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Constructing Asian/American Women On Screen, Charleen M. Wilcox Jan 2011

Constructing Asian/American Women On Screen, Charleen M. Wilcox

Communication Theses

Asian/American women occupy a highly circumscribed subject position in popular Western culture that entails a unique reading of our bodies. My discussion of this group will gain greater depth and scope by using Black body theory as a theoretical framework to better understand how Asian/American bodies become a site to enact a multitude of fantasies, fears, and anxieties. I will examine three case studies: the construction of the interracial “romance” featuring Asian/American women produced in classical Hollywood cinema, interracial pornography featuring Asian/American female performers, and the independent works of Asian/American feminist filmmakers. Topics interrogated include the over-determination of non-White bodies …


The Mystery Of The Body: Embodiment In The Nancy Drew Mystery Series, Katie Still Aug 2009

The Mystery Of The Body: Embodiment In The Nancy Drew Mystery Series, Katie Still

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

This thesis investigates the ways in which ideas about class, gender, and race are produced and articulated through the body in the Nancy Drew Mystery series in the 1930s. Physical descriptions and bodily movements, as well as material surroundings, work together to reify and contradict dominant ideas of normalcy and deviance being located on the body.


From Countrypolitan To Neotraditional: Gender, Race, Class, And Region In Female Country Music, 1980-1989, Dana C. Wiggins Apr 2009

From Countrypolitan To Neotraditional: Gender, Race, Class, And Region In Female Country Music, 1980-1989, Dana C. Wiggins

History Dissertations

During the 1980s, women in country music enjoyed unprecedented success in record sales, television, film, and on pop and country charts. For female performers, many of their achievements were due to their abilities to mold their images to mirror American norms and values, namely increasing political conservatism, the backlashes against feminism and the civil rights movement, celebrations of working and middle class life, and the rise of the South. This dissertation divides the 1980s into three distinct periods and then discusses the changing uses of gender, race, class, and region in female country music and links each to larger historical …


The Atlantic Mind: Zephaniah Kingsley, Slavery, And The Politics Of Race In The Atlantic World, Mark J. Fleszar Feb 2009

The Atlantic Mind: Zephaniah Kingsley, Slavery, And The Politics Of Race In The Atlantic World, Mark J. Fleszar

History Theses

Enlightenment philosophers had long feared the effects of crisscrossing boundaries, both real and imagined. Such fears were based on what they considered a brutal ocean space frequented by protean shape-shifters with a dogma of ruthless exploitation and profit. This intellectual study outlines the formation and fragmentation of a fluctuating worldview as experienced through the circum-Atlantic life and travels of merchant, slaveowner, and slave trader Zephaniah Kingsley during the Era of Revolution. It argues that the process began from experiencing the costs of loyalty to the idea of the British Crown and was tempered by the pervasiveness of violence, mobility, anxiety, …


Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover: An Ethnography About Achievement, Rap Music, Sexuality & Race, Bettina L. Love Jan 2009

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover: An Ethnography About Achievement, Rap Music, Sexuality & Race, Bettina L. Love

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore how youth consumption of rap music informed their ideas of gender, race, sexuality, and education at a local community center in Atlanta, Georgia. The participants in the study were comprised of three male and six female Black students from working class families, ranging in age from 13–17 years old. The data collection process included 60 formal interviews, 55 informal interviews, 27 focus group interviews, 103 participant observations, and document analyses of media materials. Atlas.ti: The Knowledge Workbench (2003) assisted with the organizing, coding, categorizing, and interpreting of the vast amount of …


Athens Of The South: College Life In Nashville, A New South City, 1897-1917, Mary Ellen Pethel Nov 2008

Athens Of The South: College Life In Nashville, A New South City, 1897-1917, Mary Ellen Pethel

History Dissertations

The Progressive Era affected the South in different ways from other regions of the United States. Because Southern society was more entrenched in patriarchy and traditional social strictures, Nashville provides an excellent lens in which to assess the vision of a New South city. Known as “Athens of the South,” Nashville legitimized this title with the emergence of several colleges and universities of regional and national prominence in the 1880s and 1890s. In the first two decades of the twentieth century, Nashville’s universities solidified their status as reputable institutions, with Vanderbilt and Fisk Universities garnering national prominence. Within Nashville, local …


African American Longevity Advantage: Myth Or Reality? A Racial Comparison Of Supercentenarian Data, Robert Douglas Young Jul 2008

African American Longevity Advantage: Myth Or Reality? A Racial Comparison Of Supercentenarian Data, Robert Douglas Young

Gerontology Theses

Demographic researchers have identified a crossover pattern between the mortality rates of the Caucasian-American and African-American oldest-old (80+) populations for over a century. Debate has centered on whether the crossover effect is due to age misreporting or the heterogeneity hypothesis or if it continues beyond age 99. This thesis addresses these issues by using new data from the SSA’s study of supercentenarians. The study identified 355 persons aged 110 or older whose ages could be verified, creating the first reliable American dataset for this population group. Analysis of the data has indicated that mortality rates at ages 110-115 were significantly …


A Critical Analysis Of The University Of Georgia's Response To The United States Supreme Court Decisions In Grutter V. Bollinger And Gratz V. Bollinger, Rodney S. Lyn Jul 2008

A Critical Analysis Of The University Of Georgia's Response To The United States Supreme Court Decisions In Grutter V. Bollinger And Gratz V. Bollinger, Rodney S. Lyn

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

Minority enrollments at selective colleges and universities have historically been low. Affirmative action programs have been a primary driver for increasing enrollments. These programs were called into question in the Grutter and Gratz US Supreme Court cases (2003). The Court’s opinions in these cases provide direction for institutions in setting admissions policy. Using a qualitative methodology, this study examined the University of Georgia’s response to the Grutter and Gratz Supreme Court decisions. The study utilized data from interviews with UGA officials, as well as documentary evidence, to chronologically reconstruct the actions that UGA initiated following the Grutter and Gratz decisions. …


Discovering The Voices Of The Segregated: Oral History Of The Educational Experiences Of The Turkish People Of Sumter County, South Carolina, Terri Ann Ognibene May 2008

Discovering The Voices Of The Segregated: Oral History Of The Educational Experiences Of The Turkish People Of Sumter County, South Carolina, Terri Ann Ognibene

Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology Dissertations

This qualitative study is a narrative investigation that analyzes the educational experiences of the segregated Turkish people of Sumter County, South Carolina during the integration movement. Four participants share their stories of how attending an elementary school for Turkish students affected their integration into White high schools. Oral history is the specific research methodology that is used. The theoretical framework that guides this study is critical-narrative theory. Through critical research, the researcher analyzes how “the social institution of school is structured such that the interests of some members and classes of society are preserved and perpetuated at the expense of …


African American Women's Perceptions Of And Experiences With Mandated Substance Abuse Treatment: Implications For Counselors, Kathryn Newton May 2008

African American Women's Perceptions Of And Experiences With Mandated Substance Abuse Treatment: Implications For Counselors, Kathryn Newton

Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations

African American women, in particular those who are economically marginalized, are disproportionately subject to surveillance by social service and criminal justice agencies (James et al., 2003) and are vulnerable to race- and gender-biased policy implementation (Chibnall et al., 2003; Zerai, 2002). They also experience population-specific personal (Ehrmin, 2001, 2002), social (Riehman, Iguchi, Zeller, & Morral, 2003; MacMaster, 2005), and economic barriers (Tighe & Saxe, 2006) to accessing and entering substance abuse treatment services. These factors contribute to lower rates of treatment entry follow-through (Siqueland et al., 2002) and higher drop-out rates (Scott-Lennox, Rose, Bohlig, & Lennox, 2000) than women from …


Exploring The Role Of Culture And Race In African American Adolescents, Obari Sipho Yohance Cartman Aug 2007

Exploring The Role Of Culture And Race In African American Adolescents, Obari Sipho Yohance Cartman

Psychology Theses

There are myriad definitions of the terms race, ethnicity and culture in social sciences literature. Often these terms are used interchangeably with no conceptual rationale. This study aims to contribute to our greater understanding of the similarities and differences between the conceptualization and use of race and culture as they are experienced by African American adolescents. Multiple regression analyses and factor analysis were conducted for 223 African American high school aged students who completed a survey about racial and ethnic identity and a variety of positive youth development outcomes. Results showed preliminary support for race and culture being distinguishable yet …


Is Smart Growth Fair Growth: Do Urban Growth Boundaries Keep Out Racial Minorities?, Elizabeth P. Ruddiman Aug 2007

Is Smart Growth Fair Growth: Do Urban Growth Boundaries Keep Out Racial Minorities?, Elizabeth P. Ruddiman

Sociology Dissertations

As many American metropolitan areas spread outward, urban sociologists are interested in the effects of sprawl and in efforts to limit suburban expansion. To rein in urban sprawl, land use measures known as “smart growth initiatives” are gaining popularity. Urban growth boundaries are the particular type of initiative examined in this research. An urban growth boundary delineates where development is encouraged and where it is discouraged or prohibited. My first research question is whether urban growth boundaries contribute to the exclusion of racial minorities. I also explore whether urban growth boundaries affect residential segregation. I study 86 places throughout the …


Demographic Factors Associated With Condom Use In 18-24 Year Olds For Two States, 1998 And 2000/2001, Kimberly R. Glenn Jul 2007

Demographic Factors Associated With Condom Use In 18-24 Year Olds For Two States, 1998 And 2000/2001, Kimberly R. Glenn

Public Health Theses

Despite knowledge about the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), young adults continue to participate in sexual risk behaviors such as unprotected sexual intercourse. This study examines factors that influence condom use in adults aged 18-24 years in the United States. Using secondary data from the 1998, 2000, and 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess the factors influencing condom use stratified by gender and study year. A p-value of <0.05 and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine statistical significance throughout all analysis performed. Univariate analysis found that increased age and being male were associated with increased odds of condom use. Multivariate analysis stratified by study year found that in 1998 increased age and unemployment was associated with increased odds of condom use. In 2000/2001, increased age was the only factor associated with increased odds of condom use. Being female was associated with decreased odds of condom use in that study year. When stratified by gender, only increased age was associated with increased condom use. The study results suggest that the factors influencing condom use vary between gender and year. Since different factors impact condom use for each gender, the interventions designed to increase condom use must be centered on those factors. Since age was one of the consistent factors positively associated with condom use, interventions must begin earlier to affect the decision-making processes of young adults.


An Erratic Performance: Constructing Racial Identity And James Baldwin, Natasha N. Walker May 2007

An Erratic Performance: Constructing Racial Identity And James Baldwin, Natasha N. Walker

English Theses

This thesis analyzes James Baldwin's essays as a method for understanding racial identity and authenticity. By using Vetta Sanders-Thompson's racial identification parameters, I suggest that Baldwin's struggle with his identity as a black American is crucial to deposing the idea of a monolithic black experience, which opens up new ways of analyzing African American literature.


Reconfiguring Memories Of Honor: William Raoul's Manipulation Of Masculinities In The New South, 1872-1918, Steve Ray Blankenship Apr 2007

Reconfiguring Memories Of Honor: William Raoul's Manipulation Of Masculinities In The New South, 1872-1918, Steve Ray Blankenship

History Dissertations

This dissertation examines how honor was fashioned in the New South by examining the masculine roles performed by William Greene Raoul, Jr. Raoul wrote his autobiography in the mid-1930s and in it he reflected on his life on the New South's frontier at the turn of the century as change came to the region in all aspects of life: politically, economically, socially, sexually, and racially. Raoul was an elite son of the New South whose memoirs, "The Proletarian Aristocrat," reveals a man of multiple masculinities, each with particular ways of retrieving his past(s). The paradox of his title suggests the …


Rolling Manhood: How Black And White Men Experience Disability, Alexis A. Bender Dec 2006

Rolling Manhood: How Black And White Men Experience Disability, Alexis A. Bender

Sociology Theses

Sociologists have only recently paid attention to how men experience physical disability. However, current research continues to ignore how different racial groups experience it. The goal of this study was to examine how black and white men experience life with a physical disability. Using qualitative research techniques involving in-depth, face-to-face interviews with 10 black and 10 white men, I focus on how meanings of disability and masculinity shift after a traumatic injury. Using symbolic interactionism and social construction as theoretical frameworks, I examine how these men formed and modified meanings for disability and masculinity through social interactions. I also analyze …


Protestant Christian Missions, Race And Empire: The World Missionary Conference Of 1910, Edinburgh, Scotland, Kim Caroline Sanecki Jul 2006

Protestant Christian Missions, Race And Empire: The World Missionary Conference Of 1910, Edinburgh, Scotland, Kim Caroline Sanecki

History Theses

This thesis explores prevailing and changing attitudes among Protestant Christians as manifested in the World Missionary Conference of 1910, held in Edinburgh, Scotland. It compares the conference to missionary literature to demonstrate how well it fit the context of the missionary endeavor during the Edwardian era. It examines the issues of race and empire in the thinking of conference participants. It pays particular attention to the position of West Africa and West Africans in conference deliberations. It suggests that the conference, which took place soon after the scramble for empire and just before World War I and the subsequent upsurge …


Making Education Work: The Effects Of Welfare Reform On The Educational Goals And Experiences Of Tanf Participants, A. Fiona Pearson Jun 2006

Making Education Work: The Effects Of Welfare Reform On The Educational Goals And Experiences Of Tanf Participants, A. Fiona Pearson

Sociology Dissertations

After U.S. welfare was reformed in 1996, many states eliminated their educational programs and replaced them with "work-first" options. This study uses in-depth interviews and content analysis of current and proposed welfare legislation to examine how these policy changes have shaped the experiences of postsecondary students participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and to determine whether or not proposed policy changes in TANF reauthorization legislation meet the needs of students. To fulfill the first objective of this study, I conducted interviews with 20 TANF participants who were using enrollment in a postsecondary institution as a means …


Searching For Sisterhood: Black Women, Race And The Georgia Era, Jennifer Powell Gonzalez Jan 2006

Searching For Sisterhood: Black Women, Race And The Georgia Era, Jennifer Powell Gonzalez

History Theses

This Thesis is a local study employing new definitions of political activism and using oral histories, personal records and organizational archived material to debunk the myth that the feminist struggle surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment was separate from issues of race. Black women were involved in the fight for the ERA although not necessarily in the ways that White men and women might expect. Additionally, even when not obviously present, proponents and opponents of the ERA argued over the idea of Black women and race. Concern about Black women, overt racism and coded race language were all a part of …


Gender Images And Power In Magazine Advertisements: The Consciousness Scale Revisited, Lorie N. Bonham May 2005

Gender Images And Power In Magazine Advertisements: The Consciousness Scale Revisited, Lorie N. Bonham

Communication Theses

This study re-evaluates the Consciousness Scale originally formulated by Pingree et al. in 1976. The element of assumed power was added to the Consciousness Scale, which was then used to evaluate 516 magazine advertisements from 1999 to determine if the Consciousness Scale still accurately evaluates sexism in media. A set of advertisements was culled which had contradictory Consciousness Scale and power ratings. The set was evaluated, revealing common themes, which created difficulty in coding these modern images. The study revealed that while the Consciousness Scale can still provide a valuable tool in evaluating media images, the change in the social …