This dissertation presents findings from a study of knowledge sharing and gaining via cameraphone photography by women who have undergone cesarean sections. Informed by authoritative knowledge, cameraphone photography, and a photo elicitation method known as photovoice, this research sought to understand how cameraphone photography allowed participants to provide a visual context through which empowering discussions about birth and the aftermath of their cesarean births could be explored. To discuss the relationship between authoritative knowledge and cameraphone photography, a theoretical model was created to highlight the ways knowledge is shared via cameraphones (Figure 1). This model was created to illustrate the relationship between authoritative knowledge and cameraphone photography within the context of cesarean births in the U.S. Thirty adult women in the United States were recruited for participation in this study, all of whom had one or more children via cesarean birth. Participants were trained in the purpose of the study, the ethical decisions photographers make, and photographic techniques, and were given themes to address relating to knowledge sharing and gaining via their cesarean birth experiences. Analysis of these data indicates using cameraphone photography allowed participants to share details, and the knowledge they gained, of their cesarean births with other mothers who had also undergone cesarean deliveries. Further research is indicated, to continue to refine the Authoritative Knowledge Model of Cesarean Births, and determine its applicability to topics beyond birth. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2016. / July 7, 2016. / birth, cameraphone, cesarean section, photographs, visual methodology / Includes bibliographical references. / Michelle M. Kazmer, Professor Directing Dissertation; Andy Opel, University Representative; Richard Urban, Committee Member; Mia Liza A. Lustria, Committee Member; Lynne Hinnant, Committee Member.

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Thesis (S.B. in Women's Studies)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 48-50). / This thesis explores the ideology of midwifery in a particular training program, that of the University of York By analyzing the history which shaped the program, the legislation which regulates it, and the philosophical beliefs which influence it. In Great Britain, giving birth has evolved from a women-only event, attended by a midwife, which took place in the home to one which is now often attended by a variety of medical practitioners, both male and female, and most often takes place in a hospital. With childbirth, midwifery has undergone dramatic transition. The study describes the ways in which York's ideology revolves around the goal of "woman-centered care," which seeks to provide pregnant women and new mothers with the power to make choices about their maternity care, to ensure that they have the greatest continuity of caregiver throughout their pregnancy, and that the care they receive is appropriate to their needs and desires. "Woman-centered care" is an ideal advocated by both the government and midwives themselves. The program trains its midwives to base their practice on knowledge, as opposed to habit or protocol; to be partners in care with women, rather than administrators of care; and to be safe, autonomous practitioners. The underlying philosophy is the idea that birth is a natural process, rather than a dangerous, disease like state which requires medical intervention. / by Andrea H. Zengion. / S.B.in Women's Studies

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The purpose of the present inquiry is to examine the family and adolescent role development, with emphasis upon the aspect of sexuality, within the context of the Greek and American society. Greece and the United States differ with regard to their respective cultural background and contemporary stage of socio-economic development. Consequently, the family ideology and its implications for the issue of sexuality are different in the two countries

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The focus of my study is the creation of a special topics American literature or Women's Studies course about the women writers of the Beat Generation; this course provides students with a variety of explorations of women's writing during and after Post World War II America. This period saw many changes in terms of women's roles as they challenged the mid-20th century societal constructs. My research examines the women Beat writers by centering on their distinct women's discourse and how their voices challenged the patriarchally-driven canon of Beat Generation writers. To accomplish this task, my research focuses on expanding the Beat Generation literary canon beyond the male Beats by creating a digital archive of the women writers of the Beat Generation. As a feminist digital humanities project, this Women Writers of the Beat Generation Omeka website can be used as a resource for undergraduate students to research the work of these women writers and, as a result, elevate the women's prominence in the Beat literary canon. While the women are no longer a postscript in Beat Generation scholarship, the curriculum I developed for undergraduate students expands the general notion of Beat Generation writers usually covered in literature survey courses and exposes students to the Beat women's texts. The scholarship done in the past that brought the women's work to the forefront has not always impacted undergraduate teaching, and this Women Writers of the Beat Generation website and the focused curriculum provides students have a new way to discover the women Beats' work. This dissertation discusses how the Open Educational Resource materials including the interface, digital database, metadata, and the Omeka website can assist undergraduate students studying the women writers of the Beat Generation. Using open-source software called Omeka, this project's website provides a single space to research the work of the women Beat writers, elevating the women's importance in the Beat literary canon.