Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between Co-Sleeping And Self-Regulation In Early Childhood, Bie-Shuein Chu

Open Access Master's Theses

Co-sleeping has been considered as a dangerous sleeping practice for infants by some parents and pediatricians. However, past research found that co-sleeping in early childhood has a positive influence on both physical and mental development as well as the parent-child relationship, which suggests that co-sleeping may have a positive influence on self-regulation development. This study aims to investigate the relationship between co-sleeping and two self-regulation constructs: socioemotional control and cognitive control by analyzing data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B). After excluding the unqualified cases and weighing the sample size with adjusted DEFF weight, the final analytic sample …

Cadmium Promotes Proliferation Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells Through Egfr-Mediated Cell Cycle Regulation, Zhengxi Wei

Open Access Master's Theses

Cadmium (Cd) is a carcinogenic heavy metal which is implicated in breast cancer by epidemiological studies. In cell culture studies, it is reported to promote breast cancer cell growth through membrane estrogen receptors. Triple-negative breast cancer patients are non-responsive to endocrine and trastuzumab therapy and have the worst prognosis and lowest survival rate. The purpose of this study was to examine whether Cd can promote the growth of non-metastatic, triple-negative human breast cancer cells HCC 1937, which are positive for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). It was found that Cd treatment (0.1-0.5 μM) promoted cell growth and accelerated cell cycle …

Still Hopeful In The Eleventh Hour: A Critical Cultural Study Of The University Of Rhode Island’S Kinesiology Department, Justin Heath Payne

Open Access Master's Theses

My thesis is a critical examination of the cultural practices of the University of Rhode Island’s Kinesiology department 2010-2012, which produces particular norms for what constitutes Kinesiological knowledge. Through the use of the qualitative methods of autoethnography, poetics, a British Cultural Studies optic on the study of everyday cultures, and Foucault’s theory of disciplinary power I attempt to illuminate how a positivistic quantitative Exercise Science way of knowing and studying human movement gets normalized as the privileged form of Kinesiology department. My thesis critically examines my unique experiences as an Exercise Science turned Physical Cultural Studies student as a way …

2013-12-09 Chn 318 International Chinese Language And Culture Studies Ii, Mona Niedbala

Library Impact Statements

This the Library Impact Statement for CHN 318 International Chinese Language and Culture Studies II. No new library resources are needed to support this course.

2013-12-09 Chn 17 International Chinese Language And Culture Studies I, Mona Niedbala

Library Impact Statements

This is the Library Impact Statement for CHN 317 International Chinese Language and Culture Studies I. No new library resources are needed to support this course.

Virtuality As Place And Process, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Ian Reyes

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Virtual worlds are conventionally understood as representational places, or alternate realities more or less set apart from the real world. However, in considering new and emergent technologies, such as social media sites and augmented reality devices, which complicate any easy distinction between virtual and real, we contend that virtuality should also be understood as a matter of process, or the means by which virtualisation is realised. Focusing on theorisations clustered around Baudrillard’s theory of simulation, we compare Baudrillardian concepts to other possible theorisations in order to shed light on practices including transmediation and information management at the dawning of the …

A Media Literate Approach To Developing Diversity Education, Fernando Naiditch

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article describes a classroom project developed in a course on diversity education that required pre-service teachers to use media literacy as a way to cross cultural borders and reach out to an online partner to exchange information and learn about different ways of relating to the world and interpreting cultural phenomena. Students kept a journal in which they recorded and reflected upon their experiences. The project resulted in an increased awareness of the potential of social networks and online learning platforms in helping students connect to different people, engage in cross-cultural communication and participate in new online communities.

Review: A Decade Of Dark Humor: How Comedy, Irony, And Satire Shaped Post-9/11 America (2011), Joseph Faina

Journal of Media Literacy Education

No abstract provided.

Framing The Future Of Fanfiction: How The New York Times’ Portrayal Of A Youth Media Subculture Influences Beliefs About Media Literacy Education, Drew Emanuel Berkowitz

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article discusses how online fanfiction communities, their members, and their literacy practices are portrayed within popular and news media discourses. Many media literacy scholars believe these youth media subcultures practice complex and sophisticated forms of “new media” literacy. However, when educators attempt to incorporate these practices into K-12 literacy programs, the public’s reactions may be heavily influenced by the media’s documented patterns of marginalizing, dismissing, and denouncing youth subcultures. This study employs frame and critical discourse analysis in order to examine how the news media’s portrayal of fanfiction shapes and reflects the beliefs of teachers, students, and parents.

Exploring The Borderlands Between Media And Health: Conceptualizing ‘Critical Media Health Literacy’, Joan Wharf Higgins, Deborah Begoray

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In Canada, as elsewhere, there is considerable concern about adolescents’ health. Much of the blame is thought to lie in the social context for today’s adolescents and their interaction with and dependence on various media. Yet, it is not clear whether and how adolescents learn to engage critically with media messages about health. Emerging from the authors’ previous work in conceptualizing and measuring adolescent health literacy, this article presents the results of a conceptual analysis process using the terms health literacy, critical health literacy, media literacy, critical media literacy, media activism, and critical viewing among others—to arrive at the unique …

Approaches To Learning With Media And Media Literacy Education – Trends And Current Situation In Germany, Gerhard Tulodziecki, Silke Grafe

Journal of Media Literacy Education

German approaches to media literacy education are concerned with the questions, how the variety of media can be used in a meaningful way for learning and teaching and what educational tasks result from the extensive use of media. Considering these questions there are various conceptual ideas, research and development projects as well as implementations into practice in the field of education and teacher training. The development and the current situation of approaches to media literacy education in Germany are described and discussed in the article. Thereby, the focus is on media literacy education in schools.

The Urgency Of Visual Media Literacy In Our Post-9/11 World: Reading Images Of Muslim Women In The Print News Media, Diane Watt

Journal of Media Literacy Education

A decade after the 9/11 attacks, educators concerned with social justice issues are faced with the question of how media representations powerfully constitute the subjectivities of teachers and students. The roles of Muslim women in society are often narrowly construed and projected via media cultures – an unofficial curriculum of the everyday much more influential than the formal curriculum on offer in our schools. Given that much of what we “know” about Muslims we learn from the mass media, it seems urgent that as educators we become more attuned to how they are being portrayed and how such depictions are …

Faith-Based Media Literacy Education: A Look At The Past With An Eye Toward The Future, Stephanie Iaquinto, John Keeler

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article addresses several fundamental questions about faith-based media literacy education in the United States, including how the assumptions, motivations, goals, and pedagogy of those Christians who are operating within a media literacy framework come together to create a unique approach to teaching media literacy. After briefly reviewing Christian engagement with media, as well as the history of faith-based media literacy education in this country, this paper examines the philosophical and theoretical assumptions of scholars and practitioners, identifies practical applications, and concludes by suggesting some ways in which this sub-field might develop in the years to come.

The Global Youth Media Council: Young People Speaking And Learning About Media Reform, Michael Dezuanni, Prue Miles

Journal of Media Literacy Education

The 5th World Summit on Media for Children and Youth held in Karlstad, Sweden in June 2010 provided a unique media literacy experience for approximately thirty young people from diverse backgrounds through participation in the Global Youth Media Council. This article focuses on the Summit’s aim to give young people a ‘voice’ through intercultural dialogue about media reform. The accounts of four young Australians are discussed in order to consider how successful the Summit was in achieving this goal. The article concludes by making recommendations for future international media literacy conferences involving young people. It also advocates for the expansion …

Take The Red Pill: A New Matrix Of Literacy, Tara Brabazon

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Using The Matrix film series as an inspiration, aspiration and model, this article integrates horizontal and vertical models of literacy. My goal is to create a new matrix for media literacy, aligning the best of analogue depth models for meaning making with the rapid scrolling, clicking and moving through the read-write web. To undertake this study I deploy not only the filmic series, but one of the scholars who inspired it. I explore the relevance and application of Jean Baudrillard’s research on contemporary understandings of media literacy.

Using Blogs To Teach Strategies For Inquiry Into The Construction Of Lived And Text Worlds, Amanda Haertling Thein, Tim Oldakowski, Deann Long Sloan

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper describes a teacher-researcher collaboration aimed at teaching students strategies for inquiry into the constructed nature of lived and text worlds – a pedagogical objective consistent with goals of media literacy. As an introduction to these strategies, students were asked to engage in a commonly used media literacy tool – a blog – to explore the socially and culturally constructed aspects of their own lived worlds. As students blogged, they were also asked to examine the represented worlds in a literary text – To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee 1960). Research discussed in this paper examines the specific affordances of …

Evaluating Media Literacy Education: Concepts, Theories And Future Directions, Hans Martens

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article synthesizes a large subset of the academic literature on media literacy education. It first argues that media literacy is mostly defined in terms of the knowledge and skills individuals need to analyze, evaluate, or produce media messages. These knowledge and skills mainly relate to four key facets of the mass media phenomenon, i.e. media industries, media messages, media audiences, and media effects. Subsequently, it evaluates what is empirically known about the effectiveness of media literacy practices. Suggestions are made for future research.

Review: Media Literacy Is Elementary: Teaching Youth To Critically Read And Create Media (2009), Kelly Mendoza

Journal of Media Literacy Education

No abstract provided.

The First Step Is The Hardest: Finding Connections In Media Literacy Education, Paul Mihailidis

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Through a series of focus groups, this study explores how students, at the conclusion of a university-level media literacy course, see media’s necessary role in democratic society. It is a narrative inspired by the core belief of the media literacy discipline that if people are effectively taught the critical skills to access, evaluate, analyze, and produce media1 they will better understand media’s roles and responsibilities in civic life. Initial findings show that while media literacy may indeed enable for critical analysis skills, it carries the potential to breed cynical outcomes if not taught in a holistic manner.

Measuring The Effects Of A Media Literacy Program On Conflict And Violence, Erica Scharrer

Journal of Media Literacy Education

A 5-session curricular unit on the topic of face-to-face conflict mediation and on-screen media violence was administered to 85 sixth graders. Repeated measures analyses were employed to study the 57 students for whom matched questionnaires were available. Results show students became more likely to choose a non-aggressive approach to two of three conflict scenarios presented and boys in the sample became more likely to acknowledge two of three effects of media violence. Other measures employed suggest a mixed response to the curriculum. Implications for successfully promoting media literacy in schools and for addressing interpersonal conflicts among young people are discussed.

The Past, Present, And Future Of Media Literacy Education, Renee Hobbs, Amy Jensen

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy education in the United States is actively focused on the instructional methods and pedagogy of media literacy, integrating theoretical and critical frameworks rising from constructivist learning theory, media studies and cultural studies scholarship. This work has arisen from a legacy of media and technology use in education throughout the 20th century and the emergence of cross-disciplinary work at the intersections of scholarly work in media studies and education. Reflecting the emergence of a common ground for the field, the Core Principles of Media Literacy Education in the United States was created by a team of scholars and practitioners …

Cellular And Organismal Toxicity Of The Anti-Cancer Small Molecule, Tolfenamic Acid: A Pre-Clinical Evaluation, Umesh T. Sankpal, Chris M. Lee, Sarah F. Connelly, Omer Kayaleh, Don Eslin, Robert Sutphin, Steven Goodison, Lina Adwan, Nasser H. Zawia, Lenard M. Lichtenberger, Riyaz Basha

Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background/Aims: The small molecule, Tolfenamic acid (TA) has shown anti-cancer activity in pre-clinical models and is currently in Phase I clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando. Since specificity and toxicity are major concerns for investigational agents, we tested the effect of TA on specific targets, and assessed the cellular and organismal toxicity representing pre-clinical studies in cancer. Methods: Panc1, L3.6pl, and MiaPaCa-2 (pancreatic cancer), hTERT-HPNE(normal), and differentiated/un-differentiated SH-SY5Y (neuroblastoma) cells were treated with increasing concentrations of TA. Cell viability and effect on specific molecular targets, Sp1 and survivin were determined. Athymic nude mice were treated with vehicle or …

La Barbe: Feminine Beards And Other Mysteries Of French Grammatical Gender, Robin F. Keller

Senior Honors Projects

Grammatical gender in French language is one of the biggest guessing games for a native English speaker. Why a table is feminine and a book is masculine is a question that plagues those learning French as a second language. In French, all nouns have gender, masculine and feminine. The complication: only a small percentage of the nouns are assigned gender semantically leaving the remaining which are assigned gender seemingly arbitrarily. For English native speakers, the distinction of these basic parts in a foreign language is not a natural skill. The simple fact that nouns are either feminine or masculine is …

An Analysis Of White Masculinity In 2013, Edward Pare

Senior Honors Projects

An Analysis of American Masculinity

Edward Pare, History and Mathematics

Faculty Sponsor: Kyle Kusz, Kinesiology

American masculinity, more specifically white masculinity in America, is an ever-evolving subject. In the past two decades, cultural analysts have been writing once again about the idea of the existence of a crisis of white masculinity. This project takes a multi-method approach to analyze the social effects of mass mediated white masculinities on the process of how young white, middle class men construct and perform their white masculinities.

We live in a culture where citizens are inundated with media information and images, some of which …

Transdisciplinary Case Studies As A Framework For Working In Global Project Teams (2013), Mark W. Rectanus

Online Journal for Global Engineering Education

This article will examine how transdisciplinary case studies can be used to introduce students to critical skills for global project management and intercultural competency. The combination of case study formats, global project management tools, and intercultural communication activities provides frameworks for developing multiple competencies that span professional disciplines and support global internships, service learning projects, or international research assignments. Case studies that draw upon diverse resources and experiential “reports from the field” enable students to successfully prepare for global internships or study abroad and transition from the world of academic study to the complex challenges of everyday life in a …

East Asian Communication Studies, Guo-Ming Chen, Akira Miyahara, Min-Sun Kim

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

This chapter introduces the development of communication studies in China, Japan, and South Korea. A brief history of the development in each nation is described respectively and the problems and prospect of East Asian communication studies are discussed.

Department Of English 2012-2013 Annual Newsletter, Uri English Department

English and Creative Writing Department Publications

The 2012-2013 Annual Newsletter for the English Department is a periodical focused on department news and faculty research.

Girl Talk: Analyzing Discourse Among Urban Middle School Girls, Carey Delauder Bledsoe

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation is a qualitative study of an all-girls’ advisory in a coeducational, urban middle school located in a mid-sized city in the northeast. The advisory group met daily over the course of the 2010-2011 academic year. Drawing from data collected over one year of fieldwork--including participant observation, analysis of discourse, dynamic interviews, and the analysis of social constructs --this study explores how a group of mostly African American and Latina students created a caring community in order to increase their academic and social success.

Each chapter of the dissertation examines the challenges and obstacles the girls in the advisory …

It’S Not About The Clothes: Branding Strategies Of American Heritage Brands Brooks Brothers And Ralph Lauren, Sarah Templeton

Major Papers by TMD Master of Science Students

No abstract provided.

Moving Beyond "Slaves, Sinners, And Saviors": An Intersectional Feminist Analysis Of Us Sex-Trafficking Discourses, Law And Policy, Carrie N. Baker

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

This article analyzes stories and images of sex trafficking in current mainstream US public discourses, including government publications, NGO materials, news media, and popular films. Noting the similarities and differences among these discourses, the first part demonstrates that they often frame sex trafficking using a rescue narrative that reiterates traditional beliefs and values regarding gender, sexuality, and nationality, relying heavily on patriarchal and orientalist tropes. Reflecting this rescue narrative, mainstream public policies focus on criminal justice solutions to trafficking. The second part suggests alternative frameworks that empower rather than rescue trafficked people. The article argues that the dominant criminal justice …