In The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin, the humans inhabiting the planet “Winter” are genderless, and through the monthly phase called “kemmer” choose to develop either male or female sexual reproductive organs. With one equal gender either member of a relationship can choose pregnancy, and “no one is quite so thoroughly ‘tied down’ here as women, elsewhere, are likely to be- psychologically or physically.” Since there is lack of gender subjugation on Winter, nature is not regarded as being connected to the womanly tasks of nurture and reproduction as it is here on earth. Nature is not viewed as an “other” and is instead an active part of a human ecology rather than something to abuse or command. In similar regard: “Winter is an inimical world; its punishment for doing things wrong is sure and prompt: death from cold or death from hunger.” On Winter humans better survive by working with Nature and not against it. Reading this novel as an ecofeminist text involves uncovering details regarding the relationship between feminism and ecology. Viewing the planet Winter as a utopian example of the absence of dualistic genders provides a fascinating scope into what the impact of a non-gendered society has on its environment: a planet where humans advance slowly and cautiously with respect for their natural world. This project examines the comparison between this model and that of ours on Earth. Winter’s slow technological development is accented by its low level of significant cultural change, whereas on Earth technology develops rapidly as culture blends, infuses, and diversifies. From this example I find that dualistic gender, or the lack thereof, greatly impacts not only the behaviors of a society, but determines its rate and quality of technology, egalitarianism, and ecology.

Between 2001- 2003 there has been a surge in an ancient yet taboo tradition of bacchabazi in Afghanistan; baccha meaning “child “and bazi meaning “gaming” with a connotative meaning of “boys for play”. This is a significant concern because the act of bacchabazi is one that focuses on the sexual exploitation of young poverty-stricken Afghan boys for the sole purpose of elevating the statuses of their owners, mainly high ranking ex-military officers. By engaging in research of bacchabazi I intend to find answers surrounding why the act of bacchabazi has increased and what the triggers are, that permit it to flourish? The objective of my research is to look at the factors involved in this practice, including aspects of class, socioeconomic status, and conflict areas. The method I am going to use is a feminist discourse analysis of media artifacts current and historical ones. This will include newspapers foreign and domestic, blogs, academic texts, and documentaries reported by researchers within the field of child exploitation in Afghanistan, specifically focused around bacchabazi. This analysis will be done through a lens of transnational feminism while supplementing theories of colonization and post-colonization. Since the theoretical context is colonization and post-colonization, my research will fit into existing related scholarship and contribute to the field because there is not a substantial amount of research currently being published. Since my data is still accumulating I do not have solidified results but rather, informed opinions that would infer recommendations for the young men affected. Some proposed findings/recommendations include: education for the young men with the purpose of identifying the ramifications of being selected/recruited as a bacchabazi, support in way of agency for the young men, and an increased awareness among local jurisdiction in regards to not criminalizing the actions forced upon the young men.

Ecofeminism is a movement which shows how the marginalization and subjugation of women by men parallels the domination and exploitation of nature by human beings. Interdisciplinary at its inception, ecofeminism draws from a wide range of fields including philosophy, ecology, english, and gender studies. Sometimes though, the values of these different fields conflict with one another in ways that question whether some theories can (or should) be put into practice. Queer ecocriticism, pioneered by Timothy Morton, is one such theory. Queer ecocriticism attempts to fuse ecological criticism with queer theory to challenge essentialist views of women and nature in existing environmentalisms. In Queer Ecology, Morton suggests that subjects only appear to fit neatly into stable categories like “women,” “humans,” and “nature” because we fail to perceive them on larger timescales. The best approach to environmentalism, he argues, is one which contemplates “ecology's unfathomable” and “almost unbearable” intimacies—that is, one which recognizes our world as a cacophony of interrelated, messy, and untotalizable “strange strangers” rather than a mere collection of discrete beings who can be categorized. What this “contemplation” means in practice, however, is unclear. Moreover, queer ecology appears difficult to reconcile with environmental activism, which often organizes strategically under essentialist labels like "women" or “human beings” to protect "nature." So what is the interdisciplinary-conscious ecofeminist to do? Drawing from the work of ecofeminists Sherry Ortner and Val Plumwood, queer theorists, and environmental activists, my project investigates ways in which ecofeminist activism might incorporate queer ecocritical theory into practice. If it’s true that, as Morton says, ecofeminism “is grounded on binary difference and [is] thus unhelpful for the kinds of difference multiplication that is queer theory’s brilliance,” activism informed by queer ecocriticism might be able to achieve its aims without relying on problematic, essentialist views of women and nature.

Digital inclusion is the ability of individuals and groups to access and use information and communication technologies (ICT). Vulnerable populations that experience barriers to ICT include low-income families, residents of rural communities, seniors, disabled citizens, at-risk youth, immigrants, refugees, and people of color. Despite its thriving agricultural industry, the Yakima Valley in South Central Washington is designated as an economically distressed area with low wages, significant unemployment, and high poverty levels. The area's agricultural emphasis attracts a large population of migrant workers who are generally perceived to be information poor, meaning they face major challenges with finding and using greatly needed everyday information. Little research in ICT access for migrant populations exists because differences in language, culture, and other factors make migrant workers and their youth a difficult population to study. This research involves reviewing literature on the information ecosystem of the Yakima Valley, interviewing relevant school district administrators of Educational School District 105 in South Central Washington, and evaluating current educational technology access strategies within the region. Five to ten administrators from ESD 105 are interviewed in a semi-structured fashion for their insight into the current ICT landscape of their schools. All conversations are recorded, transcribed, and coded to transform qualitative data into a standardized format for interpreting recurrent concepts. By way of grounded theory, this research paints a clearer picture of current digital inclusion efforts towards migrant youth and provides transferable recommendations as to how they can better participate in today’s digital economy.

Bathsheba, the Queen of Sheba, and Jezebel are the three queens presented in the Bible who are known most widely today.  These three figures are not the only important female leaders mentioned in the Bible: there are stories of numerous other women who stood near the heart of political power.  I argue that the Bible presents four archetypes of women in power.  The first is the Israelite women in an Israelite king’s court.  This woman will rarely speak in the text and, when she does, it is only to show her obedience to God’s will.  The second archetype is the Israelite women in a foreign king’s court.  They serve an instrument of God’s will within the foreign courts that they inhabit.  Their presence near the foreign power brings blessings and wealth to the Israelites in their adopted kingdom, at the expense of its native subjects.  The third group is the foreign women in the court of an Israelite king.  These women are viewed as dangerous.  They are nearly always portrayed as acting contrary to the interests of the kingdom and they also frequently accused of drawing the king away from God in some sense.  The fourth and final group is the foreign women of a foreign king’s court.  They represent God’s power to act even outside the boundaries of Israel, often acting as witnesses to God’s punishment or the instrument through which God acts to carry out his plans for Israel.  A study of these women, through a careful reading of the Bible, will give us a better understanding of how the biblical authors conceived of female power – whether that of queens or other positions of political power.