Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Risk Sensitivity And Terrorism, Lawrence Kuznar, James Lutz

James M Lutz

One enduring question about terrorism is why individuals choose to join terrorist groups. Past studies have shown that terrorists are not always poor, and they can in fact come from more privileged groups in society. Risk sensitivity and prospect theory are approaches that can help explain some of the anomalies. They suggest that two types of group are likely to supply members for terrorist organizations in disproportionate numbers. One group consists of those who face a loss of status or position due to ongoing changes in society. A second group consists of those who have an opportunity to gain a …

Our March Toward Intolerance, Michael I. Niman Ph.D.

Michael I Niman Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

The Social Implications Of Emerging Technologies, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

As the Program Committee Chair, I would like to first and foremost thank the forty person strong international program committee for their support, feedback and contributions from the outset. The Committee itself was made up of researchers from 11 countries, covering diverse disciplines and expertise. In their own right members of the program committee are renowned researchers, cited in many of the papers appearing in this year’s ISTAS full proceedings, and over the years appearing in associated publications such as IEEE Technology and Society Magazine. It was such an honour to work with persons possessing a truly collaborative spirit, some …

Culture And Co-Morbidity In East And West Berliners, Mary Fechner

Mary Fechner

Following the collapse of socialism, fluctuations in cardiac mortality rates in East Germany and a West-to-East cardiac health gradient became topics of interest. Researchers suggested possible causes for these phenomena, including stress from postsocialism. I proposed that a cultural investigation of heart disease comorbid with depression could inform our understanding of the potential health effects of the postsocialist transition. I conducted ethnographic and survey research. In the study described here, I administered a depression scale (CES-D) and an ethnographically derived measure of cultural stress (Good Life Survey) to over 200 East and West Berliners with cardiovascular disease. Comparison of the …

Letter From The Visual Anthropology Review Editor: Seeing China (American Anthropologist), Marc Moskowitz

Marc L. Moskowitz

No abstract provided.

Considerations For Culturally Appropriate Hiv/Aids Education Strategies In Belize: An Analytical Study Exploring The Relationship Between Knowledge And Stigma, C. Mcinnes, Treena Orchard, E. Druyts, R. Baird, W. Zhang, R. Hogg, P. Vandeusen

Dr. Treena Orchard

No abstract provided.

Accounting For Absence: The Colombian Paramilitaries In U.S. Policy Debates, Winifred Tate

Winifred L. Tate

Big, attention-grabbing numbers are frequently used in policy debates and media reporting: "At least 200,000-250,000 people died in the war in Bosnia." "There are three million child soldiers in Africa." "More than 650,000 civilians have been killed as a result of the U.S. occupation of Iraq." "Between 600,000 and 800,000 women are trafficked across borders every year." "Money laundering represents as much as 10 percent of global GDP." "Internet child porn is a $20 billion-a-year industry."

Peter Andreas and Kelly M. Greenhill see only one problem: these numbers are probably false. Their continued use and abuse reflect a much larger …

Ant 320: Human Variation, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Language, Power And Politics (Fall 2010 Syllabus), Adam Hodges

Adam Hodges

In this course, we will examine the integral role language plays in politics; and, more generally, how power operates in linguistic practices and political interaction. As we critically examine how language is used to articulate, maintain and subvert relations of power in society, emphasis will be placed on language in the media, the political rhetoric associated with war, and the construction of ‘truth’ in politics. We will also consider the role of ethnographic analysis in aiding our understandings of how social actors use and (re)interpret political language. The course will provide you with a foundation for understanding how language shapes …

Language In Society (Winter 2010 Syllabus), Adam Hodges

Adam Hodges

In this course, we will examine how language and society affect each other. We will place a significant focus on language use in our own society to explore regional and social differences in speech. We will examine the attitudes and ideologies people have about languages, language varieties, and their speakers (e.g. issues of prestige and stigma). We will explore how speakers use language to construct identities and interact with different audiences. And we will examine how language itself often becomes a political issue (e.g. in debates over language and education). The course will use a mixture of lectures, class discussions, …