Digital Commons Network^™

"Ok Girls, The Fbi Is Here- Look Your Best!": The Defining Of Postfeminism In Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Jennifer Lynn Handrop

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This is a qualitative study on E! Entertainment's Keeping Up with the Kardashians. This study explores if and how KUWTK contributes to the definition of postfeminist theory in popular culture and the media. Additionally, this study explores any potential class issues that intersect with postfeminism in KUWTK.

More Than Skin-Deep: Reading Past Whiteness In Hemingway’S “Hills Like White Elephants”, Laura Valeri

Writing & Linguistics: Faculty Publications (1990-2022)

The author argues a much neglected element in the seminal Hemingway's story "Hills Like White Elephant." Reading the story by taking into context a subtext of racial bias lends new interpretation to the story.

Crest In The Nucleus Accumbens Core Regulates Cocaine Conditioned Place Preference, Cocaine-Seeking Behavior, And Synaptic Plasticity, Yasaman Alaghband, Eniko Kramar, Janine L. Kwapis, Earnest S. Kim, Thekla J. Hemstedt, Alberto J. Lopez, Andre O. White, Amni Al-Kachak, Osasumwen V. Aimiuwu, Kasuni K. Bodinayake, Nicole C. Oparaugo, Joseph Han, K. Matthew Lattal, Marcelo A. Wood

Faculty Publications - Psychology Department

Epigenetic mechanisms result in persistent changes at the cellular level that can lead to long-lasting behavioral adaptations. Nucleosome remodeling is a major epigenetic mechanism that has not been well explored with regards to drug-seeking behaviors. Nucleosome remodeling is performed by multi-subunit complexes that interact with DNA or chromatin structure and possess an ATP-dependent enzyme to disrupt nucleosome-DNA contacts and ultimately regulate gene expression. Calcium responsive transactivator (CREST) is a transcriptional activator that interacts with enzymes involved in both histone acetylation and nucleosome remodeling. Here, we examined the effects of knocking down CREST in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core on drug-seeking …

Development And Testing Of A Culturally Tailored Intervention To Promote Hpv Vaccination Intentions In Latina Young Adults, Erica Landrau

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and a known risk factor for cervical cancer. Several HPV vaccines have been approved as a primary prevention option. Vaccine administration is recommended for individuals between the ages of 9 and 26. Despite recommendations to vaccinate and a disproportionately high rate of cervical cancer among Latinas, rates of vaccination remain low among this population. The HPV vaccine consists of three doses applied six months apart. Vaccination initiation and completion rates are particular low among Latina young adults (18-26 years of age) and adolescents (13-17 years …

Efl Teachers' Identities And Their Teaching And Assessment Practices In A Public University Of A Major City In Colombia, Diana Patricia Pineda Montoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This one-year long ethnographic case study seeks to add to the body of literature on EFL teachers' identities in Colombia by drawing on ethnographic methods and sociocultural theories to examine the identity construction of four EFL teachers at the university level. Specifically, this study explores how EFL teachers' identities shaped and were shaped by their teaching and assessment practices. The study was conducted at a public university and involved ethnographic participant-observation with four cátedra teachers (adjunct faculty) situated across five language programs in the Foreign Language Teaching Section (FLTS) of the Department of Languages.

The analysis of multiple data sources …

The Challenges And Outcomes Of Critical Diversity Scholarship, Inge Bleijenbergh, Lize A. E. Booysen, Albert J. Mills

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Faculty Authors & Achievers Bibliography 2018, Luke Vilelle

WRL: Faculty Authors & Achievers Bibliographies

The office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Wyndham Robertson Library congratulate all Hollins faculty who published or presented creative or scholarly works from Fall 2016 - Summer 2018. These pages include a list of those activities.

A Comparison Of English And Turkish Early Years/Kindergarten Teachers’ Understandings Of And Practices In Outdoor Activities, Mehmet Mart

Plymouth Institute of Education Theses

My thesis presents a comparison of English and Turkish Early Years/Kindergarten teachers’ understandings and practices of outdoor activities. Comparative research provides a wider understanding of the two different cultures’ current circumstances in outdoor activities. Such research provides in-depth understanding of educational aspects in different cultures, and produces enhancement opportunities for educational pedagogies (Alexander, 2001). I had been conscious of possible differences in cultural perception of childhood and its temporal effects on historical developments as well as on the way children play and engage in outdoor activities and this informed my approach. This thesis was based on ethnographic research involving two …

Homegrown Teacher Project: Developing An Early Intervention Pipeline For Teachers Of Color, Yadira Moreno

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation aims to explore a solution to address the cultural and racial gap between the teaching force and the student population in California. Homegrown teachers are teachers who return to their community where they were born and educated. Addressing the equity issues faced in public schools begins with exploring the benefits of teachers of color in the classroom.

This action research study followed five homegrown first-generation Latina teachers through a 3-month process of mentoring first-generation Latina sixth-graders who hope of entering the teaching profession in the future. The study was guided by critical pedagogy, a mentoring framework, the critical …

Listening Patterns. From Music To Perception And Cognition, Massimiliano Viel

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The research aims to propose a narrative of the experience of listening and to provide some first examples of its possible application. This is done in three parts. Part One, “Words”, aims to methodologically frame the narrative by discussing the limits and requirements of a theory of listening. After discussing the difficulties of building an objective characterization of the listening experience, the research proposes that any theorization on listening can only express a point of view that is implied by descriptions of listening both in linguistic terms and in the data they involve. The analysis of theories about listening is …

Post African Futures: Decoloniality And Actional Methodologies In Art And Cultural Practices In African Cultures Of Technology, Tegan Mary Bristow

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis addresses the presence and role of critical aesthetic practices by cultural practitioners and creative technologists in addressing cultures of technology in contemporary African societies. Nairobi and Johannesburg are used as primary case studies through which a closer understanding of these unique cultures of technology are unpacked. The learning established from the findings of the cases is applied to understanding the concerns of cultures of technology within these and other African contexts. In this, attention is placed on latent neo-colonialism found in the relationship between African cultures and the networked global information economy being led by technology practices. This …

Gold Griot: Jean-Michel Basquiat Telling (His) Story In Art, Lucinda Ross

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Emerging from an early association with street art during the 1980s, the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat was largely regarded within the New York avant-garde, as ‘an exotic other,’ a token Black artist in the world of American modern art; a perception which forced him to examine and seek to define his sense of identity within art and within society. Drawing upon what he described as his ‘cultural memory,’ Basquiat deftly mixed together fragments of past and present, creating a unique style of painting, based upon his own experiences of contemporary American life blended with a remembering of an African past. This …

‘The Road To Learning’: Re-Evaluating The Mechanics’ Institute Movement, Douglas Robert Watson

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis is a re-evaluation of a movement founded to provide what Samuel Smiles called “the road to learning” for workers in the nineteenth century. Mechanics’ institutes emerged during the 1820s to both criticism and acclaim, becoming part of the physical and intellectual fabric of the age and inspiring a nationwide building programme funded entirely by public subscription. Beginning with a handful of examples in major British cities, they eventually spread across the Anglophone world. They were at the forefront of public engagement with arts, science and technology. This thesis is a history of the mechanics’ institute movement in the …

Curating A Gentleman's Library: Practices Of Acquisition, Display And Disposal In The Cottonian Collection, 1791-1816, Susan Leedham

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis examines the book and archival holdings of the Cottonian Collection – a national designated eighteenth-century collection of fine art and books – between 1791 and 1816, the period of William Cotton II’s custodianship. Prior to this thesis, the Cottonian Collection has not been the subject of a full-length academic study. Whilst the art holdings have received some attention, the book and archival contents have not been examined. This thesis addresses this imbalance by conducting a thorough examination of the archival holdings and the history of the book collection. Taking the actions of the collection’s penultimate private owner, William …

A Study Into The Feasibility Of Using Natural Language Processing And Machine Learning For The Identification Of Alcohol Misuse In Trauma Patients, Andrew Phillips

Master's Theses

Alcohol misuse is a leading cause of premature death in the United States, with nearly a third of trauma patients found to have elevated blood alcohol levels upon admission. However, timely intervention has been shown to reduce this. It is thus important to be able to quickly screen patients to identify alcohol misuse. Many medical centers use standardized questionnaires to identify alcohol misuse, but since these instruments are not usually a part of routine care, there are many cases where it is not done.

In this study, large quantities of notes were processed with natural language processing and machine learning …

The First But Hopefully Not The Last: How The Last Of Us Redefines The Survival Horror Video Game Genre, Joseph T. Gonzales

Senior Independent Study Theses

For this study, I applied generic criticism, which looks at how a text subverts and adheres to patterns and formats in its respective genre, to analyze how The Last of Us redefined the survival horror video game genre through its narrative. Although some tropes are present in the game and are necessary to stay tonally consistent to the genre, I argued that much of the focus of the game is shifted from the typical situational horror of the monsters and violence to the overall narrative, effective dialogue, strategic use of cinematic elements, and character development throughout the course of the …

The Influence Of Exposure To Unbalanced Sex Ratios On Perceived Vocal Attractiveness, Taylor N. Sikich

Senior Independent Study Theses

The population sex ratio greatly impacts human behavior, especially mating patterns. Recent research shows that visual exposure to unbalanced sex ratios influences perceived facial attractiveness for opposite-sex faces. When opposite-sex faces are scarce in exposure, subsequent opposite-sex faces are rated as more attractive than when they are plentiful during exposure. The current work examines an auditory analog of this effect by exposing listeners to unbalanced ratios of male and female voices and measuring the perceived attractiveness of subsequently presented opposite sex voices. A 2x2 ANOVA was conducted with participant sex and sex ratio exposure as the between-subject factors. Results showed …

Food For Thought: The Effects Of Past And Present Food Insecurity On Subjective Well-Being And Child Behavior, Jena C. Styka

Senior Independent Study Theses

Food insecurity arises when one does not have physical, social, or economic access to safe, sufficient, and nutritious food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (2016), food insecurity affects 15.6 million U.S. households. Its effects go beyond the physical consequences that might arise from not having adequate nutrition, influencing subjective well-being and behavior in both adults and children. This 2 x 2 quasi-experiment investigated how current and prior food insecurity influenced depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, and happiness in parents, as well as how it influenced child behavior. Results indicated that prior experiences of food insecurity resulted in …

Americanized Chinese Dishes As Heritage Food And Bridging Identities, Megu Itoh

Senior Independent Study Theses

Chinese food has become ingrained in the lives of everyday Americans. But while ordering Chinese takeout is now an ordinary occurrence, Chinese food culture still experiences the lasting consequences of discrimination in the United States. First viewed as the uncivilized other and later as the exotic other, the status of Chinese food has shifted overtime. Chinese food has also experienced changes in its actual form, adapting to the American palate by adjusting flavor and presentation. My research explores the ways in which this Americanized Chinese food has impacted the identities of Chinese restaurant workers, and continues to manifest change within …

Interculturality And Teacher Education. A Study From Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspective, Eva F. Hinojosa Pareja, M. Carmen López López

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Due to the multicultural nature of society and the failure of some of the educational models adopted to respond to cultural diversity, there is a need to pay greater attention to teachers’ training. This study examines Teacher Education students’ beliefs about cultural diversity and their relationship with pre-service teacher training as key aspects in designing intercultural teacher training proposals and improving educational practice. This quantitative, descriptive study was carried out with 1464 participants enrolled in teacher training programs. The results show that future teachers have positive beliefs about cultural diversity in general terms, but their positions diverge when dealing with …

Historical Consciousness, The Cultural Imaginary And Postcolonial Subjectivity In Ruth Ozeki's A Tale For The Time Being, Cassandra S. Curatolo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project fuses personal narrative and literary criticism, as it excavates Ruth Ozeki’s representations of Japanese culture in the novel A Tale for the Time Being. I argue that her use of stereotype unsettles popular images of Japan by constructing characters who challenge the hegemonic gaze of the Western cultural imaginary. My reading connects continuing investment in these stereotypical representations to the postmodern epoch, where individuals and society as a whole have become incapable of dealing with the past. I explore the links between postmodern amnesia, the disappearance of a multiplicity of perspectives in history and the inclination of …

Exploring Relational Ethics And Care: A Longitudinal Study Of A Hong Kong Cellist's Marriage Disintegration And Identity Change, Annabella S K Fung Ms

The Qualitative Report

I am a survivor of divorce. When I visited Hong Kong, a mutual friend introduced me to a cellist going through a divorce as a participant for my research which investigates music learning and identity of Chinese musicians. My research took a different path because I decided to explore how she constructed meaning through divorce, leading to her identity change. I referred her to counselling and supported her through regular messaging. Research is more than just data collection; the wounded-healer standing by the wounded is therapeutic for both of us. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study reports our conversations, …

The Association Between Urinary Alzheimer-Associated Neuronal Thread Protein And Cognitive Impairment In Late-Life Depression: A Controlled Pilot Study, Qing-E Zhang, Sihai Ling, Peng Li, Saina Zhang, Chee H. Ng, Gabor S. Ungvari, Liang-Jen Wang, Sheng-Yu Lee, Gang Wang, Yu-Tao Xiang

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Accumulation of tau protein is associated with both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and late-life depression (LLD). Alzheimer-associated neuronal thread protein (AD7c-NTP), which is closely linked with the tau protein, is elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid and urine of AD patients. This study examined the association between urinary AD7c-NTP and late-life depression with cognitive impairment. One hundred and thirty-eight subjects were recruited into late-life depression with cognitive impairment (LLD-CI, n=52), late-life depression without cognitive impairment (LLD-NCI, n=29), AD (n=27), and healthy control (HC, n=30) groups. The level of urinary AD7c-NTP was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment …

Tracing Writer/Reader Identity In, And In Response To, Queer Latinx Autohistoria-Teorìa, Corrina Wells

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This project examines how diverse representation changes the discourse around queer latinx identities. This project extends theories of representation that show how a text changes the imaginary of the reader through a two-part methodology. First, through explicating Spit & Passion and A Cup of Water Under My Bed, this project examines how these texts construct a readers’ imaginary. Then, through a corresponding qualitative assessment on readers’ responses to the texts, this project identifies the extent to which the texts change the beliefs and understandings of a small group of students. Articulating an ecology of identity using the texts under examination, …

The Culture Of Misdemeanor Courts, Jessica A. Roth

Articles

The misdemeanor courts that preside over the majority of criminal cases in the United States represent the “front porch” of our criminal justice system. These courts vary in myriad ways, including size, structure, and method of judicial appointment. Each also has its own culture – i.e., a settled way of doing things that reflects deeper assumptions about the court’s mission and its role in the community – which can assist or impede desired policy reforms. This Article, written for a Symposium issue of the Hofstra Law Review, draws upon the insights of organizational culture theory to explore how leaders can …

Understanding The Role Of Local Food In Sustaining Chinese Destinations, Qian Chen, Rong Huang

Plymouth Business School

No abstract provided.

Rhizomatic Mnemosyne: Warburg, Serres, And The Atlas Of Hermes, María Del Carmen Molina Barea

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

This essay aims to examine Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas according to two conceptual perspectives that seem deeply interwoven, Deleuze and Guattari’s notion of rhizome and Michel Serres’s metaphor on Hermes. Both theoretical approaches cast light on the epistemological implications of the Mnemosyne Atlas and explore its intriguing composition from an innovative point of view. Specifically, this paper excavates the disrupted nature of the Warburgian Atlas, paying particular attention to the schizophrenic proliferation of unexpected connections. In this scenario, it will be necessary to elucidate the terminological opposition between ‘atlas’ and ‘archive,’ as studied by Boris Groys, Foucault, and Derrida, …

Yangzhou Latin Tombstones: A Christian Mirror Of Yuan China Society, Mengtian Bai

Honors Papers

In 1950s, two fourteenth-century tombstones with Latin inscriptions were discovered in Yangzhou, China. Both tombstones were made for an Italian merchant family. The tombstones bear Christian iconography such as the Last Judgment, the Virgin and Child and the martyrdom of St. Catherine of Alexandria, while non-western details are represented as well, including the Mongol garments, Chinese furniture and Islamic and Nestorian gravestones. My research considers the dynamic matrices of various religious and ethnic groups, which concomitantly arrived in Yuan China under an overarching control of the Mongol Empire. By valorizing the pictorial language on the tombstones, I will illustrate how …

Purifying The Sacred: How Hindu Nationalism Reshapes Environmentalism In Contemporary India, Owen Dunton Ellerkamp

Honors Papers

The transposition of the cultural, religious, and sacred onto physical geographies is practiced by humans everywhere as landscapes are canvases for meaning making and integral placeholders of histories. In the Indian context, this practice is distinct for several reasons. Scholars of Hindu traditions recognize that the place-oriented disposition and centrality of land to Hindu traditions and cultures is unprecedented and integral to identity formation in modern India. As India faces increasing environmental degradation, the preservation of “sacred geographies” is especially crucial to the identity of Hindu traditions. The rise of Hindu nationalist (Hindutva) political parties (e.g., the Bharatiya Janata Party …

Horror Without End: Narratives Of Fear Under Modern Capitalism, Andrés Emil González

Honors Papers

Across the world, capitalist and neoliberal economic policies have trapped communities in chaotic cycles of boom and bust. bell hooks writes about this chaos of connected systems of economic and social domination, “this is what the worship of death looks like.” The aim of this project is to explore points of formal association between popular horror media, or narratives of fear, and the politically unconscious beliefs, dreams, and knowledges of subaltern classes that live and tell stories under a social order that demands either complicity or silence. These narratives of fear demonstrate how certain political discourses are, and have been, …