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Can Joy be Racialized? Analyzing how Ghanaians Conceptualize Joy
Get PDFThe racialization of joy is one’s own experience of joy being tied to their racial, and ethnic identity. Inspired by the concept of Black joy, which is an example of the racialization of joy, this paper aims to understand how Ghanaian university students conceptualize joy and whether they would consider their experience of joy to be influenced by their racial/ethnic identity. 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). In addition, photography was used as a methodology to capture images of Black people experiencing joy and provides more of a human connection than what formal academia can offer. It’s necessary to uplift how Ghanaians use joy and laughter as potential forms of resistance against an anti-black world and day to day grievances because there is much research about hardships that Ghanaians experience, whether that’s socially, financially, or politically. I used thematic analysis to analyze the data which is split up into 4 parts: how Ghanaians define joy, perception of racial identity, the application of race to joy, and hobbies/activities. The findings include that the Ghanaian university participants defined joy as synonymous with being happy. The perceptions of Blackness or race included many participants noting that there’s no racism in Ghana and how accepting the country is. It’s important to note that many also addressed the colonization period and how Black people are still viewed as inferior globally. There were mixed opinions on whether race should be applied to joy. Many participants believed race shouldn\u27t be applied to joy because the majority of the country is the same race. However, some participants believed that categorizing joy based on ethnicity was more relevant to uplifting ethnic groups that are often stereotyped. And some participants felt that there was no need to label joy in the first place
Practicing Self-Advocacy for Displaced People in the English Language Learner Classroom
Get PDFThis study is comprised of a literature review of best practices for working with displaced people and interviews with teachers of refugees. The author found that self-advocacy is multifaceted and that promoting self-advocacy is a key way to support learners in advocating for themselves and their communities. As borders become less porous, there will be more refugee crises, and more language teachers will be needed. Best practices for teaching languages include seeing students as cultural experts, teaching and encouraging resistance, being a trauma-informed practitioner, teaching legal rights, and making room for students to choose what they learn
Leveraging the Dynamics of the Mixed Level Classroom: A Materials Collection
Get PDFA number of studies have noted the rise in student demographic diversity and the heightened significance of the mixed-level classroom; however, a consensus on the appropriate methods and materials to address these developments remains to be reached. Educators are anticipated to address the needs of students with a variety of abilities, backgrounds, and interests in a singular class. Less proficient students face overstimulation whilst more proficient students face understimulation. How can the challenges of the mixed-level classroom be recast into strengths? The mixed-level classroom environment calls for student investment, real language, and familiar processes. Methods such as peer tutoring, cooperative learning, differentiated instruction, goal-setting, and scaffolding are utilized to engage all levels of students. This paper aims to examine the unique dynamics of the mixed level classroom and collect materials appropriate for a classroom that is engaging and relevant to all levels of students
Promise and Problems of Short-term Mission Trips Through the Eyes of Christian Young Adults
Get PDFShort-term mission trips are a popular form of international travel among Christian youth. Though many who attend these trips see them as a way to gain international experience and help others, there are also those who question the value of such trips and describe them as merely “voluntourism.” This research study investigated the experiences of 11 people who did a mission trip as a young adult, guided by the following research questions: What motivates young people to do short-term mission trips? What lasting impact do these trips have on their participants’ worldviews? The findings reveal that while most trip-goers were motivated by an altruistic desire to good to others, they also chose to go for self-betterment, in response to peer and/or family pressure, or to explore an academic interest. Participants’ reflections on doing one or more mission trips expose areas of personal growth as well as criticisms and concerns relating to cultural sensitivity and imperialism. While the trips had a lasting impact on participants’ worldviews, some expressed significant concerns about the community’s benefit. This study is particularly relevant to churches and religious nonprofit organizations organizing and/or overseeing volunteer work abroad
Arthropod Assemblages at the Intersection of Epiphyte and Soil Habitats: An assessment of understory level nonvascular epiphyte communities and their connectivity within a tropical montane rainforest
Get PDFCanopy arthropods communities represent a disproportionate amount of global species richness (Stuntz 2001). Understanding arthropod composition and connectivity of lower epiphyte communities is important in understanding how canopy arthropods communities are formed and will respond to change (Floren and Linsenmair 1998). As such this study examined arthropod assemblages living within nonvascular epiphyte communities (epiphyte mats) living directly upon lower trunk regions of 24 trees in a tropical montane rain forest within the Santa Lucia Nature Reserve in Pichincha, Ecuador. Trees were assessed for size, epiphyte diversity, and epiphyte coverage before arthropod sampling within the epiphyte mats. Soil assessments were taken as well to compare community structure at the zone of intersection between the two habitats. No direct correlation was found between size, epiphyte diversity, or coverage on the diversity of arthropods within the mats, however this meant that population density and species richness density was very strongly negatively correlated with surface area. Arthropod communities differed significantly between soil samples and epiphyte samples, including in morphospecies present and proportional composition of arthropod orders
Tree to Tree: Phylogenetics of diverse Anura using portable lab equipment: Primer optimization, bioinformatic pipeline, and phylogenetic analyses reveal potential new species and ability to identify evolutionary relationships in a hyper diverse anura clade using Nanopore sequencing
Get PDFThe Corredor Llanganates-Sangay is an extremely significant region for conservation, coined a “gift to the earth” by the World Wildlife Fund. Understanding amphibians species and populations is key due to their roles as hyper sensitive bioindicators. In recent years, portable sequencing equipment (Mini PCR thermocyclers, Oxford Nanopore Technology’s MinION sequencer, etc) make genetic data collection in remote areas possible, greatly increasing potential for conservation genetics and genomics. This study uses portable equipment to sequence two mitochondrial loci in 104 Anuran samples collected in four sites in the Corridor and presents phylogenies of each gene as well as a concatenated phylogeny. Data processing revealed limitations in existing bioinformatic tools, highlighting the need for simple in-house computational tools to quality check throughout the tree-building pipeline. These phylogenies reveal two potentially new clades of Pristimantis, which sit without any known species in clades with short branches. However, inconsistencies between this phylogeny and published phylogenies reveal that further steps are required to understand and curate data. Inconsistencies in tree topology are not unique to this study, due to evolutionary patterns that vary between genes of a single species. Thus, further understanding of amphibian gene evolution and genomics is necessary to develop methods to build reliable phylogenies as genetic data increases for this vulnerable clade of organisms
Examining the Power Dynamics in the Patient-Doctor Relationship in Bio-medicalized Countries: a Historical and Sociocultural Framework
Get PDFMedical humanities research is an increasingly important field of study for medical care. Power dynamics that exist between doctor and patient during the clinical encounter are an integral factor for improving health outcomes and patient satisfaction with their clinician. This research study sought to determine the power dynamics that exist within the patient-doctor relationship in Switzerland and other bio-medicalized countries with similar patient-provider experiences through a historical and sociocultural lens. Four interviews were conducted alongside preliminary research, and the power dynamics identified through this study were social, economic, knowledge-based, and communication. Historical human philosophies about the universe, the role of God, humanity, health, sickness, and death and societal norms of misogyny were cemented into the foundations of modern medicine and remain interwoven into clinical encounters today, causing friction in a world trying to move towards more equality both in and out of patient-centered care. The results of this sociological approach to understanding the challenges to positive intrapersonal relationships in the clinical encounter support the need for more holistic, culturally competent, and compassionate healthcare
A Photo Documentary: Exploring Queer Identities in KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFMedia can be a powerful tool in examining the structures of power that both hinder and advance LGBTQIA+ representation and subsequently, lived experiences. Therefore, being able to understand the varying feelings that everyday South Africans feel towards queer people, will be measured through the media that people consume. For the vast majority of South Africans, this would look like movies, TV soap operas, and discussions that take place on the radio. Understanding the role media plays within the country is vital to understanding the overall progress that has been made.
The media’s ability to reflect lived experiences within gay and transgender identities serves to increase representation and subsequent acceptance into broader society. While it may challenge existing dominant cultural identities, gay and transgender representation humanizes their experiences and potentially mitigates violence. Through a multimedia approach, this project will interrogate the role of the media, representation in politics, and overall acceptance in the current day. Using a participatory media method called photo-voice, the researcher will engage with participants that will speak about their experiences as gay and/or transgender individuals in the Northeast province of South Africa, Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN). A successful approach will lead to multiple in-depth “profiles” that share their lived experiences, and critically interrogate the role media has played in representation
Tsaachin Reindeer Herders: Perceptions vs Reality
Get PDFMongolia is a country commonly known for its vast steppes and rich culture of nomadic pastoralism. Images of livestock grazing on the open steppe often come to mind when people think about the country. However, what about the lesser-known reindeer herders? The Tsaachin reindeer herders of Mongolia are an ethnic group in the northernmost region of the country that have been subject to common misconceptions stemming from perceptions created by people consuming exaggerated and false narratives. This study aims to discover if perceptions that outsiders have influence the reindeer herders of the West Taiga
The Rinpoche Sent me a Friend Request: The Roles and Perceptions of Social Media in Buddhist Religious Life
Get PDFWhen I first heard about His Eminence the 8th Chokyong Palga Rinpoche, I didn’t expect to find an Instagram page consisting of gym pics and sunglass selfies. As I kept scrolling through Instagram, I soon found out that Palga Rinpoche is not alone in this influencer-like social media façade; he is a part of a younger generation of Buddhist monastics who are trying to be what some call monkfluencers. These monastics are growing up in the digital world of social media, making it more accessible to share with the outside world the #monklife. My goal is to investigate the relationship between Buddhism and social media and why some members of this religious life decided to pursue a social media persona, specifically on Instagram. By using prior academic research and the perceptions I gathered from monastic and non-monastic Buddhists, I will determine whether the digital world has space for these monkfluencers