Tag: Oral Session 2M

Indian-Americans in Corvallis, Oregon

Presenter(s): Sravya Tadepalli − Political Science, Journalism

Faculty Mentor(s): Natalia Fernandez

Oral Session 2M

Research Area: Social Science

This series of interviews is the one of the first collections of oral histories of the Indian-American community in Oregon. Particularly focusing on the immigrant-generation of Indian-Americans in Corvallis, this interview collection aims to serve as a starting point for historians and social scientists wanting to research the Indian-American community in Corvallis and beyond. Interviews were collected through audio and video recordings and transcribed by the interviewer. Interviews were done primarily with married couples in order to ensure comfort for the interviewees. The interviews were conducted to elicit autobiographies of the individuals profiled including stories of their experiences of cultural adjustment. Three primary findings were developed through this set of interviews, although further analysis of the collection could result in more findings. First, Indians came to Corvallis for diverse reasons. Second, Indian-Americans in Corvallis faced discrimination on a spectrum, with some facing very little racism or discrimination and some facing significant barriers. Third, the narratives and opinions of the immigrant generation of Indian-Americans in Corvallis challenge commonly-held narratives about Indians living in the United States. This work can help to influence histories of Indian immigration to the United States and social science analyses of the immigrant generation of Indian-Americans. Stories about Indian-Americans in Oregon—a place with few South Asians, especially in Corvallis—appear to have not yet been told, and this interview collection is a starting place for these narratives to be shared.

Communities United: Combatting Portland Gentrification through Housing Infrapolitics

Presenter(s): Hannah Schandelmeier-Lynch − Economics

Co presenter(s): Simoan Waldron

Faculty Mentor(s): Katie Meehan

Oral Session 2M

Research Area: Social Science

With Portland’s rapid population growth, urban renewal projects are being shaped to the preferences of the city’s incoming wealthy population. An increased demand for seventies-charm bungalows and city center amenities has resulted in the displacement of communities of color and reshaped those historically neglected neighborhoods. This process is called gentrification and disproportionately affects African American and Latino residents in the form of income disparities, higher unemployment rates, and lower rates of home ownership (Bates, 2015). Our research examines the sociodemographic movement of African American and Latinos from newly gentrified areas to places further east on the outskirts of town and find that this movement has not gone unacknowledged by those being pressured to leave. We found that displaced Portlanders have been engaging in infrapolitics– the small acts of barely visible resistance (Kelley, 1994)– by keeping ownership of their homes despite having the potential to capitalize on the growing market value of their houses. Urban design and planning professor, Dr. Lisa Bates of Portland State University, has created an advisory action plan for cities to prevent further gentrification and cites original homeownership as a keystone element to resisting it. Dr. Bates’ plan calls for the act of not just individual but also collective homeownership. Using this plan framework as an evaluative tool, we analyzed existing organizations’ strategy plans that have developed in response to gentrification. Our research discovered two prominent groups already incorporating Dr. Bates’ criteria, the Portland African American Leadership Form and Living Cully, and that their city lobbying efforts, affordable housing projects, and home owning education initiatives have given people a greater chance to remain their neighborhoods. These measures, compounded with collective and individual homeownership, serves to protect these marginalized groups’ right to the city, (Kelley, 2008).

Works Cited
Bates, L. (2015). This is gentrification. State of Black Oregon, 134-37.
Harvey, D. (2008). The Right to the City.
Kelley, R. (1994). Race Rebels: Culture, Politics and the Black Working Class.

The Role of Mentoring and Ethnic Identity in Latinx* High School Students

Presenter(s): Alejandra Miranda − Psychology, Spanish

Faculty Mentor(s): Ellen McWhirter

Oral Session 2M

Research Area: Social Science

Funding: McNair Scholarship

Latinx students remain significantly underrepresented at four-year colleges and universities (Fry & Taylor, 2013). For this reason, examining associations between mentoring, ethnic identity, and postsecondary plans in Latinx students may help to explain the continuing underrepresentation in higher education. This study discovers associations between mentoring, ethnic identity, and post-high school plans (PLANS) in 665 Latinx high school students. Mentoring helps integrate and connect students to academic experiences (Crisp et al., 2017). Unfortunately, many Latinx parents are unable to provide their children with academic support to pursue a higher education due to various factors such as language barriers, work, or lack of education (Ceballo, 2004). Ethnic identity is also found to be a strong predictor of school engagement and school positivity (Booth et al., 2014). In general, Latinx families put great value on education, hard work, and family. In this study, we hypothesize that first, students who report low mentoring and ethnic identity will choose “community/2 year” or “no school” PLANS significantly more than those who have high mentoring and ethnic identity. This study will also examine sex as an additional influential factor, in response to an increase in Latinas pursuing higher education (Gloria et al., 2005). Therefore, our second hypothesis is that females will report more mentoring and ethnic identity than males. Altogether, this study examines mentoring, ethnic identity, and sex impact on PLANS. The present study uses existing data from participants at a regional conference for Latinx high school students. A one- way analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis is used to examine mentoring and ethnic identity correlation with PLANS. A factorial multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is used to examine differences between PLANS (no school, community/2 year, and 2 plus 4 or 4 years) and dependent variables (mentoring and ethnic identity). Findings yield to a better understanding of the importance of mentoring and ethnic identity in Latinxs future educational plans. *Latinx is a gender-neutral, forward term that encapsulates all individuals and breaks away with the classification of gender.

The Impact of Dangerous Minds in Teacher Education: Exploring the Use of the Representation of School in Film to Raise Critical Consciousness in Preservice Teachers

Presenter(s): Cali Hodge − Educational Foundations

Faculty Mentor(s): Alison Schmitke, Asilia Franklin-Phipps

Oral Session 2M

Research Area: Education

This investigation highlights how the representation of schools, teachers, students in the film Dangerous Minds interacts with societal perspectives of race, gender, and class as they pertain to the education system. By supplementing my analysis of this film with the existing literature on the broader trend of representations of school in film, I will attempt to answer
the following research questions: (1) How does Dangerous Minds operate within a broad pattern of film representation to inform the viewers understanding of race, class, and gender within schools? (2) To what extent does a study of film representation within the University of Oregon’s College of Education impact the critical consciousness of future educators? Through my research, I hope to demonstrate that this film contributes to inaccurate stereotypes that negatively impact the perception of schools, as well as individuals involved in the education system. I additionally aim to explore how teacher education programs attempt to disrupt the perpetuation of these stereotypes, highlighting the University of Oregon’s Educational Foundations program as one example of this approach. I will complete my research through a case study analysis of Dangerous Minds, as well as conducting interviews with instructors and students within the College of Education. Through this investigation, I hope to add to the existing literature in the field of education studies by exploring how this film chooses to represent schools, teachers, and students, and how teacher education programs can support preservice teachers and their future in education by interrupting the perpetuation of these stereotypes.

Tracing The Lineage Of Historical Racial Narratives And Their Continued Effect

Presenter(s): Nana Adjepong – Political Science

Co presenter(s): Kebret Ketema

Faculty Mentor(s): Avinnash Tiwari

Oral Session 2M

Research Area: Social Science

Narrative is an important weapon that has been continuously used against minorities. This can be proven by taking a look at historical examples of false narratives being purposefully used to take power away from such groups. This has had lasting ramifications, and is a factor in the problem these groups face today. One main example of this is the creation of the “black savage” which in turn has led to inescapable stereotypes that still exist to this day. This affects the way African Americans are seen today, and in turn serves as a barrier for them, despite this being a stereotype created in the past.