Pandemic Studies

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Newspaper Coverage and Reader Response to Covid-19 Reports

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Ibiere Cookey1 Michael O. Ukonu2 Emeka S. Orekye3 Olanrewaju Mgboji4

1Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Email: ibiere.cookey@unn.edu.ng

2 Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Email: michael.ukonu@unn.edu.ng

 3Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

4 (Corresponding Author) Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Email: olanrewaju.mgboji@unn.edu.ng

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 15, Issue 1, April-May, 2023. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v15n1.08
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Abstract

Studies attest to the importance of official languages in health communication in multilingual societies. However, the challenge lies in using an official language in ways that enable both majority and minority language speakers to identify with their sociocultural orientations when using a lingua franca. With the emergence of Covid-19, this challenge has come to the forefront following surveys on citizen responses to health messages. The study examines the themes, narrative viewpoints, language modes of newspaper reports on Covid-19, and reader responses to these reports. We aim to determine the implications of reader response on the credibility, severity, and transmissibility of Covid-19. The contents of three Nigerian newspapers (The Guardian, Punch, and Premium Times) were analyzed using quantitative and discourse analysis. The results showed that the themes of newspaper reports focused on challenges, progress made, preparedness, and containment measures. The language mode was predominantly negative, using fear appeals. Audience responses followed the same themes as the newspapers but demonstrated a remarkable shift in narrative viewpoint and language mode, which in Nigerian style English indicated low source credibility, ethnic divisions, and the denial of the severity and transmissibility of Covid-19. Readers’ responses to newspaper coverage of Covid-19 reinforce the view among scholars that trust in information sources is linked to attitudes toward health risks.

Keywords: Covid-19, language, newspapers, reader response, health

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Racial Prejudice and Gender Discrimination against Northeast Indians amidst COVID-19

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Debbie Lalrinawmi1 & Shuchi2
1Research Scholar, Department of Basic Sciences & Humanities Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Mizoram. Email id: debbierinawmi91@gmail.com
2Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Sciences & Humanities Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Mizoram. Email id: shuchi.hss@nitmz.ac.in

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.32
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Abstract

The outburst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely racialized. With its origin rooted in China, Asians across the globe experienced labelling to be responsible for the pandemic. Asians or mongoloid looking individuals suffered discrimination, and contempt worldwide. In India, the pandemic restored and re-established the social problem i.e. racialism against the Northeast Indians which has been tackled over the years. While most of the Indians have non-mongoloid looks, the Northeast Indians are mainly Asiatic race. As such, they have Asian looks though Indian in blood. The fight of the Northeast Indians has been double. They have to fight against the virus as everyone, and against the negative mindset of their fellow Indians against them. The Indian government, as such, promptly established a committee to look into the matter. But there has been no law against it which makes it hard to act accordingly. Besides the racial affliction, there existed gender discrimination which doubled the affliction of the women of northeast Indians.

Keywords: Racism; gender discrimination; Covid-19; Northeast Indian

Plague, Nature, Planetary Future: A Posthumanist Reading of The Scarlet Plague

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Xinshuo Zhou1 & Quan Wang2
1English Department, Beihang University. Email: 1014261746@qq.com
2Professor of English and Comparative Literature, English Department, Beihang University. ORCID: 0000-0001-5848-4368. Email: wangquanheming@126.com

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.28
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Abstract

This article proposes a posthumanist reading of Jack London’s The Scarlet Plague, and argues that to secure a sustainable planetary future, human beings should understand the posthumanist nature of the world, and learn to respect nature. This article investigates two kinds of worlds, showing a preference for the posthumanist one after the plague over the anthropocentric one before the plague. In the anthropocentric world, the life of human beings is heavily industrialized and isolated from nature, and this causes disaster. However, in the posthumanist world, everything follows natural laws. Human beings are no longer dominators of the world, but share the planet with the nonhuman. In this way, both the human and the nonhuman survive and prosper. Thus, posthumanist thinking provides human beings with a way to make sustainable developments and to build a bright future.

Keywords: posthumanism, anthropocentrism, plague, nature

Gender Equality in the Posters Designed for Covid 19 Prevention

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Ani Atsharyan1, Tatevik Paytyan2, Artashes Melikyan3 & Ashot Baghdasaryan4
1Associate Professor, National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, Yerevan, ORCID: 0000-0002-1450-6331. Email: ani-acharyan@mail.ru.
2Associate Professor, National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, Yerevan, ORCID: 0000-0001-7805-3880. Email: paytyantatevik@gmail.com.
3Professor, National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, Yerevan, ORCID: 0000-0001-8961-5447. Email: artashesmelikyan@rambler.ru.
4Professor, National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia, Yerevan, ORCID: 0000-0002-5475-9659. Email: armdesignunion@yahoo.com.

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.27
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Abstract

Since the Covid-19 eruption in 2020 designers from all over the world started to concentrate their efforts to increase the awareness of the population through visual methods and prevent the spread of the disease. As the germ itself is invisible to the naked eye, graphic designers created an iconic visual identity 3D image of a particle, which became the widespread inspiration for future propaganda and informational posters. Furthermore, the visualization of the virus particle was not enough to influence the wide scope of people; thus, the new problem for designers became to make such posters that could reveal virus vs human “relations”, taking into account gender characteristics as well. The article consists of analytical research on gender-based graphic design’s role in the prevention of viruses throughout history. The main problem is how graphic design projects influence the decrease of the virus spread and how gender equality-cantered design contributes to it. First time in the article are presented the basic principles of poster design considered for all genders to present the serious message of the urgent prevention of the virus. In the article, the works of designers are analysed and reviewed as well. The significance of the article is emphasizing the importance of gender equality in design visualization to increase the influence of them on people’s behaviour.

Keywords: Covid-19, gender equality, pandemic, design, visual communication, poster design, signs.

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Social Media and COVID -19 Pandemic: Accelerating the Learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL)

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624 views

Tawhida Akhter
Assistant Professor, Department of English Literature, College of Sciences and Literature in Sajir, Shaqra University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ORCID: 0000-0003-4149-4855. Email: tawhida@su.edu.sa

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.24
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

COVID-19 began in China (2019) and spread to other nations and become a world pandemic (2020). The news media and social media platforms have played an important role in information dissemination about the Coronavirus throughout the world. During COVID-19 Pandemic, social media has become a key tool for enhancing social networking and information sharing via the web. As more people turn to the internet for health information, social media platforms are helping to spread life-saving precautions that individuals, families, and communities may take to reduce their chance of contracting the virus. Language learners are linked to interactive social media platforms in Social Media Language Learning. The goal of this study was to look at the role of social media during COVID in foreign language acquisition. The participants in this study were Saudi Arabian college students. The study’s sample comprised 200 (n=200) college students, and the social media platforms investigated included Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat and other platforms. Questionnaires were used to collect the data. The results indicated that the students used various social media platforms in order to get the appropriate information about the virus which indirectly helped and motivated them to learn a new language. These learners lack the self-motivation needed to use social media to develop their English language abilities. The study discovered that adopting online social media during a pandemic for English language learning had a significant impact on interactions with peers and teachers.

Keywords: Social Media, COVID-19 Pandemic, popularity, information, Youtube, Twitter, Fecebook, Instragram. EFL Learning.

Preparing Students for Post Covid-19 Transnational Study with Unassisted Repeated Reading and Extensive Reading Materials

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Ngô, T. T. Vân1 & John R. Baker2
1Binh Duong University, Thu Dau Mot City, Vietnam. Email: nttvan@bdu.edu.vn
2Faculty of Foreign Languages, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. ORCID: 0000-0003-3379-4751. Email: drjohnrbaker@tdtu.edu.vn

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.20
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Abstract

As Covid-19 restrictions promise to loosen and international borders begin to open, transnational students are again preparing for language education abroad. However, due to students’ low reading rates (RRs), target institutions’ courses’ large reading demands pose potential challenges to students’ success. To address this, this study explored the potential of employing an unassisted repeated reading procedure (rate build-up, RBU) to increase prospective transnational students’ RRs. The study investigated the RBU procedure’s potential with this population by comparing the procedure’s effects on traditional degree-seeking learners’ RRs in a Taiwanese university setting and those of potential transnationals targeted for studies in a similar setting. Assessing each group’s pre and post-reading gains using inferential statistics, significant reading gains and large Cohen d effect sizes were found for both groups, indicating the generalizability of this procedure. It was further found that students with higher starting RRs demonstrated greater gains. Limitations and suggestions for further research are also addressed.

Keywords: repeated reading, rate build-up reading, transnational students, EFL, replication, audio-assisted, unassisted

An Investigation into Teacher Preparedness for Emergency Remote Teaching in the Context of Vietnam

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Dao Nguyen Anh Duc
Ho Chi Minh City University of Banking, Vietnam. ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6349-8190. Email id: ducdna@hub.edu.vn

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.17 
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Abstract

This study examined the preparation English teachers in Vietnam had for Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, it investigated the levels of confidence teachers had about their pedagogical and technological knowledge. It also looked at their attitudinal readiness and the institutional support offered to them. Ninety-seven teachers of English in the southern areas of the country, which were severely hit by the fourth wave of the pandemic from May to September 2021, were invited to complete an online survey. The responses were analyzed descriptively, and item-level means were calculated to identify teachers’ greatest challenges and the instructional aspects they found most confident about during ERT. Cross tabulations were also employed to compare different groups of teachers’ readiness to teach online. The results showed that English teachers in the affected areas perceived themselves to be relatively prepared for the swift transition to online teaching and substantially positive about their pedagogical approach to lesson delivery in the virtual environment. Regarding technological know-how, they exploited various ready-made resources but were unknowledgeable about authoring software and uncertain of how to use technological tools effectively. They also reported receiving little support from their superiors and authorities.

Keywords: teacher preparedness, teacher readiness, ERT, pedagogical knowledge, technological knowledge

Narratives of Plague in Arab Societies through the Lens of Select Western Travelers

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Mashhoor Abdu Al-Moghales1, Abdel-Fattah M. Adel2, Suhail Ahmad3, Monir A Choudhury4, Abdul R. JanMohamed5
1Department of English, College of Arts, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia. ORCID: 0000-0001-7984-5388. Email: mamohammad@ub.edu.sa
2Department of English, College of Arts, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia.  ORCID: 0000-0001-7968-8167. Email: aadeal@ub.edu.sa
3Department of English, College of Arts, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia.  ORCID: 0000-0001-6611-2484. Email: suhailahmed@ub.edu.sa
4Department of English, College of Arts, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia. Email: monirchy@ub.edu.sa.
5Department of English, University of California, Berkeley, USA. Email: abduljm@berkeley.edu

Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 14, Issue 4, December, 2022. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v14n4.11 
Abstract Full-Text PDF Issue Access

Abstract

To examine the narratives of plagues in Arab societies, the paper, along with the postcolonial perspectives, uses the concepts like ‘empathy’ or ‘detached concern’ to bring fresh and new understanding of the travel texts. It selected John Antes’ Observations on the Manners and Customs of the Egyptians, the Overflowing of the Nile and its Effects (1800) and Richard F. Burton’s Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to El-Medinah and Meccah (1857) for the study. The paper analyses their narratives to understand their approaches in describing the ‘native’ Arab societies. The key findings show that while Burton tends to construct the people and their culture as ‘the Other’ although his mode of presentation tends to follow a mode of ‘detached concern’, Antes is, on the other hand, more objective but stood by the plague-infected people in empathy. The findings show that these Western travellers considered the concept of predestination, lack of quarantine, lack of sanitation, mass gatherings during the plague, and the unscientific local treatments as the root causes of the spread of the plagues among the ‘natives’.

Keywords: Plague, Orientalism, Travelogues, Arab Land, Empathy, detached concern

Tertiary Teachers Strike (TTS) and e-Learning Deficit amidst Covid-19 Crisis in Nigeria

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Victor Okoro Ukaogo1, Florence Onyebuchi Orabueze2 & Chika Kate Ojukwu3

1PhD, Professor, Department of History and International Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Corresponding Author. Email: victor.ukaogo@unn.edu.ng

2PhD, Professor, Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Email: florence.Orabueze@unn.edu.ng,

3PhD, Lecturer, Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria Nsukka. Email: chika.ojukwu@unn.edu.ng

 Volume 13, Number 3, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n3.21

PlumX Metrics

Abstract

Amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic across the world and the debilitating tertiary teachers strike in Nigeria, this study’s objective seeks to examine the prevailing un-lived experiences of Nigerian tertiary students in e-learning. The study argues that Covid-19 has widened the digital divide between Nigerian universities and other universities in other parts of the world on the one hand and between public and private tertiary institutions in Nigeria on the other. This e-learning deficit is worsened by university teachers’ strikes, constituting a twin inhibition into which higher education is consigned in Nigeria. The study identifies poor funding of education as a major constraint to virtual learning and instruction faced by public tertiary students especially in the era of the pandemic. Data collection for the study will be carried out through oral interviews basically focus group discussion (FGD) from a sample population of 50 university students (male and female) in three universities across the southeast region of Nigeria, newspaper reports, and participant-observer methods of research analysis.

Keywords: e-learning; tertiary teachers, public universities, private universities, education; Covid-19; ASUU strike, vaccine nationalism

Sexual Violence and the Plights of Internally Displaced Persons During the Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Nigeria

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Joy Nneka U. Ejikeme1, Iwundu Ifeanyi E.2 & Ogechi Cecilia Ukaogo3

1PhD, Lecturer in Humanities, Humanities Unit, School of General Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Email: joy.ejikeme@unn.edu.ng

2Senior Research Fellow, Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Email: Iwundu.ifeanyi@unn.edu.ng

3Staff, Careers Unit, Registrar’s Office, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Email: oukaogo@gmail.com

 Volume 13, Number 3, 2021 I Full-Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v13n3.19

PlumX Metrics

Abstract

This paper examines the new vista opened by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic specifically the issue of rape criminality in Nigeria. Regrettably, Covid-19 lockdown saw to the different dimensions to rape crime which is the household rape. In addition, this study beams its searchlight on the most vulnerable group; women and girl children affected by the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown especially those that were Internally Displaced from their homes, the IDPs. Furthermore, this study observes that the lockdown in Nigeria resulted in many deaths and injuries on the verge of enforcing the Covid-19 lockdown rules. Relevant materials for this paper have been sourced from newspapers, online publications in journals, and books while the descriptive method of analysis has been adopted.

Keywords: Rape Criminality, Sexual Violence, Covid-19, Pandemic and Internally Displaced Persons.