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Multiracial Congregations: Transformative or Status Quo?
Get PDFThis dissertation aims to begin to clarify whether Protestant, multiracial churches are in fact challenging racism and, if so, how. To this end, my study turns its attention to social engagement. What role, if any, do these churches play in their larger social contexts? Are they socially engaged in ways that challenge racial injustice? Do they foster this type of social engagement in those who attend? These are some of the questions this study begins to answer. This is an ethnographic study of four congregations in Chicago, IL. Through a careful study of each congregation’s racial discourse and their understanding of their relationship to the larger society (their moral project), I found that while the leaders of all four churches were deeply committed to racial justice there was a disconnect between them and their congregants. Thus, while each church was doing good work in their respective communities, work that did in fact challenge the racial status quo, they were less successful when it came to the formation of those who attended
Set-Valued, Convex, and Nonsmooth Analysis in Dynamics and Control: An Introduction
No full textSet-valued analysis, convex analysis, and nonsmooth analysis are relatively modern branches of mathematical analysis that have become increasingly relevant in current control theory and control engineering literature. This book serves as a broad introduction to analytical tools in these fields and to their applications in dynamical and control systems and is the first to cover these topics with this scope and at this level. Both continuous-time and discrete-time mutlivalued dynamics, modeled by differential and difference inclusions, are considered.https://ecommons.luc.edu/facultybooks/1276/thumbnail.jp
Emotional Appeals’ Effect on Perceived Cultural Distance as a Mediator of Human Rights Engagement
Get PDFIn this study, the complex relationship between campaign videos’ emotional valence, perceived cultural distance (PCD), and engagement is examined using surveys and biometric data. The present study aims to establish PCD as a mediator of engagement with international human rights issues, particularly, refugee and migration crises, according to the emotional intensity of the campaign video. Biometric data including facial expression analysis and galvanic skin response were used to validate positive, negative, and neutral valence video conditions. Based on previous studies, it was predicted that PCD decreases significantly after watching positive campaigns and negative campaigns. The resulting decrease in PCD was predicted lead to increased engagement across all three dimensions. A within-subjects study design was executed in which all participants reported a pre-test PCD level, then reported PCD and engagement after watching each of three video campaigns in a randomized order. Biometric data was used to validate emotional valence. Preliminary data analyses reveal that participants are significantly more willing to engage across all dimensions after watching the negative-valence campaign video than after the neutral and positive videos. Additionally, exposure to the negative-valence video campaign caused both external PCD and overall PCD levels to significantly increase. These findings can be used to inform the design of human rights organizations’ campaigns to best promote engagement. This study was conducted as a part of BHNR 343 at Loyola University Chicago
Development of Environmental Education Materials for Columbus Park
Get PDFThe lack of environmental education and access to nature is a significant deficit that impacts everyone, particularly youth. This project aims to respond to the correlation between access to environmental education and environmental justice. Folks from marginalized communities tend to have less access to nature education. A survey given to youth after the Forest Preserve Experience in summer 2023, hosted by Friends of the Forest Preserves, was analyzed. The survey included questions about different aspects of program effectiveness. This qualitative data drew connections between socioeconomic disparities and access to nature and environmental education. To address this issue, I have compiled materials that can be applied to all ages and knowledge backgrounds. This flexible module can be molded into various lesson topics including, but not limited to a fundamental plant ID lesson, environmental justice and antiracism lecture, climate change training, and youth empowerment in nature seminar. This research project helped me strengthen my skills in teaching to a wide-ranging audience as well as increased my awareness of disparities when it comes to environmental education
Indigenous Political Rights: Constitutional Comparison of Colombia, Guatemala and Bolivia
No full textHow does constitutional language consecrate the protection of political representation for marginalized groups? What historical, social and political factors affect constitutional development with respect to indigenous groups. These questions are increasingly important as the past 40 years have been characterized by increasing pressure on governments to give voice to indigenous peoples. This article focuses on the cases of Bolivia, Colombia, and Guatemala countries with recently revised constitutions that have changed the indigenous political structure. The study examines each countries’ constitutional development in indigenous representation and the resulting political and social aftermath of constitutional ratification
Exploring Buddhism in Chicago
Get PDFFor my Engaged Learning Project for THEO 299, I chose to visit the Buddhist Temple of Chicago. I chose this site because Buddhism is highly prevalent in my community and in several pieces of media that often circulate in my community. This Buddhist temple in particular has a Japanese-American background that focuses on Jodo Shinshu (Shin Buddhism). I also chose this location because of its uniqueness and rich history. It was created as a haven for Japanese Americans after being freed from the internment camps in World War II, and has undergone many changes, becoming a temple that accepts all sorts of people with open arms and leads them down a life-changing path
Exploring the Relationship Between Microplastics and Neurotoxicity
No full textThis presentation will look at the relationship between microplastics and neurotoxicity, focusing on the limits of our current knowledge. Despite being an especially relevant topic of conversation in the realms of environmental and public health, little is known about the effects that microplastics have on the brain. As a neuroscience student with interests in medicine, neurodegeneration, and public health, I found the lack of research shocking. Throughout this semester, I looked at primary research and news articles to explore the extent of our knowledge and limits of current microplastic research, as well as their potential neurotoxic effects and future steps
Ampicillin resistance dynamics and adaptation in evolved E. coli populations
Get PDFThis project explores the complex relationships between antibiotic resistance, nutrient limitation, and bacterial adaptation, focusing on E. coli. Antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges to public health. Nutrient limitation plays a crucial role in shaping E. coli’s ability to adapt and develop resistance against ampicillin. The Antibiotic Microbial Experiment (AME) provides valuable insights into bacterial adaptation dynamics over extended periods. I used growth curves to analyze bacterial growth kinetics and the differential effects of antibiotic concentrations on the evolved bacteria. The findings from this project give insight to the trade-offs E. coli populations exhibit when coping with antibiotic stressors
Sex differences in synapse of the hippocampus and cognitive behavior
No full textThis presentation will describe the sex differences in the synapse of the hippocampus and cognitive behavior. Estrogen impacts the expression of AMPA-type receptors and has been shown to impact dendritic spine density. Over the 2023 Fall semester and 2024 spring, we tested the hypothesis that males and females have differing levels of cognitive function due to differences in synaptic morphology and glutamatergic expression in the CA1 of the hippocampus. We used structural analysis methods and behavioral tests to test this hypothesis. This work has the potential to identify novel targets for the development of drugs that enhance cognitive performance