: Peter Lang , 2013.

Prophetic CritiqueLong after playwright and filmmaker David Mamet had left the home of his mother and stepfather, his younger sister sat down at the family table for dinner just before leaving to perform as lead in her high school play. Pre-occupied with the jitters and joys that accompany opening nights, Lynn just picked at her food. Her mother asserted that since she had cooked the food, it had to be eaten and insisted that no one would be excused until the meal was consumed. Upon seeing her orders were not followed, her mother called the school, asking for the drama teacher, and then informed the director that her daughter would not be able to attend the opening night performance. No, Lynn was not sick; she had not finished her vegetables.