Critical and Cultural Studies Commons^™

S5e7: What Career Opportunities Exist In The Outdoor Recreation Industry?, Ron Lisnet, Chris Bartram, Ryan Scott, Lauren Jacobs, Karen Beeftink

The Maine Question

Maine is known as Vacationland to lovers of outdoor recreation from around the world. An industry grew out of Mainers’ and tourists’ passion for hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing and other outside pastimes, and it generates $3 billion in economic activity for the state. The Outdoor Leadership program at UMaine was created to take advantage of this opportunity.

Working with an existing program at the University of Maine at Machias and University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H camps, this new program is preparing students for careers in tourism, education and other fields that pertain to outside activities and learning. In this …

Amjambo Africa! (November 2021), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In this Issue

Afghanistan................................2

Anti-racism. ...............................3

Wabanaki Alliance. ...................5

Allan Monga. .............................6

Translations .......9-13, 30/31, 33

French • Kinyarwanda

Portuguese • Somali

Spanish • Swahili

Africa/COVID.........................13

Banyamulenge....................13/14

Burundi/UN. ...........................14

Tigray........................................14

Rebels........................................14

Market Basket..........................15

Azerbaijani women.................18

Health & Wellness. ............20-29

Diabetes | COVID In English & translation

Columns .......................19, 32/33

Maine Equal Justice

ILAP – IntWork

Let’s Talk • Beautiful Blackbird

New Voices ..................34/35/37

Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed

Rupal Ramesh Shah

Nsiona Nguizani

Coco McCracken

Gashi

Kifah Abdulla

Financial Literacy. ...................36

Tips & Info ...39

S5e6: How Can Research Lead To Student Success?, Ron Lisnet, John Volin, Issac Cardello

The Maine Question

Improving student retention and success is a key priority at the University of Maine and University of Maine System. To support this goal, the Harold Alfond Foundation earmarked $20 million of its transformative $240 million gift to the System for new efforts to keep students enrolled and support their academic growth.

One of these new initiatives involves getting students involved in discovery and knowledge creation early in their studies through new research learning experience (RLE) courses launched this year at UMaine and it’s regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. These tuition-free, one-credit courses offer a variety of experiential …

The Year In Review: 2020-2021 Letter From The Co-Presidents, Robin Brandehoff, Rachel Desoto-Jackson

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

Report of PTO's activities in the past year and a preview of upcoming plans. Also included is information about ways to get involved in the Organization's work throughout the year.

Review Of Theatre Of The Oppressed - Roots & Wings: A Theory Of Praxis, Uri Yitzchak Noy Meir

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

Theatre of the Oppressed - Roots & Wings: A Theory of Praxis by Barbara Santos is a necessary, previously unwritten, ontology of Theatre of the Oppressed with a feminist twist. It is a gift and a fantastic resource.

Book Review Of The Routledge Companion To Theatre Of The Oppressed, Amy Phillips

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

In my review of The Routledge Companion to Theatre of the Oppressed by Boal, J., Howe, K., and Soerio, J., eds. (London and New York: Routledge, 2019), I compare the book’s call for Theatre of the Oppressed to embrace a nuanced investigation of social problems with its response: the international movements detailed in its chapters. While demonstrating that the first-hand accounts provide a measured answer to contradictions inherent in a system which Augusto Boal developed in response to a specific political climate, I emphasize the beauty of theory and practice sitting side by side, in paradox, and encourage scholar and …

Expanding And Expounding Upon Forum Theater To Engage Spect-Actors In Virtual Spaces, Lasonja Roberts, María Migueliz Valcarlos, Tara Nkrumah, Vonzell Agosto

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

In this article, we analyze our experiences of jokering in online spaces during the pandemic. Our journey traversed the 2020/2021 academic year, engaging in Forum Theater work with a local university and community organization. During our planning, leading, and reflecting on these experiences themes emerged addressing the efficacy of practicing Forum Theater in an online setting, as well as recommendations for TO practitioners who wish to pursue online Forum Theater in the future.

Unmuted: A Digital Dilemma Inspired By Forum Theatre, Akhila Khanna

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

This report describes the purpose, process and reflections of a Forum Theatre video project, titled Unmuted, created to investigate the increased online harassment faced by women during the pandemic. Led by an arts and community education based initiative in New Delhi, India - Rang Karwan - and supported by the 25 x 25 Initiative by India Foundation for the Arts grant, Unmuted included a series of surveys and Forum scenes that were screen-recorded and distributed among 100+ digital spect-actors across the country. This report by Akhila, one of the facilitators of the project, will evaluate the 9-month-long rehearsal and research …

Exploring Online Participatory Theatre During Covid-19: Reflections On Adapting, Delivering, And Evaluating Student-Led Theatre For Health Workshops, Jeffrey Pufahl, Emmanuelle Crider, Kelviyana Walker

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the higher education community to quickly shift and adapt courses to the online environment. While traditional theatre programs struggled, the flexible nature of applied theatre created the space for students and instructors to explore and adapt existing forms, such as Forum Theatre and Sociodrama, and create engaging online workshops for the public. Over the course of 2020-21, students in the University of Florida’s Applied Theatre for Health program developed, delivered, and evaluated online health and wellness workshops for the public. This report focuses on two such projects: 1) a workshop on female reproductive health, and 2) …

Collective Beauty, Grace And Care Against Isolation, Mistrust And Lack Of Utopia:" Neoliberalism In Social Justice Theatre Work, Joschka Köck

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

Aeport on three recent global online exchanges focusing on neoliberalism in social justice theatre work that represent an amazing example of the circular thinking and complex processes happening in truly dialogic group settings that can be faciliated through TO and PO

Theater Of The Oppressed And Labor Organizing: Possibilities And Limitations, Jasmin Cardenas

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

A reflective essay to document the use of Theater of the Oppressed (TO) for labor organizing with a workers rights group in the Chicago area. Participants were working people from across Chicago’s Latinx immigrant community and previously incarcerated returning citizens, mainly temporary staffing workers who had never performed before. This essay attempts to document the collaboration between an independent artist and an organization and highlight some limitations and possibilities of using TO for labor organizing.

Image Theatre As A Conduit For Academic Research, Felicia Owusu-Ansah

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

In the last few decades Africa has seen an upsurge of the use of applied theatre in addressing individual and community issues in diverse paradigms. However, fewer studies have examined its potential beyond sensitisation, awareness creation campaigns and general education through playlets and post-performance discussion. This paper discusses how some aspects of applied theatre were used for data gathering in academic research in connection with Irregular Migration in Ghana. I base the discussion on how I used Applied Theatre, specifically, Augusto Boal’s Image works on the platform of Testimonial Theatre as an investigation tool in academic research. It also shows …

Leveraging Standardized Testing To Transform Curriculum Through Arts Integration: Effects Of Shadow Puppet Theater On Reading Fluency Among Elementary School Students, Nancy B. Parent

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

This paper presents findings from a reading fluency study conducted by Flock Theatre (Connecticut Higher Order Thinking Schools Teaching Artists) on the effects of a shadow puppet theater program in an elementary school setting. Data collected in this study show an increase in fluency scores among students who perform as narrators in the program. This paper highlights the role of teaching artists in leveraging standardized assessments to transform curricula and student learning through arts integration. Positionality of teaching artists, classroom teachers, and my role as a social scientist in this context is considered, as well as a discussion of the …

Augusto Boal's Joker And Pedagogy Of Freedom, Hamze Aleepayam

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

This text was a report on the Pedagogic project to apply the techniques of Boal's Joker to teach basic Farsi reading and writing to war-torn labor children, those who are deprived of the right to education. They learned to read and write well and wrote about their experiences of war, labor, childhood, fears, happiness, etc..., and its impact on their lives.

Taking Youth Voices Seriously: Theatre, Storytelling, And Empowerment With Refugee Youth In Memphis, Tn, Taylor St. John

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

This project report documents the most recent play-turned-podcast in a multi-year partnership between the Orpheum Theatre Group and the Refugee Empowerment Program in Memphis, TN. Youth from the program have been engaging in From Where I Stand, a theatrical storytelling program that weaves first-person narratives into theatrical performances that are presented for the community. While our third performance entitled, Refugee Portraits, was postponed due to the pandemic, it was given new life in the form of a podcast. This report will explore the process of creating the live theatrical performance, pivoting that performance to a podcast, and reflect on …

Editor’S Introduction To The 6th Issue Of The Pto Journal, Mark Weinberg

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal

This brief letter provides an introduction to my final issue as editor of the PTO Journal.

S5e5: What Opportunities Exist In Sports Management?, Ron Lisnet, Jason Harkins, Muralee Das

The Maine Question

Sports have significant value for many people for various reasons. It serves as entertainment for some, a passion for others and a $1.3 trillion international industry for entrepreneurs.

College students studying business will find many career opportunities in sports management upon graduation. The Maine Business School at UMaine capitalized on the demand for college graduates with business degrees by creating a new sports management major. In this episode of “The Maine Question” podcast, we explore the employment prospects in the sports management field with Jason Harkins and Muralee Das, Maine Business School faculty who helped create this new major at …

Subject Formation In Hong Kong’S “Alternative Communities”, 2010-2020, Chor See Chan

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

This research explores the history and development of the concept “community” in Hong Kong from the late colonial period to date, aiming to show the complex understanding of this ambiguous term. Responding to the (colonial) government’s invention of community as a means of control, there have been different types of bottom-up intervention that have sought to re-define the meaning of that concept. My research focuses on one of these attempts that emerged in the 2010s during the new social movements in Hong Kong. This attempt has been to create what I call “alternative communities”, in which members intentionally build communities …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume 5, 2021

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Toward A New Community Of Care: Best Practices For Educators And Administrators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cody M. Clemens, Tomeka M. Robinson

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The onset of COVID-19 left people feeling unsettled, confused, and afraid of what tomorrow may hold. As university professors specializing in health communication, we too were left with these same feelings. As health communication scholars, we focus on issues surrounding illness, risk, crisis, care, health inequities, and wellness. COVID-19 is a health crisis, yes, but it has also changed the way we operate not only in higher education but in daily life. We begin this essay with an overview of COVID-19 and its impact on students, educators, and administrators. Then, we suggest four best practices to foster a community of …

Unpacking Privilege In Pandemic Pedagogy: Social Media Debates On Power Dynamics Of Online Education, Roy Schwartzman

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

As one of the world’s major social media hubs dedicated to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Facebook mega-group Pandemic Pedagogy provides a panoramic perspective of the key concerns educators and students face amid a public health crisis that forces redefinition of what constitutes effective education. After several months of instruction under pandemic conditions, two central themes emerged as the most extensively discussed and the most intensively contested: (1) rigor versus accommodation in calibrating standards for students, and (2) ways to improve engagement during classes conducted through videoconferencing, especially via Zoom. Both themes reveal deeply embedded systems of privilege …

S5e4: What Can Mud Reveal About The History Of Oceans?, Ron Lisnet, Katherine Allen

The Maine Question

Oceans serve as the dominant feature of the Earth. They sustain life, which began in their salty waters, and influence weather and climate.

Despite the significance of Earth’s oceans, much of their history remains a mystery. Katherine Allen, and assistant professor from the School of Earth and Climate Sciences at the University of Maine, looks to literally dig up that history, which can be found in mud along the ocean floor and the many objects embedded in it. Dredging up the record of Earth’s oceans from the seafloor requires detective work, and provides exciting adventures.

In this episode of “The …

Burnout In The Nursing Profession: Extant Knowledge And Future Directions For Research And Practice, Sara Labelle

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Burnout is a psychological state resulting from prolonged psychological or emotional job stress, and is a culmination of three factors: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Due to the nature of the “people-work” they must constantly perform, along with a highly stressful and unpredictable work environment, nurses have alarmingly high rates of burnout among members of their profession. Given the importance of research on burnout to understanding the context-specific stressors and challenges of nursing, this review offers a synthesis of research published in the last decade in both nursing and communication journals, with an emphasis on discussing opportunities for …

S5e3: Can Physics Help Combat Covid-19?, Ron Lisnet, Samuel T. Hess

The Maine Question

Numerous medical professionals, biologists and other experts have been combating COVID-19 and the havoc it has wrought since the pandemic began. Physicists have also joined the fray, including one from the University of Maine.

The invention of a new microscope allows Sam Hess, a professor of physics at UMaine, to obtain new insight into the structure of the virus that causes COVID-19 — SARS-COV-2 — and the influenza virus. These findings could help pave the way for effective treatments.

In this episode of “The Maine Question,” Hess discusses the development of this breakthrough in microscope technology and his decades-long quest …

Building Bridges Not Walls: An Exploratory Study Of Student Involvement And African American Student Retention At Community Colleges, Brittney Rasjan Hernandez-Stevenson

Dissertations

African American students are attending college and working toward earning credentials, yet this population is persisting at lower rates compared to their White counterparts. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that student involvement has on African American student persistence and retention at community colleges. A Sequential Explanatory mixed methods design was conducted with quantitative data from 743 African American KCTCS community college students that completed the 2019 Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and qualitative data from 11 focus group interview participants. An ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the data and the quantitative …

Frederick Wiseman's Essene (1972): The Duality Of Mary And Martha, Nilita Vachani

Journal of Religion & Film

America’s legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman shot Essene 50 years ago at the height of the commune movement in the United States. Unlike his previous institutional films which showcase an insane asylum, a public high school, an inner city police force, a hospital, and a military training school, Essene's canvas is the far less turbulent terrain of a serene and austere Benedictine monastery devoted to the love and service of God and the divine spirit. This paper undertakes a close textual and hermeneutic analysis of Essene alongside an appraisal of Wiseman’s working methodology, his cinematic portrayals of character and dramaturgy, …

Amjambo Africa! (October 2021), Kathreen Harrison

Amjambo Africa!

In this Issue

Afghanistan................................2

Refugees......................................3

Freedom & Captivity...........3/39

Election special. .....................4-7

Editorial/Xenophobia ...............8

Translations...............9-13/30-31

News from Burundi ................14

Fishermen feeding Mainers...15

Beautiful Blackbird Festival ...17

Hope Acts.................................17

Education............................18/19

Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed

Valerie Laure Bilogue

Bez Mendelsohn

Health&Wellness ...............20-28

Substance abuse & addiction Covid and Delta In English & translation

New Voices columns ...16/34/35

Rupal Ramesh Shah (16),

Roseline Souebele

Nsiona Nguizani

Coco McCracken

Shay Stewart-Bouley

Zabrina Richards

Columns ............................29/32

Maine Equal Justice ILAP• MIRC

Business Insurance

Financial literacy... ............33

ProsperityME ....................36/37

S5e2: How Can We Address Mental Health Needs In Rural Maine?, Ron Lisnet, Jeff Hecker, Sandy Butler, Emily Haigh

The Maine Question

Many people nationwide are experiencing a decline in their mental health. Rates of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are rising, more so in rural areas. Ten out of 16 Maine counties have a shortage of mental health professionals. Only about half of the state population receives the services they need.

At UMaine, a major effort is underway to recruit more mental health care providers to serve in rural areas. Using federal funding, researchers from the Psychology Department and School of Social Work are working with other experts to increase the number of psychologists, social workers and substance abuse professionals in …

Towards Satu Bangsa : A Reevaluation Of The Race-Based Narrative And Its Impact On Chinese Communities In Malaysia, Chun Lean Lim

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Pakatan Harapan has terminated Barisan Nasional’s 61-year rule in Malaysia through the ballot box in the 2018 14th General Election (GE14) of Malaysia. The regime change did not happen overnight; it resulted from (a) the democratization progress in Malaysia over decades, (b) the exposure of corruption and crime related to top tier government officials, and (c) the changing political landscape of Malay political parties. Criticism from the people and its coalition and party overwhelmed Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional. On the other hand, Pakatan Harapan successfully incorporated all the opposition voices to vote against Najib’s regime, but the opposition front, …

Critically Analyzing The Online Classroom: Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, And The Pedagogy They Produce, J.D. Swerzenski

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Working from the crossroads of critical pedagogy and software studies, this study analyzes the means by which teaching technologies—in particular the popular learning management systems (LMS) Blackboard, Moodle, and Canvas—support a transmission model of education at the expense of critical learning goals. I assess the effect of LMSs on critical aims via four key critical pedagogy concepts: the banking system, student/teacher contradiction, dialogue, and problem-posing. From software studies, I employ the notion of affordances—what program functions are and are not made available to users—to observe how LMSs naturalize the transmission model. Rather than present a deterministic look at teaching technology, …