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Social Justice Activism and Conflict Resolution: How Combining Two Fields Can Inform Best Practices Across Both Areas
No full textIn order to better understand how conflict resolution relates to activism efforts specifically for Generation Z individuals, generation Z individuals from University of Massachusetts Boston were interviewed. These interviews were grounded in literature related both to conflict resolution theory and empirical scholarship related to activism, cause-based marketing (also referred to as cause-related marketing), and the connection between conflict resolution and activism. Two major research questions were addressed: 1) How do Generation Z University of Massachusetts Boston students perceive their connection with activism efforts, and what role does cause-based marketing play in this perception?; and 2) What factors influence the decision to or type of activism engagement the UMass Boston Generation Z individuals chose to interact with?
Through this study, several prominent themes were illuminated including: contextual engagement, framing of conflict, unachievable social identities, defense of self-concept, power dynamics, and ethical consumerism with individualism vs collectivism. In analyzing these prominent themes, it became apparent that attitudes towards activism generally and cause-based marketing specifically were related to concern for the perceptions of how an unidentified “other” viewed the involvement. It also was illuminated that the awareness of this outside perception of activism efforts often lead to feelings of guilt or inadequacy on the part of the respondents. Based upon these findings, I put forth several recommendations for courses of action to address these attitudes and gaps in the connection of activism and conflict resolution studies including promotion of internet-based engagement, providing accessible means of activism engagement, empowering cause-based marketing efforts, open dialogues around activism, increased education efforts around conflict resolution and social activism literature, and reframing activism and peacebuilding as community efforts as opposed to responsibilities
Front Matter and Table of Contents
Get PDFFront matter and table of contents for Volume 35, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy
Monitoring New England Ecosystems Over Mixed Forests, Submerged Vegetation, and the Coastal Ocean Region with Remote Sensing Data
No full textSatellite remote sensing is used broadly in various environmental studies over both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Remote sensing allows a better understanding of these ecosystems on a larger scale, over longer periods, and at a very low cost. However, data and biophysical products from multiple satellite missions need to be carefully calibrated and evaluated to ensure continuity and stability across time and space. Furthermore, the NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) satellites provide near-daily global imagery, these data are acquired at a lower spatial resolution (500m – 1km), complicating the investigation of any finer details in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Thus, finer resolution (albeit less frequently acquired) imagery from the Landsat (30m) and Sentinel-2 satellites (10/20/60m) are often also utilized. This research incorporates satellite remote sensing from all these various sensors to monitor three distinct but adjoining ecosystems in the New England area: mixed forests (Harvard Forest), submerged vegetation forests (Salem Sound), and the open ocean (Boston Harbor). Comparisons with field data allow for a characterization of the strengths and weaknesses of using these imaging datasets for monitoring each ecosystem under changing climate conditions
Starting a Statewide Inclusive Postsecondary Education Alliance
Get PDFThis practical publication explains the benefits of forming an inclusive postsecondary education state alliance and provides lessons learned and tips for starting or expanding state alliances. Included are ten tips to get started, different possible models to consider, lessons learned, and related resources
Aging in Holliston: A Community Needs Assessment
Get PDFThis report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Holliston Council on Aging (COA). The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Holliston’s residents age 55 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the COA’s objective to identify and serve the needs of all Holliston citizens 55 and older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Holliston, the Holliston COA, Senior Center, and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Holliston for the purposes of COA mission fulfillment alongside planning and coordination of services for current and future needs of residents. The report will also help to build awareness about issues facing Holliston among community members at large.
The population of Holliston is comprised of about one quarter older adults (24%); and an additional 16% age 50-59 are expected to move into this demographic within the next few years. This central, overarching observation—that the older population of Holliston is already large and will continue to expand—makes clear the importance of considering how well features of the Town, the services and amenities available, and virtually every aspect of the community align with the age demographic moving forward.
In preparing for this demographic shift, the Holliston Council on Aging and the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging at the University of Massachusetts Boston partnered to conduct a study to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of the Town’s residents age 55 and older. As part of this assessment, we conducted interviews and focus groups to hear from Holliston leadership, key stakeholders in the community, and specific cohorts of residents. In addition, a survey was developed and administered to Holliston residents age 55 and older. A total of 1,332 questionnaires was returned, reflecting a strong return rate of 26%. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources were examined in support of the project aims.
A broad range of findings are reported in this document, highlighting the many positive features of Holliston as well as concerns expressed by older residents. The report is intended to inform planning by the Holliston COA as well as other Town offices, private and public organizations that provide services and advocate for older people within Holliston, and the community at large. While many of our findings, and the recommendations that follow, intersect with the scope of responsibility of the Holliston Council on Aging, it is understood that responding to many needs and concerns expressed in the community will require the involvement of other municipal offices or community stakeholders, and some will require substantial collaborative effort
Maternal Immune Activation Alters Placental Histone-3 Lysine-9 Tri-Methylation, Offspring Sensorimotor Processing, and Hypothalamic Transposable Element Expression in a Sex-Specific Manner
No full textSchizophrenia is a heterogenous disorder characterized by a myriad of perturbations including those related to brain physiology, learning, memory, attention, and sensorimotor processing. While the cause of schizophrenia has yet to be elucidated, the use of animals has been critical to teasing apart the individual and intersecting roles of genetic and environmental risk factors in schizophrenia etiology. One way to recreate certain behavioral impairments seen in people with schizophrenia is to disrupt the prenatal or neonatal environment of laboratory rodent offspring. This approach results in a phenotype that is congruent to humans with schizophrenia. While the use of animal models has propelled the mechanistic understanding of schizophrenia pathogenesis forward, there is still more to be uncovered. Recently, strong evidence has demonstrated a role of the non-coding genome, specifically transposable elements (TEs), in schizophrenia etiology. Yet, TEs have only received a fraction of the amount of research as the protein coding genome within animal models of schizophrenia. Therefore, the deep genome represents a novel frontier by which the mechanistic underpinnings and potential therapeutic targets for schizophrenia can be explored. In the present study, we investigated the prenatal disruption known as maternal immune activation (MIA), which is a leading risk factor for developing schizophrenia. We induced MIA in Sprague-Dawley rats to mimic a prenatal exposure to maternal infection and found a sex-specific rearrangement of the heterochromatin landscape of the placenta, as evidenced by an increase in histone-3 lysine-9 trimethylation (H3K9me3). Moreover, MIA was associated with long-term sensorimotor processing deficits as indicated by reduced prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex (PPI) and an increased mechanical allodynia threshold. Analyses of gene expression within the hypothalamus- chosen for its involvement in the sex-specific pathogenesis of schizophrenia and the stress response- revealed significantly higher levels of the stress-sensitive genes Gr and Fkbp5 and lower levels of Fkbp4. In addition, we found sex-specific increases in the expression of several TEs including IAP, B2 SINE, and LINE-1 ORF1. The data from this study warrant the future consideration of epigenetic regulation of the non-coding genome as a mechanism that drives changes in the development of the brain
Experiences of Mothers Forming Relationships with Their Infants and Toddlers While Living in Shelter: A Qualitative Exploration
No full textOne in 16 American children under age six experience homelessness annually; in fact, infancy is the age at which someone is most likely to be living in a homeless shelter. Despite decades of research documenting the impact of homelessness on families, there are still gaps in our knowledge, particularly related to the experiences of mothers and their very young children. One such gap is asking caregivers about their experiences of forming relationships with their infants. Specifically, this study seeks to answer this question: What are the experiences of mothers in forming relationships with their infants while living in shelters? Sub-questions include: What role does social connectedness play in mothers’ experiences forming these relationships? What role does shelter context play in mothers’ experiences forming these relationships? What other factors do mothers describe in discussing their experiences forming relationships with their infants? Using a phenomenological approach that included semi-structured interviews, Five Minute Speech Samples, and ecomaps, I interviewed seven women with children ages four to 24 months living in shelters in Massachusetts. Findings spanned six themes: Parenting, Maternal Wellbeing, Systems Navigation, Support, Family History, and Recovery. These themes have implications for practice, policy, and research, as discussed
Black Studies: White Students, The Impact of Black Studies in Two Predominately White High Schools in Massachusetts
No full textThis study occurred during a period of increased social awareness of antiracism, yet in a time of intense educational controversy. As tension rises across the United States over teaching Black studies (African American studies) and banning books by Black authors, such as Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and the classic “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by notable author, Maya Angelou, debates have sparked on whether learning the history of Black people in K-12 classrooms causes White students to feel guilty for America’s past atrocities against Black people. Therefore, by focusing on the impact of White high school students enrolled in Black studies courses in Massachusetts, this study examined how the teaching of Black studies in predominately White schools influenced White students.
As this study aimed to examine the impact of Black studies for White students in high school, the research centered Black studies and its value in education. It outlines the concepts of cultural pedagogy and the importance of schooling to draw attention to the need to dismantle the unidirectional European American curriculum in K12 classrooms. Using critical race theory and critical whiteness as theoretical frameworks, this research serves as a qualifier to assess whether when White students learn Black studies in high school, it helps them fight against individual and institutionalized racism.
The results showed that White students gained better knowledge and awareness of the past and present experiences of Black people. With this knowledge and understanding, the White students were empowered to speak out against racism. This research suggests that when White students learn Black studies, it helps to improve race relations and alleviate the tensions between Blacks and Whites
Decomposing Relational Mechanisms of Parent Engagement in Early Intervention: An Examination of Working Alliance and Family-Centered Practices
No full textFamily-centered practices are the foundation of Part C Early Intervention (EI) services, emphasizing strategies that encourage the development of strong partnerships with parents and provide supports to strengthen broader family functioning. Although parent-provider partnerships are outlined as central to family-centered practices in early childhood, little work has clarified the quality and dimensions of these partnerships. Working alliance, the relationship between a client and a help-giving provider, offers another way to conceptualize the constellation of relationships among parents, children, and providers in early intervention settings as it focuses on the goal-driven collaboration and less on the participatory aspects or strategies used during service delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine how relational (working alliance) and participatory (family-centered practices) components of service delivery in EI predict parent satisfaction with services and maternal self-efficacy. In addition, we sought to examine how child social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) problems moderate these associations. Perceptions of working alliance and family-centered practices were rated by 58 mothers of children currently in EI. Surveys were administered remotely in English (75.9%) and in Spanish (24.1%). A majority of mothers identified as non-White (65.5%) and worked part-time or full-time (69.0%). On average, children were enrolled in EI for 13 months and were 25 months of age at the time of the study. Results from hierarchical regression models indicated that mothers’ perceptions of the use of family-centered practices significantly predicted more satisfaction with EI services. Counter to expectations, working alliance was not associated with caregiver satisfaction with EI services. Further, no significant associations with family-centered practices or working alliance were identified for maternal self-efficacy as an outcome. Finally, there was no moderating effect of SEB problems, but higher SEB problems were significantly associated with lower maternal self-efficacy. The findings provide empirical support for the use of family-centered practices within EI and point to child SEB problems as an important area of intervention for addressing child and family well-being
Racial Justice Inc.: Deconstructing the Enactment of Racial Justice in DEI/Social Justice-Focused Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) Graduate Programs
Get PDFDespite efforts of faculty in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) programs focused on social justice/Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to provide equitable educational experiences for their students, studies on these programs have shown that students of color continue to face racialized experiences in the classroom (Harris & Linder, 2018; Linder et al., 2015). This dissertation employed a multiple case study to examine two HESA master\u27s programs with a specific social justice/DEI mission and integrated the voices of both faculty and students. Using intensive interviewing, document analysis, and class observations, the goal of this study centered on understanding the extent to which faculty and students in these programs perceived the centrality of racial justice as an integral component of their espoused commitments to deliver tangible practices and experiences connected with the realization of the mission. The conceptual foundations of this study were informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Harper’s (2009) question-based Anti-Deficit Achievement framework for Studying students of color in STEM. The results of the study provide a nuanced and practical framework to understand classroom dynamics, effective anti-racist practices, and faculty and student engagement around topics of race and racism. Recommendations for programmatic practices include the formalization of communities of practice among faculty to align their practices with the program’s social justice/DEI commitments. Pedagogical implications include the interrogation and disruption of oppressive and normalized academic practices and the need to pay more attention to pedagogical training for faculty and approaches to address classroom dynamics