Despite unprecedented access to information, the American public has been shown to have difficulty distinguishing factually correct information from misinformation. Misinformation can, and does, alter voting patterns and policy preferences which impact the range of policy solutions available to policymakers. In recent years, media organizations have begun specialized ‘fact-‐checking’ operations...
Presenting and synthesizing several paradigms for the teaching of literature in American colleges, I investigate how definitions of reading, readers, texts, interpretations, and knowledge affect student acts of reading and writing. In addition, I draw upon specific examples of text-based, reader-based, and social-cultural based models for the teaching of reading...
When you start your sheep project, you will become part of an industry that returns millions of dollars to farmers each year. As a 4-H member you will be caring for one of the oldest domesticated farm animal. Wool has been used for clothing since the days of the earlier...
Air compressors are a significant industrial energy user and therefore a prime target for industrial energy audits. The project goals were to develop a software tool, AIRMaster, develop a methodology for performing compressed air system audits, and conduct field audits to refine the methodology and assess savings potential from six...
This essay examines the processes of empowerment within an artisan NGO in Ghana. An empowerment framework focusing on the concepts of ‘agency’, ‘resources’ and ‘achievements’ are examined through interviews with women weavers, batikers and seamstresses. Their narratives reveal that a complex set of structural and cultural inequalities shape women’s specific...
The following thesis explores the potential for autoethnography to serve as an enabling method for developing a grounded understanding of literacy, performance, gender and sexuality. As autoethnographic writing insists that even the seemingly most personal aspects of a researcher's character are deeply embedded in larger political and sociocultural narratives, this...
The existence of the ethnic "barrios" (ghettos) across American society is proof of the legacy of racism, injustice and inequality in society today. In this thesis, the human experiences of Native, African, Mexican, and Asian people, are presented to contradict the notion that the "American Dream" is for all. In...
This thesis takes an in-depth look at specific behaviors that are putting Maasai women at risk for HIV/AIDS in Kenya. Methods used include in-depth interviews, focus group discussion, demographic data collection, and nutritional anthropometric measurements. The research took place June September 2004. Analysis reveals a strong connection between poverty and...
This qualitative study explores the "coming out" experience of gay males raised in conservative Christian environments. Seven men with varying ethnic and racial backgrounds, between the ages of 20 and 40 years old, participated. Each was raised in a conservative, Christian environment during his formative years and each was now...