Digital Commons Network^™

Another Time, Another Place: The Truth Of Silence In J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace, Sara T. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

Through Lucy’s rejection of the criminal justice system, Coetzee's Disgrace operates as an allegory for the failure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to provide individual justice and reparations to victims of Apartheid.

A Day At The Races In Black And White: How An 1898 Horse Race Led To A Whipping, A Lawsuit, And A 1901 Arrest, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

After losing an 1898 horse race in the Bronx, New York, African-American jockey Alonzo ‘Lonnie’ Clayton, who had won the Kentucky Derby in 1892 at the age of fifteen, heard an insult from the crowd along the rail and struck a white spectator from Brooklyn across the face with his riding whip. The blow resulted in a two hundred dollar fine by the track stewards, but ultimately led to a civil trial, a financial judgment against Clayton that he ignored, and then an arrest and incarceration for non-payment of the judgment, which some writers mistakenly still claim was for race-fixing. …

Review Of Alternatives To Incarceration Efforts Worldwide, Emma Barton, Charlotte Drozd, Anne Fatooh, Katelyn Ferguson, Marc Gale, Parkash Garcha, Karen Giraldo, Aimee Hanstein, Matthew Jobson, Josephine Kehm, Lindsay Lerner, Meera Martin, Devon Mcmanamon, Mervyn Payne, Brianna Rivers, Bianca Suazo, Arlinda Xhuveli, Rosemary L. Barberet

Publications and Research

Despite global interest in treating substance use disorders as a health issue, many countries choose a criminal justice response instead. The goal of this project was to research the readiness of countries to establish or expand alternatives to incarceration (ATIs) for persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) in countries around the globe. This report gathers, compiles and analyzes information on alternatives to incarceration for persons involved in the criminal justice with substance use disorders, worldwide (193 UN Member States plus Greenland, Kosovo, Palestine and Taiwan). As such, this report presents the first attempt to compile this information globally and completely. …

Shooting Surge Continuing To Slow Across New York City, Jeffrey A. Butts, Richard A. Espinobarros

Publications and Research

This report looks at quarter-specific comparisons of police reported shooting incidents across New York City. Shooting incidents increased between the first and second quarters of both 2020 and 2021. However, shooting incident increases slowed between quarters 1 (January-March) and 2 (April-June) in 2021, compared to the same quarters of 2020. Quarter-specific comparisons are one way to address seasonal fluctuations in gun violence.

Redistricting 2020: The Prospects Of Increasing Hispanic Legislative Representation In Florida, Carlos Vargas-Ramos

CUNY Centro, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies

Hispanics are driving population growth across the United States. This lead in population growth affords Latinos the opportunity to increase their political power by potentially increasing the number of legislative districts that can be represented by them. This report provides an overview of population changes in the state of Florida, showing how Hispanic population growth outpaces that of other groups in the state and across counties.

Redistricting 2020: Population Change And Hispanic Congressional Representation In Connecticut, Carlos Vargas-Ramos

CUNY Centro, The Center for Puerto Rican Studies

On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau delivered to the president of the United States results from the 2020 decennial census to be used for apportionment in the House of Representatives. Those apportionment results showed that the state of Connecticut’s delegation would remain unchanged at five representatives for the next ten years beginning with the 118th Congress (2023-2025)

Apportionment is the process by which the 435 seats in the House of Representatives are divided among the 50 states of the union. This is a constitutionally-mandated task based on the decennial enumeration the Census Bureau conducts.iii The constitution guarantees each …

Data 334: Applied Research Syllabus (Sociology Department), Holly E. Reed

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus is for a one semester, upper-level (300-level) undergraduate course in applied sociological research. It focuses on the importance of research, research ethics, research design and methods, and the presentation and dissemination of research, as well as the application of research skills in everyday life.

Content Analysis Of Two-Year And Four-Year Data Science Programs In The United States, Elizabeth Milonas, Duo Li, Qiping Zhang

Publications and Research

Data has grown exponentially in the last decade, and this growth has resulted in vast challenges for both business and IT domains (Hassan & Liu, 2019). This growth has given rise to the Data Science field, which has also grown exponentially in the last few years (Hassan & Liu, 2019; Song & Zhu, 2016). The Data Science field has its origins in the statistics and mathematics domain (Cao, 2017b), but is now considered a multidisciplinary field (Aasheim et al., 2015). Data Science warrants knowledge of data analytics, programming, systems, applications, informatics, computing, communication, management, and sociology (Aasheim et al., 2015; …

"Divide, Divert, & Conquer” Deconstructing The Presidential Framing Of White Supremacy In The Covid-19 Era, Vivian Louie, Anahi Viladrich

Publications and Research

Based on the analysis of President Donald J. Trump’s social media, along with excerpts from his speeches and press releases, this study sheds light on the framing of white supremacy during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Our findings reveal that the triad of divide, divert, and conquer was crucial to Trump’s communications strategy. We argue that racist nativism—or racialized national threats to American security—is key to comprehending the external divisiveness in this strategy. When Trump bitterly cast China as the cause of America’s pandemic fallout and Mexico as the source of other key American …

Holding Space For Uncertainty And Vulnerability: Reclaiming Humanity In Teacher Education Through Contemplative | Equity Pedagogy, Malgorzata Powietrzynska, Linda Noble, Sharda O’Loughlin‑Boncamper, Aundrey Azeez

Publications and Research

In this manuscript we describe our journey as two White coteachers conducting interpretive research with Black and Brown students in a remote-learning teacher preparation course in New York City. In the context of uncertainty, during the twin epidemics of COVID-19 and racial injustice, we explore how we reframed our contemplative pedagogy by embracing an equity-oriented framework. We share stories about moments of awakening drawn from spaces between us and our exceptional cohort of special education teachers – reflections about sensations, emotions, biases, and lived experiences as we embrace the identity of interbeing. Specifically, we explore transformations in our approach to …

Learning Of Food Preferences: Mechanisms And Implications For Obesity & Metabolic Diseases, Hans-Rudolf Berthoud, Christopher D. Morrison, Karen Ackroff, Anthony Sclafani

Publications and Research

Omnivores, including rodents and humans, compose their diets from a wide variety of potential foods. Beyond the guidance of a few basic orosensory biases such as attraction to sweet and avoidance of bitter, they have limited innate dietary knowledge and must learn to prefer foods based on their flavors and postoral effects. This review focuses on postoral nutrient sensing and signaling as an essential part of the reward system that shapes preferences for the associated flavors of foods. We discuss the extensive array of sensors in the gastrointestinal system and the vagal pathways conveying information about ingested nutrients to the …

Dreaming Of Home: Youth Researchers Of Color Address Nyc’S Housing Crisis, Samuel Finesurrey, Waleska Cabrera, Meldis Jimenez, Brittiny Ando, Alanna Garcia, Alexander Garcia, Jayden Johnstone, Abdul Mohammed, Sheylany Paulino, Edwin Reed, Emelyn Saavedra, Gisselle Saavedra, Rajendra Singh, Aysia Smith, Marlena Syriaque

Publications and Research

New Yorkers are facing a housing crisis. Long-standing disparities of race and class in New York City have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus and the looming eviction crisis threaten working-class communities, immigrant families and youth searching for housing stability throughout the city. This report is a call to action demanding that city and state elected officials, along with civic leaders, address the housing crisis that youth are inheriting. A team of youth housing fellows, housing organizers from the Broadway Housing Communities, and CUNY academics shaped this project around the ethos, “No research about us, without us.” The work …

The Magnetic Couples Study: Protocol For A Mixed Methods Prospective Cohort Study Of Hiv-Serodifferent Heterosexual Couples’ Perspectives And Use Of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep), James M. Mcmahon, Janie Simmons, Jessica E. Haberer, Sharon Mannheimer, Natalie M. Leblanc, Leilani Torres, Robert Quiles, Guillermo Aedo, Anabel Javier, Amy Braksmajer, Graham Harriman, Nicole Trabold, Enrique R. Pouget, Ann Kurth, Martez D. R Smith, Judith Brasch, Eric J. Podsiadly, Peter L. Anderson

Publications and Research

Introduction HIV transmission within serodifferent heterosexual couples plays a key role in sustaining the global HIV pandemic. In the USA, transmission within established mixed-status couples accounts for up to half of all new HIV infections among heterosexuals. Oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective prevention method, although underutilised among serodifferent couples. Moreover, there is a dearth of research on US HIV-serodifferent couples’ perspectives and use of PrEP, alone or in combination with other prevention methods. In this paper, we describe the study protocol for the Magnetic Couples Study, designed to fill critical knowledge gaps regarding HIV-serodifferent heterosexual couples’ …

Cldv 100 Introduction To Multicultural Studies: Active Learning Assignment, Oluremi "Remi" Alapo

Open Educational Resources

A study of what "culture" is; how we see it based on several factors, how it influences the choices and decision we make; how to deal positively with conflicts that inevitably arise in working /living situations with people of diverse cultures. This is a course structured to raise multicultural awareness and fortify students' social skills in dealing with cultural differences. It includes ethnographic study of cultural groups in the U.S.A and responses to shared values, observations or experiences based on student's ancestry, heritage, travels. Students will learn about culture "do and donts" around the world and provide the class with …

Cldv 100 Introduction To Multicultural Studies In The 21st Century, Oluremi "Remi" Alapo

Open Educational Resources

A study of what "culture" is; how we see it based on several factors, how it influences the choices and decision we make; how to deal positively with conflicts that inevitably arise in working /living situations with people of diverse cultures. This is a course structured to raise multicultural awareness and fortify students' social skills in dealing with cultural differences. It includes ethnographic study of cultural groups in the U.S.A and responses to shared values, observations or experiences based on student's ancestry, heritage, travels. Students will learn about culture "do and donts" around the world and provide the class with …

Minerva Cuevas: Disidencia, Alaina Claire Feldman, Clayton Press, Solange Farkas, Gabriel Bogossian

Publications and Research

Bilingual catalogue for the exhibition "Minerva Cuevas: Disidencia" presented at Baruch College's Mishkin Gallery.

The Cost Of Being Black In Social Work Practicum, Nia Johnson, Paul Archibald, Anthony Estreet, Amanda Morgan

Publications and Research

The social work profession is not exempt from fueling institutional racism, which affects the provision of social work practicum education for Black social work students. This article highlights how the historical and current social cost of being Black in the United States presents itself within social work education’s signature pedagogy. Social workers who hold bachelor’s degrees in social work (BSW) are more likely to be Black than those holding master’s degrees in social work (MSW; Salsberg et al., 2017). It takes Black students longer to earn an MSW degree though they are more likely to hold a BSW while also …

Radical Interrelated Qualitative Space In The Midst Of Multipandemics: A Collaborative Scholarly Personal Narrative, Lisa Delacruz Combs, Maretha Maretha Dellarosa, Myung-Jin Kim, Alexander G-J Pittman, Chelsea Chelsea Gilbert, Spencer J. Smith, Tessa Tessa Smith, Shay N. Valley, Penny A. Pasque

Publications and Research

Given the current unprecedented multiple pandemics of COVID-19, anti-Black and anti-Asian violence, and white supremacy, we—a group of graduate students and a faculty member who hold diverse identities across disciplines, race, gender, nationality, and additional categories—came together to focus on qualitative research as an ontological, epistemological, and axiological space toward community and culture change. Specifically, we took up scholarly personal narrative, which centers postmodernism and focuses on the reality that “we see what we believe; we observe what we narrate; we transform what we reframe. ”What emerged were radical interrelated understandings of privilege, guilt, and the importance of kinship. As …

Part Iii: Chemical Exposure From Manufactured Gas Plants: Naphthalene?, Aneeza Hussain

Publications and Research

In the previous parts of this research, we studied the historical, sociological, and public policy impact of the former manufactured gas plant site at Gowanus. Gowanus Canal is heavily contaminated with coal tar and was found to be a concern of public health risk from chemical exposure to naphthalene, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene pollutants on former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) sites when developed. We studied all these chemicals and their risks to the public around the site. We concluded that Naphthalene is a toxic chemical and has carcinogenic properties. In the present study, with an emphasis on the Chemistry …

New Representations Of Difference: Mexican Filmmakers In New York City., Luis B. Quesada Nieto

CUNY Mexican Studies Institute

This essay comments on recent cinematographic productions that explore the complex links between Mexico and New York as part of the ʻMexico on the Hudsonʼ Online Film and Conversational Series, organized by the Mexican Studies Institute at City University of New York and the New York based non-profit media arts organization Cinema Tropical. The reflection takes the films I’m leaving now (Lindsey Cordero and Armando Croda 2019), On the Seventh Day (Jim Mackay 2018), and La Ciudad (David Riker 1998) as a sample that exemplifies a cultural and political phenomenon in which the mediated representation of contemporary minorities has been …

Measuring Procedural Justice Policy Adherence During Use Of Force Events: The Body-Worn Camera As A Performance Monitoring Tool, Victoria A. Sytsma, Eric L. Piza, Vijay F. Chillar, Leigh S. Grossman

Publications and Research

This study capitalizes on a successful researcher–practitioner partnership to conduct a systematic social observation (SSO) of police body-worn camera (BWC) footage in Newark, NJ. To demonstrate the utility of BWCs as performance monitoring tools, we measure officer adherence to procedural justice standards throughout use of force events as mandated in the Newark Police Division’s updated policies pursuant to an ongoing federal consent decree. Overall, a slim majority of use of force events are procedurally just. However, results indicate several instances of policy noncompliance. Results are discussed, and policy recommendations related to procedural justice policy violations and BWCs for performance monitoring …

Seysl 701 Foundations Of Literacy, Carol Hacker

Open Educational Resources

Syllabus for secondary education teachers of literacy.

The major area of inquiry is the psychological, sociological, cognitive, and linguistic bases of literacy.

Digital Exhibition: Romaniote Memories, A Jewish Journey From Ioannina, Greece To Manhattan, Annie E. Tummino, Nicholas Alexiou

Publications and Research

This article discusses creation of the digital exhibition, Romaniote Memories, a Jewish Journey from Ioannina, Greece to Manhattan: Photographs by Vincent Giordano at Queens College, City University of New York.

Getting To Work: Information Literacy Instruction, Career Courses, And Digitally Proficient Students, Alexandra Hamlett

Publications and Research

This article discusses how following graduation, students often enter the job market unprepared to find, evaluate, and use information in the digital environment effectively. Essentially, there is a disparity between the skills students attain in college coursework, including information literacy (IL) skills, and those required in the workplace, which impacts graduates’ success as new members of the labour market. The article highlights how collaboration between a librarian and an instructor of a career centered course influenced instructional design for IL instruction in their courses. Librarians and instructors will benefit from practical examples from Guttman Community College’s innovative IL Program and …

Prophecy, Emanation, And The Mediterranean Middle Ages, Alberto Gelmi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores the notion of prophecy as a semiotic construct in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on a chronological span that runs from Late Antiquity to the 14^th century. It argues that theories of prophecy offer useful insights in the domain of rhetoric and not just in epistemology, as scholarship has predominantly contended. The first two chapters survey the trendsetting work of Augustine, al-Kindi, al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and Maimonides, arguing that their semiotic angle on prophecy depends on a structural affinity with the metaphysical template of emanationism as formulated by Plotinus and Proclus, whose teachings went often misrepresented or …

Dating Apps, Or, Ghosts In The Viral Affect Machine, Gregory Narr

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is an investigation into the effects of the popularization of dating apps on their users. I use OkCupid, Tinder, and Bumble as paradigmatic examples to flesh out these effects. The data I used for this investigation are fifty interviews and a content analysis of Bumble, Tinder, and OkCupid subreddit forums. I focused on the effects of swiping, texting, and the black boxing of the algorithm in chapters 2, 3, and 4 respectively. In all three chapters, I make the case that the shift to apps conforms with the exigencies of an economy that increasingly makes use of affect …

Sanctuary Says, Alexandra Délano Alonso, Abou Farman, Anne Mcnevin, Miriam Ticktin

Publications and Research

In 2018, the New School Working Group on Expanded Sanctuary collaboratively organized a series of workshops in New York to reflect on the question of sanctuary as a conceptual and practical starting point for cross-coalitional politics, including its tensions and risks. This short piece is an attempt to bring together the sentiments expressed in those workshops by activists, organizers, students and academics focusing on anti-racist, pro-migrant, and pro-Indigenous struggles, in a form that engages sanctuary as an ongoing question.

Compromised Values: Charlotte Posenenske, 1966–Present, Ian Wallace

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Fabricated in unlimited series and sold at cost, the sculptures produced by Charlotte Posenenske between 1966 and 1967—modular wall reliefs, interactive cubic structures, and tubular geometric units whose installation requires collective decision making—were meant to confront both the artwork’s commodity status and the limitation of its consumption to a privileged elite. Nevertheless, Posenenske’s work has been effectively recuperated by the art system: first, in the 1980s, through a series of exhibitions and publications organized by her estate; and second, with her inclusion in Documenta 12 in 2007, which reintroduced her work to the market. Since the artist’s death in 1985, …

Assessing Hiv Risk, Syndemics, Resilience And Engagement In Care In A Large National Cohort Of Gay, Bisexual And Other Men Who Have Sex With Men In The United States, Javier Lopez-Rios

Dissertations and Theses

Background: HIV continues to be a pervasive public health issue in the United States with more than 1.2 million people living with HIV (PLWHIV) across the nation. Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) account for over two-thirds of all new HIV diagnoses with racial and ethnic minorities shouldering a large proportion of the burden of disease. Although HIV transmission is predominantly driven by sexual behaviors, there are underlying complex individual, behavioral, and structural factors that contribute to high rates of sexual behavior and subsequent HIV acquisition. Moreover, difficulties remain in maximizing linkage to care …

Changes In The Black-White Sentencing Gap After United States V. Booker, 2008-17, Shuhao Zhang

Student Theses

The Black-White sentencing gap, as defined by the differences between the average sentences received by Black defendants and those by White defendants, is an under- research area. In the federal court, after United States v. Booker, this gap has decreased from 25 months in 2008-2010 to 0 in 2016-2107. By using Oaxaca decomposition, I find that the differences in criminal history, offense levels, and pretrial detention status between Black and White defendants are the main source of the gap. The unexplained portion of the gap, resulting from judges finding Black defendants more culpable to their offenses and thus imposing harsher …