Browsing by Subject "Male"

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Engaging African American male students in predominately white community colleges : the impact of teaching excellence
(2011-12) Darville, Christopher John; Reddick, Richard, 1972-
Although community colleges offer opportunities for diverse students to achieve their educational goals, African American males continue to rank at the bottom of most academic success measures such as semester-to-semester retention and degree completion. Research shows that factors associated with teaching excellence (how well a faculty member exhibits enthusiasm, clarity, preparation/organization, stimulation, and love of knowledge) should encourage student engagement. The following research questions are proposed for this study: 1. How do faculty discuss teaching excellence relative to the academic engagement of African American males? 2. How do African American male students discuss the importance of faculty members’ race in relationship to their academic engagement? 3. How, if at all, does the age of an African American male student impact his academic engagement? 4. How do first-generation and second-generation collegiate African American male college students differ, if at all, in academic engagement? To conduct this research, a mixed method paradigm will be used. A quantitative instrument will be utilized to identify highly engaged African American male students and those who teach them. Qualitative analysis will lead to discovery of how teaching excellence affects the engagement of the target population of students. This research will add to current literature by examining the impact of the criteria of teaching excellence on African American male students in predominately white community colleges.
Estrogen and the aging brain of male rats
(2016-12) Nutsch, Victoria Lynn; Dominguez, Juan M.; Gore, Andrea C., 1964-; Hofmann, Hans; Cummings, Molly; Gonzales, Rueben
Gonadal steroid hormones exert an influence on many aspects of neurobiology in men, including memory, learning and sexual dysfunction. Though testosterone is the main circulating gonadal steroid hormone in males, estradiol is also important, and together these hormones play complementary roles. While the specific roles of estrogen have been studied to some extent in young adults, little is known during aging, when sexual behavior can become impaired. I used a rodent model to examine estradiol’s role in sexual behavior and gene expression in 3 regions, selected for their importance in behavioral neuroendocrine functions and high concentrations of estrogen receptors: the medial preoptic area (mPOA), medial amygdala (MeA), and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BnST). My studies focused first on how age and sexual experience affects expression and activation of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and androgen receptor (AR) after sexual behavior in aging intact males. Quantification of neurons expressing hormone receptors in the mPOA revealed that neither ERα nor androgen receptor (AR) showed an age-related change in expression in the mPOA. While both ERα and AR were activated after copulation, the age-related changes were specific to ERα in the central mPOA. There were only mild deficits in sexual behavior. Serum estradiol was also elevated in both aged and copulating animals, but estradiol concentrations only correlated with sexual behavior in aged animals. In a second study, I determined how hormone deprivation (castration) and replacement with estradiol caused changes to gene expression in the mPOA, BnST and MeA. Each region had unique patterns of gene expression in response to aging and estradiol treatment. The mPOA only had changes in expression as a result of hormone administration, while the BnST had primarily age-related changes. The MeA had the greatest number of affected genes, mainly interactions between estradiol treatment and aging. These studies emphasize the importance of estradiol in aging males, and the need for continued study on its role in neuroendocrine and sexual function.
Finding Satan : from cult to cult culture
(2022-05-06) Collins, Ronald Gene; Habeck, Michelle M.; Dawson, Kathryn
Gay bars are regarded as special places for the LGBTQ community who frequent them and have existed for many years to serve a multitude of purposes including places of celebration, refuge, health clinics, and venues for fundraisers. In this thesis project, I use autoethnographic methods and theatrical installation to explore my coming out story: from my exit from a religious cult to my acceptance into the gay community and culture. Working from personal reflection and research, this paper explores the design and implementation of the Finding Satan immersive installation. The installation reflects on gay bar culture from the 80’s to now, sharing examples of small-town bars, how people connect, and how the AIDS epidemic affected how gay bars were utilized. I share my story and journey with others within the installation, as my personal history often echoes and aligns with the experience of other gay people in the United States.