Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impacts Of Identity On Perceptions Of Safety On A Predominately White Campus, Rebecca Delrosso

Honors Theses

This quantitative study examines the relationship between students’ marginalized identities of race, gender, and sexuality and their perceptions of safety at a predominantly white institution (PWI). Survey data collected from undergraduates at a small liberal arts university reveal associations between minority identities and feelings of discomfort, insecurity, discrimination, and vulnerability on campus. The findings highlight the need for PWIs to prioritize secure and inclusive environments through policies, practices, and support systems.

Dungeons & Dragons: Fractals Of The Human Self, Katie Anderson

Honors Theses

Dungeons & Dragons at its core is roleplay based storytelling, which implies the idea that the game is a work of fiction. While the world of Iad and the Free States of Tarvan does not exist on planet earth, the experiences and emotions felt by the players and their characters within the world are very much real. Players use extensions of themselves, their characters, to interact with the world around them, forging relationships and new lines of fate and destiny. Characters are fractals of their out of game personas, attached to one’s base personality and expanding outwards. The development of …

Understanding And Addressing Disparities In Kidney Transplantation Access: A Focus On Disability And Other Identities, Razan Khalil

Honors Theses

The global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to be between 8.7% and 18.4% (Samuels et. al, 2022), with approximately 843.6 million Americans having been diagnosed with one of the 5 stages of CKD in 2022 (Kovesdy, 2022). As of 2021, 1 in 7 adults were affected, which was about 37 million Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021). CKD is a long-term condition in which the kidneys gradually lose function, leading to a buildup of waste and fluids in the body. This can result in a variety of symptoms, including high blood …

Care Or Compliance? An Examination Of Sexual Violence And Institutional Responses At Two Crisis Points, Sophia Hartman

Honors Theses

Understanding the existence of sexual violence requires an investigation of the actions and contexts that either permit or prevent this form of violence. There exists a desire to draw a strict line between adolescence and adulthood, especially in relationship to sexual engagement, and in particular its implications for sexual violence. Utilizing Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model of Human Development and the concept of sexual citizenship—one’s right to sexual self-determination as well as the equivalent right of others—this thesis evaluates the perpetuation of sexual violence within the contexts of two crisis points. First, the moral panic during the Progressive Era surrounding female …

A Necessary Evil: A Leadership Analysis Of Major League Baseball’S Best Managers, Samuel Shapiro

Honors Theses

This study aims to contribute to the literature assessing the success of baseball managers relative to the context that governed their roles. More specifically, it seeks to address the presence of universal leadership styles, traits, and characteristics that have persisted across different eras and contexts.

Taking The Social Out Of Social Media: Social Media Induced Loneliness As A Mechanism For Elevated Depression During The Pandemic, Samara Rosen

Honors Theses

During the COVID-19 pandemic health protocols limited in-person interactions, interrupting the undergraduate experience and prompting students to find virtual ways to connect with their peers. A key goal of this study was to assess whether college students’ social media use was a viable replacement for in-person interactions during the pandemic, reducing risk for psychological difficulties that ordinarily accompany social isolation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate loneliness as a potential mediator underlying the longitudinal relationship between social media use and depression. Self-report data were collected in November 2020 (T1), February 2021 (T2), and May 2021 (T3). The …

“Nails Done, Hair Done, Everything Did!”: Consumption And The Creation Of Black Feminine Selves, Simone Reid

Honors Theses

This thesis examines how race and gender shape the meaning that Black women associate with their beauty consumption practices and spending. Much of the existing feminist scholarship on beauty has been postfeminist, privileging the concept of agency and empowerment over structural realities. However, the materialist feminist frame has more utility to address how beauty operates within the lives of Black women as a form of distinct gendered racial oppression. The concept of aesthetic capital emerges from the materialist feminist perspective and suggests that beauty demands the investment of considerable economic resources and can deliver economic returns. Despite this, aesthetic capital …

Offense Or Defense? Leadership Of The Nba And Nfl In Response To Athlete Activism, Katrina Hale

Honors Theses

Over the past decade, the Black community of the United States has faced great discrimination and violence leading to various protests and instances of activism across the county. In the world of sports, where one may think that political engagement has no relation, some Black athletes use their platforms to speak up about these issues. The National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) recruit the largest percentage of Black athletes compared to any other professional league in the U.S., but their reactions to racial activism on the field and on the court appear very different. In order …

The Effect Of Youth Sports Participation On Health Outcomes For Immigrants In The United States, Emma Kennedy

Honors Theses

My study investigates the relationship between youth sports participation and health outcomes for immigrants using a quantitative statistical analysis of secondary data. Given the theory behind the relationships between physical activity level, sense of community, and health outcomes, I test the hypothesis that immigrants are positively impacted by youth sports participation on a significantly higher level compared to non-immigrants. Using Stata as my statistical analysis software tool, I measure the associations between immigrant status, sports participation, and various indicators of health such as BMI and reports of chronic illness. I found that sports participation is associated with improved general health …

Does Civic Engagement Predict Moral Behaviors? A Test Of Moral Theories, Ally Osterberg

Honors Theses

For various reasons, many students at institutions of higher education choose to partake in civic engagement. Evidence suggests that civic engagement may make students better people. This study tests that hypothesis under the competing frameworks of moral licensing and moral consistency through donation behavior and self-reported scores on various games. Additionally, this study seeks to understand if involvement in civic engagement impacts schemas of leadership. This study supports the theory of moral consistency and concludes that there is a correlation between involvement in civic engagement and perceptions on whether leaders should be civically engaged. We found that the amount of …

Crime Pays: How Black Americans Became Central To The Carceral State, Will Brooks

Honors Theses

Over the course of American history, Black Americans have been intentionally criminalized at moments of ostensible social progress. This legacy of intentional criminalization of minority communities has both created the perception that African Americans are innately criminal and given rise to a prison-industrial complex that now depends on Black bodies. Now, predictive policing technology reinforces perceptions of Black criminality necessary for the justification of the carceral state and the survival and expansion of the prison-industrial complex.

Hometown Diversity And Race Essentialism: The Role Of Interracial Friendship Quality, Junming Zhang

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between high-quality interracial

friendships and race essentialism among college students who perceived differing levels of racial diversity in their hometowns. Participants, who were recruited from a small, private university in the southeastern United States, included 84 juniors and seniors who reported having at least one other-race close friend. Participants completed a web-based survey about their hometown diversity, friendship quality, and race essentialism. Results from multiple regression analyses revealed two significant interaction effects between hometown diversity and two measures of interracial friendship quality: intimate disclosure and affection. Findings indicated that higher intimate …

Analysis Of Chinese Contemporary Young Females’ Attitudes And Experiences Toward Menstruation And Feminine Products, Du Yi

Honors Theses

Menstruation is not only a biological body practice that influences females' daily lives but also

contains cultural, economic, social, and political meanings that are related to women's gender identity and social status. While traditional Chinese culture examined menstruation as taboo and stigma, modern Chinese society absorbs western feminism and creates a more liberal, open-minded menstrual etiquette. Lived in the rapidly developing modern society, the Chinese young generation's viewpoints were influenced and shaped by traditional Chinese thoughts and the emerging feminist thought. This research draws on in-depth interviews with ten Chinese youth females to explore their knowledge, experience, and attitudes about …

The Effect Of Early Cross-Race Socialization On Black Lives Matter Attitudes, Elizabeth Popovich

Honors Theses

The present study investigated the effect of early cross-race socialization within the family, school, and neighborhood on current support for Black Lives Matter and anti-racist attitudes. Specifically, this study will examine the variables of whether participants’ families talked about race and the diversity of schools and neighborhoods. 98 female participants, 36 male participants, and 2 n.a. participants were recruited from the University of Richmond’s Introduction to Psychology class (N= 136) and were asked to complete an anonymous survey on their attitudes regarding Black Lives Matter. Based on the results, there was no clear influence of early cross-race socialization on current …

Success Factors For Promoting Living Wages In Richmond Virginia, Alison Kent

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Advancing living wages helps reduce poverty, enable individuals to realize their full societal potential, and support overall economic growth. In this paper, I describe a research project I undertook in Richmond, Virginia to identify impactful actions that can be taken to promote living wages. I identified the roles of organizations across different sectors and subsectors and how these organizations collaborate to drive living wages. I define the model that has evolved in Richmond, Virginia and I compare it to models employed in other communities. I close by identifying those components which are unique and powerful in the Richmond model and …

Measuring, Reporting And Communicating Volunteer Impact, Lisa Cheney-Resch

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

This study seeks a more comprehensive understanding of the importance of volunteer impact reporting. Volunteers serve as an essential and inspirational resource to nonprofits. They also assist organizations in a variety of ways that touch lives, build philanthropy and help to sustain a legacy. So, how can nonprofits recognize the value of a volunteer program? This study will examine existing literature’s best practices and methods of reporting volunteer impact, the challenges facing impact reporting and the benefits obtained when an organization communicates to all stakeholders about volunteer impact. Specifically, the study interviews local healthcare nonprofit volunteer directors to ascertain how …

Embodying Equity: Change Management Strategies For Addressing Racial Equity In Environmental Nonprofits, Brittany Jezouit

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Recent social movements and the urgency of the climate crisis have heightened awareness of the exclusion of people of color within the environmental movement. While many environmental nonprofits are working to address racial equity within their organizations, they are often not well-equipped with the tools, tactics, and change management strategies to successfully execute their goals. Using data from case studies via qualitative interviews with local Richmond, VA environmental nonprofit leaders, this study aims to combine insights from nonprofit leaders doing racial equity work with key theories of change from the ProSci ADKAR model, John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change, …

Equity In Program Evaluation: Equity As A Measure In Program Evaluation, Marco S. Thomas

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Changes to equity and inclusion mean, not only including, but also valuing, and sharing power with, community members and stakeholders of various backgrounds. In addition to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity, physical and mental abilities, as well as where they intersect, should be represented throughout the entire evaluation process. Countless surveys make assumptions about communities without knowing the culture of the community. This study explores where equity does and does not exist, in the process of creating and conducting the evaluations that are used to measure the successful execution of nonprofit programs. The inclusion of program participants and …

“Smile For Me, Sweetie!”: An Analysis Of Contemporary Gender Based Violence And Discrimination In The Bahamas, Jennifer Munnings

Honors Theses

Women in the Bahamas face various forms of pervasive sexist discrimination and high rates of gender-based violence. However, recent governmental initiatives aimed at addressing gender inequality have not proven effective. The narrow focus on individual reforms like anti-crime measures to curb structural violence highlights a lack of understanding of gender inequality as embedded within social institutions. To interrogate the institutionalized nature of gender inequality in the Bahamas, the present study draws on in-depth interviews with seven Bahamian women’s rights activists to explore the social, cultural, and political explanations for the persistence of gender-based violence and discrimination. Three major themes emerged …

Towards Food Justice: Strategies Of Community Engagement For Local Food Nonprofits, Garrett Stern

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Over the past two decades there had been a significant shift in American values around food and health. The increase of diet-related illness and the growing awareness of the local food movement have helped to shape the discourse on healthy, nutritious, sustainably grown food. Food justice advocates and organization have inserted social justice principals of equity and self-determination into the dialogue of health and food. There has been a similar shift in the nonprofit sector in regard to local food programing, with local food nonprofits advocating for equity and inclusion in nonprofit food programing. Community engagement is key to putting …

Marketing Disability : Navigating The Ethics Of Nonprofit Development And Marketing, Peyton F. Carter

Honors Theses

In this paper, I explore how nonprofit organizations arrived at their current model, which often include a heavy emphasis on the need for private donations, and the resulting need of organizations to assert their value and be competitive in the marketplace.By attending to the specific marketing practices of one disability services nonprofit, I show how the complexities of power relations and issues of representation manifest themselves in the non profit sector.

Reproductive Health Care Resources & Decision Making For Women In A "Delivery Desert" In Maine, Gianna C. Dejoy

Honors Theses

This case study examines the reproductive health care resources available to women living in a “delivery desert” context in Maine, as well as the personal and cultural factors that influence their reproductive health behaviors. Through ethnographic methodology and in-depth interviews, I demonstrate how cultural influences converge with issues of quality health care accessibility to affect reproductive health outcomes. The island is isolated from reliable, quality biomedical care, with the nearest hospital offering labor and delivery services located over an hour’s drive away. I define this situation as a “delivery desert”, describing the phenomenon of centralizing maternity care which endangers pregnant …

Masculinity In The Virtual World Of Video Game : A Question Of Agency, Long Trinh

Honors Theses

Masculinity is an understudied topic in video games. Traditional literature considered video game as a traditional media and focused mostly on video games content, thus contributed to the common myth that playing video games make people more violent. However, recent studies suggest that video game is distinctive compared to traditional media, and that violence is not the motivating factor in video games. This study involves a content analysis of 22 video game reviews and a non-participant observation of 4 gamers playing The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. The results suggest it is not violence, but rather agency that governs the dynamics of …

Promises Of The Patiarchy : A Study Of Leadership Within The Promise Keepers Movement, Daniel W. Beeman

Honors Theses

By looking at the roles that gender and faith play in an organization and their leadership, this paper will make a significant advance in leadership studies that is not overwhelmingly present. The field of leadership studies will be able to use this as a way to understand those two contexts in addition to being able to see one more way to look at the leadership of an entire movement.

The Power Of Prime-Time Television, Chris Boyd

Honors Theses

I intend to illustrate the possibilities of prime-time television's impact on creating positive social change. For this to occur, television would be acting as a leader to the audiences at home. Through the images shown on screen, lessons would be learned and attitudes would be changes. This change can happen through various avenues, but they all lead to the same goal, an improved society.

Indigenous Groups In Latin America : Emergence Of Indentity And Prospects For Self-Determination, Eduardo J. Abreu

Honors Theses

When discussing the history and emulation of what today is called the Americas (North, Central, and South) it is almost instinctive for one to begin to conceptualize the beginning of its history stemming from the arrival of Western Europeans and their successors. A large part of this is due to the simple fact that history books and education have been written, ironically, by the very minority that established institutions in these eas; thus their very arrival becomes the reference point of their history. Yet, what is so readily forgotten, and sometimes barely acknowledged, is the rich history and civilization that …

A Look At The Leadership Of The Valentine Riverside Museum, Carlo Arjona

Honors Theses

An evaluation of the Valentine Riverside Museum's short attempt to revitalize history in Richmond, VA, and why it failed.

Lifting The Bar : Leadership In The Attorney-Client Relationship, Dennis C. Barghaan

Honors Theses

VA State Senator Mark Earley, a lawyer by trade, addressed the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association in October 1995, and claimed that the profession, in order to survive, must engage in both serious talk and sincere action. As a result, much of the negative feeling about lawyers within American society will begin to change as the public sees attorneys for what they should be -- leaders in their everyday interactions with clients.

Lobbyists : Leadership In A Political Context, Kelly L. Beeland

Honors Theses

Though both participation in General Assembly from a lobbyist's perspective and library research, this project addresses the question: How do lobbyists serve as leaders to interest groups and within the political process? The content of this research explores the role of lobbyists as leaders in the political context. This project tracks the lobbyist's behavior and actions (not just the evolution of a bill) at specific points in the legislative process. Finally, the tasks lobbyists perform and the role they fill in the political process are defined in terms of leadership theory. In the context of this definition, lobbyists are analyzed …

Music And Leadership, Scott Barksdale

Honors Theses

Music and musicians can build on one another to meet shared purpose. The creation of music is one of the most powerful and common types of expression.