Black men make up roughly 2% of the national teaching corps, and as Brockenbrough (2012) reminds us, there are recurring themes within Black Masculinity Studies that are central to bear in mind when looking at the lived and teaching experiences of these Black male teachers. The major one is to recognize and acknowledge the unique psychological, emotional, and spiritual toll of Black male marginality on Black men. “Oft-cited statistics on incarceration, homicide, unemployment, high school dropout, and HIV infection rates, among other chronic blights (Dyson, 1993; Noguera, 2003), illustrate not only the systemic marginality of Black men in American society, but also their distance from patriarchal definitions of manhood that rely on White supremacist and capitalist power to reinforce male domination” (p.5). The intention of this study was to engage with these Black male teachers’ narratives, stories, and commentaries and learn from their life and teaching experiences as Black men. The aim was to gain insight into how they were recruited, how they were supported, and also what their understandings and thoughts are around retaining Black male teachers in the classrooms. This is a small qualitative study is a sample of four Black Male teachers within the 2013 Teach for America Corps in NYC. As Lewis (2006) suggests, many of these Black male teachers consider their role bound to some form of social justice. This inquiry aimed to talk across the struggles and challenges of Black men in the NYC corps of the TFA program and to reach an understanding of their lived and teaching experience, and of the ways ideologies and narratives are negotiated and navigated in schools and classrooms. The questions of inquiry were aimed to provide insight into the recruitment, retention, and professional support of the Black male teacher, both in TFA and outside this program. Participation in this study was limited to Black male educators with one year of elementary or middle school teaching experience, in order to draw on and speak to the greater presence of male teachers at those levels to help teacher preparation programs navigate toward better recruitment processes, and supporting and sustaining more Black males in the classroom.

There is a need to increase awareness among African American men regarding their potential risk of prostate cancer and inform them of screening and treatment options, given the health disparities that affect their group. To do so, an innovative e health video was developed, using an animated avatar video to educate African American males about prostate cancer and potential screening methods in a way that is culturally appropriate. Effectiveness of this e-health intervention was tested on a sample of 41 African American males. Efficacy was measured using a repeated measures design that used pre- and post-measures of four target behaviors regarding prostate cancer screening. These four target behaviors include: (1) getting an annual physical exam, (2) discussing the possibility of getting a digital rectal exam to screen for prostate cancer with a doctor, (3) discussing the possibility of getting a PSA exam to screen for prostate cancer with a doctor, and (4) spreading awareness about prostate cancer among other African American men. The stage of change, which is a theoretical framework adapted from Prochaska and DiClemente (1983), measures changes in human behavior from precontemplation and contemplation on the low end to action and maintenance on the high end. Self-efficacy was also measured before and after the intervention for each of the four target behaviors. Paired t-tests show that the stage of change for the third and fourth target behaviors and self-efficacy for the second, third, and fourth target behaviors were significantly increased by the e-health intervention, indicating that the intervention was successful. Additionally, participant ratings about the intervention were largely positive. In effect, this study finds that the e-health intervention developed in this study not only works, but is an affordable, scalable, and practical tool that can educate African American males about prostate cancer screening practices.

Despite the growing concerns about routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening in men, little is known about the societal and economic impact of screening among the African American population. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore beliefs among African American men about PSA screening, funding for screening, and the role of the United States Preventive Service Task Force in addressing the problem. Guided by rational choice theory, data collection consisted of completion of a health beliefs survey, face-to-face interviews, field notes taken during interview, and interview audio recording. The population for the study included African American men residing in a large metropolitan Midwestern city, who are between the ages of 45 and 65, and who have not been diagnosed with prostate cancer disease. Data were analyzed using NVivo10-© to identify themes and patterns. Results from the study show that the decision to participate in prostate screening for African American men is hindered due to concerns about access, cost, and affordability. These three factors should be further evaluated in a larger setting for a greater understanding of their roles in more effective screening programs and policies. Insights gained from this study may positively impact future policy by providing a deeper understanding of the beliefs held by African American men on the issue of prostate cancer screening that may eventually lead to developing and successfully implementing policies that can be cost effective.

The implementation of a learning environment for young African American males, called the Glitch Game Testers, was launched in 2009. The development of this program was based on formative work that looked at the contrasting use of digital games between young African American males and individuals who chose to become computer science majors. Through analysis of cultural values and digital game play practices, the program was designed to intertwine authentic game development practices and computer science learning. The resulting program employed 25 African American male high school students to test pre-release digital games full-time in the summer and part-time in the school year, with an hour of each day dedicated to learning introductory computer science. Outcomes for persisting in computer science education are remarkable; of the 16 participants who had graduated from high school as of 2012, 12 have gone on to school in computing-related majors. These outcomes, and the participants' enthusiasm for engaging in computing, are in sharp contrast to the crisis in African American male education and learning motivation. The research presented in this dissertation discusses the formative research that shaped the design of Glitch, the evaluation of the implementation of Glitch, and a theoretical investigation of the way in which participants navigated conflicting motivations in learning environments.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (February 16, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-42)

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-191).

The purpose of this study has been to determine what extraliterary forces--cultural, historical, political, social--shaped the critical reception of Alice Walker's first novel, The Third Life of Grange Copeland (1970). The philosophies of Hans Robert Jauss, as espoused in Toward an Aesthetic of Reception (1971), guided this study. Particular interest was placed on Jauss's claim that every work has its own specific, historically, and sociological determinable audience, that every writer is dependent on the milieu, view, and ideology of that audience and that literary success presupposes a book which presents what the audience expects, a book which presents the audience with its own image. (26)The Third Life of Grange Copeland appeared at the end of the Civil Rights Movement, in the midst of a Black Arts Movement (a movement that presented black artist with a criteria for representing their people), and on the cusp of a black feminist movement which moved black women from the object to the subject position in black literary discourse.The politically charged context in which Walker's first novel appeared determined her first audience's reception to her work. The reception from black civic leaders, literary critics, scholars and the black community was largely negative. This initial negative response has followed Walker throughout her literary career despite the fact that she has won both the American Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. / Department of English

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 189-191).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-103).

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82).