Take the lead from students

How can we connect our academic practice to raise students’ awareness of complex global issues? Shattering recent events like the Bastille Day in Nice, Paris in January 2015, Brussels in March 2016, Istanbul and Orlando attacks in June, the violence of ISIS, the referendum on Britain leaving Europe, and the migration of thousands of refugees eeing war, call into question the role of academic practice in universities. In this context, re ecting on learning theories that promote engagement can help us understand how students can become inspired as active citizens of the world

Protecting the Herd: An Analysis of Public Relations Responses to the 2015 Measles Outbreak Originating at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park

This case study reviews the public relations response when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park were declared the epicenter of a North American measles outbreak in 2015. The case study highlights and analyzes public relations strategies and tactics by the state public health department and The Walt Disney Company under the backdrop of the amorphous yet growing anti-vaccine movement. Centered on the surprising yet predictable 21st century resurgence of measles in North America, this case highlights the positioning of a health crisis by a corporation with an iconic entertainment brand and the challenge of public communications by a public health department during a disease outbreak. As the outbreak unfolded, public health communicators faced the two-pronged problem of refuting the claims of anti-vaccination advocates just as they dealt with population health risks. The public relations actions by organizations involved helped them emerge relatively unaffected by the crisis. This case is ideal for communications students studying crisis communications and public relations campaigns involving messy societal issues and the varied interests of multiple actors

Research Reports from the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project, Volume Seven

Table of Contents : Background and Introduction to the 2012 Season of the Programme for Belize Archaeological Project / by Fred Valdez, Jr. and Grant Aylesworth (p.1-6) -- The Architecture and Environs of Structure 3: 2012 Season / by Debora Trein (p.7-34) -- Report of the 2012 Excavations at the South Ballcourt of La Milpa, Operation A6 / by David Chatelain (p.35-38) -- Overview of the 2012 La Milpa Archaeological Field Season / by Brandon s. Lewis, Yoav Me-Bar, Scott Guzman, and Leon de Santillan (p.39-54) -- Several Burials from La Milpa, LM4 in NW Belize / by Stacy Drake (p.55-58) -- Report in the 2012 Excavations at Hun Tun: Operation 5 / by Robyn L. Dodge (p.59-68) -- Research Results of the 2012 Field Season: Excavations at the Tapir Group of the Medicinal Trail Site / by David M. Hyde (p.67-90) -- Mapping Medicinal Trail: A Summary from 2004 to 2012 / by Jeff Brewer, David M. Hyde, and Michael Stowe (p.91-112) -- The 2012 Season of Survey and Excavation at La Milpa North / by Eric J. Heller (p.113-130) -- Preliminary Investigations at RB 71: The 2012 Field Season / by Nicole DeFrancisco and Cory Stevenson (p.131-140) -- Preliminary Report on the 2012 Field Season at Maax Na and Bolsa Verde, Belize / by Eleanor M. King and Leslie C. Shaw (p.141-154) -- Summary Report of Field Investigations at the Site of Dos Hombres, Summer 2012 Season / by Rissa M. Trachman and Jacob A. Canterbury (p.155-164) -- Field Investigations at Chawak But’o’ob: Preliminary Overview of the 2012 Season / Stan Walling (p.165-178) -- Ancient Maya Land Use and Today’s Environment: A Multidisciplinary Research Program / by Nicholas Brokaw (p.179-186) -- Summary Report of the 2012 Obsidian Provenance Project for PfBAP / by Walter Beckwith (p.187-188) -- Application of Low-Field Magnetic Susceptibility to Plaster Floors in Excavation Profiles at Maya Sites in the Three Rivers Region, Belize / by Michael Brennan (p.189)Texas Archeological Research Laborator

The Individual and Group Dynamics in Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

This unit was designed to be the second unit of the school year which means that the students will have had ample practice on writing body paragraphs but will need a lot of work on organizing ideas, building writing stamina, and formatting a complete paper. This unit places a heavy emphasis on finding and using textual evidence to support wider claims. It is the first step in the process and will serve as a foundation for the rest of the year. Students will learn these skills while coming to an understanding about group dynamics and the place of the individual within a larger community through the context of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Many of the ideas on how to teach the writing process as it pertains to the standard analytical essay comes from Michael Degen’s Crafting Expository Argument: Practical Approaches to the Writing Process for Students and Teachers

A science of networks approach to ancient Maya sociopolitical organization

textWas ancient Maya sociopolitical organization, overall, centralized or decentralized? Does the application of a new technique of analysis, borrowed from the science of networks (network theory), aid in understanding Classic period sociopolitical organization? This dissertation seeks to explore Classic Maya sociopolitical organization through the application of small world and scale free models derived from the science of networks. The research presented combines archaeological fieldwork in northwestern Belize, Central America with evidence from ancient Maya inscriptions to evaluate the potential of applying network theory methods to studies of ancient Maya sociopolitical organization. This dissertation is divided into five chapters which provide an overview of the climate, physiography, flora, and fauna of the research area, an outline of previous archaeological research in the region, the general culture history of the area from the Paleoindian to the Postclassic periods, results of excavations and mapping at two sites very close to, or arguably part of the site of Dos Hombres, Belize. The final chapter is a review of select aspects of ancient Maya sociopolitical organization focusing on issues related to centralized and decentralized models, which have dominated research for the last 30 years. Through the analysis of network graphs I show that the science of networks can be used to gain insight into ancient Maya sociopolitical interaction. Taken as a whole, I find that Classic period sociopolitical interaction was decentralized and can be characterized as a scale free small world network. Further, network analysis provides insight into the roles of ancient Maya sites as hubs of the Classic period sociopolitical landscape. These findings, in general, tend to agree with previous attempts to rank sites based on volume of architecture and courtyard counts. Since the political system was dominated by few hubs with many links, it was vulnerable to dissolution if one or two of those hubs were destroyed. The presentation and analysis of network graphs yields insights into the nature of ancient Maya sociopolitical organization. Ceramic associations are briefly examined from a science of networks perspective. Results affirm that it is useful to apply network theory to the study of ancient Maya sociopolitical organization.Anthropolog

Protecting the herd: an analysis of public relations responses to the 2015 measles outbreak originating at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park

This case study reviews the public relations response when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park were declared the epicenter of a North American measles outbreak in 2015. The case study highlights and analyzes public relations strategies and tactics by the state public health department and The Walt Disney Company under the backdrop of the amorphous yet growing anti-vaccine movement. Centered on the surprising yet predictable 21st century resurgence of measles in North America, this case highlights the positioning of a health crisis by a corporation with an iconic entertainment brand and the challenge of public communications by a public health department during a disease outbreak. As the outbreak unfolded, public health communicators faced the two-pronged problem of refuting the claims of anti-vaccination advocates just as they dealt with population health risks. The public relations actions by organizations involved helped them emerge relatively unaffected by the crisis. This case is ideal for communications students studying crisis communications and public relations campaigns involving messy societal issues and the varied interests of multiple actors

STAAR EOC Expository Essay [9th-12th grade]

This unit was designed for a class of students who have failed the STAAR English I EOC multiple times. Many of the students are struggling readers and writers which means that they enter my classroom with large gaps in their knowledge. Some can write well and just need to know how to write an essay designed to pass the EOC. Others cannot write in complete sentences and completely shut down when tasked with a major writing assignment. This unit is break down the task of essay writing into manageable steps. While a student will not be able to write a perfect essay after completing this unit, the hope is that he or she will be much more comfortable with the writing process and have a basic understanding of what separates good writing from bad

“Give me the Game”: A Study of Card’s Ender’s Game [11th grade]

This unit was designed to be the second unit of the school year which means that the students will have had ample practice with the structure of a paragraph and the overall structure of a paper but will need a lot of work on organizing ideas, building writing stamina, and analyzing textual evidence. This unit places heavy emphasis on analyzing not only the text but the concept of games and game play in the real world and the rules which govern our society. Students will polish their skills of writing a formal essay while learning about human interaction and manipulation through Orson Scott Card’s famous sci-fi novel, Ender’s Game

Taking the lead from students

Studying in a world seemingly off its axis Shattering recent events like the Bastille Day in Nice, Paris in January 2015, Brussels in March 2016, Istanbul and Orlando attacks in June, the violence of ISIS, the referendum on Britain leaving Europe, and the migration of thousands of refugees fleeing war, call into question the role of academic practice in universities. In this context, reflecting on learning theories that promote engagement can help us understand how students can become inspired as active citizens of the world