Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Arts And Culture Asset Mapping, Haley Buckbee, Sara Busco, John Chavers, Henry Cook

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

A senior capstone course is the culmination of the University Studies Program at Portland State University. The emphasis of a capstone course is to take students out of the classroom and into the field. Students bring previous knowledge and skills to work on a community project. They work together as a team, utilizing resources and collaborating with faculty and community leaders to find solutions for important issues. Our project partner, Multnomah County Cultural Coalition, works to enhance arts education and cultural awareness among youth, makes culture accessible and affordable to Multnomah county residents, supports diverse cultural activities and organizations, and …

Forest Park: A Call To Action, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.)

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Interview With Stephanie Noll, Bicycle Transportation Alliance, 2010 (Audio), Stephanie Noll

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Stephanie Noll by Sean Cochran in NW Portland, Oregon on May 24th, 2010.

The interview index is available for download.

Examining The Effects Of Climate Change And Urban Development On Water Demand: A Multi-Scale Analysis Of Future Water Demand In Hillsboro, Oregon, Lily Arielle House-Peters

Dissertations and Theses

In the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area, suburban cities such as Hillsboro are projected to grow as people seek affordable housing near a rapidly growing metropolis. This thesis examines the combined impact of climate change and urban development on both neighborhood and municipal scale residential water demand in Hillsboro, Oregon. I use two models, a surface energy balance model, Local-scale Urban Meteorological Parameterization Scheme (LUMPS), and a system dynamics model, CCDomestic, to investigate changes in residential water demand in the 2040s at two distinct spatial scales, the neighborhood and the municipality. I calibrate and validate each model to the reference period …

The Hydro-Ecology Of Everyday Life: Assessing The Social And Environmental Determinants Of Water Use In The Portland Region, Vivek Shandas

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Driven in part by the imminent threats of population growth and climate destabilization, recent studies suggest that urban areas face severe water scarcity, with some areas in Australia and the United States already instituting moratoria on water use. While water managers traditionally avoid such crises by developing demand forecasts based on population estimates, technological developments, and weather predictions, their analysis are often at a regional scale with aggregate measures of water consumption. To date, there exists limited empirical evidence about how urban spatial structure and concomitant socio-demographic and temperature characteristics mutually interact to affect water demand at the scale of …

Road Pricing, Anthony M. Rufolo

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

Fuel taxes are an important source of funds for roads. However, increasing fuel efficiency and the potential for alternative fueled vehicles have raised questions about the long-term viability of this revenue source. Oregon conducted an experiment to evaluate the potential to replace fuel taxes with mileage fees. The findings from that experiment will be presented along with some discussion of current research on the cost associated with implementing different types of mileage fees.

The Balanced Scorecard: A Systemic Model For Evaluation And Assessment Of Learning Outcomes?, Thomas Bielavitz

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The goal of this paper is to explore using Kaplan and Norton's balanced scorecard methodology as a systemic model for outcomes assessment. The expectations of academic accrediting agencies have shifted from measurement of inputs and outputs to that of the library's impact on learning and demonstrating accountability. Recent literature has presented methods for performing specific aspects of outcomes assessment. However, the scorecard methodology may provide a systemic advantage beneficial to library administrators and managers. Methods -- This paper provides a selective review of outcomes assessment in academic libraries and a description of the balanced scorecard methodology, focusing on its relevance …

Population Dynamics Of The Portland-Vancouver Msa, Webb Sprague, Emily Picha

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

This article offers a descriptive overview of population dynamics in the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The MSA includes five of Oregon’s 36 counties–Clackamas, Columbia, Multnomah, Washington, and Yamhill, as well as Clark and Skamania counties in the state of Washington (see Figure 1). (In 2007, the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton MSA was redefined to include Skamania County in Washington. For the sake of comparability, we have therefore derived all historical data as if this definition has always applied. Because of this change, many of our historical numbers may have shifted since the last report on Oregon demography in the 2007 Metropolitan Briefing …

Population Characteristics Within The Portland-Vancouver Msa, Webb Sprague, Emily Picha, Sheila A. Martin

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

In this article, we will explore population characteristics in different parts of the Portland MSA using Census Public Use Microsample (PUMS) data from 2005-2007. For the spatial component, we will use a Census-defined small area geography called Public Use Microsample Area (PUMA), designed to follow existing county boundaries and contain around 100,000 people. (The Census reports the one-year and three-year ACS data only to the detail of this geography in order to maintain the privacy of survey respondents and to improve the precision of the estimates.)

We will sometimes focus on a couple of example PUMAs to show the interesting …

Technology In Practice. Dipping Into The Stream, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article discusses the use of microblogging and social networking Web sites Twitter and FriendFeed by librarians for professional networking. Benefits of social networking for building professional relationships, keeping track of professional trends, and finding help are discussed. Ways of developing networks on Twitter and FriendFeed are provided and suggestions for managing social networking sites are included.

Science And Practice Of Integrated River Basin Management : Lessons From North And Central American Unesco-Help Basins, Heejun Chang, Anne Browning-Aiken

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) program, a cross-cutting component of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP), has as its goal to facilitate dialogue among hydrologists, social and economic scientists, water resource managers, water lawyers, policy experts, and river basin stakeholder communities in setting a research agenda driven by local management and policy issues. HELP seeks to improve the benefits to society by applying the principals of integrated water-resources management to complex, interdisciplinary issues within catchments.

This Monograph is the culmination of a workshop held in 2010 in which the managers from the six North American basins …

City Design Lecture Series: Linking Transportation And Land Use Planning, Mark L. Gillem

TREC Final Reports

The objective of this multidisciplinary educational program was to host a lecture series that will inform area professionals, students, and the broader public about the need to consider transportation and land use strategies in concert that can jointly create more livable cities with enhanced safety, reduced congestion, greater mobility choices, and more housing variety. This lecture series meets the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium’s (OTREC) goal of encouraging “… multidisciplinary educational programs and experiential learning across disciplines in the transportation field.” The lecture series brought a variety of nationally known experts in the fields of transportation planning, urban design, …

What Makes A Meaningful Universe?, Todd Duncan, James Butler

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

A common line of thinking says that although we feel subjectively that our thoughts and actions matter in some way, this perception is an illusion. According to this view, an honest look around at the universe shatters this myth and reveals that our lives are ultimately meaningless. If we are to be hard-nosed realists, limiting ourselves to scientific, evidence-based reasoning, then we must accept that human existence is an inconsequential accident of no ultimate significance in the grand scheme of things. Is this attitude really justified by the evidence? We'll explore this question by taking a step back and asking …

Holism And Human History, Martin Zwick

Systems Science Friday Noon Seminar Series

This paper uses a systems-theoretic model to structure an account of human history. According to the model, a process, after its beginning and early development, often reaches a critical stage where it encounters some limitation. If the limitation is overcome, development does not face a comparable challenge until a second critical juncture is reached, where obstacles to further advance are more severe. At the first juncture, continued development requires some complexity-managing innovation; at the second, it needs some event of systemic integration in which the old organizing principle of the process is replaced by a new principle. Overcoming the first …

Associations Between Street Connectivity And Active Transportation, David Berrigan, Linda Williams Pickle, Jennifer Dill

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Past studies of associations between measures of the built environment, particularly street connectivity, and active transportation (AT) or leisure walking/bicycling have largely failed to account for spatial autocorrelation of connectivity variables and have seldom examined both the propensity for AT and its duration in a coherent fashion. Such efforts could improve our understanding of the spatial and behavioral aspects of AT. We analyzed spatially identified data from Los Angeles and San Diego Counties collected as part of the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. Results: Principal components analysis indicated that ~85% of the variance in nine measures of street connectivity …

Valuing Information Literacy: Affective Learning And The Acrl Standards, Robert Schroeder, Ellysa Stern Cahoy

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Higher education information literacy standards have readily addressed cognitive skills, although affective competencies--the emotional abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully navigate the research process--have not yet been incorporated into standards. This paper presents examples of current information literacy standards, integrating affective competencies or dispositions, including the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) "21st Century Learning Standards," and proposes a model for affective-focused higher education information literacy standards. The role of affect in library learning, the importance of affective competencies, and the centrality of affective learning to student mastery of research skills are discussed. Viewing information literacy as …

Working Overseas In A School Or University Library, Joan Petit

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

For two years, my family and I lived in Cairo, Egypt, while I worked at the American University in Cairo as an Instruction and Reference Librarian. It was a fantastic experience, and I get questions almost weekly from students and librarians interested in the same kind of job, either in Egypt or elsewhere.

This article will discuss jobs in academic and school libraries, including tips on finding and attaining these positions. This article focuses on jobs for expats (or potential expats) rather than jobs where an American is hired instead of a local.

Upstairs-Downstairs: Working With A Campus Assessment Coordinator And Other Allies For Effective Information Literacy Assessment, Amy R. Hofer, Margot Hanson

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

At a 2008 assessment conference, Megan Oakleaf and Lisa Hinchliffe noted that one barrier librarians face when trying to conduct assessment is lack of coordination. This barrier was removed for Golden Gate University's (GGU) librarians when Lisa Kramer was hired as Director of Assessment and Evaluation and made her expertise and support available to us. She helped us understand the difference between program evaluation and learning assessment, and acted as a sounding board in the design of a new assessment study. We describe our environment at GGU, our assessment goals, and our study design, then discuss preliminary results and possible …

Weku: Trauma-Informed Residential Treatment For Pregnant And Post-Partum Women In Portland, Or, Deborah Elliott, Karen Cellarius

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

This poster describes a trauma-informed residential treatment program for pregnant and post-partum women in Portland, Oregon and the subsequent reductions in substance use, addiction severity and trauma symptoms at 6-months post-intake.

Sociology Of Islam & Muslim Societies, Newsletter No. 5, Tugrul Keskin

Sociology of Islam & Muslim Societies Newsletter

Table of Contents:

• Introduction by Tugrul Keskin and Najm al-Din Yousefi
• Reflections on Democracy, Non-Violence and Political Change in Iran by Nader Hashemi - Page 3
• An Interview with Iranian Political Scientist Hossein Bashiriyeh by Danny Postel - Page 6
• The role of religious agents in modern Iran by Wladimir van Wilgenburg - Page 24
• Identity Narratives among Second-Generation Iranians in the United States by Sahar Sadeghi - Page 28
• Writers’ Inferno, Ivayla Datseva - Page 32
• Iran-Yemen Relations and Regional Implications by Ladan Yazdian - Page 39
• Reconstructions, Reform and Ahmadinejad: Iran’s Political Revolutions 1989-2009 by Marcus W. Dorsen …

Family Group Conferencing Practice, Angela Rodgers, Katharine Cahn

Child Welfare

Oregon has long been known as a site for innovative family engagement practice. Multiple forms of family meetings have been implemented in Oregon over the years and many child welfare offices use some form of intensive efforts to find family for children in care. Beginning in the Fall 2012 and over the next three years, Oregon implemented a federally funded (Children's Bureau) demonstration project, Family Connections Oregon, to test a model intervention, to develop a supportive infrastructure for sustaining family connections practice, and to establish a family voice association at the policy level. These practices are continuing in Oregon through …

A Library Technician Classification Study: Addressing Obsolescence, Compression, And Retention, Thomas Bielavitz

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This article reports on the classification of library technicians and the role of job descriptions in collective bargaining. The classification of library technicians was revised by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) organization, affecting salary ranges for employees on university campuses including the Oregon University System (OUS). The article discusses the effects of these changes related to the changing job market, equity in wages, and unionization. Information is also provided on library support staffs and library management.

Technology In Practice. Finding Your Voice, Meredith G. Farkas

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

The article offers suggestions for librarians seeking to develop a blog to add to a professional online portfolio. Discovering one's own voice and blogging style, selecting topics, and acquiring readers are examined. Increasing online visibility by commenting on topically similar blogs, linking to the posts of other blogs, and cross-posting entries through various social networking communities including Twitter, Facebook, and FriendFeed are also discussed.

Anticipated Effects Of The U.S. Mexico City Policy On The Attainability Of The Millennium Development Goals And Future Development Efforts In Sub-Saharan Africa, Katherine Clare Alexander

Anthós

In the low-income countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the performance of pyramidal reproductive health and family planning services with public outreach initiatives has not met the expectations or the needs of the communities they serve. Insufficient case management, limited management capacity and referral and communication failures are challenges faced on the delivery level, while on the policy level these health clinics face insufficient coordination among organizations and weak links between programs (Schneider, 2006). The Mexico City Policy, first introduced by President Reagan in 1984, only exacerbated these challenges for organizations that offer comprehensive contraception and family planning programs by denying any …

The Financial Crisis, Rethinking Of The Global Financial Architecture, And The Trilemma, Joshua Aizenman, Menzie David Chinn, Hiro Ito

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper extends our previous paper (Aizenman, Chinn, and Ito 2008) and explores some of the unexplored questions. First, we examine the channels through which the trilemma policy configurations affect output volatility. Secondly, we investigate how trilemma policy configurations affect the output performance of the economies under severe crisis situations. Thirdly, we look into how trilemma configurations have evolved in the aftermath of economic crises in the past. We find that trilemma policy configurations and external finances affect output volatility mainly through the investment channel. While a higher degree of exchange rate stability could stabilize the real exchange rate movement, …

Breaking The Cycle Of Big Man Rule In Africa, Corey Watson

Anthós

Despite coup after coup across a large number of diverse countries on the continent of Africa, each new leader resembles similar levels of what Martin Meredith describes as "corruption, mismanagement, tribalism, nepotism, and other assorted malpractices" as the leader before him. Africans either are not able to see this pattern because of the subjective uniqueness across their singular experiences, or they do see the pattern and are simply unable to break from the cycle. This paper reviews the contributions of Martin Meredith and Goran Hyden to ask why Big Man rule exists in Africa.

Africa in this paper refers to …

Journal Editing In The Age Of Open Access: A Reflection On Opportunities And Challenges, Sarah Mccord, Terry Taylor

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Teaching Matters: The State Of Information Literacy Assessment And The Way Forward, Patrick P. Ragains, Janelle M. Zauha

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

A Twenty Year Path: Learning About Assessment; Learning From Assessment, Debra L. Gilchrist

Communications in Information Literacy

This article reviews the development of educational assessment from the 1970's to the present, including discussions of basic working definitions and models of assessment in information literacy. It reflects on what librarians have learned from assessment and about assessment, and how this information is being used to improve current and future assessment offerings.

Writing Information Literacy Assessment Plans: A Guide To Best Practice, Megan Oakleaf

Communications in Information Literacy

Academic librarians throughout higher education add value to the teaching and learning missions of their institutions though information literacy instruction. To demonstrate the full impact of librarians on students in higher education, librarians need comprehensive information literacy assessment plans, composed of instructional program-level and outcome-level components, that summarize the purpose of information literacy assessment, emphasize the theoretical basis of their assessment efforts, articulate specific information literacy goals and outcomes, describe the major assessment methods and tools used to capture evidence of student learning, report assessment results, and highlight improvements made as a consequence of learning assessment.