The popularity of feminism is growing. Every day more people claim to be feminist and work is done to end the control of patriarchy. Feminism though, because of its different waves and isolated recognition in the media, the actual goals seem unclear to males in particular; it is predicted that this increase in popularity in conjunction with the lack of clarity contributes to the development of toxic masculinity. “Feminism” is defined by bell hooks as a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression and “toxic masculinity” is a specific model of manhood, geared toward dominance and control and fear of the opposite. To understand the relationship between the two, the documentaries The Mask You Live In and Miss Representation were reviewed as well as books by bell hooks and C.J. Pascoe. Popular culture articles contributed to contemporary views at the public level. Using the knowledge gained from the literature, further research was done through one-on-one interviews with males age 18 to 32. Much of the literature does support toxic masculinity being encouraged and reinforced in varying ways including through the lack of acceptance of femininity and society’s strict gender roles. The interviews were inconclusive in defining a direct relationship between feminism promoting the development of toxic masculinity.

Consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are an alternative to normative monogamous relationships that are often not represented in media and when they are it is often in a negative light. Research shows that CNM behaviors are highly stigmatized. I examined the representation of CNM in two popular television shows, Shameless and American Horror Story: Hotel. American Horror Story: Hotel represents CNM in a negative way whereas Shameless aims for a more progressive viewpoint. I conclude that American Horror Story: Hotel contributes to the stereotypes surrounding CNM while Shameless attempts to normalize an uncommon style of relationship.

Western culture in the United States socializes men into traditional (hegemonic, toxic) masculinity (Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). Traditional masculinity remains largely unquestioned as “it’s just the way things are” (Best, 2001; Howes, 2017), unchallenged (Beauvoir, 1953; Migliaccio, 2009), and unreplaced. I conceptualize a novel solution to replace traditional masculinity by promoting visionary masculinity within visionary spaces. I then analyze two spaces by which men are attempting to question and replace traditional masculinity against my two concepts (visionary masculinity and visionary spaces). Lastly, I discuss how traditional masculinity impacts both male offenders and male victims of Domestic Violence.

Psychological studies and feminist theories have determined the existence of many forms of
male bias in the English language. Male bias can be traced through American history in the form of laws of coverture and the categorization of women in law. Taking into account the connections between sexist language, history, and law, this paper investigates 1) how and why legal language is biased, 2) why male bias has persisted in law over time, and 3) what impact male-biased law has on women. The works of ancient philosophers, feminist historians, psycholinguistic scientists, and modern philosophers of law are used to explain the patriarchal gender hierarchy’s influence on law. Case law and legal policies demonstrate that sexism has been maintained through history due to the preservation of male-biased language and the exclusion of women from the public sphere. Today, the use of masculine generics continues to taint the legal profession by reflecting, rather than denouncing, its patriarchal roots.

Prison dog training programs, which emerged in the 1980s, have been gaining popularity at both a national and international level. The programs allow inmates to train dogs as service animals for veterans and first responders. After reading several different research projects that examined the impact of dog training programs in prison, the majority of them show that there are a lot of benefits and a few challenges. The beneficial impact was examined both with an in-person walkthrough of a prison with the program and through a series of interviews conducted for the purposes of this study. Interviews were conducted with Sister Pauline Quinn, the founder of prison dog training programs; Patricia Barnhart, who previously managed a dog training program at a Florida prison; the director at New Life K9s, Nicole Hern, and all the inmates in the New Life K9s prison program at the Men’s Colony prison in California. Bringing dogs into prisons has created a change in inmate behavior, staff behavior, and a safer, calmer environment for those within the prison. Calming the prison environment allows inmates to develop skills they can take with them when they leave prison, which in turn will help reduce recidivism. The research suggests that starting a dog training program in the state of Arizona could significantly benefit the state prison system, community and everyone involved.

"Hip Hop Narrative" is a creative project that interviews 20 undergraduate Arizona State University students, ranging in races, ages, grades, majors, and hometowns. The project is comprised of two elements: profiles plus headshots of each student, along with a video compilation. The profile interview questions were meant to uncover why undergraduate Arizona State University students listen to hip hop; more specifically, what they listen for in a beat, if they notice the lyrics, and if hip hop affects their lifestyle. For the video portion of the creative project, each student was asked to write what hip hop means to them in one word on a whiteboard and hold this word up; the goal of this activity was to challenge each student to concisely summarize a subject they frequently enjoy. Seven out of 20 respondents used the word "expression" to describe hip hop in one word. This project also exhibited interviewee's personality through responses and content. Although the interview questions stayed the same, each student responded differently. The profiles captured the essence, passion, and rawness behind the student's opinions of hip hop. The interviewed ranged from five to 20 minutes, with each one sharing a unique perspective of how hip hop has impacted them personally. This project did not have a hypothesis prior to execution. However, once the project was completed, five observations of general consensus were made about language, gender, the use of the N-word, beats, and lifestyle. Respondents did not find that hip hop language offended them enough to stop listening to the genre. Both female and male respondents were not offended by gender roles in hip hop. There were mixed opinions regarding the use of the N-word in hip hop songs. Hip hop did affect the way student's behave, dress, and talk, with the exception of a few students.

Animal shelters are a place of refuge for homeless dogs or those rescued from neglectful or abusive situations. There are countless animal shelters of various forms across the nation. However, when it comes to the welfare of dogs at these facilities, federal standards fall short. Reputable third-party organizations have created guidelines for shelters to assist them in providing adequate care for their animals. Yet, even these guidelines fail to incorporate several research findings that can potentially improve canine welfare and adoption chances. This three-part creative project focuses on investigating the welfare standards for shelter dogs. The first part of the project is a report that reviewed relevant literature to reveal several aspects of canine welfare that federal standards need to address, and made suggestions to improve federal standards based on these findings. It was found that, in terms of housing, federal guidelines should recommend larger primary enclosures and encourage compatible group housing. Regulations for sound levels in the shelter environment need to be put in place to reduce the stress and potential hearing damage caused by high noise levels. For diet purposes, standards should be raised to require the provision of high quality food. Enrichment, human interaction, and training should be integrated into shelter programs as required daily activities. The literature also indicates a need for further research into visitors of animal shelters to identify how shelters can improve visitors' experiences and increase adoptions. Finally, a discussion needs to be started discussing the ethics of keeping dogs confined in a shelter environment long-term, considering its impact on their overall welfare. The second part of the project involved compiling the findings from the report into a presentation for the staff of Lost Our Home Pet Rescue, a local animal shelter. Since Lost Our Home is in the process of planning a renovation of their facility, the presentation also included literature-based recommendations for the shelter's new facility to improve the overall welfare of the dogs in their care. The final part of this project is the author's personal reflection on the volunteer work she did at Lost Our Home over the course of this project.

This case study is intended to determine how a top-ranked journalism school approaches and emphasizes racial and ethnic diversity. The objective of the project is to evaluate the impacts of the school's overall efforts to emphasize diversity and inclusion. Most of the study is based on interactions with students, admissions directors, faculty and the administrative offices. There are at least four chapters of national diversity organizations including National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), and NLGJA (The Association of LGBTQ Journalists). The project was initiated by surveying members, executive boards and advisors of these chapters to gauge their expectations, experiences, and suggestions regarding the Cronkite School's concentration on diversity. The final presentation of results consists of digital articles in a blog format and literary reviews. LINK TO CREATIVE PROJECT: https://www.wcschooldiversity.com/