Body Politics: Coverage of Health Topics and Policy in U.S. Feminist Magazines

This study considered health coverage in 3 highly circulated U.S. feminist magazines: Ms., Bitch, and Bust. The authors used critical discourse analysis to examine 80 print and online articles for representations of liberal, social, radical, and postfeminist feminist ideologies in health coverage; the rhetorical strategies publications used for health content and how they compare with mainstream women’s magazines; and their emphasis on health policy and public health initiatives. The findings suggested that the magazines relied on discursive approaches resembling those of mainstream magazines when covering health, such as prioritizing personal health issues and individualized responses. However, through distinctive feminist lenses, they also performed better than mainstream women’s magazines in presenting health issues, representing a broader range of concerns affecting women, addressing people from diverse communities, and suggesting opportunities for collective response.     

Organizing for Urban Education in the New Public Square: Using Social Media to Advance Critical Literacy and Activism

The Urban Review - In this paper, we draw upon data from a multi-year, ethnographic case study of a community-based organization in Detroit, Michigan to consider how the organization has used...     

Transformation of text in the English classroom: does ‘context’ really matter?

This paper investigates the language demands of creating texts in the English classroom, which involve transformations in context. In particular, it focuses on the tensions inherent in tasks which require more traditional textual analysis to be presented in ways other than traditional ‘essay’ format. These tasks are interpreted differently by students and can result in texts which vary in terms of their choice of ‘written‐like’ or ‘spoken‐like’ styles. This paper uses data from year nine English students presenting speeches to an imagined jury arguing for Shakespeare's Macbeth's guilt or innocence and explores the implications of shifts along the mode continuum evident in the students' language. It raises the question of the relative importance of transformations of language and context and the extent to which control of mode is valued. Language analysis of student responses focusing on genre, periodicity, use of vocatives and endophoric reference suggests the imagined context required by the task is less important than the literary context in assessing student responses and can act as a distraction. Findings have implications for alignment of teaching and assessment practices in English classrooms.     

How Does Identity Shape the Experiences of Women of Color Engineering Students?

This study seeks to understand the experiences of women of color engineering students who persist and identify some of the dilemmas they face. Evidence emerged that students formulate multiple identities to help them persist in their engineering programs. We assess the role that identity plays in the experiences of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) women of color. This paper applies a multiple identities framework and presents students' experiences through the lenses of three emergent identities: academic, social, and intellectual. We discuss possible implications of the findings for academic and social support programs in higher education. We also identify some implications for precollege instruction.     

The annotated bibliography and citation behavior: enhancing student scholarship in an undergraduate biology course

Contemporary undergraduates in the biological sciences have unprecedented access to scientific information. Although many of these students may be savvy technologists, studies from the field of library and information science consistently show that undergraduates often struggle to locate, evaluate, and use high-quality, reputable sources of information. This study demonstrates the efficacy and pedagogical value of a collaborative teaching approach designed to enhance information literacy competencies among undergraduate biology majors who must write a formal scientific research paper. We rely on the triangulation of assessment data to determine the effectiveness of a substantial research paper project completed by students enrolled in an upper-level biology course. After enhancing library-based instruction, adding an annotated bibliography requirement, and using multiple assessment techniques, we show fundamental improvements in students' library research abilities. Ultimately, these improvements make it possible for students to more independently and effectively complete this challenging science-based writing assignment. We document critical information literacy advances in several key areas: student source-type use, annotated bibliography enhancement, plagiarism reduction, as well as student and faculty/librarian satisfaction.     

Quantifying coordination among the rearfoot,midfoot, and forefoot segments during running

Because previous studies have suggested that there is a relationship between injury risk and inter-segment coordination, quantifying coordination between the segments is essential. Even though the midfoot and forefoot segments play important roles in dynamic tasks, previous studies have mostly focused on coordination between the shank and rearfoot segments. This study aimed to quantify coordination among rearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot segments during running. Eleven healthy young men ran on a treadmill. The coupling angle, representing inter-segment coordination, was calculated using a modified vector coding technique. The coupling angle was categorised into four coordination patterns. During the absorption phase, rearfoot–midfoot coordination in the frontal planes was mostly in-phase (rearfoot and midfoot eversion with similar amplitudes). The present study found that the eversion of the midfoot with respect to the rearfoot was comparable in magnitude to the eversion of the rearfoot with respect to the shank. A previous study has suggested that disruption of the coordination between the internal rotation of the shank and eversion of the rearfoot leads to running injuries such as anterior knee pain. Thus, these data might be used in the future to compare to individuals with foot deformities or running injuries.