Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Not All Trails Are Straight: The Effects Of Attachment On Rural Youth Residential Aspirations, Zach T. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The out-migration of rural youth is a critical issue for the sustainability of rural communities. Youth out-migration poses challenges for rural communities as they strive to address workforce shortages, population decline, and broader social and economic issues. The departure of youth from rural areas can decrease the diversity of local workforce skills, change the vitality of communities, and undermine community and economic development efforts. In addition, certain groups of young people in rural areas, such as queer young adults, face additional identity-based challenges that can influence their migration decisions and distinguish aspects of their decision-making from other youth. Exploring the …

Intersections Of Environmentalism, Chemistry, And Racism: An Experimental Study Of Halobenzene Hydrogenolysis And Critical Communication Studies Of Equitable Learning Practices Rooted In Black Feminism, Lauren O. Babb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing concentrations of fluorinated aromatic compounds in surface water, groundwater, and soil pose threats to the environment. Fundamental studies that elucidate mechanisms of dehalogenation for C-X compounds (where X represents a halide) are required to develop effective remediation strategies. For halogenated benzenes, previously published research has suggested that the strength of the C-X bond is not rate-determining in the overall rate of dehalogenation. Instead, the rate-determining step has been hypothesized to be adsorption of the C-X compound onto the surface of a catalyst. Building on this hypothesis, in this work, we examine the reaction kinetics of fluorobenzene conversion to benzene, …

What Women Bring To The Fight: An Analysis Of Female Leadership In U.S. National Security, Alison Tobey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women have held some of the highest-ranking national security positions in the United States, though the overall number of women in leadership positions has remained relatively small until recently. The Biden Administration has achieved gender parity in their national security leadership positions, with over fifty percent of these positions being held by women. Since this is the first time in U.S. history that women have such a significant presence in the defense field, it is important to analyze and understand the changes that can come as a result.

The purpose of this research is to broadly understand the impact that …

Playing At Women And Men: A Discourse Analysis Of Gender And Sexuality Performance In An Online Play-By-Post Role-Playing Game, Caitlin M. Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Online play-by-post role-playing games mark the discursive intersection between computer-mediated-communication and gaming. The performance of gender and sexuality is an important aspect of online play-by-post role-playing games.

Although play-by-post role-playing games are open world and do not have the same graphical and technological constraints as other forms of gaming, the performances on them are governed by both explicit and implicit rules. Performances of gender and sexuality are also governed by cultural standards. This thesis seeks to describe how players perform gender and sexuality within these boundaries.

This thesis describes the performance of gender and sexuality on the website Another Day …

Building Bridges For Women Through Service-Learning: Bringing Students And Communities Together To Combat Domestic Violence In Honduras, Darlene Metcalf-Bergeron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis defines service-learning and domestic violence, while describing how bringing students and communities together through service-learning courses can build and has already built bridges for victims of violence against women. Collaboration is essential in the quest to raise awareness about domestic violence through education. This thesis will demonstrate through data and photojournalism this collaboration between students of SPA/MLC Service-Learning Classes of UMaine from 2006 through to and including 2011.

As the themes in this thesis develop the reader will also begin to question what lies just beyond our borders and behind closed doors for women of the twenty-first century. …

Advertising's Red Light, Heather Small

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis paper discusses the theory and motivation behind The Advertising's Red Light, my thesis project. Section 1 describes my personal methods for producing artwork that creates cultural commentary. The history of the usage of sex in advertising is described and explains how advertising today has become pornographied. Section 2 discusses the conception of Advertising's Red Light as an artwork. The piece was developed as a method of creating cultural commentary about the world of advertising today and its implementation of pornography. My aim is to bring to the viewer's attention just how close today's advertising is to genuine pornography …

Girls In The Woods: An Exploration Of The Impact Of A Wilderness Program On Adolescent Girls' Constructions Of Femininity, Anja Whittington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historically, the wilderness and outdoor recreational activities have been portrayed as a masculine domain. In spite of this, women's participation in wilderness programs has increased, illustrating what research has proven-that women reap positive mental, physical, and spiritual outcomes from participating in outdoor experiences. Research on the benefits for female participants focuses primarily on women's experiences; however, little research investigates the outcomes of girls' participation. More specifically, the literature neglects the study of how participation in outdoor wilderness programs challenges conventional notions of femininity. The goal of this study was to 1) add girls' voices to the research on the outcomes …

The Content And Process Of Women’S Decision-Making Viewed Through The Lenses Of Feminine/Feminist Ethics And Roman Catholicism, Nancy Parent Bancroft

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to expand the understanding of ethical decision-making by contributing women’s experiences and thoughts to the issue. Fifty women shared a decision that they had made or were in the process of making having to do with their health or reproductive life. The research method of phenomenology was used with the women in the semi-structured interviews in an attempt to capture the meaning that they gave both to what they paid attention to and to the process that they used in arriving at their decisions. After researchers gained as clear a rendering as possible of …

Teen Pregnancy: What Brings Teens To Family Planning Clinics For Pregnancy Tests, Norma Reynolds Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that bring teenage girls to family planning clinics for pregnancy tests. This study focused on those teens requesting pregnancy tests to investigate the circumstances surrounding their concern that they may be pregnant. A total of 116 teenage girls, between the ages of 13 and 19 completed the 21 item questionnaire. While the results of this study did support previous research showing that teens are using birth control, results found correct and consistent use to be a problem. While most teenage girls reported that they use condoms (73%), over half did …