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Racial Bias in AI: The Impact of Discriminative Algorithms on Minority Communities
No full textWith the rise of generative AI infiltrating many areas of our everyday lives, it\u27s essential to acknowledge how AI can be trained on discriminatory data. When these AI systems are trained with information that is racist, they produce answers that possess a racial bias, which further perpetuates and enforces the systemic inequalities that minorities experience. Prior research discusses that racial bias is a problem in the use of AI and provides case studies on how racial bias has been enacted in large-scale projects. However, this research does not explain or acknowledge the long-term effects of racial bias on minorities. This thesis will investigate different discriminative algorithms used to train AI models, focusing on how these algorithms disproportionately impact minority communities and exploring ways to address these impacts. The key findings are that the lack of representation in the data selection of AI models and data being historically underrepresented causes algorithms to present inaccurate results and exclude all the demographics they are catering to. With the aim of being more inclusive of all demographics and reducing racial bias, mitigation techniques, including preprocessing, model selection, and postprocessing techniques, work toward including fairness metrics in results. Incorporating mitigation techniques and fairness metrics is critical in the future use of AI to help prevent further discrimination against minorities, as it has significantly impacted them regarding policing and healthcare
A Tale of Two Chinatowns: Development Projects and Their Effects on Diasporic Communities
No full textUrban change as initiated by a municipality has ramifications on the communities and neighborhoods found in the urban area. Development plans greatly affect vulnerable migrant populations who rely on their neighbors for economic and social support. These development plans in urban areas are widely discussed in academic literature because of pervasive processes such as gentrification. While most people agree that processes such as gentrification are harmful to communities, I am interested in exploring urban development plans on a larger scale and who these projects most benefit in order to better understand why they are commissioned. In this thesis I perform a deep dive into Chinatowns because they are some of the most visible diasporas around the world and are increasingly subject to a municipality\u27s development plans. I am interested in exploring which interest group, whether that be the established Chinese diaspora or new groups moving into the city, benefits the most from a municipality’s current development plans in an attempt to understand why these projects and processes continue to be commissioned. The case studies of the Chinatown in Manhattan and Paris were chosen since they are two of the largest Chinatowns in the world. They also have completely different histories, allowing for a better and more well-rounded understanding of Chinatowns on a global scale. Current development plans in New York City and Paris benefit neither interest group more than the other and instead only align with the agendas of the municipality, making it difficult for any population to truly succeed in the urban area. In this context, cities must take more action to protect their vulnerable populations. Immigrant populations highly contribute to key aspects of their respective cities through contributions to diversity, economic revenue, and culture, and thus, it is in the city’s best interest to protect these communities
Dumy and the Nation: How Folklore and Folk Songs Help Compose a Distinct Ukrainian Narrative
No full textHistoriography and ethnography have played a critical role in the development of modern Slavic nationalisms, particularly in Ukraine. As these studies became increasingly popular in the nineteenth century, scholars and members of the bourgeoisie identified folk culture as the key component for the making of the modern nation. Viewed as an authentic window into national history and tradition due to their limited interaction with the modernizing world, rural folk offered the perfect opportunity to illustrate how Ukraine had always been distinct from Russia and its other historical oppressors. As folk culture fervor gripped the intellectual elite of Eastern Europe, however, the focus quickly turned to what specific aspects of rural culture could prove most useful in combating imperial narratives. As a result, history, national mythology, and language all became critical components of Ukrainian nation-building. One aspect of rural culture, however, managed to combine all three: folk songs, known in Ukraine as dumy. Unfortunately, little scholarly attention has been paid to these pieces in Western academia, leaving most non-Ukrainians unaware of the critical factors that distinguish Ukraine from other nations such as Russia. This paper seeks to remedy that deficit and its consequences by providing an accessible history and analysis of dumy. After contextualizing the need to define a distinct Ukrainian nation, it analyzes the intricate role that dumy have played in the making of Ukraine’s national identity, using the songs themselves—as well as their popular interpretations—as primary sources. It proceeds to examine the differences in dumy preferred by Ukraine’s folk versus elite. It then showcases how folk culture was ultimately translated into patriotic songs that glorified and affirmed a distinct Ukrainian identity. Finally, fulfilling its main purpose, it explores the resurgence of dumy’s popularity in light of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, illustrating how these pieces have taken on new life in Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora
The Politics of Perspective: A Comparative Analysis of the Framing of Political Violence in German Media Coverage of Immigration Prior to the 2024 State Elections
No full textThis study examines the role of German media in framing politically motivated violence and immigration in the lead-up to the 2024 state elections, focusing on three outlets: Thüringer Allgemeine, Die Zeit, and TAZ. Through comparative content analysis of coverage on key incidents, the research highlights how political leanings and editorial choices shape public discourse and influence societal attitudes. Findings reveal stark contrasts in local and national reporting, with local outlets reinforcing confirmation biases and national outlets offering broader narratives. The analysis underscores the critical impact of framing, from emotional appeals to policy-oriented discourse, on public perception and political outcomes. This study contributes to understanding the media\u27s role in democratic societies and calls for heightened media literacy to combat polarization and misinformation in an increasingly contentious political landscape
An Autoethnographic Account of the Dimensions of Learning to Teach
No full textThis is a review of the book Navigating Teacher Education in Complex and Uncertain Times by Carmen I. Mercado. The volume offers an autoethnographic narrative of an innovative learning and teaching process in teacher training including her role as a professor responding to the needs of the urban diverse students and their families served. It is an ethnographic contribution where Mercado’s life and work are intertwined. Through a rich autobiographical account, spanning 40 years, Mercado theorizes from her experiences as a teacher and teacher educator, offering powerful lessons to teachers and teachers’ educators alike
Applications of Urban Forestry: Advancing Environmental Justice Via Tree Planting in New York City
No full textNYC’s urban forest is composed of 7 million trees and the infrastructure which supports them. These trees have incredible value in almost every sense of the word; they provide essential ecosystem services such as climate modification and air purification that are otherwise impossible or enormously costly to manage. Contrarily, a lack of tree coverage in an urbanized area can contribute negatively to the health, economics, and overall quality of life for a neighborhood’s residents. This paper analyzes the impact trees have in New York City through a socioeconomic lens by comparing tree metrics and their collective influence in various neighborhoods, highlighting how urban forestry contributes to established neighborhoods and how a lack of trees further isolates low-income areas. Chapter 1 provides quantitative data on inequalities in urban forestry in NYC as well as on the ecosystem services that trees perform. Chapter 2 summarizes the intricate history of urban forestry in New York City, starting with a history of the Lenape, Manhattan’s original landscape, and how urbanization transformed local ecosystems. Then, there is a brief explanation of environmental injustice in NYC, followed by an account of environmental politics for NYC’s trees. Chapter 3 examines the public health impact of urban forestry, including a focus on environmental racism. Chapter 4 offers a cost-benefits analysis of NYC’s urban forest. Finally, Chapter 5 compiles data examined to outline efficient policy recommendations that utilize urban forestry to advance environmental justice goals, offering advice on government, community involvement, public education, planting procedures, and long-term maintenance
Learning in Crisis: Analyzing COVID-19’s Effect on NYC Public High Schools Through Open Access Data
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic triggered widespread disruptions to student learning across the United States, intensifying many pre-existing educational inequalities. This study investigates how public health conditions, environmental factors, and federal stimulus funding shaped pandemic high school outcomes in New York City, one of the nation’s largest and most diverse school districts. Using open-access datasets from city agencies, this analysis examines the relationships between local COVID-19 severity, air pollution exposure, budget allocations, and student success, as measured by attendance and graduation rates. Findings reveal that while local COVID-19 rates and air quality conditions varied across boroughs, they did not consistently predict educational outcomes. Instead, broader socioeconomic disparities, technological access, and school-level resource deployment arose as stronger influences on student trajectories. Federal pandemic relief funding contributed to modest improvements in some boroughs, but its impact varied widely, underscoring that strategic, equity-focused interventions are essential for long-term recovery. The study highlights the potential and limitations of public open-access data to illuminate structural educational inequalities and inform more resilient and equitable future policies
