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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Shifting Landscape Of Amish Agriculture: Balancing Tradition And Innovation In An Organic Farming Cooperative, Matthew J. Mariola, David L. Mcconnell May 2013

The Shifting Landscape Of Amish Agriculture: Balancing Tradition And Innovation In An Organic Farming Cooperative, Matthew J. Mariola, David L. Mcconnell

All Faculty Articles

In the context of the recent proliferation of alternative operations and marketing schemes across the agricultural landscape, this article examines an Amish organic farming cooperative in northeast Ohio. Contrary to popular perception, the large majority of Amish are not full-time farmers, and those who do farm typically use conventional, chemical-intensive methods. The adoption of certified organic among the Amish is a pragmatic decision that stems from concerns over the sociocultural effects of losing their agrarian heritage, but it also raises challenges that require a careful balance between market imperatives and cultural traditions. We investigate these challenges and the Amish response …


Democracy Inaction?: How "Fake News" Is Defining American Citizenship, Julie Ann Kendall Jan 2013

Democracy Inaction?: How "Fake News" Is Defining American Citizenship, Julie Ann Kendall

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study examines the sociological implications of contemporary news-style political satire on the American public. Comedic programs such as The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and The Onion have exploded in popularity in recent years, and have become a fairly influential part of the mainstream media's field of political discourse. These media texts stand next to, and in continual conversation with, the traditional newspapers and television broadcasts which they parody, revealing some of the hypocrisies and absurdities in government and media. The rise of this genre has accompanied a shift in public ideology, toward anti-authoritarian and anti-intellectual sentiments. In the …


Eat Until You're Full: The Pursuit Of Autonomy And Health Through The Adoption Of Organic Agriculture In Mae Ta, Thailand, Erin Jean Plews-Ogan Jan 2013

Eat Until You're Full: The Pursuit Of Autonomy And Health Through The Adoption Of Organic Agriculture In Mae Ta, Thailand, Erin Jean Plews-Ogan

Senior Independent Study Theses

This research explores the role that farmers' concerns about health and community autonomy play in the emergence of an organic agriculture movement in the village of Mae Ta in northern Thailand. In the midst of the push for export-oriented and urban-centered development, many rural people have migrated to urban areas for work or adopted contract farming of chemical-intensive cash crops. Yet farmers in Mae Ta chose a unique alternative: sufficiency-based organic polyculture. Why take on such a risk without solid policy and market support for organic agriculture in Thailand? I investigated these questions through six weeks of participant observation and …