Trump's Declaration of the Global Gag Rule

The current expanded policy on the Global Gag Rule by the United States (US) government and President Donald Trump has led to wider debate and discussions among the non-government organization (NGO) sector, especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs) such as Nepal that are heavily reliant on US funding for health research and intervention projects. Debates and discussions are also shaped by how the media shapes the narrative. Using the securitization theory, this chapter attempts to unfold the trend and the nature of stories reported in Nepali media on the Global Gag Rule declaration, meticulously unfolding the impact it has had in Nepal.

Writing in Times of Crisis

This chapter focuses on a memoir and a film that narrate the experiences of Kurdish writer Behrouz Boochani in an Australian refugee camp in Papua New Guinea in order to show how genres organically develop out of human engagement with social and historical circumstances. The author discusses the novel and the film as examples of how writers' interactions with the world impose rhetorical orientations and nurture genre formation. This chapter illustrates that, as opposed to the dominant view of rhetoric as a means of persuasion, the essence of rhetoric and genre formation is engagement with what the author calls “phenomenological autoethnography.” The author argues that studying writing in times of crisis makes the phenomenological and autoethnographic foundations of writing visible because in crises rhetoric is unapologetically used to resist injustice and build resistance through “poetic realism,” which consists of fluid genre practices that can help capture the complexities of human experience.

An Intergenerational Divide

This chapter explores factors that influence the current divisiveness in sociopolitical discourse and rhetoric in the Chinese American community and, in particular, the family unit. The findings contribute to understanding the origins of ideological differences that reflect the polarization facing the U.S. at large. The author integrates her experience and knowledge of the community and draws on a range of literature on Chinese culture, sociolinguistics, and psychological theories to identify three themes that influence the world views and modes of communication of many first-generation Chinese Americans: an authoritarian orientation, a polarized psychology, and a national origin orientation. Utilizing an autobiographical research approach that combines phenomenology and autoethnography, the author captures the trauma of her parents growing up during the Chinese Communist Revolution to bring awareness to disruptive events that shape cognitive processes that underlie the three themes and contribute to the current discordance in intergenerational discourse.

Rhetorical Evolution in Crisis Times

In this self-investigation, a first-year writing teacher explored her rhetoric before and after the shift to remote learning, which occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, during the Spring 2020 semester. Based on scholarship in situational rhetoric and feminist ethic of care, the author investigated her written communications to the second language writers in her classes. Specifically, she scrutinized the course policies and procedures outlined in the course syllabus and in her written announcements posted in the course's learning management system (LMS). Grounding her discussion in extant literature, the author explored the implications of her rhetorical evolution on her future teaching and speculated on how the evolution would guide her instructional responses to future educational crises.

A 21st Century Response to Global Crisis

Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (aka COVID-19), lifestyles across the world have changed. The ongoing uncertainty of a new global reality of social transformation has already put severe psychological stress on families and individuals and may lead to a state of dissociation, helplessness, and exhaustion. Worldwide, homes have become classrooms relying on human ingenuity and technology, widening the educational gap for under-resourced communities. As “normal” life has rapidly moved online, adaptive coping with ongoing crises is crucial to maintaining emotional and mental wellbeing. The current chapter is guided by previously published trauma-informed research and outlines remedies to build resilience in conquering the acute mental and educational challenges associated with COVID-19. Society's collective success in overcoming the current global complexities and crisis in education requires courage, healthy community connections, and sustainable human-computer collaboration beyond borders.

Global Students, Citizens, and Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis

The COVID-19 crisis is impacting global society in a nearly unprecedented manner. One fractured experience is the 2019/2020 school experience. This calls attention to the impact on students' identity, agency, and sense of place within the world. This search requires exploring the impact rhetoric and sociolinguistics have in and outside of the classroom. Programs utilizing digital tools advance students' identities, honor agency, and understand changes in the world. Allowing students a space to express their experiences, as well as see their peers in various global destinations, begins reflections on how social environments are impacting students. Incorporating conscientious uses of rhetoric and sociolinguistics within one's classroom encourages three learning outcomes for students: 1) it establishes student agency, 2) it helps define and explore the concept of global citizenship, and 3) it encourages students to develop transferable critical thinking skills particularly.

The Power of Technological Social Learning in Times of Crisis

All countries, regardless of their level of development and position in the world economy and relations, try to adopt similar survival behaviors in the management of educational institutions since the first signs of the corona outbreak. Numerous people are contextually forced to learn from each other in this new adapted environment while not everyone is pessimistic about the pandemic situation and its unexpected obligations. Many people believe that the pandemic crisis is an opportunity to warm up the foundation of family relationships and the integration of high standard virtual education at global and inclusive levels. The unexpected change in social and educational intuitions reminds humanity of the vital and bright side of technology in this critical period. This chapter examines and models how virtual education can save money and resources to provide well-designed and purposeful learning opportunities for students to learn without fear when proper plans are implemented to overcome the impact of crises through the power of technological social learning.

The Words of War

In this analysis of public speeches from four American presidents from the Republican Party, the ways in which those presidents discuss and position American defense activities and stances are examined to track the progression from the 1960s to the present. Presidents chosen were from one party who also presided over a period of protracted armed conflict or cold war. The addresses analyzed comprised public addresses to congress or the American people. The analysis groups recurring frames for each president. Some frames were more salient for certain presidents than for others. Other frames were common and consistently pervaded the presidents' remarks to congress and the public. America's struggle against a faceless enemy, American military might as a guarantor of peace, and the importance of the United States' commitments to its international partners were all prevailing frames which emerged in the analysis.

Quaran-Teens 2020 Blog Series

The aim of this chapter is to examine Quaran-Teens 2020, a collaborative, digital, high school anthropology blog project during COVID-19 to demonstrate the effectiveness of auto-ethnography as a social science method, rhetorical writing style, and digital media pedagogy. The data are collected from a digital collaboration of two international baccalaureate classes at a private, international school in Memphis, Tennessee from March to June 2020. The content of the blog posts is analyzed in terms of critical self-inquiry, the social construction of society, storytelling, and ethical considerations. The findings show the effectiveness of auto-ethnography as a timely method of sociolinguistics data collection and persuasive rhetorical narrative approach, especially in times of digital media and cultural crisis, because it situates the individual both as a culturally produced and culture-producing person. The collaborative, digital nature of the project suggests ways to overcome the traditional limitations of ethnography and may be an effective strategy beyond the specific context.

Emotional Intelligence and Empathic Linguistic Power in Times of Crisis

The human experience in times of crisis is a determinative indicator for the future wellbeing of generations. The lack of empathy and inactive emotional intelligence through all forms of linguistic conduct cause miscommunication and misconduct, which severely underestimates the intellectual potential of human beings. In a world of diversity, emotional intelligence and empathic linguistic power are crucial indicators of civilization and enlightenment. Given a richer understanding of the relationship between empathy and emotional intelligence from a sociolinguistic perspective, this study discusses the significance of including emotional intelligence and empathy in educational and intellectual programs. This study is the framework through which the empathic linguistic power within a society could be a determining power for crisis management and wellbeing at times of turmoil.