Recent Submissions

  • Arizona as Testing Ground for School Censorship

    Reeds, Kenneth; Shearman, Sachiyo M.; Kean, Linda G.; Tucker-McLaughlin, Mary; Witalisz, Władysław (ECU Academic Library Services, 2023)
    As censorship in the United States focuses on critical race theory and arguments about the ways history is taught in our schools, this essay examines Arizona’s 2010 law HB 2281. Passed in a politically charged context, HB 2281 was widely seen to target for elimination a Mexican American studies program in Tucson’s public schools. This essay locates this legislation as a precursor to today’s bills, laws, and guidelines being proposed and passed by local and state governments, as well as school districts across the country. The essay argues that Arizona’s law was more a reflection of the noisy political discourse from the time and disregarded both the need for and success of the Mexican American studies program in Tucson Unified School District. Indeed, research has more than demonstrated that the culturally relevant pedagogy used in Tucson produced academic success by multiple measurements. Despite this, the political discourse of the moment ruled the day, the law was passed, and the Mexican American studies program ceased to exist in the form that it was conceived. Lastly, this essay couches this discussion in political terminology from the past and argues for the need of a new definition that will help us look to the future.
  • The American Dream: From the Latino Perspective

    Serra, Fatima; Flores, Vanessa (2023-05-01)
    In this paper, the American Dream is observed from the perspective of Latino immigrants living in the United States. Latinos are currently one of the largest growing minority groups and one of the largest growing populations in the US. We have seen a growth of the Latino population over the years, and although the American Dream was previously something that past generations were able to achieve, this paper will discuss the barriers that most recent generations are facing and how those barriers are affecting the mental health of these individuals. The barriers focused on specifically include legal status, educational access, exclusion, and opportunity. There is also a focus on the perception that Latinos living in other countries may have of the American Dream, especially their optimism of it. In 2016, Pew Research Center conducted a study regarding how Latinos felt about the American Dream. Results from this study indicate that most Latinos believe in the American Dream, in terms of being able to be successful with only hard work and determination. This optimistic perception of the American Dream leads to an immense amount of unrealistic hope for these individuals. This meaning of the American Dream creates a picture that only these two things are needed to achieve success, and individuals are truly passionate about it. However, the barriers in place, especially for Latino immigrants, are not being considered or even discussed more often. The result of these barriers coming to individuals as a surprise, has led to higher rates of mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, within Latino immigrant communities.
  • La Brecha En El Renimiento Academico: Cómo Racismo Afecta A Los Estudiantes Latinx En La Escuela

    Reeds, Kenneth; Harkins, Kaylan (2022-05-01)
    Según el National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), la brecha de rendimiento se refiere a cuando "one group of students outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant." Los datos del NCES miden únicamente el desempeño de los estudiantes identificando brechas y mostrando tendencias a lo largo del tiempo, "however, a relationship that exists between achievement and another variable does not reveal its underlying cause, which may be influenced by a number of other variables" (NCES). En este estudio, los datos del NCES junto con el contexto histórico ayudan a comprender cómo el sistema de escuelas públicas de Estados Unidos ha llegado a donde está. Las encuestas desde la perspectiva de los maestros actuales que trabajan con estudiantes latinx muestran una imagen de la situación actual en las escuelas y ayudan a comprender hacia dónde deben ir las escuelas a partir de aquí. Esta investigación cierra la brecha entre el tamaño de estas brechas y los sistemas de racismo que las han creado. Esta investigación pone la brecha en el rendimiento académico en un contexto histórico en un intento por comprender la verdad detrás de por qué los estudiantes de minorías, específicamente los estudiantes latinos, se quedan atrás estadísticamente en la escuela. Luego, el estudio sugiere formas de comenzar a cerrar la brecha de una manera significativa que restaure la comunidad dentro de las escuelas y permita a todos los estudiantes la igualdad de oportunidades para aprender y tener éxito.
  • Perspectivas De Acceso Y Tratamiento Para La Salud Mental En La Comunidad Latinx De Los E.E.U.U.

    Dávila Gonçalves, Michele; Hames, Ash (2022-05-01)
    Addressing the mental health crisis in the United States for members of Latinx communities is a matter of sociocultural limitations. Through a qualitative essay written in Spanish, this study investigates the attitudes of Latinx people in the U.S. regarding mental health care and their identity through qualitative face-to-face interviews or via Zoom. I had a group of eight subjects who were between 20 and 35 years old, identified as Latinx while living in the U.S., and were students or employees of a Massachusetts public university. First, the subjects completed a written survey where behavior was evaluated on the search for treatment, knowledge of treatment and its value, stigma, discomfort with the emotions generated, access and cultural barriers. After subjects completed the survey, I used a script of questions to facilitate our discussion of reactions to the survey, personal and relevant anecdotes, and one's own experience when seeking treatment for mental health (example: "Have you gone to therapy?"). I performed a thematic analysis of the information recorded during interviews to look for the significance in regard to the area of psychology. In the second stage of analysis, I collected evidence from the interviews and written sources, and organized them into four themes with three sub-themes for each category. I investigate the four themes of access to resources, discrimination and intersectionality, relationships with family and society, and psychological observations, specifically regarding how public health and psychology workers can improve the effectiveness of mental health care for the Latinx community.
  • English Hours

    Doll, Kristine (2014-01-01)
    Poem originally written in Catalan by August Bover in 1960, translated into English by Kristine Doll in 2014.
  • My Father's Birds

    Doll, Kristine (2015-01-01)
  • Bilingual Broadside English/Catalan

    Doll, Kristine (2013-01-01)
    Elegy for Bear #56 - by Kristine Doll translated into Catalan by August Bover: Elegia per a l'ossa #56
  • My Friends

    Doll, Kristine (2013-01-01)
    Poem paired with Adel Gorgy's painting Traces Of Pollock #9 as part of the Cross-Cultural Communications Art And Poetry Series
  • El Habla Andaluza: The Fight Against Negative Attitudes and the Formation of a Regional Identity

    Serra, Fatima; Turner, Corinne (2015-05-01)
    An analysis of the standardization of the Castilian dialect in Spain: an in-depth look at the long-term impact of the implementation of this standard form in areas where Castilian is not the prevalent linguistic variety, primarily focusing on the southern region of Andalusia. The purpose of this thesis is to deconstruct linguistic stereotypes held by those who speak the standard dialect towards those who speak el habla andaluza (the Andalusian dialect). This paper argues that the linguistic stereotypes towards el habla andaluza are overwhelmingly diminishing while simultaneously acting as a source of regional pride within the Autonomous Community of Andalusia.
  • La Importancia De Usar Literatura Auténtica En La Escuela Primaria Para Los Latinx

    Dávila Gonçalves, Michele; Gelvez, Ariana (2021-05-01)
    Cuando un libro es un espejo para el lector, como destaca Rudine Sims Bishop, este puede verse a sí mismo y su propia vida. Hoy en día en los Estados Unidos alrededor del 90% de los libros que los niños leen gira predominantemente en torno a personajes blancos. Otros niños de diferentes orígenes, ahora más de la mitad de la población infantil en Estados Unidos, no tienen acceso a ese “espejo,” simplemente están obteniendo “ventanas” a las vidas de comunidades privilegiadas. Estos jóvenes lectores que no ven ninguna representación de sí mismos en la literatura se ven afectados emocionalmente. Una mayor diversidad en la literatura infantil auténtica puede proporcionar espejos para estos niños, además de ser ventanas para los lectores blancos. En esta tesis investigaré qué dice la literatura y los maestros sobre la falta de diversidad en los libros que se les ofrecen a los estudiantes de escuela primaria en los Estados Unidos, y cómo pueden combatirla para así ayudar a sus alumnos Latinx.
  • The Hour to End the SAT I Test in College Admissions

    Aske, Jon; Harling, Angela (2013-12-01)
    Exploration of student performances on the SAT I exam reveal race-based scoring trends. The ability of White students to consistently outperform their Latino counterparts highlights the tests’ racial bias. By using SAT I test scores as criteria to be admitted into universities, educational institutions are acting as promoters of racial inequality. Focusing on themes of the test’s capacity to measure innate intelligence, accommodations being made for ELL students, school funding discrepancies between races, and the ideology of colorblindness, I will show why it is time to reconsider the SAT I exam as a part of the college admissions process
  • Dual Language Programs: The Most Beneficial Way To Teach ELL Students

    Reeds, Kenneth; Nowka, Scott; Deruosi, Phoenix (2018-01-01)
    This paper explores the benefits of teaching ELL (English Language Learners) students through Dual Language Programs. Dual Language is the instruction of course material in both the students native tongue, and the language he or she is trying to learn. There is evidence that ELL students lack the confidence in their learning. Because of their linguistic reality they are often perceived as different from other learners, thus leading disappointing academic results. Examples of these results are: low achievement on test scores, increased dropout rates, low graduation rates, and inadequate reading and writing proficiency. This paper focuses on research that has proven that Dual Language Programs will boost test scores, reduce the dropout rate, raise the graduation percentage and enhance proficiency in reading and writing. The general argument is that long-term goals of developing the education of ELL students in the United States will improve with the implementation of Dual Language Programs. This paper exhibits how ELL students are marginalized and thus failed by the US education system. In other words, they are not given the opportunity to learn like their English-speaking classmates. The situation is such, that it could be said that these students are not prepared to succeed academically; and thus lack the opportunities to move forward beyond school. Dual language programs would allow ELL students to grow in many ways not solely academically, but will be given the opportunity to shine and use their linguistic reality as a resource instead of a language barrier.
  • La Mujer Pasiva Vs. La Mujer Activa: La Contradicción De Ideas Feministas En Las Obras De Pedro Almodóvar

    Serra, Fatima; Benitez, Angelina (2018-01-01)
    The nature of my thesis, La mujer pasiva vs. la mujer activa: la contradicción de ideas feministas en las obras de Pedro Almodóvar, is to determine with the feminist lens of Laura Mulvey whether Pedro Almodóvar can be considered a feminist director. By applying Mulvey’s theory in Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, this thesis analyzes the passive and active women within his films Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, Volver, Todo sobre mi madre, Todo sobre mi madre, Hable con ella, and La piel que habito. As a woman who participates in popular culture of all types, I often notice the “types” of women portrayed throughout a variety of medias. The intention of this thesis is to understand and acknowledge how people of the media such as Almodóvar can both question and deconstruct patriarcal concepts such as the male gaze and other harmful misogynistic ideas.