Play it loud: hip hop in the language arts classroom

Hip-hop music and its place in education has been thoroughly researched over the last two decades by many scholars and educators from all over the world. This research paper discusses hip-hop’s merit in the classroom, building upon prior research from books and journal articles, along with my own research that I conducted with students at a southern Louisiana high school. Educators in the field of language arts must find new methods when it comes to teaching our youth and leave behind many of the traditional ways that previous generations were accustomed to. The idea of hip-hop in education, in this paper, is that it is a genre of not only music, but also history and it is able to teach, promote discussion, and make connections to students’ lives in a realistic way. Hip-hop can also parallel classic literature and can serve as a model for discussing current and historic events. This research was conducted over a 4 month span, but in all actuality, the process of reviewing the literature to concluding results takes place over a year’s time. Hip-hop can be a discourse that teaches youth through not only lyrics, but also from a historic and pop cultural perspective. The intentions of this paper are to make its readers aware of the power of hip-hop and its ability to engage our youth and keep them interested school and promote encouragement and enlightenment

The Importance of Multiple Narrative Spirituality in Child Development of Morality in a Pluralistic Society

With the assumption that humans are innately spiritual, I investigate research regarding the development of spirituality that takes place from childhood to adulthood. Over the past 30 years, James Fowler has called upon Erikson’s and Piaget’s cognitive developmental stages of children, in order to understand their spiritual development phases. When reading the myths and origin stories of spiritual belief systems, the commonality found within all of these narratives is the persistent focus on underlying morality. When utilizing stories as a way to teach spiritual morality, children are easily able to recognize and go back to these basic narratives, using their imagination to superimpose them onto their own lived experiences. Drawing from a wide array of sources, I argue that these spiritual myths and origin stories, in fact, become the underlying foundation of children’s ideologies. In others words, these spiritual stories actually become vital life-affirming resources, as they have the potential to expose people to, and catalyze in them, moral development and connection that is crucial to sustain life. In the end, these narratives guide children with their decisions through their ever-changing lives, for they increase quality of life by enhancing the value of others, as well as the self-esteem of themselves through solid identity. This reality creates pluralistic interconnectedness and shows a strong responsibility for community support to better extend cultural and spiritual awareness, and help develop a morally strong self identity in a progressively intercultural world

CHARACTERIZATION OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TYPE-1 (HIV-1) VIRAL PROTEIN R (VPR) DURING DISEASE PROGRESSION AND PATHOGENESIS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which progresses into the disease commonly referred to as Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), has become one of the world’s most destructive epidemics since its discovery in the early 80's. To date, the virus has killed more than 25 million people, with an average of 5 million newly infected cases last year alone. The HIV-1 genome is comprised of structural and enzymatic polyproteins as well as regulatory/accessory, which are essential for viral replication. Viral protein R (Vpr), which is identified as one of the regulatory/accessory genes, is responsible for carrying out several of the virus' life functions, including virus replication, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and immune dysregulation. Through research of the virus, the disease has been divided into two very distinctive categories: Rapid Progressors (RPs) and Long Term Non-Progressors (LTNPs). The differences between these categories are due to the varying quasispecies, which infect the population, and ultimately disease progression. Several well-known mutations that occur within vpr have been associated with disease progression, linking them to one of the category types. Using a population from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), patient vpr genotypes were analyzed and compared with current findings in research. Several of the patients' deduced amino acid sequences revealed different gene variants, truncations, as well as a number of point mutations. Functional analysis revealed a decrease in cell apoptosis, which could have been caused by the observed point mutations. Further analysis is needed in order to determine if any other functions of the virus are disrupted due to the observed mutations. Because the virus has the ability to make changes within, as of right now the only hope in counteracting the effects of HIV is through the use of antiviral medication, such as HAART. But studies have shown that not everyone has the same positive effect when these drugs are administered. By understanding the virus and its pathogenesis, researchers will be able to develop new targets for therapeutic interventions. The public health significance of this project is to provide the valuable research that will lead towards such viable HIV-1 therapeutic interventions

Guest Artist:Alyssa McKeithen, Oboe

Kemp Recital Hall Sunday Afternoon October 29, 2006 5:00p.m

Faculty Recital, Tabatha Easley, flute and Alyssa McKeithen, oboe

VCU Department of MusicFaculty RecitalTabatha Easley, flute and Alyssa McKeithen, oboeMagda Adamek and Daniel Stipe, pianoTiffany Valvo, clarinetBruce Hammel, bassoonPatrick Smith, hornWednesday, September 18, 2019 at 7pmSonia Vlahcevic Concert HallW.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts922 Park AvenueRichmond, Virgini