NIVA Journals

Publius as Prophet?

Danny Adkison of Oklahoma State University examines the eleven Federalist Papers devoted to the Executive Branch, evaluating how accurately Hamilton's essays predicted the way the American presidency would actually function — from recess appointments and the electoral college to the veto, pardon power, and presidential term limits.

Black Screven, Georgia in 1950: A Research Note on the Black Population

J. Vern Cromartie of Contra Costa College analyzes the 1950 U.S. Census with a focus on the Black population of Screven, Georgia. The paper documents the demographics, social life, and family structure of the Morgan-Frazier family clan, offering a rich portrait of community, culture, and Gullah-Geechee heritage in a small segregated Southern town.

Gamification of History: AI-Powered Educational Games in Social Studies

Steven Grubaugh and Greg Levitt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas explore how combining gamification with artificial intelligence can deepen student engagement in history education. The paper reviews existing tools like iCivics and Mission US while addressing practical challenges around equity, data privacy, and historical accuracy.

A Potpourri of Happy Endings: Subgenres in Romance Fiction

An academic analysis of romance novels across multiple subgenres—including medical, fantasy, wolf, and vampire romances—examining tropes, ethics, power dynamics, and reader expectations within modern romance literature.

Academic Perspectives on Social Development and Cultural Change

This is an entire issue of the National Social Science Journal and contains multiple peer-reviewed articles covering education, politics, technology, social behavior, and institutional change—squarely fitting a broad social science and cultural analysis description.

Language, Identity, and Educational Access in Multilingual Contexts

This paper focuses on geopolitical power, identity, and structural pressures in the Horn of Africa, with strong emphasis on regional identity, power dynamics, and broader societal impacts—making it the closest match to language, identity, and access themes.

Vol. 1, Issue 1

NIVA Journal

This document is the inaugural issue of the NIVA Journal, a quarterly publication that features scholarly articles and research notes across various academic disciplines. The journal is abstracted in several major databases, including EBSCO and the ERIC Clearinghouse, and is published under a Creative Commons license.

Selecting Presidential Candidates: Staging a Mock Republican Convention on a Modest Budget

A practical guide from Saint Francis University (PA) describing how to organize a mock national political convention on campus. Drawing on their 2024 Mock Republican Convention — which correctly predicted the Trump-Vance ticket months before the actual RNC — the paper covers planning, committees, budgeting, student involvement, and lessons learned from over sixty years of staging these events.

The Blues Man, the Blues Woman, and the West African Griot/-te Tradition

A sociological study exploring the cultural connections between American blues musicians and the West African griot/griotte tradition. The paper traces how griots — hereditary musicians, storytellers, and historians — carried their roles across the Atlantic, and how blues men and women serve a parallel function: documenting social conditions, preserving collective memory, offering political commentary, and empowering their communities through music and storytelling.

Foreign Policy, Factionalism, and Chaos in New York, 1790–1815

A political history examining how foreign policy issues — from Jay's Treaty and the XYZ Affair to Jefferson's embargo and the War of 1812 — shaped partisan competition in New York State. The paper traces the rise and decline of Federalists, the intense factional warfare among Republicans (Clintonians, Burrites, Lewisites, Tammany), and the often chaotic nature of early American elections and public political life.