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Prism #09, September 2005, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Children's Literature For Cultural Understanding Between Students In Taiwan And Mainland China, Su-Yen Chen

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Based on a portion of the results of a research project that explores the possibilities of using Mandarin children's literature for cultural understanding between the students of Taiwan and Mainland China, this paper discusses in depth what existing U. S. research may or may not help in constructing Mandarin reading lists and thus provides insights for applications in other settings. It also comes up with a new strategy for cultural understanding with twin texts from two cultures

Culture As Deficit: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Concept Of Culture In Contemporary Social Work Discourse, Yoosun Park

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper is a critical discourse analysis of the usage of the concept of "culture" in social work discourse. The paper argues that "culture" is inscribed as a marker for difference which has largely replaced the categories of race and ethnicity as the preferred trope of minority status. "Culture" is conceived as an objectifiable body of knowledge constituting the legitimate foundationfor the building of interventions. But such interventions cannot be considered other than an instrument which reinforces the subjugating paradigm from which it is fashioned. The concept of culture, constructed from within an orthodoxic, hegemonic discursive paradigm, is deployed as …

The Trials And Tribulations Of Eliciting American Indian Voice, Amber Madoll

Masters Theses

In this thesis I explored the application of oral history in the collection, preservation and interpretation of American Indian cultural history. Through the analysis of written ethnographies, published works, oral histories and case studies, this research addresses some of the major debates hindering oral history's admittance as a viable ethnographic and historical resource. The overall intention of this research was to elicit the major methodological issues anthropologists face when employing oral history techniques in American Indian studies so that solid, comprehensive strategies can be created and implemented to strengthen the acceptance and practice of oral history in modem cultural studies. …

Crafting Culture At Fort St. Joseph: An Archaeological Investigation Of Labor Organization On The Colonial Frontier, Brock A. Giordano

Masters Theses

The study of labor organization through the examination of craft production in complex societies has been a topic of intense scholarly interest (Blackman et al. 1993; Costin and Hagstrom 1995; Shafer and Hester 1991). A number of scholars have hypothesized that goods produced in mass quantities by particular specialists can be recognized by their high degree of standardization or homogeneity (Blackman et al. 1993:61; Schiffer and Skibo 1997). As such, this study employs the theoretical framework that in an archaeological context it is possible to differentiate centralized production from noncentralized production by identifying any standardization or variation within the manufacturing …

An Analysis Of Service-Learning And Applied Anthropology, Danielle Nordbrock

Honors Theses

People think of others in comparison to themselves, and what they know. Anthropologists study a wide variety of things, this includes all different societies: simple and complex, ancient and modern, and in different locales. The perspective of an anthropologist tends to take on a unique cross-cultural nature, with comparisons oftentimes being central to the research. When anthropologists become engaged in a project and begin their fieldwork they experience a unique sense of understanding from living in such close proximity to another culture.

Prism #04, January 2005, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Worldview, Science And The Understanding Of Nature, William W. Cobern

Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project

I am drawn to Nature because I see in Nature the handwork of God and I wonder what are our responsibilities as stewards of Nature? Being of a scientific bent, I wonder how Nature works? I wonder how Nature came to be? In other words, my thoughts– my everyday thoughts– about Nature are rooted in deep, fundamental beliefs that I hold about my life and the world in which I live, that is, my worldview. Nature of course is the traditional domain in which the “natural” sciences operate, but how we understand science and Nature is rooted in our worldview. …

Remembering The Mendiola March: Understanding The Role Of Experience And Accounts In The Construction Of History, Megan C. Mullins

Dissertations

This research project investigates the relationship between personal experiences of events and public descriptions of events. Specifically, the researcher develops a case study around a 1987 march and demonstration for land reform in the Philippines. Specifically, this research includes a discourse analysis of published, public accounts as they appeared in a national newspaper and the personal interviewee accounts of the event as remembered by U.S. participants and witnesses. Interviewees were involved in social and political work on hunger and other social justice issues as coordinated with ecumenical groups. The theoretical contributions of symbolic interaction, cultural theory and discursive practices of …

Communicator Vol. 3, No. 1, School Of Communication

Communicator: School of Communication Newsletter

It's Official! Department Becomes School of Communication; Notes from the Director; New Faculty/Faculty Announcements; Mini-Conference Hosts Students. Faculty, Researchers; Communication Days 2004; WMU Communication Faculty Receive Funds for Research Projects; Scholarship Recipients Named; Student Awards; Students Work with High School Journalism Class

Prism #1, September 2004, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

The Decline Of The Public Intellectual In Social Work, Howard Jacob Karger, Marie Theresa Herndndez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines reasons for social work's abandonment of public discourse, activism and intellectual life. It also explores strategies to encourage the profession to reenter public life and develop a modern cadre of social work identified public intellectuals. Specifically, this process entails professional and academic reform and a renewed vision around the social justice mission of social work.

Patriarch Nikon's Image In Russian History And Culture, Kevin Kain

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates representations of Nikon, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia (1652-1666). I contend that Nikon's resonance in Russian national life remains largely unrecognized because traditional histories--based entirely on written sources and limited to Nikon's tenure as Patriarch--fail to reveal his broader significance in Russian artistic, political and religious culture by omitting analysis of art and material culture. This dissertation advances the study of Patriarch Nikon by assessing his image in Russian history and culture from the mid-seventeenth century forward. I demonstrate that contrary to his overwhelmingly negative image in standard histories, the Patriarch held a central place in …

An African American Cultural Critique Of Weight, Race, Gender And Class Using A Semiotic Analysis Of Queen Latifah’ S Film Roles, Angela Denise Prater

Masters Theses

This project examined the interconnectedness of race, gender, class and the physical body as interrelated marginalization factors in media representations. Using the feminist body image literature, critical/cultural theory and Black feminist thought this study examined the significance of weight as a marginalization variable interdependent with race, gender and class. The motion picture character portrayals of the iconic figure Queen Latifah are subjected to a semiotics analysis, a traditional method in critical cultural studies to examine media representations. This analysis is informed by the cultural standpoint of the author as an overweight African American female. This study revealed that Queen Latifah's …

Dialectics In Mother-Child Relationships Among First-Generation Asian Indian Women In The United States, Chitra Akkoor

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Asian Indian immigrant women raising children in the U.S. as value contradictions between Asian Indian culture and U.S. culture. Relational dialectics in parent-child relationships among Asian Indian immigrant women and their children was also explored using the dialectcial perspective. Participants for the study were 20 Asian Indian women chosen randomly from the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek (MI) AI community who participated in one-one-interviews. Results of the study showed that participants experienced value contradictions in child-rearing. All four contradictions addressed in research on relational dialectics were also discovered in the context of …

“A Different Way To Portray It”: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Audiencing The [New] Newlywed Game, Christopher Reed Groscurth

Masters Theses

This study seeks to extend the body of literature which explores how culturally-situated audiences assign meaning to television texts. Specifically, this inquiry introduces and describes the audiencing behavior of several vintage television audiences. Drawing on existing cultural studies and feminist research, in-depth, semi-structured focus group interviews were used to gather viewer perceptions of the gendered discourse on two episodes of The [New] Newlywed Game (one from the '70s and one from the '90s). The focus group interviews were audio-taped then later transcribed verbatim. Six emergent themes: (1) Understanding the Discourse of Power Structures, (2) Gendered Questions: Form and Content …

Islam And Democracy: An Empirical Examiniation Of Muslims' Political Culture, Moataz Bellah Mohamed Abdel Fattah

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the following empirical puzzle: do the attitudes of ordinary educated Muslims stand as an obstacle toward the adoption of democracy? This research question calls for empirical/behavioral methodological tools that bring into focus contemporary Muslims' attitudes rather than ancient jurists' contributions. In other words, the dissertation shifts attention from ancient Islamic texts to contemporary Muslims' mindsets through written and web-bases surveys in 32 Muslim societies.

At the aggregate level, Muslim societies perplex with two types of sub-cultures: the culture of "dictator, but..." and the culture of "democracy-as-a-must." The former is the sub-couture of two groups of Muslims: …

Athletic Amenorrhea: Prevalence And Awareness Among Female Athletes At Western Michigan University, Michele R. Chupurdia

Masters Theses

Women who participate in competitive sports are under enormous pressure to maintain an extremely low body weight through diet and exercise. While exercise is viewed as widely beneficial to women of all ages, the pressure to succeed in sports by achieving or maintaining an unrealistically low body weight through food restriction and high intensity training may lead some women to develop eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis.

The research conducted for this thesis and presented here investigates female college athletes (18-24 years) from Western Michigan University, a Division I school, who are undergoing strenuous training. The goal of this study is …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Organizational Culture, Mildred Patricia Howard

Dissertations

The research study examines teachers' perspectives on leadership and Organizational Culture in elementary schools within the state of Michigan. Teachers respond to more than 90 survey questions from the Leadership Practices Inventory and the Instructional Climate Inventory.

The purpose of the study is to determine the relationship that exists between Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture. The study also considers school size as an interval variable. Statistical tests used to determine possible relationships include F-Tests, T-Test and Canonical Correlations.

Findings suggest that additional studies may be warranted based on particular subscales of Transformational Leadership and also size as it relates to …

Understanding Ethno-Nationalism: Sikh Diasporic Imaginings In Southwest Michigan, Rory G. Mccarthy

Masters Theses

Diaspora as a category is both useful and troublesome for researchers in the discipline of anthropology. It is useful, for it allows anthropologists to approach cultural studies from a position that recognizes flaws in the conception of culture as geographically bounded. Studying diasporic populations, therefore, enables anthropologists to apply new theoretical approaches to culture, without reifying and essentializing social practices. Conversely, using diaspora as a category can homogenize groups by glossing over differences in ethnicity, religion, and migratory expenence.

This study aims at bettering the understanding of diversity within a diasporic population by examining the role that religion plays in …

Message From The President, No.37 2004, E. Ann Matter

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Message From The Editor, No.37 2004, Bonnie Wheeler

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Are Stock Prices Related To New York's Climatic Conditions?, Matthew M. Cullen

Honors Theses

The past five years has shown tremendous growth in a new wave and style of investing strategy. This new style, known as behavioral investing, attempts to analyze financial markets through the eye of a social scientist rather than a financial professional. Its followers try to see market movements as affected not necessarily by the business or economy but by the cognition and mood of buyers and seller. This paper analyzes the effect of climatic conditions on mood and the effect that has on market movements and volume. For the most part, it was found that there is no significant relationship …

Becoming (Queer) Medieval: Queer Methodologies In Medieval Studies: Where Are We Now? , Michael O'Rourke

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Male And Female He Created Them: Ælfric’S Lives Of Saints And Patristic Theories Of Gender, Rhonda L. Mcdaniel

Dissertations

My dissertation researches the writings of the four Latin Doctors, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great, in order to challenge the scholarly stereotype of misogyny and anxiety about women in the writings of these influential figures and, more importantly, to build the cultural foundation upon which to base an interpretation of Ælfric’s portrayals of male and female saints in the Lives of Saints.

Accordingly, in the first chapter I focus on the writings of the Latin Doctors concerning the practice of virginity and on their explications of the Trinity and the Creation and Fall of humankind. I then trace …

"Are You Beginning To See A Pattern Here?" Family And Medical Discourses Shape The Story Of Black Infant Mortality, Elaine R. Cleeton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Postmodern and poststructuralist theorizations of the interrelations of the particular and the universal have identified women's bodies to be the last frontier for scientific discovery leading to and satisfying the modern compulsion to stabilize and control life from birth to death. This institutional ethnography of one city's response to an elevated infant mortality rate among the babies of African American urban, impoverished women explores their discursive transformation from single mothers who cannot begin prenatal care before the second trimester because too few physicians will treat Medicaid patients, into sexually-immoral, illegaldrug- using women who deliberately harm their babies. The study locates …

Review Of Balancing Family-Centered Services And Child Well-Being: Exploring Issues In Policy, Practice, Theory, And Research. Elaine Walton, Patricia Sandau-Beckler And Marc Mannes (Eds.). Reviewed By Sherrill J. Clark., Sherrill J. Clark

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Elaine Walton, Patricia Sandau-Beckler and Marc Mannes (Eds.), Balancing Family-Centered Services and Child Well-Being: Exploring Issues in Policy, Practice, Theory, and Research. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. $49.50 hardcover, $29.50 papercover

From Social Work To Human Services, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work has forfeited its professional mandate and should be replaced by "human services." In three traditional areas of responsibility-child welfare, public welfare, and mental health-social work has failed to meet its societal obligation. Meanwhile the profession has used postmodern thought to justify a focus on internal constituency groups. A template for professional education in human services is proposed.

Review Of Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, And People Of Color. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs And Teiahsha Bankhead. Reviewed By Devon Brooks., Devon Brooks

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jewelle Taylor Gibbs and Teiahsha Bankhead, Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, and People of Color. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.

Medievalism And Literature: An Annotated Bibliography Of Critical Studies, Richard Utz, Aneta Dygon

English Faculty Publications

This annotated bibliography represents a solid first selection of critical studies discussing the creative and scholarly reception of medieval literary texts in post-medieval times.