ABSTRACTS
2019 National McNair Scholars Conference at UCLA
Researcher: Amie Fuentes
Presentation Title: The Experience and Navigation of Philosophical Alienation as a Woman
Research Focus: Philosophy, Gendered Alienation in Society
School: Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
This paper examines the various ways that alienation occurs in relation to women. Further, I excavate why this alienation amongst women is occurring and what can be done to minimize the concept. Through analysis of the different ways that alienation effects women on a daily basis in ordinary experiences of social life and across time, a central hypothesis engages the paradoxical nature women experience while dealing with alienation. This alienation can present itself in different types of ways, such as on a societal level, emotionally and physically. Utilizing a philosophical approach to data analysis, this paper examines primary and secondary source materials. A central secondary source is Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex. Preliminary data analysis suggests that women feel, more often than men and just plain differently, more alienated throughout their lives. Moreover, this paper considers how the male gaze informs alienation experienced by women. This paper concludes with analysis of how the paradoxical nature of women’s social position, in relation to men, causes these intense alienated feelings and how these feelings become embodied.
Researcher: Ashley Garcia
Presentation Title: Heterogeneity in Regard to the Impact of Acculturation on Latinx Youth Mental Health Outcomes
Research Focus: Latinx Mental Health; Acculturation; Resilience
School: Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Latinx youth face disparities in mental health treatment provision despite being at greater risk for mental health problems (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). Acculturation, a process through which a person of an ethnoracial minority group assimilates in identity with the dominant culture, is discussed in the literature in mixed ways in regard to mental health outcomes among Latinx youth. Existing research suggests that higher levels of acculturation among Latinx members is associated with an increased risk of depression (Espeleta, Beasley, Bohora, Ridings & Silovsky, 2019). Other studies have found that differences in acculturation between parent and child have no negative implications for mental health outcomes for children (Lawton, Gerdes, & Kapke, 2018). Tension exists in these mixed findings, thus suggesting that the association between acculturation and mental health outcomes is complex. Researchers have recently begun to view acculturation as multidimensional instead of unidimensional (Andrews, Bridges, & Gomez, 2013) such that there are multiple aspects to acculturation such as familismo. This paper analyzes scholarly sources that examine acculturation as factor for mental health in youth. I will define acculturation and examine the ways in which it presents a risk factor for Latinx youth mental health problems. In addition, I will describe the factors that moderate its impact including social support and availability of resources. Finally, I then present how this analysis foregrounds the development of my future study which investigates how acculturation is related to mental health outcomes in Latinx youth in southwest Detroit, Michigan in the context of family resilience.
Researcher: Michelle Gardner
Presentation Title: The Language Barrier Faced by African-American Students and Emerging Scholars
Research Focus: College and university admissions; African-American English; Various English dialects
School: Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
African-American college enrollment is not reflective of the African-American population. This comes as no surprise since education has historically presented hurdles for those from underrepresented backgrounds such as racial and ethnic minorities or students who do not come from a background of financial prosperity. Although a multitude of disciplines and approaches are necessary in order to solve this educational conundrum and pipeline more African-Americans into higher-education, language is rarely discussed as often and in an appropriate manner when considering this issue. This study aims to explore the linguistic connection between African- American collegiate enrollment as an adverse consequence of African-American English. It is hypothesized that modifying the way this dialect is taught would reduce one of the major stressors experienced by African-American scholars. Interviews and surveys will be distributed and used to gauge opinions on when African-American English is appropriate, if ever, within academic settings. One of the largest challenges presented by this study is that separating African-American English from the music of hip-hop and rap as well as from the idea of “toughness” has proven to be futile (Speicher & McMahon 1992). Even when a student speaks the African-American Dialect outside of the school, they feel shame when considering the ramifications of bringing this speech inside the classroom (Godley & Escher 2012).
Researcher: Noribeth Mariscal
Presentation Title: “Diesel Emissions: Can green infrastructure (GI) improve the air quality in the most toxic zip code in Michigan?”
Research Focus: Emissions in Southwest Detroit
School: Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
The zip code, 48217, is considered the most toxic zip code in the state of Michigan. In this area of Southwest Detroit, the transportation of people and goods heavily relies on the combustion of diesel fuel. The community of the 48217 zip code is surrounded by Interstate 75, Fort Street, and a very accessible international border crossing which heavily impacts the amount of diesel-related transport that comes and goes into the city. Diesel exhaust can have many negative effects on human health and the environment. Diesel engines give off pollutant emissions like carbon monoxides-CO, hydrocarbons-HC, particulate matter-PM and nitrogen oxides-NOX. Emissions from diesel vehicles are reported to be more harmful than petrol vehicles emissions. Many researchers have investigated the health effects that can come from long term exposure to emissions from diesel engines. Drawing from a larger environmental engineering study, this study examines how the emissions from the combustion of diesel impact the Southwest Detroit community, in terms of health and the environment, and how green infrastructure (GI), such as vegetative barriers, may serve to mitigate the impact of diesel emissions and restore natural processes to create a healthier environment to its residents.
Researcher: Lloyd Simpson
Title: Black Socialism: understanding the continuity of anti-capitalist ideals in Black resistance politics
Research Focus: The Black radical tradition and socialism
School: Wayne State University
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Although to varying degrees and at times quite different in its manifestations, many Black revolutionaries, activists, and academics have determined that economic exploitation under capitalism is the central impediment to Black Liberation. Throughout time and location Black resistance politics returns to socialist and communitarian oriented theory as a means to counteract the adverse effects of racial class difference created by capitalism. In this paper, I conduct a comparative analysis of various movements, social theorems, and academic scholarship to identify points of commonality, development, and potential application to further the cause of Black Liberation. Analysis of primary sources from liberation movement archival materials, and secondary sources produced by academics who have already identified the link between communitarian and socialist ideals within Black resistance politics, are core sites of data analysis. For example, Walter Rodney’s groundbreaking text, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, is a critical source in my research. Rodney details the history of the European exploitation of Africa under capitalism from the inception of slavery, to post colonial Africa.
Also, in “Black Feminism and The Combahee River Collective (CRC) Statement,” Keeanga- Yamahtta Taylor appropriately places the CRC statement as one of the most profoundly influential political documents in the intellectual history of Black Liberation. Moreover, preliminary analysis suggests a specific emphasis on the unethical nature of global capitalism specifically as it relates to African descended peoples.
Key references:
Rodney, W. (1982). How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Washington, D.C: Howard University Press.
Taylor, K-Y. (2019). Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective. Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine, 70(8), 20–28.