Faculty Diversity Research
Sarah Bjork
The sociolinguistic aspect of culture in writing was investigated on Chinese ESL students' pre-assessment writing exams. It was sought to determine whether or not Chinese collectivist culture influenced their pre-assessment writing results.
Katrina Farren-Eller, Ph.D.
My research, which explores the conditions for the possibility of human flourishing through the study of narrative identity, is grounded in the notion that our understanding of narrative identity can transform human relationship: personally, culturally, and globally. "Narrative identity" refers to the understanding of the self through individual and cultural narratives. When we understand that we come to know ourselves through individual and cultural narratives, it becomes apparent that who we understand ourselves to be will affect the ways in which we relate to each other, especially when our narratives differ from the narratives of others. We need only turn on the evening news to see the ramifications of clashing individual and cultural narratives. There can be no doubt that humanity is at critical crossroads. Narrative identity offers us a paradigm in which listening and respecting another's story becomes paramount.
In my research, I explore the strengths and shortcomings of the traditional theory of narrative identity as developed by narrative theorist Paul Ricoeur. Although Ricoeur understands that our lives become more readable and understandable when considered through narrative, he neglects the ways in which gender, class, and race affect our ability to create our own narrative identities, which affects the ways we relate to others. Contemporary feminist theories such as Kelly Oliver in her theory of witnessing and Luce Irigaray in her theory of sexual difference build upon and extend Ricoeur's theory of narrative identity, making it more flexible, pertinent, and useful.
Steven R. Stein, Ph.D.
Prevention and Intervention of Bullying: A Training Manual
Steven R. Stein, Ph.D.
Carola R. Pfortner, Ph.D.
Anna H. Stein, B.S.
Societal awareness has been raised regarding the disastrous effects of bullying. This has generated a need for comprehensive training for educators, administrators and others who work with children and adolescents. A training manual will be developed that will study the following: (1) the assessment and prevention of the systemic causes of bullying; (2) systemic and individual interventions that would address the needs of the victims of bullying; (3) systemic and individual interventions that would address the behavior of the aggressor of bullying. A review of evidence based, best practice approaches will be presented. Real life examples and interviews will also be offered. The manual will supplement workshops to educators, administrators and workers in this delicate area.
