Theorizing an intersectional approach to feminist composition pedagogy

In this thesis, I address the absence of intersectionality in feminist scholarship, particularly in the study of feminist composition pedagogy. As a discipline, Rhetoric and Composition concerns itself with shifts in social discourse and their material implications. I argue that educators in this field who employ feminist pedagogical practices have a responsibility to be attentive to activist discourse, and, as such, must begin including intersectional theory in their feminist research. Freire’s discussions of classroom power relations and critical literacy coupled with hooks’s attention to intersectional oppressions provide a foundation for future scholarly discussions of intersectional feminist pedagogical practices in composition classrooms. Using queer student identities as a target population, I argue that feminist composition pedagogues need to re-embrace the work of Paulo Freire and bell hooks in order to begin articulating feminist pedagogical practices that are intersectional in nature. Historically, both feminist scholarship and intersectional scholarship have tended to exclude queer populations; however, in light of increased visibility of LGBT+ persons in recent years, the ways in which intersectional concerns manifest themselves in this community are becoming more evident. As classrooms are made up of a diverse array of students and often stand in as microcosmic mirrors of society at large, it is crucial that educators develop pedagogical methods that are mindful of intersecting modes of oppression within the queer community. I argue for a more inclusive feminist pedagogy that is mindful of intersectional concerns, as well as for further scholarly work exploring ways to make feminist pedagogy more intersectional

Students' attitudes toward their major discipline : implicit versus explicit measure of attitude

Student satisfaction with their academic major is an important aspect of student satisfaction to explore. There were three main purposes of this study: (1) to address major satisfaction directly by comparing an explicit measure of attitude, the Academic Major Satisfaction Scale (AMSS) developed by Nauta (2007), with an implicit measure of attitude, a revision of the Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP) developed by Payne, Cheng, Govorun, and Stewart (2005); (2) to measure major satisfaction at different levels in the college experience by using a cross-sectional design to examine how satisfaction levels differ over the duration of the college experience; and (3) to implement the AMP into the study of satisfaction. It was predicted that (1) the implicit and explicit attitudes towards the participants’ major discipline will become more positive as they progress through college, (2) that the implicit measure of attitude towards their own major discipline will be more positive than towards other major disciplines, and (3) that the implicit measure of attitude towards their major discipline will be correlated with explicit measure of attitude at the same point in the college experience. Ninety-nine students were divided into three groups based on the number of credit hours they had completed in college: Early (less than 44 credit hours, n=28), Mid (between 45 and 89 credit hours, n=33), and Late (greater than 90 credit hours, n=38). The study was conducted in a group setting with the instructions, the AMP, the AMSS, and the demographics composed in a video with audio and projected in front of a classroom. All the data was collected on a Scantron form. The AMP consisted of 44 triads of primes (presented for 250 ms; including 12 iconic representations of each construction management, music and psychology and 4 of each known pleasant and unpleasant images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS; Lang, Bradley & Cuthbert, 1995)), neutral targets (Chinese characters presented for 1 s), and a numbered filler (present for 5 s). The participants were asked to rate the neutral targets on a 4-point scale ranging from “much more pleasing than average” to “much less pleasing than average.” The AMSS consisted of the 6-item scale developed by Nauta and included the statement “I am satisfied with my academic major.” Participants were asked to rate their level of agreement with each statement on a 5-point scale ranging from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree.” Results showed that there were no significant differences in either the explicit measure of attitude or implicit measure of attitude toward various major disciplines at any level of the college experience nor did either attitude measure increase across time indicating that attitudes towards one’s major may not differ across time. Since there were no significant differences in the attitudes towards the individuals’ own major, Psychology, and other majors it is possible that psychology may be a difficult major to represent in iconic images. This would limit the use of the AMP to measure attitudes toward this major. Finally, the explicit measure of attitude’s scores did not correlate with the implicit measure of attitude’s scores, indicating that this explicit measure of attitude capture a different attitude than an implicit measure of attitude

The trifecta effect: the incarcerated woman’s triple comorbidity and associations with recidivism

Jails are the front door to the criminal justice system, serving as the initial point of contact with inmates (Raggio, Hoffmann, & Kopak, 2017). Females in jail are the fastest growing correctional population (Swavola, Riley, & Subramanian, 2016). Females experience comorbid psychopathologies and substance use disorders at a higher rate than men, and incarcerated populations experience these disorders at far greater rates than the general population (Al Rousan, Rubenstein, Sieleni, Deol, & Wallace, 2017; Fazel, Yoon, & Hayes, 2017; Logan & Blackburn, 2009; Lynch S. M., et al., 2017; Swavola, Riley, & Subramanian, 2016). This study investigates the relationship between comorbid psychopathologies and methamphetamine and opioid substance use disorders with criminal justice outcomes in a sample of females recently incarcerated in three rural jails. Diagnostic indicators were compared with official records to elucidate these relationships. It was hypothesized that multiple comorbidities and severe substance use disorder would have the strongest relationship with recidivism, but results indicate that only severe Amphetamine Use Disorder has any significant associations with recidivism. Results from this study have implications for treatment and security of females incarcerated in local jails

The Effects of Four Weeks of Aerobic Training on Arterial Stiffness and the Renin-Angiotensin & Aldosterone System on Stage One Hypertensive Obese Individuals

Increases in blood pressure (BP) are directly related to increases in body mass and obesity related hypertension is associated with pronounced activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and increased pulse wave velocity (PWV). The purpose of this study was to assess RAAS activity and PWV before and after 4 weeks of aerobic exercise in an obese, hypertensive population, who were also unmedicated. Seven men and three women underwent 4 weeks of moderate intensity aerobic training (30 min., 3x/wk, 65% VO2 peak). Body mass (BMI), BP, and blood markers were taken at baseline, post 4 week control period, and post 4 weeks of exercise. No significant differences were seen in descriptive characteristics following the control period; however, there were significant declines in aldosterone and PWV following training. These data show that 4 weeks of moderate intensity aerobic exercise decreases central PWV and may be linked with decreases in ALDO in this population

Effects on carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity 24h post exercise in young healthy adults

Arterial stiffness, often measured by carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), is a subclinical marker of cardiovascular disease that is known to be reduced by exercise training. Exercise is also known to have acute vascular effects, yet it is unclear whether exercise 24 h before cfPWV testing in?uences this outcome. Thirty healthy, young adults completed a supervised, 30-min bout of moderate-to-vigorous intensity treadmill running. cfPWV, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were measured both before (after 48 h of abstaining from exercise) and 24 h after (with no additional exercise) the exercise session. From pre-exercise to 24 h post exercise, cfPWV decreased from 6.05 ± 0.82 to 5.84 ± 0.87 m s- 1 (P = 0.02), SBP from 119.7 ± 13.8 to 116.8 ± 11.4 mm Hg (P = 0.03) and DBP from 65.1 ± 5.7 to 63.2 ± 5.4 mm Hg(P = 0.02), with no signi?cant changes in HR. cfPWV was positively correlated with SBP pre-exercise (r = 0.54, Po0.01) and post exercise (r = 0.53, Po0.01). Changes in blood pressure explained 4–5% of the variability in cfPWV change; adjustments slightly attenuated the 24-h effects of exercise on cfPWV. Some evidence of gender differences was observed with higher cfPWV in males across assessments (Po0.05) and statistically signi?cant reductions in cfPWV in males (-0.36 ± 0.54 m s - 1 (P = 0.02)) but not in females (-0.07 ± 0.31 m s - 1 (P = 0.41)). In conclusion, cfPWV decreased 24 h after an exercise bout, suggesting that exercise completed in the past 24 h should be considered before cfPWV testing

Reduction of plasma aldosterone and arterial stiffness in obese pre- and stage1 hypertensive subjects after aerobic exercise

Obesity-related hypertension is associated with increased activity of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), increasing arterial stiffness. Aerobic exercise decreases pulse wave velocity (PWV), therefore a treatment option for hypertension and obesity. Assess RAAS activity and PWV before and after 4 weeks of aerobic training in unmedicated, pre-to-stage-1 hypertensives. Ten obese subjects (52±3.2 years, body mass index ¼ 33.5±1.4) performed 30 min of aerobic exercise on a treadmill 3 days per week at 65%of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak). Descriptive characteristics, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), PWV, and a blood draw was performed at baseline, following the 4-week control and training interventions. No differences in descriptive characteristics during the control period were observed, however, a signi?cant decrease in plasma aldosterone (ALDO) (255.4±75 to 215.8±66 pg ml 1, P ¼ 0.001), SBP (140±12 to 136±10.4 mm Hg; P ¼ 0.02), DBP (89±4.2 to 85±6.3 mm Hg; P ¼ 0.03) and central PWV (11.2±0.6 to 9.8±0.8 m s 1; P ¼ 0.04) was shown pre-to-post exercise training. Four weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic training in obese, hypertensives decreases plasma ALDO independently of body weight and is signi?cantly correlated to decreases in PWV reductions

Rule violations in a county jail: associations with specific substance use disorders and other mental health disorders

Jails process and house the largest number of incarcerated individuals in the United States, yet remain the least studied and understood cog within the criminal justice system. Safety and security within a confinement facility are essential for those residing, working, and visiting these facilities; however, the study of factors that contribute to the likelihood of inmate misconduct have been gleaned from prison populations that don’t account for factors that are unique to, or seen in higher proportions, in jail environments. One element that has been identified as being a significant risk factor for rule violations in both jails and prisons has been substance use disorder (SUD) and mental illness. Arguably, mental health disorders, which include SUDs, encompass nearly 300 classifiable disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5), and it is unlikely that all exhibit the same level of risk of offending while incarcerated. The change in classification and diagnosis of substance use disorders from the DSM-IV-TR to the DSM-5 also allows researchers to consider the specific substance and severity of the disorder beyond an abuse/dependence classification. Therefore, using an empirically supported assessment instrument, the Comprehensive Addiction and Psychological Evaluation-5 (CAAPE-5), this study seeks to explore specifically which SUDs and other common mental health conditions contribute to this relationship between having a diagnosis and risk for rule violations while incarcerated

Preventing Hospital Readmissions: Evaluation of a Transitional Care Management Program

Background: In 2012, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) introduced the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP). HRRP encouraged hospitals to improve rates of unplanned readmissions by reducing CMS payments to institutions that exceeded predetermined readmission rates for certain conditions. In 2018, a 457-bed suburban hospital in the southeastern United States launched a transitional care (TC) program to provide outpatient support during the first 30 days after hospital discharge and prevent unplanned hospital readmissions. Purpose: A summative evaluation of processes at a TC program was completed to identify the impact of the program on unplanned 30-day hospital readmissions. Methods: Questionnaires were completed by inpatient and outpatient program staff members to obtain details describing methods for referring patients to the program and interventions used to curtail unplanned readmissions. Electronic medical records of 608 patients discharged after hospitalization for sepsis, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2017, 2019, and 2020 were manually reviewed to compare readmission rates for program participants and non-participants. Results: Analysis of readmission rates were mixed. In 2019, readmission rates for both participants in the program (15.79%) and non-participants (16.25%) improved, with a statistically significant reduction for those in the transitional care program. In 2020, readmission rates for participants in the program increased (25%), though rates for non-participants continued to decline (13.79%). Conclusions: This TC program was comparable in structure to successful programs described in the literature. However, like the existing literature, impact of the program on readmissions was mixed

Shedding light on plant litter decomposition: Advances, implications and new directions in understanding the role of photodegradation

Litter decomposition contributes to one of the largest fluxes of carbon (C) in the terrestrial biosphere and is a primary control on nutrient cycling. The inability of models using climate and litter chemistry to predict decomposition in dry environments has stimulated investigation of non-traditional drivers of decomposition, including photodegradation, the abiotic decomposition of organic matter via exposure to solar radiation. Recent work in this developing field shows that photodegradation may substantially influence terrestrial C fluxes, including abiotic production of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Research has also produced contradictory results regarding controls on photodegradation. Here we summarize the state of knowledge about the role of photodegradation in litter decomposition and C cycling and investigate drivers of photodegradation across experiments using a meta-analysis. Overall, increasing litter exposure to solar radiation increased mass loss by 23% with large variation in photodegradation rates among and within ecosystems. This variation was tied to both litter and environmental characteristics. Photodegradation increased with litter C to nitrogen (N) ratio, but not with lignin content, suggesting that we do not yet fully understand the underlying mechanisms. Photodegradation also increased with factors that increased solar radiation exposure (latitude and litter area to mass ratio) and decreased with mean annual precipitation. The impact of photodegradation on C (and potentially N) cycling fundamentally reshapes our thinking of decomposition as a solely biological process and requires that we define the mechanisms driving photodegradation before we can accurately represent photodegradation in global C and N models. © 2012 US Government