While environmental writing is nothing novel, environmental journalism as a beat and research area is relatively recent. The available literature on the field provides insight into the challenges environmental reporters face and what their environmental backgrounds in the field are, but little research details how they respond to challenges and why they originally chose the beat. This research examines how environmental journalists respond to the challenges they face, what values they attribute to the beat, and why they chose to write about the environment. My hypotheses are that these reporters have had influential experiences in nature; they see their work as a form of social activism; and they rely on their social connections as a form of support. For my sample, I first used random systematic sampling, followed by purposive sampling to reach targeted demographics, such as gender and race. I conduct semi-structured, in-depth interviews to collect my data, with a goal of at least 15 interviews or until saturation. So far, I have conducted five interviews that average around 45 to 60 minutes each. Most of them grew up as outdoorsy people, all of them see their work as important, and most find that talking to someone about challenges they encounter is helpful. Through more interviews, I hope to begin recognizing strong trends in responses to compare to my hypotheses. In addition to filling the gaps in the literature on environmental journalism, this research provides these reporters with a chance to talk about their experiences and challenges. Additionally, building on this beat as a research area could help provide data to create a meaningful support network for environmental reporters. As climate change intensifies and more people feel its effects, it’s imperative that these journalists feel supported enough to continue highlighting climate solutions and inequities to advocate for climate action.

Matrescence, the transformative journey into motherhood, encompasses profound physical, emotional, and psychological changes with lifelong implications. Postpartum mothers face various challenges including recovery from childbirth, sleep deprivation, hormonal and cognitive changes, insufficient support, and social isolation, often leading to depression and anxiety. While traditional medical interventions address some issues, alternative modalities of care such as horticultural therapy (HT) are gaining traction in postpartum care due to their holistic approach. This paper investigates the potential benefits of incorporating HT into postpartum care, aiming to explore its effectiveness in treating stress and related conditions, addressing psycho-social challenges, and integrating insights from other alternative therapies like occupational therapy (OT) to enhance postpartum wellness. Through an exploration of existing literature and a proposed pilot study, this research aims to fill the gap in understanding HT's efficacy specifically for postpartum mothers. The study proposes a comprehensive approach targeting physical and psycho-social aspects of maternal well-being through 12-week HT sessions with 24 postpartum mothers aged 18-35, incorporating health screenings, socialization, and horticultural activities. The study anticipates improvements in mental health, reduced postpartum depression symptoms, enhanced social support, and positive mother-infant interactions. Statistical analysis and qualitative assessments will evaluate intervention effectiveness, engagement, and feasibility. Understanding the transformative potential of HT for postpartum mothers advocates for a paradigm shift in maternal healthcare towards holistic and patient-centered approaches. Integration of HT into postpartum care models aligns with the evolving healthcare landscape and addresses the multifaceted challenges of matrescence, particularly in marginalized populations, emphasizing early intervention and culturally sensitive practices. This research underscores the importance of innovative interventions like HT in addressing the complex needs of postpartum mothers and calls for further exploration and integration into healthcare practices.

Translation seeks to convey meaning between one form of communication and another. The ways in which translation is completed can concentrate power and influence in ways that favor those whose languages and communication methods are dominant. This distribution of power and influence has important historical and modern consequences. This social science research project explores how translation has impacted nation to nation relationships between Indigenous people and colonial governments in North America. The treaty making history of the Blackfoot Confederacy will be considered as a case study, with a focus on the making of Treaty 7 between the British Crown in Canada and the Blackfoot Nations of Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani as well as other First Nations. Treaty 7 was signed in 1877 in a geographical, social, ecological, and cultural context that was heavily influenced by treaties, colonial westward expansion, and diminished bison populations. This case study on translation is being conducted through a review of firsthand accounts of the making and signing of Treaty 7 and a literature review of documented Indigenous oral histories of the event. These reviews will be conducted with consideration for the shifting power dynamics at play during that time. Finally, current academic work on language reclamation will be considered for its potential to support Truth and Reconciliation efforts, and a greater respect for Indigenous sovereignty. Language is a tool for carrying out translation, and carries significant elements of culture. Indigenous languages have a connection to the lands where they come from that are important for understanding current social and ecological challenges. Modern language reclamation efforts may have potential for restoring a more balanced distribution of power and offering solutions to these challenges.

 The 1854 Speech by Chief siaʔɬ (Seattle) is surrounded by controversy. There are many versions of this speech available online and in print, but which one is the most true to who Chief siaʔɬ was? How can we find out what Chief siaʔɬ said when the speech was given in Lushootseed, translated to Chinook Jargon, and then published for the first time in English, 30 years after the speech was given? Today, even Chief siaʔɬ's tribal descendants have differing versions of the speech on their official tribal websites. To answer these questions, I conducted semi-structured individual interviews with tribal members from each of Chief siaʔɬ's descendant tribes, the Duwamish, the Suquamish, and the Muckleshoot. Within these interviews, I chose to use the "Think Aloud" method to structure how the participants read the versions of the speech presented. This allowed me to code their comments on the speech into specific categories in order to analyze how each participants felt about the speech, about Chief siaʔɬ's character, and about their own knowledge and their tribe's own knowledge about the speech and speaker. This research provides a brand new and comprehensive perspective on this aged speech that is surrounded by mystery. It gives these tribal members the opportunity to set the record straight on what Chief siaʔɬ might have actually said.

This research delved into the intersection of art and the United Nations’ 17 Sustainability Goals (THE 17 GOALS or SDGs) in education, investigating its applications and impacts from the perspective of art educators on college students. It aimed to fill a void in existing scholarship by examining the nuanced impact of integrating artistic elements into education focused on THE 17 GOALS within the unique socio-cultural context of China. The research explored how art-based initiatives could influence students’ perceptions and awareness of THE 17 GOALS. It gathered insights from art educators and professionals through semi-structured, phenomenological interviews, thus enriching the academic and practical discourse on this subject. The results demonstrated that art effectively serves as an educational medium, engaging students in a manner that facilitates unobtrusive and immersive learning, fostering deeper connections and offering a unique, subtle learning experience. By exploring the potential of art as a transformative tool in education concerning THE 17 GOALS, this research contributed to the development of innovative and effective educational strategies. These strategies were designed to engage and enlighten China’s younger generations, fostering a globally aware, fully developed, and multifaceted personality within this demographic.

The #MeToo movement in 2017, which represents a global call to action against sexual harassment and assault, has encouraged corporations to prioritize gender equality and diversity. This phenomenon has likewise led to an increase in the literature on gender equality and diversity. Focusing on the fashion industry, specifically Victoria’s Secret, this study examines the changes and impact of workplace code of conduct policies as a result of the #MeToo movement. Victoria’s Secret, known for its popular lingerie products and a corporate culture dominated by sex, exemplifies the fashion-industry-wide challenge of addressing gender disparities and misconduct. Guided by feminist ethics, which prioritizes values of care as ethical practice, this research focuses on Victoria’s Secret’s activities and changes in response to the #MeToo allegations from 2020 to now, and aims to understand how gender equality-focused social movements influence corporate culture and behavior. A qualitative thematic analysis investigates Victoria’s Secret’s strategic changes, including transformations in its flagship show, modifications to policies regarding sexual harassment of employees including models hired, and some critiques and reactions from the audience to these policy changes. This study seeks to provide a critical analysis of whether the actions of Victoria’s Secret align or deviate from the broader objectives of the #MeToo movement. Findings from this research have the potential to contribute to understanding the impacts of social movements in influencing fashion corporate conduct and the aims of corporate social responsibility.

At 1:44 PM EST on March 11th of 2020, Trump tweeted that he would be “addressing the nation” at 9 PM EST that same day. This oval office address was a statement on COVID-19 and what the pandemic meant for America. This research is a rhetorical analysis of Trump’s public address on that day. His speech, already given in a time of uncertainty, led to widespread panic amongst consumers, with U.S. stocks falling the next day by almost 10%, in their worst day since the 1987 crash. News outlets and economists reported that the uncertainty that came along with the pandemic was only worsened because of Trump’s fear stoking and the atmosphere of uncertainty this speech created. What were people reading in the speech that could have pushed them towards this economic behavior? Conducting a rhetorical analysis of the speech through an innovation on the textual-intertextual method, this paper analyzes Trump’s speech and what people and the Trump administration said in response. In the first part of the paper, close textual analysis allows us to have an in-depth, microscopic understanding of the speech itself. In the second part of the thesis, we examine intertextual evidence of the speech’s extrinsic effect. Reading secondary sources that explicitly mention the primary text, including those produced by audiences hailed by the text as well as by Trump and his proxies, we can understand its broader reception especially as it relates to investor behavior and consumer attitudes. This study finds that Trump’s lack of key information, sparse emphasis on international cooperation, and contradictory rhetoric towards public officials all help explain the economic uncertainty that resulted from this speech. Studying the relationship between rhetoric and the economy through this research has implications on presidential rhetoric, unsuccessful early pandemic communication and the factors influencing stock price volatility.