Digital Commons Network^™

Thoughts On Film: Critically Engaging With Both Adorno And Benjamin, Laura D'Olimpio

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

There is a traditional debate in analytic aesthetics that surrounds the classification of film as Art. While much philosophy devoted to considering film has now moved beyond this debate and accepts film as a mass art, a sub-category of Art proper, it is worth re-considering the criticism of film pre-Deleuze. Much of the criticism of film as pseudo-art is expressed in moral terms. T. W. Adorno, for example, critiques film as ‘mass-cult’; mass produced culture which presents a ‘flattened’ version of reality. Adorno worries about the passivity encouraged in viewers. Films are narrative artworks, received by an audience in a …

Virtuous Soldiers: A Role For The Liberal Arts?, Matthew Beard

Philosophy Papers and Journal Articles

The modern soldier is faced with a complex moral and psychological landscape. As Nancy Sherman puts it in The Untold War: Inside the Hearts and Minds of our Soldiers, ‘soldiers go to war to fight external enemies… but most fight inner wars as well.’ The modern soldier is no longer simply a warrior: he (or she) is at once a peacekeeper, diplomat, leader, sibling and friend. In the face of such challenges, some responsible for the teaching of soldiers have endeavoured to incorporate a character-based training programme, designed to develop virtues that will assist soldiers in fulfilling the multiple …

Healthy Teen Scholars, Kristely Bastien, Alexandra Bradley, Katherine Brady, Sara Chun, Dara Fulstone, Semira Kassashun, Nick Ryan, Mills Wallace, Merissa Zeman

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Wonder Drugs To Hot New Diets: Knowledge Is Power! Adult Health Literacy, Adnan Ahmeduddin, Mary Grace Bowring, Kelly Davis, Indra Gomez, Sarah Halle, Courtney Middlebrook, Molly Sadowsky, Lauren Shauger, Lauren Violette

ISCOPES Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Mediation Analysis Of Gestational Age, Congenital Heart Defects, And Infant Birth-Weight, Adane Wogu, Christopher Loffredo, Ionut Bebu, George Luta

GW Biostatistics Center

Background

In this study we assessed the mediation role of the gestational age on the effect of the infant’s congenital heart defects (CHD) on birth-weight.

Methods

We used secondary data from the Baltimore-Washington Infant Study (1981–1989). Mediation analysis was employed to investigate whether gestational age acted as a mediator of the association between CHD and reduced birth-weight. We estimated the mediated effect, the mediation proportion, and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) using several methods.

Results

There were 3362 CHD cases and 3564 controls in the dataset with mean birth-weight of 3071 (SD = 729) and 3353 (SD = 603) …

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (Nasis) 2013-2014 Methodology Report, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

This report presents a detailed account of the design and fielding of the 2013-2014 Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS). Users of the 2013-2014 NASIS data will find it an important reference source for answers to questions about methodology. The Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey was conceived as a vehicle both for producing current, topical information about Nebraskans and also for monitoring change in quality of life. As in earlier surveys, NASIS 2013-2014 was a joint effort of the Department of Sociology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and a variety of public agencies. While the final responsibility for the …

Crime, Income Inequality, And Density At The Neighborhood Level, Andrew Hovel

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

An economic model of crime gives policymakers a basis to understand how income inequality and population density relate to crime at the neighborhood level. This study reveals a negative and significant relationship between population density in Census tracts and both property and violent crime rates. It finds ambiguous results that vary by city for income inequality. This cross-sectional analysis of Census tracts in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas uses crime and demographic data from the National Neighborhood Crime Study. This study also yields interesting results about the importance of residential stability for crime prevention and comments on possible urban …

Are We More Racist Than We Think? Recognition Of Racism And Racial Microaggressions, Lydia Ricard

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Racism is discriminatory behavior rooted in history and fostered by institutional power. Current theory and research posits that different types of racism have developed over time, such as overt, implicit, symbolic, and aversive racism. The concept of racial microagressions has developed from these theories. Microaggressions are defined by Sue (2010) as subtle and commonplace environmental, verbal, and behavioral indignities that convey negative, hostile, or derogative slights toward people of color. This study examines the ability to recognize racism, as well as relationships between the ability to recognize racism and factors of White privilege awareness, attitudes toward diversity, and ability to …

Modeling Tolerance In Dynamic Social Networks, Amanda Luby

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

The study of social networks has become increasingly important in recent years. Multi-agent systems research has proven to be an effective way of representing both static and dynamic social networks in order to model and analyze many different situations. Previous implementations of multi-agent systems have observed a phenomenon called tolerance between agents through simulation studies, which is defined as an agent maintaining an unrewarding connection. This concept has also arisen in the social sciences through the study of networks. We aim to bridge this gap between simulation studies in multi-agent systems and real-world observations. This project explores how local interactions …

Disconnected/Connected: On The ‘Look’ And The ‘Gaze’ Of Cell Phones, Ian Reyes, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Jennnifer Bonoff

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

Informed by nonparticipant observations of public cell phone use, we offer a Lacanian theorization of common social scenes involving mobile communication technologies. Identifying paradoxes of the mobile mediascape, such as connected versus disconnected and public versus private, we turn to Lacan’s distinction between the look and the gaze to read and reconcile these tensions. Moving beyond understanding cell phones as fetish objects, we use Lacan’s theory of the gaze as a means to understand the existential dilemma, a lack of being, which underwrites the pleasures of consumption. At the heart of the matter is how cell phones mobilize users’ desires …

Undergraduate Education Background And Ethical Decision Making, Ian H. King

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

This research study sought to identify differences in ethical decision making between individuals with a liberal arts educational background and a business educational background. The study surveyed undergraduate degree students from liberal arts and business school programs. The Defining Issues Test, Version 2 (DIT-2) was given to respondents to identify differences of the DIT-2 results among the study participants consisting of undergraduate seniors. The research results yielded significantly higher mean postcoventional moral judgment scores by the liberal arts majors compared to the business majors.

Mart 342.50: Art And Science Of Interactive Games, Louey Winkler

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Enrollment Data, Office Of Institutional Research And Effectiveness, Mississippi State University

Bulldog Basics

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Sharing And Social Media: Altruism, Perceived Online Attachment Motivation, And Perceived Online Relationship Commitment, Will W.K. Ma, Albert Chan

Support & Other Units (THEi)

Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have become extremely popular. Facebook, for example, has more than a billion registered users and thousands of millions of units of information are shared every day, including short phrases, articles, photos, and audio and video clips. However, only a tiny proportion of these sharing units trigger any type of knowledge exchange that is ultimately beneficial to the users. This study draws on the theory of belonging and the intrinsic motivation of altruism to explore the factors contributing to knowledge sharing behavior. Using a survey of 299 high school students applying for university after …

Domestic Violence Prevention In Gauteng, South Africa, Christina Spoons, Mark Gordon

2010-2016 Archived Posters

A review of literature revealed a gap in research on effective ways to promote domestic violence prevention strategies in the region on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa, where unofficial settlements are being built near established communities and contributing to the problem. This case study used purposeful sampling of eight key informants in a prevention program designed to both implement strategies to prevent domestic violence and assist those who have experienced violent acts.

Mental Health Help Seeking Among Filipinos: A Review Of The Literature, Antover P. Tuliao

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This study aims to provide a review of potential barriers to seeking mental health services among Filipinos. Research on help-seeking behavior s among Filipinos living in the Philippines and other countries (e.g., US, Canada, and Australia) suggest that mental health services in the Philippines are inaccessible and monetarily prohibitive, and beliefs about the aetiology and nature of mental illness are inconsistent with the medical model. Other cultural variables such as shame, stigma, and collectivist beliefs also discourage Filipinos from seeking help from mental health professionals. Furthermore, these variables could account for the preference for folk healers and lay networks in …

Defining Collaborative Science In An Age Of Translational Medicine, Gaetano R. Lotrecchiano

Clinical Research and Leadership Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Hiv Testing Implementation In Two Urban Cities: Practice, Policy, And Perceived Barriers., Camden J Hallmark, Jennifer Skillicorn, Thomas P Giordano, Jessica A Davila, Marlene Mcneese, Nestor Rocha, Avemaria Smith, Stacey Cooper, Amanda D. Castel

Epidemiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Although funding has supported the scale up of routine, opt-out HIV testing in the US, variance in implementation mechanisms and barriers in high-burden jurisdictions remains unknown.

METHODS: We conducted a survey of health care organizations in Washington, DC and Houston/Harris County to determine number of HIV tests completed in 2011, policy and practices associated with HIV testing, funding mechanisms, and reported barriers to testing in each jurisdiction and to compare results between jurisdictions.

RESULTS: In 2012, 43 Houston and 35 DC HIV-testing organizations participated in the survey. Participants represented 85% of Department of Health-supported testers in DC and 90% …

Observers, Community And Legal Members On Rebs: Examining The Ethics Of The Regulators Of Ethical Conduct In Research Involving Humans, Igor Gontcharov

Osgoode Legal Studies Research Paper Series

This paper discusses the challenges of non-scientific members of Research Ethics Boards (REBs) – observers, community, and legal members – in establishing ethics review as an institution that seeks to go beyond peer review in research involving humans. By focusing on the processes of fragmentation and specialization in REB membership, it contributes to an understanding of the ethics of the regulators of ethical conduct in research involving humans. Since the study of REBs poses a number of ethical and research challenges, the paper also discusses participant observation as a methodology for examining the governance of knowledge production in research involving …

Observations On History, Law, And The Rise Of The New Jim Crow In State-Level Immigration Law And Policy For Latinos, Tom I. Romero

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

This essay works to connect the history of local enforcement of immigration law and policy against Mexican migrants and Mexican American citizens and its relationship to the creation and perpetuation of what Michelle Alexander has described as a redesigned caste system in the United States. As state and local government authorities then and now sought to define and respond to a “Mexican menace” as the failed enforcement of federal immigration law, such law and policy challenged not only Congress’s seemingly settled plenary power to determine who had license and permission to be in the United States but also who had …

Preface To Digital Reprint, Reynaldo F. Macias

NACCS Annual Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

University Of New Hampshire Graduate Course Catalog, 2014-2015, University Of New Hampshire

Graduate Catalog

No abstract provided.

Loud: Critical Practice Of Film, Sounds, And Environmental Conservation, Liat Krongrad

Theses & ETDs

This paper places my short, fictional, character-driven, thesis film Loud in environmental and cultural context. Loud observes the ways in which information and industry technologies such as cars, trains, refrigerators, radios, televisions, computers, and cell phones transform subjectivity. The nonlinear meta-narrative, the images, the sounds, and the editing techniques are all infused with metaphor and symbolism. Loud communicates environmental issues in a visceral, profoundly emotional manner. This paper discusses the environmental issues at hand -- whale strikes and noise pollution. Then, it goes on to discuss several filmmakers and musicians who have inspired the content and techniques used for the …

Challenging Motherhood Ideals: Impression Management In Rett Mom Blogs, Corey Rodda

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I explore how mothers of girls with Rett syndrome use blogs to portray their identity. I perform a content analysis of eight blogs written by mothers of “Rett girls” and code the data to determine how the bloggers reveal themselves through impression management. From this content analysis, I determine that mothers often shared their negative emotional experiences and the conflicting sources of knowledge that they had to sift through while caring for their daughters. Intensive mothering ideologies and the unique experience of caring for a daughter with Rett syndrome impact bloggers’ maternal identities. They must balance fitting …

The Social Construction Of The Electric Car: An Environmental Perspective, Tyler Scott Neumann

Theses & ETDs

This thesis uses a Social Construction of Technology (SCOT) approach to build a multidirectional model of the development of the electric car. This analysis produces a constructivist theory for the development of the electric car today. There are many environmental themes present throughout this thesis, and a critical analysis of the environmental impacts of electric cars. The product of this analysis is the identification of all the perceived issues, relative to individual social groups, with the electric car, and provides solutions to those problems. The challenge of this paper, and of the SCOT framework, is to relate the solutions provided …

Performance Dialogues: Conversations In Poetry And Dance, Rebekah Moriah Bray

Theses & ETDs

This thesis was concerned with the problem of identifying a relationship between poetry and dance as performance arts. The first chapter explored historical developments among the arts of poetry, music, and dance to suggest that these areas, though distinct, are also harmonious. The second chapter of this thesis was an exercise in interdisciplinary experimentation through the conception and production of a poetry and dance performance. The final chapter of this thesis argues for the recognition of poetry and dance as languages in dialogue with their audiences. Through the process of researching and writing this thesis I discovered evidence to support …

Behind Blue Eyes: The Psychological Profiles Of Dostoevsky’S Criminals, Emily Bolotin

Theses & ETDs

This thesis analyzes two of Dostoevsky’s criminal characters: Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov of Crime and Punishment (1866) and Ivan Karamazov of The Brothers Karamazov (1880). In Dostoevsky’s criminal novels, the psychological profiles of the murderers reflect the toll that innate morality and societal expectations have on a person’s conscience. The artistic merit of these works is measured against Dostoevsky’s personal experiences and journalism with the legal system. The difference in the portrayal of these systems written nearly twenty years apart depicts Dostoevsky’s predictions, and ultimate realization of his predictions, of the 1864 reforms. Dostoevsky’s compelling representations of philosophies that conflict with …

Common Ground And Discursive Justification: Approaching The Traditional Epistemological Questions From An Untraditional Angle, Ryan Simonelli

Theses & ETDs

One of the classic issues in the field of epistemology is the question of how we are justified in holding the beliefs that we do in fact hold. Traditionally, epistemologists, drawing from the tradition of Descartes and Locke, have thought that this question is to be answered purely by internal reflection. In this thesis, I argue for a conception of justification that takes its explanatory starting point on the social practices surrounding the act of discursive justification, turning the traditional individualist conception of justification on its head. This often been seen as a mere changing of the subject from the …

Whose City? Live Music And Urban Development In Sarasota, Florida, David W. Baker

Theses & ETDs

In this ethnography I examine the interactions between Sarasota's urban landscape and its “music scene,” a sphere of activities that are linked by their orientation around performance events featuring live music. My fieldwork focused on the experience of local musicians who write and perform original material. After Henri Lefebvre, musical culture is considered a simultaneously sonic, spatial, and social process that manifests in a series of event-based iterations. I attempt to trace a narrative that understands both recent history and current conflicts as a rhythmic interplay among images of the city, political institutions, economic webs, social networks, population movements, and …

“Why Are There No Black Kids At Southside And No White Kids At Booker?”: Teachers’ Opinions On The Educational Achievement Gap In The City Of Sarasota, Grace Fisher

Theses & ETDs

In our current society, the work of teachers has often been criticized and devalued. So much so that much of the existing literature on the educational achievement gap fails to include their opinions on the matter. Therefore, my work examined Sarasota teachers’ opinions on the educational achievement gap. I used semi-structured interviews of eight elementary school teachers to show the teachers’ understanding of the cause of the gap and to explain these voices in relation to the existing literature. I find that teachers believe the achievement gap is influenced more by social class than preconceived beliefs of race. Social class, …