diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/DatapropEditController.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/DatapropEditController.java
index 3749035ad..bcb3ee556 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/DatapropEditController.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/DatapropEditController.java
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ public class DatapropEditController extends BaseEditController {
             ? getAssertionsWebappDaoFactory().getDataPropertyDao()
             : getWebappDaoFactory().getDataPropertyDao();
         
-        List superURIs = assertionsDpDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(dp.getURI());
+        List superURIs = assertionsDpDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(dp.getURI(),false);
         List superProperties = new ArrayList();
         Iterator superURIit = superURIs.iterator();
         while (superURIit.hasNext()) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/PropertyEditController.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/PropertyEditController.java
index 8353fa8fe..6eac0edf3 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/PropertyEditController.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/PropertyEditController.java
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ public class PropertyEditController extends BaseEditController {
         } else {
         	opDao = getWebappDaoFactory().getObjectPropertyDao();
         }
-        List superURIs = opDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(p.getURI());
+        List superURIs = opDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(p.getURI(),false);
         List superProperties = new ArrayList();
         Iterator superURIit = superURIs.iterator();
         while (superURIit.hasNext()) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/VclassEditController.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/VclassEditController.java
index 1877a2853..4c783071a 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/VclassEditController.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/controller/edit/VclassEditController.java
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ public class VclassEditController extends BaseEditController {
         } else {
         	vcDao = getWebappDaoFactory().getVClassDao();
         }
-        List superURIs = vcDao.getSuperClassURIs(vcl.getURI());
+        List superURIs = vcDao.getSuperClassURIs(vcl.getURI(),false);
         List superVClasses = new ArrayList();
         Iterator superURIit = superURIs.iterator();
         while (superURIit.hasNext()) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/ObjectPropertyDao.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/ObjectPropertyDao.java
index 0b4250294..0cb323977 100755
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/ObjectPropertyDao.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/ObjectPropertyDao.java
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ public interface ObjectPropertyDao extends PropertyDao {
 
     public List <ObjectProperty> getObjectPropertiesForObjectPropertyStatements(List /*of ObjectPropertyStatement */ objectPropertyStatements);
 
-    public List<String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String objectPropertyURI);
+    public List<String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String objectPropertyURI, boolean direct);
 
     public List<String> getSubPropertyURIs(String objectPropertyURI);
 
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/PropertyDao.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/PropertyDao.java
index 7274a413b..4b05657e9 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/PropertyDao.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/PropertyDao.java
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public interface PropertyDao {
 
     List <String> getAllSubPropertyURIs(String propertyURI);
 
-    List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI);
+    List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI, boolean direct);
 
     List <String> getAllSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI);
     
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/VClassDao.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/VClassDao.java
index 493904700..7c9ce1e02 100755
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/VClassDao.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/VClassDao.java
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ public interface VClassDao {
 
     List <String> getAllSubClassURIs(String classURI);
 
-    List <String> getSuperClassURIs(String classURI);
+    List <String> getSuperClassURIs(String classURI, boolean direct);
 
     List <String> getAllSuperClassURIs(String classURI);
 
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/DataPropertyDaoFiltering.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/DataPropertyDaoFiltering.java
index 22f360a6d..19aad491e 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/DataPropertyDaoFiltering.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/DataPropertyDaoFiltering.java
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ class DataPropertyDaoFiltering extends BaseFiltering implements DataPropertyDao{
     	return innerDataPropertyDao.getAllSubPropertyURIs(propertyURI);
     }
 
-    public List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI) {
-    	return innerDataPropertyDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI);
+    public List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI, boolean direct) {
+    	return innerDataPropertyDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI, direct);
     }
 
     public List <String> getAllSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/ObjectPropertyDaoFiltering.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/ObjectPropertyDaoFiltering.java
index d6b7fe134..9d1ba0b43 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/ObjectPropertyDaoFiltering.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/ObjectPropertyDaoFiltering.java
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ class ObjectPropertyDaoFiltering extends BaseFiltering implements ObjectProperty
     	return innerObjectPropertyDao.getAllSubPropertyURIs(propertyURI);
     }
 
-    public List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI) {
-    	return innerObjectPropertyDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI);
+    public List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI, boolean direct) {
+    	return innerObjectPropertyDao.getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI, direct);
     }
 
     public List <String> getAllSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/VClassDaoFiltering.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/VClassDaoFiltering.java
index 2357d9d04..46fa600d0 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/VClassDaoFiltering.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/filtering/VClassDaoFiltering.java
@@ -132,8 +132,8 @@ public class VClassDaoFiltering extends BaseFiltering implements VClassDao{
         return innerVClassDao.getSubClassURIs(classURI);
     }
 
-    public List<String> getSuperClassURIs(String classURI) {
-        return  innerVClassDao.getSuperClassURIs(classURI);
+    public List<String> getSuperClassURIs(String classURI, boolean direct) {
+        return  innerVClassDao.getSuperClassURIs(classURI, direct);
     }
 
     public VClass getVClassByURI(String URI) {
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/PropertyDaoJena.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/PropertyDaoJena.java
index 440957907..765659d4a 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/PropertyDaoJena.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/PropertyDaoJena.java
@@ -127,11 +127,11 @@ public class PropertyDaoJena extends JenaBaseDao implements PropertyDao {
     	return outputList;
     }
     
-    public List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI) {
+    public List <String> getSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI, boolean direct) {
        	List<String> supURIs = new LinkedList<String>();
     	getOntModel().enterCriticalSection(Lock.READ);
     	try {
-            Iterator supIt = getOntModel().getOntProperty(propertyURI).listSuperProperties(true);
+            Iterator supIt = getOntModel().getOntProperty(propertyURI).listSuperProperties(direct);
             while (supIt.hasNext()) {
                 try {
                     OntProperty prop = (OntProperty) supIt.next();
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ public class PropertyDaoJena extends JenaBaseDao implements PropertyDao {
     }
 
     private void getAllSuperPropertyURIs(String propertyURI, HashSet<String> subtree){
-        List<String> directSuperproperties = getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI);     
+        List<String> directSuperproperties = getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI,true);     
         Iterator<String> it=directSuperproperties.iterator();
         while(it.hasNext()){
             String uri = (String)it.next();
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/VClassDaoJena.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/VClassDaoJena.java
index e09f690fe..b196f4c64 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/VClassDaoJena.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/dao/jena/VClassDaoJena.java
@@ -417,7 +417,7 @@ public class VClassDaoJena extends JenaBaseDao implements VClassDao {
     }
     
     public void getAllSuperClassURIs(String classURI, HashSet<String> subtree){
-        List<String> directSuperclasses = getSuperClassURIs(classURI);     
+        List<String> directSuperclasses = getSuperClassURIs(classURI, true);     
         Iterator<String> it=directSuperclasses.iterator();
         while(it.hasNext()){
             String uri = (String)it.next();
@@ -607,16 +607,17 @@ public class VClassDaoJena extends JenaBaseDao implements VClassDao {
         return subURIs;
     }
     
-    public List <String> getSuperClassURIs(String classURI) {
+    public List <String> getSuperClassURIs(String classURI, boolean direct) {
         List supURIs = new ArrayList();
         OntClass subClass = getOntClass(getOntModel(), classURI);
         try {
-            Iterator supIt = subClass.listSuperClasses(true);
+            Iterator supIt = subClass.listSuperClasses(direct);
             while (supIt.hasNext()) {
                 OntClass cls = (OntClass) supIt.next();
                 supURIs.add(getClassURIStr(cls));
             }
         } catch (Exception e) {
+        	//TODO make this attempt respect the direct argument
         	// we'll try this again using a different method that doesn't try to convert to OntClass
         	List<Resource> supList = this.listDirectObjectPropertyValues(getOntModel().getResource(classURI), RDFS.subClassOf);
         	for (Resource res : supList) {
@@ -691,7 +692,7 @@ public class VClassDaoJena extends JenaBaseDao implements VClassDao {
             	OntResource superclass = null;
             	if (vclassURI != null) {
             		// TODO need a getAllSuperPropertyURIs method in ObjectPropertyDao
-            		List<String> superproperties = getWebappDaoFactory().getObjectPropertyDao().getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI);
+            		List<String> superproperties = getWebappDaoFactory().getObjectPropertyDao().getSuperPropertyURIs(propertyURI,false);
             		superproperties.add(propertyURI);
             		HashSet<String> subjSuperclasses = new HashSet<String>(getAllSuperClassURIs(vclassURI));
             		subjSuperclasses.add(vclassURI);