Media Coverage of the Klamath Dam Removal

Jessie Cretser-Hartenstein, Journalism & Mass Communication Faculty

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This study examines media representations of the removal of the Klamath Dam, a development in Northern California's Indigenous land restoration efforts. Recognizing the historical underrepresentation of Indigenous voices in mainstream media, this research analyzes local coverage of the Klamath dam removal project by Humboldt County's leading news organizations: North Coast Journal, Times-Standard, and Lost Coast Outpost.

Media Coverage of the Opioid Epidemic in Humboldt County

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This study focuses on media coverage of the opioid epidemic. We analyzed local media coverage from 2013-2018 in the Times-Standard, North Coast Journal, and Lost Coast Outpost. The study is inspired by cultivation theory, which indicates that prolonged exposure to mediated messages influence how people perceive reality. Results indicate that the majority of articles containing the term “heroin” are focused on crime rather than a health, legislation, community engagement, or other key factors that could potentially affect the future outcome of this epidemic.

Mediated Representations of Romance in Popular Culture

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The concept of romance is mass produced in American popular culture. Television audiences consume a myriad of mediated representations of courtships and relationships in fictional, and often unrealistic, tales of true love. Over the past 25 years, reality dating shows have blurred the line between fact & fiction, creating a new platform for delivering the mediated messages that shape the hearts and minds of viewers across the country. This study utilizes content analysis and survey research to examine portrayals of romance on reality TV.

Millennials' Redefinition of "Career"

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Today, as the Millennial Generation attend and complete college, enter the workforce and start their careers—research suggests that they are redefining the “traditional” values of individualism, entrepreneurship, and materialism that convey “success” in their chosen fields. The argument of this article is that the teaching of career preparation at the university level must also change. Therefore, this article will explore the question of how to teach “career” curriculum to a generation that arguably has very different values in the small, rural context of Humboldt State University.

Miné Okubo: Art as Social Commentary and Cultural Expression

Ariana Mallery, Art + Film Undergraduate Student

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

I was assigned to do a research paper in my capstone art history class (410W). This poster explores the life and art of Miné Okubo, highlighting her experiences as an artist and her commitment to using art as a tool for social commentary and cultural expression. Okubo's journey is traced from her early artistic training with Fernand Léger in Paris to her internment in the Topaz camp during World War II and her subsequent artistic endeavors.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

When Oliphant v. Suquamish was passed it completely changed the paradigm in rape cases. It created a legal loophole for perpetrators to escape without punishment due to a jurisdictional power shift to federal governance. This allows more sexual assaults and abductions on reservations because there is not readily accessible or adequate repercussions for the behavior of rapists. The exploitation of mother earth’s resources can be related to the violation and objectification of Native American bodies as both were violated by the settler state.

More Than a Store: Culture and Food in Hoopa Valley

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The purpose of this research is to attempt to enhance the sense of culture and place in the interior design of the Hoopa Grocery Store that is currently in the planning process and is to be completed by this summer in Hoopa, CA. This is part of my senior capstone service learning project in support of Greenway Partners, a local project management firm, and their work with the Hoopa Valley Tribe. I am using a combination of historical imagery, Google Earth imagery, contemporary photos, Hupa tribal patterns and language, and maps to incorporate the unique and authentic sense of place of Hoopa Valley into the store as a symbol of the culture revitalization and survivance of the Hupa people.

Motion Sickness: An Evolutionary Analysis

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Motion sickness is a condition that has no apparent evolutionary advantage, yet it persists in many species. Research has revealed the mechanisms that cause motion sickness, but there is no consensus or agreement in the scientific literature regarding its evolutionary origins. Some research suggests that motion sickness is an evolutionary byproduct of our biological response against neurotoxins. Others propose that it functions as some kind of defense mechanism against unfavorable motion and promotes visual-spatial stability. Exploring the evolutionary origins of motion sickness will provide a better understanding of how modern environments can cause physiological miscues.

My Protein Bars are Gendered

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Did you know that most protein bars are gendered? DeFrancisco, V. L., & Palczewski, C. H. wrote that “communication creates gender, gender does not create communication,” and this is especially evident when looking at the difference in protein bars. Protein bars like the Clif bar and Luna bar are socially constructed to appear feminine or masculine. This is done by playing to cultural feminine ideals, by the packaging of the product itself, and by the rhetoric associated with each product.

My Self, My Community, My World

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

The LSEE 380 pilot class has been working in South Fortuna the past semester, working with 3rd and 4th graders on the concepts of Social Justice. We have asked the classes to help us determine the problems they see around their selves, community, and world. We asked "what would you do to change the problems around you?" This is the outcome...