Recent theory on the role of celebrity in a contemporary context emphasizes the unique manner in which celebrity pervades public discourse. This thesis examines the interrelationship between celebrity and disaster theory in order to evaluate the extent to which celebrity had access to public and media discourse about Hurricane Katrina. Attention is also focused on the ways in which celebrity was manifested within this discourse. Social constructionism is employed here as the theoretical lens through which celebrity and disaster merge. With regard to methodology, qualitative elements of Altheide’s (1987) ethnographic content analysis are used to decipher the claims made by and about celebrity within the Katrina news media narrative. In order to address questions of context, Fine’s (1997) adaptation of Smelser’s (1962) value-added model is used to identify some of the structural considerations from which these claims emerge. From this examination, three substantive themes emerge: (1) Gabler’s (1998) celebrity theory offers a suitable approach to the examination of the intersection between celebrity and Hurricane Katrina; (2) Due to the character of this assessment, constructionist applications which consider not only the role of claims-makers but the structural context of claims-making activities provide the most comprehensive framework; (3) The pervasiveness of celebrity in the contemporary context, combined with the dissensus surrounding the Katrina event, allowed celebrities to adopt unique roles within the Katrina narrative. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-08 15:45:08.895

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-77). / xii, 77 leaves, bound col. ill. 29 cm

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, August, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University,2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.196-206).

The purpose of this study was to examine how five African American middle school students, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina represent their literacy experiences before, during, and after their displacement. Specifically, the two research questions were: (a) What are the stories that these middle school students tell about their lives, before, during, and after their displacement, and (b) What do their stories reveal about their literacy experience before, during, and after their displacement? Narrative Inquiry was the chosen methodology for the study, which allowed the participants to tell their experiences from a first-person perspective. It also encouraged the participants to reflect upon these experiences, in order to give meaning to their thoughts and emotions. Employing a critical lens and perspective, I constructed a narrative profile for each participant, which was then analyzed using these methods. Each narrative profile detailed the literacy experiences of the participants before Hurricane Katrina, during the transition period, and current literacy experiences now that the participants are resettled and attending school in the host city. These data were supplemented by archival data such as report cards, individual education plans (IEPs), and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores. Data analysis of the five participants’ literacy experiences revealed common themes. These participants have pleasant memories of school literacy before the storm and mentioned “choice” as a component of those experiences. During the transition period, few or no literacy experiences took place. Hence, there were missed opportunities for the participants to use literacy experiences to make connections to their new world. Participants reported current classroom and school experiences were controlled environments that led to controlled literacy experiences. This compartmentalization of literacy experiences is not consistent with the critical literacy perspective adopted in this study. Their interviews suggested that they that they saw no connection between school literacy and their literacy experiences outside school.

Survival and growth of two oak species, water oak (Quercus nigra) and swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii), and three planting stocks: 1-0 bareroot, conventional containerized, and EKOgrownTM seedlings were compared for two growing seasons. Conventional containerized seedlings had the best survival. Bareroot seedlings had the second highest survival and EKOTM seedlings had the lowest at the end of two growing seasons. Conventional containerized planting stock exhibited greater groundline diameter (GLD) growth for both species at the end of the first growing season compared to bareroot and EKOTM planting stock. Bareroot seedlings had similar GLD growth to EKOTM seedlings for both years. Conventional containerized seedlings height differed in water oak but did not differ in swamp chestnut oak at the end of year two compared to bareroot seedlings. EKOTM seedlings exhibited severe dieback at the end of both growing seasons and the least amount of height growth.

This paper identifies social conditions that shape perceptions of risk to environmental toxins among residents in the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. Demographic information from a randomly selected sample of 2,548 residents was used to explore the concept of the "White male effect" as discussed in previous literature, which has found that white males are particularly risk accepting compared to all other race and gender groups. This analysis also evaluated the influence of trust in government and beliefs about environmental justice on perceived exposure and compared responses from residents within and outside the City of New Orleans to determine whether there is evidence of location-specific differences. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed strong support for the combined race and gender effects proposed by previous literature. Additionally, hypotheses regarding the influence of trust in government and belief in environmental injustice were supported. Suggestions for future research and policy implications are discussed.

Many bottomland hardwood stands in southern Mississippi lacked management prior to Hurricane Katrina. Following removal of overstory oaks, no seed source was available to naturally regenerate these stands. Artificial regeneration became the most viable option, but information was lacking on how to successfully reestablish thousands of acres of bottomland forests quickly and successfully. Bareroot and conventional containerized seedlings of Nuttall oak (Quercus texana) and swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii) were planted on two sites in southern Mississippi. After two growing season’s Nuttall oak exhibited similar survival to (93.4%), better groundline diameter growth (13.0 mm) than, and better height growth (68.8 cm) than swamp chestnut oak (92.5%, 6.6 mm, 43.9 cm, respectively). Bareroot seedlings had the highest survival (94.5%), best groundline diameter growth (10.3 mm), and best height growth (66.6 cm), though conventional containerized seedling survival (91.4%), groundline diameter growth (9.3 mm), and height growth (46.0 cm) were all acceptable. Considering seedling cost and overall performance, bareroot seedlings provide the most effective option for artificial regeneration on high quality bottomland hardwood sites.

Across the Deep South: A Linked Story Collection focuses on the establishment and reestablishment of themes that reflect the mutability of characters over time, along with the equally mutable notion of identity found within the cultural context of the modern Southern United States. The stories follow the paradigm of Sherwood Anderson’s linked story collection Winesburg, Ohio in that character and geographical location combine over the course of multiple stories to recontextualize theme and character development through intertextual cohesiveness. Preceding the collection of stories is a critical introduction that considers the linked story collection as an independent form of fiction occupying a distinct space between the non-interrelated short story collection and the novel.

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