Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Jrsm 7330: Social Media & Community Engag (Syllabus), Kim Marks Malone

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: This course looks at how to create campaigns and relationships that build organizational voice, serial storytelling, and working with a community to encourage strong organization-public relationships. We will also look at content creation on multiple technologies and platforms including both social and traditional media. Students will be exposed to a variety of case studies and community examples for analysis.

Jrsm 7990: Thesis (Syllabus), Thomas J. Hrach

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Development of digital portfolio of professional and/or academic work and presentation. S/U. (2 hours)

Jour 3526: Multimedia Storytelling (Syllabus), Robby Byrd

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Introduction to the basic elements of multimedia journalistic storytelling. Students will produce news-driven multimedia packages for various storytelling platforms, including photography, audio, video, and data visualization.

Jrsm 4700: Media Law (Syllabus), Thomas J. Hrach

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Origin and development of legal principles affecting freedom of expression and provisions of laws of libel, slander, copyright and other statutes that affect communication in fields of publishing and broadcasting.

Pbrl 3400: Intro To Public Relations (Syllabus), Taylor Nicole Ackerman

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Development, scope, and modern role of public relations; emphasis on problem solving, lectures, and application of major public relations tools and practices.

The Complex Landscape Of Lgbtq+ Inclusion Within The Politics Of Africa And The Dynamics Of Anti-Lgbtq+ Laws And Development, Barbara Agyapong

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The politics of LGBTQ+ inclusion has undergone significant transformations worldwide, reflecting evolving societal attitudes, advancements in human rights, and the increasing global recognition of LGBTQ+ rights. However, the politics of LGBTQ+ inclusion in Africa presents a diverse and intricate landscape, characterized by variations in attitudes, legal frameworks, and societal acceptance across the continent. This study explores the complex and evolving dynamics of Anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Africa, with some countries making strides towards LGBTQ+ inclusion by repealing colonial-era legislation, while others have become more repressive. Notably, countries such as Angola, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, and Seychelles have …

Community Policing: The Challenges Of Implementation In The United States, Paris Frank

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Community-oriented policing (COP) is a policing philosophy that emphasizes the partnership and positive relationship between the police and the community. This paper discusses the importance of COP and its implementation in police departments. Decentralization and community engagement are key components of COP, which can be challenging to implement due to various barriers. Some of the challenges include resistance to change from law enforcement agencies, lack of resources, and a lack of community trust in the police. Additionally, there can be a disconnect between the goals of COP and the traditional law enforcement model, which can make it difficult for some …

Age And Its Effect On Drug Addiction Treatment, Skylar Haberman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Substance use disorders and addiction have become increasingly serious problems in the United States. Diseases of this nature revolve around problematic patterns of substance use and abuse of alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, and over-the-counter medications. Substance use disorders are not limited to a certain demographic, which makes treatment of these illnesses complicated and multifaceted (Argyriou et al., 2017). This review paper will focus on age-related effects on substance use, and how age is consequential to the effectiveness of drug addiction treatment. The literature review focuses on the onset and progression of substance use disorders and treatment for these disorders …

The Queer Performance, Owen Coldsnow

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For my project, I decided to make a documentary focusing on the experiences of queer, University of Akron students appropriately called, “The Queer Performance.” As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, it was particularly important to me to document the unique challenges that queer students have to face. One specific challenge that rings true for me is putting on many different personas in different situations, and I wanted to see how this compared and contrasted with other members of the community. According to Goffman’s Dramaturgical Theory, everyone puts on an act when they are around people, but each of …

Scrolling Through The Years: Social Media's Effects Of Self-Esteem In Younger And Older Adults, Ryan Brown

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The detrimental impact social media has had on self-esteem in younger adults is well documented. However, this same approach to studying social media’s impact has not been applied to older generations, who were already well into adulthood as social media as we know it today began to emerge. Due to this, my project proposes to examine an interaction between the variables of three different social media categories (interactive, image/video, and informational) across younger and older adults. The results of this study could provide further insight into the effects social media has on self-esteem, specifically, the effect of different types of …

Variations In Refugee Acceptance Among Democratic States, Ryan King

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

What factors account for the variation in refugee acceptance? My review of existing literature and subsequent research paper will seek to further develop the understanding of this phenomenon by identifying and investigating factors that account for the differences in rates of migration flow among democratic states. The literature review will discuss the current body of research surrounding the topic, and the research itself will attempt to further the understanding of the impact of the given variables by using currently available data of international trends in migration, as well as a number of specific case studies. First, the paper will outline …

The Higher Education Risk To National Security: A Case Study Of The University Of Akron, Anna Back

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

There are numerous threats to U.S. National Security within higher education. Through this paper, I will provide an analysis of current and future threats using a literature review and informational interviewing. The literature review revealed four major National Security threats facing higher education institutions due to Foreign Intelligence Entities (FIE): foreign recruitment of faculty and students, increase in foreign students and screening difficulties, campus openness/easy access to facilities and information, and foreign funding for research. A set of informational interviews were conducted with The University of Akron faculty, employees, and partners to evaluate whether these same threats were present. The …

Gender Differences In Mind Wandering Intentionality, Samira Smith

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

My fellow research assistants and I attempted to replicate Seli and colleagues’ (2016) original study that first distinguished between unintentional and intentional mind wandering. Additionally, I conducted my own research study regarding gender differences in mind wandering intentionality. I hypothesized that men would report higher levels of unintentional mind wandering than women. Participants were randomly assigned to two conditions of the sustained attention to response task (SART): difficult and easy. Using data collected from 29 undergraduate psychology students, we validated that the difficult SART is harder than the easy SART, we found no significant difference in overall mind wandering rates …

A Model Research Methods Training Program: Implications For The Curriculum, Kristine R. Brancolini, Marie Kennedy

Librarian Publications & Presentations

The majority of academic librarians in the US are employed by their insti-tutions either on tenure track, similar to teaching faculty, or they have some form of status that requires them to conduct and share the results of research to receive annual salary increases, achieve tenure or continuing employment, and/or gain promotion or enhanced ranking. Research published during the past two decades, however, confirms that most academic librarians enter the profession perceiving themselves to be unprepared for conducting research. To address deficiencies and alleviate anxieties surrounding research, the authors created a continuing educa-tion program for novice academic librarian researchers, the …

A Science-Based Agenda For Health-Protective Chemical Assessments And Decisions: Overview And Consensus Statement, Tracey J. Woodruff, Swati D.G. Rayasam, Daniel A. Axelrad, Patricia D. Koman, Nicholas Chartres, Deborah H. Bennett, Linda S. Birnbaum, Phil Brown, Courtney C. Carignan, Courtney Cooper, Carl F. Cranor, Miriam L. Diamond, Shari Franjevic, Eve C. Gartner, Dale Hattis, Russ Hauser, Wendy Heiger-Bernyas, Rashmi Joglekar, Juleen Lam, Jonathan I. Levy, Patrick M. Macroy, Maricel V. Maffini, Emily C. Marquez, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Keeve E. Nachman, Greylin H. Nielsen, Catherine Oksas, Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson, Heather B. Patisaul, Sharyle Patton, Joshua F. Robinson, Kathryn M. Rodgers, Mark S. Rossi, Ruthann A. Rudel, Jennifer B. Sass, Sheela Sathyanarayana, Ted Schettler, Rachel M. Shaffer, Bhavna Shamasunder, Peggy Shepard, Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Gina M. Solomon, Wilma A. Subra, Laura N. Vandenberg, Julia R. Varshavsky, Roberta F. White, Ken Zarker, Lauren Zeise

Sustainability and Social Justice

The manufacture and production of industrial chemicals continues to increase, with hundreds of thousands of chemicals and chemical mixtures used worldwide, leading to widespread population exposures and resultant health impacts. Low-wealth communities and communities of color often bear disproportionate burdens of exposure and impact; all compounded by regulatory delays to the detriment of public health. Multiple authoritative bodies and scientific consensus groups have called for actions to prevent harmful exposures via improved policy approaches. We worked across multiple disciplines to develop consensus recommendations for health-protective, scientific approaches to reduce harmful chemical exposures, which can be applied to current US policies …

Current Practice And Recommendations For Advancing How Human Variability And Susceptibility Are Considered In Chemical Risk Assessment, Julia R. Varshavsky, Swati D.G. Rayasam, Jennifer B. Sass, Daniel A. Axelrad, Carl F. Cranor, Dale Hattis, Russ Hauser, Patricia D. Koman, Emily C. Marquez, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Catherine Oksas, Sharyle Patton, Joshua F. Robinson, Sheela Sathyanarayana, Peggy M. Shepard, Tracey Woodruff

Sustainability and Social Justice

A key element of risk assessment is accounting for the full range of variability in response to environmental exposures. Default dose-response methods typically assume a 10-fold difference in response to chemical exposures between average (healthy) and susceptible humans, despite evidence of wider variability. Experts and authoritative bodies support using advanced techniques to better account for human variability due to factors such as in utero or early life exposure and exposure to multiple environmental, social, and economic stressors. This review describes: 1) sources of human variability and susceptibility in dose-response assessment, 2) existing US frameworks for addressing response variability in risk …

At Home In The Field, In The Field At Home? Reflections On Power And Fieldwork In Familiar Settings, Arda Bilgen, Anita Fabos

Sustainability and Social Justice

Critical epistemologies and methodologies have over time challenged the static and mono-dimensional approaches to fieldwork, allowing researchers to contemplate and conduct their research in spaces of in-betweenness. Despite this important shift, the essentialist idea that both ‘the field’ and ‘home’ in a fieldwork setting must be actual places persists. In this article, we challenge the conceptualization and operationalization of ‘home’ not only as the juxtaposition to ‘the field’, but also as the embodiment of a place in a specific temporality. We argue that the postulation of ‘home’ as a constant disregards the non-predetermined and unpredictable nature of fieldwork relationships that …

Growing In Stem: Hands-On Education Via Tower Gardening, Jeffrey A. Nowak, Shelby Johnston-Werling

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Sole use of a textbook as the primary source of learning in the middle school setting has been linked to potentially limit students’ conceptual understanding of complex content (Driscoll et al., 1994), while the positive impact of hands-on learning has been well documented (Ekwueme et al., 2015; Satterthwait, 2010). Ideally, when a textbook is used in conjunction with content applied in a hands-on manner, student engagement and understanding of standards-based content are increased. In a grant funded collaboration between the Northeast Indiana STEM Education Resource Center housed at Purdue University Fort Wayne and an East Allen Community Schools middle school …

Teachers' Instructional Strategies In Integrated Stem Education, Yousef Alrashdi, Paul A. Asunda

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (iSTEM) education has been regarded as a model that provides students with skills necessary for future careers and enhances the economy of nations. Although there is a considerable body of research on the effective educational approaches in iSTEM education including problem-based and project-based learning, the ways teachers implement these approaches remain ambiguous due to a paucity of consensus about how to effectively use iSTEM approaches in classrooms (Thibaut et al., 2018). Additionally, there is a need for further investigation to understand teachers’ instructional strategies and practices in iSTEM education (Bush, 2019). To fulfill this …

Integrated Stem: Impact Of Engineering Design And Computer Science In Stem Labs, Jason Morphew, Ruben Lopez, Amir Bralin, Ravishankar Chatta Subramaniam, Sanjay Rebello, Carina Rebello

Indiana STEM Education Conference

By integrating physics laboratories with engineering design and computer science, students apply physics principles to ill-structured and complex problems, engage in knowledge transfer, and gain interest in STEM. The introductory physics labs at Purdue have been updated to include engineering design and computer science principles that ground physics in authentic problems. Integrated labs have been evaluated using student perception post-surveys, student course performance, interviews, and case-study observations. Preliminary results indicate that integrated physics labs promote transfer, enhanced metacognitive skills, student interest, and motivation.

Engineering Technology Programs And Technical Standards: Investigating Library Access And Course Integration, Margaret Phillips, Paul B Mcpherson, Danielle Leclerc

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Due to ABET accreditation requirements and industry expectations, integrating technical standards into Engineering Technology (ET) curricula is crucial for student success. However, previous studies have shown that faculty report access and knowledge challenges in working to integrate standards into ET course content. Additionally, academic librarians have long acknowledged there are many issues with providing access to standards to campus users, such as high costs and extensive digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. The purpose of this study is to conduct an environmental scan of library websites at institutions with ET programs to investigate library-provided access to standards and to survey ET …

Developing Sustainability Related Attitudes And 21st Century Skills Through Informal Learning Opportunities, Shamila Janakiraman

Indiana STEM Education Conference

Informal learning environments, like libraries and museums, are known to improve student achievement and motivation (Bartels 2001). A meta-analysis reports on the strong positive effects of after-school programs on feelings and attitudes and school performance (Durlak et al, 2007). When working on after-school programs, middle and high school students may develop skills like communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, information literacy, and digital literacy. Such a program was offered by a 501c(3) organization as an informal learning opportunity. As part of this program, high school student volunteers living in the United States (US) designed and delivered learning experiences for elementary and …

New School Economic Journal Roundtable, Anwar Shaikh Phd

Archives of Anwar Shaikh

This collection includes:

• New School Economic Review Editorial Board. 2023, December 1. Roundtable discussion questions for Duncan Foley, Anwar Shaikh, Isabella Weber, and Jonathan Cogliano, with handwritten annotations by Anwar Shaikh, PhD. Unpublished correspondence. New York.
• The Editorial Board. 2023. Introduction to the special issue honoring Duncan Foley, Anwar Shaikh, and the New School political economy tradition. New School Economic Review, volume 12. New York: New School for Social Research, Department of Economics.
• Ramachandran, Madhav Tipu. 2023. An interview with Sanjay Reddy. New School Economic Review, volume 12. New York: New School for Social Research, Department of Economics.
• Blanc, …

Educator Experience And Perspective On Factors Leading To Teacher Burnout During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Michigan, Alexandra Bernardi-Jowett

Wayne State University Dissertations

In 2020 a nationwide school closure happened in response to the health concerns associated with the COVID-19 virus. Districts expeditiously approached teachers with an unfamiliar virtual instruction pedagogy while many gave them little support. This unprecedented time in education led to a rise in vacancies in public schools during the pandemic and greatly affected those still in the field. Policymakers and administrators were then frantically attempting to find new incentives to fill a growing number of vacancies as they feared they would lose their most experienced and effective teachers. This research was a mixed-methods case study which followed an explanatory …

Sensemaking Of Michigan's Read By Grade Three Law, Amy Catherine Hawtin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Research suggests that school leaders’ understanding and process of making sense of educational reform policies and/or laws is shaped by social, organizational, individual factors. This understanding can impact how a school leader understands and interprets the law/policy and ultimately may impact implementation actions. In 2016, Michigan’s Read by Grade Three law was enacted into law, which requires districts to identify struggling readers and provide tiered reading intervention for those students requiring additional support. Furthermore, the law also outlines mandatory eligible retention for students achieving below the pre-determined cut-score on the annually administered Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M STEP) …

Data Driven Method To Assess Safety And Energy On Freeway And Intersection Performance Using Probe Vehicle, Rezwana Kabir

Wayne State University Dissertations

Traffic congestion in cities is becoming a more pressing issue as travel demand increases, leading to safety and mobility problems and wasteful use of vehicle energy. Both freeways and signalized corridors are important in creating an efficient transportation network, and congestion on these infrastructure types presents a significant mobility concern in the United States. With advances in sensing technologies for intelligent transportation systems, probe vehicles equipped with GPS-enabled devices such as cell phones and in-vehicle telematics or navigation systems are increasingly being used to gather more information about traffic conditions. While fixed point detectors can be limited by their geographical …

Amplifying Civil Rights Collections With Oral Histories: A Collaboration With Alumni At Queens College, City University Of New York, Annie E. Tummino, Victoria Fernandez

Publications and Research

Representing a shift in archival methods, oral history is increasingly used alongside more traditional methods of documentation to capture institutional and community histories. In this article, the authors demonstrate how the Student Help Lived Experience Project at the Queens College Library’s Special Collections and Archives (SCA) provided a vital supplement to more traditional methods of archival documentation. SCA was able to leverage resources provided by a partnering organization and a newly established graduate fellowship to bolster its relationship with other entities on campus and to engage alumni in a participatory, collaborative effort that centered their knowledge and interests. This article …

Psychological Safety In Startup Organizations, Jessica Barhydt

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological safety is an individually held belief that a group is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Scholars have studied the concept primarily as a team-level construct. However, recent studies suggest that climates of psychological safety exist at the organizational level. An examination of the dynamism of the construct at the organizational level is needed: how it grows, changes, and declines. Startups, which grow and change quickly, are an excellent context to study organizational psychological safety. Through interviews, this study explored psychological safety as an organizational-level construct in startup organizations. Specifically, it examined potential commonalities between high and low psychological safety as …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Community Based-Organizations: A Case Study Of Jewish Organizations, Orit Zigmanlador

Theses and Dissertations

When COVID-19 started to spread in March 2020, no one could anticipate the impact it would have on the world. Social behavior is one key aspect that has changed dramatically as a result of the pandemic. Through restrictions that imposed social distancing, masks, and quarantines, feelings of loneliness, depression, and isolation increased. At the same time, there was also evidence of prosocial behavior, with the emergence of people helping those in need. As the pandemic turns endemic with restrictions lifting, the longstanding impact of the pandemic on people’s behavior is still unclear. One way to explore this phenomenon is through …

African American Coaches In Athletics: A Study Of Enabling And Inhibiting Factors Impacting Leadership Success, Lamar Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research focused on identifying and addressing the enabling and inhibiting factors that have influenced the careers of African American National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I head basketball coaches. The researcher used a phenomenological approach to discover and understand the lived experiences of African American NCAA Division I men's head basketball coaches that are considered to be successful leaders in their field in order to gain their perspective and personal insight into barriers and potential solutions to those barriers in this particular field. Active and systemic discrimination, along with institutionalized racism and bias, are essential factors in this …