From No Hope to Fertile Dreams: Procreative Technologies, Popular Media, and the Culture of Infertility

Throughout history, both popular and scholarly literature depicted infertility as a devastating experience in a woman’s life. Infertility was unbearable, filled with stigma, and a perpetual state of conflict between those who cannot have children and the rest of the world who can. Until recently as treatments for infertility developed, families assumed childlessness as hopeless. While the process of overcoming infertility is still arduous, unpleasant and unpredictable, many options are available today to overcome infertility and have children. As a result, the portrayal of involuntary childlessness and infertility especially by popular media, changed significantly over the years. Current procreative technologies encouraged families to believe that the dream of having a baby was achievable for all. Using social constructionist and feminist theories, I analyzed the culture of infertility between 1960 and 2010. I used a mixed-method approach to the historical study of the infertility culture tracing the way the public became aware of the various medical treatments for infertility. First, I utilized a modified grounded theory approach to analyze the norms, values, beliefs, attitudes, and goals pertaining to infertility and the treatment of infertility as reflected in popular magazines. Next, I interviewed six fertility specialists who practiced reproductive medicine and the treatment of infertility between 1960 and 2010 to gain their perspectives regarding how the expectations about infertility and treatments changed over time from the medical point-of-view. Finally, I analyzed data available from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s population-based National Survey of Family Growth describing public attitudes and behaviors with regard to infertility, infertility diagnoses, and the utilization of infertility treatments over all the years that the survey was conducted. Shaped heavily by issues related to power, patriarchy, gendered expectations, social stratification, and heteronormativity, the cultural story of infertility between 1960 and 2010 was much more complex and diverse than typically told by social science researchers. Overall, I found that although the increased media attention and the availability of procreative technologies changed the landscape of family building, the underlying social forces influencing decisions about procreation did not

Mix(ed/ing) Messages: Online Teaching, Student Success, and Academic Integrity in Sociology

As online education continues to grow within higher education, issues of academic integrity become more concerning. Many assume that online courses provide additional opportunities for dishonesty. However, cheating and plagiarism have a long-history regardless of class format resulting in multi-faceted problems. Still, online learning presents its own unique challenges. Moreover, sociology courses may be especially susceptible to acts of plagiarism and cheating due to its diverse and engaging subject matter and strong emphasis on reading, writing, critical analysis, and qualitative methods. The careful integration of a variety of strategies and techniques within online sociology courses is imperative to not only deter academic dishonesty but also foster accomplishment and integrity. This paper explores the current state of academic integrity within online sociology courses. Additionally, effective methods for encouraging student success and academic honesty within online sociology courses are offered, centering on understanding sociological factors which influence a culture of plagiarism, carefully constructing assignments for online environments, and effectively utilizing technology

Understanding the Needs of Georgia’s Hispanic/Latino Population with Regard to Adolescent Health

Georgia’s Department of Public Health’s Adolescent Health and Youth Development (AHYD) Program is based on the Positive Youth Development Approach as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This approach engages youth within their communities, schools and organizations, peer groups, and families in a productive and constructive manner. Overall, the AHYD program aims at preventing HIV, STIs, and pregnancy among all youth. In Georgia, the Hispanic/Latino population has grown to over 10% of our total population. However, adolescent health programs within Georgia have not specifically focused on the cultural differences among the large Hispanic/Latino community. This study takes the existing AHYD programs and seeks to investigate how these program resonate with the Hispanic/Latino communities, including variability in countries of origin. First, a thorough literature review was conducted regarding Hispanic/Latino youth, at risk behaviors, and the cultural competency of current programs. More specifically, the AHYD programs were further analyzed for how they address the unique needs of the Hispanic/Latino communities, especially beyond just translations to Spanish. Finally, recommendations were provided in terms of best practices that are needed to be incorporated into the programming as well as any evaluation measures. As the Hispanic/Latino population continues to increase in Georgia, it becomes more evident that improving the health and well-being of Hispanic/Latino children in critical to the state’s future. While existing state-funded programs have focused on largely oral health, obesity and nutrition, mental health, unintentional injuries, reproductive and sexual health have been ignored, often due to stigma and cultural expectations. More steps must be taking to ensure their safe passage to adulthood across all areas

Clearing the Air: Hospital-Reported Airborne Illnesses and Dumpsite Dangers

Dump sites, a breeding ground for endotoxins and bio-aerosols, have become increasingly concentrated over the last decade due to the rise in human population, the mass production of goods, and waste resulting from that. Long term exposure of just small bio-aerosols and air pollution from these dump sites have shown an increased risk of diagnoses of asthma, skin irritation, and long term cough. Past studies that focused on connecting dump sites in proximity to residential communities found a direct correlation between air quality and reported illnesses. Therefore, this study aimed to examine if these correlations are relevant in local communities within a ten mile radius from dump sites in Gwinnett and Cobb County. The methodology of this experiment included examining and correlating reported airborne illnesses in those communities and the level of air pollutants in the air. To contrast, cities outside of the 10 mile radius were explored to see if there were decreased illnesses reported with the increased proximity from the dump site respectively. As a result, a positive correlation was found between reported airborne illnesses, air quality, and residential proximity to dump sites. Further analyses would be needed to accumulate more data to continue this agenda

Understanding the Needs of Georgia’s Hispanic/Latinx Population Regarding Adolescent Health

Georgia’s Department of Public Health’s Adolescent Health and Youth Development (AHYD) Program is based on the Positive Youth Development Approach as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This approach engages youth within their communities, schools and organizations, peer groups, and families in a productive and constructive manner. Overall, the AHYD program aims at preventing HIV, STIs, and pregnancy among all youth. In Georgia, the Hispanic/Latino population has grown to over 10% of our total population. However, adolescent health programs within Georgia have not specifically focused on the cultural differences among the large Hispanic/Latino community. This study takes the existing AHYD programs and seeks to investigate how these programs resonate with the Hispanic/Latino communities, including variability in countries of origin. First, a thorough literature review was conducted regarding Hispanic/Latino youth, at risk behaviors, and the cultural competency of current programs. More specifically, the AHYD programs were further analyzed for how they address the unique needs of the Hispanic/Latino communities, especially beyond just translations to Spanish. Finally, recommendations were provided in terms of best practices that need to be incorporated into the programming as well as any evaluation measures. As the Hispanic/Latino population continues to increase in Georgia, it becomes more evident that improving the health and well-being of Hispanic/Latino children in critical to the state’s future. We will see a few models that will show the increase within the Latino population within the Metro Atlanta area. While existing state-funded programs have focused on largely oral health, obesity and nutrition, mental health, unintentional injuries, reproductive and sexual health have been ignored, often due to stigma and cultural expectations. There has been a series of events taken place to insure we take the proper measures such as translation of the surveys that we release to our Hispanic audience. The next steps will be interviews with the proper translation. More steps must be taken to ensure their safe passage to adulthood across all areas

A 10-year post-analysis of the Maya Health Toolkit for Medical Providers

Many researchers have overlooked Indigenous Health\u27s field within the Americas when discussing health disparities research. In Central and South America live the countless Mesoamerican ethnic groups today. One of the oldest known is the Maya people. The Maya have been through various cultural struggles with the Spanish conquistadors of the past and the current anti-indigenous discrimination, violence, and rhetoric of today. Due to these fears, many Maya has migrated north to the United States for a better opportunity and a peaceful life for their families. In doing so, they face many health risks to their overall physical, mental, and social well-being. In 2010, a Maya Health Tool Kit was created by Dr. Alan Lebaron to help the Maya living in the U.S. better navigate the healthcare system. Our primary purpose is to reexamine our Maya Health Tool Kit. Then, determine what changes and updates are needed to be made to keep this living document current. Our methodology will perform comprehensive, open-ended interviews and pinpointed surveys with healthcare providers. These interviews and surveys will showcase the gaps in the Maya Health Tool kit to be filled in and compile the needed recommendations to update the tool kit in the future. The overall conclusion is creating more comprehensive, culturally, and socially relevant recommendations for a future Maya Health Tool Kit

Bioethics and African American Men: Lessons Learned

Despite much research in chronic disease self-management, significant gaps in knowledge still exist, especially regarding vulnerable and underserved populations. More specifically, low-income African American men are disproportionately affected by chronic conditions, especially coping with multiple morbidities. Low-income African American men also experience additional burdens to health related to cultural beliefs and practices about health, knowledge and perceptions regarding chronic conditions, and lack of support systems, creating even greater health inequalities. Moreover, the problems of systemic racism in predominately African American communities are complex, multifactorial, and historically rooted. While these problems are deeply morally troubling, bioethicists have not contributed substantially to addressing them. This study investigates how bioethicists can offer meaningful contributions to the public discourse, research, teaching, training, and policy development in response to the alarming and persistent patterns of racism and implicit biases within the healthcare system. We worked with Wellstar Health System (the largest healthcare system in the state of Georgia) to further assess the experiences of African American men and the hospital medical ethicists. Qualitative data were collected to describe these experiences and provide further insight to include in behavior change interventions, aimed to improving self-efficacy, patient activation, and patient/provider communication. Lessons learned were utilized to develop recommendations for Wellstar’s medical ethics team about how bioethicists can offer meaningful contributions to further respond to the alarming patterns of racism and implicit bias through their work with patients

Good News or Bad News?: Being Diagnosed with Early Stage or Curable Cancer

Technological advancements aimed at improving screening and early detection has led to a greater number of people diagnosed with early stage and curable cancers with excellent survival rates and less harsh treatment requirements. However, when people hear the word cancer, most assume the worst case scenario—that they have a disease that will kill them. Similarly, many physicians agree with this perspective and act or advise their patients, accordingly, compounding fear and distress. Although it can be lethal, cancer actually encompasses a wide range of diagnoses, from diseases that are aggressive and with high mortality to indolent lesions with extremely low potential for growth or metastasis. Cancer diagnoses exist on a spectrum, yet little information exists about the lived experiences of those diagnosed at the early stage and curable end of the cancer spectrum. This begs the question: how do people with early-stage cancers make sense of their experiences? To reduce the overall burden of cancer and meet the psychosocial needs of a broader range of individuals, it is necessary to critically assess the typical one-size-fits-all approach to cancer and the broad-based use of the term cancer that has traditionally been the norm. This study aims to investigate the experiences of those who have been diagnosed with early stage or curable cancers. We conducted interviews with 30 adults who had been diagnosed with a wide range of early stage and curable cancers who did not fit the “typical” cancer narrative. After analysis using a modified grounded theory approach, we identified several key themes, including defining cancer, receiving the diagnosis, and expectations for the future, As cancer diagnostics and treatments advance, and diagnosis takes place earlier, there will be greater need to understand the experiences of people living with early stage or curable cancer

Drugs, Alcohol, and Society Ancillary Materials

This set of lecture slides and selected readings was created as part of an Affordable Materials Grant