The ‘Perks’ of Controversial Texts in Curricula: The Benefit of Young Adult Literature on Adolescents in the Classroom

Overview: Have you ever heard a song on the radio with a terrible beat or a screechy singer but had eloquent lyrics? Like a diamond in the rough, the true beauty is buried underneath layers of dirt. This premise can be seen in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a young adult novel surrounded by controversy. Due to its somewhat risqué themes, the book is undoubtedly ribald, thus causing quite a flurry by parents about its use in curricula. However, this novel should not be censored because it not only integrates modern young adult literature into classrooms, relating better with students, but also serves educational purposes by enlightening adolescents using real-life situations in a safe environment

Supposing Truth is a Woman – What Then?

Nietzsche's analysis of the self-poisoning of ‘the will to power’ and his insistence upon overcoming its ideological outcome (the dogmatist's fake ‘Truth’) by recognizing the ‘un-truth’ of a ‘logic of contamination,’ demonstrates that he understands ‘truth’ as a paradox. What may one accordingly expect in response to the question ‘Supposing truth is a woman – what then?’, posed in the preface to Beyond Good and Evil (1966)? Supported by Derrida's Spurs: Nietzsche's Styles, I argue that Nietzsche could have drawn two radically different analogies between paradoxical ‘truth’ and ‘woman.’ However, due to the very kind of ideological conditioning (patriarchal), which his ‘free thinking’ resists in principle, he explicitly draws only one, hazarding a self-betraying performative contradiction. The obvious move might be to retain the valuable critique of ideology made possible by his analysis of the ‘will to power,’ while jettisoning the self-undermining rhetoric that constructs sexual difference according to values handed down by patriarchy. However, retaining and working through the terms of sexual difference, and highlighting Nietzsche's blindness concerning women, has the advantage of calling attention to its significance. The fact that one may say in retrospect that even Nietzsche (of all thinkers!) remained blindly subject to ideological conditioning, points to its unconscious nature and raises the question of what ‘overcoming’ in relation to the will to power entails for the free thinkers he heralded

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Christian Juanillo ’13 and Andrew Gladhill ’14 sport Chaplain’s Team t-shirt

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Amanda Dorman \u2714, mathematics researche

The Effects and Differences of Sprint Interval Training, Endurance Training and the Training Types Combined on Physiological Parameters and Exercise Performance

Sprint Interval Training (SIT) is a time efficient way in order to elicit similar changes as Endurance Training (ET) on aerobic capacity, with the purpose of the exercise training to alter physiological systems and exceed resting homeostasis to improve and enhance physical work capacity (Hawley et al., 1997), ultimately achieving the most out of each training session, beneficial for health and performance. Research in the area has demonstrated, the positive effects of SIT and ET on some physiological, performance and health parameters, with further needed to establish these adaptations. Yet no research is currently available combining these two training types, in a single training session to obtained potentially greater benefits over the same period of time. The aim of this study was to compare and contrast the effects of SIT, ET and COMB training modalities on physiological parameters and exercise performance after an 8 week training programme. Twenty nine participants volunteered to take part in the 10 week matched paired study, which included an 8 week training programme (age; 35.1±13.1 years, female; 16). All participants undertook a preliminary VO2max test and baseline measurements were taken. Participants were then matched paired into groups, based on sex, VO2peak (ml/kg/min) and resting heart rate (HR), then randomly assigned into a sprint interval (SIT), endurance (ET), a combined (COMB) sprint interval and endurance group or control group (CON). Participants in the SIT group undertook; 5-8 repetitions of 5-second sprints over the 8 weeks, on a cycle ergometer with intervals of 30 seconds, twice, interspaced with 4 minutes rest (<50rpm) three times per week. Those assigned to the ET group carried out cycling for 40 increasing to 60 minutes over the 8 weeks, at 60% of VO2peak equivalent to 78.5% of maximum HR, three times per week. The COMB group undertook combination of the above two protocols based on the pilot study undertaken. The CON group were not required to undertake any training regime. After 4 week and 8 weeks of the training, all participants were required to undertake a VO2max test and baseline measures were re-recorded. Prior to each VO2max test, capillary blood samples were taken for the colorimetric assessment of cholesterol. Two way factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for statistical analysis with lowest standard deviation (LSD) correction to reduce the type 1 error. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to assess changes within each individual training modality. Results indicate that SIT, ET, COMB and CON groups were not significantly different at baseline in VO2max (p=0.993) and Resting HR (p=0.790) after being match paired into groups by these variables. Significant differences were evident in resting HR between the CON and SIT (p=0.005), CON and ET (p=0.016) as well as CON and COMB (0.026) after the 8 weeks of training. Additionally within the training groups in resting HR; SIT (p=0.006), COMB (p=0.016), ET (p=0.036). Significant differences were seen in relative AT between SIT and CON (p=0.097) after 8 weeks, as well as within the COMB group (p=0.028). Furthermore in diastolic blood pressure after 4 weeks between SIT and COMB (p=0.024), COMB and CON (p=0.029) and after 8 weeks between COMB and ET (p=0.032), COMB and SIT (p=0.033) and COMB and CON (p=0.029). In addition, significance was shown in triglycerides after 8 weeks of training, between ET and CON (p=0.032), SIT and COMB (p=0.025) and COMB and CON (p=0.008) CON. Finally significance was evident in blood glucose between COMB and SIT, halfway (p=0.002) and post training (p=0.019). In terms of age, there was a significant difference in VO2max between those aged 35 years in VO2max after 4 (p=0.022) and 8 weeks (p=0.020) of the training programme. Overall the results indicated that when ET is substituted partly with SIT greater beneficial effects are obtained in numerous variables, demonstrated in this study, which has previously established, SIT is a time efficient training method. Furthermore, a lower duration of sprint i.e. 5 seconds, a more feasible sprint duration, as undertaken in this study provided comparable benefits to previous studies who have adopted longer sprint duration. Finally, these findings on various physiological measures and in a range of ages, indicate that a short time frame or by adopting a combined approach to training, can assist with reducing important health and performance parameters such as blood cholesterol, resting HR, blood pressure and ultimately maximal oxygen consumption and exercise performance, key indicators of cardiorespiratory fitness and health

It's all about relationships : women managing women and the impact on their careers : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Listed in 2017 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesWomen represent nearly half of New Zealand’s workforce, making it likely that a woman will, at some stage during her working life, have a woman manager. She may also manage women employees. However, despite this likelihood, very little is known about the nature of women’s hierarchical workplace relationships and even less about the impact these relationships have on women’s careers. This research used narrative inquiry, relational cultural theory and the Kaleidoscope Career Model (KCM) to explore the relational experiences of 15 New Zealand women and the impact of these hierarchical relationships on career decisions. It was undertaken in two phases. Phase One used a combination of creative methods and semi-structured interviews to explore the participants’ experiences. Phase Two brought the participants together in workshops to develop personal and organisational strategies aimed at strengthening workplace relationships. Phase One found that most of the participants had experienced a negative relationship with a women manager and/or employee. Many of those participants subsequently left the organisation they worked for as a direct or indirect result of that relationship. Conversely, nearly half of the participants spoke of a positive relationship and while these were beneficial, they were not linked to a subsequent career decision. These findings suggest that negative relationships affect a woman’s career decisions to a greater extent than positive relationships. The research also extends the KCM by adding the impact of women’s hierarchical relationships to the career parameters of balance and challenge. Phase Two delved further into these findings to determine that women have genderbased expectations of women managers, such as an expectation of a higher degree of emotional understanding and support from a woman manager than would be expected from a man. In addition, while the participants look to women managers for some form of career support, most were not striving for senior management positions. They were instead motivated by a desire to make a difference and live a balanced life, with the demands of senior organisational roles seen as being in conflict with their relationships and family responsibilities. This raises a dilemma from a gender equity perspective, with research suggesting that a critical mass of women at the senior leadership level reduces the gender pay gap and increases the promotional opportunities of women at all organisational levels. Phase Two identified a number of personal and organisational strategies to better support women’s hierarchical relationships, as one way of enhancing women’s careers. Taking a relational approach, an holistic gendered framework is proposed that situates relationships within the broader personal, organisational, societal and temporal context. Strategies are recommended to enhance personal and organisational relational awareness and acceptance, development of relational skills and support, as well as structural change to better align career paths to senior management with women’s career aspirations and realities. In doing so, this thesis aims to progress the discussion on the ways in which organisations and women can better support each other to promote workplace gender equity

A Scenic Design for \u3cem\u3eTalley\u27s Folly\u3c/em\u3e

This poster showcases a scenic design for Talley’s Folly by Lanford Wilson. The play takes place in a riverside boathouse located near a farm in Lebanon, Missouri, on July 4, 1944. In developing the design concept, I pursued the Victorian and Gothic revival gingerbread imagery and romantic aesthetic Wilson created within the script. During my early research, I found Thomas W. Schaller’s paintings Evening in Spring and Fishing in Central Park. Schaller’s blending of watercolors inspired the romantic aesthetic and unification of the landscape’s colors, textures, and inorganic and organic structures. The way in which Schaller conveys peace, seclusion, and nature very much influenced the design. Evening skies and earthy tones determined the color scheme. The gazebo’s hexagonal shape influenced the symmetrical, central, and simple layout of scenery, with the riverside open to the audience in thrust formation. The turntable provides a unique element in the design. Moving very slowly throughout Matt’s opening monologue, the physical change mirrors the movement of the text and facilitates the transition from the exterior of the boathouse to an interior view that focuses the fourth-wall staging of the rest of the play. Presented at the 2017 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VII Conference in Denver, Colorado, the design model and associated poster received a Meritorious Achievement Award in the Non-Realized Scenic Design division

GPS-Based Evaluation of Activity Profiles in Elite Downhill Mountain Biking and the Influence of Course Type

This study aimed to profile the activity patterns of elite downhill (DH) mountain bikers during off-road descending, and to determine the influence of course types on activity patterns. Six male elite DH mountain bikers (age 20 ± 2 yrs; stature 178.8 ± 3.1 cm; body mass 75.0 ± 3.0 kg) performed single runs on one man-made (MM) and one natural terrain (NT) DH courses under race conditions. A 5 Hz global positioning systems (GPS) unit, including a 100 Hz triaxial accelerometer, was positioned in a neoprene harness between the C7 and T2 vertebrae on each rider. GPS was used to determine the temporal characteristics of each run for velocity, run time, distance, effort, heart rate (HR), rider load (RLd) which reflects instantaneous rate of change in acceleration, and accumulated rider load (RLdAcc), which reflects change in acceleration over the event duration. Significant differences were found between NT and MM courses for mean velocity (p<.001), peak velocity (p=.014), mean RLd (p=.001) and peak RLd (p=.002). Significant differences were also found both within and between courses for all velocity parameters, when analysed by intensity zone (p<.05). No significant differences were found between courses for HR parameters by zone, though significant differences were revealed between HR zones within courses (p<.05). This study indicates that course terrain has a significant impact on the activity profiles of DH and that GPS can provide a practical means of monitoring these differences in activity

Development of a Scenic Design for \u3cem\u3eBus Stop\u3c/em\u3e by William Inge

A warm and cozy visual sensation and early 1900s architecture provided the basis for this design. It features an intimate space with a comfortable interior where all the characters gather to tell their stories. This approach was shaped by repeated references to bitter cold, blizzard-like weather outside the building in which the play Bus Stop takes place, with the interior providing a safe haven from the ferocious weather and the lonesomeness felt by the characters who find themselves at this bus stop. The visual approach was pursued through a warm color palette and use of William Inge\u27s description of Grace\u27s Diner as a “dingy, street-corner building in a small Kansas town” with a “few antique set dressings and a few modern improvements. Since the play takes place during the early 1950s, the modern improvements Inge references were based on that era. Warm and cozy spaces are usually ones that have been heavily lived in. Therefore, in Grace\u27s establishment the history of the building and its users is noticeable throughout the space with obvious modern improvements added only when absolutely necessary. This design was created for Linfield\u27s Scene Design course. At the 2016 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VII Conference in Denver, Colorado, the design and associated poster presentation received a Meritorious Achievement Award in the Non-Realized Scenic Design division

Blurring the boundaries? Supporting students and staff within an online learning environment

The inclusion of online learning technologies into the higher education (HE) curriculum is frequently associated with the design and development of new models of learning. One could argue that e-learning even demands a reconfiguration of traditional methods of learning and teaching. One of the key elements of this transformational process is flexibility. This paper considers a number of aspects relating to the flexibility inherent within models of online learning and the potential impact of this on support structures. City University, London, is used as a case study to provide examples of online practice which support strategies outlined here. A number of models of online learning are used at the University to provide evidence of the variation in modes of support and illustrate the different needs of both students and staff when using these forms of learning. What is apparent through this discussion is that to provide effective support for online learners, whether students or staff, clear and solid structures need to be put in place to assist with the creation of an online community