Broadening Understanding and Inclusion (Asynchronous Session)
Antiracism and the Yellow Peril : Chinese American War Hero in Comics View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lan Dong
This study traces the historical transformation of the Asian anti-hero to the Asian American hero in comics, and examines how racial politics and immigration policies are contested in the process. In particular, it focuses on Manny Stallman’s comics, “Chinese All-American” that features a patriotic Chinese American hero during the Korean War. This black-and-white comics story was published in 1952, during the stalemate period and in the middle of the Second Red Scare in the United States when McCarthyism led to often unsubstantiated accusations and attacks of disloyalty, treason, or subversion. Stallman drew comics stories about crime, horror, war, and romance for Avon, Atlas, and Harvey in the 1950s. “Chinese All-American” has many of the elements typical for a war story at the time: loyalty, patriotism, espionage, and heroism. What’s worth noting is that this story features a Chinese American soldier not only as the leading character but also as a war hero. Stallman’s story incorporates elements of wartime paranoia, Red Scare, and espionage, particularly distilled into the main character’s Yellowface. Juxtaposing early comics with contemporary graphic narratives, this paper investigates how visual representations of Asians and Asian Americans transform in different historical, cultural, and political contexts and helps the reader make a connection between history and reality.
Increasing Inclusion and Affirmation within Educational Environments View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Katherine Soule
The Socio-ecological Model (SEM) is a broad framework that promotes understanding of social change by highlighting the multi-faceted and varied levels of intervention required to create change. According to Glanz (2019) the social ecological model can help educational institutions understand the factors that affect human behavior and provide direction in creating successful programs and interventions. The social ecological model emphasizes “multiple levels of influence (such as individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy) and the idea that behaviors both shape and are shaped by social, built, and natural environments” (2019, para. 1).This study explores how this model may provide educational leaders with a framework for understanding and addressing principles of inclusion and affirmation of diversity by considering various levels of influence that their efforts should address to create inclusivity and affirmation. Additionally, this paper encourages leaders to consider how their current efforts work (or do not work) for a wide-range of diversity and inclusion efforts and to explore what adaptations to current practices could be made to improve existing efforts. Through consideration and adaptation of the socio-ecological model's levels of influence presented, educational leaders may increase the effectiveness of their inclusion and affirmation efforts.
The Impact of Wraparound Services and the Assignment of a Mentor for Military Veterans: An Exploratory Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session R. Ann O’Connor-Whaley
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on Gulf War era veterans utilizing a mentor which provided knowledge of wraparound services at a Midwestern community college during the 2019 16-week spring semester. For this study, a two-tailed t-test, using an Excel spreadsheet, was used to compare nominal data gathered from grade point averages taken at the start of the spring 2019 semester and the end of the spring 2019 semester. These numbers were compared to two groups, one group having a faculty mentor during the semester and the second without a mentor routinely following up on academic work throughout the semester. The assumption was there would be a significant difference between those veterans attending community college who are provided a faculty mentor and knowledge of services available to help them successfully complete their degree or technical certification.
The Exploration of Sexism in Megan Terry's 1978 Play American King's English for Queens View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Judith Babnich
In the 39 years it had been in existence The Omaha Magic Theatre proved to be one of the few working alternative theatres in the United States. Founded in 1968 by Jo Ann Schmidman the Theatre produced original musicals focused on societal problems such as Goona Goona by Megan Terry that focused on domestic violence in the family. Terry's 1978 play American King's English for Queens poses the question "Do you think like you talk or talk like you think?" How powerful is language at defining designated roles of family members especially young girls. It examines the potential for both thought and language to become tools of abuse, and the use of gender as a weapon rather then a distinction. What verbal messages does a young girl receive at home? Is she made to feel worthwhile like her older brother is? The play's main focus is to explore the sexist nature of language by male members of the family and how the young daughter fights for equality. The research for this paper is based on an in depth interview with Ms.Terry.
Diversity and Inclusion in the Thought of Jose Ortega y Gasset View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Thomas Auxter
Jose Ortega y Gasset's radical approach to existential issues and choices is well-known. It is summed up in his view that "Man has no nature; what he has is -- history." We discover who we are from our history of personal experiences, which includes experiences of interacting with others in communities. We discover what our humanity means by entering new cultural spaces -- thereby forming and adding new identities to the ones we already had. We do this by learning the histories of others and by living inside their experiences of the present. We become like others, and in so doing, become something other than ourselves in previous incarnations. This is not a rejection of past identities. It is an amplification of a renewed and expanding identity, based on learning what is human about us. This refreshes the meaning and identity of the self by incorporating experiences of others. In this process, we breathe life into a new, more fully human self. Each culture that becomes part of our history expands our potential for interacting with others. Each time this happens, we discover a new power. We come to experience responses we can give to a world we now appreciate more than ever. By contrast, for Ortega, nationalism is a fervor that erases history. It devalues and dismisses the importance of lived experience. We will explore the dimensions and relevance of Ortega's life affirming philosophy -- explaining how and why diversity and inclusion are values that give meaning to our lives.
Virtual Exchange and Underrepresented Student Populations: Cultural Identity and Representation of Hispanic Students in Higher Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Maria Marino, Stephanie Delgado
Institutions of higher education have the unique opportunity to lessen marginalization and increase globalization, especially for underrepresented populations such as Hispanic students. Through the incorporation of technology, pedagogy, and the use of Virtual Exchange programs, like Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), institutions can work towards connecting students globally, cross-culturally, and internationally. These types of pedagogical practices may reinforce identity, belonging, and lessen inequity by increasing access, exposure, and relationship-building across global cultures. With the use of technology, we were able to conduct in-depth interviews. Our study investigated access and engagement with virtual exchange from the perspective of underrepresented college student groups, specifically from Hispanic college students. We specifically explored (1) the behaviors and experiences of underrepresented college students who participated in virtual exchange programs, such as COIL, to understand challenges that accentuate gaps in accessibility and engagement and (2) students’ own perceptions as these may differ from those of faculty and administrators. Through our research questions, we aimed at exploring the connections between cultural identification and identity performance in virtual exchange experiences to identify best practices to advance inclusion, representation, and social justice of underrepresent college students in higher education.
