Digital Commons Network^™

The Impacts Of Identity On Perceptions Of Safety On A Predominately White Campus, Rebecca Delrosso

Honors Theses

This quantitative study examines the relationship between students’ marginalized identities of race, gender, and sexuality and their perceptions of safety at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Survey data collected from undergraduates at a small liberal arts university reveal associations between minority identities and feelings of discomfort, insecurity, discrimination, and vulnerability on campus. The findings highlight the need for PWIs to prioritize secure and inclusive environments through policies, practices, and support systems.

Dungeons & Dragons: Fractals Of The Human Self, Katie Anderson

Honors Theses

Dungeons & Dragons at its core is roleplay based storytelling, which implies the idea that the game is a work of fiction. While the world of Iad and the Free States of Tarvan does not exist on planet earth, the experiences and emotions felt by the players and their characters within the world are very much real. Players use extensions of themselves, their characters, to interact with the world around them, forging relationships and new lines of fate and destiny. Characters are fractals of their out of game personas, attached to one’s base personality and expanding outwards. The development of …

Understanding And Addressing Disparities In Kidney Transplantation Access: A Focus On Disability And Other Identities, Razan Khalil

Honors Theses

The global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to be between 8.7% and 18.4% (Samuels et. al, 2022), with approximately 843.6 million Americans having been diagnosed with one of the 5 stages of CKD in 2022 (Kovesdy, 2022). As of 2021, 1 in 7 adults were affected, which was about 37 million Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021). CKD is a long-term condition in which the kidneys gradually lose function, leading to a buildup of waste and fluids in the body. This can result in a variety of symptoms, including high blood …

Care Or Compliance? An Examination Of Sexual Violence And Institutional Responses At Two Crisis Points, Sophia Hartman

Honors Theses

Understanding the existence of sexual violence requires an investigation of the actions and contexts that either permit or prevent this form of violence. There exists a desire to draw a strict line between adolescence and adulthood, especially in relationship to sexual engagement, and in particular its implications for sexual violence. Utilizing Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development and the concept of sexual citizenship—one’s right to sexual self-determination as well as the equivalent right of others—this thesis evaluates the perpetuation of sexual violence within the contexts of two crisis points. First, the moral panic during the Progressive Era surrounding female …

“Nails Done, Hair Done, Everything Did!”: Consumption And The Creation Of Black Feminine Selves, Simone Reid

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how race and gender shape the meaning that Black women associate with their beauty consumption practices and spending. Much of the existing feminist scholarship on beauty has been postfeminist, privileging the concept of agency and empowerment over structural realities. However, the materialist feminist frame has more utility to address how beauty operates within the lives of Black women as a form of distinct gendered racial oppression. The concept of aesthetic capital emerges from the materialist feminist perspective and suggests that beauty demands the investment of considerable economic resources and can deliver economic returns. Despite this, aesthetic capital …

Offense Or Defense? Leadership Of The Nba And Nfl In Response To Athlete Activism, Katrina Hale

Honors Theses

Over the past decade, the Black community of the United States has faced great discrimination and violence leading to various protests and instances of activism across the county. In the world of sports, where one may think that political engagement has no relation, some Black athletes use their platforms to speak up about these issues. The National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) recruit the largest percentage of Black athletes compared to any other professional league in the U.S., but their reactions to racial activism on the field and on the court appear very different. In order …

The Effect Of Youth Sports Participation On Health Outcomes For Immigrants In The United States, Emma Kennedy

Honors Theses

My study investigates the relationship between youth sports participation and health outcomes for immigrants using a quantitative statistical analysis of secondary data. Given the theory behind the relationships between physical activity level, sense of community, and health outcomes, I test the hypothesis that immigrants are positively impacted by youth sports participation on a significantly higher level compared to non-immigrants. Using Stata as my statistical analysis software tool, I measure the associations between immigrant status, sports participation, and various indicators of health such as BMI and reports of chronic illness. I found that sports participation is associated with improved general health …

Elementary School Parent Perceptions Of “Critical Race Theory” In The Curriculum, Helen Wallace

Honors Theses

Critical Race Theory (CRT) implementations within educational settings is a controversial and polarizing concept in the American political climate. Many Americans are strongly opposed to the idea of CRT within the classroom due to a misguided belief that children have no idea what race or racism is until it is taught to them explicitly. On the other hand, proponents of CRT argue that teaching children to ignore race further perpetuates racial discrimination and prevents children from adequately understanding racial injustice. There is currently a lack of research investigating perceptions of CRT implementations in education among parents. This research aimed to …

Suggestions For Early Career Community-Engaged Scholars, Sylvia Gale, Patricia Herrera, Maia K. Linask, Nicole Maurantonio, Derek Miller, Lynn Pelco

Other Publications

This document was written specifically, though not exclusively, for early career faculty members doing (or would like to be doing) faculty work in collaboration with off-campus community partners. The document may also be helpful to faculty members at other career stages who are beginning to undertake community-engaged work and administrators seeking to support their faculty. This is the information we wish we had at the start of our careers. We, the five co-authors of this paper, are tenured community-engaged faculty members and seasoned higher education administrators specializing in civic and community-engaged academic practices. Based on our literature review and collective …

Chinese Celebrities’ Political Signaling On Weibo, Dan Chen, Gengsong Gao

Political Science Faculty Publications

In China, celebrities can dominate public discourse and shape popular culture, but they are under the state’s close gaze. Recent studies have revealed how the state disciplines and co-opts celebrities to promote patriotism, foster traditional values, and spread political propaganda. However, how do celebrities adapt to the changing political environment? Focusing on political signaling on Weibo, we analyze a novel dataset and find that the vast majority of top celebrities repost from official accounts of government agencies and state media outlets, though there are variations. Younger celebrities with more followers tend to repost from official accounts more. Celebrities from Taiwan …

Logos And Ethos: Heroism And Social Bildung In China, Jiarui Bai

Heroism Science

This article explores how heroism is constructed in China’s sociocultural context of values. It identifies a sociocultural novel, film, and heroic TV program as a mechanism for producing heroism for Chinese society. Furthermore, it explores the heroic principles that are generated by these media and how they inform expected actions in China. The article thus argues that the construction of Chinese heroism embodies specific representations of the expectations of humankind, a kind of “governing by worth” in heroism science. The function of these representations, forming heroic idols, could therefore help individuals become heroes with logos and ethos in pathos, subsuming …

Does Civic Engagement Predict Moral Behaviors? A Test Of Moral Theories, Ally Osterberg

Honors Theses

For various reasons, many students at institutions of higher education choose to partake in civic engagement. Evidence suggests that civic engagement may make students better people. This study tests that hypothesis under the competing frameworks of moral licensing and moral consistency through donation behavior and self-reported scores on various games. Additionally, this study seeks to understand if involvement in civic engagement impacts schemas of leadership. This study supports the theory of moral consistency and concludes that there is a correlation between involvement in civic engagement and perceptions on whether leaders should be civically engaged. We found that the amount of …

Hometown Diversity And Race Essentialism: The Role Of Interracial Friendship Quality, Junming Zhang

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between high-quality interracial

friendships and race essentialism among college students who perceived differing levels of racial diversity in their hometowns. Participants, who were recruited from a small, private university in the southeastern United States, included 84 juniors and seniors who reported having at least one other-race close friend. Participants completed a web-based survey about their hometown diversity, friendship quality, and race essentialism. Results from multiple regression analyses revealed two significant interaction effects between hometown diversity and two measures of interracial friendship quality: intimate disclosure and affection. Findings indicated that higher intimate …

Analysis Of Chinese Contemporary Young Females’ Attitudes And Experiences Toward Menstruation And Feminine Products, Du Yi

Honors Theses

Menstruation is not only a biological body practice that influences females' daily lives but also

contains cultural, economic, social, and political meanings that are related to women's gender identity and social status. While traditional Chinese culture examined menstruation as taboo and stigma, modern Chinese society absorbs western feminism and creates a more liberal, open-minded menstrual etiquette. Lived in the rapidly developing modern society, the Chinese young generation's viewpoints were influenced and shaped by traditional Chinese thoughts and the emerging feminist thought. This research draws on in-depth interviews with ten Chinese youth females to explore their knowledge, experience, and attitudes about …

Measuring, Reporting And Communicating Volunteer Impact, Lisa Cheney-Resch

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

This study seeks a more comprehensive understanding of the importance of volunteer impact reporting. Volunteers serve as an essential and inspirational resource to nonprofits. They also assist organizations in a variety of ways that touch lives, build philanthropy and help to sustain a legacy. So, how can nonprofits recognize the value of a volunteer program? This study will examine existing literature’s best practices and methods of reporting volunteer impact, the challenges facing impact reporting and the benefits obtained when an organization communicates to all stakeholders about volunteer impact. Specifically, the study interviews local healthcare nonprofit volunteer directors to ascertain how …

There Goes My Antihero: How Wendy Byrde Broke Bad, Melissa Vosen Callens

Heroism Science

Despite the increase of male antiheroes in popular culture, the number of female antiheroes is sparse, particularly when female characters are romantically involved with male antiheroes. There are several reasons for this disparity, partially which can be explained by affective disposition theory. First, female characters are rarely given agency and adequate backstories. Second, in order for female characters to be antiheroes, they typically must challenge gender role stereotypes, especially as they pertain to motherhood. Finally, they are often treated poorly by other characters in the series. All of these reasons have a profound effect on how audiences perceive female characters …

The Dynamic Negotiated Exchange Model Of Heroism And Heroic Leadership: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Scott T. Allison, James K. Beggan

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

This article proposes a new model of heroism and heroic leadership that conceptualizes the exchange relationship between heroic leaders and the recipients of heroic action as dynamic and negotiated. Previous exchange models portraying heroic leadership exchange as static and passive are shown to be inadequate under conditions of major societal upheaval. Underlying the Dynamic Negotiated Exchange (DNE) model is the idea that equitable hero–recipient exchange during times of societal crises becomes strained and subject to negotiated revision. The terms of the negotiation are first manifest in media dialogue and then translate to individual or structural reforms offering more equitable exchange …

[Introduction To] Religion And The Medieval And Early Modern Global Marketplace, Scott Oldenburg, Kristin M.S. Bezio

Bookshelf

Religion and the Medieval and Early Modern Global Marketplace brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines to examine the intersection, conflict, and confluence of religion and the market before 1700.

Each chapter analyzes the unique interplay of faith and economy in a different locale: Syria, Ethiopia, France, Iceland, India, Peru, and beyond. In ten case studies, specialists of archaeology, art history, social and economic history, religious studies, and critical theory address issues of secularization, tolerance, colonialism, and race with a fresh focus. They chart the tensions between religious and economic thought in specific locales or texts, the complex ways …

Embodying Equity: Change Management Strategies For Addressing Racial Equity In Environmental Nonprofits, Brittany Jezouit

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Recent social movements and the urgency of the climate crisis have heightened awareness of the exclusion of people of color within the environmental movement. While many environmental nonprofits are working to address racial equity within their organizations, they are often not well-equipped with the tools, tactics, and change management strategies to successfully execute their goals. Using data from case studies via qualitative interviews with local Richmond, VA environmental nonprofit leaders, this study aims to combine insights from nonprofit leaders doing racial equity work with key theories of change from the ProSci ADKAR model, John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change, …

[Introduction To] Race, Removal, And The Right To Remain : Migration And The Making Of The United States / Samantha Seeley., Samantha Seeley

Bookshelf

This work explores the conflicts over migration at the center of the social, political, intellectual, and physical landscape of the early United States. Examining the voluntary and forced migrations of Indigenous, African American, and Anglo Americans in the decades immediately following the Revolution, Samantha Seeley argues that the United States took shape as a white republic through contentious negotiations over who could move and where, who could remain and how. Removal was not sweeping, top-down federal legislation. Instead, it was a battle fought on multiple fronts. It encompassed tribal leaders' attempts to expel white settlers from Native lands and African …

Equity In Program Evaluation: Equity As A Measure In Program Evaluation, Marco S. Thomas

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Changes to equity and inclusion mean, not only including, but also valuing, and sharing power with, community members and stakeholders of various backgrounds. In addition to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, as well as where they intersect, should be represented throughout the entire evaluation process. Countless surveys make assumptions about communities without knowing the culture of the community. This study explores where equity does and does not exist, in the process of creating and conducting the evaluations that are used to measure the successful execution of nonprofit programs. The inclusion of program participants and …

[Introduction To] Black Lives And Bathrooms: Racial And Gendered Reactions To Minority Rights Movements., J. E. Sumerau, Eric A. Grollman

Bookshelf

Black Lives and Bathrooms: Racial and Gendered Reactions to Minority Rights Movements examines how people respond to minority movements in ways that maintain existing patterns of racial and gender inequality. By studying the Black Lives Matter and Transgender Bathroom Access movement efforts, J.E. Sumerau and Eric Anthony Grollman analyze how cisgender white people define minority movements in relation to their existing notions of United States social norms; react to minority movements utilizing racial, classed, gendered, and sexual stereotypes that reinforce racism, sexism, and cissexism in society; and propose ways that racial and gender minorities could gain conditional acceptance by behaving …

Monomyth Or Monogamyth? Polyamory’S Conceptual Challenges To The Hero’S Journey, James K. Beggan

Heroism Science

In the context of polyamorous relationships, a unicorn can be defined as a single, bisexual woman interested in forming a relationship with a heterosexual couple. Heroism scholars have suggested that the hero’s journey (or monomyth) can be used as a framework for understanding everyone’s life. By extension, it would be possible to frame the search for a receptive unicorn as a hero’s quest. Unicorn hunters are stigmatized by the general public for challenging the monogamyth, i.e., the monogamy norm. They are also criticized by the polyamorous community for privileging their own interests ahead of those of the women they are …

Do Education System Characteristics Moderate The Socioeconomic, Gender And Immigrant Gaps In Math And Science Achievement?, Katerina Bodovsk, Ismael Munoz, Soo-Yong Byun, Volha Chykina

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

Using data from the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study for 45 countries, we examined the size of socioeconomic, gender, and immigrant status related gaps, and their relationships with education system characteristics, such as differentiation, standardization, and proportion of governmental spending on education. We find that higher socioeconomic status is positively and significantly associated with higher math and science achievement; immigrant students lag behind their native peers in both math and science, with first generation students faring worse than second generation; and girls show lower math performance than boys. A higher degree of differentiation makes socioeconomic gaps larger …

Feminist Flash Mob Intervention - Description, Patricia Herrera, Mariela Méndez

Intervention Event Description

To launch Women’s History Month, a series of feminist flash mob interventions took place at the University of Richmond on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 organized by professors Patricia Herrera and Mariela Méndez who team-taught the bilingual course "Gender, Race, and Performance Across the Americas." These flash mobs were inspired by “Un violador en tu camino,” a performance-based protest against gender violence created by the Chilean feminist collective Lastesis. “A Rapist in Your Path” was first staged in Valparaíso, Chile, in, 2019. Soon after, it went viral, and has been performed by women all over the world. Students from six different …

Campus Route Map For The Feminist Flash Mob Intervention, Patricia Herrera, Mariela Méndez

Intervention Route Map

This map provides the route followed by the students for the Feminist Flash Mob Intervention on the University of Richmond campus.

Feminist Flash Mob Intervention - Ur Collegian Article, Patricia Herrera, Mariela Méndez

Intervention – UR Collegian Article

No abstract provided.

Feminist Flash Mob Intervention - Posters, Patricia Herrera, Mariela Méndez

Intervention Posters

Posters created by University of Richmond student participants for the Feminist Flash Mob Intervention on March 4, 2020.

Feminist Flash Mob Intervention - Posters, Patricia Herrera, Mariela Méndez

Intervention Posters

Posters created by University of Richmond student participants for the Feminist Flash Mob Intervention on March 4, 2020.

Feminist Flash Mob Intervention - Posters, Patricia Herrera, Mariela Méndez

Intervention Posters

Posters created by University of Richmond student participants for the Feminist Flash Mob Intervention on March 4, 2020.