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Grand Valley Magazine, Vol. 12, No. 3 Winter 2013, Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley Magazine

Grand Valley Magazine is a quarterly publication about Grand Valley State University produced by University Communications since 2001.

New Perspectives On Audience Activity: ‘Prosumption’ And Media Activism As Audience Practices, Brian O'Neill, J. Ignacio Gallego, Frauke Zeller

Books/Book chapters

Until relatively recently, the subject of social relationships, constituted in and through audience practices, has been a minor part of audience research studies. This chapter explores how social relationships and forms of audience agency change and / or evolve, through the usage of both traditional and ‘new’ media. In a media environment where traditional and new media worlds collide, the potential of audience practices to rework, not only media-audience relationships, but also wider social relationships, is now an important research theme. Two key examples of mediated relationships between social actors in conditions brought about through transformations in media culture are …

Mediational Effects Of Desktop-Videoconferencing Telecollaborative Exchanges On The Intercultural Communicative Competence Of Students Of French As A Foreign Language, Veronique Marie Martin

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since the early 2000s, foreign language practitioners and researchers have shown an increasing interest in exploring the affordances of multimodal telecollaborative environments for the linguistic and intercultural development of their students. Due in part to their inherent complexity, one-on-one desktop-videoconferencing contexts have not been widely explored. To this end, this study investigates if and how American students of French engaged in a telecollaborative exchange with a class of French students are able to develop their Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) through online interaction and the completion of a collaborative task. Adopting a case study approach, the video-recorded sessions of three dyads …

Revenue First, Temperance Second : Jean Sheppard, Repeal And The Creation Of The New York State Liquor Authority, 1930-1934, Martin George Springfield

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The amending of the Volstead Act and repeal of national prohibition did not answer the "liquor question" but passed the issue to the states. This thesis examines New York's reaction to the change in national alcohol policy and the states decision to legalize and regulate the beverage with the establishment of the New York State Liquor Authority. It traces the activities of Jean Sheppard who led the state division of the Women's Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR) and became one of the key architects of New York's modern alcohol control system. As an expert in alcohol control policies Sheppard …

Audience Response To The Nature/Society Binary In Kurosawa’S Dersu Uzala: An Observational Online Ethnography, Laura L. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Geographers researching cinema have predominantly been interested in how geographic meaning is constructed and negotiated within film, but have been less productive in accounting for how these constructs are received by viewers. Using the method of observational online ethnography, I therefore investigate how fans in online reviews have interpreted the nature/society binary in the film Dersu Uzala. Working from a social constructionist view of nature I begin by deconstructing the binary as it appears in Dersu Uzala before proceeding to illustrate the way this constitutive absence is made up for by the visuality of the film’s landscapes and techniques of …

Egypt, Farha Ghannam

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Westernization Of Advertisements Published In Kuwaiti Newspapers From 1992 To 2012; A Content Analysis, Farah Taleb Alrefai

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of Westernization in advertisements published in major Kuwaiti daily newspapers over the past 21 years (1992-2012). Utilizing a quantitative content analysis, the diffusion of Westernization into the content and form of the advertisements was analyzed. Specifically, a sample of 584 advertisements published on the front pages of AlQabas and AlWatan Kuwaiti dailies from 1992 to 2012 were examined. The advertisements were analyzed to detect the increase and/or decrease of the presence of 12 Westernization attributes. These attributes are: product/ brand origin (Western or local), Western models and or local models, …

Queering The Catalog: Queer Theory And The Politics Of Correction, Emily Drabinski

Brooklyn Library Faculty Publications

Critiques of hegemonic library classification structures and controlled vocabularies have a rich history in information studies. This project has pointed out the trouble with classification and cataloging decisions that are framed as objective and neutral but are always ideological and worked to correct bias in library structures. Viewing knowledge organization systems from a queer perspective, however, challenges the idea that classification and subject language can ever be finally corrected. Engaging queer theory and library classification and cataloging together requires new ways of thinking about how to be ethically and politically engaged on behalf of marginal knowledge formations and identities who …

Queering The Catalog: Queer Theory And The Politics Of Correction, Emily Drabinski

Publications and Research

Critiques of hegemonic library classification structures and controlled vocabularies have a rich history in information studies. This project has pointed out the trouble with classification and cataloging decisions that are framed as objective and neutral but are always ideological and worked to correct bias in library structures. Viewing knowledge organization systems from a queer perspective, however, challenges the idea that classification and subject language can ever be finally corrected. Engaging queer theory and library classification and cataloging together requires new ways of thinking about how to be ethically and politically engaged on behalf of marginal knowledge formations and identities who …

Siue Airs 100th Episode Of “Segue” Radio Show, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Technological Change Within Union Environments: An Examination Of Existing Change Management Literature, Union Culture, And Critical Factors For Implementation Success, Bryan Altknecht

Communication & Leadership Dissertations and Theses

In today’s business climate, organizational change is a perpetual challenge for those in leadership positions. Despite the substantial academic conversation surrounding successful management of change, one aspect which has received little research is technological change within the context of union populations. This project utilizes multiple theoretical frameworks to present critical components for success including; understanding reluctance toward change, the role of leaders, managing technology change, and specific implementation considerations for union populations. It then synthesizes those components into a formal training course designed to teach organizational leaders the skills necessary to overcome the challenges of implementing technology changes within union …

Are You In Or Out?: Qualitative Study On Factors Associated With Minorities' Decisions About Organ Donation, Jennifer Yvonne Cannon

Masters Theses

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHH; 2011) has declared that the need for organ transplant in minorities is disproportionately high compared to Caucasians. Of the minority groups represented in the United States, African-Americans are the largest group in need of organ transplantation (USDHH, 2011) and, this group spends more time on the donor organ waiting list than any other minority group (Moore, 2007). The purpose of this study was to explore what factors affect organ donation decision making for college students from ethnic minority groups. In addition, the study looked at mistrust in the medical community …

A Sense Of Home: A Cultural Geography Of The Leschenault Estuary District: Report, Sandra Wooltorton

Research outputs 2013

Executive Summary

In 2012, a project was implemented to determine the place-based social values of the people of the Leschenault Estuary district. The project included a historical study, a literature review, a survey with quantitative and qualitative questions, targeted community engagement (five focus groups, six individual interviews) and a photo-elicitation study with a group of high school children.

Research Question

What is history of the relationship between people and place in the Leschenault Estuary District, and what is the relationship in 2012? What were, and what are the place-based social values of the population?

School Library Acquisitions Policy: How It Impacts The Delivery Of Library Services To Middle School English Language Learners, Aurea Lourdes Galindo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Del Sol Independent School District (DSISD) serves a student population totaling 64, 214 that includes a Hispanic population of eighty-two percent (DSISD, 2011). Of this total student population, 25.2 percent consists of English Language Learners (ELLs)--predominantly Spanish-speaking students (DSISD, 2011). Current DSISD library collection figures reveal that each campus library has an inordinate low number of Spanish materials. The district librarians are guided by an acquisitions policy that seemingly offers scant guidelines for acquiring books that address the information and literary needs of diverse student populations.

To this end, it is vital to examine and bring better understanding of …

The Life Writing Of Hart, Inspector-General Of The Imperial Maritime Customs Service, Henk Vynckier, Chihyun Chang

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In their article "The Life Writing of Hart, Inspector-General of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service" Henk Vynckier and Chihyun Chang analyze the life and writing of Sir Robert Hart (1835-1911). Hart arrived in China in 1854 and served as Inspector-General of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service 1863-1911. Although Hart disparaged his own role, Jonathan Spence views him as a key adviser to the Qing government. Despite of the historical importance of Hart's texts, of his seventy-seven volume diary only eight of the volumes have been published and the remaining volumes remain largely unexamined. Vynckier and Chang examine the complex transmission …

Cannibalism, Ecocriticism, And Portraying The Journey, Simon C. Estok

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his article "Cannibalism, Ecocriticism, and Portraying the Journey" Simon C. Estok discusses the ways early modern preoccupation with cannibalism is at once rooted in and reflective of an ecophobic environmental ethics. Looking both at descriptions of metaphoric and literal cannibalism, Estok shows that imagining cannibalism was central to the travel narrative and to its investments in writing the center and the periphery, the human and the nonhuman, the acceptable and the repugnant — binaries which reveal ethical positions, not only toward people, but, more broadly, toward the natural environment. Estok argues that it is relevant to discuss the discourse …

Is Social Work The Work Of Love? : Love Practice And Queer Doing In The Process For Full Self-Determination, Sady K. Horn

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The 1915 National Conference of Charities and Corrections, during which Abraham Flexner stated that social work was not a profession because it lacked a "communicable technique", is understood as a historically significant event in social work history. Part of the discourse regarding the legacy of this conference has spoken to social work's struggle with comprehending the nature of its purpose and definition as a profession. In this thesis I explore the phenomenon of social work, understood as a profession, and how its professionalization may contribute to its struggle in developing a comprehensive practice method that makes its stated values of …

A History Of Reminiscences : Clinical Descriptions Of Nostalgia, Psychodynamic Theories Of Mourning, And The Confluence Of Teleology, Alexandra P. Jamali

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This historical study looks at medical, psychological and psychiatric descriptions of nostalgia as a pathological condition. By conducting a historical analysis on the medical nosology that addresses this clinical phenomenon from the years 1688-2011, this paper examines the conceptual shift of nostalgia from a medical disease to a psychopathological condition and, ultimately, how it is explained within psychoanalytic literature. In examining the way that nostalgia has been described within psychoanalytic literature, specifically from the years 1950- 2011, this study demonstrates that nostalgia continues to be understood as a psychopathological condition, primarily affiliated with minority groups and displaced persons. Within the …

Monitoring Land-Cover Change In The Las Vegas Valley: A Study Of Five Change Detection Methods In An Urban Environment, Bonnie Diane Weidemann

Theses and Dissertations

Change detection is currently a topic of great interest to theoretic geographic researchers. The necessity to map, monitor, and model land cover change is also important to a variety of applied fields as varied as urban planning and military intelligence. This research compares five algorithms to map urban land cover change in the greater Las Vegas, Nevada metropolitan area. Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery acquired on May 1990 and May 2000 was used as the primary data. The change detection methods yielded simple maps of change vs. no change. These algorithms included image differencing, image ratioing, image regression, vegetation index differencing, …

Moving Toward Leadership: A Case Study Of Latina Adolescents And Effective Communication, Isela Estrada

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

The problem addressed in this study is the need for Latina adolescents to develop effective communication and leadership skills that will support their success in U.S. culture and society. This thesis is a case study of two Mexican-American adolescents who participated in a twelve-session leadership program at a dance studio. The goal of the study was to test the effectiveness of Rena Kornblum’s (2002) Disarming the Playground curriculum as a social skills program to improve leadership, effective communication skills, and group cohesion. This study included video footage of the adolescents engaging in movement-based role-play scenarios, which was examined using qualitative …

Mathematical Institutional Economics, Martin Shubik

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

An overview is given of the utilization of strategic market games in the development of a game theory based theory of money and financial institutions.

Which Study Method Works Best? A Comparison Of Soar And Sq3r For Text Learning, Sarah C. Kasson

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

One hundred thirty-eight college students participated in a study comparing the SOAR (Select, Organize, Association, Regulate) and SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review) study systems to each other and to students’ preferred study methods. Though both systems have been researched independently, just one other study has compared these study systems to each other. College students were assigned randomly to one cell of a 2x2 factorial design (method: SOAR or SQ3R; material: supplement or no supplement) or to a preferred-study-method control group. Groups were trained in their respective system (SOAR, SQ3R, or control) and then given materials about educational measurement to …

The Impact Of Islam On Women In The Middle East A Discussion Of The Political Role Of Islam In Turkey, Saudi Arabia, And Lebanon, Elise Barimo

HIM 1990-2015

The social instability of the Middle East is often assumed to be consequential predominantly from the influences of extreme traditional Islamic practices; with substantial prominence placed upon the treatment of and violence against Middle Eastern women. This discussion seeks to directly prove the prevalence of Islamic influence on Middle Eastern politics and the resulting social instability. This assessment is designed around an interdisciplinary examination of coalescent factors. By assessing the political history, social and cultural lifestyle, and political and legal situation of the region, the assessment examines the contributors to the social instability of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Turkey. The …

Community Perspectives On Black Parent Engagement In West Las Vegas Before And After Desegregation: A Case Study, Tonia Faye Holmes-Sutton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to research on parent engagement in K-12 schools, disconnects often exist between parent involvement as defined by school leaders and the African American families and communities they serve (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991; Tillman, 2009). Unfortunately, these competing definitions and conceptions of parent involvement often result in school leaders and administrators perceiving that Black students do not achieve as well as their White peers because Black parents are not involved or engaged in the education of their children (Cooper, 2010; Cooper, 2009; Fields-Smith, 2005). This perception undermines the development of positive home-school relations between school leaders, educators, and Black parents, and in …

International Activity And Domestic Law, Adam I. Muchmore

Penn State Journal of Law & International Affairs (2012 - Present)

This essay explores the ways States use their domestic laws to regulate activities that cross national borders. Domestic-law enforcement decisions play an underappreciated role in the development of international regulatory policy, particularly in situations where the enforcing State's power to apply its law extraterritorially is not contested. Collective action problems suggest there will be an undersupply of enforcement decisions that promote global welfare and an oversupply of enforcement decisions that promote national welfare. These collective action problems may be mitigated in part by government networks and other forms of regulatory cooperation.

Whose Trash Is It, Anyway? A Stratigraphic And Ceramicanalysis Of The South Grove Midden (44fx762/17), Mountvernon, Virginia, Eleanor E. Breen

Northeast Historical Archaeology

Throughout the twenty-year history of professional archaeological excavations at George Washington's Mount Vernon, a single refuse feature represents the only deposit unearthed that can speak to the material manifestations of changes in the Washington households within a pre-Revolutionary War context. With the discovery of the large, oval-shaped feature that came to be known as the South Grove Midden (44FX762/17), Mount Vernon archaeologists realized they had uncovered a stratified deposit that could link the successive Washington households with their material culture. This paper asks: whose trash is it, anyway? To answer this question, I employ the methodology of increasingly specific seriation …

The Van Lidth De Jeude Family And The Waste From Their Privy: Material Culture Of A Wealthy Family In 18th-Century Tiel, The Netherlands, Michiel H. Bartels

Northeast Historical Archaeology

This study uses the comprehensive material culture of the 18th-century privy of the regent family Van Lidth de Jeude in Tiel (the Netherlands). The analysis takes advantage of the secondary sources that are common in the Netherlands to evaluate the privy contents. The archaeological finds are interpreted with the aid of historical documents, contemporary literature and probate inventories, and the content of the privy is set against the background of an 18th-century provincial town in the heart of the Netherlands. This combined study reveals much surprising information about the daily and private lives, personal history, gender aspects and socioeconomic status …

A Bibliography Of Northeast Historical Archaeology, 1987–2006, David R. Starbuck

Northeast Historical Archaeology

A bibliography of Northeast Historical Archaeology, 1987- 2006. A list of published articles, books, master’s theses and doctoral dissertations

Neoliberal Globalization And The Politics Of Migration In Sub-Saharan Africa, Saul Tobias Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Over the last few decades, many states in sub-Saharan Africa have adopted draconian anti-migrant policies, leaving refugees and migrants vulnerable to violence, harassment, and economic exploitation. These policies represent a shift from the relatively hospitable attitude shown by many African nations in the immediate post-colonial period. Explanations at the local level do not adequately explain the pervasiveness of these changes or why many developing states are now replicating the migration discourse and practices of the global north. Drawing on scholarship and data from a number of states in the region, including Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, this paper argues …

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Against the Grain

No abstract provided.