Tolerating Hate in the Name of Democracy

This article offers a comprehensive and critical analysis of Eric Heinze’s book Hate Speech and Democratic Citizenship (Oxford University Press, 2016). Heinze’s project is to formulate and defend a more theoretically complex version of the idea (also defended by people like Ronald Dworkin and James Weinstein) that general legal prohibitions on hate speech in public discourse compromises the state’s democratic legitimacy. We offer a detailed synopsis of Heinze’s view, highlighting some of its distinctive qualities and strengths. We then develop a critical response to this view with three main focal points: (1) the characterisation of democratic legitimacy as something distinct from (and whose demands aren’t identical with those of) legitimacy per se; (2) the claim that the requirements of democracy are hypothetical, rather than categorical, imperatives; and relatedly (3) the question of how we should reconcile the requirements of democratic legitimacy with the costs that may follow from prioritising democratic legitimacy. We argue that there are significant difficulties for Heinze’s account on all three fronts

Pedometers Accelerometers and Observational Methods: A Comparison of Measurements of Physical Activity in Fourth-Grade Students.

In recent years physical inactivity among students has become a matter of great concern. Nearly 65% of students do not meet the daily recommended level of physical activity, which is 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, with 50% of that time being spent in moderate to vigorous levels of activity (CDC, 2010b). As a result, the 21st century has shown to be a time of many health problems such as, obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. In fact, nearly one third of all children are considered obese or overweight (Slawta & DeNeui, 2009). Researchers suggest that these health problems are directly related to students\u27 sedentary lifestyles (Pate et al., 2006). Schools play a pivotal role in addressing and increasing physical activity during the school day. The purpose of this research study was to measure levels of physical activity in elementary students during school hours. Specifically, the study sought to discover if there were increased levels of physical activity while students were using a cross-curricular adventure playground, as compared to when they were engaged in free play or physical education class. The study also compared the different measurement types (pedometers, accelerometers, and the observational method) used to assess physical activity, to indicate which measurement types were most feasible in the elementary school setting. Schools are ideal locations for assessing levels of physical activity, as 95% of all children are enrolled in these learning institutions (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2005). The data indicate that physical education provided for the highest levels of moderate to vigorous activity, while both free play and cross-curricular activity still rendered adequate levels of physical activity. After studying the different measurement protocols (pedometers, accelerometers, and the observational method) used in this study, results suggested the pedometer to be the most feasible device to use for measuring children in these types of physical activity settings. One implication for practice was implementing cross-curricular physical activity as a supplement to other physical activities or as an addition to physical education classes in an effort to allow more time for academic instruction while having students engaged in physical activity. Another recommendation for practice was to use pedometers as a cost-effective physical activity measurement device for elementary students

Cosmological Moduli Dynamics

Low energy effective actions arising from string theory typically contain many scalar fields, some with a very complicated potential and others with no potential at all. The evolution of these scalars is of great interest. Their late time values have a direct impact on low energy observables, while their early universe dynamics can potentially source inflation or adversely affect big bang nucleosynthesis. Recently, classical and quantum methods for fixing the values of these scalars have been introduced. The purpose of this work is to explore moduli dynamics in light of these stabilization mechanisms. In particular, we explore a truncated low energy effective action that models the neighborhood of special points (or more generally loci) in moduli space, such as conifold points, where extra massless degrees of freedom arise. We find that the dynamics has a surprisingly rich structure - including the appearance of chaos - and we find a viable mechanism for trapping some of the moduli.Comment: 35 pages, 14 figures, references adde

Meet Me in the Middle Ages: Engaging with fantasy, reality, and collaborative world-building

This critical essay accompanies and describes my thesis project, Medievalia Miscellany, a magazine for middle-grade readers which explores the world of medieval fantasy through art, comics, stories, and activities. Throughout the essay, I use my own term “archaeological upcycling” to discuss and explore a variety of relationships between ideas of parts and a whole. I then use it to characterize the way stories are created out of many different parts and how these parts help a reader to relate to both the world of the story and the world in which they live. I describe the genre of medieval fantasy and how the cultural concept of medievalism is formed through popular media. Throughout the essay, the imagery of curiosity cabinets is evoked as a way of describing modular formats which provide space for the individual while maintaining a cohesive sense of the whole. I describe and summarize research into the contemporary renaissance faire, using both it and personal experience to critique and examine interactions with imaginary worlds created through stories which have real world outcomes. Finally, I describe examples from my project that relate to the themes of interactive stories, identity and community, and the cross-section of history and fiction present throughout the essay

Buying in: Analyzing the First Fan Adopters of a New National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Program

Establishing a strong fan base within the inaugural year of a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Program presents many challenges. Tracking consumers and their behavior becomes imperative as sport marketers seek to better understand the first fan adopters of a new program. With new NCAA football programs being established every year, sport marketers of a new program are challenged to not only find a loyal fan-base who will continue to support the program despite win or lose, but find new and innovative ways to grow their fan base. The purpose of this study was to examine attendance demographics and consumer behavior for the inaugural football season at a NCAA Division 1 program. Data were collected (n = 914) from a relatively equal distribution of fan groups (students- 34.8%, alumni- 32.9%, and other- 32.3%) via an in-person survey completed on a tablet interface. Results demonstrate that the level of fandom (temporary, devoted, or fanatic) impacts certain consumer behaviors, including; overall support of the program, media consumption, and game day behaviors

E-Learning Innovations: Implementation of Video in an Occupational Therapy Classroom

Given the growing emphasis on educational technology, it is necessary to inform educators on the best use of video as a course study tool. The aim of this project was to assess the difference between two types of video delivery methods in relation to occupational therapy student satisfaction and usage. Eighty-nine occupational therapy students used one of two types of video delivery methods for learning upper extremity goniometry: short videos embedded within e-learning modules or live lab video recordings available via a learning management system. Qualitative and quantitative data on student perceptions and usage were collected and analyzed. Students with access to e-learning module videos were more satisfied than those with access to live video recordings in terms of preparedness for exams, confidence, and accessibility. All students reported that access to videos was helpful in preparing for labs and exams. To maximize student satisfaction and usage, educators should consider providing short videos via e-learning modules

A Survey of Social Media: Perceived Effectiveness in Marketing among Individual NASCAR Tracks

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of and attitudes toward social networking as a tool for use by NASCAR speedways and to gauge track perceptions on the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool. Individual NASCAR tracks were surveyed (n=22, 84.6% response) to explore current track social media practices and the potential impact of social networking sites on NASCAR marketing and consumer relations. Results found that individual tracks as well as the two major ownership groups highly agreed about issues concerning the use of social media to increase sales and to develop fan bases. However, they also agree there are other marketing tactics that are still more effective than social media at this time

Street Fights: Corporate Social Responsibility and a Dragway\u27s Attempt to Reduce Illegal Street Racing

This study sought to explore a professional sport venue’s use of Corporate social responsibility (CSR) to promote positive social change, by addressing illegal street racing, through events designed for community participation. This study specifically looked at public dragracing events, titled “Street Fights,” held at a professional dragway. The purpose of this study was to 1) examine drivers’ awareness of the event’s social responsibility initiatives with Street Fight events and 2) determine if these initiatives are promoting behavioral changes in drivers. Drivers at Street Fight events were surveyed (n=77, 60% response rate) on their levels of awareness of the venue’s social responsibility initiatives, as well as, the event and venue’s overall influence on positive social change within the community. Results showed that Street Fight racers seem to be aware that the events were created to offer a safe, legal, and affordable place to dragrace. Street Fight racers also indicated they were less likely to engage in excessive speeding on open roadways due to their participation in Street Fight events

Senior Recital: Amanda Macon, flute

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degrees Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music in Ethnomusicology. Ms. Macon studies flute with Todd Skitch.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1948/thumbnail.jp