Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Professor Tari Renner Interpreted Election Results In Mclean County, Eric Stock

Interviews for WGLT

Political scientist Tarie Renner discusses midterm results. Says they reflect changing political colors in McLean County.

For Professor Fuist, Protests And Riots Dissimilar But Not Unconnected, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

Breakdowns in the social script can transform protests into more violent outbursts, according to IWU Professor of Sociology Todd Fuist. He discusses how underlying social problems can escalate an inciting event, with Chrarlie Schlenker from WGLT.

Sanctuary Cities And Their Respective Effect On Crime Rates, Adam R. Schutt

Undergraduate Economic Review

According to the U.S. Center for Immigration Studies (2017), cities or counties in twenty-four states declare themselves as a place of “sanctuary” for illegal immigrants. This study addresses the following question: Do sanctuary cities experience higher crime rates than those cities that are not? Using publicly available data, this regression analysis investigates the relationship between crime rates in selected cities and independent variables which the research literature or the media has linked to criminal activity. Results of this research reveal that sanctuary cities do not experience higher violent or property crime rates than those cities that are not sanctuary cities.

Kathleen O'Gorman On The Conditions At Us Immigration Facilities, Ryan Denham

Interviews for WGLT

IWU Professor of English Kathleen O'Gorman spent the summer of 2019 interviewing children being held at U.S. immigration facilities, as a volunteer on behalf of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. She spoke about this experience and the conditions of these detainment centers with WGLT's Ryan Denham.

Lgbtqia+ Campus Climate At A Small Liberal Arts University: An Exploratory Study With The Aim Of Improving The Environment For Queer Students, Mary Amanda Breeden

Honors Projects

Research suggests that a significant portion of LGBTQIA+ individuals report that their sexual orientation and/or gender identity play a substantial role in choosing which postsecondary institution to attend; thus, it is incumbent upon institutions for higher education to assess their respective campus climates. This project evaluates LGBTQIA+ campus climate at a small, private, Midwestern liberal arts university. Utilizing a grounded theory approach, I interviewed my queer-identified classmates – selected via a combination of strategic and snowball sampling – about their experiences on campus. Through these discussions, I gained a better understanding of queer students’ experiences within the classroom, extracurricular activities, …

Meghan Burke Discussing Her New Book "Colorblind Racism", January 24, 2019, Jon Norton

Interviews for WGLT

Jon Norton, WGLT Radio, speaks to Professor Meghan Burke about her latest book Colorblind Racism.

Nicole Brown, Nicole Brown '99, Meg Miner

All oral histories

Dr. Nicole Brown, Class of 1999, recalls her days as a leader of the Black Student Union, lessons learned from the corporate world and goals as the Director of Multicultural Affairs. She further relates examples of IWU’s lack of progress on lasting change with regard to hiring and retaining Black faculty. In each portion of her IWU affiliations, Brown recalls the achievements and frustrations she experienced.

Mother Goddesses And Subversive Witches: Competing Narratives Of Gender Essentialism, Heteronormativity, Feminism, And Queerness In Wiccan Theology And Ritual, Carly B. Floyd

Honors Projects

Wicca has typically been viewed as an empowering alternative to institutionalized and patriarchal religions, and women especially have been drawn to this religion because of its inclusion of women as goddesses and priestesses. It is also seen as a sex-positive religion, and many LGBTQ+ people embrace Wicca due to its lack of concepts such as sin and shame, especially around sex and sexuality. This research, however, troubles the claim that Wicca is a feminist, woman-friendly, queer-friendly religion. While women are celebrated and valued, I argue that women’s positive portrayal as mothers, nurturers, emotional, and intuitive portrays women’s nature in a …

Keynote Address: "What Transpires Now: Transgeder History And The Future We Need", Susan Stryker

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

The 2017 keynote address presented by special guest Susan Stryker, Associate Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Arizona. Professor Stryker is also the Director of the Institute for LGBT Studies, founder of the Transgender Studies Initiative, and holds a courtesy appointment as Associate Professor in the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Arizona. She is the author of many articles and several books on transgender and queer topics, most recently Transgender History (Seal Press 2008). She won a Lambda Literary Award for the anthology The Transgender Studies Reader (Routledge 2006), …

Women In Power: Visual Ethnographies Of Women Leaders In Bloomington-Normal, Lucy Bullock, Anna Kerr-Carpenter, Raelynn Parmely, Jordan Prats, Madi Vukich, Rebecca Gearhart, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Hiv-Related Pulic Health Initiative Best Practices In Select International Cities, Madisen Vukich, James Sikora, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

The College Campus Sexual Assault Problem: A Gender Socialization Analysis, Paige Buschman, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Mother Goddesses And Subversive Witches: Competing Narratives Of Gender Essentialism, Heteronormativity, And Queerness In Wiccan Ritual And Theology, Carly Floyd, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Wicca is typically recognized as a feminist and queer-friendly religion embraced by many women and LGBTQ+ people. While women are undoubtedly emphasized positively, however, I argue that much of the focus is in fact a form of benevolent sexism, coming out of an essentialist understanding of women’s nature being nurturing, intuitive, and emotional. The resulting heteronormativity and its procreative focus can create an exclusionary environment for gay men and women as well as for transgender and genderfluid or non-binary individuals. My research utilizes ethnographic participantobservation of a local Wiccan coven and semi-structured qualitative interviews with Wiccans and Pagans from across …

The Effects Of Social Media On Body Image, Danielle Di Cristofano

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Student Attitudes Toward Housework, Xingchen Wang, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Exploring Differential Opportunity Among Inner City Black Men, Inez White, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Poster presentation abstract.

Understanding And Navigating Stigma Around Mental Illness, Lauren Dineen-Griffin, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Oral presentation abstract.

Use And Awareness Of Diverse Curricular Materials At Illinois Wesleyan University, Jazmyne Kellogg, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Oral presentation abstract.

Identity Management Among Students Of Color At Iwu, Katherine Serrano, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Oral presentation abstract.

Cultural Production And Self-Definition: The Impact On Physical Appearance Relative To The Socialization Process, Grace Mccarten, Meghan Burke, Faculty Advisor

John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference

Oral presentation abstract.

Artistic And Scholarly Sessions: Lgbtq+ Identity At Iwu: Measuring And Enhancing A Climate Of Inclusion, Tim Reardanz, Class Of 2015, Matthew Damschroder, Avery Amerson, Class Of 2017, Paige Buschman, Class Of 2017

Inauguration of Eric R. Jensen

April 1, 2016; 3:45–4:15 pm

Illinois Wesleyan aspires to be a campus that fully embraces diversity to further its educational mission and purpose. Strides have been made in recent years to more fully embrace lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer (LGBQ+) and others marginalized around sexual orientation, and transgender and gender nonconforming people (TGNC) and those marginalized around gender identity. This process gained traction with a climate survey of LGBT identity and experience that was administered in Spring 2013 and developed through a student–staff collaboration. This session will explore that collaboration and the ways it opened the doors to a period of …

Three Legs On The Stool: Service Learning Projects, Community, And Library, Karen Schmidt, Deborah Halperin

Scholarly Publications

Illinois Wesleyan University’s Action Research Center launches many different service learning projects in the Bloomington-Normal community. Often these projects originate from the community, and employ the action research model that imbeds the participant-researcher in the organization or program that is being studied. The IWU library has seized on opportunities to integrate library research and critical thinking skills into service learning projects. Some are obvious - working with faculty and students in senior seminar classes to assist with research papers and presentations - while others are more subtle. Using a service learning project as a case study, the authors discuss the …

Megan Burke, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

Illinois Wesleyan University Sociologist Meghan Burke studies the way people talk and think about race. She has always been interested in how that shapes their desire to get involved in their communities. Her first book looked at that question among people in liberal diverse communities in the Chicago area. She has now focused on TEA party people in Illinois and neighboring states.

The book is "Race, Gender, and Class in the TEA Party." She tells GLT's Charlie Schlenker that the movement reflects much of America on these issues.

Race, Gender, And Class In The Tea Party: What The Movement Reflects About Mainstream Ideologies, Megan Burke

IWU Authors Bookshelf

It has been all too tempting to characterize the Tea Party as an irrational, racist, astro-turf movement composed of members who are working to subvert their own economic interests. Race, Gender, and Class in the Tea Party reveals a much messier and much more fascinating analysis of this movement. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with organizers and fieldwork at conservative campaign trainings and conventions, its rich ethnographic data explores how the active folks in this movement, specifically organizers in one Midwestern state, understand their world, and how they act on that basis to change it. As this book will reveal, most …

“…With Liberty And Justice Equitably And Efficiently Allocated For All”, Jake K. Bates

CrissCross

The American pledge of allegiance and Constitution indicate that liberty and justice are provided for all citizens and that we are guaranteed equal protection under the law. Understanding the state of nature as Thomas Hobbes did, it is clear that liberty and justice are not efficiently allocated and there is no protection under law. Therefore, these ethical concepts are provided in civil society tangibly through civil services including policing. This essay views local police resources as an economic good, limited in its supply, in need of both equitable and efficient allocation. The ethical implications of inequitable or inefficient policing are …

Marina Balina, Charlie Schlenker

Interviews for WGLT

IWU Professor Marina Balina spoke with Charlie Schlenker about the cultural changes that have occurred since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Balina, along with the International Studies Program at IWU, hosted a three day symposium, “The Freedom to Speak, Create, and Dream: 25 years of human experience after the fall of the Iron Curtain”, October 5-7, 2014.

Asianetwork Honors Amoloza, Kim Hill

News and Events

No abstract provided.

The Sustained Impact Of An Engaging Diversity Program On College Seniors’ Color-Blind Racial Attitudes, Josefina Banales

Honors Projects

This study utilizes a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach to evaluate the long-term impact of Illinois Wesleyan University’s Engaging Diversity Program on white students’ color-blind racial attitudes. Survey data reveals that white students who participated in the program not only endorse fewer color-blind racial attitudes than they did immediately after completing the program, but that they also have a more critical awareness of race than the control sample of non-Engaging Diversity students. Individual interviews with Engaging Diversity participants also reveal a link between these students’ learned racial consciousness and their involvement as social justice leaders and advocates on campus. These …

Self-Reported Experiences Of Dating Abuses Among College Students In Romantic Relationships, Melissa A. Kinsella

Honors Projects

Past researchers have examined the prevalence of dating violence among college-aged students in the United States. Using a self-reported survey of the experiences of current college students, this study analyzed some of the factors related to physical, emotional, and sexual abuses in their romantic relationships. From that analysis, comparisons were drawn with the research from other college-university samples, attempting to describe and explore the problem of violence in premarital relationships. In the sample, race, number of past serious romantic relationships, and frequency of experienced anger was associated with minor physical abuse. Non-involvement in Greek Life was associated with experiencing major …

Swope, Lewis Named As 2014 Weir Fellows, Tia Patsavas

News and Events

No abstract provided.