Digital Commons @ Salve Regina

The Presence of Coups d'État within Revolutions: Effects on Population Health

Rose E. Facchini — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:00:29 PDT

The present study is a comparative approach to revolutions and their effect on population health during the post-conflict period. Specifically, it attempts to determine whether revolutions that are accompanied by a coup d'état have a significant negative impact on post-revolution population health. Degree of revolutionary violence, governmental structures, and pre-revolution health systems is of particular interest as relevant variables. The study focuses on the Latin American countries of Nicaragua and Chile due to their similar region and timeframe. The revolutions and accompanying coup d'état in both of these countries do not demonstrate different patterns on public health in the post-conflict period; rather, governmental structure and regime type were found to be more influential on a nation s post-revolution health status than the occurrence of a coup d'état. It has also been found that the implementation of effective programs, community participation, and population expectation are the primary factors that influence post-revolution health status.

Can't Get No (Dis)Satisfaction: The Statecraft Simulation's Effect on Student Decision Making

Chad Raymond — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:10:34 PDT

Simulations are often employed as content-teaching tools in political science, but their effect on students reasoning skills is rarely assessed. This paper explores what effect the Statecraft simulation might have on undergraduate students perceptions of their decision making. As noted by the psychologist Daniel Kahneman (2012: 203), decisions are often evaluated on the basis of whether their outcomes are good or bad, not whether a sound reasoning process was used to reach them. A survey was administered at multiple points in an international relations course to gauge students satisfaction with the decision-making processes and outcomes in their respective teams during the Statecraft simulation. Students also engaged in exercises in which their teams tentative plans were evaluated as if the plans had generated unfavorable outcomes after implementation. An analysis of students reactions to the Statecraft simulation, their performance in the simulation, and other data showed no obvious association between Statecraft and changes in student perceptions of their decision making.

Assessment in Simulations

Chad Raymond et al. — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:00:34 PDT

Simulations are employed widely as teaching tools in political science, yet evidence of their pedagogical effectiveness, in comparison to other methods of instruction, is mixed. The assessment of learning outcomes is often a secondary concern in simulation design, and the qualitative and quantitative methods used to evaluate outcomes are frequently based on faulty paradigms of the learning process and inappropriate indicators. Correctly incorporating assessment into simulation design requires that an instructor identify whether a simulation should produce positive changes in students' substantive knowledge, skills, and/or affective characteristics. The simulation must then be assessed in ways that accurately measure whether these goals have been achieved. Proper assessment can help demonstrate that simulations are productive tools for learning and that their popularity in the classroom is justified.

Introduction: Becoming an Atheist

Lois Eveleth — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:58:50 PST

One of America's great intellectuals, Ralph Waldo Emerson created Transcendentalism, the underpinning of the Romantic movement and America's 19th century Renaissance. Not so well known is his anguished departure from the Christianity of his youth. This book corrects this oversight by showing connections between the faith of his youth and the central themes of Transcendentalism. This is a book not only about Emerson's intellectual and spiritual journey but about the essence of New England Transcendentalism.

Will telework help to recruit Millennial employees?

Arlene Nicholas — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:19:05 PST

This study depicts the attitudes of Millennials toward teleworking. It seems a natural fit for a generation touted as computer literate, interested in a balance of work/ life activities and conscious of environmental issues to consider teleworking for their employment. This paper reviews major points of teleworking and Millennial perceptions. Students from a northeast liberal arts university were surveyed. The results provide important considerations for managers of this cohort.

Salve Regina Cook Book

Salve Regina College Guild — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 06:13:48 PST

The Salve Regina College Guild produced this cookbook in 1954 to raise funds for the College. It includes contributions from the College's Home Economics Department, students, and alumnae. Many recipes are handwritten or are signed by the author.

Digital reproduction of: 21.5 x 27.5 cm. black and white booklet with color cover, from the University Archives. Digitization specifications for covers: Epson GT-15000, Epscon Scan v.3.04a, Adobe Acrobat 8.0 Paper Capture Plug-in, 300 dpi, sRGB, 24-bit. Digitization specifications for pages: Epson Perfection V700 Photo, Epson Scan v.3.83, Adobe Acrobat 8.12 Paper Capture Plug-in, 300 dpi, sRGB, 24-bit.

Sailors in the age of steam: Reexamining a counterintuitive response to advancing technology

Ivan T. Luke — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:33:57 PST

Technology is continually advancing. With each major step forward, users must decide whether to adopt the new technology or to continue using the old. A number of things can influence this choice, but for commercial technologies, economic self-interest is presumed to be the dominant factor. Commercially superior technologies are expected to replace their less-profitable predecessors quickly. Curiously, this did not happen when ocean-going steamships evolved to be more profitable than sailing ships in the 1870s. Some mariners persisted with commercial sail well into the twentieth century. Many explanations have been offered, but none fully account for the phenomenon. Philosopher Albert Borgmann provides a possible alternative interpretation. Borgmann suggests that at some deep, intuitive level, we humans sense that there are benefits in doing some things the hard way; that our lives are meaningfully enriched when we engage with technologies that demand significant time, skill, and commitment. He calls these focal things and practices. This study explores the possibility that the subtle allure of Borgmann's focal things and practices contributed to the persistence of commercial sail. The historical record of a select group of schoonermen is examined, mariners who chose to work under sail into the mid-twentieth century. Qualitative analysis reveals a positive correlation between their lived experiences and key indicia of Borgmann's focal things and practices. Other, more conventional explanations for their choices are examined and dismissed. A conclusion is reached that the attractive forces Borgmann ascribes to focal things and practices did play a role in these mariners' apparently counterintuitive choices. This finding adds weight to Borgmann's larger body of work and has implications for how humanity might deal with advancing technology in the future. ^

Disrupting patriarchal norms and languages: Narrative and rhetorical analyses of bi and pansexual feminist blogs

Jennifer A Fallas — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:33:56 PST

This dissertation asserts that existing definitions of gender and understandings of sexuality need to be reworked in order to compose more holistic senses of both identifications. To accomplish this, this research highlights how some feminists are using Internet communications (specifically blogging) to revamp contemporary understandings about gender. Additionally, it explores how some feminists are more purposefully incorporating bi and pansexual feminist perspectives into feminist conversations which, in turn, can potentially mitigate harmful monosexual and patriarchal dialectics that constrain personhood. There is continued need for careful scrutiny and analysis of hegemonic forces working against females and, more specifically, those who identify within marginalized sexualities. This project delegitimizes suppressions of gendered and/or sexed constructions of self by deconstructing the languages and norms working against females and femaleness (whether these come from outside of or from within the feminist community itself). This dissertation examines how ideas about identity construction (specific to the idea of "female") within bi and pansexual-feminist blog writing can remedy, add to, and widen existing feminist political and ethical theories. ^

CALL FOR PAPERS: "Women and Leadership: Economic, Political, and Cultural Aspects" Deadline: April 1, 2013

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:16 PDT

The Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought invites contributions for its next issue: “Women and Leadership: Economic, Political, and Cultural Aspects.” At a recent gathering of youth at the “Youth Venture 2012 Summit” held in Washington, D.C., participants were advised that a “leader is a person who guides others toward a common goal, showing the way by example, and creating an environment in which other team members feel actively involved in the entire process, not a boss, but a person committed to carrying out the mission of the venture.” In this issue of the journal, the concept of women as leaders will be explored.

Cover Image

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:16 PDT

Hanson, Katherine, Vivian Guilfoy and Sarita Pillai: More than Title IX : how equity in education has shaped the nation

Monica Teixeira de Sousa — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:14 PDT

Rhode, Deborah L.: The Beauty Bias: The injustice of appearance in life and law.

Margaret Svogun — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:13 PDT

Elizabeth M. Bucar: Creative Conformity: The Feminist Politics of U.S. Catholic and Iranian Shi’i Women

Daniel Cowdin — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:12 PDT

Brush, Lisa D.: Poverty, Battered Women, and Work in U.S. Public Policy.

Mildred Bates — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:11 PDT

Beyond Biases and Barriers: Incorporating Women into International Clinical Research

Bridget R. Nugent — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:10 PDT

The application of ethical principles in medical research has been a challenging issue because of the multiplicity of health care systems and the variations that exist in standards of care around the globe. This paper addresses the human rights issues that arise from the unethical treatment of women in clinical research worldwide. It includes the history of international human rights legislation as well as the problems that arose because of the exclusion of women from clinical trials. This paper includes a model for ethical clinical research based on the theories of a biologist and human rights scholar and a bio-ethicist, H. Beaqueart and Sunder Rajan. Finally a case study of a large scale clinical study is used to demonstrate that international human rights legislation and feminist ethical concerns can operate alongside each other in a framework for a successful research endeavor.

Mass Incarceration: Triple Jeopardy for Women in a "Color-Blind" and Gender-Neutral Justice System

Sandra Enos — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:09 PDT

This article will explore the growth in the incarceration of women over the past three decades. Recent scholarship has examined the impact of the war on crime on men, the poor and persons of color and characterized this movement as the New Jim Crow. This strain of research has focused on men. In this article, I will explore the impact of the war on crime on women, their families and their children. I will also explore the so-called gender neutral sentencing reforms and demonstrate the impact of these protocols on women. Finally, I will map the array of social control mechanisms and suggest ways forward to a system that creates greater justice for many of those swept into the war on crime. The author will rely on qualitative research with incarcerated mothers to understand the impact of systems of control on limiting their chances to re-enter mainstream society as workers, mothers, and citizens.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Why It Is Important for Women’s Health

Mary Fanning — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 13:25:08 PDT

President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 23, 2010 ending the long history of disparity in access to health care services between insured and uninsured persons. Disparity between women and men in obtaining health insurance coverage is also corrected in the act. Women’s organizations that have focused attention on women’s distinctive health needs over the past century and a half laid the foundation for provisions in the legislation that address women’s health. This article addresses health insurance coverage, its impact on health, the particular challenges women have confronted in seeking coverage, and the impact of the ACA on these issues. Mary Fanning is assistant professor of business at Notre Dame of Maryland University where she teaches graduate courses in health care administration. She holds a doctorate in public policy from University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Homelessness: Causes, Culture and Community Development as a Solution

Kaitlin Philipps — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:14:16 PDT

This thesis seeks to explain the reasons that homelessness occurs, and how it is currently being dealt with in public policy. Triggers and predictors of homelessness are explored and it is shown that triggers are almost always compounded, indicating a multitude of factors that lead to homelessness. The culture and community surrounding the homeless lifestyle is seen as playing a significant role in how the individual copes with their homelessness. The norms and values of their culture are investigated and its role in rehabilitation is explored. Current institutions for helping the homeless are analyzed for different success rates. Additionally, initiatives and solutions to homelessness from two Western countries, The United States and Denmark are compared for varying successes and failures. Based on the analyzed factors this thesis proposes what could be done to improve the situation of homeless individuals by shaping public policy. Specifically the benefits that community building programs of rehabilitation such as Assertive Community Treatment and Critical Time Intervention could offer if public policy was changed to increase their use are discussed. Specifically, Assertive Community Treatment and Critical Time Intervention are advocated for due to their ability to encourage community development in conjunction with its use of community creation as a tool in decreasing recidivism rates and creating long term solutions for homeless individuals and their reintegration into society.

Is Local Food in Your Future?: An Analysis of the Viability of the Local Food Movement

Jennifer A. Sliney — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 08:31:18 PDT

The Local Food Movement has arisen in recent decades as a proposed solution to problems in the current food distribution system. Proponents of the movement look to solve problems such as unsustainable farming practices, greenhouse gas emissions, and unhealthy communities. Skeptics raise questions as to whether local food is truly capable of accomplishing any of those. The author proposes that as a solution, aspects of the Local Food Movement such as urban agriculture and attempts at community development should be taken more seriously in order to create a better future for the land and people alike.

Darkness in the City of Light: The Great Roundup of 1942 & France’s Role in the Shoah.

Benjamin T.C. Mead — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 08:18:35 PDT

This thesis explores the incident of the Vel d'Hiv Roundup in Paris in July of 1942. It was the largest roundup of Jews in France during WWII, and remains a topic that is still very taboo, but due to books like "Sarah's Key" and rising interest, other nation's roles in the Holocaust are being explored. The author drawing upon three focuses of study-- majors in History, Religious & Theological Studies, and a French minor-- attempts to show how the Holocaust impacted a nation who's national motto is "Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood."