Digital Commons Network^™

Ownership And Violence Against Women Of Color Reflected Through The Lens Of Anglo Saxon Theology, Jennifer Herring, Luraine Kimmerle

Violence Against Women conference

In the American cultural mind, white bodies have been upheld as ideal. In addition, the male body has received praise, greater access, and safety on the streets, in business, education, and the wider world. In the arena of higher education students tend to discover how their personal sociocultural perspective informs ownership of the lack thereof. It is through this reality that the idea of ownership is seen when it comes to violence inflicted on/received by women. When race is included in the violence against women dialogue we uncover the branches of Anglo-Saxon Exceptionalism, planted by the theologies and worldviews of …

The Constituent Women Of Violence Against Women, Wilmer Morales, Jocelyn Martinez, Samantha Amaro

Violence Against Women conference

The Violence against Women Initiative is a very important framework in a time in which women need a platform to be able to discuss the problems and inequality they face in society. Throughout history women have been demonized, abuse, and treated unfairly, which has affected the way women respond to acts of violence. However, recent events have allowed women to gain the courage to stand against acts including verbal, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse. Society, in general, has to be educated and be made aware of how to respond and meticulously act during events that violate the rights of women, …

Demanding Accountability In Domestic Violence Courts, Johnna Pike

Violence Against Women conference

This presentation explores whether specialized domestic violence courts are achieving their stated objective of abuser accountability. Domestic violence emerged from the private realm of family life into the public consciousness during the 1970s. Since then, there has been a largely successful movement to reframe domestic violence as a “real” social problem necessitating meaningful criminal justice intervention. Within the criminal justice system, victim and feminist groups have mostly prevailed in controlling the discourse around domestic violence as a gender-based offense. As a result, a criminal court model aimed at empowering victims and at holding abusers accountable has emerged. However, the efficacy …

The “Pedagogy Of Cruelty ” In The “Putero” Narrative, Agueda Gómezsuárez

Violence Against Women conference

This paper is focused on research regarding the sexual grammar of the narrations of prostitution customers in Spain in relation to the work of anthropologist Rita Segato, with the purpose of understanding why men pay for sex. In order to understand the causes that articulate the “putero” narrative, the discourses of prostitution customers were analyzed through semi-structured in-depth interviews, group interviews, and discussion groups. The succession of socio-sexual paradigms in our country illuminates the comprehension of this phenomenon that places Spain as the European country with the highest rate of make prostitution consumption. The stories are classified in four categories: …

Vision Boards – Redefining Your Journey Through Visualization, Laura Marotta, Eleena Rioux

Violence Against Women conference

Women who have been through trauma, specifically violence or abusive situations, often feel a lack of control, which can permeate into their lives, even after post-treatment therapy and services. After a traumatic experience, we often need to retrain our brains and hearts by engaging with interests that are within our sphere of control. One of the most powerful activities that can aid in this transition is art-making. Making art can be a very personal, expressive, non-threatening and empowering experience. This workshop will take you through the journey of creating your own vision board, using basic art materials. Many start-ups and …

Breaking The Silence: Discussions About Disability, Sex, & Gender Identity, Janet Sauer, Kirsten Bond, Cassidy Donahue, Molly Wolber, Hannah Hunter, Elizabeth Bellin, Katherine Deluga

Violence Against Women conference

Silence often accompanies topics about disability, sexuality, and gender identity. This panel of Lesley students, alumni, and faculty discuss the issue of silence involving social stigma and ignorance that can often lead to violence against people with disabilities. The panelists participated in an interdisciplinary course, Disability Studies, in which students chose to research these topics for their social action projects and papers. Panelists who see themselves as allies and/or self-identify as disabled share their research, personal experiences, and interviews with the audience to provide insights into some of the systematic exclusion of people with disabilities in these discussions, particularly in …

The Maternal Frame & The Rise Of The Counterpublic Among Naga Women In India, Payel Ghosh

Violence Against Women conference

Nagaland, situated in the northeastern corner of India, has witnessed a violent conflict situation for more than five decades. It is a heavily militarized space with draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in place, which allows the army personnel to go unchallenged even after committing violent war crimes. What makes this region stand out is the way few women have used their tradition-specific gendered role strategically to subvert prescribed gender norms and exhibit agency – against the violence they face for the conflict situation as well as the systemic violence that bars them from entering the …

A Scholar’S Reflection On Intimate Partner Violence In The Cape Verdean Community, Dawna M. Thomas

Violence Against Women conference

The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have brought about a social shift and cultural change that validates women and men who have reported sexual abuse in the workplace and other forms of abuse, including intimate partner violence. This movement follows in the footsteps of several decades of other pioneers who advocated and fought for survivors of all types of abuse. Their efforts have not only increased public awareness, but also brought about legislation, support systems, and a greater understanding regarding the complexity of intimate partner violence. Yet culturally diverse communities such as the Cape Verdean community continue to face a variety …

Sexual Violence Against Women In An Armed Conflict, Nowsheen Altaf Dar, Benish Mehraj

Violence Against Women conference

Documentation of life under militarization has mostly been done by “men writing about men.” The need to have a gendered perspective of conflict and war was only recently introduced in the academic discourse after the collective violence against the women of Bosnia and Rwanda in the 1990s was given the attention it deserved by the international media. In Kashmir, women are subjected to violence through physical, sexual, and mental harassments. The very nature of the conflict has pushed Kashmiri women to the wall, putting the burden of violence on their shoulders. Women face physical and sexual assault at checkpoints, during …

How Language Variety And Motivation Impact Acquisition In Adult Learners Of Portuguese, Giuseppe Formato

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Within the demographics of New England, Portuguese is a language strikingly rich in standard and nonstandard varieties. In studying Portuguese, it is common for some students to acquire language more easily than their peers despite receiving the same linguistic input, and others display outright negative attitudes toward the language variety taught in the classroom. The dearth of research on this topic begged the research question of how language variety affects motivation in adult learners of Portuguese. Unique in its focus on heritage learners of Portuguese, this qualitative study aimed to inform and lead a more cross-cultural approach to teaching the …

Challenging What We Know: Making Space For Multiple Voices Using Critical Literacies, Barbara Steckel

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Abstract:

According to Sue (2013), there is a dominant narrative that perpetuates the ongoing myth masking the discrimination and oppression experienced by many people in our country. This myth tells a story of equal access and social justice that has not been the experience of many people of color nor those from some religious, cultural, or societal groups. Therefore, there is a critical need for today’s teachers to prepare students to understand, respect, and connect with the perspectives of all people. Students of the majority group must recognize their own privilege and consider how race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability …

Teacher-Scholars As Classroom Leaders: The Power Of Inquiry, Gail Cahill, Beverley Evans, Barbara Govendo, Linda Lengyel

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The graduate special education programs affirm the competence of every individual, equal access to quality education, and social justice as the critical tenets of the program’s inclusive philosophy (Beliefs, Special Education Division, 2015). How do we prepare teachers to be leaders of their classrooms, providing a quality education for all? There are many “strategies” available to special education teachers; inquiry provides educators a means to enrich their teaching by collecting practice-based evidence of the efficacy of their instruction.

The design and implementation of an inquiry project based on classroom practices is a requirement in educator licensure graduate programs. The purpose …

The Impact Of Trauma On Development And What Educators Do About It, Jennifer Etesse Herring

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Abstract

Educators, policy makers and scholars in the field of education across the country are engaging in conversations about the importance of effective support in schools for female survivors of sexual assault. The purpose of this conference submission is to present a workshop of current school approaches to students overcoming sexual trauma.

According to Gresham (2007), students who present with academic and behavioral challenges (including girls traumatized by sexual assault) have historically been referred to Special Education programming within the school without actually addressing their needs. According to Chafouleas, Johnson, Overstreet, and Santos (2016) “...contemporary school-based efforts have moved away …

Documenting The Visual Literacy Infusion Project Through Mini Learning Stories, Martha Barry Mckenna, Chris Clark, Janet Sauer, Andre Ruesch, Ellen Schon

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The Visual Literacy InFUSION Project is a professional development program designed to increase the creative teaching and assessment of learning in visual literacy to transform undergraduate student learning experiences. Funded by the Davis Educational Foundation, Lesley University created a model for infusing visual literacy across the liberal arts and sciences disciplines and professional majors in the College of Art & Design and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Collaborating in cross-school partnerships, a group of 16 faculty explored visual literacy across their various disciplines to create pedagogical projects to expand students’ understanding of the power of images as tools for …

Action Research And Teacher Voice: A Pathway For Transforming Our Schools Into Learning Organizations, Susan Inman

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Our PreK-12 schools face increasing complexities such as accountability, diversity, closing the achievement gap, and working in an era of standards-based reform (Drago-Severson, 2009). The purpose of this inquiry was to understand teachers’ experiences with one type of learning experience, action research, and to investigate the impact of this experience on the teachers’ practice and voice. Three research questions guided this inquiry:

• What are the experiences teachers have as they utilize the action research process?
• How do teachers find that their experiences with action research impact their practice?
• What connections are there between the action research process and …

Addressing Bodily/Kinesthetic Practices In Dance/Movement Therapy Programs, Nancy Jo Cardillo

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This doctoral dissertation attends to concepts, curriculum, and pedagogy related to bodily-kinesthetic factors that unite the Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) field and differentiate it from other clinical approaches. The research evolved from 35 years of participant-observation as the DMT field developed and witnessing the negative consequences of applying narrow definition and compartmentalization of bodily-kinesthetic factors—such as kinesthetic empathy, body image, performance, and related intersectional factors (e.g., able-ism, size-ism). The mixed methods design incorporated the following triangulated perspectives in DMT training to discern in what ways programs identify and address bodily-kinesthetic factors: 1) information from program websites; 2) DMT director/coordinators’ perceptions of …

Immigrants And Educational Institutions: Family And Student Perspectives Toward School And Education, Paul Naso, Kimberly Joyce-Bernard, Marcelo Juica, Frank Rothwell

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The purpose of this session is to bring together insights from three research studies (one completed and two ongoing) concerned with documenting the experiences of immigrant populations as they interact with U.S. educational institutions. The session is an opportunity to consider the common and distinct aspects of three qualitative research studies: an inquiry into native Spanish-speaking parents’ experiences regarding their children education; a narrative analysis of Francophone African-born adult family members’ accounts of their children’s language and literacy development at home and in early childhood programs; and a study to identify the obstacles and challenges of undocumented students enrolled in …

What’S The Real Bottom-Line? Cultivating Compassion: Leading From The Heart In Memory Care Facilities, Paula Webster Ms., Laurie Smith

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The aim of this panel is to present an emerging if not visionary approach to caring for patients with neurodegenerative disorders. We will present the thesis work of Laurie Smith “A New Approach to Dementia Care Including Visual Cues and Person-Centered Activities” and Paula Reardon-Webster “Cultivating Compassion as a Tool for Everyday Leadership”. Using research and personal experience, the presenters will consider the possibilities of applying mindfulness-based leadership to provide compassionate care in memory care settings. This session will appeal to students of compassionate care, creative therapies, and applications of mindfulness practice.

• Laurie Smith’s work says: “Providing quality care for …

Sidewalk Math: An Innovative Approach For Engaging All Children In Mathematical Learning, Martha Barry Mckenna, Siobhan Dennis, Maureen Loony, Merideth Ekwall

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

In kindergarten classrooms in six schools across Massachusetts young children are developing numbersense by walking, hopping, jumping, and skipping through colorful mathematical designs on carpets and sidewalks. The patterns and accompanying counting activities provide teachers with tools to engage young children in learning mathematics through movement and observation activities on colorful floor designs.

Lesley University’s Creativity Commons partnered with 20 kindergarten teachers and their 6 principals to form the Early Childhood Math Collaborative Inquiry Project in Fall 2017 to study the impact of the use of Sidewalk Math carpet patterns on children’s development of numbersense. Teachers from 3 urban schools …

Empathizing With “The Other”: Visualization And Perspective Taking, Lisa Spitz, Liv Cummins

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

As today’s youth blossom into adulthood, they will simultaneously be challenged to develop their sense of self/identity and to cultivate their ability to embrace differences, all while being bombarded by visual media and messaging. Research literature on perspective taking provides a framework by which students can develop an understanding of their own perspective, imagine the world from an “other” perspective, and make connections that link to productive actions (Selman, 1971). Perspective taking as a concept has been linked to greater empathy, compassion, and prosocial behavior (Hardwood and Farrar, 2006). Yet the mechanism for enabling productive perspective taking is unclear. In …

Wellness & Psychoeducational Empowerment: An Innovative Approach To Mental Health & Education, Myisha R. Rodrigues

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Given our current cultural and sociopolitical climate, it is highly imperative that first generation, black and brown students are positioned to live sustainable lives of choice. Traditional and non-traditional post-secondary opportunities will afford them the ability to have the skills and the knowledge they need as advocates for unheard voices and to challenge equitably unjust institutional systems. However, these leaders of our future will not be able to fully access such success if their general wellness and mental health is not intact. It has been my personal mission for the last 7 years, developing myself as a leader for a …

Anxiety And Alternative Facts: An Arts-Based Critical Social Improvisation Project, Rebecca Zarate, Nancy Beardall, Talaye Zarafshandardaky, Brooke Rutstein

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

According to Grayson and Meilman (2011) the stakes are too high in current campus culture to not acknowledge the social roots of mental health issues such as anxiety, and concerns of students as related to campus safety. This arts-based, music performance project responded to concerns on campus from recent political and social events. More specifically, it aimed to explore the concept of “alternative facts” and how this idea plays with the collective concepts of truth and falsifications. It explored applications of clinical improvisation and the concept of collective anxiety as a social phenomenon expressed through arts including music, dance, and …

Passing The Baton To Future Leaders: Faculty To Teacher Leaders To Students, Valerie Harlow Shinas, Judith Zorfass

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

In this session, the authors will share a shift in an understanding of their role. This has led to an emerging model of cascading leadership, in which the leadership process can be developed and passed on from course instructor to graduate students—and ultimately, to the students they teach. Like the passing of the baton from one runner to the next, faculty who are aware of their own expanded leadership roles become better able to empower tomorrow’s teacher and student leaders.

Their work is based on the required, 3-credit course redesigned and taught by the authors, Perspectives of Literacy, Teaching, and …

Haiti: Black Leadership, Art, And Life, Danielle Legros Georges, Helen Jospeh, Anaëlle Séïde, Rocky Cotard, Mosheh Tucker

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

Join Lesley students and faculty in a discussion of the leading role Haiti has played in struggles against slavery and colonialism in the Americas and globally; its historic and consistent rejections of white supremacist values and dangerous stereotypes in the contemporary moment; and the lived experiences of Haitians working as artists, therapists, learners, teachers, here at Lesley who draw on pioneering Haitian models of epistemology and ontology—on Haitian sources of strength, community, resilience, and vision. Images will also be projected.

Visual Influence And Youth Empowerment, Rebecca A. Cote

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

During adolescence, youth start to look outside of their spheres of family to explore the greater world and they are often left with visual media as the go-to source of information. Media images are contrived to provoke meaning through the use of signs and how they are presented and they manipulate images to impart messages. Youth need to be literate in visual language in order to discern the implied influence.

Socially Engaged Practice: Three Artists, Susan Ashbrook

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

In recent years many artists have turned to ‘socially engaged practice,’ striving to effect social or political change through community-based or participatory projects outside of traditional gallery spaces. In my presentation I will review projects by three contemporary artists who work with underserved communities to develop creative responses to social injustices they face and to help them develop powerful tools to impact their lives

Suzanne Lacy, one of the original California feminists of the 1970s, is well-known for her performance pieces and installations that engage with social issues through conversation within communities. Rape and violence against women have been …

Leading With Compassion: Support For Ld Students' Identity, Academic Success, And Social Integration, Kristin E. Capezio, Katy A. Angelone

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This workshop is intended for K-12 Teachers and Leaders. The topic is on Compassionate Leadership and Integrating the LD Student. The workshop's content is predicated on the research and study of Richard Lavoie's work with linguistically & phonologically challenged students, and their difficulty developing social identities among the general population within public schools. In particular, this workshop will present Lavoie's findings in his two authored works "FAT CITY: Frustration, Anxiety, and Tension in the LD Student" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On" with support from the work of Lavoie's colleague, Charlie Applestein, MSW, and his recently published book, …

Leading From The In-Between: Disability, Leadership, And Identity, Xochitl Mendez

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The daily lives of individuals challenged with physical disabilities shed light on the intersections, as well as the friction, between the identities we forge as individuals, and the social identities of the public space. In this interdisciplinary presentation, I will explore the fault lines between the social concepts of disability and the personal realities and specifics of biology and adaptation.

Exploring my own experiences with disability, pedagogy, and art, I will further delve on how the social realm (Arendt, 1958) evaluates and judges identity from expected modes of interaction that are often not available to the disabled person. Further, using …

Fostering Student Engagement, Skills, And Connections Through Peer Review/Critique Across Disciplines, Jesse W. Schoaf, Summer Clark, Liv Cummins, Lisa Spitz, Katarina Keown, Linda Pursley, John Mccormick

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The process of peer review/critique in the college classroom is rife with challenges which may stem from a lack of commitment on the part of students and instructors alike, despite a significant body of literature which suggests peer review/critique can be an important learning tool. Studies demonstrate, when students are committed to the process, peer review can improve myriad skills, including written work (Topping, 1998, Mulder et al, 2014) and collaborative and communication skills (Topping, 2000, Topping, 2009, Mulder, R., Pearce, J., & Baik, C., 2014, Nicol, 2010), among many others. Our action research study documents how four undergraduate professors …

Bringing Dis/Ability Identity Into The Curriculum & Pedagogical Practices For Social Change, Janet Sauer, Simone Dupont, Molly Wolber, Lizzy Bellin, Cassidy Donahue

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

This panel is comprised of a faculty member, students, and alumni from CLAS whose work focuses on bringing about equity that includes dis/ability identity markers. Each of the students were or currently are enrolled in an interdisciplinary Disability Studies course involving a social action project. For their project, two Special Education majors responded to the need for ual education curriculum for youth with disabilities. A counseling major produced a photo essay “to get able bodied people to see things from a different perspective, specifically the perspective of people with disabilities” by creating “normal body” access signage around the Lesley community. …