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Articles 1 - 30 of 71
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Fluid Futures: The Revitalization Of Yangzhou Through Its Historical Waterways, Feiyang Wu
Fluid Futures: The Revitalization Of Yangzhou Through Its Historical Waterways, Feiyang Wu
Masters Theses
In China, cities such as Yangzhou, which in pre-modern times played central roles in the political, cultural, and economic functioning of the country based on their geographic location, proximity to water-based trade routes, and connections to the imperial court, are today facing uncertain futures due to waterways no longer being critical to trade, and government-driven development being focused on first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. With this, the working-age population migrates from smaller cities toward these urban giants, leaving behind aging relatives, a less robust and diversified economic base, and few attributes other than cultural tourism that …
Moral Responsibility And Other Visceral Attitudes Of Western Michigan University Students Toward Food Waste, Quinn Heiser
Moral Responsibility And Other Visceral Attitudes Of Western Michigan University Students Toward Food Waste, Quinn Heiser
Masters Theses
Despite the large number of people that go hungry on a regular basis in America, food waste remains a looming issue, globally and nationally. Both American college students and the universities themselves contribute a large portion to the national food waste totals. A dichotomy that is especially curious is the difference between students who live on-campus and whose main source of meals is the dining centers, versus students who live off campus and rely mainly on groceries to make meals independently. However, food waste has seldom been studied in the context of the fact that college is a major transition …
Cocoa Production In The Era Of Crude Oil Economy: The Case Study Of Ondo State, Nigeria., Hakeem Shina Lamidi
Cocoa Production In The Era Of Crude Oil Economy: The Case Study Of Ondo State, Nigeria., Hakeem Shina Lamidi
Masters Theses
Nigeria's cocoa industry has been faced with obstacles that include a lack of adequate infrastructure, little or no research and development efforts for weather-related challenges and pest control, limited financial support for cocoa farming startups, absence of modern farming techniques, an aging agricultural workforce, and decrepit cocoa trees all of which have contributed to the decline in the production of cocoa by Nigeria. The Nigerian government's failure to prioritize agricultural policies and support farmers instead of relying on oil exports exacerbates these issues. While it is assumed that countries endowed with abundant natural resources, including oil, like Nigeria, would naturally …
Labor Trafficking On The Global Sporting Stage, Luke A. Brice
Labor Trafficking On The Global Sporting Stage, Luke A. Brice
Masters Theses
The goal of major athletic events is to promote global harmony and goodwill. The host nation was able to showcase its national culture, identity, landscape, and other desired elements by drawing attention to itself from around the globe through these events. The honor of hosting the event is accompanied by heightened criticism of the nation's existing problems with social justice, politics, and the economy. Mega-sporting events have a natural geographic connection and adjust to the political, social, and economic environments of the areas they are held in, which in turn shapes the local character. These occurrences have the power to …
Depicting Racial Residential Segregation: An Empirical Analysis Of A Geographical Racial Project In Kent County, Michigan, 2000-2020, Deanna Hughes
Depicting Racial Residential Segregation: An Empirical Analysis Of A Geographical Racial Project In Kent County, Michigan, 2000-2020, Deanna Hughes
Masters Theses
Racial residential segregation has been the foundation for social inequality in American society for many years with links back to slavery and Jim Crow segregation. Many different techniques have been created to study racial residential segregation, with a vast majority of the statistical calculations showing that segregation has been steadily decreasing since the 1960s, sometimes in large amounts. This study seeks to assess these claims by utilizing the same calculations used in those studies and producing dasymetric maps to depict how racial residential segregation is appearing in Kent County, Michigan including Grand Rapids and East Grand Rapids. The following calculations …
Spatial Patterns Of Women Enrolled In Undergraduate Higher Education Coursework In The Us From 2010 To 2020., Dorcaslove Naa Oyo Quartey
Spatial Patterns Of Women Enrolled In Undergraduate Higher Education Coursework In The Us From 2010 To 2020., Dorcaslove Naa Oyo Quartey
Masters Theses
Higher education in the United States has witnessed a significant transformation over the years, characterized by a positive change in women’s enrollment across colleges and universities. Despite significant gains in recent decades, differences in women's participation to higher education persist across the United States. This may be due to several reasons. This thesis investigates the spatial patterns of women's enrollment in undergraduate higher education coursework across the United States from 2010 to 2020. As women's participation in higher education has become increasingly pivotal for societal progress, understanding the geographical distribution of their enrollment provides critical insights into regional disparities. Employing …
Examining Housing Experiences Among International Students At The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville (Utk), Rosemary Achentisa Ayelazuno
Examining Housing Experiences Among International Students At The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville (Utk), Rosemary Achentisa Ayelazuno
Masters Theses
As more students from across the world enrol in higher education to take advantage of the opportunities it offers, schools and universities are starting to address a problem that an increasing number of their students are experiencing, namely housing insecurity. With an increase in the number of students due to growing interest in higher education institutions, student housing has become a significant area of concern. More overseas graduate students are pursuing their degrees without regular access to their housing needs due to a lack of inexpensive and accessible housing, high tuition prices, and insufficient financial help. To better understand the …
Covered Monuments And Black Erasure In Nashville, Tennessee, Kayla S. Roulhac
Covered Monuments And Black Erasure In Nashville, Tennessee, Kayla S. Roulhac
Masters Theses
Centennial Park is a staple of downtown Nashville, Tennessee because of its founding after the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition in 1897, and also for the urban green space it provides for contemporary residents and visitors. A family-friendly space is presented to the visitors, yet there is a history of slavery within the park boundaries and Black removal. The lack of acknowledgement of the former plantation, the later removal of an African American university nearly adjacent to Vanderbilt University, and the modern presence of a Confederate monument in this space brings about questions regarding the memory of this particular landscape …
“Knoxville Is Home Because I Have Made It That Way”: Drag Family And The Politics Of Joy In Knoxville, Tennessee, Devyn J. Kelly
“Knoxville Is Home Because I Have Made It That Way”: Drag Family And The Politics Of Joy In Knoxville, Tennessee, Devyn J. Kelly
Masters Theses
In this thesis, I uncover narratives of joy and love for a queer and trans drag family in Knoxville, Tennessee. Considered to be in a region that is openly hostile towards queer folk, I use documentary filmmaking to see how a family trans drag entertainers create queer space for themselves and others in the South. Current legislature is slashing rights for queer folk in Tennessee, directly affecting the lives and wellness of my participants. Through interviews I discover how this drag family, The House of Commitment, bands together to navigate their conservative surroundings, and form deep connections of home here. …
Assessing The Total Economic Value Of Parks In Kalamazoo County, Samuel Herman Ayivi
Assessing The Total Economic Value Of Parks In Kalamazoo County, Samuel Herman Ayivi
Masters Theses
Urban parks and green spaces have become an important part of the urban ecosystems in recent years, and there is growing evidence on the positive relationship between having green spaces and good health. Indeed, access to urban parks is part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development goals (Goal 11 target 7). In recent years, these parks and green spaces have become a subject of development pressures because of the inability of planners and researchers to clearly articulate the value of these parks. The Total Economic Value Framework (TEVF) situates resources (Parks and green spaces in this case) in the minds …
Assessment Of Industrial Policies In Ghana: A Case Study On The Current Policy Of One District One Factory Policy (1d1f), Ama Nyamekye Obenewa Otoo
Assessment Of Industrial Policies In Ghana: A Case Study On The Current Policy Of One District One Factory Policy (1d1f), Ama Nyamekye Obenewa Otoo
Masters Theses
Industrialization has been the weakest link in Ghana’s economic development efforts. Import-substitution industrialization policy of the 1960s-1980s and the outward liberalized industrialization policy of 1990-2020 (Vision 2020), have failed to achieve the goals of industrialization. This is due to several reasons including the selfish interests of these political leaders and lack of technological advancement. In 2017, the elected New Patriotic Party (NPP), announced a new industrialization policy known as “one district, one factory" (1D1F), which was a political campaign promise to realign industrial strategies. The goal of this policy is to ensure that industries are spread equitably among the country's …
Exchange And Social Interaction In The Tennessee River Valley: A Geospatial Approach To The Analysis Of Late Archaic Archaeological Sites, Justin S. Bailey
Exchange And Social Interaction In The Tennessee River Valley: A Geospatial Approach To The Analysis Of Late Archaic Archaeological Sites, Justin S. Bailey
Masters Theses
The cultural manifestation known as the Shell Mound Archaic persisted in the lower Midwest and Midsouth region of the Eastern United States for over four millennia beginning in the Middle Archaic ca. 8900 cal BP and terminating at the end of the Late Archaic ca 3200 cal BP. A geospatial approach is applied to the analysis of exotic material exchange of the Late Archaic (ca. 5800-3200 cal BP) to assess how foraging peoples in the Tennessee River Valley interacted and persisted during this time. Exotic material items manufactured from copper, marine shell, steatite, and other nonlocal materials demonstrate distinct spatial …
Covid-19 Renters And Housing Instability: Combatting The Eviction Epidemic During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Knox County, Tennessee, Samantha B. Myers-Miller
Covid-19 Renters And Housing Instability: Combatting The Eviction Epidemic During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Knox County, Tennessee, Samantha B. Myers-Miller
Masters Theses
COVID-19 has exacerbated preexisting inequities in Knox County, Tennessee. The disruption to employment caused by the pandemic has imposed a great financial burden for many individuals who rent housing. The primary relief that was afforded to renters during the pandemic was enabled by a federal eviction moratorium order, where covered renters could defer payments to avoid eviction while the moratorium was in effect. Some additional rental assistance was provided to local governments through the federal CARES Act pandemic relief package. Despite these provisions, many people experienced housing crises in Knox County, where over 3,000 renters have faced eviction filing from …
The Relationship Between Distance To The Woodward Avenue Streetcar And Real Estate Prices In Central Detroit, Alex Biles
The Relationship Between Distance To The Woodward Avenue Streetcar And Real Estate Prices In Central Detroit, Alex Biles
Masters Theses
In recent decades, cities across the United States have pursued streetcars not only for their transportation benefits, but also with the goal of revitalizing downtowns and nearby neighborhoods by stimulating economic development and boosting property values. In Detroit, construction of the Woodward Avenue streetcar, also known as the QLine, was unprecedented due to the outsized involvement of private investors. Although the announcement of the QLine attracted substantial investment, ridership has largely fallen short of projections, and impacts on nearby property values were unclear. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effects of distance to QLine stations on real …
Statistical And Spatial Analysis Of Hurricane-Induced Power Outage And Restoration, Dakotah Daniel Maguire
Statistical And Spatial Analysis Of Hurricane-Induced Power Outage And Restoration, Dakotah Daniel Maguire
Masters Theses
Tropical cyclones (TC) cause billions of dollars in damage to coastal areas in the United States annually. Global climate change is increasing favorable environmental conditions for TCs which produce heavy flooding and precipitation. It is important to understand the communities that will be most affected, and will likely suffer the longest power outages. County-level power outage data from the Department of Energy’s Environment for Analysis of Geo-Located Energy Information (EAGLE-I) were used to analyze the relationships of environmental and socioeconomic variables on power outage trends, response, and recovery for power outages caused by two North Atlantic Basin hurricanes: Hurricane Florence …
From Page To Place: Speculative Fiction, Future Space-Making, And Community Formation In Theory And Practice, Victoria L. Haynes
From Page To Place: Speculative Fiction, Future Space-Making, And Community Formation In Theory And Practice, Victoria L. Haynes
Masters Theses
This thesis shows how Black and queer-authored Southern climate fiction can serve as a guide for constructing better futures. Established as two separate academic papers, the first chapter analyzes two climate fiction novels set in the U.S. Southern landscape: Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts and Tenea Johnson’s Smoketown. Through this analysis, I name three key commonalities between both narratives that I believe are critical to facilitating future change: creating community, envisioning resistance, and fostering empathy and accountability. My identification of these three themes and discussion of their articulations is grounded in the work of Black geographies and queer …
Scars As Cartography: Bodily Commemorations And Memorials, Bethany Craig
Scars As Cartography: Bodily Commemorations And Memorials, Bethany Craig
Masters Theses
This paper seeks to study the interdependence of scars and memory to the newly emergent field of bodily cartography, specifically investigating the dynamic between scars and the spatially situated memories they preserve, produce, and commemorate within and through the body. In this thesis, I argue that scars are a form of bodily cartography which map, mark, inscribe, and pinpoint the experiences of our spatial movements through time, location, and emotion. The project’s urgency lies in recognizing and validating the body as a cartographic space; it addresses the normalizing effects of the (re)articulation and (re)production of memory through the body. Whether …
The Relationship Between Eviction, Rent Burden, And Poor Births In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Joseph Agati
The Relationship Between Eviction, Rent Burden, And Poor Births In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Joseph Agati
Masters Theses
Millions of Americans get evicted every year, with thousands coming from Kalamazoo County, Michigan alone. Additionally, many more live with rent burden, paying over 30% of their monthly income on rent. Both eviction and rent burden have been linked to adverse health effects, such as depression and anxiety, and negative coping mechanisms, such as alcoholism and smoking. This study asks if eviction and rent burden are correlated with poor births in Kalamazoo County as there are hundreds of poor births in the county every year, as well as which social vulnerability themes are most predictive of eviction and poor births. …
Cultivating Meaningful Consultation And Collaboration: Tribal Environmental Protection In Michigan, Zachary Reed
Cultivating Meaningful Consultation And Collaboration: Tribal Environmental Protection In Michigan, Zachary Reed
Masters Theses
In the year 2022, there are 12 federally reaffirmed Native American tribes in Michigan. These tribes all maintain natural resource departments to manage tribal environments. Indigenous groups have a rich history of protection and understanding of the natural world. This connection to land and water has been systematically challenged through patterns of colonialism. Through policy making, revitalization efforts and environmental ethics, the State of Michigan has been improved by tribal natural resource departments. But, while the United States and the State of Michigan recognizes tribal sovereignty, meaningful tribal consultation is inadequate. Through collaborative interviews, historical sources, and contemporary evidence, this …
Material Encounters: Making Memory Beyond The Mind, Ariel Wills
Material Encounters: Making Memory Beyond The Mind, Ariel Wills
Masters Theses
Can acts of making carry the memories of our embeddedness within the world? This thesis explores how making things can nurture a sense of kinship that cuts across the organic and inorganic, erasing the distinction between living and dead, material and spiritual. Through handwork such as art-making, sewing, knitting, cooking, woodworking, and beyond, the burden of remembering and of archiving is shared across human and non-human bodies, cultivated through practices of making, and through the materials themselves. By recounting the stories of my family’s experience as Jewish immigrants in the United States, I aim to reveal how their domestic practices …
Messy Zoning And Studentification: Fort Sanders In Knoxville, Tennessee, Yael Uziel
Messy Zoning And Studentification: Fort Sanders In Knoxville, Tennessee, Yael Uziel
Masters Theses
This study explores the unique intersection of the current coronavirus pandemic and studentification by looking at college neighborhoods in cities through a case study of at University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the near-by Fort Sanders neighborhoods. It introduces the idea of "messy zoning" to characterize the unclear and conflicting land-use regulations and their applications by local and institutional actors contributing to further studentification. Using secondary data collection and archival urban planning documents from the City of Knoxville, this study works to question the reasons neighborhoods become studentified. Particularly, it fills the gap that is blaming HMO (Houses in multiple occupation) …
Social Inequity In Memories Of Shakespeare: The Fetishizing Power Of The Globe Theatre, Reagan A Yessler
Social Inequity In Memories Of Shakespeare: The Fetishizing Power Of The Globe Theatre, Reagan A Yessler
Masters Theses
William Shakespeare’s works are widely regarded as the pillar of English literature in Western society. An understanding of Shakespearean literature is a form of symbolic or cultural capital, and a lack thereof signals that a person is uncultured, uneducated. However, in his own time, Shakespeare was not so highly regarded. To fully understand the evolution that Shakespeare and his works have undergone, one must consider the modern memory politics that reify the contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare in the Western world at liex de memoire (places of memory), which are shaped by the tumultuous sequence of historical movements that formed Shakespeare’s …
The Urban Morphology Of Hyderabad, India: A Historical Geographic Analysis, Kevin B. Haynes
The Urban Morphology Of Hyderabad, India: A Historical Geographic Analysis, Kevin B. Haynes
Masters Theses
Hyderabad, India has undergone tremendous change over the last three centuries. The study seeks to understand how and why Hyderabad transitioned from a north-south urban morphological directional pattern to east-west during from 1687 to 2019. Satellite-based remote sensing will be used to measure the extent and land classifications of the city throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century using a geographic information science and historical-geographic approach. This approach provides the basis for a structured archival historical-geographic analysis. Focusing on Hyderabad, India from 1687 to 2019, the objectives of this research are to: (1) delineate and quantify the geographic extent of built-up …
A Comparison Of Alternative Route Alignments For The North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, Mi, Whitney K. Lambert
A Comparison Of Alternative Route Alignments For The North Country Trail Through Calhoun County, Mi, Whitney K. Lambert
Masters Theses
Recreational hiking trails are a popular destination for local residents and tourists, offering health, educational, and social benefits. The North Country Trail (NCT) provides a unique hiking experience because of the many landscapes through which it travels. Because it spans across seven states in the Midwest, a hiker can travel through the mountains of New York, the hardwood forests of upper Michigan, and the plains of South Dakota along one route. When completed, the NCT will be about 4,600 miles; however, there are currently 1,900 miles of undeveloped connector routes during which the route is often located along the road. …
Spatial And Temporal Changes In Halal Food Sales And Consumption A Case Study Of The City Of Dearborn, Michigan, Sam Roodbar
Spatial And Temporal Changes In Halal Food Sales And Consumption A Case Study Of The City Of Dearborn, Michigan, Sam Roodbar
Masters Theses
With a population of 3.2 million and growing in the US, Arab Americans are an integral part of the economy and culture of the United States and the world. The southeast portion of the state of Michigan is home to more than 300,000 Arab Americans. One of the main agents of cultural maintenance and support for the Arab American community are their ethnic food traditions, specifically Halal food. Since the introduction of Halal food in the United States, the sales and consumption of Halal products has increased immensely. This research seeks to answer four related questions focused on the entrance …
Deviance Fluidity On The Urban Landscape: Graffiti And Street Art As Non-Normative Placemaking, Alyson M. Mabie
Deviance Fluidity On The Urban Landscape: Graffiti And Street Art As Non-Normative Placemaking, Alyson M. Mabie
Masters Theses
Graffiti is recognized as an illegal deviant act. Sociologically, deviance is defined by the audience perceiving the act, rather than inherent in the act itself. In this context, deviance is subjective and fluid. This paper explores the spectrum of graffiti from criminal vandalism to celebrated art form in the context of its placement on the urban landscape. The fluidity of deviance is reflected in the concentration of different types of graffiti in different locations. The spatial distribution of graffiti writing, street art, and the equally illegal guerrilla marketing stickers, which mimic graffiti placement and street art styles, were collected in …
Spatial Effects Of Foreign Direct Investment (Fdi) On Poverty Reduction In Colombia: A Mixed Methods Approach, Mayra Alejandra Yat Aguilar
Spatial Effects Of Foreign Direct Investment (Fdi) On Poverty Reduction In Colombia: A Mixed Methods Approach, Mayra Alejandra Yat Aguilar
Masters Theses
Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been identified as an important factor in stimulating economic growth and decreasing poverty. In particular, the relationship between FDI and economic growth has been extensively debated in the academic literature but with mixed results. Meanwhile, considerably less work has been done towards investigating the effects of FDI on poverty reduction. Evidence from the limited research linking on FDI and poverty levels is also mixed. Through a more comprehensive survey-based multi-scale method of assessing poverty, this empirical study investigates the contribution of FDI with respect to concurrent quantitative and qualitative assessment of changes in living standards …
A Longitudinal Study Of Prenatal Care And Prenatal Outcomes Of Women In Foster Care Across Michigan Counties, Lauryn Jianrattanasawat
A Longitudinal Study Of Prenatal Care And Prenatal Outcomes Of Women In Foster Care Across Michigan Counties, Lauryn Jianrattanasawat
Masters Theses
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, at any given time, there are approximately 13,000 youth in foster care throughout Michigan. This study used secondary data of linked child welfare case records and State of Michigan Medicaid claims from January 1, 2009 to September 30, 2012 to research the effects of individual, foster care and spatial characteristics experienced by 307 women that became pregnant and delivered while still enrolled in foster care in Michigan on their prenatal care and prenatal outcomes. While, the majority of the analyses resulted in insignificant relationships, significant differences between foster care characteristics …
Understanding The Vulnerability Of The Population Of Afghanistan Under Multiple Natural And Anthropogenic Risks With An Indicator-Based Analysis, Matthew Repine Miller
Understanding The Vulnerability Of The Population Of Afghanistan Under Multiple Natural And Anthropogenic Risks With An Indicator-Based Analysis, Matthew Repine Miller
Masters Theses
The purpose of this study is to understand the vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic hazards of the population of Afghanistan and the social factors which enhance or moderate such vulnerability. While vulnerability studies are commonly conducted in the United States, as well as many other global north countries, most studies of this type utilize data collected by central government entities in the form of a census which is periodically executed and uses standardized collection methods. In the case of Afghanistan, and many other countries in the global south, such data is hard to acquire, lacks a high level of confidence, …
Operational Jakarta: The Problem Of Representation, Kevin Patrick Jeffers
Operational Jakarta: The Problem Of Representation, Kevin Patrick Jeffers
Masters Theses
As the twenty-first century unfolds with newly formed degrees of hypercomplex interactions and reactions amongst space, time, economy, politics, social dynamics, and cultural paradigms, we are observing new typologies of urbanism that are different in kind, rather than degree, from the previous “urban” upon which the vast majority of present theoretical and practical discourse has been based. The techniques, strategies, and methodologies of the twentieth-century no longer serve to adequately represent or to explain the phenomena of today’s incipient mega-cities. A new vocabulary must be developed. A new way of seeing is required in order to understand and therefor to …