Gender, Monastic Life, and the Lay Community During the Pandemic

The following teaching module is designed for high school and college level instructors who seek to teach a lesson on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the monastic life of both Buddhists and Catholics. The teaching module features a lesson plan, case studies, and assignments that can be incorporated as the instructor sees fit. This teaching module was created by Wester Michigan University\u27s Department of Comparative Religion

Orthodox Jewish Women and Ritual Purity During the Pandemic

The following teaching module is designed for high school and college level instructors who seek to teach a lesson on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on Jewish women and their ritual purity. The teaching module features a lesson plan, case studies, and assignments that can be incorporated as the instructor sees fit. This teaching module was created by Wester Michigan University\u27s Department of Comparative Religion

Public Policy and Religion in the Pandemic: U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment

The following teaching module is designed for high school and college level instructors who seek to teach a lesson on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the relationship between church and state. The teaching module features a lesson plan, case studies, and assignments that can be incorporated as the instructor sees fit. This teaching module was created by Wester Michigan University\u27s Department of Comparative Religion

Liberalization of trade and the potential for a regulatory race to the top

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 171-179).Globalization is changing the way in which the world is organized. The world trade regime is increasingly the dominant mode of organizing international relations. Within this context of globalization and liberalization of trade, empirical examples of a race to the bottom co-exist with examples of a race to the top and examples of stable heterogeneity of international standards. The puzzle, then, is to determine the structural conditions, sources of power, and policy instruments that determine whether international standards will diverge or converge, upward or downward. This research seeks to reveal the potential for (and limitations of) a race to the top in international standards. System dynamics modeling and theories of globalization and regulatory competition are applied to three case studies to explore the causes of a race to the top: the Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances, dolphin-safe tuna, and fair trade coffee. Many of the concerns of a race to the bottom pertain to process and production methods (PPMs) in global supply chains. One of the themes in this research is the distinction between standards based on the characteristics of a product and standards based on the process and production methods (PPMs) used to produce the product. Whereas product standards can be monitored and enforced at the point of market access, PPM standards must be monitored and enforced at the site of production, which can be problematic in global supply chains. This research seeks to elucidate the sources of power and policy levers available to promote higher PPM standards within the context of globalization and the liberalization of trade.(cont.) A set of theories from international law and political economy is selected to create a theoretical framework for analyzing the effects of globalization on international standards. In particular, theories of corporate power, corporate social responsibility, norm change and consumer power elucidate the potential and limitations of voluntary standards. Theories of regulatory capture and competition inform the question of how voluntary standards translate into public policy. The goal is to understand how social and environmental objectives can be promoted within the context of liberalized trade.by Diane Cameron.S.M

Online Mental Health Information Behaviours of Emerging Adults: A Web Usability and User Experience Study

This study aims to employ usability study technologies to learn how emerging adults interact online with mental health information

Ritual During Covid-19

The following teaching module is designed for high school and college level instructors who seek to teach a lesson on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the participation and practice of religious rituals. The teaching module features a lesson plan, case studies, and assignments that can be incorporated as the instructor sees fit. This teaching module was created by Western Michigan University\u27s Department of Comparative Religion

Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Religious Holidays in the U.S.

The following teaching module is designed for high school and college level instructors who seek to teach a lesson on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the celebration of religious holidays, such as Ramadan, Passover, and Easter. The teaching module features a lesson plan, case studies, and assignments that can be incorporated as the instructor sees fit. This teaching module was created by Western Michigan University\u27s Department of Comparative Religion

Factors Associated with Immunization Opinion Leadership among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Los Angeles, California

We sought to identify the characteristics of men who have sex with men (MSM) who are opinion leaders on immunization issues and to identify potential opportunities to leverage their influence for vaccine promotion within MSM communities. Using venue-based sampling, we recruited and enrolled MSM living in Los Angeles (N = 520) from December 2016 to February 2017 and evaluated characteristic differences in sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and technology use among those classified as opinion leaders versus those who were not. We also asked respondents about their past receipt of meningococcal serogroups A, C, W, and Y (MenACWY) and meningococcal B (MenB) vaccines, as well as their opinions on the importance of 13 additional vaccines. Multivariable results revealed that non-Hispanic black (aOR = 2.64; 95% CI: 1.17–5.95) and other race/ethnicity (aOR = 2.98; 95% CI: 1.41–6.29) respondents, as well as those with a history of an STI other than HIV (aOR = 1.95; 95% CI: 1.10–3.48), were more likely to be opinion leaders. MenACWY (aOR = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.13–3.25) and MenB (aOR = 3.09; 95% CI: 1.77–5.41) vaccine uptake, and perceived importance for these and seven additional vaccines, were also associated with being an opinion leader. The results suggest that the co-promotion of vaccination and other health promotion initiatives via opinion leaders could be a useful strategy for increasing vaccination among MSM