"You Aren't Alone": An Analysis of Trans Latinas' Use of Instagram.

Social media platforms, such as Instagram, provide space for marginalized groups to connect, learn about and express themselves, and cultivate community. Trans Latinas, a group target of violence and discrimination, resist by expressing themselves and building community through social media. As cisgender researchers, we explored how trans Latinas use #translatina on Instagram as a shared space to present themselves and their identities, to leverage this knowledge in our fields. We analyzed 134 posts in February and March of 2020 employing basic and interpretive content analyses while considering Goffman's theory of presentation of self. Results showed that trans Latinas mostly presented individually through posed selfies taken near the camera, using a straight camera angle, standing, not smiling, and making eye contact. Most users wore makeup, styled hair, and accessories. Analyzing written captions and photos, four themes were constructed to understand how trans Latinas presented their identities and connected with others: (1) expressions of beauty and femininity, (2) fostering community, (3) commercial or work, and (4) feeling good and confident. These results have implications for mental health and health promotion practices, as social media could serve as affirming spaces for trans Latinas to reinforce their self-determination, maintain a sense of self, and build community.

Independent learner as the ideal - normative representations of higher education students in film and television drama across Europe.

This article explores the normative representations of higher education students in seven films and television series from four European countries. Drawing on the concept of the 'independent learner' as an 'ideal construction', I demonstrate how these texts offer complex and at times paradoxical representations of who gets positioned as the 'ideal' student. Popular culture texts, such as those analysed here, I argue, contribute to framing normative understandings of students. As examples of public pedagogy, these representations have significant ramifications for the popular understanding of what it means to be a student in contemporary higher education.

Feminist retroviruses to white Sharia: Gender "science fan fiction" on 4Chan.

This article demonstrates-based on an interpretive discourse analysis of three types of memes (Rabid Feminists, Women's Bodies, Policy Ideas) and secondary thread discourse on 4chan's "Politically Incorrect" discussion board-two key findings: (1) the existence of a gendered hate based scientific discourse, "science fan fiction," in online spaces and (2) how gender "science fan fiction" is an outcome of the male supremacist cosmology, by producing and justifying resentment against white women as being both inherently untrustworthy (politically, sexually, intellectually) and dangerous. This perspective-which combines hatred and distrust of women with white nationalist anxieties about demographic shifts, racial integrity, and sexuality-then motivates misogynist policy ideas including total domination of women or their removal. 4chan users employ this discourse to "scientifically" substantiate claims of white male supremacy, the fundamental untrustworthiness of white women, and to argue white women's inherent threat to white male supremacist goals.

Autonomy and bioethics in fan responses to Orphan Black.

Viewers' responses to Orphan Black (2013-2017), a popular, genetics-themed sci-fi television series, reveal much about public understanding of the ethical challenges associated with genetic science. In this article, we assess how fans of Orphan Black process the bioethical themes that are prominent in the show through an analysis of 182 viewer-created blog posts. Using a mixed methods approach, our findings reveal that Orphan Black's fans distill the essence of the show down to its characters' fight for autonomy. Furthermore, fan blogs reveal two notable pathways through which this bioethical principle is explored: gender and reproduction. Viewers draw striking connections between the moral problems they observe on screen in Orphan Black and those they see in the real world-both today and in a possible future-particularly as those problems affect women. While existing scholarship acknowledges these themes in the show itself, our approach demonstrates science fiction fans' active participation in meaning-making and bioethical reasoning and offers a novel approach to studying fan-generated content for public understanding of science research.

Microbial pathogens in the movies.

Usually, show business depicts viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms as one of the worse menaces to mankind. Entertainment movies influence the way audiences understand and perceive these topics. Few films accurately portray the science of microbiology and its social implications. Movies and TV series often feature outbreaks of deadly diseases and the efforts of scientists and medical professionals to contain them. However, entertainment movies can also be used to educate the public about the importance and the impact that microorganisms have on our lives, helping to increase public awareness and appreciation of the world of microbiology. The aim of this review is to show the relationship between movies and microbiology, from the fight against diseases such as AIDS or tuberculosis, to the zombie apocalypse.

Exploring the Educational Value of Popular Culture in Web-Based Medical Education: Pre-Post Study on Teaching Jaundice Using "The Simpsons".

BACKGROUND: The potential of popular culture as a tool for knowledge delivery and enhancing engagement in education is promising but not extensively studied. Furthermore, concerns exist regarding learning fatigue due to increased reliance on videoconferencing platforms following the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure effective web-based teaching sessions that maintain attention spans and enhance understanding, innovative solutions are necessary. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the use of specific popular culture case studies to enhance student engagement in a web-based near-peer teaching session. METHODS: We delivered a web-based teaching session to undergraduate medical students in the United Kingdom. The session included clinical vignettes and single-best-answer questions using characters from "The Simpsons" television show as patient analogies for various causes of jaundice. A pre-post survey, employing a 7-point Likert scale, was distributed to gather data from participants. RESULTS: A total of 53 survey responses were collected. Participants reported significantly improved understanding of jaundice after the session compared to before the session (median 6, IQR 5-6 vs median 4, IQR 3-4.5; P<.001). The majority of participants agreed that the inclusion of "The Simpsons" characters enhanced their knowledge and made the teaching session more memorable and engaging (memorability: median 6, IQR 5-7; engagement: median 6, IQR 5-7). CONCLUSIONS: When appropriately integrated, popular culture can effectively engage students and improve self-perceived knowledge retention. "The Simpsons" characters can be used pedagogically and professionally as patient analogies to deliver teaching on the topic of jaundice.

Effects of using superheroes in an undergraduate human anatomy curriculum.

Students often find human anatomy courses to be difficult due to the large amount of content covered at a fast pace, which can result in students failing to retain pertinent information. Superheroes are at the forefront of today's popular culture, with many students identifying with specific characters. Utilizing aspects of students' lives, or their agency, that they can resonate with in the classroom, such as their interests in superheroes or personal connections to fictional characters, may help drive students' motivation to learn course content. This study investigated if the use of superheroes in an anatomy curriculum helped undergraduate students learn, apply, and improve their anatomical knowledge. Two courses at The Ohio State University-Columbus Campus, one with a superhero-based curriculum and one with a traditional anatomy curriculum were compared over three semesters using quizzes and survey data. Results from this project found that the use of superheroes/pop culture in anatomy education is an effective way to teach content. The study also showed that most students found the use of superheroes increased their motivation to learn, helped them gain a deeper understanding of the material, and helped them find the content more approachable and enjoyable. In summary, anatomy curricula can still be taught and explained through these creative and "marvel"-ous examples as it can help students connect the material to their own agency and drive motivation to learn.

Who makes AI? Gender and portrayals of AI scientists in popular film, 1920-2020.

It is well established both that women are underrepresented in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and that media representations of professions have impact on career choices and prospects. We therefore hypothesised that women are underrepresented in portrayals of AI researchers in influential films. We tested this by analysing a corpus of the 142 most influential films featuring AI from 1920 to 2020, of which 86 showed one or more AI researchers, totalling 116 individuals. We found that nine AI professionals in film were women (8%). We further found that none of the 142 AI films was solely directed by a woman. We discuss a number of explanations for the paucity of women AI scientists in the media, including parallels between film and real-life gender inequality, the construction of the AI scientist as male through gendered narrative tropes, and the lack of female directors.

Effeminate Gay Bottoms in the West: Narratives of Pussyboys and Boiwives on Tumblr.

Recent discussions of gay male bottom identity have been cautious about positioning bottoms in relation to a gendered identity, and thereby colluding with stereotypes about gay bottoms being effeminate and effeminate gays being bottoms. In wider LGBTQ media in Europe and North America there is an effort to destigmatize effeminate gay men in a dating culture that privileges "masc4masc." While this is welcome, it obscures the existence of effeminate gay bottom fantasies that are gender stratified and which insist on a connection between sex role preference, sex object choice, and gender presentation. This paper analyses sexual fantasy narratives on the social media platform, Tumblr, and interrogates a deep structure of gender-stratified male androphilia that finds thematic similarities in non-Western settings, where "egalitarian" or Western "gay" expressions of male same-sex unions compete with traditional "heterogender" forms. It concludes by reaffirming the need to consider gender positionality among gay bottoms' narratives in Western contexts, and for further research on Western gay men to recognize the heterogeneity of gay identities and experiences.

The Criminal Justice Activism of Naomi Osaka: A Case Study in the Criminology of Celebrity Culture.

This paper examines the criminal justice activism of tennis star Naomi Osaka as it evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding matters of police violence and racial justice. Calls to reform and defund the police received much attention in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020. The Floyd killing also motivated Naomi Osaka to begin her criminal justice activism, which has generally been very well received. Adopting a constructionist perspective, I investigate how Osaka's criminal justice activism has, in the broader context of the development of celebrity culture, been subjectively motivated and inter-subjectively received by the public and in the news media. Theoretically this paper has the two-fold objective of developing a model of the conditions favorable to the successful reception of celebrity activism and, additionally, of suggesting how such criminologically relevant activism can be understood in terms of a process of celebritization of criminal justice and police reform as causes worthy of attention. This case study of Osaka's criminal justice activism reveals the important role a celebrity can play in influencing public sentiments about key aspects of policing and crime control as an important element of criminal justice culture.

Can popular films instil carcinophobia? Images of cancer in popular Polish cinema.

Introduction: Although cancer is currently considered a serious socio-medical challenge and health education in Poland has been positioned as a public health priority, the impact of popular culture on people's ideas about cancer has been neglected. This study therefore aims to analyse the way popular Polish films portray cancer and the experience of cancer. Material and Methods: Seven popular Polish films featuring cancer were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The main categories included in the coding frame were disease, therapy, patient, physicians/oncologists and psychosocial issuses related to cancer. Results: Polish films fail to provide the audience with basic information about the disease, its diagnoses and treatment and cancer is often represented as a mysterious disease with an unclear cause, an unpredictable and unsuccessful course of treatment, characterised by pain, suffering and inevitable death. Films may therefore instil carcinophobia. Since films accurately reflect problems of daily life faced by cancer patients and their families they have educational potential. Conclusion: Although Polish films reinforce harmful stereotypes about cancer, its treatment, oncological institutions and specialists, cinema has the ability to raise the public's and health professionals' awareness regarding the psycho-social and emotional strains faced by cancer patients and the medical problems related to cancer.

Popular media and the bombardment of evolution misconceptions.

Background: Many students enter science classrooms with misconceptions about scientific principles. One of the most perceived controversial scientific principle for students is evolution. Students struggle to learn and accept evolution due to the many misconceptions students have interacted with before they enter a biology class. Evolution misconceptions come from many sources, such as religious beliefs, textbooks, and even unprepared educators. However, with students spending on average over seven hours a day viewing popular media, it is crucial to investigate further the accuracy of the portrayals of evolution in popular media. Results: We gathered data on the sources students saw evolution portrayed in popular media and determined what misconceptions were present in these popular media references. We found that 96% of the popular media references mentioned by students in our study inaccurately depicted evolution. The two most common misconceptions we observed in popular media were that evolution was depicted as a linear process and that individual organisms evolve instead of populations. Conclusion: Popular media does a poor job depicting evolution, which may be why many students are hesitant to learn evolution and overcome misconceptions. We suggest that these incorrect portrayals of evolution may provide an engaging way to teach correct evolutionary principles in the classroom.

Saúde mental, arte e desinstitucionalização: um relato estético-poético-teatral de uma ocupação da cidade / Mental health, art, and deinstitutionalization: an aesthetic-poetic-theatrical account of the city's occupation

Resumo Objetivou-se relatar a experiência de uma produção estética, poética e teatral de ocupação da cidade a partir de um dispositivo da Rede de Atenção Psicossocial, com vistas a oferecer espaço de sociabilidade, produção e intervenção cultural. Trata-se de um relato de experiência a partir do Centro de Convivência e Cultura (CECCO) de Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil, dentro do campo da desinstitucionalização da loucura e da saúde mental. A intervenção urbana "O Pequeno Príncipe ocupa a Ribeira" foi inspirada na obra do escritor Saint-Exupéry. Os atos artísticos e criativos relatados aconteceram em dezembro de 2019. Experimentamos nessa intervenção os alcances de uma clínica-estética que, ao se abrir para a rua e para a arte, se amplia e se tece no território, instrumentalizado pelo teatro, dança, poesia, percussão, artesanato e ocupação da cidade. O movimento gerou no coletivo um "descer do palco" em direção à rua e se conecta com a desconstrução do modelo manicomial e produção da clínica dos afetos que buscamos sustentar no cotidiano do serviço.

Abstract This study aimed to report the experience of an aesthetic, poetic, and theatrical production of the city's occupation from a device of the Psychosocial Care Network to offer space for sociability, production, and cultural intervention. This is an account of an experience from the Social and Cultural Center (CECCO) in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, within madness and mental health deinstitutionalization. The intervention "The Little Prince occupies the Ribeira" was inspired by the work of author Saint-Exupéry. The artistic and creative acts reported occurred in December 2019. We experienced in this intervention the reach of an aesthetic clinic that, when opened to the street and art, expanded and weaved in the territory, instrumentalized by theater, dance, poetry, percussion, crafts, and city's occupation. The movement led the community to "step down from the stage" to the streets and is connected with the twist of the asylum model and the production of the affection clinic that we seek to sustain in the daily service.

The landscape of disaster film, 2000-20.

The general public's understanding of disasters is influenced by the portrayal of such events in popular culture. Disaster films have remained a core attraction in this regard. A systematic assessment of the most recent disaster film cycle (that is, from January 2000-December 2019) is warranted, therefore, to gain insights into the current landscape of the genre and to comprehend better the imagery that people encounter onscreen. This study evaluated 173 disaster films and found that most depict natural hazards and global catastrophes despite films about monsters and smaller-scale disasters being the most popular. It provides a foundation for future research on the relevance of disaster films to disaster scholarship and emergency management practice. And it offers a starting point to analyse the role of disaster films in shaping the meaning and experience of disasters, generally, and the layperson's understanding of disasters and emergency management, including expectations of responder agencies and organisations.

Recreational burlesque and the aging female body: challenging perceptions.

Rejecting the association between aging and asexuality that persists in the UK's cultural representation of the female aging body, this paper reveals the importance of sensuality and maintaining physical agency to older women. It pays attention to the phenomena of participating in recreational burlesque classes to counter and negotiate potentially negative representations. Through in-depth interviews and researcher-as-participant observation, the paper explores the transformative possibilities mediated through participating in theatrically glamorized performance classes and the processes thereby initiated. The author examines the potential of burlesque to offer improvements to wellbeing and healthier self-perceptions for aging women experiencing marginalization through social invisibility.

Ginástica para Todos e cultura popular: (re)conhecimento e valorização de manifestações populares / Gymnastics for all and popular culture: (re)cognizing and valuing regional manifestations / Gymnasia para todos y cultura popular: (re)conociendo y valorizando las manifestaciones regionales

Objetivo: analisaro conhecimento sobre cultura e manifestações populares regionais em um grupo de Ginástica para Todos (GPT) vinculado a uma extensão universitária que propôs dialogar com as referidas temáticas quando da composição de uma coreografia. Metodologia: aplicaram-se dois questionários com perguntas abertas e fechadas no início e término do semestre, aos 32 integrantes participantes do projeto que foram analisados por tabulação simples e Análise Temática. Resultados e discussão: sobre o conhecimento acerca das culturas populares regionais, os integrantes citaram 53 tipos de manifestações no questionário pré-projeto, sendo os locais onde tomaram conhecimento também variados (18). Após participação no projeto, esses números foram maiores: 71 manifestações das culturas populares regionais reconhecidas em 24 locais diferentes (aumento de 33% e 30% respectivamente). Comparativamente, o conceito de cultura popular incorporou questões pessoais, mas também amenizou a sua relação com a baixa condição socioeconômica. Conclusões: propostas de GPT podem promover espaços tanto para discussão sobre a diversidade da cultura regional, quanto para o fomento de experiências de produção e recepção (ativa) artística, auxiliando não só na disseminação cultural, mas também no processo de superação e autovalorização pelo caminho do fortalecimento da cultura.

Objectives:to analyzethe knowledge about culture and popular regional manifestations in a group of Gymnastics for All (GfA) linked to a university extension that proposed to dialogue with these themes when composing a choreography. Methodology:two questionnaires with open and closed questions were applied at the beginning and end of the semester, to the 32 members participating in the project, which were analyzed by simple tabulation and Thematic Analysis. Results and discussion: regarding knowledge about regional popular cultures, the members mentioned 53 types of manifestations in the pre-project questionnaire, and the places where they learned were also varied (18). After participating in the project, these numbers were higher: 71 manifestations of popular regional culturesrecognized in 24 different locations (increase of 33% and 30% respectively). Comparatively, the concept of popular culture incorporated personal issues, but also softened its relationship with low socioeconomic status. Conclusion: GfA proposals can promote spaces both for discussion about the diversity of regional culture and for the promotion of experiences of (active) artistic production and reception, helping not only in cultural dissemination, but also in the process of overcoming and self-appreciationthrough the path of strengthening of culture

Objetivo: analizarlos saberes sobre cultura y manifestaciones populares regionales en un grupo de Gimnasia para Todos (GPT) vinculado a una extensión universitaria que se proponía dialogar con estos temas al componer una coreografía. Metodología:se aplicaron dos cuestionarios con preguntas abiertas y cerradas al inicio y al final del semestre, a los 32 integrantes participantes del proyecto, los cuales fueron analizados mediante tabulación simple y Análisis Temática. Resultados y discusión: en cuanto al conocimiento sobre las culturas populares regionales, los integrantes mencionaron 53 tipos de manifestaciones en el cuestionario del anteproyecto, siendo también variados los lugares donde aprendieron (18). Luego de participar en el proyecto, estos números fueron mayores: 71 manifestaciones de culturas populares regionales reconocidas en 24 localidades diferentes (aumento del 33% y 30% respectivamente). Comparativamente, el concepto de cultura popular incorporó cuestiones personales, pero también suavizó su relación con el nivel socioeconómico bajo. Conclusión: las propuestas de GPT pueden promover espacios tanto para la discusión sobre la diversidad de la cultura regional como para la promoción de experiencias de producción y recepción artística (activa), ayudando no solo en la difusión cultural, sino también en el proceso de superación y autovaloración a través del camino de fortalecimiento de la cultura.

Popular cultural representations of postfeminist religiosity in the International Christian Fellowship: an analysis of the "Ladies Lounge 2021" webpage.

Femininity and female gender roles in conservative religious environments are highly disputed topics both within communities of faith and in sociological discourse. In light of social transformations of gender perceptions in the past decades, conservative Christians have had to reevaluate traditional understandings of womanhood in societies that have become steeped in popular culture and thoroughly mediatized. Taking this development as a point of departure, this article examines how femininity is represented in the International Christian Fellowship, particularly on its "Ladies Lounge" webpage. Advertising an annual event geared exclusively towards women, the website's landing page contains images and text that we examine by means of visual and textual sequence analysis. Our research results reveal that women are depicted as sensually attractive and self-confidently professional while at the same time being relegated to an exclusively female sphere within (but not beyond) which they wield authority and influence. As such, femininity is represented as self-empowering, but only within a specific, postfeminist framework. This ambivalent depiction of women's agency challenges conservative Evangelical values at the same time as it affirms them. In this sense, the study contributes the growing body of literature on gender and Evangelicalism.

The Problem is Not Monsters: The FRANKENCON Panel on Science and Ethics.

In November of 2019, the University of California Santa Cruz hosted a 3-day interdisciplinary conference to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the publication of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. A panel of senior researchers convened to discuss the impact of the novel on modern discussions of scientific ethics. The panel featured Nandini Bhattacharya, George Blumenthal, Michael M. Chemers, David Haussler, and Jenny Reardon. In the process, the panelists acted as the Institutional Review Board for a proposal from Victor Frankenstein himself.

Anatomists Assemble! Integrating superheroes into the anatomy and physiology classroom.

Anatomy and physiology courses are sometimes seen as difficult, which can lead to a lack of motivation in students to learn and engage in the course material. Students may also see the material as "dry," have issues forming personal connections, or struggle to connect the content to the real world. These issues may lead to students not performing well in the course or feeling that the health field is not ideal for them. Popular culture, especially mainstream superheroes, can serve as an option for mending these gaps by being a gateway to connecting to many students' lives. Superheroes can be integrated into the classroom through relevant, creative, and unique examples that include clinical correlates, modern scientific innovations, and some real-life "supers" living among us. Real anatomy and physiology can still be taught and explained through discussing these "incredible" examples and also present an opportunity for students to be creative in generating their own anatomical and physiological explanations for various superpowers. Superheroes also help open the classroom up to being a place of acceptance, primarily through their secret identities, which cover a broad range of idols that students can look up to, whether it is their career or based on a character's race or sexual orientation. Professors can become the superhero in their classroom and help students become more engaged and interested in the material.