Late L2 Acquisition and Phonological Memory Development

The development of phonological memory, a subdivision of short term memory, is crucial to learning and analyzing sequences of sounds to form words and phrases. This process utilizes short term representation and rehearsal to allow for the eventual long term representation of language. Individuals learning more than one language must acquire even more of these language sequences than monolinguals. Previous research agrees that early Spanish-English bilinguals have superior phonological memory to monolinguals, however the impact of second language acquisition on phonological memory remains unknown. This study examined three groups of undergraduate participants studying Spanish as a second language including study abroad students (SA), students currently enrolled in a Spanish course at or above the 300-level (CE), and students not currently enrolled in a Spanish course (NE). Participants completed tests of phonological memory including digit span and sentence repetition at the beginning and culmination of an academic semester. Participants also provided demographic data, L2 acquisition information, and their frequency of language use so that changes could be calculated. Results revealed that CE students were superior during pretest, but during posttest SA and CE demonstrated comparable results. The NE students demonstrated consistently lower scores. These findings suggest that foreign language instruction may benefit phonological memory development, even in late acquisition of the second language. The possible role of years of formal language instruction will be discussed

Spoken Stories, Spoken Word: An Insurgent Practice for Restorative Education

This paper uses the terminology of whiteness, settler colonialism, culturally responsive pedagogy, and restorative education to interrogate the usage of spoken word in schools. I argue that spoken word can function as a form of resistance to white colonialist practices and as an advocate of emotional learning and critical education. This paper focuses on representation, student empowerment, and identity exploration in the context of education institutions. It crosses borders between education and authenticity, between classrooms and real life, and between teachers and students. I aim to ground this essay in the American Studies discipline as it discusses systems of power in the United States and seeks to disrupt dominant narratives through spoken word as an alternative education strategy for dismantling white supremacy and validating marginalized identities. This work is only a small part of the larger conversation on restorative justice in education

Brain Gender and Transsexualism

Research by neuroscientists suggests there is a distinction in the BSTc area of the brain between males and females. In transsexual females, those considered male at birth, but who had a strong conviction that they were female, the BSTc region appears to be similar in size to the female BSTc and transsexuals considered female at birth, but who were certain they were male, had a BSTc similar to the male BSTc. This distinction leads to the conclusion that in addition to the recognised markers for gender - genitalia, gonads and chromosomes - we may need to also include the BSTc, given that this current research seems to substantiate what transsexuals are saying about their gender. This paper sets out to challenge our current reliance on the standard gender indicators alone and seeks to address some issues faced by transsexuals

Implementing Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding and Infant Support Tent

Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding and Infant Support Tent provided the first designated clean, private area to nurse, pump or change an infant’s diaper at University of Arkansas home athletic events. Tiny Tusks offered comfortable rocking chairs, changing tables, bottled water, and engaging projects for siblings and young children at a wide variety of University of Arkansas home athletic events, including football games, men’s basketball games, and women’s gymnastics meets. The project was created and designed by two Eleanor Mann School of Nursing professors, Dr. Allison Scott and Dr. Kelly Vowell-Johnson, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas Athletic Department. Women’s Giving Circle was an organization that supported the project with a monetary grant. Along with the guidance of our two mentors, the project was implemented by myself and three other honors students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing: Brittany Lyons, Lacey Schroeder, and Blair Willheim. We created and distributed educational handouts and pamphlets for anyone utilizing the tent. In collaboration with certified lactation consultants, Eleanor Mann School of Nursing faculty, and senior students pursuing Bachelor of Science in Nursing during their community health clinical, we staffed the Tiny Tusks: Breastfeeding and Infant Support Tent

Interpretations of Herman Melville’s \u3cem\u3eMoby-Dick\u3c/em\u3e in the Field of Visual Arts

Artistic adaptations of literary classics allow readers to visualize and contextualize some of the most important themes, motifs, scenes, and images in a story that may be difficult to grasp through verbal text alone. From these adaptations, one can analyze the stylistic and thematic similarities or differences in the way an artist portrays elements of Melville’s Moby-Dick. Through their varying artistic styles and media, abstract impressionist Frank Stella, self-taught artist Matt Kish, and award-winning children’s book illustrator Allan Drummond express how Melville’s novel can manifest itself in a multitude of contexts: emotional, literal, and theoretical. By analyzing the way in which these artists construct renditions surrounding the same scenes and general thematic notions in Moby-Dick, readers and artistic audiences gain insight into new generations of the classic text

Anti-Jewish Propaganda in the NDH and the Slovak State

This paper examines the nature of the anti-Semitic propaganda used by the Slovak State and the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska -- NDH) during World War II, taking into account the two countries’ unique and common objectives, evolving political contexts, strategies, and tactics. The paper also analyzes how those activities fit into the wider strategy of nation building and the attempt to create a new collective identity which was to be predicated on the concept of exclusivity and racial/cultural superiority

Creating a Dialogue: Bringing Anthropology to the University Campus

Traditional academic anthropology centers on fieldwork and the production of publications that contribute to a growing body of scholarship. In the past several decades, this collective knowledge has primarily circulated only within the discipline itself; in addition, the present day structure of academic anthropology has played a role in its isolation from other disciplines and the general public (Checker et al. 2010). This state of affairs is partially due to the expansion of the discipline in the 1960s, which made it financially possible to support many discipline-specific books, book series, and journals geared exclusively toward trained anthropologists rather than the lay public. This shift removed many anthropological arguments to an exclusive, professional-only realm resulting in decreased dialogue with audiences outside of the discipline (Borofsky 2011). But all is not lost. A growing field in the discipline, applied anthropology, branches away from this traditional academic model and is pushing the boundaries of what is considered anthropological research