17872 research outputs found
Sort by
Of Voices, Visions, and Agents: Cultural Hegemony and the Spectacle of U.S. Empire in Contemporary Hollywood Film
No full textDiscussing the cultural systems and their commodities that circulate, shape, and maintain U.S. empire, this project focuses on contemporary Hollywood films from 1977 to the present, and reveals the stories, lessons, and instructions they depict at the behest of U.S. empire. Considering contemporary Hollywood films as a place where hearts and minds are won, this project examines the relationship between the values and ideas that are represented, taught, and critiqued on screen with the values of U.S. empire. Buttressing both sides of the new millennium, films from the last four decades provide a unique opportunity to discuss how consumers build and maintain a tenuous relationship with their fellow consumers from around the world with whom they may never come into contact, but with whom they share similar values. Analyzing both the coercive power of contemporary Hollywood films as well as their ability to gain the consent of their consumers, this project identifies how U.S. empire is able to control ideas of what it is, has been, and can become.
Chapter one introduces three tropes—the voice, vision, and agent of U.S. empire—alongside three actors—Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Will Smith—and what I call the U.S. imperial gaze, a mechanism that U.S. empire uses to get audience members who consume contemporary Hollywood films to embrace the values they depict on screen in the real world. Chapter two focuses on the Harry Potter franchise, and expands my conversation of Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden” from the first chapter by considering what I call the Anglo-Saxon burden and the larger racial project of whiteness that expands beyond borders as a cultural binding agent. Chapter three brings the writings of Antonio Gramsci to the fore, and reads The Hunger Games series as a representation of Gramsci’s crisis of authority, war of position, and war of manoeuvre. Chapter four argues that the Force in Star Wars, the most popular film franchise of all time, and a franchise that spans the entire time period covered by this project, is best understood via a phenomenology of perception.Washington State University, American Studie
THE EFFECTS OF CANNABIS AND THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA ON FATAL CRASHES IN WASHINGTON STATE
No full textAs cannabis use is legalized in more states, traffic crashes and fatalities related to cannabis and other drugs are becoming a major public health and safety issue. While researchers and policy makers have focused considerable attention on the impact of legalization initiatives (such as I-502) on public health and safety, much remains unknown about the effects of cannabis intoxication and legalization initiatives on the risk of a motor vehicle crash. Specifically, the sole effect of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana, and the possible interaction effect of THC with alcohol on motor vehicle crashes are unclear. The current study attempted to fill this gap by examining the links between THC, alcohol, their interaction, and undesirable outcomes involved in fatal crashes using Washington State Fatality Analysis Reporting System (WA FARS) data from 2008 to 2017.
Findings from bivariate correlation analyses showed a number of significant relationships between THC intoxication and individual-level variables, including age, gender, unlicensed driver, and driver history of traffic violations. In addition, results from binary logistic analyses showed that the presence of THC was not a significant predictor of speeding and driver error. Moreover, findings from three additional analyses, including PSM, PSW, and qualitative file review, showed that drivers who had a positive blood test for alcohol alone or the combination of THC and alcohol were more likely to engage in risky behaviors and be exposed to undesirable outcomes in fatal crashes. However, THC alone was not a risk factor for undesirable outcomes related to fatal crashes. Particularly, the results for THC alone seemed to vary and the effect size was low. Finally, results from an interrupted time-series analysis showed a statistically significant increase in THC-positive drivers involved in fatal crashes after the implementation of I-502 in Washington, but showed no further increase after cannabis retail shops opened in July 2014. Overall, a strong and consistent effect of THC in the blood of drivers on adverse outcomes involved in fatal crashes was not found in the current study.Washington State University, Criminal Justic
A Postmodern Examination of a College Writing Curriculum
No full textA POSTMODERN EXAMINATION OF A COLLEGE WRITING CURRICULUM
Abstract
by Julie Ann Swedin, Ed.D
Washington State University
May 2019
Chair: Richard D. Sawyer
The purpose of this dissertation was to examine a college composition class where students are introduced to reading and writing genres representing various types along the lines of race, sex/gender, sexual orientation, class, education, etc. This study was sensitive to the identities of the student participants and the hegemonic narratives that sometimes seem to exclude them. Through a postmodern theoretical lens, I studied the effect of a co-constructed writing curriculum focused on the nuances of identity to foster authentic student voice through the writing process.
Qualitative data were collected from interviews, writing samples, observations, and overall reflections. Data were analyzed to examine the following research questions: 1) How do students in a first-year college English composition class experience a post-structural course curriculum that emphasizes the relationship between composition and identity? 2) What are the students’ perceptions of their compositions throughout the process of engaging with this curriculum? 3.) What is the generative overlap for students between postmodern and post-structural forms of identity and of curriculum, and how does this overlap then provide a lens for what college might be? Analysis of the data yielded themes regarding an intentional writing curriculum focused on identity to support students discovering their own voices: Study findings are presented as eight themes common to each participant’s story. Three of the most significant themes are the following:
1.) Identity composition is a complex third space of difficult cultural translation that collapses the composition/identity binary: composition is identity and identity is composition.
2.) Identity composition is another form of these students’ identity, but they often use coping mechanisms to buffer their interaction with it, which may be tied to the new nature of the curriculum for them.
3.) Identity composition can create a tension between these students’ lived (life experience) and their lived (composition experience), which means they may perform their identity in a new way with this co-constructed postmodern writing curriculum.
This study of identity was significant through offering important implications of a writing curriculum connected to forming a genuine understanding of experiences, focusing on the lives of our students, ourselves, and the significance of intersections.Washington State University, Englis
La Manta and La Clinica: Raising children in a Limeno migrant community
No full textThis dissertation investigates experiences and practices of childrearing in an impoverished community of Andean migrants living in a single neighborhood in Lima, Peru. Research was conducted with families with children under five years old using extended observations and interviews. Parents were found to selectively change their childrearing practices in reaction to their urban cultural surroundings, while keeping many of the beliefs and methods of their natal familial experiences. Key to the decisions parents made were emotions of trust. Varying levels of trust placed in different cultural constructs, social institutions, and personal experiences determined which parenting methods participants emulated. Categories of culturally-determined systems are explored to determine levels of value and trust placed in these systems and this impacts practical parenting decisions among research participants.Washington State University, Anthropolog
PRODUCTIVITY, ECONOMICS, AND SOIL QUALITY OF ORGANIC QUINOA CROPPING SYSTEMS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, USA
No full textVolatile crop prices and desire for sustainability have farmers considering alternative practices to increase revenue diversity and protect soil health. Organic management is a rapidly expanding alternative to conventional agriculture, and quinoa is a potential new crop for organic systems in the Pacific Northwest. To improve the competitiveness and adoption by growers of organic quinoa and grain cropping systems, more detailed information is needed regarding the agronomic impacts, economic performance, and effects on soil quality of such systems. A 5-year study was conducted to evaluate these metrics in eight 3-year crop sequences in the Palouse region of Washington State. The 3-year sequences compared quinoa to spring wheat, each in rotation with barley and chickpea, and were part of a longer 8-year rotation with alfalfa.
While crop sequence affected yields and crop quality, larger differences were caused by weather across years. Cumulative yields were higher when sequences started with chickpea compared to barley, which also led to higher economic returns. Organic quinoa yields were lower than the yield potential for the region, but some sequences with quinoa had similar economic returns to sequences with wheat. The organic cropping systems (total 8-year crop rotations including 5 years of alfalfa) were more profitable than a typical conventional rotation with county average yields during the same 8-year period.
Soil nitrogen (N) decreased with time through the 3-year sequences, but there was sufficient N to support high grain yields in the last year of the sequence when weather conditions allowed. Colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) was lowest in quinoa, and AMF colonization of crops following quinoa was lower than when they followed wheat. However, the moderate rates of AMF colonization observed in quinoa are noteworthy as quinoa is generally thought to be non-mycorrhizal.
The results show that dryland organic grain systems supported by multiple years of alfalfa can be financially and agronomically viable in the Palouse region due to economic premiums and N cycling through crop residues. Advances in organic weed control and regionally suited quinoa varieties would further reduce the risk for farmers attempting this cropping system diversification.Washington State University, Soil Scienc
SEEKING INJUSTICE: A STUDY OF PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDCUT IN WASHINGTON STATE
No full textProsecutorial misconduct is one of a number of factors that has been identified as partially responsible for wrongful convictions. Where many of these factors have been researched quite heavily, there is a comparative paucity of research concerning prosecutorial misconduct. When a prosecutor fails to seek justice, and engages in misconduct, it not only leads to wrongful convictions, but also to a loss of legitimacy to the criminal justice system. The current study provides the first statewide study of prosecutorial misconduct in Washington State from 2007-2016. The current research will help identify factors associated with prosecutorial misconduct and explore different avenues to reduce the frequency that prosecutorial misconduct occurs. Specifically, this study investigates the frequency, type, and causes of misconduct statewide, as well as at the county level. In order to address this, appellate court cases were read and analyzed and interviews were conducted with prosecutors in the county with the highest rate of misconduct.
This study identified 373 cases of confirmed misconduct in Washington State from 2007-2016. Additionally, the type of misconduct was overwhelmingly based on an improper argument. The number of cases of misconduct were found to be unevenly distributed at the county level as well. Furthermore, organizational factors, such as culture, training, supervision, resources, and informal peer influences were found to be responsible for the high rate or prosecutorial misconduct in one county. Furthermore, evidence of misconduct being disproportionally committed by a small number of prosecutors was mixed. Deficiencies in the research knowledge base about prosecutorial misconduct are identified and future research concerning prosecutorial misconduct is suggested.Washington State University, Criminal Justic
INVESTIGATING U.S. HOSPITALS’ USE OF COMMUNITY HIE NETWORKS: EFFICIENCY- AND LEGITIMACY- ORIENTED PERSPECTIVES
No full textThesis (Ph.D.), Business Administration, Washington State UniversityCommunity Health Information Exchanges (HIE) have seen an increase in adoption just in the past five years, despite considerable state and federal funding since 2004. Prior research has shown, however, that merely adopting technology does not mean it is being used to carry out work. It is therefore important to investigate actual usage in hospitals. This study views the use of community HIE networks by U.S. hospitals from two theoretical lenses: transaction cost economics (TCE) and institutional theory. These two complementary lenses can provide a thorough account of usage behavior.
A hospital-level structural model was developed to test the effects of efficiency- and legitimacy-oriented factors on the usage level of community HIE networks in U.S. hospitals, as defined by the two theoretical lenses. Primary data were collected from CEOs, CIOs, or COOs via a survey distributed to 2283 community hospitals across the U.S. In addition to primary data collected from the survey questionnaire, secondary data from the American Hospital Association (AHA) were employed as control variables and dependent variables. Both measurement validation and hypothesis testing were conducted using Smart PLS 3.2.8. Results indicate that legitimacy-oriented factors have significant effects, whereas efficiency-oriented factors don’t have significant effects in explaining post-adoption use of community HIE networks by these hospitals.
The study makes three major contributions. First, it constitutes the first systematic test of the effect of institutional factors and use behavior of U.S. community HIE networks. Second, the study moves beyond the adoption theme to investigate post-adoption use behavior of U.S hospital on community HIE networks beyond the appearance of formal adoption in the new circumstance. Third, the study empirically demonstrates that not all legitimacy-oriented factors have effects on post-adoption use; finally, efficiency-oriented factors appear to have no influence in this sample.Washington State University, Business Administratio
Water quality risk assessment for grazing areas
No full textThe purpose of this publication is to help livestock managers and landowners assess risk of water quality pollution in streams associated with grazing areas and design grazing management changes to improve riparian health. This publication is not an enforcement tool. It is not intended to ensure compliance with water quality regulations but to reduce noncompliance risk through reducing pollution risk. Use this publication to learn about riparian conditions and grazing practices that increase or decrease risk of water quality impairment and that increase the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of livestock operations. This is not a comprehensive self-diagnosis and treatment manual but an assessment. Depending on the risks identified, you may wish to discuss management options with a natural resources professional (for example, Extension, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, conservation district). Remember that land manager commitment and attention to riparian function is more important for success than the adoption of any particular management practice
Shore Stewards News, Summer 2019
No full textWhat Should You Do if a Northern Elephant Seal Shows Up on Your Beach
