62021 research outputs found
Sort by
Enhancing Learning Experiences in Chinese Culture Courses: Integrating the Performed Culture Approach in Large Classroom Settings
Get PDFAs public universities increasingly adopt large class sizes to address financial constraints and faculty shortages, challenges in student engagement and learning outcomes have emerged. Traditional lecture-based approaches often lead to passive learning, reducing student motivation and critical thinking. This paper explores the implementation of the Performed Culture Approach (PCA) in two large culture courses at the University of Connecticut. By incorporating interactive group projects, PCA promotes active participation, collaboration, and deeper cultural understanding. These projects encourage students to analyze traditional Chinese values, compare social practices across cultures, and critically examine contemporary social issues through structured activities such as video recording stories, television show analysis, and film-based research. This approach demonstrates that even in large class settings, innovative pedagogical strategies can transform passive learning into an interactive, student-centered experience
The Art of Memes in Feminist Digital Culture
No full textIntroduction: Countercultural aesthetics and medium specificity in the digital era -- Collage, juxtaposition, and spatial collapse -- Reenactment, nostalgia, and performative ruptures -- Montage and the memetic assemblage of attractions -- Conclusion: Embracing the pleasure activism of joyscrollingItem embargoed for three year
Interview of Mike McCurry by Katie Saucer
No full textIn his oral history interview, Mike McCurry reflects on his childhood in Northern California, education at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School), and early career as press secretary for Senators Harrison Williams (New Jersey) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (New York). He describes his involvement with John Glenn’s 1984 presidential campaign including Glenn’s surprising, yet visionary, answers to press questions, campaign trail experiences and challenges, and the transition back to Senate duties after the campaign ended.
The interview also examines McCurry’s broader career trajectory, including communications roles with the campaigns of Bruce Babbitt, Lloyd Bentsen, Bob Kerrey, and John Kerry. He discusses his work as communications director for the Democratic National Committee, his tenure as spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, and his appointment as White House Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton. McCurry reflects on the distinctive challenges of each position, from the substantive demands of foreign policy communications to the political pressures of the White House during Clinton’s presidency, including the misconduct investigation. McCurry describes his later service on the Commission on Presidential Debates and his second career teaching public theology. Throughout, he emphasizes the influence of his experiences with Glenn and the lessons they carried forward into public life.This oral history was conducted in partnership with History Associates, Inc. and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at the Ohio State University
Storybook Characters' Influence on Story Comprehension
Get PDFAnthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics to non-human entities, is common in children’s storybooks. Researchers have proposed that identification with storybook characters increases story comprehension through increased attention (Maslej et al., 2017). Thus, stories with anthropomorphized characters (e.g., animals) may negatively affect children’s learning (e.g., story comprehension; Kotaman & Balcı, 2019). In the current study, we analyzed the impact of storybook characters (animal versus human) on story comprehension. Specifically, we hypothesized that preschoolers’ story comprehension would be lower when characters were animals. Our 108 participants were between the ages of 4 and 5 years old (M = 5.00 years; SD = 0.58). These children were read a storybook that included either human characters, animal characters with human names (e.g., “Jasmine”), or animal characters with animal names (e.g., “fox”). They were asked a series of questions to measure their story comprehension. Children performed significantly better in the human characters story than in the story with animal characters with animal names. Interestingly, however, children preferred the animal characters over human characters. This study gives a clearer understanding of what characteristics of storybooks promote pre-readers’ comprehension and suggests that parents and educators may wish to monitor the characteristics of stories they read to children.No embargoAcademic Major: Psycholog
Genetic Regulation of Satiety Neurons and Feeding Behavior
Get PDFFeeding behavior, essential for survival, is precisely orchestrated by the intricate interplay of peripheral signals and central neuronal circuits. Hypothalamic neurons expressing proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) gene induce satiety to limit food intake. While the significance of POMC neurons is well-recognized, the genetic mechanisms that govern the expression of hypothalamic POMC are not fully understood. A previous study that traced the origin and maturation of arcuate POMC neurons in the developing and early postnatal hypothalamus, using single-cell RNA-seq transcriptomics on POMC-positive cells, revealed Six3 and Six6 are highly expressed in the canonical POMC neurons. This current study aims to elucidate the role of Six6 in relation to the early identification, expression, and regulation of hypothalamic Pomc expression. The results showed that embryonic deletion of Six6 significantly reduced Pomc expression, however, this reduction has not been observed in adult mice in which Six6 is deleted during adulthood. Deletion of Six6 in adult mice does not change Pomc expression in the pituitary. Further studies are needed to investigate whether there are any compensation mechanisms for Six6 function.No embargoAcademic Major: Animal Science