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A Theology Built On Meritocracy: A Theological And Sociological Examination Of The Prosperity Gospel And The American Dream, T.E. Starman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In American megachurch Christianity there lies a paradox in the concept of wealth and blessings; many megachurch leaders take deliberate steps to distance themselves from the defamed and heretical label of prosperity gospel, while simultaneously using many of its theological tenets as foundational to their own theology of wealth, money, and success. This thesis examines the nature of this paradox from both a theological and sociological lens. Through content analysis and case study examples, this thesis assesses the theological tenets of American megachurch prosperity theology as well as the sociological reality of stratification and the ideology that buttresses it. This …

Evaluation Of A Learning Community Program For Developmental Reading Students At A Two-Year College., Tonya Scott Lanphier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Learning communities have become an integral part of higher education. Numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of learning communities at colleges and universities. This study, extended over two years, is an in-depth analysis of a learning community program serving developmental reading students at a public, two-year college. A primary aim of the program was to improve students’ reading skills to increase student persistence. In this dissertation, mixed methods were used and data came from six sources: in-depth interviews with students, instructors, and administrators, focus groups with students, a content review of internal and external program documents, pre-post reading test, a …

Sexual Minority Health Behaviors And Potential Benefits Of Same Sex Marriage, Caleb C. Cooley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual minorities experience higher rates of negative health behaviors, yet little is known about the mechanisms which contribute to these experiences. Marriage has been shown to provide protective health benefits for those who opt in to the institution. Much of the previous research has primarily focused on marriage between different-sex couples, or estimated same-sex cohabitation. This study utilizes nationally representative secondary data from the National Health Interview Survey, to investigate the potential mediating influence of marriage on the elevated occurrence of negative health behaviors among same-sex couples. In terms of marriage, sexual minorities experience similar marital benefits to heterosexual couples …

The Negotiation Of Racial, Ethnic, And Religious Identification In American Heathenry, Thad Nathan Horrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an investigation of religious, ethnic, and racial identification in the social "field" of Heathenry. Heathenry is a reconstructionist religious movement attempting to reconnect with or revive the pre-Christian traditions of the Germanic tribes of northern Europe. Often articulated as an "ethnic religion," Heathenry has also been frequently tied to white supremacist violence and hate crimes. Applying Anthony Wallace's model of revitalization movements, I attempt to make sense of what it is contemporary Heathens are trying to accomplish in today's society: What is it Heathens are trying to revitalize?

As a field of contestation over common-sense meanings …

The Myth Of The Saving Power Of Education: A Practical Theology Approach, Hannah Kristine Adams Ingram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U.S. political discourse about education posits a salvific function for success in formal schooling, specifically the ability to "save" marginalized groups from poverty by lifting them into middle- class success. The link between education and salvation is grounded in the historic relationship between Christianity and the establishment of public education in the United States. Initially, churches invested in schooling to form a Christian society. Today, the public institutions of education operationalize the ideology of meritocracy and promise individual success in the economic realm. Discourse analysis of political speeches and charter school programs demonstrates that education primarily offers its salvation to …

Media Coverage And The Ferguson Unrest, Brittanni Wyatt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The media aids in bringing to light many social issues across the nation each and every day. Historically, police force on African Americans can be seen amongst many media outlets. However, with technological advances the media has flourished which makes it possible for the media to supply coverage of police force on African Americans more now than ever before. This exploratory analysis aimed to uncover ways in which the media has framed the individuals involved in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri on August 9, 2014. Articles from four media outlets were used in this analysis. Data was …

Middlemarch: Eliot's Spencerian Sociological Study Of Provincial Life, Kellie Marie Mckinney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Through the novel Middlemarch, George Eliot fulfills the intention of her subtitle and uses sociological theories to conduct A Study of Provincial Life. Eliot's letters, journals, and various essays provide evidence of sociologist Herbert Spencer's influence on her own writings. Spencer's specific opinions and contributions not only strengthen the sociological message of Eliot's novel, but a handful of his ideals shape the narrative voice of her novel. Variations of Spencer's theories are seen in Eliot's "authorial narrator's" comments and observations of the Middlemarch couples. With her narrator, Eliot applies Spencer's theories on "belief" and on the correlation of …

Advertising Risk: A Comparative Content Analysis Of Contraceptive Advertisements Targeting Black And White Women, Tiffany Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research compared contraceptive advertisements in two top-circulated publications for white and African American female subscribers, Cosmopolitan and Essence. Data consisted of a sample of 172 contraceptive advertisements from the two magazines published between 1992 and 2012. Quantitative analysis focused on the model(s)' race, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status; the type of contraceptive being advertised; and the reason stated in the ad for using the product. This analysis determined a disparity in the rate of advertisement of doctor-administered contraceptives for the publications of 25.4 percent in Essence magazine and 9.5 percent in Cosmopolitan magazine. Black women were targeted with …

Reconciling Order And Progress: Auguste Comte, Gustave Le Bon, Emile Durkheim, And The Development Of Positivism In France, 1820-1914, Khali Navarro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the philosophy of positivism in nineteenth century France. Based on an empirical vision of society, positivism advocated values of rationality, progress, and secularization. In that way, it stood as one of the defining systems of thought of the modern era. I discuss, however, an undercurrent of anxiety about those same values. Positivism's founder, Auguste Comte, argued that all sciences would become unified and organized under universal principles and empirical standards. He viewed the human mind as becoming more rationalized throughout history. In his later career, however, he argued that rationalism was a destructive force and that a …

Appearance-Based Predictors Of Suicidal Behavior, Cynthia Anne Stockton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study are to determine the effects of weight, weight perception, and physical attractiveness on suicide ideation among adolescents and adults. Further, this research aims to determine whether this effect differs by gender and race.This study employs the public-use version of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, Waves I through IV (N=6,504). Odds ratios are estimated to determine whether actual or perceived weight is a better predictor of suicide ideation, and whether measures of interviewer-rated attractiveness or self-rated attractiveness predict suicide ideation. Analyses reveal that perception of self is the most important predictor of suicide ideation. …

Perceptions Of Gender In Young Consumers Of Animated Films., Katherine Barnes 1980-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender stereotyping of two animated films by boys and girls (N=25). Based on Bern's (1983) gender schema theory, it was hypothesized that children would stereotype Aladdin as being for males and Pocahontas as being for females, based on the gender of the lead character. Interviews with participants (five to six years old) revealed that they did not gender stereotype the two films. A majority of both boys and girls liked the two films and felt they were for boys and girls. However, they did not think a girl could rescue another …

"What Do You Mean I'M A Slut?!?!" : Deconstructing The Definitions Of Promiscuity Of The Collective Conscience Using Concepts From Labeling Theory And Biopower., Joshua O. Corum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The term "promiscuity" is often used in academic literature and pejoratively proliferated among society at large. The definition of promiscuity has not been clearly and consistently defined within research and varies significantly from person to person. However, both research and society continue to utilize this term with the assumption of a universal meaning. This study investigated how individuals construct their personal definition of promiscuity and how the subsequent label is applied to others. This thesis also examined how the definition of promiscuity is constructed within the collective conscience and how social institutions influence that definition. The relationship between the collective …

Exploring Theology And Practice In Islamic Parenting, Mergin Akin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore Muslims’ parenting styles and determine how factors such as religion, education, income, physical and verbal punishment experienced as a child, and the perception of Islamic childrearing influence their parenting styles. The research focuses on the main tenets of parenting in the Islamic tradition such as fatherhood, motherhood, children’s and parent’s rights and responsibilities, discipline methods, and physical punishment. The study also informs the role of marriage in Islam and the adopted concepts and theories of Western sociological literature. Findings show that authoritative parenting was the most predominant parenting style among study participants. …

King Of The Hill's Souphanousiphones, The New Model Minority, And The Subversive Model Minority, Robert Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though the term "model minority" was only coined in the 1960s to apply to Asian-Americans, in the white imagination, a "model" way to be a minority has always existed. This model has gone through various iterations from the "happy" blacks of the antebellum years to supposedly over-achieving Asian-Americans of the 1960s. I argue that we are witnessing the emergence of a new model minority that includes not only Asian-Americans but other high-achieving minorities as well. This model minority is characterized by economic success, formal education, American values, and conservative racial politics or a complete silence about race. Because an inability …

The Sex Worker Rights Movement In Canada: Challenging The 'Prostitution Laws', Sarah Beer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contemporary movement for sex workers' rights organizes around a range of international, national, and localized grievances. They are unified in their efforts to promote and protect sex workers' human and labour rights through the decriminalization and destigmatization of sex industry work. Within the context of social movement theory, literature on the sex worker rights movement has focused mainly on its failure to mobilize due to inadequate resources, small membership base, lack of sex worker leadership and absence of influential allies. In 2007, sex workers in Toronto, Ontario and in Vancouver, British Columbia, launched constitutional challenges to their respective Provincial …

We Live This Shit Rap As A Reflection Of Reality For Inner City Youth, Parag Patel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rap is an extremely popular form of modern music that is notorious for incorporating themes of guns and violence into the lyrics. Early rap was mainly party or dance music until the mid-80s when structural shifts in social conditions brought feelings of hopelessness and frustration into black inner city communities and youth culture. These feelings now find expression in rap lyrics. This thesis uses rap lyrics as qualitative data to understand the plight of urban black youth. Rap music can be seen as a form of resistance for young African Americans who have historically never had such a medium to …

Muslims In The Media:The New York Times From 2000 - 2008, Autumn Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although it is widely recognized that Muslims and Middle Easterners were negatively portrayed in the media after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, few scholars examine the long term media presentations of Islam in the United States. The studies that have explored the relationship of the portrayal of Islam by the media have used short term, limited sampling techniques, which may not properly reflect the popular media as a whole. The current research uses data from the New York Times from 2000-2008 in order to determine whether the popular media was portraying Islam in a disparaging manner. The analysis …

Food And Social Life In Puglia: A Comparison Family Food Worlds In Northern And Southern Italy, Jennifer Lawer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the role of food in northern and southern Italian culture. My goal is to point out the cultural differences between northern and southern Italy through the lens of food. This thesis also explains the geographical, historical and economic factors that have shaped modern Italian family food worlds. Finally, the research examines the effect of European Union food policy in Italy. It specifically focuses on whether or not the traditions of food production and consumption habits in northern and southern Italy are altered by European Union policies.

Demonstrating Identities: Citizenship, Multiculturalism And Canadian-Tamil Identities, Anuppiriya Sriskandarajah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using political demonstrations as sites of analysis, this thesis explores popular understandings of diasporic identities within a Canadian multiculturalism framework and second generation Sri Lankan Tamil's (SLT) (re)negotiations of these constructions in forming and informing their identities. Through the use of critical discourse analysis and in-depth interviews I argue that popular constructions of diasporic identities and Canadian national identity as understood within a multiculturalism framework is not entirely in concurrence with diasporic minorities' identity constructions. The divergences that emerge amongst the discourses demonstrate a need for a more nuanced conceptualization of Canadian multiculturalism and citizenship which should incorporate the idea …

Neoliberal Governmentality, Corporate Responsibility, And The Governing Of Citizens In Nigeria: The Case Of Exxonmobil, Shell, And Chevron, Anna Zawada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how oil corporations in Nigeria govern citizens through the implementation of certain corporate responsibility initiatives. The examination of ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron, and how each corporation governs individuals through various capacity-building initiatives will be discussed. From a governmentality perspective, this thesis examines how, under neoliberalism, private actors utilize certain governance ''techniques'' that render individuals to be responsible and self-sufficient. By focussing on the ''responsibilization'' of Nigerian citizens, the oil corporations have minimized their own responsibility to respect the environment, life-styles, forms of subsistence, and human rights of the population effected by their oil explorations. This thesis concludes …

Bullying: Out Of The School Halls And Into The Workplace, Lucretia Cooney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to identify those people at most risk of being bullied at work. While much research is being conducted on school bullying, little has been conducted on workplace bullying. Using data gathered from a 2004 study conducted by the National Opinion Research Center for the General Social Survey, which included a Quality of Work Life (QWL) module for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), linear regressions indicated significant findings. As predicted, workers in lower level occupations, as ranked by prestige scoring developed at National Opinion Research, are more likely to be …

Spectacular Sacrifice: Death In Images, Timothy Swiffen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The filmed beheading deaths that have proliferated on the Internet present an unusual set of phenomena in the west. The aim of my project is to analyze these videos in terms of their connections to the larger visual discourses of represented violence and death in western culture. It is my contention that a theoretical understanding of the significance of these videos can be achieved by examining the traditions of ritualized violence through an updating of the insights made by Guy Debord, Ren Girard and Georges Bataille. By examining the relationship between these digitally encoded deaths and the theories of spectacle, …

Pubs, Punters, And Pints: Anthropological Reflections On Pub Life In Ireland, Jason Cucchiara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ireland is a country with a rich and unique cultural heritage. It is difficult to imagine that certain facets of Irish culture (e.g. Saint Patrick's Day, the Blarney Stone, or the Ring of Kerry) can ever be taken for granted since they are so widely recognized internationally. One common feature of Irish life that possibly warrants more scholarly attention is the public house or pub. Much has been written about pubs as quaint institutions in popular literature and fiction. Curiously, they remain largely overlooked as vital aspects of Irish culture by anthropologists and others in the social sciences. In many …

A Study Of Regional Language And Identities In A Small Occitan Village, Patrick Sacleux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study utilized qualitative methods to approach regional language abilities of local respondents and how it affects their regional identity. The theoretical framework of this study explored some of the tenets of symbolic interaction emphasizing on identity theory and how the flexible aspect of face-to-face interaction can define the self and someone's regional identity as it relates to their regional language use. Data for this study were collected in a small Occitan village in Southern France. In particular, the study explored the link between an individual residential setting, his/her age and his/her ability to speak the regional language. The …

The Role Of Zionism In Diasporic Jewish Education: On Education, Language And Community, Stephen Sheps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Zionism has become more than just a social movement; it has become a politicized ideological construct, an institution, an extension of Israeli politics and is commonly viewed as the unifying facet of what it means to be Jewish in the North American Diaspora. Within the Diaspora, there is an element of Zionism contained in Jewish educational resources that cannot go unnoticed. It is my belief that the methods of education used within these Diasporic communities impacts the way that Jews perceive themselves, each other and their relationship to the conflict in Israel/Palestine, reinforcing Zionist ideologies, beliefs, and a sense that …

The Social Situatedness Of Sexual Expression Among Youth In Rural Edo State, Nigeria, Jessica Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research, utilizing data gathered among adolescent students living in rural southern Nigeria (Edo State), elucidates the youths' sexual understandings and their connections to HIV risk. I found that gender and age-related understandings acted as 'hubs' for the organization of the youths' sexual scripts. Overall, scripts that promote vulnerability to HIV include sex as controlled by the male, inherent in valued female/male relationships, a means to social status, and 'normally' violent. In addition, the youth do not view HIV as a present or preventable danger and view condoms as unreliable protection from disease that mainly work to disassociate oneself from …

Global Climate Change And The Industrial Animal Agriculture Link: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Elizabeth Bristow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the discourses of a variety of stakeholders regarding global climate change (GCC), assessing if and how they construct industrial animal agriculture as a risk, and if and how these discourses may have shifted since the release of the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Livestock's Long Shadow report. Using Ulrich Beck's concepts of risk society, risk conflicts and relations of definition, this thesis examines how various animal rights and welfare groups, environmental organizations, meat industry stakeholders, governmental agencies and newspapers in Canada, the U.S. and internationally, investigate and construct industrial animal agriculture as a risk, if at all, …

Housing Responsibility And Advanced Liberal Government: Programs For The Homeless In Ontario, Silke Schaefer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the politics of homelessness in Ontario by examining two programs, the Consolidated Homelessness Prevention Program (CHPP) and the Hostels- to-Homes (H2H) program, that were created in 2006 and 2007 respectively by the Ministry of Community and Social Services. The CHPP program is designed at the local government level and provides funding and social services to the homeless and hard-to-house. The H2H program is a pilot project directed by the Ministry of Community and Social Services and uses a 'Housing-First' approach to get chronic shelter users into more permanent housing. From a governmentality perspective, this thesis examines how …

"As-Yet-Still-Forgiven Past": Dylan Thomas And Nostalgia, David Bradley Bailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dylan Thomas exhibited a variety of nostalgic influences within his poetry. A careful study of his life will reveal a nostalgia that evolved from adolescent musings upon an ideal past, to a self-destructive urge to return to innocence through death. Thomas incorporates a variety of historical influences within this nostalgia, but his primary influence is ultimately his own tormented past. This study not only focuses on the personal nostalgia of one man, but the variety of ways nostalgia can affect people, history and society as sociological force.

10x The Talent = 1/3 Of The Credit: How Female Musicians Are Treated Differently In Music, Meggan Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is an exploratory, qualitative study of female musicians and their experiences with discrimination in the music industry. Using semi-structured interviews, I analyze the experiences of nine women, ages 21 to 56, who are working as professional musicians, or who have worked professionally in the past. I ask them how they are treated differently based on their gender. Three forms of subtle discrimination are inferred from their narrative histories. First, female musicians are mistaken for non-musicians. They are encapsulated into inferior roles, like "the gimmick," "good for a girl," and "invisible accessory." Second, band mates and band managers control women's …