Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Breaking Me Down And Lifting Me Up: An Autoethnography Of Being A Black Autistic Woman Online, Morgan Harper-Nichols

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This autoethnography investigates the diverse challenges associated with being a Black, undiagnosed autistic woman coming of age on the internet, and examines how online experiences shaped my identity over the past twenty years. Early encounters with racism and cautious self-expression on platforms such as forums, GeoCities, Myspace, and YouTube are explored as my initial efforts to "fit in" in virtual spaces. I discuss how engaging with platforms like Instagram and Etsy enabled my participation in the gig economy while grappling with my pre-diagnosis social struggles. I also share how I navigate post-2020 experiences as a Black autistic online creator, how …

Talking Heads, Fear Of Music, And The "Different Thinking" Of David Byrne, John Bruni

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article proposes that the 2006 post on the website of David Byrne, the vocalist/guitarist of Talking Heads, announcing his self-diagnosis as an autistic person, invites a reappraisal of the band’s discography, especially Fear of Music (1979), which foregrounds his lyrical approach. Fear of Music, I suggest, relies on “autistic misdirections” that illustrate Byrne’s “different thinking” about his body, mind, communicative (in)ability, and relationship to physical spaces – all prominent and productive areas of exploration within critical autism studies.

“Different thinking” is taken from the 2020 memoir of Chris Frantz, the drummer of Talking Heads, in describing, retroactively, how …

Is My Colonialism Showing? A Reflexive Case Study., Nicole A. Karsies

Culminating Experience Projects

About a decade ago, I was told by a family member that our ancestor, who we all believed to have been a French-Canadian fur trader, was of the Wolastoqiyik / Maliseet Indigenous People. This was shocking considering my white upper middle class, Dutch/Irish, conservative background. Through my time at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), I was able to meet Lin Bardwell, Native American Student Initiative Coordinator and Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs. Through her, I have been given the opportunity to be mentored in the ways of the Anishinaabeg People of West Michigan. My experiences have stirred an even deeper …

Cultural Competency In Practicing Audiologists Serving Lgbtqia+ Clients, Stella Omilian

Honors Projects

The primary objective of this project is to cultivate a better understanding of clinicians' cultural attitudes and behaviors within the field of audiology concerning LGBTQIA+ clients. The study describes the attitudes and behaviors of clinical audiologists serving individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community. It also explores a few barriers to healthcare needs for these clients, including hearing habilitation and rehabilitation. An anonymous survey was used to collect data from the clinicians in the United States on their current knowledge of LGBTQIA+ related terminology and language, affirmative attitudes and behaviors, and cultural sensitivity to these clients receiving audiological services. Analysis of the …

Com 495 Handout, Kim Ranger

Handouts

This handout guides students through the process to explore an issue, develop searches, and practice using Find It! and Communication Source databases. The handout includes concept mapping, identifying keywords, using boolean operators, tips for searching, how to find and request books, and document delivery.

Com 275 Library Research (Dr. Spencer), Kim Ranger

Handouts

This handout was created for Dr. Spencer's COM 275 class and differs from the COM 275 General handout. This library research handout provides guidance on using Communications Source database, workspace for students to jot down concepts related to their research topic, and search tips.

Impacting Michigan Latino Students’ Perceptions Of Higher Education: How To Better Communicate And Promote 4-Year College Degree Opportunities, Michael A. Guerra

Culminating Experience Projects

In the state of Michigan, the marginalization of Latino students continues due to historical and social factors; this is ultimately reflected in higher education enrollment and graduation rates when compared to their White peers, the dominant group in the state (MI School Data, 2022). For varying reasons, not every student will seek higher education after high school, but it is worth ensuring opportunities and reasons to attend are properly communicated for sake of helping Latino students better explore all their college and career options. While the Michigan Latino population has the highest labor force participation compared to other racial or …

Everything’S Gonna Be Kinda Queer: Autistic Gender & Sexuality In Everything’S Gonna Be Okay, Jinx Mylo

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper analyzes the representations of autistic characters in the television show Everything’s Gonna Be Okay in relation to gender and sexuality. In contrast to previous screen representations, the four autistic characters provide a variety of gender expressions and sexual orientations, challenging the stereotypes that perpetuate the idea of autism being limited to heterosexual men. Issues explored include attitudes toward autistic sexual consent and agency, sexual experimentation, and the impacts of communication norms on romantic relationships.

Personal Factors Influencing Us Travelers’ Sentiments Toward Travel Policies To Cuba, Carol Kline, Whitney Knollenberg, Bynum Boley, Evan Jordan

Journal of Tourism Insights

The United States and Cuba have navigated a strained political and economic relationship over the past sixty years; the tone of the relationship is in flux according to Cuban and US leadership, and most recently, COVID-19. Anticipating US travelers’ sentiments towards access to Cuba is more crucial now because of resulting policies playing out within the intersection of the shifting dynamics of the virus and the tumultuous political climate within the US. This study identified the personal factors that influence US travelers’ sentiment towards the US trade embargo and travel restrictions to Cuba. Results reveal that respondents with higher educational …

Cmj 310 Advanced Reporting Techniques, Kim Ranger

Lesson Plans

This lesson plan centers on helping students move from a general thought or idea to a specific angle that has not yet been reported for a news article. Students will learn about resources in the Multimedia Journalism subject guide to help them find background material, research their topic in appropriate resources, and conduct fact-checking. An example topic is demonstrated using the Find It! search.

A Case Study Of Organizational Mobilization Best Practices For Natural Disasters, Jaclyn Ermoyan

Masters Theses

Researching mobilization best practices for natural disasters has concluded that volunteers respond best to having meaning behind the work that they do and when they are involved at all levels of the service they are doing. After interviewing a representative from the American Red Cross and a representative from Team Rubicon, it is clear that having a local focus leads to successful mobilization practices. Both organizations are able to move quickly and innovate because of their understanding that all disasters are different. The two organizations focus on training their volunteers and having various deployment requirements. According to this research, technology …

Don’T Be Like Me: A Letter To My Daughters, Morénike Giwa Onaiwu

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

It is often stated that parenting is "the toughest job you'll ever love." And it certainly doesn't come with an instruction manual. However, though we will falter, because of our love for our children, most of us learn a lot on the journey. This growth helps us to develop the skills and understanding needed, as parents, to be able to effectively guide, support, and nurture our children. Such knowledge, though beneficial for all families, is critical within neurodiverse households.

So what do you do when you just don't have it? What do you do when you have as much (if …

Princes, Moms, And Warriors: A Feminist Rhetorical Analysis Of Toxic Depictions In Film, Brittany Bahl

Masters Theses

Various forms of toxic rhetoric have been the subject of academic study for decades. Despite some advancements toward a more progressive society, toxic rhetorics have continued to persist within the United States, especially within entertainment media. Toxic rhetorics within film, in particular, have remained steadily prevalent and continue to strongly impact audiences and constructions of identity. This thesis utilizes primarily close reading and feminist rhetorical criticism to examine rhetorics of toxicity within three popular film franchises: (1) toxic masculinity in Coming to America (1988) and Coming 2 America (2021); (2) toxic femininity in Bad Moms; and (3) straightwashing as …

Equity + Catalyst Framework Guide, Naomi M. Silas

Culminating Experience Projects

There has been a shift in society, in light of Covid-19 and the global pandemic, more people have begun to recognize the structural and institutional injustices that exist in this country. Social innovation allows collaboration between people from different sectors, disciplines, industries, and backgrounds; in order to create sustainable change to complex social issues. Design thinking is an iterative process used in business to create innovation and products; it’s also used for social impact.

The goal of the Equity + Catalyst Framework is to bridge concepts that include design thinking, and embodiment, as well as lived experiences and community care …

Com 201: Speech Oer Curation, Chealsye Bowley

Curated OER Collections

This OER curation is an annotated bibliography of prospective OER for the GVSU course COM 201: Speech.

Bts & Army: A South Korean Music Group And Their Fandom Create A New Grassroots Movement For Social Change, Ye Ram Chung

Masters Theses

This study links the discourse analysis of social innovation, social entrepreneurship, and cultural analysis of BTS--a South Korean music group--and their global fan base--ARMY. Despite its diversity in form, the current narrative of social innovation in academia has been limited to western market constructs, business, or technological innovations, while the process of social innovation remains under-researched. The BTS and ARMY movement has been a growing study in scholarship, as their collaborative efforts redefine a new form of human connection through digital intimacy, creating a grassroots movement for social and cultural revolution. By integrating and analyzing diverse concepts of social innovation …

Com 275: Foundations Of Communication Research, Kim Ranger

Lesson Plans

This lesson plan focuses on the research project for COM 275. A discussion of literature and theories in the disciplinary community of communications is included. Hands-on exercises include Find It! search, Communications Source, Web of Science, finding books, and using AND and OR.

Com 378: Intercultural Communication, Kim Ranger

Handouts

This handout was created for Dr. Spencer's COM 378 class. The handout provides information to help students search databases, find full text, and create a citation. It also includes workspace for students to jot down concepts and synonyms for their topic.

Int 312: Collaborative Communication Oer Curation, Chealsye Bowley

Curated OER Collections

This OER curation is an annotated bibliography of prospective OER for the GVSU course INT 312: Collaborative Communication, assembled by request from the instructor.

"Erase Me": Gary Numan's 1978-80 Recordings, John Bruni

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article considers the music of Gary Numan as a test case for questioning the traditional idea of individual artistic genius. Although Numan was diagnosed as autistic later in life, he claims that he exhibited signs of autistic behavior at the age of 14, which suggests that his music can reflect a different way of perceiving the world that is characteristic of autistic people. While arguing against the notion that autism distinctly influences art, the article considers the limitations of evaluating Numan’s work in the context of a humanist aesthetic that posits universal assumptions, based on an individual self, about …

Roles Of Social Media In The Black Lives Matter Movement During Covid-19, Reilly E. Olson

Honors Projects

By definition social movements reflect unique times in history. To fully grasp the implications of a movement the social and political climate that induce them must be understood. An intersectional model should be used when framing and studying the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, a modern descendant of both the NAACP and Civil Rights movement. From its inception, BLM has utilized social media as an important tool by coining #BlackLivesMatter, a hashtag that frequently comes to life offline as BLM organizers use it as a call for action and mobilization. The accessibility of social media made its role in the …

Social Support During Covid-19 Social Distancing, Josiah P. Stryd

Honors Projects

This pilot study measured emotional affect, social support, and use of digital communication technologies during the early 2020 COVID-19 stay at home order in Michigan among 65 Grand Valley State University Alumni Association members. The study used an online survey and was designed to examine the relationship between digital communication and social support during physical social distancing, and how this impacted emotional affect. Overall, the pilot study found largely unchanged reported emotional affect and social support before and during the stay at home order. A future study with larger sample size would aim to find if these results are replicated …

Social Distancing: The New Professional Civility, Benjamin Hunt

Graduate Research

As a naturalistic paradigm dictated by dialectal practices, culture must be understood in relation to a time and place in order to make ethical sense of society. Similarly, culture cannot be appropriately measured and studied without a reference to prior historical and geographical contexts. Naturalism is a dialectic that manifests as a type of evolution within our society. This cultural phenomenon allows human beings to reflect on those constructs through empirical means in order to understand the world, and to best prepare a society for how to move forward. The actions of the United States Government in regard to social …

Media Planning And Segmentation, Kim Ranger

Lesson Plans

This Powerpoint presentation focuses on databases that students will use to find information related to media planning and segmentation. Databases include: WINMO, SRDS Media Planning, Data-Planet, and WARC.

Participation In An Interprofessional Simulation Event: Impact On Student Learning, Holly Arguelles

Honors Projects

Interprofessional education (IPE) is growing tremendously within numerous health care programs and continues to impact both healthcare professionals and patients. The significance of having IPE simulation events is to provide students with the ability to gain knowledge, awareness, and understanding of other disciplines. Focus groups following an IPE simulation event will allow for a better understanding of how these events potentially impact student learning, future learning outcomes, and knowledge of other professions. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of participation in an IPE simulation event on students' perceptions. To examine this impact, a student focus group …

Pushing Boundaries: Experimental Expressions - Unnatural (Part Two), Abigail Emens, Olivia Kelly, Sydney Kruise, Jillian Neumann, Kimberley Quinn, Meghan Reiman, Jacob Westbrook, Zoe Zaroff

Student Scholars Day Oral Presentations

Part Two - Unnatural

As a continuation of part one, we attempt to accentuate the growing disconnect from nature. In their obsession for perfection, humans have sought to replicate everything natural in a flawless and everlasting way. Not only have we produced fake plants and artificial flavoring, but we have also started manipulating ourselves to form a distorted version of the original. To show this, we are combining human elements with our synthetic products and framing our work in a way that you can clearly see the distortion. Nature is essential to human survival, yet we continue to become unnatural. …

Pushing Boundaries: Experimental Expressions - Natural (Part One), Abigail Emens, Olivia Kelly, Sydney Kruise, Jillian Neumann, Kimberley Quinn, Meghan Reiman, Jacob Westbrook, Zoe Zaroff

Student Scholars Day Oral Presentations

Part One - Natural

As a collective, we aim to explore the interplay between nature and humanity through experimental photographic mediums both 2D and 3d. We hope to convey eight different interconnected perspectives on this concept. To achieve this, we incorporate photographic mediums involving elements from the natural world such as the obvious, plants, butterflies, and spider webs, to the more abstract existence of humans. We were once heavily connected with nature, relying on it to sustain life. While nature continues to be essential to human survival, we have become disconnected.

Genre As A Lens To Becoming Better Leaders, Elizabeth Baranski

Honors Projects

When most people think of genre, they think of works that fall into categories such as fiction, nonfiction, etc. Genre typically is understood as the way in which a reader can recognize a specific text as falling into a category of similar texts, such as a plotline that focuses solely on the main character falling for a romantic interest being considered a romance novel. However, genre does not strictly have to pertain to physical text such as romance novels and does more work than simply categorizing a type of text. In simple terms, genre is a set of guidelines used …

The Art Of Blogging In Public Relations: A Reflection, Megan Ireland

Honors Projects

In the field of public relations, effective writing is paramount. It is an important part of every step of the campaign process, from research to planning, communicating to evaluating. But writing for PR encompasses more than just research reports and news releases. With today’s increasing reliance on the Internet and social media for information, knowing how to quickly and effectively compose nontraditional written works - including social media posts and blogs - is a skill that all practitioners need. Therefore, I took up the task of researching blogging best practices in the public relations industry and putting them into practice …

Online News Representation Of Missing/Murdered Indigenous Women In Washington, New Mexico, And Arizona, Kelli Bowers

McNair Scholars Manuscripts

There is limited research on the rates of violence against the many missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW) in the United States, especially in urban areas. There is also little news coverage given to women who are victims of this violence. The absence of research on this topic and the shortage of news coverage leads to a lack of understanding by the general public on the issue as a whole. This is a qualitative content analysis of the representation of MMIW in Washington, New Mexico, and Arizona. I will analyze the newspaper reporting of MMIW in these states and the …