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Gender Dependence And Attitudes Toward The Distribution Of Household Labor: A Comparative And Multilevel Analysis, Sheri L. Kunovich, Robert M. Kunovich

Sociology Research

We use comparative and multilevel methods to examine attitudes toward the distribution of household labor in 32 countries. We test hypotheses derived from Baxter and Kane’s (1995) gender dependence theory, which suggests complex relationships between societal-level gender dependence, individual-level gender dependence, and gender attitudes. Country-level data are from the United Nations and survey data are from the International Social Survey Programme’s 2002 Family and Changing Gender Roles III module. Our analysis is among the first to combine societal and individual indicators of gender dependence using multilevel modeling and to test for cross-level interactions between societal and individual gender dependence. Results …

Elder Abuse Identification And Intervention: Final Report To Blue Cross-Blue Shield Of Michigan Foundation, Mary C. Sengstock

Sociology Faculty Research Publications

In 2006 through 2008, Dr. Mary Cay Sengstock held a grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation to study the effectiveness of the current system for identifying and assisting abused elders in the State of Michigan.

This document presents the Final Report of the project. It can serve as a model, not only for the State of Michigan, but for other states regarding the mechanisms which are effective in identifying and assisting abused elders, as well as the problems and dilemmas which may arise.

Male Survivors: Walking The Tightrope Of Masculinity, Luke Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual assault of men is a serious social problem and has drawn well deserved attention from many different researchers as well as the general public. Even though there is much concern and interest in this troubling crime, limited research has been conducted on the long-term effects of sexual abuse on male survivors. Using data collected by the Virginia Department of Health, this study investigated the effects of sexual abuse of men. Specifically, this inquiry examined specific emotional and physical conditions as potential consequences of sexual victimization among men and the extent to which those conditions vary between male victims and …

The Face Of Society, Roger D. Clark, Alex Nunes

Faculty Publications

We have updated Ferree and Hall's (1990) study of the way gender and race are constructed through pictures in introductory sociology textbooks. Ferree and Hall looked at 33 textbooks published between 1982 and 1988. We replicated their study by examining 3,085 illustrations in a sample of 27 textbooks, most of which were published between 2002 and 2006. We found important areas of progress in the presentation of both gender and race as well as significant areas of stasis. The face of society we found depicted in contemporary textbooks was distinctly less likely to be that of a white man, very …

Graduate Training In Sociological Theory And Theory Construction, Barry N. Markovsky

Faculty Publications

Nearly all of sociology's top graduate training programs require their students to complete one or two courses on sociological theory. The instructors for these courses have an extraordinary opportunity to affect the perspectives and practices of future generations of scholars. This study assesses the backgrounds, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of those instructors regarding different approaches to theorizing, with particular attention paid to topics related to science and to theory construction. Sociologists who teach required theory courses in the discipline's top fifty graduate training programs were asked a series of questions pertaining to their own training and to the courses they …

The Increase Of Bipolar Disorder In Children And Adolescents, Kristen Wroblewski

Social Work Theses

This cluster study investigates the different possibilities that may have caused an increase in the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in children and adolescents, including comparison to diagnosis in other countries. The same criteria for diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder for adults are used for children and adolescents, which may be misdiagnosed due to other disorders having the same characteristics, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the cluster study, current and past students’ files at an alternative school were analyzed to determine whether the diagnosis had increased within the setting. Main findings were that Bipolar Disorder did increase over the …

Social Movements In Organizations, Mikaila M. L. Arthur

Faculty Publications

This article reviews the literature on social movements within organizations such as colleges and universities, corporations, religious orders, and governmental agencies. It brings together work from disparate fields to advance an understanding of how movements happen within organizations to introduce students and scholars to the promise of such research.

The Relationship Between Parental Substance Abuse And The Effects On Young Children, Lindsey Capaldi

Social Work Theses

This was a relational study investigating the implications of a parents drug use on a young child’s life. A review of the literature revealed that a child is severely impacted by their parent’s drug and alcohol abuse. Prenatal or postnatal use of drugs or alcohol can mean health, mental, social and emotional issues for a child. The relational study compared children whose parents have a history of drug or alcohol abuse to the children whose parents did not. The sample was observed in the Head Start setting and consisted of 77 children. The children whose family life did not include …

Foster Youth And The "Aging Out" Age In Rhode Island, Kelsey Creeden

Social Work Theses

Foster care is a temporary placement of children and youth with others outside of their home due to child abuse or neglect. Since its 19th century origins, the foster care system has evolved to focus on three goals of providing safety, well-being, and permanency until the child leaves the system, either by reunification, adoption, or “aging out”. Because these youth often “age out” without a home, job, or support system, programs such as the Life Skills Program and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative are working toward providing this population with skills that will assist them in successfully aging out …

The Lack Of Mental Health Professionals And Services For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Kiley Morgart

Social Work Theses

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing are vulnerable to abuse and are not receiving proper care at an early age due to their parents’ negative reactions towards having a child who has a hearing impairment. The lack of proper care and their vulnerability to abuse puts these children at a high risk of not developing properly. A qualitative study was undertaken using interviews to find services/agencies that provide help to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in Rhode Island. Findings indicate that there is a sufficient amount of service for parents but these parents …

Effective Interventions For Treating Superficial Self Mutilators, Maria Palladini

Social Work Theses

Self-cutting is the most common form of self-mutilation in adolescents but there is insufficient knowledge as to which treatment methods to reduce self-mutilation are most effective. This exploration into the causes of self-cutting and the treatment interventions, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), compares adolescents who had DBT treatment with those who have used other treatment methods. Research findings indicate that the average age of adolescents in treatment was 15 years old and had been in treatment at least one time prior. Adolescents in DBT treatment showed signs in reducing/stopping self-cutting behavior along with improving communication skills with caregivers. Implications …

The Need For Gender And Age Specific Life Skill Groups, Sara Pateras

Social Work Theses

Adolescent life skill groups can strengthen self-esteem, develop appropriate body image, and improve peer and adult relationships while providing a sense of unity and support for its members. By separating boys and girls, adolescent life skill groups encourage the easeful gender specific discussions. This research investigated the effectiveness of adolescent girls’ life skill groups on increasing self-esteem, developing appropriate body image, and improving both peer and romantic relationships. This research evaluated the results of a pre-test and post-test administered to 174 participants in a life skill group ran by Big Sisters of Rhode Island. This study found that the average …

A Call For The Spiritual Dimension To Be Included In Social Work Education, Stephanie Sullivan

Social Work Theses

Spirituality is a concept that is not easily definable and because of that, many people shy away from fully understanding how one’s belief system can affect other factors in life. As a professional social worker, it is one’s duty to look at the whole individual because every system is intertwined with another. When pondering over whether or not aspects of spirituality is used in everyday social work practice, one must ask the question about the worker’s view on spirituality. This qualitative research study shows how spirituality in social work is arguably important both personally and professionally in the profession. After …

Confronting Death: Co-Infection With Hiv/Aids And Hepatitis C, Ian Parker

Social Work Theses

This paper discusses a qualitative study completed by the researcher revealing the need for assistance for people living with a co-infection of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. It is the role of a social worker to assist this at-risk population. Services must be made available to those co-infected, including courses on end of life coping skills, substance abuse, stigma, and depression and anxiety. Included in this article is a study that documents qualitative data from clients at a Drop-in Center in Providence, Rhode Island for people living with HIV/AIDS. The data proved inconclusive with regards to co-infection and death and dying, …

Social Work With Affluent And Low-Income Families: Attribution Theory, Katharine Terbush

Social Work Theses

A study to assess attribution theory and the work done by social workers with wealthy and poor families was performed using two vignettes identical in information suggesting abuse, with one described as a wealthy family and the other a family living in poverty. Attribution theory suggests that humans label and assume certain traits to be true of different persons based on their status in our society. A person with a wealthy status may be viewed by their social worker as less likely to be abusive to their children because of their status, while a person living in poverty would be …

Issues Regarding The Peruvian Maternal And Child Healthcare System, Patrick Cassidy

Social Work Theses

This paper highlights the deficiencies of the Peruvian Healthcare system. Despite the treaties and covenants the Peruvian government has signed, it has done little to mitigate the ills of its broken healthcare system. Peru’s current healthcare system is characterized by inequality between women, children, the poor and the wealthy. Furthermore, there is a lack of accessibility to maternal and child healthcare services that violates every individual’s right to health. The Peruvian government has been unresponsive towards the needs of women, children, and rural culture. Ineffective non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been incapable of alleviating Peru’s broken system. Additionally, Peru has not …

The Role Of Elementary School Physical Activity In Combating Childhood Obesity, Bridget Freeman

Social Work Theses

Childhood obesity is currently on the rise because of the lack of emphasis on physical activity, overeating and malnutrition; it has especially been escalating in children of low income families. Physical education and recess in elementary and high schools are being eliminated or reduced as the requirements of the “No Child Left Behind Act”. This study compared the opportunities available to exercise in eleven low income, medium income, high income, and private elementary schools hypothesizing that low Socioeconomic status children may be at greater risk due to the cost of healthy food, neighborhood safety, and issues restricting at home physical …

The Contributing Factors To Student Absenteeism/Truancy And The Effectiveness Of Social Services And Interventions, Courtney Hocking

Social Work Theses

One major issue that schools are currently facing and seeing little or no improvement with is effectively dealing with student absenteeism and truancy. Despite early interventions, programs are still failing to effectively motivate students to attend school. This research study examines the success of an implementation of a perfect attendance award within an elementary school to increase student attendance. An examination of student attendance from the 2006-2007 academic year and from the 2007-2008 academic year, suggested that the perfect attendance certificate distributed monthly to students with no absences for that month is a positive motivator for students to attend school …

Bullying In The Elementary And Middle School Levels, Caitrin O’Rourke

Social Work Theses

Bullying can be defined as deliberately hurting someone emotionally or physically. Although bullying is a serious issue, at times, it is instigated by overprotective parents or the lack of resiliency in students. This research study, using pre-tests, a PowerPoint presentation and a book on bullying, and post-tests, was conducted in order to determine whether or not a presentation on bullying could educate students about bullying and assist in preventing it in the future. Findings indicate that an educational presentation on bullying did educate elementary school students on bullying (p<.05) but did not educate middle school students (p>.05). Findings also indicate that a presentation on bullying does not …

A Primary Human Challenge, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

We may ask why, at both the individual and collective levels, it has seemed so difficult for us to choose to evolve our human games with Joy. There is no one answer for such a question, for each of us has the gift of free will. I will suggest, however, that built into our human games is what I call a primary human challenge. That primary human challenge is a dynamic tension, flowing from our creative urge for the freedom “to be” who we really are in our current physical form, and simultaneously to embrace our responsibility for our Being-ness.

Grant, Erin M. (Fa 235), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 235. Paper: "Goal Posts and Parking Lots" written by Erin M. Grant for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Heroes: A Realistic Depiction Of Heroism, Cheryl’Lynn Joost

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

In the world we live in, heroes are traditionally thought of as perfect individuals who always save the world. Perfection, however, is unrealistic in the real world. The television series Heroes is a form of text that provides viewers with heroes that are more realistic to the real world and easier to relate to. Heroes, which debuted in September of 2006, follows various people around the world who have recently discovered that they have extraordinary abilities. With their newly discovered talents, the characters now have to decide how to use them. This study critically analyzes particular characters that illustrate the …

Using 'The Autobiography Of Malcolm X' To Teach Introductory Sociology, Brent D. Harger, Tim Hallett

Sociology Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we make the case for using The Autobiography of Malcolm X to teach introductory sociology classes. While The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an autobiography and not a novel, we summarize the literature on using novels in sociology and compare this literature to our own experiences using autobiographies in the classroom. We then describe how autobiographies are particularly helpful for introducing students to the concept of the ‘‘sociological imagination’’ before highlighting this with an in-class exercise. Finally, we discuss student feedback and some of the drawbacks to using autobiographies and the extent to which these drawbacks can …

Bridging The Theoretical Gap: The Diasporized Hybrid In Sociological Theory, Melissa F. Weiner, Bedelia N. Richards

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In a nation of immigrants, most American ethnic groups have at some point wrestled with how to reconcile having an identity that is rooted simultaneously in their countries of origin and in the United States, particularly when they are also racialized ethnic minorities. This hybrid identity often blends divergent cultures and traditions. And sociologists, intent on explaining these tensions, have focused on the experiences that have shaped these identities for over a century. As a result, the theoretical roots of contemporary hybridity theories such as the segmented assimilation perspective, can be traced back to “classical” theorists of race, pluralism, and …

Illegal Dumping: Large And Small Scale Littering In Rural Kentucky, Kenneth D. Tunnell

Justice Studies Faculty and Staff Research

Illegal dumping, a social problem greatly affecting some rural states, occurs at both the large and small scale as open dump sites and roadside trash. Focusing on Kentucky, a rural state without mandatory trash pickup and a per capita income below and a poverty rate above the national average, this photo essay describes the dumping and littering problem. As is shown, legislative and executive initiatives have made some inroads in large-scale clean up. Some local governments, however, appear apathetic about addressing illegal dumping in their own communities. Kentucky’s litter problem is showing few signs of improvement and roadside littering seemingly …

How Does Advertising Articulate The Tropes Of The Posthuman That Exist In Contemporary Culture?, Norah Campbell

Doctoral

The posthuman is a concept that has accrued much currency in disciplines as diverse as legal theory, artificial life science and philosophy. This thesis explores the meaning of the concept by initially examining what it means to be human, finding that art and science have so far failed to provide a long-lasting definition of humanness. Instead of a temporal “coming-after” stage of humanity, posthumanism might be more usefully seen as a concept that draws attention to the cracks that have always existed in the apparently water-tight description of the human- how the “human” has changed radically and continues to change …

A Critical Analysis Of The Relationship Between Salvation And Social Justice In The Minjung Theology, Ilmok Kim

Dissertations

The intent of this study is to investigate the relationship between salvation and social justice in minjung theology. Minjung theology grew out of social awareness in the 1970s that created adesire to fight oppression and misery in Korea.

The introductory chapter defines the problem, which is to critically evaluate minjung theology's attempts to reconstruct the traditional Korean Christian notions of salvation. This study is primarily limited to the works of two representative minjung theologians: Nam Dong Suh and Byung Mu Ahn.

Chapter 2 traces the historical context of Korea from which minjung theology emerged. The chapter particularly notes the religious …

Illegal Dumping: Large And Small Scale Littering In Rural Kentucky, Kenneth D. Tunnell

Kenneth Tunnell

Illegal dumping, a social problem greatly affecting some rural states, occurs at both the large and small scale as open dump sites and roadside trash. Focusing on Kentucky, a rural state without mandatory trash pickup and a per capita income below and a poverty rate above the national average, this photo essay describes the dumping and littering problem. As is shown, legislative and executive initiatives have made some inroads in large-scale clean up. Some local governments, however, appear apathetic about addressing illegal dumping in their own communities. Kentucky’s litter problem is showing few signs of improvement and roadside littering seemingly …