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Ethics à la Mode: Should Ethics Apply to Artificial Intelligence, or the Other Way Around?
No full textHarold Thomas, Michael Nelson, Ronald Woods and Debra Washington
No full textHarold Thomas, Michael Nelson, Ronald Woods and Debra Washington, lived and grew up in the Amsterdam housing project in the neighborhood which was partially demolished in the construction of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Fordham University\u27s Lincoln Center campus. Fordham students in VART 2222: The Art of the Interview, led by Professor Catalina Alvarez, interviewed them to hear their stories of the once-vibrant neighborhood and the memories and changes wrought by the project
Harriet
No full textHarriet, born in 1938 in the Bronx maternity hospital on 165th street, spent her childhood and early adult life living on the Grand Concourse. She was at the crossroads of the Concourse and 161st street, where she led a vibrant childhood playing with all of the local children. She was in a very diverse environment, but she did not experience very much ethnic or racial tension. She recalls playing lots of games with her friends, and living in a neighborhood with lots to do. She attended public schools—PS 35 and PS 22—for elementary school and junior high before going to Music and Art (now LaGuardia) for high school. After graduating, she spent a year pursuing a degree at Columbia University’s School of Fine Arts. However, she soon decided that a fine arts degree was not for her, and she transferred to Hunter College, where she learned teaching.
After graduating, Harriet worked as an elementary school teacher in the east Bronx for 12 years. She was drawn to education after hearing a lecture on the importance of teaching in her youth. After she left her job on maternity leave, she took up a teaching position in Manhattan, where she had moved several years prior.
She was very excited to live in Manhattan, both because the Bronx was changing and because everything seemed to be happening in Manhattan. She first moved there with a roommate before she met her husband, who had an apartment in Park West Village. She still lives there today.
Harriet’s mother was born in America to immigrant parents, and she grew up on the Lower East Side. Harriet knows little about her father, except that his family was Sephardic. She assumes that he graduated from high school, and she is unsure what level of education her mother attained. Her father worked in credit management at CIT, and her mother was a homemaker.
Overall, Harriet recalls her childhood in the Bronx as being very, very fun. There were lots of places for kids to go out and play, and there were not as many safety concerns as there are today. She had friends all over the neighborhood, and she is very grateful for her time in the Bronx
Lionel Spencer Interview
No full textSummarized by Alan C. Ventura
In this heartfelt interview, Carlos Rico of the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project meets with Lionel Spencer to discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on his life as a son and father. Spencer highlights his close relationship with his brothers and the challenges they have faced together, expressing admiration for their bond and hoping to have a similar connection with his own family going forward. Both Rico and Spencer take a deep dive into the challenges people face in adjusting to the lack of social interactions and their interest in understanding the impact of COVID-19 on social dynamics. In terms of Spencer’s own personal experience with COVID-19, he demonstrates resilience and adaptability in dealing with his father\u27s life-threatening illness and navigating the challenges of the healthcare system during the pandemic. Into the discussion comes discrimination and marginalization in healthcare as Spencer shares his reflections on his father\u27s healthcare and raises concerns about the difference in treatment that his father received. In the wake of tragedy, Spencer still remains engaged with his community through events like a church-led Sing for Justice and a Juneteenth barbecue. Spencer also briefly reflects on the ongoing nationwide protests for black lives and his experience with social movements. He expresses uncertainty and fear about the impact of protests and the narratives that those protests present to his community, but also maintains the need for protest in order to bring about systemic change. The challenges of isolation and testing are discussed, including Spencer\u27s personal history with testing and the impact on family dynamics on it. In closing, Spencer talks about the music he has been listening to as a means of staying whole during the pandemic, gives his thoughts on how people consume his own music, and shares words of advice emphasizing the importance of staying hopeful and diligent through troubling times
Not Just a Walk in the Park: Environmental Injustice in New York City’s Green Spaces
No full textThis paper examines inequities in New York City’s green spaces, and it discusses the discrepancies in the quality and sizes of parks in lower- versus higher-income and white versus non-white areas. Although organizations herald the city’s parks as some of the best and most accessible in the country, marginalized residents face unsafe and insufficient surroundings. Chapter One considers the state of NYC’s green spaces. The chapter uses quantitative data collected by city agencies and non-profits to illustrate the disparities in the conditions of parks among various communities. By framing the issue using ecosystem services, the paper emphasizes the importance of widespread green spaces for New Yorkers and their environment. In Chapter Two, the thesis delves into the city’s history and the events that led to the current state of its parks. Chapter Three investigates the issue regarding environmental economics, and it discusses the benefits of green spaces for society. While some ecological aspects are simpler to quantify in monetary terms, the chapter assigns values to features that standard economic analysis often fails to include. Using the lens of environmental justice, Chapter Four explains how the unequal state of parks across the city results from and reinforces a racist and classist system. This chapter explores the differences in stakeholder involvement across neighborhoods and various barriers to access, including but not limited to the physical dimension. In Chapter Five, the paper proposes avenues to improve and expand the city’s green spaces. Policy recommendations focus on the NYC government, and they call for increases in funding, programming, infrastructure, and regulations that improve conditions, inspire greater park usage, and prevent the displacement of marginalized residents
A Just, Sustainable Transition at Fordham University
No full textThis paper takes a deeper look at Fordham University’s environmental impact and concludes with a strategy outline that works towards a just, sustainable future on the university campus and surrounding areas. New York City is an area already facing the adverse effects of climate change, and there are several threats that have the potential to cause grave consequences moving forward. Prior to constructing a climate action plan, it is integral to understand the past and present status of The Bronx under a socio-environmental lens. Chapter One focuses on the current status of Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus from a sustainability perspective and why action must be taken, given New York City’s unique situation. Chapter Two covers how Fordham’s environmental impact affects the surrounding communities of The Bronx, an area that has been stricken with environmental injustice for decades. More specifically, this chapter delves into how minority groups are disproportionately exposed to unsafe environmental conditions and health risks. Next, Chapter Three explores sustainable college campuses across America, including Fordham University itself, and delves into how different universities are making plans for a campus design that is green and resilient. Chapter Four builds off the latter, discussing the politics and processes that go into building out a sustainable college campus. This chapter studies Fordham’s own experience on this front, as well as other universities leading the charge across America. Finally, Chapter Five concludes with policy suggestions for Fordham University’s Office of Sustainability that are conscious of environmental injustice while aiming to make the Rose Hill Campus a more environmentally friendly and sustainable place for students
Confessions of a Contemporary Consumer: Environmental and Humanitarian Impacts of Fast Fashion
No full textThis paper addresses the impacts fast fashion has on the environment and people, drawing from the reality in South Asia and the Shein factory located there, while also addressing global consequences. Today’s consumer culture has incited a behavior of purchasing clothing at a rate that has never been seen before. Trends go in and out, and along with them, the clothing items that are created to fit the current styles. Fast fashion has become an environmental issue due to the amount of fabrics that are being incinerated and discarded daily that pollute the oceans and land. Additionally, it is a humanitarian issue because clothing factory workers are underpaid, must withstand dangerous conditions, and many live near factories or landfills that affect their health. Chapter 1 connects fast fashion and climate change to highlight the negative consequences it has created in the 21st century on the ecosystem and the workers of such brands. Chapter 2 provides a historical overview of fashion trends and clothing manufacturing and explains how consumer culture has become unsustainable. Chapter 3 covers the environmental economics aspect of the fashion industry. Chapter 4 uses the disciplines of Political Science and Ethics through the lens of Environmental Justice Studies to identify the social issues related to this topic. Chapter 5 recommends policy changes, utilizing resources like the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme (SMEP, 2019), for fashion brands and consumers to become more earth-conscious and offer better working conditions for their employees
Fostering Dissent: Analyzing Russian Rhetorical Strategies in Fomenting a Negative Image of the EU in Serbia
No full textAs authoritarian regimes work to manipulate perceptions of democracy and frame themselves as an alternative, an in-depth analysis of image building is necessary to advance our understanding of world politics. Russia has served as a perpetrator in Serbia’s increasingly negative perceptions of the European Union. Through tactics such as political rhetoric, demonstrated through the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russia has carried out an information campaign with the intent to shift public attitudes towards the EU. This thesis evaluates the rhetorical strategies used by the Russian Foreign Ministry to project a negative image of the EU whilst illuminating an ideal image of Russia. By analyzing statements, interviews, conferences, and briefings carried out by the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding Serbia, I uncovered five themes centered on anti-EU rhetoric and pro-Russian image framing. An analysis of rhetoric noted a surge in anti-EU rhetoric following the EU Council’s Conclusions on the Enlargement and Stabilization and Association Process. Authoritarian regimes such as Russia have taken advantage of these gaps, in addition to already growing anti-EU sentiment in Serbia, to shift Serbia away from its EU ambitions. These findings have implications for our understanding of political communication and international relations. In order to prevent mass public opinion shift in Serbia that could undermine democracy, the EU and Serbia must foster a cooperative negotiation process. In addition, the EU should assist in initiatives to promote rule of law and democracy in Serbia whilst countering Russian propaganda carried out in the region
Hawaii’s Future Is Kānaka Maoli: Reconciling the Colonization of Hawai’i to Promote a Greener Future
No full textThis paper will focus on the social and environmental degradation of the Kānaka Maoli people and the Hawaiian Islands and will show how Kānaka Maoli philosophy, culture, and knowledge will not only help combat climate change but how they are necessary for the continuation of life through and after this climate crisis. The destruction of our planet and the destruction of indigenous life have gone hand in hand in the United States, and throughout history, the decisions that have affected the environment affected Native Americans and vice versa. As the United States moves towards a greener and more sustainable way of life the history of these decisions must be considered. This paper will begin with a focus on a specific Kānaka Maoli family to show the adverse effects of colonization. Then, the first chapter will outline the historical quantitative data of the environmental degradation in Hawai’i, and how it has gone hand in hand with the degradation of the Kānaka Maoli. Chapter 2 will focus on the Kānaka Maoli cultural, religious, legal, and agricultural practices that have historically been in line with environmental protection, and how these have been misunderstood, completely ignored, and destroyed. Chapter 3 will focus on the commodification Kānaka Maoli life for tourists, and how tourism destroys the ecosystem. Chapter 4 will address the current issues preventing Kānaka Maoli sovereignty, and what is currently being done to combat them. Concluding the paper, I will argue for better Kānaka Maoli representation, and a restructuring of Hawai’i’s economy to better support Kānaka Maoli lives and the Hawaiian ecosystem
Traditional Roots of the Shamans\u27 Brew and Its Adoption by New-Age Groups
No full textNew Age Americans\u27 growing fetishization of exotic cultural practices—places the powerful entheogenic-life altering drug Ayahuasca into their cultural context of Eclectic Amalgams, lending itself as a catalyst for shifting perceptions and understandings of conventional thought. Eclectic Amalgams refers to the blend or combination of various elements from different spiritual, religious, or cultural traditions. In New Age practices, there is often an eclectic approach where diverse sources are amalgamated to form a personalized spiritual path or practice. This work explores the growing awareness and practice of Ayahuasca usage in the developed world. The term Ayahuasca is used to name the ceremonial medicine embedded within aboriginal Shamanism of Indigenous cultures in the Amazon. Hallucinogenic properties associated with the experience relate to the category known as psychedelia, yet its unique experience gives way to its own slot on the bookshelf. Due to the vast array of psychedelic compounds having distinctive aspects to their trip, the Ayahuasca brew contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT), known as the most potent of all psychedelics, granting the name spirit molecule in the New Age context. In turn, the findings elucidate several critical aspects when placing people outside the original culture to adopt that practice into a society with an entirely different tradition of healing and drugs, which influences their perception of reality; looking at this complex interplay raises the question: How do Anglo peoples who are interested in or using Ayahuasca express their views of the practice? To understand this component of the new age, I closely read informal reports posted to a website revolving around American use of psychedelics (Erowid.org), in addition to examining online sources of new age knowledge through podcasts and videos. These online sources show a significant ideological shift from Ayahuasca\u27s roots in Amazonian society, highlighting the problems of Western engagement, such as romanticization, commodification, and cultural estrangement