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'Formation In Distinctive Dimensions Of Our Way Of Proceeding': Preparation Of Lay Directors Of Works In Jesuit Schools, Perry T. Petrich Sj

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to determine how lay directors of works in Jesuits West secondary schools can be formed to best serve as faith leaders. The study consisted of secondary research in which interview data and surveys from studies on lay formation in Jesuit universities and lay leadership of Bay Area Catholic High Schools were used to determine whether or not formation of lay directors of works in faith leadership is possible, what the objectives of that training should be, and how that training can be offered. This analysis determined that lay formation is both possible and necessary. …

How Violence Shaped The Next Generation: Intergenerational Impacts Of Abduction In Northern Uganda, Mansi Kalra

Master's Theses

Northern Uganda has long been a major conflict zone, home to countless atrocities at the hands of the terrorist group the Lord’s Resistance Army. Widespread kidnappings occurred throughout the 1980s into the early 2000s, and today many of these individuals have been able to return to their homes. However, the scope of trauma does not end when an abductee returns home, it carries on in unpredictable ways and into the lives of family and community members. This brings to question, are the impacts of abduction intergenerational and can they impact the children of former abductees? This study utilizes survey data …

Feeling The Heat: Heterogeneous Treatment Effects Of Heat On Human Cooperation, Scott K. Klaus

Master's Theses

The goal of this paper is to examine how increased temperatures affect human behavior in terms of cooperation. Currently, there is an abundance of literature regarding increased aggression in humans as temperatures rise. However, there is ambiguity concerning whether a similar effect exists in altering levels of cooperation in human interactions. Additionally, people of different characteristics may be influenced by heat at varying levels. First, we run a baseline model of prosociality on different heat measurements, such as standard and wet-bulb temperatures. Included in this model are experimental specification variables, a “trigger”, and characteristics. The trigger is defined as losing …

Impacts Of Rising Temperatures On Human Behavior With A Focus On Gender Differences, Stephanie Marie Emilia J. Hermoso

Master's Theses

Climate change is one of the biggest and most pressing issues the world is facing today. While its economic implications are substantial, it is also important to investigate the effects of climate change on human behavior. This paper examines the relationship of rising temperatures and its effect on an individual’s cooperative behavior – specifically egalitarianism, generosity, selfishness, and spite. This study will focus on the differences between how males and females react to the temperature. Research indicates that there are substantial behavioral differences between men and women. How do the economic decisions of men and women differ when interacted with …

Ties That Bind: Allomaternal Care And Cooperation Among Matrilocal And Patrilocal Northeast Indian Tribes, Shreeja Guha

Master's Theses

Why do humans cooperate? Given the extensive range of literature from various disciplines on the puzzle of human cooperation, there is no one answer to that question. In this paper, I look at whether childcare provided by individuals other than the genetic mother, i.e. allomaternal care, can be one possible explanation for the evolution of human cooperation, especially in small communities with no formal childcare. The data for this study comes from field experiments & surveys conducted with a sample of 416 mothers and fathers from matrilocal and patrilocal tribes in North-east India. I present evidence that allomaternal care plays …

The Child Nutrition Cost Of Weather Shocks In Nigeria, Danielle M. Abaya

Master's Theses

Child malnutrition is alarmingly high in Nigeria with the highest number of malnourished children, the second highest population of stunted children worldwide and 17 million Nigerians facing food insecurity. According to the World Health Organization, children are predicted to suffer about 80% of weather-related illnesses and deaths. As climate change continues to pose the greatest health threat and while scientists predict its irreversible effects in the next 10 years, countries such as Nigeria are already experiencing the burden of climate change today. This study uses total rainfall to measure precipitation and two Enhanced Vegetation Index variables, total change in greenness …

Between Life And Death: Reimagining Black Reproductive Healthcare, Briana Britton

Master's Theses

The state of Black reproductive health is in crisis with mortality rates of birthing people in the U.S. being the worst in the developed world. What compounds this issue is historical and cultural evidence of unethical and inhumane treatment of Black people – Black birthing people in particular – by the U.S. healthcare system primarily due to racism and sexism. Those who do not identify with the binary and heteronormative structures of our healthcare system are at further risk of discrimination and health disparities. Due to social and cultural ideals, stigma, and other structural forces, Black, Black birthing and Black …

Feeling Status: What Emotion Reveals About Immigrant Relationships With The United States, Faith Johanna Williams

Master's Theses

Traditional understandings of legal status focus on its role as a mechanism for state function without adequately acknowledging the emotional component of how it feels to navigate it, especially for immigrants. Drawing on the embodied wisdom of immigrants to better understand what legal status is and what role it plays in society, this study utilizes 13 semi-structured interviews conducted with immigrants now permanently documented in the United States as legal permanent residents or naturalized citizens, who previously lived undocumented in the country, to identify several patterns that highlight the limit of conventional notions of citizenship. By employing a person-centered approach …

The Right People In The Wrong System: Examining The Tension Between Nonprofit Individuals And Organizational Structure, Erin Vong

Master's Theses

Nonprofit organizations pursue missions of social good while still operating within the confines of systems of oppression, creating a tension between organizational values and operational success. Previous research focuses on the micro-level role of individuals and the macro-level role of ideologies that create these tensions for nonprofit workers in these spaces. Through a qualitative case study, this thesis seeks to uncover the meso-level role of organizational structures in the experiences of nonprofit workers. The research questions that guided this case study were (a) How does one organization present equitable working conditions for its staff? (b) How do staff at this …

Charity Begins At Home: Investigating How Culture Shapes In-Group Bias In Altruistic Behavior, Angira Shukla

Master's Theses

The paper builds a structural model of altruistic transfers based on identity matches with another individual and estimates the weights that people place on the characteristic matches. We also take a comparative look at the role of culture in these transfers. The culture here is trying to contrast a traditional society versus a cosmopolitan one. I run an experiment in India to examine these differences. I find that in both the urban and rural samples individuals tend to give more to girls and donate largely on the basis of the need of the receiver. I also find that the rural …

Liberté, Égalité, Identité: Media And The Construction Of French National Identity, Hannah D. Lahey

Master's Theses

In 2015, France was rocked by a series of terror attacks that seemed to act as a tipping point for the fears and tensions that had been brewing in Europe in the months leading up to the strike. These attacks, and the subsequent responses to them, point to the influence of a much longer history of French involvement in the Middle East, and the lasting impact that colonization has on French national identity formation. With the creation of French national identity, and therefore the creation of the group that is deemed necessarily outside of this identity, the moral values and …

Three Presidencies: Presidential Influence, Internal Displacement, And Violence Trends In Colombia, Yvette A. Ramirez

Master's Theses

Internal Displacement has become one modern day’s humanitarian crisis. The number of internally displaced persons have increased to alarming numbers in different corners of the globe. Colombia has been one of the center points of internal displacement in contemporary history. IDPs fled violence that is sourced in armed conflict mainly from the guerrilla group known as the FARC, as well as climate induced displacement in rural areas, leaving behind their homes and main source of livelihood. Victims of displacement endure a lengthy resettlement process and IDPs become marginalized in resettlement. Due to the severity of internal displacement, as a country …

Calladitas No Nos Vemos Más Bonitas: Testimonios Of Mexican Migrant Catholic Mothers’ Resistance To Marianismo, Jessica Guadalupe Ornelas

Master's Theses

The purposeful killing of women due to their gender (feminicide) is an atrocious global act that has been ascending at an alarming rate, over the past couple of years. Specifically, last year in México and in the duration of six months, there were close to 3,000 victims of gender based killings in México, which is about 10 casualties daily (ONU Mujeres, 2022). While most studies have centered their attention on systemic causes that lead to gender based violence, the amount of research that closely analyzes the ways these causes are interwoven with womens’ everyday lived experiences of social and personal …

The Grid That Binds: The Renewable Energy Transition In Germany, France, And Italy, Katherine A. Mason

Master's Theses

The current energy crisis and climate change are just some of the challenges that the European Union and its member states are forced to reckon with. The loss of fossil fuel supplies from Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine forced the acceleration of the renewable energy transition and created a new set of problems to be addressed, namely the effectiveness of climate work that had already begun, and what the roadmap for the future would look like. Examining the history and infrastructure of Germany, France, and Italy presents insights into how this challenge can be met, and …

Mapping Effectiveness: Farm Mechanization Initiatives By Lumbini Province Of Nepal (Fiscal Year 2018/19), Ananda Phuyal

Master's Theses

An effective farm mechanization program should increase crop production and be profitable to the benefitting households. Increasing labor shortages and decreasing animal draft power in agriculture demanded farm mechanization to increase food productivity in Nepal. To increase crop yield, the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperative (MOLMAC) of Lumbini Province in Nepal distributed 1994 subsidized tools and machinery in Fiscal Year 2018. The farm mechanization program by the government was an ambitious program and was implemented without research to address the actual need of the geography. However, the program had a positive impact on the community. It is found …

Unaccompanied Migrant Children And Adolescents’ Rights In Colombia: Between Invisibility And Incapacity, Linda María Urueña Mariño

Master's Theses

This thesis centers on an analysis of the situation of unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents transiting through and settling in Colombia, from a children’s rights perspective. These children are being invisibilized, which is causing their unprotection and multiple violations of their rights. Through a critical policy analysis, with a review of Colombian migration and child protection policies, and interviews with governmental and nongovernmental representatives working with migrant children in the country, the study aimed at contrasting policies with the real practices of migrant children protection.

The analysis recurred to Bauman, Butler, Crenshaw, among other authors to show how the Colombian …

Dialogues Between First-Generation Mexican American Female Students In Higher Education And Their Parents, Rosa Elena Zavala Morales

Master's Theses

First-generation female Mexican American students are part of the growing Latinx population of students entering American college campuses all over the country. They are students who have had to jump over several obstacles such as traditional gender roles and structures of inequality to attend university on their own. But they are not fully alone. Loyalty to family is a central core value many Mexican American women believe in, making family an integral part of their journey in higher education. Additionally, traditional gender roles, in conjunction with family, play a part in the responsibilities they take at home with their families. …

Preparing To Engage Migrant-Origin Students Through Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Handbook For Teachers, Grayson E. Briggs

Master's Theses

Students of migrant-origin currently represent approximately 25% of the total student population in the United States. As immigration to the U.S. continues, the proportion of migrant-origin students in public schools is only expected to grow. Despite the growing representation of migrant-origin youth amongst the K-12 student population, current schooling approaches have not expanded to address the diversifying needs of the student population. Because public school systems are struggling to adapt to the needs of migrant-origin students, these students’ educational attainment is suffering. The presence of implicit bias, microaggressions, and stereotypes in all aspects of schooling is a significant factor that …

The Invisible Brats: Bringing Attention To The Unique Experiences Of Coast Guard-Connected Youth, Cameron A. Marshall

Master's Theses

This thesis delves into the unique experiences of Coast Guard-connected youth, filling a gap in the academic literature by examining their challenges due to their nomadic upbringing. Utilizing in-depth interviews with 14 adults, including seven who grew up in Coast Guard families, the study underscores the effects of frequent relocations, isolation, and insufficient support on their lives. Although comparisons to military-connected children are drawn, the focus remains on understanding the distinct adversities encountered by Coast Guard-connected youth. Participants acknowledge the adaptability and social skills acquired from their upbringing while uncovering the emotional burden and difficulties in establishing a sense of …

No One To Save, And Everything To Learn: Decolonial Possibilities For Global Ngos Facilitating Education In Emergencies, Megan N. Patterson

Master's Theses

The field of Education in Emergencies is an emerging field which aims to offer solutions for the continuation of learning in humanitarian settings, but also navigates dynamics of global development in the pursuit of delivering quality learning and universal learning access. In this study, qualitative content analysis is used to examine the beliefs, values, and motivations of three Education in Emergencies (EiE) programs implemented by NGOs. These were selected to offer insight into programming designed for global, regional, and local implementation, as well as nuanced dynamics of power, agency, and saviorism through seven criteria: (1) Purpose of learning, (2) Instructional …

Our Bodies Are Our Stories: How Educators Impact The Educational Experiences Of Fat Queer Students Of Color, Elissa A. Rodriguez

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the experiences of fat queer students of color in education, and how their experiences were impacted through interactions with educators as they navigated education with their intersectional identities. Through qualitative narrative based research, three participants were interviewed, and their experiences were examined and analyzed based on these conversations. This research aims to expand and fill in the gaps of knowledge in the field of education that surround the experiences of fat queer students of color. Even more specifically, how anti-fat biases impact these other intersecting identities, and how educators have the ability to hold and act on …

“An Untold Story”: Voices Of Qtbipoc Individuals Who Have Been Canceled Through Public Call Outs, Glorivette Rodriguez

Master's Theses

QTBIPOC communities are historically marginalized groups that experience oppression and discrimination. Oftentimes, this experience goes unnoticed, unacknowledged, and unrecognized because these groups are intentionally erased and silenced by dominant culture. Keeping the communities safe is a priority, and it is no wonder that social media is being used as a “necessary survival technology” (brown, 2020, p. 45) to call out injustices and harm. Unfortunately, communities are unskilled in navigating conflict using a transformative justice approach and thus, used this tool unskillfully, which has been referred to as “knee-jerk callouts” (brown, 2020, p. 40). This study explores the experiences and impacts …

"Filipino Enough": Racism And Filipino American Student Leadership, Janrey Millare Javier

Master's Theses

Filipino American students often begin their leadership journey while developing a stronger sense of their racial identity when they begin and navigate college. This study examines the phenomena of racism among Filipino American student leaders as their racial identity positions them to experience a dual layer of racialization as Asian Americans among other communities of color and Filipino Americans within the Asian American identity. Semi- structured interviews were conducted among four graduating or recently graduated Filipino American student leaders across the US. The phenomenology methodology approach allowed semi-structured interviews to capture the essence of the experience among Filipino American student …

Braiding Hearts/Corazones: The Healing Of Intergenerational Stories, Nicole A. Buchanan, Glendy V. Alvarez

Master's Theses

This field project incorporates the practice of fluid desire into the context of migration educational spaces within spaces such as the University of San Francisco Migration Studies Program (MIMS) and nonprofit organization Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS). Our research objective is to explore the importance of educational spaces for communities who are impacted by migration and how these spaces may allow these communities to be authentically themselves and embody fluid desire. We articulate fluid desire as a practice and state of being that encompasses complementary work from various scholars who focus on one or more components: (1) desire-centered; (2) advocacy …

Invisibility: Bringing Statelessness To The Forefront Of U.S. Political Advocacy, Claire G. Green

Master's Theses

Currently, an estimated 218,000 stateless persons are living in the United States. With no legal structure specifically addressing statelessness, stateless persons are left in a perpetual state of legal ambiguity. This project explores current research on statelessness in the United States, examines general awareness and attitudes towards the stateless population, and seeks to further understand how to increase empathy and engagement in the push for stateless rights. Guided by the lens of feminist political theory, I attempt to answer the following research question: Can autobiographical works of art be utilized as healing tools of empowerment and catalysts for political recognition …

The Labor And Educational Effects Of Daca: Evidence From California, Oscar A. Alonso Guerra

Master's Theses

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, implemented in 2012, has been a subject of intense debate. While much research has examined the early effects of DACA, this study contributes to the literature by analyzing more recent data on the labor and educational outcomes of DACA recipients in California. Using a difference-in-differences approach, I aim to uncover significant changes in the labor market and educational outcomes of DACA recipients over time. I find those eligible for DACA experienced noteworthy effects compared to those who were ineligible. Specifically, they exhibit a significant 3.1 percentage point increase in the likelihood of …

Undocumented Latinos In California: The Safety Under Ab 60 And Vulnerability Under Real Id, Ricardo Velazquez

Master's Theses

This qualitative research study focuses on the safety under AB 60 driver’s licenses and how the Real ID affects the daily lives of Latino undocumented California residents. The purpose of this project is to further understand the implementation of the second provision of the Real ID Act of 2005 which issues marked identifications and driver's licenses that are federal compliant and understand how it will affect Latino undocumented California residents. The focus of this study through the literature review and the Testimonios is on the experiences of Latino undocumented immigrants living in California, and is viewed through a Latino Critical …

Liberté, Égalité, Identité: Media And The Construction Of French National Identity, Hannah D. Lahey

Master's Theses

In 2015, France was rocked by a series of terror attacks that seemed to act as a tipping point for the fears and tensions that had been brewing in Europe in the months leading up to the strike. These attacks, and the subsequent responses to them, point to the influence of a much longer history of French involvement in the Middle East, and the lasting impact that colonization has on French national identity formation. With the creation of French national identity, and therefore the creation of the group that is deemed necessarily outside of this identity, the moral values and …

Refugee Resettlement: Assessing The Quality Of Reception In The Southeast U.S., Adrian Laudani

Master's Theses

When faced with dire situations, refugees are forced to migrate without choice. As a new reality is forced upon them, many don’t have much say in what their futures hold. One option that only the fortunate bunch are presented with is resettlement in a third country. Addressing complexities within the refugee resettlement system consists of various dynamics including integration processes, cultural transitions, multilingualism, among much more. The purpose of this thesis is to address the quality of the current reception services in the United States in order to more effectively assist refugees throughout this general transition period. My main thesis …

Silent Weapon: A Documentary On Ending Police Corruption In Nigeria With A Nonviolent Social Movement, Damilola Adesanya

Master's Theses

This documentary aims to examine the issue of police corruption in Nigeria and see how a nonviolent movement can be implemented to end this problem. The focus is on nonviolent movements like the #ENDSARS was used to bring change where there seemed to be no hope. There have been many accounts of the experiences of the citizens of Nigeria when it comes to police corruption. Unfortunately, a lot of these situations have gone untold. Some Nigerians believe there is no way to stop the police from being corrupt, as it has been going on for too long. Many citizens feel …