Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Debris Of Progress: A Political Ethnography Of Critical Infrastructure, Ethan Tupelo

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I advance a political ethnography of critical infrastructure to better understand terminal capitalism, in which the waste products of commodification and resource depletion are destroying the ecological systems that support life. My object of study is the massive disjuncture between individual knowledge and intention, and these catastrophic collective planetary outcomes. Theoretically, I develop critical infrastructure theory to diagnose these destructive structures. By “infrastructure,” I mean systems of material and discursive flows fundamental to sedentary human organization, connecting local actions with global systems. Such infrastructure is “critical” in three senses: A) denoting the most important forms of infrastructure …

Developing And Implementing A Lgbt Family Studies Course: A Pre-Post Evaluation, Kathryn Alexandra Conrad

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the pre- and post-course knowledge and attitudes regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and families. An upper-level, Child and Family Studies undergraduate course, Modern Families, was constructed and piloted during the Spring 2016 semester to provide students with empirically-based information on contemporary families with a heavy emphasis on LGBT individuals and families. Participants (N = 19), who were enrolled in the course, participated in a series of open- and close-ended surveys at the beginning (Time 1 [T1]) and end (Time 2 [T2]) of the semester that assessed their knowledge and attitudes towards diverse …

Tennessee 4-H Center Summer Residential Camping Programs: Settings For Positive Youth Development As Perceived By Youth Campers, Jill T. Martz

Doctoral Dissertations

Adults involved in residential camping for children claim that the camp experience enhances children’s development in a variety of ways but there is little empirical research to document their claims. The purpose of this research was to explore the nature of the impact of residential camping on youth campers. The relationship between attributes of life skills practiced and the contextual features of the camp environment was the primary area of examination. The demographic variables of grade and gender were also examined to determine if significant differences in program effects existed.

The study population included fourth through sixth grade youth attending …

Family Caregiving Experiences With Alzheimer's Disease: A Collective Case Study, Annabel Lee Agee

Doctoral Dissertations

This collective case study was designed to explore the perspectives of families who are involved in caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease and the cognitive impairment it entails. The collective design (i.e., extension of the study to multiple cases) facilitated understanding and interpretation of these phenomena associated with family caregiving experiences with Alzheimer's disease through not only within-case but also cross-case analyses. Advances in health care and medical technology have resulted in increased life expectancy, which means more people are expected to live longer. Parallel to these predictions for increases in the aging population over the next 50 years, the …

Victorian Material Culture In Memphis, Tennessee: The Mallory-Neely House Interiors As Artifact, Lawrence Allen Ray

Doctoral Dissertations

The interiors of the Mallory-Neely House are valuable surviving documents of nineteenth century American culture warranting careful research, preservation and interpretation. Victorian Village, where the mansion is located in Memphis, is a nationally recognized enclave of nineteenth-century domestic structures. Previous research has centered primarily on the genealogical background of the owners and to a much lesser degree on the architectural history of these houses; none had focused in a scholarly manner on the interiors and furnishings. This is especially true of the Mallory-Neely House, the only one containing its original interior decor. These represent stratification of occupation and renovation by …