Digital Commons Network^™

Projections Of A Better World: A Critical Reading Of Elfquest's Original Quest, William C. Riley

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Beginning on the pages of Fantasy Quarterly in 1978, Elfquest, “is the longest-running, independent fantasy series, with more than 15 million comics, graphic novels, and other publications in print.”[1] Beyond its long history, it also has the distinction of being the first fantasy comic created, written, and illustrated by a woman, an impressive feat considering the androcentric nature of both the comic book industry and its readership.

There is little in the way of critical scholarship on this series, despite its nearly four-decade history. This paper fills this glaring absence of academic treatment by investigating the many layers …

The Missoula Monologues, Lexi J. Klawitter

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

As a modern, local version of The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, The Missoula Monologues (TMM) consists of a series of community members sharing their stories in monologue performance style. TMM intends to engage the audience’s empathy through personal narrative, creating a grassroots movement for social change. As an annual event, TMM focuses on a different topic each year, depending on the relevant issues of the time and always including as diverse a group of speakers as possible. The theme of the 2017 Missoula Monologues is “Toxic Masculinity.” This aims to analyze the detrimental effects of the disconnect between individuals’ …

Hillary Rodham Clinton And Shifts In Gendered Rhetorical Style, Mackenzie Lombardi

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Hillary Rodham Clinton is arguably the most visible and controversial female political figure of our time. As First Lady, the Senator from New York, the Secretary of State, and a two-time Presidential candidate, the rhetorical space around Clinton is saturated with cultural assumptions of gender, power, and politics. In many ways Clinton is emblematic of the infamous “double bind” that all women who seek to challenge normative gendered roles must inevitably face. Much academic and cultural focus has been centered on the ways in which Hillary Rodham Clinton is a subject of gendered rhetoric. This project, instead, builds on the …

Auditory Processing In Fluency Disorders, Harley B. Kincheloe

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

One possible cause of stuttering could be related to Auditory Processing Disorders (APD). However, at the present time there are few research studies that are able to support the relationship of APD and stuttering. One suggested link between auditory dysfunction and stuttering is that the poorer auditory processing scores by stutters reflect a basic auditory deficit, which interferes with fluency because speech is monitored through auditory feedback. The first technique to study binaural masking is the Masking Level Difference (MLD). The MLD is the difference between the SoNo and the SpNo binaurally masked thresholds. For the SoNo condition noise stimuli …

The Adaptation Of A Culturally Relevant Arts-Based Mental Health Intervention For The People Of Guyana, Christopher L. Morucci

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Many forms of educational outreach programs today are directed towards disease prevention and physical health. However, there is a troubling disparity with programs that exist to focus specifically on mental health. Mental health care and systemic intervention are an increasing necessity as the World Health Organization has declared depression the leading cause of disability worldwide. Though not the only precipitating factor, depression and other forms of mental disorder are often seen in cases of completed suicide. The South American country Guyana is of specific interest in the implementation of mental health interventions as it currently faces the highest suicide rates …

Fostering Global Citizens: Using Technology To Improve Intercultural Competence Among Study Abroad Students, Hanna Ziegler, Nicole Musci, Megan Allen, Megan Giddings, Tessa Feemster, Max Smithgall, Annalea Kamplain

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The UMontana app is one of the current marketing strategies that the University of Montana is using to make information more easily accessible to students. Our team designed a tile for the UMontana app that would provide specific local information about UM’s twenty-one partner universities. This information will be used to help UM and international students better prepare for their study abroad experiences at these host universities. Our research shows that students studying abroad struggle to gain intercultural competence during their experience abroad because of factors like culture shock, language barriers, or sociocultural differences. The goal of this project is …

Habitual Intravenous Drug Use And The Connection To Self-Medication, Meaghan Gaul

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) about one-third of people living with mental illness in the US also experience substance abuse. It’s becoming apparent that dual diagnosis is common in our nation. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) insists that one doesn’t simply cause the other.

The purpose of this study is twofold. First, to examine the relationship between mental illness and intravenous drug use as self-medication among clients visiting the non-profit, Open AID Alliance (OAA), in Missoula, MT. Second, to explore the barriers to seeking mental health care among intravenous drug users who report mental …

Wild Places And A Thing Called Gender. Does This Social Construction Inform How We Work And Play Outside? A Qualitative Narrative Of Working In The White Mountain National Forest, Eliza I D Hazen

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

The purpose of this paper is to explore a connection between gender and wilderness in a very specific lens: the Appalachian Mountain Club trail crew and hut crew employees in the White Mountain National Forest. Nine female employees of the Appalachian Mountain Club working for the High Mountain Huts as well as the Professional Trail Crew were interviewed. Three male employees were also interviewed to provide alternative prospective and context. Through these in-person and remote qualitative interviews, I gained insight into the gender-based challenges for women working in wilderness. The interviews I conducted revealed common themes related to gender, including …

An Outlay Equivalence Analysis Of South African Households, Samuel Peevey

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

An overwhelming amount of research (Saha 2013 Kingdon 2005 Parpiev et. al. 2012 and Gibson and Rozelle 2004) supports that gender inequality persists in the developing world. In addition, a considerable amount of evidence also suggests that gender inequality in the developing world negatively impacts women and girls’ health, education and future wage potential (Baliamoune-Lutz et. al. 2009 Garg et. al. 1998 Agbodji et. al. 2013 and Dickerson et. al. 2013). This thesis investigates whether households in South Africa discriminated against their female children, in favor of their male children. Additionally, I investigated whether a head of household’s gender significantly …

Taking A Bite Out Of Unwanted Data In The Animal Bite Syndrome, Erika Baldry, Tracy Miller, Jill Baber

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

Introduction. North Dakota collects syndromic surveillance data, de-identified reason-for-visit data, for all visits to participating emergency departments (EDs), walk in clinics, and ambulatory clinics throughout the state. Syndromic data is submitted daily and automatically through an electronic connection between health care providers and the state. Animal bites are not required to be specifically reported to the North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) by providers; however, NDDoH has utilized North Dakota’s syndromic surveillance program, BioSense 2.0, for routine surveillance by using an existing animal bites syndrome. We sought to evaluate the existing BioSense 2.0 animal bites syndrome and explore how the …

Sms Parent Action Intervention (Span): Using Text Messaging To Promote Child Health On An American Indian Reservation, Julia M. Malich, Kari Jo Harris Phd, Mph, Laura Dybdal Phd, Brenda Bodnar Rd, Johnson Caye, Emily Hall Do, Blakely Brown Phd, Rd

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

SMS Parent Action iNtervention (SPAN): Using text messaging to promote child health on an American Indian Reservation

Purpose: Childhood obesity and its associated health risks are widely recognized as a major public health crisis in the United States (Johnson & Johnson, 2014; Proctor, 2008; Rogers et al, 2013; Vinci et al, 2016). Prevention efforts include focusing on educating parents with young children on healthy habits. Text messaging is an attractive means of communication because it is portable, cost-effective, accessible, and able to reach across demographic spheres to serve underserved and rural populations (Terry, 2008). The primary purpose of the SMS …

Sorry, Not Sorry: Exploring Face Negotiation And Gendered Apologies, Callie Parrish, Shanay Healy

UM Graduate Student Research Conference (GradCon)

No abstract provided.