Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Traditional cacao agroforests are one of the most biodiverse agricultural systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Unfortunately, farmers have begun managing the shade canopy for fewer commercial tree species, putting the conservation potential of these systems at risk. Identifying a suite of trees that supply farmers with valuable products and ecosystem services, particularly pest control by natural enemies, will aid the design of best management practices that preserve biodiversity and provide income to farmers. This study observed avian foraging behavior to determine tree species preferences and resource use by birds in the shade and cacao layers of 12 farms in three villages of southern Cameroon. The avifauna used the plant category Other Trees (comprised of 56 infrequently used tree species) in one-third to one-half of the observations per village. Proportions of insect, fruit and nectar consumed by each bird species in the cacao layer were measured to determine relative potential to control insects. Low sample sizes in the cacao required birds to be grouped into foraging guilds for analysis. Arthropods comprised over 60% of prey for the sallyier-foliage gleaner, nectivore and arboreal foliage gleaner guilds, suggesting that birds contribute a valuable ecosystem service to farmers. However, the high proportion of tree species used by birds suggests that maintaining a high diversity of shade trees is a critical challenge for conservation in cacao landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa.

Publication Type: Traditional Presentation
Abstract: When an outstanding program continues to lose its funding, it is difficult to know what to do. This session will present the process W.I.N.-W.I.N., an in-school and field trip program for low-income schools in Denver, went through to make a decision.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: According to common wisdom rebel groups need to win the hearts and minds of the civilian population in order to win the war. At the same time we know that many rebel groups abuse and target civilians during their struggle for power. Recent academic work suggests that rebels use terror for strategic purposes. This implies that short-term strategies for military success might sometimes clash with the long-term strategy of gaining civilian support. In this paper I examine the link between a rebel group’s military objectives and its treatment of civilians during war. A case study of Renamo during the civil war in Mozambique is carried out with the aim of evaluating this issue. Using a systematic form of process tracing – based on interviews and archival work – I examine the military strategies of Renamo, as well as its relation with the civilian population in different parts of the country.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Comparing neighborhood efforts to oppose gentrification in the Mission District and West Oakland areas of the San Francisco Bay Area, this paper presents a new twist to a classic debate in the social movement literature between whether movements have more to gain from winning the support of political elites who control material resources, versus mobilizing the discontent of the downtrodden masses to disruptive action. Framing theories have not yet directly addressed this debate between resource mobilization theorists and their critics from the mal-integration perspective (i.e., Piven and Cloward). The Mission District adopted a radical frame of communitarian class struggle that alienated elites, yet mobilized its base into a mass movement. In contrast, the West Oakland movement, which gained elite support while its base remained apathetic, employed a liberalist frame, emphasizing individual-level solutions within the market. Applying the discursive opportunity structure concept to analyzing these two cases, I suggest that 1) poor people’s movements face a trade-off between resonant frames likely to garner elite support versus radical frames that tap into mass discontent; and 2) anti-gentrification movements and other local efforts to respond to globalization may find that the more radical communitarian frame carries more potential for catalyzing social change than the more resonant liberalist frame.

Publication Type: Invited Paper
Abstract: Service Learning is a valuable component of any communication course. Yet is especially important in those skills-based courses where students have ample opportunity to apply the information and use the skills they’ve learned. Over the last several years I have had the opportunity to teach a course entitles Corporate & Organization Media Production. I work closely the Service Learning Office on our campus in order to find real clients in the community for my students to work with. The benefits are numerous for all involved. First, local organizations or businesses will be provided promotional or marketing tools that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. For students, working with clients will provide them examples of work to include in their digital resumes or portfolios that are actually being used out in the community. It also exposes them to what is truly like to work with and please a client versus only working with their peers or the instructor. Lastly, using the Service Learning component is another effective way to get the university’s name out in to the public and to showcase our students work. It is indeed a win win situation for everyone involved. This paper will discuss the merits and benefits to both the student and the client of using the service learning as it applies to specifically to a video production course. Additionally, I will bring examples of past projects to show how successful using the Service Learning component has been for my class and students.