Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Under What Conditions Do Community Demographics Influence Aggregate Recycling?, Edward Kotter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Tons of household waste go to landfills throughout the western United States each year. Recycling has been a popular way for cities to extend the life of landfills by decreasing the amount of waste entering them. The development and implementation of recycling programs has not come without challenges. People recycle or do not recycle for different reasons. Much research has been done to understand who recycles, who does not recycle, and what recycling program characteristics elicit greater participation. This study adds to the existing body of literature by focusing on determinants of community-level recycling in the western United States. This …

Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Disparities Between U.S. Non-Hispanic Whites And Hispanics, 2000-2009, Andrew E. Burger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seasonal influenza produces substantial disease within the United States every year. Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines for influenza, millions of individuals go unvaccinated each flu season, with notable differences across racial/ethnic groups. Using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), I examine vaccination rates among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics during the 2000-2009 influenza seasons. After developing a new method that addresses shortcomings of BRFSS vaccination measures, I find that non-Hispanic whites exhibit higher vaccination rates than Hispanics. Through a series of logistic regression models I show that the disparities between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics narrow after controlling …

Getting Noticed: Middle Childhood In Cross-Cultural Perspective, David F. Lancy, M. Annette Grove

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Although rarely named, the majority of societies in the ethnographic record demarcate a period between early childhood and adolescence. Prominent signs of demarcation are: for the first time, pronounced gender separation in fact and in role definition; increased freedom of movement for boys while girls may be bound more tightly to their mothers; and heightened expectations for socially responsible behavior. But, above all, middle childhood is about coming out of the shadows of community life and assuming a distinct, lifetime character. Naming and other rites of passage sometimes acknowledge this transition, but it is, reliably, marked by the assumption or …

Empowering Women Across The Globe: Advocacy, Education, And Leadership Development, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Empowering and developing women has become a popular topic of discussion in the literature and for all kinds of organizations (public, private, social sector) around the world. This includes dialogue concerning the inclusion of more women’s voices in local, regional, country, and worldwide roles and issues. Although progress has been made to have more women in leadership positions from the grassroots to CEO levels, the work has just begun. Developing more women of influence requires work in three areas: advocacy, education, and leadership development. The aim of this symposium is to share research findings and insights in these three areas …

For Love Or Money: Has Neoliberalism Impacted Fertility? A Historical Comparison, Elizabeth Anne Kiester

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Known as neoliberalism, an economic philosophy has spread throughout the world and may be contributing to total fertility rates that have fallen well below replacement value. I present two neoliberal mechanisms and how they may have driven total fertility rates around the world well below replacement levels and inhibited growth. These include increased social risks in the labor market as well as in the household. I then build a theoretical framework based on the social embeddedness of markets as conceived by Karl Polanyi and the concept of social risk as suggested by Richard Breen, suggesting that the unique combinations of …

Upper-Class Adolescent Delinquency: Theory And Observation, Nick Marsing

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Delinquency in adolescence has captured the imagination of thinkers and researchers for generations. In this thesis, a unique segment of adolescent delinquency is examined: delinquency in upper-class adolescents. My experience working in residential treatment centers was a catalyst for this research and inspired the primary question which guides the work: "Why would upper-class adolescents commit delinquent acts?" In an attempt to answer this question, the "Big Three" (strain, control, and social learning) sociological theories of crime and delinquency are used to explore upper-class or "elite" delinquency. After examining each theory I demonstrate how none of them, individually, can adequately explain …

Housing Factors Associated With Marital Satisfaction, Samantha J. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the direction and magnitude of the relationship between levels of marital satisfaction and two main housing variables--the housing burden ratio and the amount of home equity. The influence that these variables have on levels of marital satisfaction was mediated and moderated by how satisfied couples were with their homes and their finances, as well as their perceived experience of economic pressure. The results ultimately provide insights that can improve both couple well-being and financial/housing situations by pinpointing factors that account for the variance in marital satisfaction.

This study used existing data from …

Exploring The Relationship Between Place Identity And Personalization Of Space In Temporary Student Housing, Joshua H. Rowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between the personalization of one’s physical environment and the degree of place identity the person has toward their space, specifically those living in temporary student housing. There have been several studies on peoples’ inherent need to personalize their space. While previous research has identified key factors that help to define place identity in general, this study addresses the fact that not much has been said about how people in temporary housing, specifically student housing, actually go about creating their living spaces.

The key issues this research addressed were the …

Socioeconomic Status, Women, And Hiv: Do The Determinants Of Female Hiv Vary By Socioeconomic Status In Cameroon?, Joyce Ndueh Mumah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is currently one of the greatest health challenges being faced by many developing nations, especially countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that more than 25 million Sub-Saharan Africans are infected with the disease, with more than 2.8 million new infected cases in 2006. Mortality from the disease is high, with an estimated 2.1 million having already died from the disease. Women are more likely to be infected with the disease, and account for more than half of all global HIV/AIDS cases. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) women, specifically, constitute about 77 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in the …

White Blues: Can Eric Clapton Embody Du Bois' Double Consciousness?, Ryan Patrick Gabriel

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In this article I explore if Black consciousness, as described by W.E.B. Du Bois' theory of double consciousness, can be taken on by those who are White. I analyze songs both written and covered by Eric Clapton, to examine if elements of double consciousness are in his music. Furthermore, I analyze album covers that have Clapton's image on them, looking for characteristics of physical Blackness. My findings reveal that Eric Clapton does take on aspects of double consciousness, through his music, and facets of physical Blackness. Thus, I discover it is possible for Whites to experience elements of double consciousness.

Queering Gender: How Transgender College Student Navigate Gender, Rachel Jaggi

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In response to the “Doing Gender” theory as proposed by West and Zimmerman, some scholars have argued that the theory perpetuates gender inequality and leaves no room for social change. These scholars argue that research needs to be directed towards deconstructing the gender system, thereby “undoing gender.” Transgender individuals, who appear to be playing with the system of gender, provide an important conduit through which to examine the possibility of transcending the gender binary. I conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with transgender college students to examine the extent to which these individuals are able to overcome the dichotomous gender …

Sociodemographic Correlates Of Public Land Use And Management Preferences Among Utah Residents, Ashley R. Styczynski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to look at the preferred use and management of public lands in the state of Utah. The data used in this study was collected through a statewide, random survey measuring the respondent’s preferred use and management of public lands along with social and demographic information. Several quantitative tests were conducted on the variables used to illustrate the following: a snapshot of what the survey population looks like, how each independent variable interacts with the dependent variable, and finally, the combined interaction of all of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The primary goal …

By-Products: Immigration, Raids, And Meatpacking In Rural Communities, Kevin D. Hanks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to show the short- and long-term responses and adaptations of workers and employers in the meatpacking industry to the new immigration enforcement strategy of the increased use of worksite immigration raids. Worksite raids have become part of the new immigration enforcement strategy of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (I.C.E.). A review of the literature regarding the meatpacking industry, its history, relocation to and impacts on rural communities, and of immigration policy over the last 70 years is conducted. A case study of the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Hyrum, Utah that experienced …

Seeing The Forest For The Trees: Managing Social Conflict And Forest Restoration, Steven E. Daniels, Jens Emborg, Greg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper examines the role that social conflict is likely to play in forest restoration projects. A definition of conflict as “perceived goal interference among interdependent parties” serves as a point of departure for the discussion, and the nature of forest restoration conflict is systematically examined by focusing on each aspect of the definition: perceptions, goal interference, the parties, and their interdependence. Agencies undertaking restoration projects are encouraged to adopt a discourse orientation, wherein they recognize that 1) their public involvement efforts are creating a discourse that can incorporate a wide array of values and voices and 2) groups may …

Assessingopportunities And Barriers To Reducing The Environmental Footprint Of Natural Gasdevelopment In Utah’S Uintah Basin, B. Gentry, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, L. Belton, G. Theodori

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Development of natural gas resources in the United States has increased dramatically over the past two decades, a boom driven by favorable prices, new technological developments, and growing interest in domestic sources of energy with a smaller carbon footprint than coal or oil. Most of the expansion in U.S. natural gas production has been from so-called ‘unconventional’ reserves in which extensive natural gas resources trapped in continuous sandstone and shale formations can now be extracted using modern directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. The Uintah Basin in northeastern Utah has been one of several areas in the U.S. where major …

“Getting Noticed”: Middle Childhood Incross-Cultural Perspective, David F. Lancy, M. Annette Grove

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Although rarely named, the majority of societies in the ethnographic record demarcate a period between early childhood and adolescence. Prominent signs of demarcation are: for the first time, pronounced gender separation in fact and in role definition; increased freedom of movement for boys while girls may be bound more tightly to their mothers; and heightened expectations for socially responsible behavior. But, above all, middle childhood is about coming out of the shadows of community life and assuming a distinct, lifetime character. Naming and other rites of passage sometimes acknowledge this transition, but it is, reliably, marked by the assumption or …