Focused Discussion (Asynchronous)
From Marginality to Merginality: Exploring the Relationship between a Sense of Belonging and the Freedom to Experiment View Digital Media
Focused Discussion Ann Ritter, Kathleen Curran
What does belonging look and feel like? How is belonging distinctly different from inclusion? Two scholar practitioners in social innovation and fellows at Fielding Graduate University continue to interview professionals and build models that illustrate these and other questions and component parts of DE&I from a systems perspective. From the core building blocks of belonging—identification, affiliation, allegiance and responsibility—to the exploration of belonging as a social location and sense of shared purpose, the practitioners continue to refine the relationship between self and ecosystem for benefit of both employees and the organization. An environment that emphasizes belonging as a cultural asset can lead to more equitable access to resources, higher productivity and cost savings in human resources. For the employee, a culture of belonging is a place to experience the fluidity of an authentic, merginal identity—one that emphasizes mindfulness, empathy and work for the common good.
Dai Minority Slow-wheel Pottery in Xishuangbanna, China View Digital Media
Focused Discussion Jiayin Huang
Since the 1950s, many well-known worldwide archaeologists have conducted several investigations on the slow-wheel Dai pottery craftsmanship and believe it represents China's primitive art. In 2006, Dai pottery was included in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list by the Chinese State Council. As the most vital feature of Dai pottery, the slow-wheel remains the same look as it appeared in the Neolithic Yangshao Culture. It is a crucial pottery tool invented by primitive Dai people after learning kneading pottery by hand. In the past, the slow-wheel Dai pottery craftmanship was only passed down through inheritance within female family members, from mother or mother-in-law to daughter or daughter-in-law. From digging clay of riverbank, preparing the soil, making pottery, firing pottery, to finally selling, they were all done by women. There was no man in the whole pottery-making process at that time, and men were even not allowed to see it when the kiln started firing. They believe that if a man saw it, the pottery will be burnt, leading to the abandonment of all previous efforts. Therefore, it can be seen from these phenomena that the ancestors of the Dai nationality had a natural division of labor according to gender. This study describes the material and the process of slow-wheel Dai pottery. The objectives are (1) to better understand and practice the slow-wheel Dai pottery craft technique; (2) to spread Dai culture.
Paving a Path to Privatization: The History of Healthcare in Detroit View Digital Media
Focused Discussion Yasmeen Berry
The aim of this study is to provide insight into the privatization of the public Detroit General Hospital. The reasoning and objections behind giving the only public hospital at the time to a private company are examined. The benefits of privatization were more efficient care, less costs for the city government, more up-to-date equipment, and more competition between hospitals (which supposedly would lead to better health care). However, health care has become more expensive; there has been a loss of public jobs, disassembling of unions, and a larger health equity gap. In addition to this assessment, an evaluation of the Detroit safety net and the Urban Health Equity Response Tool with Community-Based Participatory Research are discussed. This is to better understand the health disparities among residents of Detroit. As a whole, Detroit is in one of the best situations to learn from its mistakes in order to better its future. The results of tools aimed at accessing the gap between the uninsured and access to quality care can contribute to conversations on how to improve resident well-being in the city.
COVID-19 and English Language Learners View Digital Media
Focused Discussion Natasha Welcome
The pandemic is a great source of stories. Through them, we have seen disparity in several areas such as health care. Similarly, in education, there are several new tales that were released. The field of education is a constant data seeking entity, however, we now have some very unusual data. This study creatively acknowledges the stories the COVID 19 pandemic told to us by and about English Language Learners. This gives us insight to create problem solving strategies as well as consider what education forecast may look like. This focused discussion looks at qualitative data collected through the interview method and analyzed to extract authentic trends. The interviewees are educational professionals who have directly instructed English Language Learners before and during the Covid 19 pandemic. There is room for conference attendees to discuss and expand the scope of the research.
