An Exploratory Study of the Relationship Between Religiosity and Internalized Heterosexism in Same-Sex Attracted Individuals

This correlational study was designed to evaluate the relationship between religiosity and internalized heterosexism among lesbian, bisexual, and gay (LGB) individuals. Religiosity was examined in terms of positive religious coping (PRC), redefining stressors as a positive spiritual opportunity, or negative religious coping (NRC), defining stressors as a negative struggle between the individual and a Higher Power. The researcher hypothesized that, as seen in previous studies, use of negative religious coping methods would correlate with internalized heterosexism, and that use of positive religious coping methods would significantly correlate with lower internalized heterosexism. Data analysis of participants (N=162) illustrated significant Pearson’s product-moment correlation coefficients only between NRC and PRC, and NRC and internalized heterosexism. The first hypothesis was supported; meaning LGB individuals coping with minority stressors using NRC report a higher score of internalized heterosexism. PRC may be able to moderate mental well-being and minority stress, but this study does not support its moderation of internalized heterosexism and mental well-being. Understanding religious coping mechanisms LGB clients may use, or be using actively, can assist psychologists in treating the impact of internalized heterosexism by helping the client decrease their use of NRC. Psychologists may also be able to mitigate the grief and mourning experienced by some LGB individuals when they believe they must give up their religious identities

Noise cancelling headphones & the neoliberal subject

Active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones grant an individual the ability to define and create personal sonic borders in real time. While this promise offers individuals a form of sonic escapism, I suggest that the technology is cloaked in neoliberal cultural values which promote individualized thinking, capital interest attained through increased focus, control of both the consumer and their sonic environment, and a Euro-centric perception of rationality and knowledge formation (J. H. Clarke et al., 2007; Gane, 2008; Houghton, 2019; Lazzarato, 2009). The technology dissolves opportunities for embodied sonic connection to land, community, and nonhuman agents which are strengthened through attentive and unmediated listening practices (Classen, 1999; Feld, 2012; Gross, 2014; Robinson, 2020; Simpson, 2011). Through a case study of Bose’s 700 NC and Apple’s Airpods Pro noise-cancelling headphones, this thesis works to uncover the ways in which the technology reproduces neoliberal ideologies utilizing CDA (Amoussue & Allagbe, 2018; Fairclough, 2001; Van Dijk, 2003) to consider how both companies advertise their noise-cancelling headphones and prioritize the neoliberal subject. Additionally, a collection of soundwalks are performed to compare the promises offered by the marketing campaigns through autoethnographic research (Behrendt, 2018; Sterne, 2003; Westerkamp, 2006). To juxtapose these neoliberal values and to offer moments for decolonial perspectives, this thesis addresses Indigenous, specifically Anishinaabe, literature on listening and sonic dimensions to consider the ways in which unmediated listening may offer moments of embodied knowledge which emerge from and through critical self-reflexivity, an awareness of an individual’s listening positionality, and a perspective on spatial intersubjectivity

Voicing the Nonhuman: Exploring the Affectual Relationship of Sonification

Sonification can translate ecological and social changes into audible formats, yet little scholarship has explored the ways in which this process stands in place as ‘voice’ in communication. On one hand, sonification grants the listener an ability to understand their ecological environment in ways that may have been previously unable; however, this process relies on data extraction through a largely humanistic lens. I question, what happens affecutally in the process of voicing extracted data? How does this impact our relationship to place, self, and environment? What might a decolonial perspective on listening to the nonhuman offer in conversation with sonification projects? This exploratory paper considers the concept of voice through sonification within three case studies – NASA’s Perseus Black Hole, PlantWave, and Sonic Kayaks

HIDDEN LIVES: THE INTERPRETATION OF THE SLAVE QUARTER SITES AT MOUNT VERNON

This document has had referenced material removed in respect for the owner's copyright. A complete version of this document, which includes said referenced material, resides in the University of Maryland, College Park's library collection. Masters final project submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Historic Preservation. HISP 710/711 Spring 2010.The restoration and protection of historic places related to minority groups should be an integral part of historic preservation. The subject, however, is contentious, presenting a topic that is difficult to present both accurately and sensitively. The interpretation of slave quarter sites, which are typically located on larger farms and plantations, has long been neglected and flawed. Many challenges exist in terms of how to preserve and interpret sites related to the enslavement of African-Americans. The interpretive plan must be carefully considered so that it presents an honest and unflinching look at the realities of slavery in the United States, while also maintaining an awareness of the sensitive subject matter on display. This paper will argue that the interpretation of slave quarters, in this case at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Farm, can be achieved while being sensitive to the subject matter and also accurately representing the historical integrity of the place. Case studies of interpretation strategies at slave quarter sites will be examined, and the specific interpretative strategies for the slave quarter sites at Mount Vernon will be detailed. Mount Vernon provides an excellent case study for examining the interpretation of minority cultural sites, or specifically, slave quarters, because it consists of two sites, one for house slaves and one for field workers, that both require interpretation. Extensive documentation is available that records the history, restoration and interpretation undertaken at the estate, and debate, from within and outside of the organization, has continued about the proper approach to furnishing and interpreting the slave quarter sites at Mount Vernon. Studying the development of the current interpretation strategies in the Mount Vernon case will aid in identifying a broader interpretation approach for sensitive cultural sites, such as slave quarters

‘Creator gave us two ears and one mouth’: Soundscapes as signifiers of environmental crisis at the intersections of Indigeneity and Acoustic Ecology

Acoustic ecology has served as a foundational theoretical field for many sound scholars to understand the soundscape as a signifier for environmental crisis. While sound theorists like R. Murray Schafer and those in the World Soundscape Project have developed ways in which to critically analyze environmental soundscapes, these methods have often excluded Indigenous narratives which offer complex understandings of sound through embodied experience. In this paper I employ a brief description of acoustic ecology, drawing attention to its benefits as a methodological approach to sonic ordering, while also demonstrating the possibilities for expansion of this field when examined in conversation with Canadian Indigenous perspectives and notable sonic activist movements. I address how Indigenous knowledge systems, futurisms, art, and activism can provide critical perspectives within the field of acoustic ecology, which lends well to understanding soundscapes of crisis. I identify a few case studies of sonic forward Indigenous environmental movements which include game design by Elizabeth LaPensée, Rebecca Belmore’s Wave Sound sculpture, and the Round Dance Revolution within the Idle No More movement. In sum, this paper works to bridge the work of acoustic ecology and Indigenous sonic movements to encourage a complex and nuanced relationship to sound, and to explore moments for understanding sonic intersections at the forefront of environmental crisis

Evaluation of the costs of managing cutaneous adverse drug reactions to first-line TB therapy in South African TB patients

Background: Optimal tuberculosis (TB) treatment remains the backbone of effective TB control programmes. However, TB drugs are often associated with adverse drug reactions (ADR) that affect treatment adherence and cure. Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADR) are more commonly associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/TB co-infection, occurring in up to 7% of patients. If severe, CADR require treatment interruption and hospitalisation. There are no standardised guidelines for managing CADR to TB therapy. Current practice in South Africa involves drug rechallenge, a process, which aims to identify the offending drug and modify the treatment regimen. This practice can carry significant risks that need to be weighed against the benefits. Despite significant resources required to manage CADR, there is no available data regarding their economic impact. Alternate strategies to manage TB therapyassociated CADRs and their cost have never been evaluated. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the economic impact of TB therapy-associated CADRs in South Africa and compare the cost of drug rechallenge with alternative strategies. Methods: Data was obtained from 97 patients, admitted to the Groote Schuur Hospital dermatology ward with TB therapy-associated CADR. Clinical data pertaining to hospitalisation, diagnostic/monitoring tests and drug prescriptions was extracted from patient medical records. Healthcare and patient-related costs were obtained from financial department records, interviews and hospital admission records. Alternative drug regimens for CADR management were derived from literature and expert clinical advice. Costs were estimated using an ingredient's approach in 2016 US dollars. A cost-comparative analysis was performed comparing the cost of the current practice with alternative options. Univariate sensitivity analysis was used to investigate the uncertainties around cost components. Results: The cost of managing a TB therapy-associated CADR was $6,525 per patient. Within this population the average cost of managing a CADR in a patient with DS-TB was$5,831 (95% CI: 8438; 10727). The main contributor of CADR costs was hospitalisation amounting to $3,638/patient (62$2,651/patient to $3,276/patient). Sensitivity analyses indicated that drug rechallenge was most sensitive to hospitalisation costs, whereas second-line treatment strategies were sensitive to TB drug costs. The average total loss experienced by patients as a result of the CADR was$530 (25% of their annual income), as compared to an estimated loss in the alternate regimens of $154 (10$6,134. Conclusion: CADR to TB treatment represent a significant economic burden to the healthcare system and affected patient. The alternate strategy of outpatient-initiated second-line therapy provides an economically feasible option by implementing an ambulatory practice of care despite using more expensive drugs. Shorter hospitalisation reduces patient and healthcare costs. This data should inform policy makers on optimal resource use within the healthcare system. Once the effectiveness and risk of drugresistance of these strategies has been determined, further research should estimate their cost-effectiveness

Through the Looking Glass: The Perpetuation of Homelessness Through Awareness Media

The definition of who the homelessness are has historically been defined by media. This project performs a genealogical analysis influenced by the work Foucault has done in Madness and Civilization to contextualize the way different forms of media through the years has constructed the homeless stereotype we live with today. By zeroing in on awareness media that is produced by independent documentarians, it becomes apparent the goal is not to educate on the systemic issue of homelessness, but more so to create an empathy-based connection between the subject and the viewer. This paper argues that an empathy-based production is not strong enough to evoke actual change and furthermore, undermines its goal of creating awareness through the way it is produced. The underlying importance being, these productions are readily accessible on YouTube. A space that has been acclaimed as the new place to be in the media realm. This is the next step in the media timeline that defines homelessness. Empathy based productions ultimately misrepresent the homeless as a natural occurrence in society and lack a call to action. Therefore, allowing the timeline to continue uninterrupted and the homeless stereotype untouched, but reinforced

Art Education in Finland and the United States: A Qualitative Inquiry into Teacher Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to gain insights into the educational system in Finland, where art seem to be valued, and America, where it seems to struggle. I first studied how policies that promote a business-like ideology and standardized testing in schools have impacted art education in the United States. Then I investigated Finland’s educational system, which does not rely on standardized testing to monitor student learning and teachers. During my research I noticed that Finland uses a noncompetitive approach to education, which I assumed was connected to the art Folk School that originated in Denmark and moved throughout Europe. Based upon this information, I anticipated that art education was valued more in Finland than in the United States. I also anticipated that Finland’s educational success had a connection to its non-competitive system and its inclusion of the arts. In order to explore this idea, I investigated Finland’s approach to art education by interviewing Finnish professionals in the art education field