Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Can Local Transitional Justice Mechanisms Work Towards Measures Of Non-Recurrence?, Isaac Bayor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines questions of local agency and inclusion. It develops a conceptual understanding of whether, and if so how, local customary justice mechanisms could serve as guarantees of non-recurrence. It looks at how grassroots practices of “justice” could be utilized at the community level to deter the commission of future abuses and prevent the repetition of violent conflict, especially where the state has been completely absent. It specifically explores Acholi indigenous and customary practices of peacemaking and justice in Northern Uganda to understand how local practices could secure a lasting peace and cement communities’ commitment to peaceful coexistence.

While …

Ley Olimpia: Examining Policymaking Around Digital Violence, Andrea Alejandra Capella-Castro

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The topic of this thesis is policymaking and regulations around digital gender violence. This work intends to examine what methods effectively regulate and eradicate Online-Gender Based Violence (OGBV), a new type of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). Effective policymaking for the digital space has a significant impact on our society and especially on women as they remain the most objectified, attacked, and harassed on social media platforms. Therefore, social media needs an effective policy to address digital gender violence. Furthermore, the topic is relevant because policymaking around digital gender violence will advance the feminist movement’s fight and protect women and social media …

Venezolanos En New York, Mariel V. Lozada

Capstones

The process of developing a website with information about the bureaucratic process for the immigrants in the city, especially focusing on the Venezuelans and a five steps guide with the most basic information a newly arrived immigrant may need. The idea behind is to deliver useful content that would live in their inbox so they can revisit it easily anytime they want, even without having an internet connection, and, if the reader wants to deepen their knowledge, can visit the website for more in-depth coverage of these topics.

Femicides: The Other Growing Epidemic We Don’T Want To See, Natalia Gutierrez

Capstones

This report analyzes how gender-based killings is a growing topic within the feminist community of New York and Mexico City and how the use of the right terminology is essential to understand the scope of the problem. I worked for 18 months with the feminist community in both cities and the term ‘femicide’ came over and over in the interviews Femicide, how it is referred in the rest of the world, is the intentional killing of women or girls because they are female, and it is a growing epidemic in the U.S. and in Mexico. I interviewed more than 40 …

Young People More Optimistic About Climate Crisis, Syed U. Haq

Capstones

This is story on how the youth today is feeling more ambitious about rectifying the mistakes the previous generation has made regarding climate. It takes the reader through a poll done by Generation Lab, about the optimism in the younger generation to tackle the climate crisis and what factors are in play in making them feel that way. It also provides three brief audio pieces from student activists, Anna Kathawala, from the local Fridays for Future, Mars Vazquez-Plyshevsky, who comes from a family of climate deniers, and Aderinsola Babawale, a local activist with Brownsville Green Justice. And of course, their …

Climate Care: Pathways For Coastal Community Resilience, Jessica Reilly-Moman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change increasingly impacts coasts worldwide. The ability of coastal ecosystems and the human communities who are part of them to absorb disturbance and maintain function or transform, or resilience, is of critical importance to managing these impacts. However, to date, climate resilience largely has focused on biophysical impacts and technocratic solutions, while issues of social and environmental justice and human well-being become more acute and entrenched. Consequently, I ask: How can coastal communities cope with climate change? To answer this question, I leverage traditional, emergent, and novel social research methods in Mexico, Central America, and Maine. Using ethnography, interviews, …

Multicultural Music Education: Preparedness, Perceptions, And Practice Among Virginia Elementary Music Educators, Benjamin J. Luna

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Benjamin Joel Luna, M. M.

James Madison University, 2021

Supervisor: Lisa M. Maynard

The purpose of this study was to examine the Multicultural Music Education (MME) practices of established (i.e. more than three years of music teaching experience) Elementary Music Teachers in the state of Virginia by examining their responses to a series of survey questions specific to the topic. Participants (N=18) were all current Elementary Music Teachers in the state of Virginia with more than three years of experience.

Participants were asked to use Likert-scale ratings for the majority of the questions but were also given the …

Intention To Breastfeed: Breastfeeding Attitudes, Norms, Self-Efficacy, Social Support Network And Community Resources Of African American, Low-Income, Emerging Adult Women, Pregnant For The First Time, Sara E. Brown

Theses & Dissertations

African American (AA) women continue to have the lowest rates of breastfeeding. This continues to create a health disparity even though breastfeeding is extensively recognized in the scientific and health care communities as the optimal feeding choice for infants. This study examined the relationship between the external variables (social support network and community resources) and the explanatory variables (attitudes, norms, and perceived self-efficacy) and intention to breastfeed, for the AA, first time, low-income, emerging adult pregnant woman. The Integrated Behavior Model (IBM) was used as the theoretical framework to guide this study in better understanding the variables influencing breastfeeding intention. …

Fast Fashion From A Buddhist Perspective, Elizabeth Mclaughlin

HON499 projects

The connection between Buddhism and fast fashion is not immediately apparent, nor is it a particularly well-researched area. However, the topic of consumption underlies both topics, relating to each in markedly different ways. Buddhist precepts outline practices of mindful and sustainable consumption within limited means; fast fashion fosters consumption on a massive, global scale. The work of Ernst Friedrich Schumacher, a man with a career in economics that was aided by great concern for the survival and success of humankind, offers clarity to the conversation about Buddhism and fast fashion. He pioneered the field of Buddhist economics, which seeks to …

New York Is Promising Social Equity In Its Legal Cannabis Market, But Questions Still Loom, Brian D. Evans Jr

Capstones

This capstone will explore how New York can navigate a new landscape that accepts recreational marijuana while also dealing with an illegal pot market that can better serve the state with less arrests and a more seamless rollout. The capstone will also discuss how people of color – already targeted and arrested at a disproportionate rate for misdemeanor non-violent drug related crimes – will navigate this landscape. With less access to capital to start businesses of their own or buy/rent property, will New York perhaps introduce or entertain a program to subsidize such an effort? California has said that the …

Serving Our Students: Evidence-Based Sex Education Policies And Practices Needed In Ohio, Lily Mckenzie Rosenberg

Honors Projects

Ohio has very minimal state-wide sex education laws, requiring only venereal disease education that has many similarities with abstinence-only education. Abstinence-only education has been shown to be ineffective in delaying first sex and lowering teen STDs, pregnancy, and birth rates. When students receive ineffective (or no) sex education it can impact them in many ways, leaving them unprepared for sexual lives as adults. To analyze the state of sex education in Ohio, this paper will look at sex education throughout Ohio both in law and in practice. I will then explore the impact of these minimal sex education laws on …

The Time To Talk Is Now: Race-Based Dialogue Among White Student Affairs Professionals, Imari Hazelwood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Enrollment of students of color (SOC) in higher education has called on student affairs professionals to design and implement programs and policies focused on diversity and inclusion (Mueller & Pope, 2000, 2003; Ellertson, Moore, & Marsh, 2007; Pope, Mueller, & Reynolds, 2009). White student affairs professionals need to develop cultural competencies about race to aid the development of students of color at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) (Mueller & Pope, 2001). Book clubs are one way to gather and converse about race and identity (Polleck & Epstein, 2015). The White Racial Identity Development theory (WRID) is a way to bring awareness …

An Exploration Of Black Church Leaders' Intentions To Develop Critical Consciousness Among African-American Students, Taheesha Quarells

Dissertations

African-American students experience human capital opportunity and achievement gaps. Researchers have called for culturally relevant strategies to help close the gaps. The historic Black Church, a part of many African-American students’ culture and community, is a historic and current source of social capital for positive human capital development outcomes. Critical consciousness develops positive human capital outcomes, such as academic achievement, in African-American and other minority students. Much of the literature on critical consciousness is quantitative in nature and therefore does not include the intentions or the willingness of organizations to develop critical consciousness. Therefore, there is a need to understand …

Collateral Damage: How Expanding Public Charge Policy Influences Adult Esl Enrollment, Allison M. Eckert

Master's Theses

This study used statistical analysis of enrollment records for ESL programs at community colleges throughout California from 2015-2019 to determine whether adult immigrants’ participation in public ESL programs was reduced under President Donald Trump. Immigrant families’ lesser use of public education services and means-tested federal benefits has been widely documented in the wake of Trump’s expansion of the public charge rule, which counted immigrants’ use of a wider array of public benefits against their case for residency in the United States than had any previous iteration of the rule. Failing the public charge test can block an immigrant’s entry into …

Litigation, Legislation, And Love: The Comparative Efficacy Of Litigation And Legislation For The Expansion Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Civil Rights, Mallory Harrington

Honors College Theses

This research examines the comparative efficacy of federal appellate court decisions and federal legislation with regards to the furtherance of civil rights on the basis of sexual orientation. The research examines efficacy based upon the number of measures which have been implemented as well as the content of each measure. The research examines federal appellate and Supreme Court decisions, as well as adopted pieces of federal legislation since 1950. It also examines the likely causes of the disparities in efficacy that are indicated in this analysis. The findings of this research indicate that litigation has been much more effective at …

[Dis]Assembling Race: The Fepc In Oklahoma, 1941-1946, Arley Ward

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

On the World War II home front in Oklahoma the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) succeeded in securing defense jobs for African Americans. The efforts of the committee, The Oklahoma Eagle, the Oklahoma City Black Dispatch, and the State Conference of Branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) advanced civil rights in Oklahoma throughout World War II and beyond. The efforts of the FEPC in Oklahoma connect civil rights efforts in the 1940s directly to Brown v Board of Education, (1954) and the classic civil rights movement.

The Lived Experiences Of Latinx Parents And Their Perception Of Bilingual Programs: A Phenomenological Reflection, Manuel O. Adrianzen

Dissertations

The aim of this study is two-fold. First, to better understand and capture the lived experiences of Latinx parents as they navigate the registration/enrollment process at the school and select a language program for their Pre-kindergarten child. Second, to understand what lived experiences influence their perception about bilingual education programs. Using Van Manen’s (2016) concept of human sciences and phenomenology, data was collected through the use of conversational interviews. The responses provided by the parents and school clerk revealed five themes, fear & anxiousness, hope for things to come & for a brighter future, use of social networks to understand …

A Case For The Decriminalization Of Simple Possession Of Narcotics In Mississippi, Stroud Tolleson

Honors Theses

Through its incarceration of simple possession offenders, Mississippi is failing to acknowledge the severity of addiction and importance of mental health. In this paper, I will examine Mississippi’s history of opinion and policy on drug use. In order to gain a better understanding of addiction and Mississippi’s criminal justice system, I interview several individuals with experience in varying aspects of these issues. Mississippi has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the United States, with stringent laws regarding the possession of narcotics. Mississippi’s mental health resources have been deemed unconstitutionally deficient on more than one occasion, and addicts are …

Understanding Wellbeing In Refugee Youth From The African Great Lakes Region., Victory Osezua

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young refugees are a vital and growing population in the United States that experience health inequities that make them vulnerable to adverse health outcomes. The health inequities that are evident between refugees and the general population elucidate the disparate power relations between the outcomes of the colonial past and postcolonial present. Although research shows that colonialism and their more recent experience of racism may have adverse long-term impacts on young people's health, it is essential to understand the contexts that shape their wellbeing. While the westernized model of wellbeing focuses on the individual, this study prioritizes the prevention of illness …

"If Fear Wasn't Enough?!": African American Perceptions Of Policing After Breonna Taylor's Unprovoked Death., Moriah Antoinette Bellamy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how African Americans perceive the racialization process in the criminal justice system following the death of Breonna Taylor. Focusing primarily on police-community relations in Louisville, KY, I find the Breonna Taylor case amplifies preconceived perceptions of race between civilian and non-civilian groups. To test the hypothesis that racialization in the criminal justice system has caused damaging effects on relations between African Americans and police, two virtual focus groups were designed to discuss participants’ experiences with law enforcement. My findings suggest that the racialization process in the criminal justice system negatively skewed African American civilians’ attitudes towards law …

The Relationship Of Hospital Ceo Gender And The Patient Experience: The Role Of The Mediating Effects Of Hospital Characteristics, Lanean M. Lang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this quantitative study, I investigated CEO gender and the patient experience in acute care hospitals in Texas for 2019. As the patient-experience has been the metric for quality patient care and hospital reimbursements, hospital CEOs play an important role in promoting positive patient experience as they lead the organization in strategic goals. The study is relevant as a shortage of experienced and qualified healthcare leaders is expected as baby-boomers retire. The lack of women leaders remains a challenging issue. The purpose of the study was to assess the gender differences of the CEO on the impact of patient experience …

Responding To Domestic Violence With Transformative Justice And Community Accountability, Anaiis Nysether

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center (WAFWC) wanted to create a survivor-driven transformative justice program for survivors of domestic violence and the people who caused them harm. The program needed to be customizable enough to suit the specific needs and individual safety considerations of the participants, but also needed enough structure that it could be reproducible from case to case. In order to design a program that was based on these ideas and able to be used in the context of a non-profit organization, WAFWC researched ways other communities had been using transformative justice and community accountability to address issues …

Santa Cruz County Prepares For The Next Major Wildfire, Antonio Lucero

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Office of Response, Recovery, and Resiliency (OR3) was established in 2020 and is a part of the County of Santa Cruz’s Strategic Development Department. The OR3 has been established to improve the emergency response and capabilities for the County of Santa Cruz in the event of another major environmental disaster. The CZU Lightning Fire Complex of 2020 was a significant wildfire and the largest the county had seen in over 100 years. Global warming led to climate change that has made this area of California more vulnerable to uncontrollable wildfires. In addition, severe drought conditions have left Santa Cruz …

Engaging Santa Cruz County Employers, Jayne Prieto

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This internship was completed at the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County (CAB), which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income at-risk youth and adults. The intern was fortunate to work with the Links2Work!, an Alcance program. Links2Work! helps individuals gain work experience and find linkages to employment. Currently, the biggest challenge is finding employment for those individuals impacted by the justice system. Their past histories have disqualified them from jobs. The intern’s Capstone Project was to find fair chance employers in the county of Santa Cruz that will allow the organization to better serve job seekers and …

Alternative To Suspension: Decreasing Suspension Rates For Minority Students, Alyssa Galindo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Between the timeframe of August 2020 - December 2021 Salinas Union High School (SUHSD) suspension rate data was reviewed in the California School Dashboard network. It was determined the suspension rate of this school district exceeded those of its fellow districts. SUHSD has increased their suspension rates of English learners by 2.3%, decreased their suspensions of African American students by 2% and Hispanic students have maintained the same rates as the prior year (caschooldashboard.org). Contributing factors to this social dilemma are lack of knowledge of Alternative to Suspension, unconscious and conscious bias and the newly adopted practice of Social Emotional …

Feedback Loops At Use In Non-Profit Organizations, Chantal Guerra

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Community Bridges serves clients of all ages across Santa Cruz County through ten programs which address the needs of clients across different life stages. Serving a diverse change of client population it can become difficult to ensure client satisfaction and the agency mission is being fulfilled across all programs. The lack of a benchmark to measure overall client satisfaction does not allow for the agency to measure for discrepancies and build on continuous quality improvement. This capstone project will create a high quality client feedback loop that creates a centralized survey for the ten programs of Community Bridges. This will …

Increasing Mental Health Awareness In The Homeless Youth Community, Kelly Joyce

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Mental illness within the homeless community is a pressing issue, which requires an increase in awareness throughout the community in order for it to be properly addressed. A lack of funding for low-cost or free mental health care, difficulty accessing existing programs by the homeless, and few options for care have contributed to the issue of mental illness and poor mental health among the homeless youth community. This can lead to various severe consequences, such as declining mental state for those within the community, prolonged homelessness, and an increased risk of developing a substance abuse disorder.

The Youth Homeless Response …

“From The House Come Everything”: Macler Shepard And Jeffvanderlou, Inc’S Effort To Rebuild A North St. Louis City Neighborhood, 1966-1978, Mark Loehrer

Theses

This thesis charts the course of the JeffVanderLou (JVL) organization between the pivotal years of 1966 to 1976, using the life of a man named Macler Shepard as the primary lens of exploration. Born in Marvell Arkansas, Macler Shepard followed in the footsteps of tens of thousands of other Southern migrants to cities like St. Louis, hoping to find a new life in the industrial North. However, no sooner had he settled in, he was displaced by the construction of Pruitt-Igoe, one of St. Louis’ first large-scale urban renewal programs. In response, Shepard became involved in neighborhood organizing, focusing on …

The Right To Self-Determination Of Indigenous Peoples Under International Customary Law, Rosa M. Navarro

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Shortcomings Of Rights To Water Doctrines, Samaa Moustafa

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.