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Published By Boston College University Libraries

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Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
Wei Xu

In recent years, transgender people have both grown in numbers and visibility in the united states. However, the issue of discrimination against transgender people has been a serious and widespread phenomenon in today's society. This paper discusses the transgender issues at large and how the issues negatively affect transgender students' college experiences in a variety of ways, including but not limited to institutions' failure to include "gender identity" in their nondiscrimination policies. The evidence from scholarly sources also suggests that religiously affiliated, single-sex and two-year colleges typically offer few protections for transgender students. Finally, the paper will examine institutions' past initiatives on the subject matter and provide recommendations for institutions to create a more gender-friendly environmnent.


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Rachel Connelly

This essay explores the role of narratives in the field of the Irish abortion debate. In specific, it explores the different types of narratives that both the pro-choice and pro-life groups manipulate in order to draw support from The Irish populace. The author explains that the pro-choice groups employ political-legal narratives To argue for the right to abortion whereas historical narratives and anti-British sentiments are more commonly found within pro-life narratives. However, the true purpose of the pro-life narratives is to prevent the secularization and liberalization of Ireland's laws, thereby maintaining the patriarchy at the top of the social hierarchy. However, with the 2018 referendum on the constitutional ban on abortion resulting in a liberalization of Ireland's abortion laws, the lack of success on The pro-life end is revealed, and a possible wave of liberalization may follow to permanently shift the social hierarchy.


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16
Author(s):  
Billy Hubschman

This paper seeks to unpack the relationship between Hip-Hop and its white audience. As Hip-Hop's audience continues to grow, it is important to note shifts and changes in the genre that results from this increased popularity, specifically, this paper will take a look at Hip-Hop's white audience and provide an overview of some of the research social scientists have been conducting on the subject. The paper is divided into two sections according to the different kinds of research conducted by scholars: audience analysis, both qualitative and quantitative, help illustrate the perspective of Hip-Hop's white audience; content analysis, both of lyrics and videos, highlight the ramifications of Hip-Hop's white audience on the genre itself. As a literature review, this paper does not seek to make an argument on the relationship between Hip-Hop and its white audience as much as provide an overview of the arguments being made by certain social science scholars. 


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Aaron Salzman

This essay studies the endowments of modern American colleges and universities. It examines the norms that govern the activities that affect the size of the endowment, specifically spending, acceptance of donations, and investment of endowment funds. The norms regulating the latter two are found to be insufficient, as is evidenced by their inconsistent application. However, American catholic colleges and universities apply the norms regulating investments more consistently than other schools. Catholic colleges' and universities' Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) practices are found to be rooted in the catholic church's official teaching on catholic universities as found in ex corde ecclesiae and the catechism of the catholic church. These documents suggest the need to develop, codify and apply even more rigorous norms governing the acceptance of donations and investment of endowment funds at every American catholic college and university. 


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-52
Author(s):  
Charlie Power

The debate over the future direction of elementary and secondary education in the United States is fractious and contentious. Many of these are rooted in concerns over disparities in financial circumstances and race. While the full extent of the gaps, in addition to the United States' mediocre education system relative to other industrialized nations, has been a subject of frequent research and heated debate, one crucial component of this divide has yet to be analyzed: summer learning loss. This paper will closely analyze published literature in order to analyze the impact of summer education loss. Additionally, this paper will argue that summer learning varies by socioeconomic status (SES), with low-income populations gradually regressing over the years. This phenomenon has ramifications on students' achievement and explains the disparities that accumulate over a student's educational career. Finally, based on current evidence, this paper will make policy recommendations on how to change the current education system to better address summer's inherent inequities. 


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37
Author(s):  
Grace Peter

This paper explores the power of portraits and their ability to redefine race and identity in time. In times of exploitation and disregard, black culture has been defined by the lends and hands of others. However, the emergence of black artists is now bringing light to a more personal perspective of their identity and culture. Artists such as Gayl Jones in her book Corregidora, Oneika Russell's new Olympia 7, and John B. Martin's Portrait of James Armistead Lafayette create and redefine a people who tried to be erased. Through these self-portraits, the importance of art and its creator are brought to life. 


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65
Author(s):  
Michael Hayley

J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved Lord of the Rings has been considered one of the greatest works of English literature. This work analyzes Tolkien's inspiration and motivation in his writing process by situation middle-earth in the context of postwar England. Evaluation Tolkien's letters reveal his affinity for Arthurian legend, and his desire to reinvent it to create a myth that was distinctly English. A comparison of the two bodies of legend reveals similar Archetypal elements and characterizations that give Tolkien's legendarium credibility and weight. Through Sauron's destruction of middle-earth, Tolkien reveals his concerns for a modern, industrialized England and the consequences of war. In The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien reinvents the legend of Arthur into a synthesis of English national identity and exigency for the future. 


Elements ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32
Author(s):  
Sarya Baladi

This paper argues for the importance of religious literacy in the American public education system in relation to Islam, a religion that is not only growing in relevance that is also subject to various misconceptions in American society. The author outlines what an appropriate lesson plan about Islam would look like in the context of a secular classroom while pointing out limitations and shortfalls in current lesson plans. Additionally, the multiple controversies raised by teaching about Islam in public schools, particularly on behalf of conservative media outlets, are highlighted to emphasize the difference between proselytization - which is unconstitutional - and religious literacy - which is key to providing a well-rounded education to American students.


Elements ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Samir

Studies of stress and cortisol levels in adults indicate that keeping normal levels of cortisol is beneficial to subjects. The hormone cortisol has many functions including proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, immune function, and inflammatory  response. When cortisol levels spike, as with stress, there can be a negative effect on the individual. Due to the hectic pace of modern life, the body’s stress response does not always have time to return to normal, leading to cortisol levels remaining too high. This can lead to suppressed thyroid function, blood sugar imbalances, higher blood pressure, lowered immunity, and increased abdominal fat. Stress plays a prominent role in the lives of millions of people all across the globe. This problem is not one that affects solely the adult population but also a multitude of adolescents and children. Oftentimes, stress can have both a physical and psychological effect on an individual. Many persons report an effect on food consumption when under stressful situations, causing one to either eat more or less than normal. In turn, these eating patterns can potentially influence the Body Mass Index (BMI) of an individual. While increased stress can lead to a higher or lower than normal cortisol level and BMI in adults, the role in adolescents is not entirely clear. This study investigated whether there is a relationship between stress and BMI in high-achieving adolescents, aged 14 to 18. The Perceived Stress Scale survey paired with additional questions that helped determine variables believed to impact stress levels were administered to determine overall stress levels in each subject. To determine cortisol levels, a competitive enzyme immunoassay was used.  This study indicates that there   are no significant correlations between perceived stress levels, salivary cortisol levels, and BMI in this group of individuals. However, a distinct difference in self-assessed stress levels was apparent between males and females. Somewhat unexpectedly, a negative relationship was found between BMI and salivary cortisol levels and perceived stress and salivary cortisol levels.


Elements ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Loos
Keyword(s):  

n/a still working on it


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