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Je Cuidoie Avoir Bien Fait: Saintré And The Rules Of The Game, Catherine Blunk

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

In Antoine de La Sale’s fifteenth-century work Jehan de Saintré, a point of rupture in the amorous relationship between Madame des Belles Cousines and Saintré is initiated when this young knight decides to organize and participate in an emprise (a late medieval tournament) without notifying her or asking for permission from the king of France. In this article I will show that that by failing to secure royal authorization before organizing an emprise, Saintré commits a more serious error than often acknowledged in the scholarship about this text. This is important, because many scholars read this scene as …

Rebranding Mediocrity: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Common Core Textbooks For College-Bound Writers, E. Suzanne Ehst

Dissertations

This project analyzes the quality of high school writing textbooks from major publishers, textbooks purported to align with The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for writing. I measure the textbooks against the promise of CCSS’s tagline, “college and career readiness,” focusing specifically on the former goal to discern how “college-ready writing” is constructed and to analyze the degree to which the textbooks align with relevant research and theory in the fields of English Education and Rhetoric and Writing Studies. I begin the project by situating this study in current U.S. educational policy and rhetoric. Specifically, I describe the politicized rhetoric …

The Impact Of Higher Education On Linguistic Culture In Senegal And The Midwest United States, Kelsey Gough

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of globalization on linguistic culture in populations of people from both Senegal and the Midwest United States. This study will also specifically highlight any similarities and differences present between those who have a higher education and those that do not. These similarities and differences were revealed by asking the research question: How has the process of globalization impacted beliefs about language held by people from various educational levels in Senegal and the U.S. Midwest?

Data regarding globalization’s effect on the attitudes people have about language, linguistic culture, were retrieved from …

Improving Access To Communication For Adults With Aphasia Using "Aphasia-Friendly" Accommodations, Chandler Hodgkin

Honors Theses

Accessing written health information is vital to any health visit (Blackstone, Beukelman, & Yorkston, 2015). People who have difficulty comprehending written text have difficulty understanding health-related information because it is usually written at a complex levels (Kanj & Mitic, 2009). If health information contains complicated content and is not easily accessible, people may not receive the health care needed (Blackstone et al., 2015). Many populations are considered communication vulnerable relative to health care which means they may not have access to understanding health information documents (Hallowell, 2016). These populations include people who are blind or visually impaired; people who are …

Bilingual Language Assessment, Carmen Wittkopp

Honors Theses

Purpose: To describe language assessments that benefit bilingual students in the correct diagnosis of a language disorder.

Method: A systematic review of the literature was completed to examine the assessment tools used for bilingual children. The most common peer-reviewed journals in the field of speech-language pathology were examined to find articles that researched and discussed bilingual assessment practices. The information collected in the articles focused on the procedures needed for the correct assessment of a bilingual speaker.

Results: The literature mainly focused on assessment techniques of Conceptual Scoring, Dynamic Assessment, Nonword Repetition Task, and the Bilingual English Spanish Oral Screener. …

From Descendants Of Refugees To First-Generation College Students: The Untold Story Of Southeast Asian American College Students’ Lived Experience, Vunsin Hiew Doubblestein

Dissertations

Aggregate data on Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) may show APAs to have exceptionally high educational attainment and economic mobility compared to other racial groups (Museus & Buenavista, 2016). In reality, various APA sub-groups face significant obstacles to academic access and success and are found at both the highest and lowest levels of the achievement, as well as educational attainment and income spectrums. In spite of the growing awareness of and scholarship on the complexity of APA student experience in higher education, there is limited research on Southeast Asian Americans (SEAAs) who have come to the U.S. as refugees, the circumstances …

Measuring Quality Of Life For Internal Migrants Working Urban Renewal Sites In Shanghai, China, Jacob A. Watkins

Masters Theses

Chinese internal migrants continue to struggle to obtain social and economic equity in some of China’s largest cities. Shanghai, China’s largest city, houses one of the largest floating populations in the country. As city officials and the Chinese Communist Party continue to spend on urban renewal sites in the city proper, new opportunities may be emerging for migrant workers. These sites contain hundreds on new commercial and service based businesses that could potentially provide stable employment for rural-tourban migrants in Shanghai and influence migrant quality of life as well as provide the means for migrants to remain in the city …

Alaska Native Artifacts; Eskimos And Aleuts Of The Bering Sea Rhythm Of The Sea Collection, Marcia Sue Taylor

Masters Theses

“Only his artifacts provide his earthly testimony” (Thiry 1977, p. 5). The purpose of the research is to catalogue Eskimo and Aleut artifacts that comprise an unprovenienced (anonymous) collection in the Anthropology Department at Western Michigan University, and provide a corresponding ethnography. This will be accomplished in two ways: (1) a museum curation project, and (2) an ethnographic study that will focus on cultural synthesis within the parameters of artistic styles of harpoon head artifacts and geography as these pertain to the artifacts and their distribution. Analysis of the collection’s harpoon heads will provide both artistic and inventive evidence of …

Anything But Race: Content Analysis Of Racial Discourse, Christopher Smith

Masters Theses

This research adds to previous scholarship on colorblind racism which investigates the ways in which students at Western Michigan University use new language compared to the Jim Crow past to defend or challenge the modern racial order in the United States. Using data collected from 15 voluntary participants I conducted a content analysis of participant’s responses to questions regarding race and racism with the purpose of demonstrating the use of colorblind racism or the challenge to the dominant racial order.

Interpersonal Impressions Of Emoji Use In Computer-Mediated Decision Making, Austin Jonathan Beattie

Masters Theses

Text-messaging is among the most popular forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC). However, the lack of most nonverbal cues in text-messaging interaction limits communication in certain contexts. Some recent innovations, such as emoji, attempt to enhance nonverbal limitations in text messaging. However, despite ample scholarship in text messaging, nonverbal communication, and CMC, a smaller body of research explores their intersections. This study reviews literature in these areas and, through the lens of Media Richness Theory, offers several hypotheses regarding the effects of emoji on interpersonal impressions in a decision-making scenario. It then experimentally tests and quantitatively measures how emoji usage in …

Coming To The United States: An Exploration Of Third Culture Building Processes Emerging From University Sponsored International/Host-National Student Interactions, Margaret E. Baker

Masters Theses

International students studying in the United States encounter a number of challenges that affect their ability to achieve their academic and social goals. These changes and acculturative pressures often influence their psychosocial wellbeing and factor into their satisfaction in their experiences abroad. Forming relationships with host-national students aids international students in their adjustment to life in the U. S. and influences their satisfaction and success both in and out of the classroom. This qualitative study analyzes third culture relationships as well as the challenges to their formation and the negotiations necessary for the relationship’s continued survival. This project explores the …

Guided By The Spirits: The Meanings Of Life, Death And Youth Suicide In An Ojibwa Community, Seth Allard

Masters Theses

Suicide is a leading cause of death amongst indigenous North American youth. The majority of studies on indigenous youth suicide focus on quantitative data collection and analysis. Qualitative and collaborative methods provide the cultural and historical contexts necessary for a critical understanding of youth suicide in indigenous communities. Through classic ethnographic methods (structured interviews, participant observation) and descriptive analysis, this work highlights the value of qualitative data. Medical anthropology informs an ethnomedical approach toward youth suicide, death, life, health and related concepts. Analyzing the semantics of prevention and intervention aids a critical-interpretive approach to current research and prevention-intervention frameworks and …

Western News, March 30, 2017, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Grad programs ranked among nation’s best, University gets final OK to offer classes in Florida, Presidential search process ‘on track and on time’, Fulbright Scholarship has Jon Davis talking math in South Africa, Open house slated to obtain input on new student center, Today’s changing perspectives on gender to be discussed, On Campus with Deanne Puca, Psychologist to deliver lecture in honor of Croteau

Grandparenting In Selected West African Countries: Implications For Health And Hygiene Behaviours In The Household, Joshua Oyeniyi Aransiola Dr, Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi Dr, Ambrose Akinlo Dr, Funmi Togonu-Bickesteeth Prof.

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This is a descriptive study of the health and hygiene behaviors of grandparents who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren in four West African countries, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The article utilizes data from each country’s most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The study identified 20,841 households where grandparents were primary caregivers. As expected, most of these households are in Nigeria given their population exceeds the collective population of the other three West African countries. However, the number of grandfamilies in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia is still worrisome for their population size. In each country, …

March 16, 2017: Scholarly Speakers Series, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

Trans*+ing Classrooms and Schools: The Pedagogy of Refusal as Mediator for Learning Under a Trump Regime

Putting Gender Revolution into Practice: A Workshop with sj Miller

Popular Culture And Academic Literacies Situated In A Pedagogical Third Space, Stephanie Buelow

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This critical participatory action research study sought to understand what happens when students’ interest and experiences with popular culture are integrated into a standards-based sixth grade English language arts curriculum. Multiple data sources were analyzed using the theoretical concept of third space. Findings showed that (a) a democratic, collaborative learning zone was established for all members of the classroom community, (b) students were successful in a curriculum that was situated in academic literacies and their popular culture interests and literacies, and (c) this experience resulted in a transformation of teacher practice. Given the current educational climate, these findings suggest the …

A Socio-Psycholinguistic Perspective On Biliteracy: The Use Of Miscue Analysis As A Culturally Relevant Assessment Tool, Bobbie Kabuto

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Through the presentation of two bilingual reader profiles, this article will illustrate how miscue analysis can act as a culturally relevant assessment tool as it allows for the study of reading across different spoken and written languages. The research presented in this article integrates a socio-psycholinguistic perspective to reading and a translanguaging perspective to language use to highlight how differences in language and writing systems did not lead to difficulties or barriers in orally reading or comprehending texts. Contrarily, the use of miscue analysis was a culturally relevant assessment that provided a multidimensional perspective into the ways in which the …

February 27, 2017: Ellis Series Scholar Sj Miller Lecture And Workshop, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

The Department of English Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series: sj Miller

February 26, 2017: New Film Premiere For Department Alumni Chuck Bentley, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

February 6, 2017: Buff Visit Next Ellis Series Event, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

The Department of English Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series, WMU Faculty Keynote Lecture: Allen Webb

Notes On Contributors

Transference

No abstract provided.

My Daughter’S Room, Stone Monument And Girl 2 By Ishikawa Itsuko, Carol Hayes, Rina Kikuchi

Transference

Translated from Japanese by Carol Hayes and Rina Kikuchi

January 7, 2017: Mlk Day Teach-In Event: A Day Of Learning And Action, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

Addressing Threats to Justice, the Climate, and Civil Rights: A Day of Learning and Action

Western Michigan University Graduate Catalog 2017-2018, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Calendars
• Western Michigan University Strategic Plan
• Graduate College

Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog 2017-2018, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Colleges
• Course Descriptions (by prefix)

Writing With Parents In Response To Picture Book Read Alouds, Danielle L. Defauw

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

High-quality writing instruction needs to permeate elementary students’ in- and outside-of-school experiences. The aim of this research was to explore how teaching writing to parents may support home-school literacy connections. This qualitative case study explored parents’ experiences in interactive writing sessions. The descriptive coding and constant comparative analysis of transcribed parent writing sessions, field notes, and documents revealed three themes: (1) Writing Tips and Strategies, (2) Parent-Writers, and (3) Story Connections. The parent writing sessions facilitated parents’ understanding of how to support their elementary-age children’s writing development. Parents demonstrated a desire to support their children’s writing development, and they needed …

Reading In English And In Chinese: Case Study Of Retrospective Miscue Analysis With Two Adult Ells, Yang Wang, Carol J. Gilles

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) has proved to be a useful instructional tool in language arts classrooms and for English learners from various cultures. However, it has not been used with native Mandarin-speaking English learners. This qualitative case study explored the reading process of two adult Mandarin-speaking ELs through RMA. They read two pieces in simplified Chinese and two in English respectively. This study demonstrates that RMA supports adult ELs to become more metacognitive about their reading process, uncover reading strategies they use, build their confidence to read, acquire more agency, and learn more about the English language. RMA is a …

Effects Of A Technology-Assisted Reading Comprehension Intervention For English Learners With Learning Disabilities, Sara L. Jozwik, Karen H. Douglas

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study integrated technology tools into a reading comprehension intervention that used explicit instruction to teach strategies (i.e., asking questions, making connections, and coding the text to monitor for meaning) to mixed-ability small groups, which included four English Learners with learning disabilities in a fourth-grade general education classroom. We used a multiple baseline design across participants to evaluate the effects of instruction on strategy application as measured through comprehension rubrics (Keene, 2006) and on comprehension-question answering as measured through researcher-developed literal and inferential comprehension questions. Results showed that participants applied comprehension strategies and improved their percentage accuracy with answering comprehension …

Review Of The Spirituality Of Awe: Challenges To The Robotic Revolution. Kirk J. Schneider. Reviewed By Daniel Liechty., Daniel Liechty

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Review of:

Kirk J. Schneider, The Spirituality of Awe: Challenges to the Robotic Revolution. Waterside Press (2017). 142 pages, $14.95 (paperback).

Review Of The Latinos Of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break The Rules Of Race. Anthony Christian Ocampo. Reviewed By Yin Liu., Yin Liu

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anthony Christian Ocampo, The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race. Stanford University Press (2016), 257 pages, $22.95 (paperback).