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Prana In Prison: An Analysis Of Teacher-Student Dynamics In The Teaching Of Trauma-Informed, Mindfulness-Based Yoga To Incarcerated Youth In Atlanta, Georgia, Vladimir Tchakarov

Religious Studies Theses

At the height of its popularity in our society, the teaching of modern transnational postural yoga is entering a new space. A team of researchers and yoga teachers have developed a therapeutic, trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive postural yoga practice. This adapted postural yoga practice, which was specially designed as a supplemental somatic therapy to traditional cognitive psychotherapies for populations coping with complex trauma, is currently offered as an optional therapeutic modality to incarcerated juvenile males in regional youth detention centers in Atlanta, Georgia. In this article I will explore some unique changes, developments, questions and issues that arise from, surround and …

Diverse Backgrounds And Policing, Maya I. Wilson

AYSPS Masters Theses

In recent years, high-profile cases of police violence have garnered national debate around the future of policing and how it will address racial/ethnic bias. Current police recruiting campaigns target diversity, hiring racially and ethnically diverse officers, as a solution to the ongoing tensions between officers and the ethnically/racially diverse communities they serve. Consequently, bias is present in all Americans, as race has culturally constructed American society. This research questions the reliability of an officer's racial/ethnic status as catalysts of change for biases present in police organizations and police practices. More so, this research prompts using diverse experiences from childhood and …

Set Trippin': An Intersectional Examination Of Gang Members, Lea Marzo

Sociology Dissertations

Typically, when most people hear the word “gangs,” the usual connotation is that of boys and men. However, recent studies show that women and girls make up about 30% of the gang population and that most gangs are mixed-gender (Curry 1998, Miller and Brunson 2000, Sutton 2017). The experiences of gang-affiliated women remain under-theorized and understudied. Moreover, studies in criminology often dehumanize gang members and advance archaic ideas of inherent criminality. By utilizing a critical race theory (CRT) framework, I analyze how gang membership results from the intersection of racist practices and U.S. laws (Bell 1995, Crenshaw 1995, Ladson-Billings and …

Diving Deep Into Dissertations: Analyzing Graduate Students’ Methodological And Data Practices To Inform Research Data Services And Subject Liaison Librarian Support, Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh M.L.S., Ph.D., Raeda Anderson, Denise George, Joel Glogowski

University Library Faculty Publications

We present findings from an exploratory quantitative content analysis case study of 156 doctoral dissertations from Georgia State University that investigates doctoral student researchers’ methodology practices (used quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods) and data practices (used primary data, secondary data, or both). We discuss the implications of our findings for provision of data support services provided by the Georgia State University Library’s Research Data Services (RDS) Team and subject liaison librarians in the areas of instructional services, data software support and licensing advocacy, collection development, marketing/outreach, and professional development/expansion.

Disaggregating The Paradox: Foreign-Born Victimization By "Immigration" Status And Nationality, Krystle Lynn Caraballo

AYSPS Dissertations

Much of the literature on immigrant victimization suggests that foreign nationals are less likely to be victimized than US-born citizens, a phenomenon labeled the “immigrant paradox.” However, McDonald (2018) identifies two primary issues with the current body of immigrant victimization literature: lack of data and overaggregating “immigration status.” Since foreign-born individuals are not homogenous, vulnerability risk and victimization experiences may vary across statuses and nationalities. The purpose of this study is to delineate the relative likelihood of experiencing violent victimization in the US among foreign nationals based on their status and nationality. Using the “immigrant paradox” as a guiding framework, …

Increasing Diversity In Leadership: Perspectives Of Four Black Women Educational Leaders In The Context Of The United States, Natasha N. Johnson, Janice Fournillier

CJC Publications

This paper is a collation of the vicarious experiences of four Black women, all senior-level educational leaders in the United States of America. Considering the predominance of White males in educational leadership, our paper furthers the conversation around increasing race-gender diversification in this realm. We employed the tenets of hermeneutic phenomenology, focusing on the intersections of race and gender, in the effort to challenge extant epistemologies manifested within this context. Using in-depth, timed, semi-structured interviews, participants reflected on their journeys, experiences, and perceptions as non-archetypal leaders in education. In highlighting contributors’ perspectives, our objective was to bring the matter of …

The Cognitive, Affective And Somatic Empathy Scales For Adults, Adrian Raine, Frances Chen, Rebecca Waller

CJC Publications

The Cognitive, Affective and Somatic Empathy Scales (CASES) assess three forms of empathy, each with subscales for positive and negative empathy. The present study extends this child instrument to adults and examines its factor structure and construct validity. A secondary aim is to investigate the under-researched area of positive empathy. Community samples totaling 2604 adults completed the CASES for adults, together with scales assessing construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor cognitive-affective-somatic model and a two-factor positive-negative empathy model. Findings were replicated in a second independent sample. Internal reliabilities ranged from 0.80 to 0.92. Individuals with higher psychopathy and …

How Do Judges Save Time? Managing The Work Of State Supreme Courts, Bailey Fairbanks

Political Science Dissertations

Over time, the workload expectations of judges have changed significantly due to larger caseloads, more complex cases, jurisdictional changes, and an evolving body of precedent and statutes. In turn, these changes have had an impact on the quality and content of judicial opinions. Judges have had to strategically adopt a variety of tactics to assist in the writing process. This is especially true of judges serving on state supreme courts. Advancements in technology and short-cuts in the writing process have allowed judges to adapt new strategies for case management. My dissertation seeks to identify some of the mechanisms that state …

There Goes The Sun: Media Framing And Public Attitudes On Solar Panel Tariffs, Anna Mccaghren Fleming

Political Science Dissertations

The media functions as an intermediary between policymakers and the public. As such, it is vital to understand how the media frames particular policies and how attitudes can be shaped as a result of media framing. This dissertation examines media frames and attitudes surrounding solar panel tariffs. It is important to understand media frames and attitudes about policies concerning renewable energy, because climate change is one of the greatest threats facing humanity today. Increased reliance on renewable energy, as opposed to fossil fuels, has the power to mitigate the potential negative outcomes of climate change. In this dissertation, I present …

The Neuroprediction Of Recidivism: Validation And Extension Of The Error-Monitoring Model, Corey Allen

Neuroscience Institute Dissertations

Despite decades of research examining the brain’s contributions to the propensity for antisocial behavior, this process is still poorly understood, owing in part to the highly multivariate relationship between the brain, behavioral phenotypes, and the dynamic environmental contexts in which they operate. An important criterion for evaluating the strength of a given explanation is the degree to which it makes accurate predictions. Prior research has demonstrated that hemodynamic activity related to error-monitoring in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) (Aharoni et al., 2013, 2014) improved predictions of rearrest in a sample of criminal offenders. Yet, it remains unclear how generalizable …

Housing Vacancy And Hypervacant Neighborhoods: Uneven Recovery After The U.S. Foreclosure Crisis, Austin Harrison, Dan Immergluck

USI Publications

We examine neighborhood housing vacancy patterns in the largest 200 metropolitan areas from 2012 to 2019, focusing especially on Sunbelt and Rustbelt metros, both hit hard by the 2007–2011 foreclosure crisis. We pay special attention to neighborhood “hypervacancy,” where large amounts of long-term vacant housing are most likely to impose negative impacts. We find that, in the Sunbelt, hypervacant tracts declined over the 2012 to 2019 period, while they remained constant in Rustbelt metros. Despite this, the results show that hypervacant neighborhoods do exist in the Sunbelt, especially in slower-growth metros. We find that hypervacancy is heavily racialized; hypervacant tracts …

Strategic Innovations In Cannabis Legalization Policy: Lessons From Early Adopters, Neil Boyd, Eric L. Sevigny

CJC Publications

No abstract provided.

Illusions Of Opportunity? A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Atlanta's Opportunity Youth Initiative, Alexander Camardelle

Educational Policy Studies Dissertations

This is a critical discourse analysis of discourses that are present within an opportunity youth initiative in Atlanta, Georgia that disproportionately serves Black youth. Historically, job training policies and the stakeholders who influence the formation and implementation of programs and services do so in the context of neoliberalism, which fails to direct explicit attention to systemic barriers that Black youth face when navigating education and employment. To that end, there are concerns that the race-neutral orientation of job training policies and programs, their associated discourses, and the actors that deploy those discourses may negatively construct Black youth and advance neoliberal …

Routine Activities, Minority Stress, And Social Support: Victimization Risk And The Lived Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Non-Conforming People, Shanna Felix-Highsmith

AYSPS Dissertations

Even though they represent less than 1% of the general population, transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people experience disproportionately high rates of nearly every type of victimization. Despite this, the theoretical literature that seeks to explain these victimization patterns is limited. In this dissertation, interviews with 52 TGNC people were conducted and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The goal of this dissertation is to better understand the process by which TGNC people may be exposed to victimization risk. The findings from this dissertation demonstrate the possibility of using both Minority Stress Theory and the Routine Activities/Lifestyle Exposure theory in …

Clearing And Cultivating Carceral Space: A Historical Geography Of Stewart Detention Center, Quinn Ouellette-Kray

Geosciences Theses

Stewart Detention Center (SDC) is a private immigrant detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia, 150 miles southwest of Atlanta and is one of the largest immigrant detention centers in the country. I conduct a historical geography of the space in and around Stewart Detention Center to better understand SDC as a continuation of colonial and racial territorializations integral to the nation-state and extending from the 18^th century to the present. I analyze archival documentation of the material manifestations of carceral territorialization, including a 19^th century map and photographs of a series of erosion gullies fifteen miles from SDC. Finally, …

Enhancing The Safety Of People Who Inject Drugs: A Program Evaluation Of A Syringe Services Program In Atlanta, Megan A. Sarmento

Anthropology Theses

A syringe services program (SSP) is a public health initiative designed to combat the spread of HIV and other infections among populations of people who inject drugs (PWID). These syringe exchanges adhere to a model of care called harm reduction. A common goal of these initiatives is to reduce risky behaviors by providing health care resources that are necessary for PWID to avoid disease transmission, including sterile injection equipment and much more. These treatment systems contrast practices like forced abstinence, detoxification, and rehabilitation, which are standard ways to treat PWID within the dominant Western biomedical system. This thesis research utilizes …

Personalizing The Political In The Wake Of The Isla Vista Murders, Jasmine Montoya

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses

This thesis identifies a political tactic I call “personalizing the political.” Personalizing the political inverts the responsibility of social ills from social institutions, the economy, and governance into personal problems created by individuals. Personalizing the political inverts the Marxist feminist understanding of “the personal is political.” Ultimately, neoliberal feminism has prompted personalizing the political and weakening feminist praxis. I identify personalizing the political in the response to the “incel killer,” Elliot Rodger, who committed a spree-killing in Isla Vista, California in 2014, which frames him as a “lone-wolf terrorist,” or mentally ill, rather than a fascist political actor. I take …

¿Qué‚ Diferencia? Application Of Difference-In-Differences To Mexico's Drug War, Jared Greathouse

Political Science Theses

I analyze publicly available data to estimate the impact of military interventions in Mexico’s Drug War. An update to previous research, I collect a dataset using press sources and other public materials on Mexico’s deployment of military force to fight drug traffickers in the country. I employ a newly developed difference-in-differences design to estimate the causal effects of the policy at the municipio-month level. The statistical analysis implies that Mexico’s military interventions increased violence substantially, in both the overall population as well as the proxy I use for drug-trade related homicides.

Outness And Discrimination As Predictors Of Psychological Distress Among Sexual Minority Cisgender Women, Madison Higbee

Sociology Theses

This thesis is a quantitative analysis of the relationships between demographics, outness, discrimination experiences, and mental health among cisgender sexual minority women. It utilizes data from the LGBTQ Institute Southern Survey, which documents the experiences of LGBTQ adults in the Southern United States. Greater outness correlates with more discrimination, and both outness and discrimination are associated with psychological distress (greater outness correlates to less psychological distress and greater discrimination correlates to more psychological distress); older respondents tend to be more out, experience more discrimination, and have less psychological distress; bisexual respondents and respondents of some other sexual orientation tend to …

Examining The Correlation Between The Personality Traits Of Aggression And Impulsivity With Coercive Control Victimization: A Study Of Students At A Southeastern Urban University, Travis C. Chafin

AYSPS Masters Theses

Coercive control victimization, a type of intimate partner violence involving Manipulation and subjugation through maladaptive relationship tactics, has begun to garner research attention. In part, research has identified that history of violence, sexual assault, and previous abuse are risk factors for coercive control victimization. What has been less explored is whether personality traits, such as impulsivity and aggression, are linked to victimization. To investigate this possibility, data were obtained from the Biopsychological Correlates of College Victimization Study, a survey of 1,211 U.S. college students attending one university in the Southeast. Students were asked about their coercive control experiences and given …

Georgia Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children (Csec) Resource And Protocol Guide, Sanon Williams

Public Health Capstone Projects

The commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a heinous and illegal act against children that negatively impacts youth across the world. It robs them of their innocence and increases their risk for psychological, developmental, and physical issues later in life. CSEC is a significant issue in the State of Georgia. Georgia has been identified as having one of the highest CSEC rates and economies in the United States. Many risk factors put youth at risk for commercial sexual exploitation. Child and family support agencies, law enforcement, schools, and the general public must be aware of them to combat CSEC. …

A Thesis On Aspects Of Perceptions Of Alcohol Advertisements And Marketing Appeal: Empirical Analyses Of Young Adults In The Us And Uganda, Amber Grant

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Despite the rapid increase in alcohol marketing and its role in contributing to alcohol use, a growing global health concern, there is limited research examining young adults and their perception of alcohol advertisement and appeal that can inform alcohol counter marketing campaigns and prevention strategies.

AIM: To examine and compare perceptions of alcohol advertisements and marketing appeal in a cross-sectional survey of young adults in two countries, Uganda, and the U.S.

METHODS: The analyses are based on a cross-sectional survey, conducted in 2021, comprised of young adults ages 18 to 25 (N=603; 303 in U.S. and 300 in Uganda) …

Examining United States Drug Policy From 2010-2021: A Qualitative Summation Using Pest Framework Model, Izadora A. Nunes

Public Health Capstone Projects

INTRODUCTION: The war on drugs, initially started in 1971, has caused long-lasting effects on the criminal justice system and public health. Despite these effects and calls for reform, forces in charge have resisted changing current drug policies.

AIM: As the conversation surrounding United States drug policies has changed to be more tolerant among the general population, policymakers have been resistive to change, and ineffective policies continue. The aim of this capstone is to synthesize scientific drug policy literature and provide a summative perspective on the impacts and challenges to improve them.

METHODS: A qualitative summation using PEST (political, economic, social, …

Sexual Behavior After Sexual Assault: Differences Based On Racial Identity, Ethnicity, And Sexual Orientation, Idara Umo

Public Health Theses

Sexual assault victimization occurs at high rates among the college population in the United States. Forms of sexual assault can include rape, unwanted touching, or forcing a victim to perform sexual acts. Sexual assault victimization disproportionately impacts sexual and racial/ethnic minority individuals. This study examined potential differences in the association between sexual assault and risky sexual behavior (i.e., alcohol use prior to sex and condom use) based on minority status (i.e., race/ethnicity and sexual orientation). Secondary data were collected from a study conducted at a university in the Southwestern region of the United States. A total of 399 college-aged participants …

Cannabis And Driving Ability, Eric L. Sevigny

CJC Publications

The aim of this review is to discuss recent evidence on cannabis and driving ability. In particular, the review examines experimental research on the acute effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on driving-related neurobehavioral skills and driving performance based on simulator and road course studies. The evidence indicates that certain driving abilities are significantly, albeit modestly, impaired in individuals experiencing the acute effects of THC. Treatment effects are moderated by dose, delivery method, recency of use, and tolerance development, with inconclusive evidence concerning the moderating influence of cannabidiol (CBD). Emerging research priorities include linking neurobehavioral deficits to specific decrements in driving performance, …

Intersectionality And Leadership In Context: Examining The Intricate Paths Of Four Black Women In Educational Leadership In The United States, Natasha N. Johnson Edd, Janice B. Fournillier

CJC Publications

There is an emergent body of scholarship about the specific ways in which Black women lead within the context of education. In the United States, women comprise three-quarters of the educational workforce. Yet, roughly four in five senior-level leaders in education are male. Although developments continue to be made, only very recently has significant advancement been made in what remains a historically male-dominated space. Black women represent the most educated group in today’s workforce; yet, they represent a small fraction of leaders who ascend above the ranks of mid-level management. In response to this, we were compelled to add to …

Balancing Race, Gender, And Responsibility: Conversations With Four Black Women In Educational Leadership In The United States Of America, Natasha Johnson

CJC Publications

This paper focuses on equitable leadership and its intersection with related, yet distinct concepts salient to social justice, pertinent to women and minorities in educational leadership. This piece is rooted and framed within the context of the United States of America, and the major concepts include identity, equity, and intersectionality – specific to the race-gender dyad – manifested within the realm of educational leadership. The objective is to examine theory and research in this area and to discuss the role they played in this study of the cultures of four Black women, all senior-level leaders within the realm of K-20 …

Illicit Activity Detection In Large-Scale Dark And Opaque Web Social Networks, Dhara Shah, T. G. Harrison, Christopher B. Freas, David Maimon, Robert W. Harrison

EBCS Articles

Many online chat applications live in a grey area between the legitimate web and the dark net. The Telegram network in particular can aid criminal activities. Telegram hosts “chats” which consist of varied conversations and advertisements. These chats take place among automated “bots” and human users. Classifying legitimate activity from illegitimate activity can aid law enforcement in finding criminals. Social network analysis of Telegram chats presents a difficult problem. Users can change their username or create new accounts. Users involved in criminal activity often do this to obscure their identity. This makes establishing the unique identity behind a given username …

Examining The Crime Prevention Claims Of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design On System-Trespassing Behaviors: A Randomized Experiment, Daren Fisher, David Maimon, Tamar Berenblum

EBCS Articles

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a non-punitive method for reducing crime through the design of the built environment. The relevance of CPTED strategies however is less clear in the context of computing environments. Building upon prior research indicating that computing environments may change computer users’ behaviors, this study tests the effectiveness of CPTED based approaches in mitigating system trespassing events. Findings from this randomized controlled field trial demonstrate that specific CPTED strategies can mitigate hacking events by: reducing the number of concurrent activities on the target computer, attenuating the number of commands typed in the attacked computer, and …

Regional Income Inequality And Current Substance Use Among Hispanic 12th Grade Students In The United States, Aresha Nadeem

Public Health Theses

INTRODUCTION: Income inequality has been previously shown to be related to adverse population health outcomes. A suggested etiology is that income inequality intensifies status anxiety, leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance use. Behavioral factors specific to Hispanic cultures may have the potential to build resiliency in adolescents against substance use related to status anxiety, but have not been considered as protective factors in large, nationwide studies on substance use among adolescents.

AIM: Determine the association between regional income inequality in the U.S. and substance use among 12^th grade students, and determine whether this association is different for …