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Constructing a “Healthy Citizen”: A Comparative Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Swiss and US Public Health Guidance on Government Websites
No full textM.A.This paper employs a comparative multimodal discourse analysis to investigate how governments assert their authority on public health matters through their official government webpages. The study compares the webpages of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services, using both textual and semiotic approaches to explore how governments construct and reinforce their authority on public health matters. The textual approach scrutinizes elements such as navigation menu and header, lexical items, explanations, referencing of internal or external authority, while the semiotic analysis focuses on colors and images. The findings reveal that both governments use different semiotic and textual features to assert and relinquish their authority on public health matters. The study also highlights the challenges faced by citizens in navigating the complex institutional and healthcare system in promoting public health, emphasizing the broader institutional discourse on health. This research sheds light on the crucial role that government webpages play in shaping public discourse on health and offers valuable insights into the complexities of promoting public health in today's society
Muḥammad's Character as 'Fruit of the Spirit': Catholic Pneumatology and Portrayals of Islam's Prophet
No full textPh.D.A project of Catholic comparative theology, this study examines Islamic portrayals of the Prophet Muḥammad’s character in light of St. Paul’s list of the “fruit of the Spirit,” with the goal of naming a locus of the Holy Spirit’s activity in the Islamic religious tradition. In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church affirmed that the Holy Spirit can be present not just in the lives of non-Christian individuals, but also in aspects of their religious traditions. With this in mind, and utilizing the transcendental pneumatology of Karl Rahner, this dissertation engages historical and contemporary Sunnī Muslim portrayals of the Prophet Muḥammad’s character (khuluq) and qualities (shamāʾil) that have not previously figured into Catholic theologizing on Islam. The first source is the Shifā of Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ (d. 1149), a widely popular text which lauds the Prophet and spells out his many ethical qualities. The second source consists of numerous contemporary videos, produced by the U.S.-based Yaqeen Institute, that seek to acquaint Muslims with Muḥammad’s demeanor and character traits. I mine these portrayals for the fruit of the Spirit, a series of ethical qualities listed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity/goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To do this, I construct a rubric of the fruits of the Spirit by drawing on the comparative theological insights of David Tracy and the hermeneutic philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, along with secondary literature on the fruits. I then bring this rubric into dialogue with the Islamic sources. Ultimately, this study finds that these depictions of the Prophet are laden with the fruits of the Spirit, an indication that the divine offer of grace is being extended to many Muslims by means of this aspect of their faith tradition. This study engages Islamic sources, Christian texts, and theological categories that have yet to be brought together, offering an alternative approach to past Christian appraisals of Muḥammad. Ultimately, this dissertation seeks to do justice to Muslim conceptions of the Prophet while also expanding the purview of Catholic theology of religions
Stuck? Diagrams Help
No full textLike digital tow trucks, diagrams have been helping people feeling stuck for thousands of years. But why? Because diagrams give us superpowers. The ability to render our ideas visually helps us move through some pretty gnarly human situations. In this keynote Abby Covert, an author and information architect, takes us on a tour of five of the superpowers that make diagrams the helpful superhero of many sensemaking stories.Abby Covert is an information architect, writer and community organizer with two decades of experience helping people make sense of messes. Abby has written two popular books, How to Make Sense of Any Mess and Stuck? Diagrams Help. She currently spends her time making things that help you to make the unclear clear, many of which she makes available for free on her website, www.abbycovert.com or at accessible price points in her popular Etsy shop, AbbytheIA. In 2022, she started The Sensemakers Club where she brings together sensemakers from different walks of life to learn from one another. Abby currently lives and writes from Melbourne, Florida, where her most important job title is "Mom.
The Effect of COVID-19 on the Salaries of New Graduates in the United States
No full textM.P.P.COVID-19 pandemic forced many firms to close or scale back operations causing fewer job prospects and a rise in unemployment. This has resulted in greater employment competition and lower starting salary for new college graduates. Some students may have decided to continue their education and pursue advanced degrees in order to improve their skills and increase their competitiveness in the job market as remote work becomes more prevalent affecting the competitiveness in job market. Yet, it is still unclear how COVID-19 will ultimately impact graduate income, as many economies see a recovery. Using the survey of National Survey of College Graduates in 2019 and 2021, this thesis compares the starting salaries for the Science and Engineering workforce with various demographics before and after COVID-19 and obtain evidence for COVID-19 affecting the starting salaries. Further research is needed with more micro-level data both at the industry and individual levels
The Limitation of Investments in Solar: Evaluating the Rural Energy for America Program and Its Impact on Net Metering Capacity
No full textM.P.P.This thesis seeks to understand the relationship between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) funding for solar energy projects and the total net metering capacity for photovoltaic (PV) generators in each state, measured in megawatts. The USDA distributes significant amounts of funding through its Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and has been giving money to eligible applicants since 2002. REAP aims to provide rural farmers and small businesses with either grants or loan guarantees to help these applicants install renewable energy systems, like PV technologies. Even though there has been billions invested into rural America, there has been no statistical evaluation of whether or not REAP funding has achieved the USDA’s goal of developing more renewable energy supplies. Using data from 2011 and 2021, this paper implements both an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and a two-way fixed effects model to determine the statistical impact of REAP funding on each state’s net metering capacity. Using a two-way fixed effects model, this paper finds that there is no statistically significant relationship between USDA funding for solar PV energy systems and net metering capacity. However, the size of the rural population of a state and the price of electricity were statistically significant in affecting net metering capacity. Lack of causal evidence for the effects of REAP financing on net metering suggests that this program may be either too ineffective, too small in comparison to other solar incentives, or too burdened by permitting requirements
Comparing the Effectiveness of Refugee Resettlement Models: An Evaluation of the Wilson-Fish Alternative Model and Employment Outcomes
No full textM.P.P.As global demand for refugee resettlement rises, the importance of understanding of the American refugee resettlement system grows. Knowing how resettlement programs differ across states, and where potential areas for improvement exist supports policymakers faced with incoming streams of refugees. This thesis specifically investigates how state level policies impact refugee employment outcomes. The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) funds two different state-level models for refugee resettlement: the traditional model and the Wilson/Fish model. This study compares four employment outcomes among refugees who participate in job assistance services in 49 states and the District of Columbia from 2005-2019, differentiating between Wilson/Fish states, and traditional model states. The four outcomes of study are: percent (of job-seeking refugees) employed, percent (of job-seeking refugees) terminating cash assistance, percent (of job-holding refugees) retaining their jobs after 90 days, and percent (of job-holding refugees) in jobs with health benefits. In all four outcome areas, this study finds positive relationships between Wilson/Fish states and statistically significantly higher rates, which equate to better outcomes for refugees. The study considers why Wilson/Fish states perform better, what other factors influence these outcomes, such as caseload, and recommends conditions under which states should consider shifting to the Wilson/Fish model
Gendered Impact of Covid-19 School Closures on Parental Employment
No full textM.P.P.This study assesses whether the impacts of pandemic-induced school closures on parental labor supply varied for working mothers and fathers. Parental labor supply is comprised of two measures: hours worked in the last week and employment status. Childcare duties fell primarily on women even before Covid-19, and the pandemic created additional demands on maternal time as schools closed nationwide. The results of my empirical model indicate that school closures did not have a differential impact on hours worked by men and women with school-aged children. However, school closures had a disproportionate impact on the employment of mothers, relative to fathers: in response to a one percentage point increase in school closures, the employment of mothers declined an additional 5 percentage points, relative to fathers. The results indicate that women responded to pandemic-induced school closures by leaving their jobs entirely, instead of reducing the number of hours worked in a week. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of realigning labor market, education and welfare policies with the realities facing working mothers
