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Parents and Readers Beware of Stereotypes in Young Adult Literature Says MU Researcher

By Guest PostAugust 28, 2012Culture, Generalabnormal, adolescents, breaking bad, emotional development, friday night lights, gender roles, genre, glee, harry potter, heterosexual relationship, homophobia, hunger games, infection, julie passanante elman, literature, medical dramas, negative stereotype, racism, realm, romantic relationship, sexual attractiveness, sexuality, taboo, teen, teen sick lit, twilight, university of missouri

Newly described teen literature genre propagates negative portrayals of the sick and disabled

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A newly defined genre of literature, “teen sick-lit,” features tear-jerking stories of ill adolescents developing romantic relationships. Although “teen sick-lit” tends to adhere to negative stereotypes of the ill and traditional gender roles, it also explores the taboo realm of sexuality, sickness and youth, says the University of Missouri researcher who named the genre in a recent study. Readers and their parents should be aware of how the presentation of disease and disability in these stories can instill prejudices and enforce societal norms in young adults, notes the researcher.

“Teen sick-lit depicts its chronically ill protagonists, who are usually white middle-class females, merely as vehicles for well people’s emotional development rather than as self-actualized women with their own experiences, perspectives, and emotional needs,” said Julie Passanante Elman, assistant professor in women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Science. “As the popularity of fiction aimed at young adults, such as the Twilight, Harry Potter and Hunger Games series, continues to grow, it is important for readers and parents to note the ethical subtexts of the books. Similarly, the proliferation of sick or disabled characters on such television shows as “Glee,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Breaking Bad” doesn’t always equate to positive portrayals of those characters.” (more…)

God as a Drug: The Rise of American Megachurches

By Guest PostAugust 25, 2012Culture, Generalamerican christians, american megachurche, atmosphere, charismatic leadership, charismatic pastor, christianity, denver, drug, emotional energy, evangelical revivalism, god, holy spirit, hybrid, james wellman, kate stockly meyerdirk, katie e corcoran, message, multisensory mélange, rise, ritual chains, rob bell, rock music, san diego megachurch, sense, sensory pageantry, spiritual growth, spirituality, stagecraft, stereotyped, university of washington, vision

American megachurches use stagecraft, sensory pageantry, charismatic leadership and an upbeat, unchallenging vision of Christianity to provide their congregants with a powerful emotional religious experience, according to research from the University of Washington.

“The megachurches movement is one of the leading indicators of how American Christians exercise their faith these days, so therefore they should be understood,” said James Wellman, associate professor of American religion at the University of Washington. “And our study shows they’re doing a pretty effective job for their members, based on self-reports, contrary to public opinion that tends to pass them off as a type of consumerist religion. In fact, their members speak eloquently of their spiritual growth.” (more…)

Chain of Violence: Study Shows Impact on Palestinian and Israeli Children

By Guest PostAugust 23, 2012Culture, General, Politicsactual violence, aggressive behaviour, chain of violence, children, eric dubow, israeli, israeli arab, israeli jewish, khalil shikaki, l rowell huesmann, middle east, neighborhood, palestinian, palestinian children, paul boxer, shira gvirsman, simha landau

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Children exposed to ethnic and political violence in the Middle East are more aggressive than other children, a new study shows. And the younger children are, the more strongly they are affected, in a “chain of violence” that goes from political and ethnic strife, to violence in communities, schools, and families, and ends with their own aggressive behavior.

“Our results have important implications for understanding how political struggles spill over into the everyday lives of families and children,” says psychologist Paul Boxer, lead author of the study.

The study, forthcoming in the peer-reviewed journal Child Development, was conducted by a consortium of researchers from the U.S., Palestine, and Israel, and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, part of the National Institutes of Health. (more…)

Financial Crisis to Blame for Increased Suicides in Italy

By Guest PostAugust 21, 2012Economy, Generalausterity package, bologna, crisis year, david stuckler, economic reason, Europe, global financial crisis, great recession, Greece, increase, italy, michael gideon marmot, rate, regression model, roberto de vogli, suicide, tax office, university of michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— The global financial crisis has contributed to an increase in the rates of suicide and attempted suicide for economic reasons in Italy, new research shows.

A team of researchers, co-led by Roberto De Vogli, associate professor of health behavior and health education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health,

looked at data from 2000-10 and found an increase in suicides and attempted suicides for economic reasons during the entire period. (more…)

For Young Adults, Appearance Matters More than Health, MU Research Suggests

By Guest PostAugust 13, 2012Culture, General, Healthappearance, carlia francis, college age, food environment, good nutrition, healthful choice, interactive play, maría len rios, mizzou advantage, nutrition 101, professor of theater, self image, societal message, suzanne burgoyne, unattainable figure, university of missouri, young adults

Research inspires interactive theater, opens dialogue

COLUMBIA, Mo. –When it comes to college-age individuals taking care of their bodies, appearance is more important than health, research conducted at the University of Missouri suggests. María Len-Ríos, an associate professor of strategic communication, Suzanne Burgoyne, a professor of theater, and a team of undergraduate researchers studied how college-age women view their bodies and how they feel about media messages aimed at women. Based on focus group research findings, the MU team developed an interactive play about body image to encourage frank discussions about conflicting societal messages regarding weight, values and healthful choices.

“During our focus group conversations, we learned that young people don’t think about nutrition when it comes to eating,” Len-Ríos said. “They think more about calorie-counting, which isn’t necessarily related to a balanced diet.” (more…)

Urban Poor Plagued By ‘Burdens of Place’

By Guest PostAugust 11, 2012Culture, Economy, Generalamerica, bmi, body mass index, burdens of place, digital mapping, igor vojnovic, journal, lansing, michigan state university, obesity tax, resident behavior, socioeconomic data, supermarket chains, united states, urban design, urban neighborhood, urban poor

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Most of America’s urban cores were designed for walking but offer little in the way of supermarkets, healthy restaurants and other amenities for residents to walk to, according to a study led by a Michigan State University scholar.

The study is one of the first to show that poor residents living in declining urban neighborhoods want healthy food choices – evidenced by their willingness to travel long distances to find them. Past research has generally assumed that poor people will shop at whatever store is closest. (more…)

New Book Explores Fears About Muslims in The West

By Guest PostAugust 4, 2012Culture, General, Media911 era, anti catholicism, anti semitism, burqas, crusades, Europe, ground zero, irrational suspicion, jehovah witnesses, jews, liquor store, martha nussbaum, mormons, mosque, muslim headscarves, muslim terrorism, muslims, native americans, nazism, new york city, religious prejudice, religious tolerance, roman catholics, strip clubs, switzerland, terrorism, united states, wars of religion, western societies

Fears of terrorism in Europe and the United States have deteriorated into an irrational suspicion of Muslims, which will continue until the West turns its critical eye inward, argues University of Chicago professor Martha Nussbaum in her new book, The New Religious Intolerance: Overcoming the Politics of Fear in an Anxious Age.

While fear is an important natural emotion, its self-centered nature makes it susceptible to irrational distortions that are harmful to others, writes Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics in the Law School and Philosophy. (more…)

Bird in the Hand

By Guest PostJuly 28, 2012Culture, Generalblue feathers, blue hen, blue hen chicken, delaware, delaware state bird, elena torok, fightin blue hens, gamecocks, jack gelb, john caldwell, kent county, military regiment, paul h sammelwitz, project, radiography, revolutionary war, taxidermy specimen, university, university of delaware, winterthur museum

University art conservation student prepares Blue Hen for display

When University of Delaware Prof. Jack Gelb, Jr., was given a taxidermy specimen of a Blue Hen by a retiring colleague in the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, he realized that this particular example of the Delaware state bird was somewhat the worse for wear.

And so Gelb, who is chairperson of the department as well as director of UD’s Avian Bioscience Center, turned to the Department of Art Conservation for expert help.

“This was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about natural history materials,” said Elena Torok, now a third-year graduate student in the Winterthur-University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation. “We happily agreed to work” on the project. (more…)

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