Digital Commons Network^™

Xy Needs In Education, Jennifer Neidlinger

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This project examined the unique needs of boys in education. Biologically and physically, male students’ developmental needs differ from their female counterparts. As a result, their educational needs are typically underserved and misunderstood in the standard co-educational classroom. This misunderstanding has led to a gap in educational achievement with girls outperforming boys throughout their school careers, from kindergarten through college. The purpose of this study is to establish the validity of boys’ differential needs. Five elementary school teachers, awarded their teaching credential within the past six years and within their first six years of teaching, were recruited to participate in …

Including Everyone A Handbook For Lgbt Inclusion In The Elementary Classroom, Shanine Mollentze

HIM 1990-2015

A quick look into the prevalence of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) topics in children's literature and one can easily note the rarity of LGBT presence in elementary classrooms. This topic continually fails to enter the classroom curriculum due to the taboo status it has in society. Some people find it to be inappropriate for the classroom, especially the elementary classroom. However, understanding that the intention is to provide an inclusive environment for LGBT students and/or families is important--not to expose children to explicit sexual discussion, but to establish a community of tolerance and acceptance. The purpose of this …

"Reading" The Apprentice: Commerce, Culture, And The Manufacturing Of Reality, Sharon Simpson Terrell

Dissertations

This study examines the six original seasons of the reality television series The Apprentice as a postmodern, cultural artifact. Grounded in Burke’s (1967) “literature as equipment for living,” and Brummett’s (1984) consideration that televised content constitutes literature, the theory of “televised discourse as equipment for living” provided the guide to examine the series. Hall’s (1980) “reading against the grain” oppositional reading technique was utilized to interrogate both the manifest and latent content. The content of the series may indeed provide the audience with a guide to ideological beliefs of both commerce and culture, thereby creating a manufactured reality for its …

The Clown Paintings Of Jack Butler Yeats, Cliona Mccolgan Stack

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This thesis explores the clown paintings of Jack Butler Yeats with particular emphasis on those painted between 1920 and 1950. Yeats was interested in circus performances from a very young age. In general, his clown paintings seem to capture traditionally showy and exuberant images of both clown and circus. However, they also reveal Yeats' personal sense of the painter as clown. Laughter (who laughs, the permanent grimace) and the symbolism of the rose are significant in establishing the artist as a clown figure. Moreover, the idea of the clown also spoke to the arrival of the modern era. The balancing …

Perceptions Of Gender Roles In The Advertising Industry, Cristina Perez Balitaan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The advertising industry since its inception has been saturated with male views and opinions, consequently manifesting in the sexual objectification of women. However, with more career opportunities for women in recent years, more women are choosing to engage in non-traditional careers, such as the fields of advertising and marketing. Yet, despite the growing female population within the advertising industry, the content of advertising still continues to be filled with gender stereotypes. To understand how female advertisers negotiate their gender role and their role as a media producer, I surveyed female advertising students of S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications (N=100) …

Machismo And The Glass Ceiling: A Comparative Cultural Study On The Role Of Gender In The Presidential Elections Of Hillary Clinton And Michelle Bachelet, Kayla Woodring

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

During her bid for president, Hillary Clinton was often questioned about allegations of sexism in media coverage surrounding her campaign. She once responded: "It's been deeply offensive to millions of women. I believe this campaign has been a groundbreaker in a lot of ways. But it certainly has been challenging given some of the attitudes in the press.” Were media mentalities and reporting really as biased toward Clinton’s gender as has been asserted? This study seeks to answer not only that question, but also to determine whether such bias is unique to a female presidential candidate in the United States. …

Writing Out The Storm : Trauma And The Work Of Composition., Scott L. Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The discourses of "trauma" and "post-trauma" have become pervasive in representations of life as it is lived in contemporary globalized culture. As new media technologies make the world more accessible, we become accustomed to overwhelming social, political, and personal circumstances, and we come to see "trauma" everywhere, all the time. My dissertation project responds to the presence of "trauma" in the writing classroom, as it appears purposefully in pedagogies designed to respond to it, and as it appears naturally through the interests and experiences of students and teachers who come into contact with national, natural, or personal disaster. Specifically, I …

Identifying Group-Sensitive Physical Activities: A Differential Item Functioning Analysis Of Nhanes Data, Yong Gao, Weimo Zhu

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose: To identify subgroup sensitive physical activities using differential item functioning (DIF) analysis.

Methods: A sub-unweighted sample of 1,857 (males = 923 and females = 934) from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Physical Activity (PA) questionnaire data was used for the analyses. Using Mantel-Haenszel, SIBTEST and ANOVA DIF methods, 33 specific leisure-time moderate and/or vigorous PA (MVPA) items were analyzed for DIF across race/ethnicity, gender, education, income and age groups.

Results: Many leisure-time MVPA items were identified as large DIF items. When participating in the same amount of leisure-time MVPAs, non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB) were …

The Materiality Of The Self: A Multimodal, Communicative Approach To Identity, Sachi Sekimoto

Communication ETDs

The purpose of this dissertation is to propose a multimodal approach as an alternative way of theorizing and researching identity. The multimodal approach utilizes four modes of interaction--multidirectional interpellation, spatiality, temporality, and corporealit--to explore the processes of interaction and engagement between an individual and his/her social worlds. The multimodal approach focuses on the materiality of lived experience and the process of interaction and engagement between an individual and his/her social worlds through which his or her identity materializes. I apply the multimodal approach to analyze two autobiographical texts in which the authors deal with Asian identity in different cultural and …

Implementing A Discernment Phase For Those Nominated In The Shepherd Selection Process At The Cinco Ranch Church Of Christ, Aaron Walling

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This doctor of ministry thesis presents the results of a project that implemented a discernment phase for those nominated in the shepherd selection process at the Cinco Ranch Church of Christ. Occurring in the fall of 2010, this project involved nominees in a series of six one-hour, thirty-minute sessions designed to establish the theological foundations for shepherding and to explore its practical expression at Cinco Ranch. For the theological component, this project primarily utilized Ephesians 4:11-16, and for the practical side, it incorporated group interactions with those serving as shepherds along with the review of guiding leadership documents. The project‟s …

The Rhetorics Of Constructing Hiv/Aids In The United States And China: A Comparative Analysis Of Two Online Discussion Forums, Jingwen Zhang

All Theses

This thesis focuses on the cross-cultural comparison of the public rhetorics that construct HIV/AIDS in two online discussion forums from the United States and China. Social constructions of HIV/AIDS have previously been explored in specific countries and cultures; however, comparative studies have rarely been conducted, especially by applying rhetorical cultural analysis focusing on online discourses. Responding to these gaps in research, this study combines two underexplored dimensions -- comparative rhetorical analysis and online discourse -- to show how online communications, metaphors, and topoi identified in discussion forum posts reveal and construct the idea of HIV/AIDS in the public sphere for …

Mobilizing Sentiment: Popular American Women's Fiction Of The Great War, 1914–1922, Sabrina Ehmke Sergeant

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation examines American women’s popular novels about the Great War published between 1914 and 1922, and offers a perspective that complicates our understanding of the American experience of WWI. Drawing on a historical framework that illuminates the subtleties of the nation’s the ever-shifting political stance in response to the European War, this study demonstrates how American response to the war was neither monolithic nor static. This study contributes to current efforts to recover women’s voices in the male-dominated terrain of war writing, and promotes the value of studying noncanonical texts. Rarely considered in scholarship of American war literature, women’s …

Polyphony And Performance In The Poetry Of José María Arguedas, Leslie Bayers

Academic Affairs Faculty and Staff Articles

No abstract provided.

A 'Picture Perfect' Banlieue Artist: Abd Al Malik Or The Perils Of A Conciliatory Rap Discourse In France, Olivier Bourderionnet

Foreign Languages Faculty Publications

This paper concentrates on the media representation of the young rapper Abd Al Malik, whose recent albums Gibraltar (2006) and Dante (2008) have been largely embraced by the Parisian elite. Along with the cultural legitimation that affords Malik’s articulate rap discourse access to a mainstream audience, questions regarding cooptation, authenticity and identity politics reveal strong divides in the French public sphere, as well as the general sense of a preordained space assigned to rap artists in the media. Malik’s artistic vision, successfully blending rap and the most aristocratic of chanson, while asserting a strong multicultural identity, comes across as …

After The Fall: The Post-Apocalyptic Frontier In The Road And 28 Days Later, Jeffrey J. Lavigne

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Previous scholars have identified three scenes of the American frontier myth: the sea, the west, and space. This evolution of frontiers reflected key changes in the expression of America’s cultural identity. While Janice Hocker Rushing called space “the final frontier,” the prominent place in contemporary society held by zombies and other minions of the occult hint at the emergence of yet another scene of the American mythos: the post apocalypse. In contrast to previous frontiers, which are defined geographically, the post-apocalypse is much broader, for in the wake of a global cataclysm, everywhere is a potential frontier. This decentralization of …

Autobiographical Memory And Culture, Qi Wang

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

Autobiographical memory encompasses memory for significant personal experiences and knowledge of the self and, consequently, is critical for personal identity and psychological wellbeing (Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000; Pillemer, 1998). Although autobiographical memory, like many other cognitive faculties, has been traditionally viewed as an individual matter and a product of the mind or brain, research in the past two decades has revealed the central role of culture in human cognition and remembering. Recent theories of autobiographical memory have increasingly emphasized the constructive nature of memory in the cultural context, and empirical findings have further accentuated the influence of culture on autobiographical …

The Oddity As Commodity: Television And The Modern Day Freak Show, Robin Marie Cecala

Dissertations

A new genre of documentary and reality program has appeared on cable television in recent years. Suddenly, little people, conjoined twins, the morbidly obese, Treeman and Mermaid Girl are the new stars of cable. This latest genre features people with medical conditions once exhibited in the turn of the century freak shows.

The goal of this dissertation is to argue that documentary programming on cable is becoming a modern version of the P.T. Barnum-style freak shows. The analysis uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine representations of race, culture and disability. The dissertation also discusses the history of the …

The Effects Of Facial Expression On Out-Group Discrimination, Charles Brendan Clark

Dissertations

The current paper sought to test the hypothesis that the facial expression of smiling would mitigate the effects of out-group discrimination. Study 1 examined the influence of facial expression (smiling or frowning), gender (man or woman), and race (Black or White) on resource allocation decisions. Participants were shown arrays of facial photographs. The arrays all contained eight photographs and were counterbalanced to contain all combinations of the variables of interest (i.e., each group had a smiling man of each race, a smiling woman of each race, a frowning man of each race, and a frowning woman of each race). The …

Assessing The Validity Of The Communalism Scale Using Cultural Groups, Lashawn Thompson

Dissertations

Communalism has become a very important variable for research investigation recently because the field of cultural psychology has been searching for new models to foster a clear understanding of culture or for ways to improve current models. This study investigated the validity of using The Communalism Scale to assess the communal (group focus rather than individual focus) aspect of culture in specific ethnic groups. Until now, the scale was used only with African Americans; however, the current study assessed the validity of the scale with several cultural groups. Results from previous studies have demonstrated clear internal consistency for The Communalism …

Ucc Minutes, May 10, 2011, University Curriculum Council

UCC Agendas/Minutes

No abstract provided.

P̶L̶A̶C̶E̶ : An Artist’S Experience In A Highly Mobile World, Arin Lindstrom

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In this highly mobile world, it is the undefined and in-between spaces encountered, such as while being in a car or train, that characterize the non-place. Traveling across town or across the globe, most of us spend much of our time in these spaces. P̶L̶A̶C̶E: An Artist’s Experience in a Highly Mobile World investigates the external-to-internal experience of moving through the non-place. Explored through my own recent travels, the non-place is analyzed as informed through the cognitive and by imagination; I consider the subjective view to the totality of experience.

In my body of work, I interrogate the non-place through …

The Wisdom Of The Counselor And The Counselor's Perception Of The Therapeutic Working Alliance, Linda Carlyn Osterlund

Dissertations

The therapeutic working alliance has been identified as the most important factor in the outcome of counseling. The therapeutic working alliance is the relationship between the client and the counselor. It is the context in which the counselor builds hope, collaborates on treatment goals and uses selected treatment approaches to best meet the needs of the client. Scholars have suggested that the counselor's personal characteristics contribute to the therapeutic working alliance. Further, researchers have identified wisdom traits as a set of cognitive, affective, and reflective personal characteristics that are interactive, as well as both interpersonal and intrapersonal, which are beneficial …

The Role Of Il-6 In Adenosine-Mediated Pulmonary Fibrosis, Mesias Pedroza

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Adenosine is a purinergic signaling molecule that regulates various aspects of inflammation and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic lung diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated that adenosine up-regulates IL-6 production through the engagement of the A_2B adenosine receptor in various cell types, including alveolar macrophages. IL-6 is elevated in mouse models and humans with chronic lung disease, suggesting a potential role in disease progression. Furthermore, chronic elevation of adenosine in the lungs of adenosine deaminase deficient (Ada^-/-) mice leads to the development of pulmonary inflammation, alveolar destruction, and fibrosis, in conjunction with IL-6 elevation. …

Expression And Regulation Of Human Cytochrome P450 4f Isoforms In Tissue Samples And Under Tnf-Alpha Challenges, Jordan C. Bell

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

CYP4F (Cytochrome P4504F) enzymes metabolize endogenous molecules including leukotrienes, prostaglandins and arachidonic acid. The involvement of these endogenous compounds in inflammation has led to the hypothesis that changes in the inflamed tissue environment may affect the expression of CYP4Fs during the pro-inflammatory state, which in turn may modulate inflammatory conditions during the anti-inflammatory state. We demonstrated that inflamed tissues have different levels of CYP4F isoform expression profiles in a number of human samples when compared to the average population. The CYP4F isoform expression levels change with the degree of inflammation present in tissue. Further investigation in cell culture studies revealed …

May 2011 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Hand Preference For Coordinated Bimanual Actions In 777 Great Apes: Implications For The Evolution Of Handedness In Hominins, William D. Hopkins, Kimberley A. Phillips, A. Bania, S. E. Calcutt, M. Gardner, J. Russell, J. Schaeffer, E. V. Lonsdorf, S. R. Ross, S. J. Schapiro

Psychology Faculty Research

Whether or not nonhuman primates exhibit population-level handedness remains a topic of considerable scientific debate. Here, we examined handedness for coordinated bimanual actions in a sample of 777 great apes including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans. We found population-level right-handedness in chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas, but left-handedness in orangutans. Directional biases in handedness were consistent across independent samples of apes within each genus. We suggest that, contrary to previous claims, population-level handedness is evident in great apes but differs among species as a result of ecological adaptations associated with posture and locomotion. We further suggest that historical views of nonhuman …

Tell Me Who I Am: Representations Of Prostitution And The Construction Of Masculinity In Five Contemporary Asian-American Novels, Deborah Yuki Altgilbers

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation examines the ways five contemporary Asian-American authors portray their protagonists' attempts to construct viable masculine subjectivities contravening popularly sanctioned, institutionally dictated possibilities for social iterability. In each novel, depictions of prostitution and the prostitute as tropes illustrate subordinated, often `failed,' masculinities. Critical attention is called for because prostitution and prostitutes feature prominently and illustrate the existing dearth of representational vehicles available to Asian-American authors to discuss disenfranchisement from U.S. mainstream society while not employing, but arguably exploiting, another group of marginalized individuals to fully realize the gravity of their grievances. In each chapter, the ways Asian-American men are …

Transcendent Outsiders, Alien Gods, And Aspiring Humans: Literary Fantasy And Science Fiction As Contemporary Theological Speculation, Ryan Calvey

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation argues that mainstream discourse on theology and morality often fails to explore the value and credibility of different theological approaches and the possibility of moral evolution and that, as a result, we need to pay more attention to arenas which allow for deeper speculation about theology and morality. Following an observation by Margaret Atwood, I argue that one such space within literature is literary science fiction and fantasy. In my first chapter, I argue that, while some science fiction merely echoes the limitations of mainstream debate, the genres can creatively explore theological questions because, like myth and theology, …

Telaraçñas: Rosa Chacel Y La Narrativa Femenina De La Vanguardia Espaçñola, Lidia Leon-Blazquez

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation analyzes the narrative of Rosa Chacel (Valladolid 1898-Madrid 1994), comparing her to other women writers who participated in vanguard circles in Madrid and Barcelona, including the philosopher MarÇða Zambrano, the painter Remedios Varo, and writers MarÇða Teresa LeÇün, MercÇù Rodoreda, and Concha MǸndez. The analysis focuses on their usage of textile motifs to express their marginalization from the intellectual space of the avant-garde. Specifically, the thesis focuses on Chacel's rage resulting from her efforts to prove that she was a true vanguardist, and her frustration that she was ignored and belittled as a feminine writer. Her frustration is …

Mechanical And Chemical Characterization Of Chitosan Hydroxyapatite Composites, Hani Abdo Mubarez

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Hydroxyapatite is a very interesting ceramic that has been explored recently for various biomedical applications ranging from bone pastes and cements to tissue scaffolds due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, its ceramic behavior makes it hard to use due to its high brittleness. It has been demonstrated in the literature that a composite of Chitosan polymer and hydroxyapatite has high mechanical strength. Chitosan is biocompatible, biodegradable, nontoxic, anti-bacterial, and is soluble in diluted acidic solutions. In this thesis, we study the effects of varying the processing parameters on the mechanical and chemical properties of the composite. The processing parameters …