Digital Commons Network^™

Process-Based Modelling Shows How Climate And Demography Shape Language Diversity, Michael C. Gavin, Thiago F. Rangel, Claire Bowern, Robert K. Colwell, Kathryn R. Kirby, Carlos A. Botero, Michael Dunn, Robert R. Dunn, Joe Mccarter, Marco Tulio Pacheco Coelho, Russell D. Gray

Biology Faculty Research

Aim

Two fundamental questions about human language demand answers: why are so many languages spoken today and why is their geographical distribution so uneven? Although hypotheses have been proposed for centuries, the processes that determine patterns of linguistic and cultural diversity remain poorly understood. Previous studies, which relied on correlative, curve-fitting approaches, have produced contradictory results. Here we present the first application of process-based simulation modelling, derived from macroecology, to examine the distribution of human groups and their languages.

Location

The Australian continent is used as a case study to demonstrate the power of simulation modelling for identifying processes shaping …

Addressing Cultural Bias In The Legal Profession, Debra Chopp

Articles

Over the past two decades, there has been an outpouring of scholarship that explores the problem of implicit bias. Through this work, commentators have taken pains to define the phenomenon and to describe the ways in which it contributes to misunderstanding, discrimination, inequality, and more. This article addresses the role of implicit cultural bias in the delivery of legal services. Lawyers routinely represent clients with backgrounds and experiences that are vastly different from their own, and the fact of these differences can impede understanding, communication, and, ultimately, effective representation. While other professions, such as medicine and social work, have adopted …

Being Native American In Business: Culture, Identity, And Authentic Leadership In Modern American Indian Enterprises, Daniel Daniel Stewart, Amy K. Verbos, Carolyn Birmingham, Stephanie L. Black, Joseph Gladstone

Management Faculty Publications (Archived)

Tribally-owned American Indian enterprises provide a unique cross-cultural setting for emerging Native American business leaders. This paper examines the manner in which American Indian leaders negotiate the boundaries between their indigenous organizations and the non-indigenous communities in which they do business. Through a series of qualitative interviews, we find that American Indian business leaders fall back on a strong sense of “self”, which allows them to maintain effective leadership across boundaries. This is highly consistent with theories of authentic leadership. Furthermore, we find that leaders define self through their collective identity, which is heavily influenced by tribal affiliation and tribal …

Demonic Possession And Fractured Patriarchies In Contemporary Fundamentalist Horror, Lindsey Slanker

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a survey of contemporary horror films from the perspective of fundamentalist American audiences. Using Judith Butler’s work on gender performativity and religious studies scholarship as framework, I investigate how five visual texts perpetuate patriarchal family structures. The five texts I explore are The Last Exorcism (2010), The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016), The Witch: A New England Folk Tale (2015), and The Exorcist television series (2016). In each chapter, I analyze a key family member per patriarchal norms, and how violations of these norms contribute to the family’s supernatural crisis. The figures I analyze for …

You Can’T Walk Where There Is No Ground, Paul Stoller

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Culture On Hiv Disclosure Among Gay Asian Males, David C. Doan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV-positive, Asian Pacific Islander (API) men who have sex with men (MSM) experience triple minority stigma including HIV, sexual orientation, and minority ethnicity. To date, there is no research that examines the influence of cultural factors, level of acculturation, social determinants of health, and other confounding variables (e.g., age, education, level of income, and length of time since diagnosis) on HIV-positive disclosure behaviors, attitudes, and intentions to casual sexual partners for API MSM. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Hofstede's original cultural values and Triandis's cultural dimensions. In this 2-phase, mixed methods, sequential explanatory study, 24 API …

Truth Telling Beyond Borders: An African Perspective, John Twinomujuni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation focuses on answering the question of how can patient’s autonomy, privacy and liberty be safeguarded especially within cultures that do not regard them as primordial principles? In some communities, truth-telling is one of the moral principles unquestioningly inherited from the West. The dissertation will try to compare African and Western perspectives. The African perspective has been chosen to explore through this search hoping that such venture would help in showing how the issue of truth-telling may be approached from such perspective. For instance in the African communalism based on the cardinal point that “I am because we are; …

Evaluating Satisfaction Of Participants Within The Outreach And Engagement Program Of Mecca, Farrah K. Khaleghi

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to provide literature on community-based programs and correlated participant satisfaction, to examine the factors that contribute to participant satisfaction within community-based programs, and to evaluate outcomes of participant satisfaction for MECCA’s O&E program, as well as reflection on components of the O&E program that produce satisfaction ratings. The primary research question of the present study was: Were participants satisfied with their participant in MECCA’s O&E program for both fiscal years and if so, what factors may have contributed to their satisfaction? Through use of description analyses on outcomes of the Participant Satisfaction Survey from MECCA’s six …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Which Examines The Relationship Between Positive Educational Outcomes Of American Indian Women Serving In The Pow Wow Princess Role, Casey Fox

Theses and Dissertations

The negative statistics pertaining to American Indian women education should cause concern for everyone. The data reflect that American Indian women graduate high school behind all other demographic categories. In contrast, all participants of this study graduated high school and ascended to various levels of higher education. This paradox lends itself to further investigation despite opposing views of some scholars who believe there is nothing more to add. This research explored the existence of a correlation between culture and education for American Indian women who served in the pow wow princess role. Members of the American Indian women were called-upon …

New Black Boxes: Technologically Mediated Intercultural Rhetorical Encounters On The U.S.-Mexico Border, Beau Scott Pihlaja

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Activity theory (AT) and actor-network theory (ANT) as theoretical frameworks begin their analysis of the world with the concept of "actors" engaged in activity towards some objective and with other actors in the human and non-human world. In this project, I use AT and ANT to analyze the mediating effect of communication technologies in intercultural rhetorical contexts, in this case a binational small business, and address two questions: 1.) How do common communication technologies (email, phone, IM chat, texting applications) define and transform intercultural rhetorical encounters? And 2.) How do individuals rhetorically engage perceived cultural others using common communication technologies …

The Relationship Between Transmission Of Sexual Knowledge, Sexual Attitude, And Culture, Esther M. Hooley

Dissertations

Purpose

Sexual knowledge is important for healthy development of adolescents and adults. Currently, there is no consistent mode of introducing the topic of sex to an individual who has not previously learned about the topic. If a shift were to occur in transmission of sexual knowledge, whether by creating a consistent mode, a culture-specific mode, or focusing on sexual attitude rather than behavior, future populations would be positively influenced. If the educational system, religious organizations, and families could be informed of an appropriate and meaningful way to communicate sexual knowledge to adolescents, negative sexual outcomes have the potential to decrease …

Cultural Differences In Attention: Eye Movement Evidence From A Comparative Visual Search Task., Albandri Alotaibi, Geoffrey Underwood, Alastair D. Smith

School of Psychology

Individual differences in visual attention have been linked to thinking style: analytic thinking (common in individualistic cultures) is thought to promote attention to detail and focus on the most important part of a scene, whereas holistic thinking (common in collectivist cultures) promotes attention to the global structure of a scene and the relationship between its parts. However, this theory is primarily based on relatively simple judgement tasks. We compared groups from Great Britain (an individualist culture) and Saudi Arabia (a collectivist culture) on a more complex comparative visual search task, using simple natural scenes. A higher overall number of fixations …

Contextualizing The Relationship Between Culture And Puerto Rican Health: Towards A Place-Based Framework Of Minority Health Disparities, Giovani Burgos, Fernando I. Rivera, Marc A. Garcia

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In both the culture of poverty literature and the acculturation literature, Puerto Ricans are portrayed in negative terms. The culture of poverty framework attributes Puerto Rican poverty to the mental, behavioral, and moral pathology of Puerto Rican individuals and to Puerto Rican culture. Similarly, outdated acculturation frameworks also trace the poor health of immigrants and racialized minorities, such as Puerto Ricans, to equivalent perceived deficiencies. In this paper, we argue that both the culture of poverty and acculturation frameworks are two pillars of the White Racial Frame (Feagin 2009) that sustains racial inequality in the United States. To build our …

Culture As A Tool Of Exclusion: An Analysis Of Mathieu Kassovitz's La Haine, Abigail Maccumber

Scripps Senior Theses

Using the film La Haine (1995), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, as an object of analysis, this paper explores culture as a tool of exclusion in France through sociological, architectural, and political contexts. It investigates La Haine as one of the first representations of the banlieue to mainstream French audiences, as well as the ways in which the film reveals how immigrants and children of immigrants struggle to find personal, cultural, and national identity in France.

Perubahan Budaya Kerja Pertanian Lahan Kering Atoni Pah Meto Di Kabupaten Timor Tengah Utara, Damasius Sasi

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The goal of the study is to review changes in dryland farming culture of atoni pah meto in North Center Timor District caused by global climate changes. The research method used was qualitative descriptive: the data collecting method used was interviews, observations, and the document study. Research results prove that the atoni pah meto which consists of eighteen farming rituals, five work patterns, work division between genders, and work ethos, has shifted. It is caused by the interaction of atoni pah meto with other nations, tribes, and ethnic groups, further affected by global climate changes. Climate changes have made a …

Body Beyond Boundaries: An Auto-Ethnography On My Embodied Culture In My Work As A Dance/Movement Therapy Intern Practicing In Another Culture, Akanksha Mishra

Creative Arts Therapies Theses

This auto-ethnographic study explored how embodied cultural knowledge impacts my work as a dance/movement therapy intern, practicing in a culture different from my own. As the sole participant in the study, I am a 23 year old female, international student at Columbia College Chicago. I am originally from New Delhi, India and moved to the United States to pursue my Master’s degree. My dance/movement therapy internship was at a high school in the Northwest region of Chicago, United States. This qualitative study included data collection methods of journaling, art making and creating a movement narrative over a period of eight …

Working With Global Virtual Teams: A Case Study Reality Check On Intercultural Communication Best Practices, Karin L. Goettsch

Global Advances in Business Communication

In today’s global workplaces, when best practices in intercultural communication are not implemented or fail to live up to their promise, team reality checks can be a sobering reminder of the many interwoven complexities of international business communication. This global virtual team (GVT) case study highlights best practices and compares realities related to execution. The discussion includes strategies for effective intercultural teams and reflections on how the multiple roles one may be playing – of researcher, educator or practitioner – influence one’s perspective. This article will discuss two facets of this intercultural communication case: first, it highlights recommendations and strategies …

Language, Culture, And Identity Negotiation: Perspectives Of Adolescent Japanese Sojourner Students In The Midwest, Usa, Reiko Akiyama

Open Access Dissertations

This qualitative research highlights the voices and lived experiences of adolescent Japanese sojourner students and their mothers residing in the Midwest. The central goals of this research are to understand what adolescent Japanese sojourner students’ school experiences in the U.S. are like—particularly in areas with small Japanese populations—and how their experiences in the U.S. shape their current identities as cultural and linguistic minority students. This research also aims to learn how the students’ sojourning experiences influenced their mindsets as future returnee students. I conducted an in-depth case study with a phenomenographic approach as the theoretical framework to deeply investigate the …

Utilizing Culturally Congruent Educational Interventions To Improve Native American Diabetic Outcomes, Laurie Ann Hamilton

Doctoral Projects

Native Americans suffer from diabetes type II at a proportionately higher rate than other populations. Management of diabetes in this population is problematic and compounded by multiple influences such as socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic variables. The purpose of this DNP project was to investigate cultural influences on Native American diabetic outcomes.

Do cultural influences act as barriers to diabetic medication, diet and education understanding? Would a Native American nurse applied education on medication, diet and exercise improve diabetic outcomes in a 3 month period?

A convenience sample of 6 Native American participants obtained at a primary care clinic were given …

What, Why, And How Much?: The Integration Of Culture In The Secondary Foreign Language Classroom, Danielle Patricia Asay

Theses and Dissertations

Culture is an integral part of the FL classroom, yet teachers often face difficulties when incorporating it into their curricula. This survey study gathered data from teachers of many different languages, including ASL, all at the secondary level in the state of Utah. The study attempts to describe how secondary FL teachers view the role of culture in language teaching. It also details which models, means, or methods teachers use to communicate culture to their students, as well as the amount of culture included in their lesson planning, instruction, and assessment. Factors that contribute to more culture inclusion in the …

We Are What We Ate: Southern Food And Southern Cooking, Alyssa Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Southern cooking is fluid–ever-changing, influential, and influenced by both Southerners and non-Southerners alike. In this thesis, I explore what constitutes Southern cooking. The foods, cooking methods, and acquisition of foodstuffs and ingredients influence Southerners as cooks and the communities we live in. In the following pages, I’ve connected primary research via interviews with existing literature about Southern foods, cooking, techniques, lifestyles, and cultures. My primary research is derived from authentic interviews with real Southerners. The results from my research are not groundbreaking, but they do serve to help Southerners understand their relationship to and with Southern food and Southern cooking.

Ii International Colloquium On Languages, Cultures, Identity, In School And Society, International Colloquium

Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Languages, Cultures, Identity in School and Society

The influx of immigrants in countries worldwide, coupled with the challenges associated to the schooling of their children in host countries' schools, makes it more necessary than ever to broaden our knowledge of the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural realities derived from this phenomenon. This is the rationale for the present Colloquium, which revolves around the following topics:

• Individual, school, and societal bilingualism/multilingualism-related issues
• Multi/Transculturalism-related issues in families, schools, and society
• Impact of bi/multilingualism on individuals' and societies' language, culture, and identity
• Impact of multi/transculturalism on individuals' and societies' language, culture, and identity
• Language ideologies, policies, and practices
• Promotion, maintenance, and …

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Implications For Educational Justice, Magnus O. Bassey

Publications and Research

Educational justice is a major global challenge. In most underdeveloped countries, many students do not have access to education and in most advanced democracies, school attainment and success are still, to a large extent, dependent on a student’s social background. However, it has often been argued that social justice is an essential part of teachers’ work in a democracy. This article raises an important overriding question: how can we realize the goal of educational justice in the field of teaching? In this essay, I examine culturally responsive teaching as an educational practice and conclude that it is possible to realize …

Shadow Puppet Plays In Elementary Science Methods Class Help Preservice Teachers Learn About Minority Scientists, Phyllis Gray, Audrey C. Rule, Anneliese Gentzsch, Denise Tallakson

Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions

This practical article describes an arts-integrated project with engineering design and science concepts from the Next Generation Science Standards, art principles from the National Arts Standards, as well as ideas under the theme of “Culture” from the National Council for the Social Studies Standards. Preservice teachers in an undergraduate science methods class researched the background, life, and accomplishments of a minority scientist by reading books and articles about the person. They created a script to present the experiences and contributions of the scientist to other preservice teachers and, eventually, elementary students. Shadow puppets were constructed out of cardboard to portray …

Critical Pedagogy And Language Acquisition: Benefiting From A Country’S Crisis To Improve Second Language Instruction, Jamile Forcelini

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Education has the power to influence learners to either accept reality or critically deliberate and change it. Critical thinking is vital to empower learners and society as a whole to move from a practice of inertia to Freire’s practice of freedom as well as humanization. Change, however is only attainable if pursued with one of the most powerful social tools: Language; the most perceptible manifestation of culture and culture is our connection to the world, what unites us in society, identifies us communally, and serves us as guidance for civic conduct (Larson and Smalley, 1972). The present article aims to …

Investigating The Construct Of Psychopathy In Lebanese And American Adults, Marie-Anne Issa

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Psychopathy has been primarily investigated in forensic and psychiatric populations in North America. Cross-cultural studies, mainly conducted in Europe, have shown disparities in psychopathy scores and the measures’ psychometric properties, which raise the issue of cultural factors, such as individualism-collectivism, values, and different ways of emotional expression, and the impact of these cultural factors on the construct and its manifestation. Psychopathy has been rarely explored in Arab populations. This dissertation examines the construct of psychopathy among Lebanese adults, to assess its meaning, relevance, and utility among this population and compares the responses of Lebanese to American adults. The design of …

T Bone Burnett, The American South, And The Ethic Of A Contemporary Cultural Renaissance, Heath J. Carpenter

Student Theses and Dissertations

With the success of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, T Bone Burnett spent his cultural capital on repurposing traditional American music in subsequently successful soundtracks and artistic productions, providing a spark for a 21st century cultural movement that moves beyond music. This study aims to position Burnett has a cultural catalyst by grounding his work, and those abiding by a similar ethic, in the American South. In the process, I examine what Burnett’s soundtracks and select artistic productions communicate about contemporary Southern cultures and identities, while negotiating the ever-enigmatic generational issues of identity and authenticity. By extending the …

Reconsidering Attachment In Context Of Culture: Review Of Attachment Studies In Japan, Kazuko Y. Behrens

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

This paper revisits the attachment controversies, reexamining the debates regarding attachment phenomenon being universal or culture-specific, and reconsiders whether it is possible to conduct culturally sensitive attachment research in non-Western societies while incorporating systematic empirical designs to enable replications across cultures. The goal of this paper is to improve our understanding about the clash between the fields and achieve consensus regarding the value of attachment research while acknowledging the limitations of attachment research in certain cultural contexts. The cultural debate will focus on one non-Western culture – Japan – where the controversy began. Finally, this review proposes the way in …

Conceptualizing Cultural Variations In Close Friendships, Roger Baumgarte

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

The goal of this article is to propose a model, new to the field, describing cultural variations in close friendships. The model addresses shortcomings in past research regarding how close friendships differ in individualist compared to collectivist cultures. The model proposes three dimensions, with six overlapping but conceptually useful styles of friendship, Independents versus Interveners, Includers versus Excluders, and Idealists versus Realists. Succinct, simplified descriptors of each style follow: Independents respect each other’s autonomy, value spending quality time with friends, and support each other’s sense of self. Interveners are actively involved in their friends’ lives, reflecting the …

Mexican American Adolescent Couples' Vulnerability For Observed Negativity And Physical Violence: Pregnancy And Acculturation Mismatch, Lela Rankin Williams, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Stress and vulnerability for dating violence may be heightened among acculturating Mexican American (MA) adolescents, and MA adolescent parents, because of differing cultural values and norms within romantic relationships. We hypothesized, in a sample of MA heterosexual couples (N = 30, 15–17 years), that: 1) within-couple level acculturation discrepancies, and pregnancy/parenting, would predict physical violence perpetration, and 2) that this association would have an indirect effect through couple-level negativity during an observed dyadic video-taped discussion of conflict. Using a path model we found that pregnant/parenting adolescents (B = .37, SE = .16, p = .002), and couples with …