The Talent Development Trajectory of a Persuasive Communicator: A Biological Anthropologist Becomes a Voice for Animal Justice

Through the lens of the talent development megamodel and the higher mastery framework, this instrumental case study examines the career trajectory of a biological anthropologist, Barbara J. King, who became a persuasive science communicator in the struggle for animal justice. Much of her impact stems from her development in two career paths, one formal and one informal, in biological anthropology and science communication. She developed credibility as a primatologist and academic and was able to apply her experience in the biological anthropology domain to public communication channels to share information about animal cognition and behavior. Through cumulative epiphanies, she came to recognize the value of understanding animals’ lived experience and the need to seek justice for animals. She became confident in her advocacy because of her extensive knowledge base and her teaching and writing skills, which developed through the many opportunities she eagerly pursued. King’s resilience, optimism, patience, curiosity, and motivation combined with confidence in her knowledge base and communication skills to create persuasive communications that challenge the ubiquitous view that animals’ lives are of lesser value than humans’ and they may be used for human purposes. In her dual careers of biological anthropology and science communication, she learned how to share strong evidence from animal research while respecting the individuals receiving her messages. Educators can support development of students’ transformational giftedness by encouraging identity exploration, fostering openness to new ideas, and not limiting their education to the narrow requirements of success within a single domain

The League in Austria and the Anschluss Aspiration

Excerpt from paper: The time of empires was over. At the end of the Great War, the Treaty of Saint Germain splintered the Austro-Hungarian empire into independent successor states, and the once great Habsburg capital became the Republic of Austria, an unstable nation with weak institutions. Having lost vast territories and one-third of its German population, Austria lacked a national identity and suffered a deep sense of victimhood. At the core, Austria was a sovereign nation that refused her sovereignty. Throughout the republic’s existence, the people rejected Austrian independence, convinced that their homeland could not survive without German unification. Although the Allies forbade Anschluss, the Austrian people could never surrender the longing to unite with their German countrymen.

From Witches to Cat Ladies: An Analysis of Spinster Tropes and the Reproductive Mandate

Excerpt from paper: The media–whether it be books, television, or the news–is built upon narratives. From Disney movies about emotions to novels about enormous whales, each narrative is informed by a wide selection of tropes, otherwise defined as “common or recurring [themes] or [motifs] in a story or work of fiction” (Relojo-Howell). Contrary to popular belief, using tropes is not necessarily harmful. There is a reason that Shakespeare has had such a long-lasting impact on the world’s artistic memory: he wrote with tropes that resonated with his audience, appealing to basic human truths. For the same reason, countless subsequent artists have also used tropes that Shakespeare himself created in their works. What tropes often become, however, are shallow oversimplifications of complex social identities. Especially for historically marginalized groups, tropes can perpetuate incorrect and harmful beliefs and attitudes. Women are perhaps one of the most prevalent examples; they have long been persecuted, especially in regard to their reproductive choices. Through the weaponization of spinster tropes, specifically those of the “witch” and “cat lady,” the media and popular culture persecute women who fail to abide by the reproductive norms established by neoliberal, patriarchal society. As a result, this phenomenon reveals the unwillingness of society to allow women to maintain reproductive autonomy and the inherent danger involved in the overreliance on tropes

Elias Boudinot and the Cherokee Nation: Assimilation, Resistance, and the Cost of Survival

Excerpt from paper: As the United States expanded westward in the early nineteenth century, settlers’ demand for land sparked conflicts with the Indigenous peoples occupying their ancestral lands. The Cherokee Nation, one of the tribes facing removal, adopted the strategy of assimilation to resist displacement. Elias Boudinot, a prominent Cherokee leader and newspaper editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, played a key role in this effort. Through his editorials, Boudinot aimed to document Cherokee advancement and demonstrate that the Cherokee could become as “civilized” as Americans. However, he soon realized that the U.S. government\u27s push for removal had little to do with perceptions of Cherokee backwardness and everything to do with a refusal to accept their existence as Indians. Disillusioned, Boudinot gave up the resistance effort and supported removal, seeing it as the most pragmatic means to ensure his people\u27s survival. Boudinot\u27s shift in stance on removal represented not a betrayal from his tribe but a strategic decision that prioritized the survival of the people through territorial compromise similar to the nation’s selective cultural adoption. By shifting from resistance to accepting removal, Boudinot chose to preserve the Cherokee Nation’s existence, even at the cost of ancestral lands

Oyster reef recovery: Impacts of rotational management and restoration efforts on public fishing grounds

Coastal ecosystems are degraded worldwide and oyster reefs are among the most threatened coastal habitats. Oysters are a critical ecosystem engineer and valuable fishery species, thus effective management strategies must balance tradeoffs between protecting reef ecosystems and continued human use. Management practices for oysters commonly incorporate shell replenishment (provisioning hard substrates to increase reef relief) and spatial management (rotational harvest areas or sanctuaries); however, the impact of these practices on reef dynamics and fisheries outcomes are poorly understood, particularly on harvested reefs. This project examines the efficacy of shell replenishment and spatial management practices on public fishing grounds by analyzing long term datasets available for the Rappahannock River in the Chesapeake Bay, USA. Using generalized linear mixed effects models, we examine how oyster reef metrics (brown shell substrate L m-2, recruit density m-2, market density m-2) and fisheries efficiency (meeting daily bushel harvest limit or not) respond to management actions. Our results indicate that a 3 y rotation maintains the underlying reef structure, enhances recruitment, and increases market sized oyster density by 1.23 oysters m-2 on average. Sanctuaries and harvested reefs had comparable brown shell and recruit density; however, sanctuaries had higher market oyster density on average. Shell replenishment practices directly enhanced harvester efficiency, particularly in harvest areas with poor reef condition. Our results indicate that low levels of replenishment (~1000 bushels acre 1) provide substantial benefits to oyster reefs and the fishery. This study is the first to evaluate the marginal benefits of replenishment activities for biological and fisheries outcomes, and a novel, real world assessment for oyster restoration practices on public fishing grounds. Cumulatively, our findings show that spatial management and replenishment practices enhance oyster reefs in temperate estuaries and offers a framework applicable to other degraded ecosystems worldwide

The Impact of the Ottoman Empire on Tensions between the Serbs and Other Ethnic Groups in the Former Yugoslavia

No one can dismiss the intense violent conflicts that the Former Yugoslavia experienced in the 1990s. These violent conflicts, together called the Yugoslav Wars, brought forth many tragic stories that still live in the minds of the region’s people. Why did this region of Europe become the victim of such heinous events? More specifically, what historical factors might have contributed to its misfortune? This paper seeks not to explain the causes of the Yugoslav Wars but rather to give attention to a specific historical factor that influenced potential conflict in the region - the Ottoman Empire. With almost four centuries of rule in the Balkans, the Ottoman Empire inevitably influenced this area of the world leaving permanent marks not only on this region’s history but also on its future. This paper argues that the Ottoman Empire played a key role in laying the foundation for ethnic tensions between Serbs and other ethnic groups during the Yugoslav Wars because its impact led to an alteration in demographics, an emergence of political elitism, and a rise in ethnonationalism. Though this paper will address the Ottoman Empire’s impact on different ethnic groups, it will focus on the Serbian people because of the significant role the Serbian state played in initiating and perpetuating violence in the Yugoslav Wars

Moving Forward in the Wake of the Pandemic: Shifting from Schools Acting Alone to Engaged Partnerships with Families and Communities

Workplace shortages are a top concern for schools in times of calm and even more troubling in times of stress. Burnout is especially widespread in stressful situations of disrupted learning, trauma, and discord (e.g., Diliberti & Schwartz, 2022; Thomas et al., 2019). In the wake of the pandemic, educators struggled to deal with the stressors on their own (IES, 2022). It became clear that schools could no longer work in isolation. Moving forward in the wake of the pandemic required an intentional shift in purpose from isolated classrooms to interconnected partnerships with families and communities. In the path to recovery, educators rediscovered the value of shifting beyond the schoolhouse to engage in partnerships with the greater community. Lessons learned indicate that schools were more likely to make the shift to partnerships happen when they welcomed the wisdom of families, embraced external supports, and collaborated to expand local community resources for healing and recovery

Re-evaluating Egalitarian Design in Contemporary Danish Society

This study examines the discourses and practices of egalitarian architecture in contemporary Denmark. Denmark’s long standing comprehensive welfare system promotes, for all citizens, equal access to education, healthcare, and public services, and other opportunities. Similarly, its own brand of socially progressive, egalitarian architecture encourages spatial designs intended for use by all people regardless of social disparities. Drawing on a range of sources from government documents to architectural magazines to design projects themselves, this study defines the historical development of this discourse going back to Modernist and Functionalist movements in the 1930s. By revealing the cultural and demographic assumptions on which socially responsive design projects are based, it reevaluates egalitarian architectural discourse. The projects examined in this study suggest the design field is evolving to include growing groups like the aging generation more effectively than the immigrant population. Ultimately, the study argues that the challenges Danish design practitioners and policymakers face in addressing the needs of their increasingly multicultural population stem from a residual cultural inclination that favors sameness and equality over the recognition of differences

“When They Say ‘Queer,’ They Don’t Mean You”: A Foucauldian-Informed Thematic Discourse Analysis Of Bisexual+ Emerging Adults’ Use Of Fiction-Based Parasocial Relationships During Sexual Identity Construction

Drawing from Foucauldian discourse analysis and narrative inquiry, this poststructural Foucauldian-informed thematic discourse analysis explored the ways bisexual+ emerging adults used fiction-based parasocial relationships during identity construction processes. Through interviews and journal reflections, five bisexual+ emerging adults were interviewed to recount their experiences connecting to media and forming parasocial relationships with fictional characters as they came to understand and construct their sexual identity. Through a dual-layered analysis process rooted in critical thematic analysis, individual participant narratives combined with a metanarrative constellation, the findings reflect the unique experiences of the participants while providing an exploration of cultural influences on identity construction and how parasocial relationships can abate those which have a negative influence, something particularly important given the regression in acceptance of queerness in the United States. Findings supported the conceptual framework which posited parasocial relationships function as both interpersonal and environmental factors for the participants in this study. Key findings include the use of parasocial relationships as sources of affirmation and sources of resistance and subversion as well as their use to build relationships in virtual spaces (fandoms) as well as in real life. With roots in media, communication, and fan studies as well as college student development theory research, this interdisciplinary work calls for further exploration into the role and functionality of media on emerging adults from a variety of perspectives as well as research that focuses on individual communities within the queer community instead of treating them like a monolith