Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a thematic analysis of images of addiction form both statewide and local media in Kentucky. The author analyzed news stories, promotional media and several documentaries about addiction in Kentucky to understand what claims are typically foregrounded and which remain in the background as tacit assumptions. The analysis is linked to scholarship on regional identity in eastern Kentucky and the central Appalachian region to explore the pragmatic horizons depicted in the media in relation to addiction. Using Alasuutari’s (1992) cultural theory of addiction, the author examines regional constructions of the addiction frame in order to sort out ways stereotypical images of Appalachia are combined with demonizing images of addicts and of drug use to sustain a regional mythology of addiction. The presentation also deconstructs these images to examine regional notions of the good life and how one achieves that life in Kentucky.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: A large literature has developed around the study of creation of hate crime laws (Grattet, Jenness, & Curry, 1998; Haider-Markel, 1998; Jenness & Grattet, 1996; and Soule and Earl, 2001). This paper adds to that literature by comparing the attempts in three border states – Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana – to pass and implement hate-crime legislation. By studying these states we will examine the argument that the creation and modification of hate crime laws are tied to three principal variables (Becker 1999, McGarrell and Castelano, 1991, 1993): (1) social movement organizations and activists campaigning for these laws and (2) triggering events that lead to calls for hate crime laws and (3) media campaigns. Using these three states as a comprehensive case study, this research underscores the varying influence of social movements and triggering events. The debates involved in creating hate crime laws are far more complex than a simple reflexive position – and the majority of the literature – would identify. We conclude with an analysis of the factors that influence the success in passing such legislation.

Publication Type: Paper Presentation
Abstract: The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) was one of the most comprehensive educational reforms ever enacted in Kentucky. This project involves a review of KERA and teacher education programs at three institutions in Kentucky in light of increasing globalization. While literature pertaining to globalization, internationalization, and education is helpful in identifying a working definition of globalization in education, a grounded theory approach is being employed for establishing a framework for data analysis. Data collection includes archival research and interviews with faculty in each of the teacher education programs. The essential questions pertaining to this project include: What, if any, parallels exist between the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) and K-12 teacher education programs with regard to globalization? Additionally, in what ways have KERA and K-12 teacher education programs addressed globalization?

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: In her essay “Testimony, Action Research, and Empowerment: Puerto Rico Women and Popular Education” (1991), Rina Benmayor challenges feminist researchers to stop assuming that their research gives their subjects voice. She maintains that through ESL classes taken or taught by the Puerto Rican women with whom she worked, the women were able to use their personal testimony to empower themselves. This paper builds upon Rina Benmayor’s research to suggest that Mexican immigrant women practice feminist activism and resist domination not only by finding and asserting their own voices, but also by helping others to recognize and use their voices.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: According to the National Audubon Society, grassland bird species have declined since 1967. We are working to detect the influences of pastures and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) tall grass plantings on grassland and neotropical songbirds in Kentucky’s Upper Green River watershed. We conducted summer surveys on nine CREP sites and ten pasture sites. Surveys were conducted along transects about 50-m wide with the length of transects varying among sites. Bird species were tallied if they were observed perched in the field, if a nest with eggs/ young was found in the field, or if the species was observed feeding directly over the field. Birds at the field boundaries were not included in the analysis. Unpaired T-tests were used to analyze the data. Results showed that ten of 35 species found in the 19 sites were found significantly more often in CREP sites than in pasture sites. Several of these species are of particular concern, including the northern bobwhite. Three species were found significantly more often in pasture sites than in CREP sites. Additionally, CREP sites contained higher mean species richness than pastures.