Digital Commons Network^™

Reconsidering The Notion Of Fortaleza Kuelap, Robert C. Bradley

School of Art & Design Faculty Publications

Kuelap is a large pre-Columbian ruin in northeastern Peru associated with the Late Intermediate Period (900-1470 CE) Chachapoya people. In this text a brief history of the Chachapoya culture is followed by a physical description of the site and its surrounding environment. The colonial record of the Chachapoya and Kuelap is then thoroughly analyzed and the militaristic framing of the site is deconstructed. A plausible history of Kuelap is then presented for the time period after the Inca conquest of the Chachapoya.

Se presenta un estudio de la enorme ruina precolombina Kuelap en la parte norte oriental del Perú. Kuelap …

The Quinceañera Event: Pre-Service Teachers Implementing A Culturally Relevant Math Activity In A Hispanic Community, Olga M. Ramirez, Cherie Mccollough, Zulmaris Diaz

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Preparing pre-service teachers (PSTs) to work with culturally relevant mathematics and family math learning events (FMLEs) in mutual settings are important goals. This paper promotes these important teacher preparation goals as implemented in an after school program by a university math content faculty along with other FMLE support faculty. To illustrate, this paper focuses on a culturally relevant mathematics activity based on the popular social event known as the Quinceañera (the 15th birthday party for a young lady) presented at FMLEs by PSTs and which explores the customs of the Hispanic culture coupled with linkages to mathematical connections.

Book Review: San Miguel, Chicana/O Struggles For Education: Activism In The Community, Maritza De La Trinidad

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications

Guadalupe San Miguel’s Chicana/o Struggles for Education: Activism in the Community is the seventh book in the University of Houston Series in Mexican American Studies. The author provides a historical overview of the multiple strategies and methods that Mexican American activists, organizations, and like-minded individuals employed in order to obtain not only quality education but also culturally relevant and religious education for Mexican-origin students from the 1960s to 2010. San Miguel focuses on this period in order to show how Mexican American education evolved in the post–Civil Rights era and how different groups pushed for educational reforms to achieve their …

The Growth Of Gothic Identity In Visigothic Spain: The Evidence Of Textual Sources, Erica Buchberger

History Faculty Publications

In recent years, scholars have made significant progress in understanding the transition from a Roman world to a medieval world in Spain. New archaeological excavations have added to our knowledge of the early medieval landscape, and increasingly analytical discussions of the labels used to describe people and objects have brought new depth to both historical and archaeological studies. In place of black and white visions of Goth vs. Roman and continuity vs. discontinuity, it has become more common to see Visigothic Spain as a complex mix of elements on their own terms. What it was like be a Roman in …

Pleasure, Cory Wimberly

Philosophy Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Attitudinal Perspectives: A Factor To Implementation Of A Dual Language Program, Michael Whitacre

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

The central focus of this study was to determine the overall perceptions of school administrators, and the district bilingual coordinator on transferring theory to classroom practice, implementation, as viewed by those involved in the implementation process of the Gómez and Gómez Model of Dual Language Education. Responses were solicited from administrative personnel involved in the implementation of the Gómez and Gómez Model of Dual Language. Results revealed overall administrative attitudes were positive to the theoretical ideology and mixed as related to the actual implementation of the dual language program. The greatest areas of concern were; what to do when students …

Desiring Dual Language Bilingual Education: One Community’S Perspectives On Past And Future Directions For Bilingual Learners, Amy A. Weimer, Daniela Kuri, J. Joy Esquierdo, Francisco Guajardo, Luis A. Correa

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Perceptions and beliefs about past, present, and future bilingual educational programs were gathered from key members of a bilingual community, including teachers, parents, and educational administrators. Participants’ responses were analyzed and three overarching themes emerged. Current perceptions of bilingual education programs are strongly influenced by: (a) sociohistorical and political factors, (b) the effectiveness of instructional techniques; and (c) beliefs about bilingualism in general. Implications of these results are described with a focus on how they can inform policies and practices for bilingual learners.

Yet More Studies In Rio Grande Valley History, Milo Kearney, Anthony K. Knopp, Antonio Zavaleta, Thomas Daniel Knight

Studies in Rio Grande Valley Regional History Series

Frontera, a poem / Elvira Ardalani -- Strasbourg, Alsace, and Brownsville, Texas : ideal sister cities / Milo Kearney -- La concepción de la identidad fronteriza en Jovita Gonzalez y Adela Sloss de Vento / Laura Garza -- Cuando se fundo Matamoros? / Andres F. Cuellar -- The formation and early development of the Llano Grande / Maria Vallejo -- Doño Rosa Maria Hinojosa de Balli and her family : a lower Rio Grande Valley family in an Atlantic perspective / Thomas Daniel Knight -- Clarksville : a forgotten community on the Rio Grande / Jim Mills -- The last …

Youth Digital Cultural Consumption And Education, Monica Pini, Sandra I. Musanti, Teresa Cerratto Pargma

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Media and technological devices function as socializing agents during children’s leisure and entertainment time. Drawing from the theory of cultural consumption, a socio educational approach to students’ digital practices, and media literacy, this qualitative study seeks to explore and describe students’ cultural consumption profile. The authors explore the representations and meanings of digital practices of public school students of a predominately working class neighborhood situated in the periphery of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Findings highlight different aspects of youth cultural consumption profile. Two themes were identified: a) children use computers for a multiplicity of different activities enacting multitasking practices; and b) …

Classroom Labels That Young Children Can Use: Enhancing Biliteracy Development In A Dual Language Classroom, Irasema Salinas-González, Iliana Alanis, María G. Arreguín-Anderson

Human Development and School Services Faculty Publications

This article focuses on biliteracy development of English and Spanish through the practical strategy of systematically labeling the classroom within the context of daily classroom activities and providing children with various opportunities to use the words throughout the day. Using the foundational work related to classroom labels from Pinnell and Fountas (1998, 2010), the authors adopt a definition indicating that a label consists of one or a few words on a card placed on or below an object or a spot in the classroom. Providing young dual language learners opportunities to use language in both the spoken and written form …

Coordinating Gesture, Word, And Diagram: Explanations For Experts And Novices, Seokmin Kang, Barbara Tversky, John B. Black

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Successful explanations are a symphony of gesture, language, and props. Here, we show how they are orchestrated in an experiment in which students explained complex systems to imagined novices and experts. Visual-spatial communication—diagram and gesture—was key; it represents thought more directly than language. The real or virtual diagrams created from gestures served as the stage for explanations, enriched by language and enlivened by deictic gestures to convey structure and iconic gestures to enact the behavior and functionality of the systems. Explanations to novices packed in more information than explanations to experts, emphasizing the information about action that is difficult for …

The Best Bullies: A Critical Analysis Of Young Adult Anti-Bullying Novels, Nina Marie Bone

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Recently, bullying has become a critical area of research across disciplines exploring effective tools for dealing with this increasing problem. Emerging from this critical research is a new sub-genre of young adult (YA) anti-bullying literature that is becoming increasingly popular. This thesis offers a critical analysis of the contemporary YA anti-bullying literature and how it corresponds to The Bullying Circle, a highly effective bully prevention program tool. This work will incorporate scholarship about the educational interpretation of YAL and the potential impact it has on adolescents. Looking at The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli with …

Study Of Creative Processes That Lead To Successful Visually Narrative Art Products, Denissa U. Kiehl

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The success of an artist’s work depends upon a few key factors. No matter which field of study you pursue as an individual it is important to examine and understand previously collected knowledge and works developed within that field. Once an artist has learned from the successful “Old” methods and examples of artworks he or she may then combine the “Old” with some of his or her “New” methods and ideas. When it comes to visual narrative art there is a large variety of visual art and other creations to learn from. Factors related to decision making will change with …

Developing The Modern Heroine Of Fantasy Literature: An Examination Of Lyra From "His Dark Materials" And Clary From "The Mortal Instruments", Diana Aileen Borghols Herrera

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This work looks at the figure of the heroine as present through the characters of Lyra Belacqua in His Dark Materials and Clary Fairchild in The Mortal Instruments. The characters will be analysed within the fantasy genre and the tradition of the heroic figure. By defining the hero and the heroine, two types of characters with different traits, I will show that the heroic archetype for the female is not entirely set. Lyra and Clary share some similarities but their relation to their respective role is perceived and fulfilled through varying degrees of commitment. The analysis will be contained to …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Parental Involvement And Home-School Connections In A South Texas Border Town, Cynthia A. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Latinos have a high amount of individuals residing in poverty, and, yet, are still the fastest growing minority group in the nation (Gandara & Contreras, 2009; National Council of La Raza, 2014). For some families, living in poverty and the need to earn a living prevents parents from being actively involved in their children’s education (Moreno & Gaytan, 2013). Therefore, the need to form alliances with parents is critical. Partnerships with parents must be formed to better understand the necessities of these children. Consequently, educators should convey to parents the significance of forming links between the home and school. Moreover, …

Deconstructing The Rhetoric Of Fear In Post 9/11 Young Adult Literature, Ronald Dean Straight

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study demonstrates how M.T. Anderson's "Feed" (2002), Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" (2006), and Veronica Roth's "Divergent" (2011) offer young adult readers alternative messages through tropes and rhetorical devices within a mediated reality. The outcome of these messages offers mixed messages about rebellion and conformity to young adults living in a post 9/11 global community. The development of this message begins with teens in "Feed" exploring a dystopian future where society is tied together through technology that eliminates boundaries. The teens within the story explore a world, for a week, where those boundaries are reestablished due to an act of terror, …

The Collegian (2014-10-06), Cleiri Quezada

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 67, No. 7

Full Issue Vol. 1 No. 1, Crosspol

Crosspol Journal

No abstract provided.

Artifact In Action 2: Writing A Linguistic Autobiography, Amy Weimer

Crosspol Journal

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Perceived Privacy Protection: Does Reading Privacy Notices Matter?, Xiaojing Sheng, Penny M. Simpson

Marketing Faculty Publications

Many consumers do not read privacy notices despite the fact that websites post privacy notices to address consumers' long-standing concerns about privacy protection on the internet. To understand why consumers do not read privacy notices and the impact of reading (or not reading) privacy notices on the found effect of privacy notices, data were collected from 137 readers of privacy notices and 97 non-readers of privacy notices. This research's test of the moderating effects of reading (or not reading) privacy notices found that perceived privacy protection positively affected trust and negatively affected perceived information risk and that the negative effect …

Composing A New Community Infused With Bilingual, Biliterate, And Bicultural Realities, Amy A. Weimer, J. Joy Esquierdo, Francisco Guajardo

Crosspol Journal

No abstract provided.

Mirrors Of Mechanized Man: Capitalism And Intertextuality As Represented In The Works Of Herman Melville, Franz Kafka And Don Delillo, Samantha J. Amberson-Dominguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

It is contended that literature, as a product of the socioeconomic conditions in which it was generated, can be used to explore the relationship between individuals and technological advancement, as existing within specific stages of capitalism’s development. Using Marxist analysis to examine texts generated during the cultural eras of realism, modernism, and postmodernism, it is argued that physical, mental, and emotional state of characters, as represented within works written by Herman Melville, Franz Kafka, and Don DeLillo, respectively, reflect the increasing levels of human alienation as experienced by individuals under the constraining forces of market capitalism, imperialism, and late capitalism.

Postmodern And Posthuman Literature, John P. Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The thesis is an analysis and application of Posthuman theory. Beginning with a debate on societal progress between Slavoj Zizek and Francis Fukuyama, the thesis explores the possibility of a Posthuman ethics. The main theoretical contributors are Carey Wolfe, Corey Anton, and Benedict Anderson. The primary texts analyzed are Eric Blair's (George Orwell) 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and William Gibson's Neuromancer.

Factors That Contribute To Hispanic English Language Learners' High Academic Performance In High School Science In The Rio Grande Valley Of Texas: A Multicase Study, Antonio Elizondo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to identify, discover, uncover, examine, and document factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners’ (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One science teacher and school administrator from the respective schools also participated in this study. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas was selected to participate. School officials …

Language Attitudes, Ideologies, Maintenance, And Spanish Heritage Learners In The South Texas Border, Hyanghee Lee

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Unlike the situations in Europe or Canada, the power of language exercised by the speakers in the U.S.A is centered on English. Considering the general perception of a language as an index of an ethnic identity, this circumstance clearly reflects a linguistic inequality in the multiethnic U.S. society. The primary objective of this study is to examine the language ideologies and attitudes that the Spanish Heritage Learners in South Texas adapt and exercise in their daily activities. This investigation also attempts to analyze the correlations between language attitudes and the intergenerational transmission of Spanish, which would significantly impact the maintenance …

A Decision Support Model For Process Planning In Remanufacturing Using Fuzzy Set Theory And Genetic Algorithm, Juan C. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The environmental awareness and resources preservation has boosted the use of remanufacturing processes. Many important studies have been made in this area, but there are still pitfalls and opportunities that have not been explored yet. Specifically, the cleaning processes play a critical role in remanufacturing. It is among the top of most costly processes and it plays a key step in remanufacturing because delivers a free of contaminant product ready for reprocessing. Understanding and selecting the best processes to meet the need and goals of remanufacturers are important for effective and efficient remanufacturing. Due to variables and high uncertainty associated …

Bilingualism And Age Of Onset Of Alzheimer's Disease And Vascular Dementia In Hispanic Americans, Deborah M. Lawton

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Studies have linked bilingualism to later age of onset of Alzheimer’s disease in comparison to monolinguals. It has been theorized that in bilinguals inhibitory control is consistently used to suppress one language, leading to enhanced executive functioning and an increase in cognitive reserve. The effect of bilingualism on age of diagnosis was investigated retrospectively using data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging. This involved a longitudinal cohort of 1,789 Hispanic Americans > 65 years of age. Within the cohort there were 128 cases of dementia: 85 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 43 diagnosed with vascular dementia. Analysis of variance …

"But, Whatever The Reason, His Heart Or His Shoes, He Stood There On Christmas Eve, Hating The Whos": Dr. Seuss' The Grinch As The Racialized Other In American Culture, Marina Malli

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis analyzes Dr. Seuss’ the Grinch as a modern myth in US society that provides an imaginary resolution to the perceived encroachment of racial and cultural heterogeneity in the various time periods in which the text has circulated. Each chapter closely reads three different versions of the story, including Dr. Seuss’ children’s book published in 1957, the 1966 animated TV special directed by Chuck Jones, and the 2000 film directed by Ron Howard and starring Jim Carrey. In each chapter, I consider the racial politics prevalent in each time period in order to elucidate my claim that various media …

Surrealism And Nature In The Poetry Of Enrique Molina, Jose Luis Fernandez Castillo

Hipertexto

No abstract provided.

Parodying The Popular: A Comparative Study Of The Afro-Cuban Literary Imaginary Of Guillermo Cabrera Infante And Carleton Beals, Raul Rubio

Hipertexto

No abstract provided.