<p> This dissertation addresses the problem of racial stratification of the Latino community in the United States from the theoretical position of critical race theory. Racial stratification for Latino residents and Latino immigrants is possible in the everyday through a series of practices that allow for persons of the community to contribute to the proliferation of race in American society by rendering race very difficult to address politically. The theoretical analysis of friendship as a form of moral aesthetics in the works of Aristotle, Kant, and Rousseau allows for a theory of race that addresses the invisibility and the transcendence of race constitutive of American society and, therefore, constitutive of the racial stratification of the Latino community in the United States. In this theoretical development, race is thought as an aesthetic of both the citizen and the immigrant subjects or, in other words, as a race-aesthetics. McKnight's (2010) theory of the conditionality of race, Hall's (New Ethnicities 1996, Race, Articulation, and Societies Structured in Dominance 1996) theories of cultural representation and hegemonic domination, Gilroy's (1995) theory of Black Atlantic counterculture, and Mills' (1997) theory of the hegemony of the racial contract are critically engaged and expanded with the theory of the race-aesthetic.</p>

<p> This dissertation is a social history regarding moviegoing and film audiences in Cali, Colombia, from the 1940s through the 1970s that aims to explore the meaning of movies in relation to the broader historical context and field of social forces in which they existed. This analysis of the intersection of the actual material conditions of existence of film-related practices and social imaginaries about movies is developed taking into account three main elements. The first one is the definition of film audiences by their film preferences, moviegoing practices, and socio-demographic characteristics. The second aspect is the role that moviegoing and moviegoing-related activities had within the broader cultural and political positioning of the filmgoers in relation to personal and collective, urban identities as demarcated by social class, age, and gender. The third element has to do with the geopolitical positioning of Cali, which poses very specific inquiries into the context of a non-capital city of a so-called underdeveloped country in Latin America. The analysis of these three aspects permit us to acknowledge and understand how moviegoing, the activities related to it, and the ways in which people thought of themselves as film spectators intertwined with urban, cultural, and political dynamics in modes that defined the diverse yet connected ways in which people identified themselves as urbanites, dealing with the conflicts between tradition and modernity in the historically and geographically situated context of an "underdeveloped" country and its struggles to reach the much desired and elusive modernity.</p>

<p> Latino/a students currently have lower graduation and higher dropout rates than their white peers. This population of students also performs lower on state exams. This qualitative study explored teacher-student relationships and their impact on Latino/a student populations. Using Funds of Knowledge and a social justice perspective, the study characterized positive teacher-student relationships and ways that schools can support their formation. This dissertation study consisted of two rounds of interviews; participants were interviewed individually and then as part of two focus groups. The first phase consisted of one-on-one interviews, where the participants were asked questions on effectiveness, teacher-student relationships, and administrative support. The results from these interviews were analyzed for themes. The themes were then brought to the participants in forms of two focus groups for further exploration and clarity. Findings indicate that teachers characterize six themes in positive teacher-student relationships; student voice, humanization, trust, openness, respect, and personal connections. Three areas of school support were also uncovered; this included community circle, time to connect, and opportunities outside the classroom. The findings support the need for educators to be aware of the elements of positive relationships and to include these areas of school support in teacher and leader preparation programs.</p>

<p> This research documented the progress of physical science learning by Latino students with a range of backgrounds, language, and academic skills. Participants were stratified through an ordination analysis designed to identify individuals with stronger and weaker science vocabulary skills. Students in five different physical science classrooms eventually participated in the research. The investigation was conducted as a case study involving 16 Latino high school students. A variety of different forms of instruction were used by the participating physical science and chemistry teachers. Forms of instruction perceived to be effective were identified through student interviews and formative assessments. </p><p> Results indicated all participants perceived lecture-style instruction with adequate time to write notes and reflect on learning to be most effective. Latino students with weaker science vocabulary skills also perceived as being effective, collaborative work in which they were provided time to process the language of science and explore higher level concepts through discussions with peers. </p><p> Implications of the findings impact two areas of physical science instruction. First, when teachers were able to transfer power to students through classroom activities designed to accommodate heritage language and prior life experience, Latino student learning was enhanced. Second, providing temporal flexibility for instructional schedules resulted in more time to process language and improved content understanding. Educators can be the directing force to eliminate the achievement gap if instructional time is allowed to vary based on student needs. When time was not a constraint on learning, all students, regardless of ethnicity, cultural background, or language learned the content. </p><p> While the students' perception of effective instruction was a lecture-style approach, this may reflect that students' perception of success was defined by assessments containing few requirements for creative thought or demonstration of problem solving skills. Students generally recognized the benefits accrued through high quality forms of instruction, including inquiry activities. Students and teachers recognized science education must be more than the recitation of facts and should develop skills for collaboration, problem solving, and creative interpretation of observations.</p>

<p> This study investigates the <i>siku</i> of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela; and the <i>shakuhachi</i> of Japan and their effect on Western classical flute repertoire. By exploring the histories, construction of the flutes, and the role each flute has in its society, a better understanding of these flutes and the cultural aesthetic in which they work will be achieved thus creating a higher level of authenticity when performing these pieces. The pieces being surveyed are <i>Flute 3.2.4.</i> by Adriana Verdie and <i>Nesting of Cranes</i> by Wil Offermans. Notes on technique of what the author found useful when playing these pieces are found at the end of each chapter.</p>

<p> Rhamphichthyoidea is a monophyletic clade of Neotropical electric fishes (Ostariophysi, Gymnotiformes), with about 55 known species, some still awaiting formal description. These species are widespread in tropical and subtropical freshwaters of South America, with a single species reaching Costa Rica in southern Central America. Rhamphichthyoid species inhabit a variety of lowland habitats including small sandy streams, floodplain oxbow lakes, and the benthos of deep river channels. Rhamphichthyoidea displays substantial morphological disparity, ranging in maximum total body size from 62 millimeters to about 1 meter, and exhibiting diversity of distinctive snout shapes. This phenotypic diversity is reflected in a broad range of ecological interactions and foraging modes. Here I studied the diversity of Rhamphichthyoidea at three levels: alpha diversity, species interrelationships, and macroevolutionary patterns. The first chapter presents results of a species level phylogeny using a total evidence approach, including a new classification based on phylogenetically diagnosed clades. The second and third chapters review the species diversity and boundaries of the poorly studied genera <i>Rhamphichthys</i> (7 spp.) and <i>Gymnorhamphichthys</i> (5 spp.). The fourth chapter presents an analysis of diversification through time, linking habitat occupancy with morphological aspects of snout shape in the radiation of Rhamphichthyoidea. In summary, this dissertation provides information on the species diversity, morphological characteristics, biogeography of the long-snouted rhamphichthyids; the phylogenetic relationships and a newly proposed classification of Rhamphichthyoidea; and adds to the understanding of general patterns of diversification within the Neotropical ichthyofauna.</p>

<p> The maroma in southern Mexico is an artistic performance that features acrobats as well as elements of theater, poetry, and music commonly performed by clown poets. The maroma's form and content is drawn from a mixture of medieval European street performances, pre-Hispanic indigenous acrobatic arts, and modern circus features. It is typically performed as entertainment in the context of the patronal saint fiesta, annual popular Catholic events that serve as significant spaces that furnish cultural elements for identity construction. The maroma was very popular in the capital of New Spain throughout the colonial period (1519-1822) but with the rise of the European modern circus was either incorporated or displaced. In the countryside, however, the maroma appears to have continued for a longer period of time. Currently, it is practiced among several ethnic groups, among them the Mixtecs in the Mixteca--a region that covers parts of the states Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Puebla. In the last decade in the Mixteca, maroma groups and state cultural institutions have worked collectively to "revive" the maroma as the practice has been declining since the mid-to-late 20th century. This thesis is a preliminary incursion into the maroma as currently practiced in the Mixteca Baja. I argue that due to the effects of transnationalism and because the maroma has been present at patronal saint fiestas for a long time, significant spaces that furnish cultural elements for identity construction and negotiation, the maroma has become a symbol of a "pan-Mixtec" identity, an identity that unites all Mixtecs regardless of their specific town or region. Drawing from second-hand sources and fieldwork conducted in the towns of Huajuapan de Le&oacute;n, La Trinidad Huaxtepec, San Juan Yolotepec, Santa Mar&iacute;a Acaquizapan, and Santa Rosa Caxtlahuaca, this thesis introduces the practices of maromeros and the work of state cultural institutions to represent a slice of the maroma revival in the region. Moreover, it strives to contribute to the maromero revival by providing information on the maroma in historical context, current performance and performers, and the revivalist activities the regional state cultural institution has taken thus far.</p>

<p> This study was conducted to contribute a qualitative inquiry regarding the role of teachers in the education of children who were born into the Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty (ITP) cycle in Latin America. Education is key to help students pull themselves out of poverty and yet the drop-out rates in primary school among children born into poverty in Latin America remains high. The purpose of the case study was to discover and describe how teachers can foster agency in students born into poverty. Agency is ability to initiate and carry out activities on one's own. The research focused on teachers' beliefs and assumptions about their students, the teachers' methodologies, the students' expressions of agency, and the construction of a Christian identity in the students. </p><p> Data were collected through focus groups interviews with 3^rd and 4^th grade students, teacher interviews, and observations in a Christian elementary school affiliated with Latin America ChildCare and Fundaci&oacute;n PIEDAD located in a zone of social vulnerability in San Jos&eacute;, Costa Rica. </p><p> Four practices within the educational community emerged from the data as promoting agency within students: (a) the use of adaptive constructivism techniques in education, (b) a focus on agency in the identity development of the students, (c) the use of narrative for meaning making in the lives of the students, and (d) the fostering of an experiential spirituality among the students, teachers, and staff. </p><p> Recommendations for further research include longitudinal studies of students born into poverty, the role of agency in fostering school retention in secondary school, and studies of intrinsic motivations of students born into poverty.</p>

<p> Analyzing the factors involved in subnational democratization and the continuity of subnational undemocratic regimes existing under national democratic systems is an essential step in understanding and improving the quality of subnational democracy. While scholars have recently given increased attention to subnational democratization, research remains limited by the lack of systematic attempts to explain the survival of subnational undemocratic regimes through large-<i>n</i> analyses. Based on a subnational application of national-level modernization and rentier state theories, this thesis contributes to the current literature by providing a conceptualization and measurement of democracy in all Mexican states and by examining the relationships between subnational democratization, economic development, and fiscal autonomy. Hypotheses are tested using panel data from 1989-2011, with electoral data from gubernatorial races. The results show no statistically significant relationship between subnational democratization and economic development or between subnational democratization and fiscal autonomy in the Mexican states.</p>

<p> Gender equality is part of the public policy agenda in Latin America. During the last twenty years, there have been several discussions on the scope of equality policies between women and men, their content and possibilities of action. In Latin America, important progresses have been made, mainly in the legal field but also in different government areas. Many subnational levels of government have their own gender offices and have developed local experiences in promoting equality measures. Argentina registers some outstanding experiences in incorporating the gender perspective at the local level. The decentralization processes reconfigured the capacities and responsibilities of subnational governments and presented potential elements for gender mainstreaming. In addition, the closeness to citizenship and the possibility of articulating demands offered by this scale are important for the promotion of gender policies. </p><p> Mor&oacute;n is one of the 135 Municipalities of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Between 1999 and 2015 the political party Nuevo Encuentro ran the Municipality. The administration encouraged citizen participation and transparency in management, proposing new forms of linkage between the State and society. In this context, more horizontal management structures were framed and they opened up the possibility of promoting equal opportunities and gender equality in Mor&oacute;n. This thesis examines the evolution of the gender equality policy under the management of <i>Nuevo Encuentro</i> in the Municipality of Mor&oacute;n. It aimed at characterizing gender policy and its sustainability over time. Also, it seeks to analyze the role of social and political actors in the implementation of this policy, as well as in its development and expansion. For these purposes, a case study was conducted and the research involved fieldwork based on interviews with different government agents and civil society&rsquo;s members. </p><p> The results obtained demonstrate that gender equality policies in Mor&oacute;n have progressively evolved from the rise of the issue in the public agenda in 1999 to the end of <i>Nuevo Encuentro&rsquo;s</i> administration in 2015. The increasing maturation of the gender equality policy in Mor&oacute;n&rsquo;s local government and its sustainability was due to the convergence of the four key elements: political commitment, presence of a network of women politicians sensitized with gender issues, articulation of local government with social organizations committed to women&rsquo;s rights and international cooperation with resources and interests in supporting local initiatives on gender policies. </p><p>