A Covariate Structure Model was used to examine a possible relationship between colorism as a component of body image and global psychological functioning in the hypothesized model. Two hundred-fifty-five African-American women were recruited from undergraduate psychology and social work classes to participate in the current study from state and community colleges in the southeastern United States, and from social groups and church organizations. The results indicated that the hypothesized model was not a good fit to the data; therefore, the model was re-evaluated. The results of the analysis of the revised model indicated that the revised model was not plausible. However, the model does suggest that there is a relationship between the body image when the definition includes issues of colorism and psychological functioning as measured by levels of depression and self-esteem. Therefore, the model provides direction to be taken in future research.

As humans, we have evolved to see in three dimensions. Our ancestors developed two eyes that only look forward, which allows the visual area that can perceive depth to be most of the field of view. A variety of sensors have been developed which can determine depth in the environment. They range from producing individual points of depth to the depth of everything in the environment. These sensors have become cheap and can now reliably produce accurate depth. Research is needed to determine how to present the proximity information to the people using the sensors. Touch, sound, and vision have all been used to provide depth information to the users. This research focuses on vision and compares methods of visually presenting proximity information to a user. The methods examined are stereovision and false color visual proximity mapping. False color mapping proved most effective while, surprisingly, stereovision was not helpful.

The variability of water-column absorption due to colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and phytoplankton in coral reef regions is the focus of this study. Hydrographic and CDOM absorption measurements made on the Bahamas Banks and in Exuma Sound during the spring of 1999 and 2000 showed that values of salinity and CDOM absorption at 440nm were higher on the banks (37.18 psu, 0.06 m^-1), compared to Exuma Sound (37.04 psu, 0.03 m^-1). Spatial patterns of CDOM absorption in Exuma Sound revealed that plumes of CDOM-rich water flow into Exuma Sound from the surrounding banks. To examine absorption variability in reef regions throughout the world, a thirteen-year time series of satellite-derived estimates of water-column absorption due to CDOM and phytoplankton were created from Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. Time series data extracted adjacent to coral reef regions showed that variability in absorption depends on oceanographic conditions such as circulation patterns and winds as well as proximity to sources of light-absorbing materials that enter the water column, such as from terrestrial runoff. Waters near reef regions are generally clear, exhibiting a lower "baseline" level of CDOM absorption of approximately 0.01 m^-1 at 443nm. The main differences between regions lie in the periods during the year when increased levels of absorption are observed, which can be triggered by inputs of terrestrially-derived material, as in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, or wind-driven upwelling as in the Andaman Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean near Panama. The lowest CDOM absorption levels found were approximately 0.003 m^-1 at 443nm near the islands of Palau and Yap, which are removed from sources of colored materials. The highest absorption levels near reefs were associated with wind-driven upwelling during the northeast monsoon on the Andaman coast of Thailand where values of CDOM absorption at 443nm reached 0.7 m^-1. Simulations of the underwater light field based on satellite-derived absorption values revealed that changes in absorption have a strong influence on light levels to which corals are exposed, particularly in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum, where CDOM is the primary absorber of light. Episodes of coral bleaching during 1998 and 2002 were found to be associated with elevated seawater temperatures as well as decreased levels of CDOM absorption, indicating that corals were exposed to light stress along with thermal stress during periods of bleaching.

Urban settings are described in scholarly literature as areas beset with high concentrations of poverty, high incidences of crime and violence, and are typically occupied by high percentages of people of color (McKinney, Flenner, Frazier, & Abrams, 2006; Mitcham, Portman, & Dean, 2009; Vera, 2011). For many children who live in low-income urban school districts, our educational system is failing them (McKinney, Flenner, Frazier, & Abrams, 2006). Swanson-Gehrke (2005) reported that at least two-thirds of these children fail to reach basic levels of achievement in reading. Such dismal achievement results may be attributed to a myriad of issues faced by students living in high poverty that may impede the learning process. Improving the school achievement of these students requires comprehensive knowledge, unshakable convictions, and high-level pedagogical skills (Gay, 2010). The identification of effective instructional practices used to address the academic and social needs of these students has appeared to be an elusive task. The current study focused on this reality by investigating a school that has been able to create systems that result in improved academic and social outcomes of their students. Specifically, the study examined the instructional practices and beliefs of teachers of students of color with disabilities or at-risk of identification of disability at a high-performing high-poverty school.

Throughout history African–American women have struggled against oppressions that have stereotyped their identities, scrutinized their character, and ultimately labeled their bodies inferior and inhuman. Despite the debilitating ideologies and barriers African–American women have been forced to operate within, they have fought against these racist, sexist, classist, homophobic environments, crafting their own “new” ethos through writing, as well as entertainment and popular culture. Although Black women remain plagued by history, the New Age of the 1980s as discussed by Akasha Gloria Hull in Soul Talk: The New Spirituality of African–American Women seemed to spark a new spirituality amongst African–American women. During this time, they acquired new spiritual practices and beliefs (meditation, chanting, Tarot readings, and following of Eastern religions and medicine), and deeper spiritual connections with their pasts (including their ancestors). These new forms of enlightenment quickly became a major part of many Black women’s public and private identities. Hull notices that these new “spiritually-inspired”practices simultaneously became integrated into African–American women writer's, such as Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara, Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Susan L. Taylor and more, literature produced in the late 1970s and 1980s, resulting in a surge of three-dimensional writing that Hull says is political, creative, and spiritual. Drawing from Hull’s findings, I respond to a need within African–American rhetoric(s) for more research on the use of nommo (the word) and magara (the spirit) as rhetorical figures within African–American discourse. Although nommo is commonly recognized as an essential part of African–American discourse, magara (the spiritual force within the word) has been less discussed as a rhetorical device. I believe that this has to do with the controversial nature of spirituality within our culture, especially within the academy and social politics. To recognize the importance of `the spirit' within Black women's practices, I turn to a particular way of understanding—womanist thought—which embraces the spiritualization of the everyday, as well as African philosophy, which recognizes the inherent spiritual power of language, as background sources to my claim that African–American women use spirituality as a rhetorical device within their writing. Then, using a variation of Kenneth Burke’s cluster-agon method developed by Carol A. Berthold, I analyze three 1980s womanist texts: This Bridge Called My Back: Radical Women of Color, Sister Outsider, and The Color Purple. Through this analysis, I locate a womanist of color rhetoric during the late 1970s and 1980s New Age movement.

Radical feminism is often associated with the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. Although powerful in its goals of solidarity and coalitions, the movement is often criticized for its lack of attention to intersecting systems of power. However, several contemporary feminist spoken word poets are reconceptualizing radical feminism in their political projects, using the theories and activist strategies while paying attention to race, class, and sexuality. This piece traces some of the history and literature of radical feminism, Woman of Color feminism, contemporary Islamic feminism, and spoken word poetry. Using these frameworks, I close-read three poems: "Womyn Before" by Alix Olson, "The Herstory of My Hips" by C.C. Carter, and "99 cent lipstick" by Suheir Hammad to discuss the manner in which each uses coalitions. Olson's poem provides an analysis of the performative and textual aspects of the poem as a way to envision an activist project grounded in old social movements. Carter's poem connects history and archives, using a Woman of Color framework, and through Hammad, the structural critiques of an unjust system that disadvantages minority youth are seen through lenses of Women of Color and Islamic feminism. While these poets gain some knowledge from radical feminism, they interpret it in their poetry in ways that address the intersections of identity. / text

In order to meet the educational and economic demands of the United States in the future, institutions of higher education must increase the number of students who persist to the completion of a certificate or degree program, especially low-income students and students of color (Carnivale and Desrochers, 2004). To increase the persistence and completion rates of these students at community colleges, national initiatives, such as the Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count initiative, have emphasized the importance of creating institutional environments in which planning and improvement efforts are data-driven (Achieving the Dream, 2005). This study explored the perceptions of faculty members, administrators, and staff directly involved in establishing this data-driven environment, also known as a “culture of evidence,” and the extent to which those perceptions had disseminated through the larger college community. Through the use of a case study and focus groups using Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) methods, the development of a “culture of evidence” at two Texas community colleges was examined as perceived by college constituents involved in its creation and by a group of college constituents indirectly influenced by their efforts. The emerging themes are discussed in their relation to promoting and maintaining a data- driven culture in the future. / text

published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study aims at examining the use of color word “qing” and its combinations in Chinese language. “Qing” is one of the earliest appeared color words in Chinese language. It is a unique color word which can represent the colors of green, blue, black and white. Due to its complex meaning, it is difficult to understand which color does “qing” stand for in different cases. On the other hand, “qing” is a frequently used color word in both ancient and modern Chinese language. Words and phrases formed by “qing” can express symbolic meanings other than color. To begin with, the first chapter introduces the research background, objectives and key points of the study. In the second chapter, the origin, inherent and extended meaning, as well as the combinations of “qing” and other color words will be analyzed. Apart from their meanings, the grammatical characteristics are also important to a comprehensive study of “qing” and its combinations. In the third chapter, “qing” and its combinations will be discussed in the aspects of word-formation, syntactical functions and sentence structure. The fourth chapter is about the usage and effect of “qing” and its combinations with regard to rhetoric. Examples of “qing” and its combinations which create specific rhetorical effects in Chinese literature were discussed. The last chapter serves as a conclusion, highlighting the research results of this study. This dissertation attempts to discuss “qing” and its combinations in different angles to provide nutrition to the overall study of “qing”. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Language and Literature / Master / Master of Arts

“Gold” is a colour indicating the colour of an object. It is a unique colour word which represents the colour of gold. From ancient to the present, “gold” is a common Chinese word which is frequently used in the literature. Furthermore, “gold” is the symbol of goodness in the traditional Chinese society. Nowadays, “gold” represents noble, luxury, wealth, hope, etc in the cultural connotation. This dissertation consists of five chapters. The first chapter introduces the research background, purpose of the topic and key points of the study. The second chapter is divided into three parts. In the first part, it begins to look for the semantic origin of the colour word “gold” by analyzing its original meaning, aboriginal meaning and quotative meaning. In the second part, it demonstrates the development of cultural connotation in China and elaborates the cultural connotation in the present Chinese society. In the third part, the colour word “gold” is compared with the colour words “yellow” and “red” to identify their differences and similarities of cultural connotations. In the third chapter, it mainly focuses on phraseology function of “gold” and its combinations. Meanwhile, the aspects of word-formation, syntactical functions, sentence structure of “gold” and its combinations will be discussed. The fourth chapter analyzes the usage and effect of “gold” and its combinations with regard to rhetoric. It also illustrates and explains the features of usage and rhetorical effects on seven categories of figures of speech which are fairly typical. The last chapter is the conclusion of the whole dissertation. “Gold” is a very unique colour word which differentiates from other colour words such as “red”, “yellow” and so on. “Gold” has been representing a positive image from the past, even nowadays, “gold” is still one of the most glamorous colours. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Language and Literature / Master / Master of Arts