Race, Gender, and the Status-Quo:Asian and African American Relations in a Hollywood Film

Hollywood films play a significant role in constructing and reinforcing inter-ethnic tensions through negative representations of Asian Americans and African Americans. While white males are most often depicted as smart and romantically desirable, thereby reinforcing an ideology of white male dominance, Asian Americans and Blacks are typically diminished to demeaning and secondary status. Thi[this] article explores these racist steretotypes [stereotypes] in director Michael Cimino\u27s 19985[1985] film Year of the Dragon (as well as a number of other Hollywood films), arguing that such race and gender-specific imagery is functional; for while it promotes race/gender stereotypes, it also serves to rationalize white dominance as necessary to sustain the status-quo

[Review of] Stewart E. Tolnay. The Bottom Rung: African American Family Life on Southern Farms

Stewart E. Tolnay has a message to deliver. In his excellent historical treatise on the family life of African American sharecroppers he counters current belief that rural Southern blacks who migrated North brought with them a dysfunctional family structure, a view espoused today by scholars as politically disparate as the liberal Daniel Patrick Moynihan and the conservative Charles Murray. Through the use of interview data gathered from the New Dears Federal Writers Project and with statistical analysis of U. S. Census data, Tolnay\u27s seven chapters and epilogue span the years 1910-1940 from the post-Slavery period and the era of Jim Crow through the Great Depression to the dawn of WWII. His epilogue is essentially a reflection on preceding chapters but with an updated analysis of African American family life in the contemporary urban North. Tolnay\u27s conclusion is that the lifestyles of crime and illegitimacy in the black inner city are largely a function of social and economic determinants and not cultural pathology or moral failings

[Review of] Wahneema Lubiano, ed. The House that Race Built: Black Americans, U.S. Terrain

The House that Race Built is a fascinating account of race and racism upon the terrain of United States\u27 culture in the 1990s. Seventeen scholars, brought together at a Race Matters Conference at Princeton University, produced various essays and were evidently given plenty of leeway by the book\u27s editor, Wahneema Lubiano. Various disciplines of law, history, sociology, fine arts, ethnic studies, literature, divinity, and politics are represented. Contributors addressed issues ranging from homosexuality, affirmative action, O.J. Simpson and religion, to perspectives on work vis-a-vis play, culture, Black Nationalism, whiteness, crime, and the black diaspora. A common denominator, in my view, was the theme from Cornel West\u27s perspective that race matters. The conference took its name from his work

[Review of] Herman Gray, Watching Race: Television and the Struggle for Blackness,

Professor Herman Gray offers a fascinating, highly analytical, and well-researched account of race (and gender) mirrored in the prism of televised images. Focusing mostly on the decade of the 1980s, in an almost razzle-dazzle and didactic fashion he explores the deep sociological and political manifestations of televised racial imagery and its effects on the well-being of American society

Positive aging, positive dying: Intersectional and daily communicational issues surrounding palliative and end of life care services in minority groups in the UK and the US

As our global demographic shifts towards an increasingly aging population, we have an opportunity to transform how we experience and think about getting older and embrace the diversity and contribution that this population can bring to society. The International Handbook of Positive Aging showcases the latest research and theory into aging, examining the various challenges faced by older adults and the ways in which we can bring a much needed positive focus towards dealing with these. The handbook brings together disparate research from medical, academic, economic and social community fields, with contributions from NHS partners, service users, universities across the UK and collaborations with international research leaders in the field of aging. Divided into sections, the first part of the book focuses on introducing the concept of positive aging before going on to cover the body over the life course, well-being and care delivery. All contributors recognise the fact that we are living longer is providing us with a tremendous opportunity to enjoy and flourish in healthy and fulfilling later lives, and this focus on the importance of patient empowerment is integral to the book. This is a valuable reference source for those working in developmental psychology, clinical psychology, mental health, health sciences, medicine, neuropsychological rehabilitation, sociology, anthropology, social policy and social work. It will help encourage researchers, professionals and policy makers to make the most of opportunities and innovations to promote a person’s sense of independence, dignity, well-being, good health and society participation as they get older

Roles of Social Workers at a Dialysis Center: An Action Research Project

People with end-stage renal disease have higher rates of mental health diagnoses due to sudden changes in health status, lack of effective support systems, and diminished survival rates. The purpose of this action research study, and research question posed, centered on how dialysis clinical social workers perceive their roles in providing consultation to the interdisciplinary team members on how to identify and respond to patients with mental illnesses. An interview guide was used to gather data by facilitating 3 focus groups with 7 dialysis social workers in a rural town in Texas. The theory of planned behavior was used to inform clinical social workers\u27 understanding of their roles and responsibilities when interfacing with patients displaying symptoms of mental illnesses. A thematic analysis coding technique was used to analyze the data collected. Solutions explored included (a) increasing education efforts with interdisciplinary team members on the importance of consulting with the social worker on ways to identify and respond to patients with mental illnesses, and (b) ways to increase teammate support within the dialysis setting. This study clarifies dialysis social workers\u27 roles and responsibilities when responding to dialysis patients with mental illnesses and guides them to enhance the capacity of the multidisciplinary dialysis team by improving inter-professional communication. The implications for social change through enhanced continuing education efforts designed to increase social work engagement and effective communication strategies within interdisciplinary teams are discussed. These social change efforts aim to enhance the overall wellbeing of dialysis patients with co-occurring mental health illnesses in rural settings

A Systems Approach to the Development of Enhanced Learning for Engineering Systems Design Analysis

yesThis paper considers the importance of applying sound instructional systems design to the development of a learning intervention aimed at developing skills for the effective deployment of an enhanced methodology for engineering systems design analysis within a Product Development context. The leading features of the learning intervention are summarised including the content and design of a training course for senior engineering management which is central to the intervention. The importance of promoting behavioural change by fostering meaningful learning as a collaborative process is discussed. Comparison is made between the instructional design of the corporate learning intervention being developed and the systems engineering based product design process which is the subject of the intervention

More Work, Less Reward: The Minority Tax on US Medical Students

Introduction: Minority tax is defined as the burden of time and resources placed on minority persons to represent and advocate for their communities. We determined whether medical students underrepresented in medicine (URM) or from historically excluded (HE) populations experience a minority tax and characterized its effects. Methods: This cross-sectional survey of US medical students occurred November 2020 - June 2021. We used Mann-Whitney U tests to compare metrics between URM and HE participants and their peers. The primary outcome was time invested in activism/diversity initiatives versus other work. Secondary outcomes included measures of microaggressions, discrimination, institutional culture, anxiety/depression, mentorship, and sleep. We performed thematic analysis of open-ended questions about participants’ experiences with minority tax. Results: A total 282 students included 39 (13.8%) URM and 150 (53.9%) HE participants. Compared to peers, URM and HE participants invested an additional 36.4 (p = 0.005) and 46.8 (p = 0.006) annual hours on advocacy and 62.4 (p \u3c 0.001) and 41.6 (p = 0.001) annual hours on diversity initiatives, respectively. URM and HE participants reported more microaggressions / discrimination, less inclusive environments, and no differences in access to mentorship or sleep. Six themes were evident: (1) URM and HE students feel obligated to do diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work, (2) students doing DEI work experience minority tax, (3) minority tax is negatively associated with wellness, (4) learning environment changes may mitigate minority tax, (5) there is a demand for increased representation and improved DEI education, and (6) an increased DEI budget might reduce the minority tax for students. Conclusion: URM and HE medical students experience a minority tax that may affect their wellbeing. These findings should serve as a call for action by medical school leaders

Perspectives and Experiences of Transgender and Non-binary Individuals on Seeking Urological Care.

OBJECTIVE: To describe perspectives and experiences related to urology care-seeking of transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals assigned male at birth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This HIPAA-compliant study was IRB approved and followed Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) guidelines. Through semistructured interviews, perspectives, and experiences of individuals related to urology care-seeking were explored. Open-ended questions were designed to elicit a range of responses rather than quantifiable data. Thematic codes were developed and explicitly defined. Codes pertaining to patient experiences were assessed and described. RESULTS: Twenty-five TGNB individuals assigned male at birth were interviewed. Participants reported an array of factors that informed and inhibited care-seeking, factors that framed individual urologic care experiences, and their overall impression of the healthcare system\u27s ability to effectively and respectfully serve the TGNB population. Specifically, participants reported that prior negative healthcare experiences dissuaded them from seeking care such as feeling discriminated against and having a lack of trust in providers. Additionally, participants reported feeling a need and responsibility to educate providers on both their medical needs and psychosocial experiences. Participants were also unclear how best to identify trans-friendly urologists who are culturally competent and have appropriate medical knowledge. CONCLUSION: TGNB individuals face significant barriers to care for unique healthcare needs. TGNB participants described care avoidance and reported experiences of healthcare discrimination. These data highlight the importance for urologists to understand the perspectives and historical experiences of these individuals who may seek urological care