Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

It's Football Time In The Bluegrass!: The Community Of Uk Football Athletes & Fans And Their Shared Language & Religious Practices, Virginia Anderson

Theses and Dissertations--Linguistics

This thesis observes how University of Kentucky fans and athletes create both a community and a religious experience surrounding the sport of football through their use of language. Fans and athletes took part in interviews that implicitly asked about religious experiences and community. Once the interviews were completed, they were transcribed and underwent open thematic coding. Themes were gathered from the interviews and compared to determine if the fans and athletes were separate subcommunities or if they were simply part of the at-large University of Kentucky football program community. These themes also aided in determining if and how fans and …

A Study Of The Effects Of County Characteristics On College Enrollment, Patrick La Mar

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

For the past 100 years, policy analysts studied college enrollment at the individual level. Yet little research has been performed on whether the surrounding community characteristics contribute to enrollment rates. This is in part due to seeing college attendance as an individual choice whereas K-12 enrollment is typically predetermined by place of residence. However, this ignores the potential impact economic and social characteristics a community has on students while growing up. This paper attempts to add to the literature by testing county level variables with a panel regression with high school fixed effects.

The results show higher averages of KEES …

Measuring A Big Bold Goal, Jonathan Kohn

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

No executive summary.

Campus Storytelling Networks And Student Retention Intent, Dale Howard Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

In an effort to better understand retention, a survey was developed to ask students at a southern land-grant university how they communicate with each other. Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT) was previously used to identify communication networks in urban neighborhoods. My thesis adapted this theory and networks to identify the strength of three communication techniques of college students and how it effects a student’s sense of belonging which can impact that student’s intent to stay in school.

Cultivating Partnerships Between Community Leaders And Service Agencies To Provide Support For Military Families, Marla C. Stillwell

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

In an effort to evaluate the social needs of military families, this study will evaluate levels of community support, its influence on military families and how military communities work to provide support for those needs through partnerships. Previous and related studies have emphasized support areas which include suggestions for building strong communities for military families, building resilience, creating partnerships and providing military families with the social support they need to stay together and function positively. Data was collected from community leaders and stakeholders specifically in Elizabethtown, Kentucky (a Fort Knox community) through open-ended interviews to assess community support and services …

The Value Of A Place: Development Politics On The East Cape Of Baja California Sur, Mexico, Ryan B. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

This research explores the politics of development on the East Cape of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Based upon twelve months of ethnographic research and participant observation, primarily in the coastal community of Cabo Pulmo, the researcher investigates and documents how local residents respond to the social and political implications of impending mass tourism development in the region. Rising land values, real estate speculation, and intensifying conflicts over land ownership were some of the earliest symptoms of this process. The central argument is that social conflicts over development are often based in deeper, fundamental political struggles over land—and the ability to …

Domestic Megalithic Architecture: An Analysis Of Status And Community At And Around The Ancient Maya Site Of Uci, Yucatan, Mexcio, Joseph S. Stair

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

Variation in domestic architecture results from the agency households exercise in their daily lives. This study defines the domestic expression of the megalithic architectural style, based on data collected in and around the ancient Maya site of Ucí, Yucatan, Mexico, by comparing it to its expression in monumental structures. It also shows how the analysis and documentation of architectural variability away from the monumental core can locate more than just commoners and elites within the social organization of the Ancient Maya. This analyzes provides evidence for higher social status for households that possess megalithic architecture since they also possess larger …

Sacred Social Spaces: Finding Community And Negotiating Identity For American-Born Converts To Islam, Sarah A. Soliman

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This thesis examines the religious experiences of American-born converts to Islam. The social nature of religion has been long ignored in research on the lives of religious people. A review of research on Muslim identities reveals an emphasis on immigrants, women, and youth in the British context. However, there is little to no research on the unique constituency of converts to Islam and the importance of social aspects of faith for establishing a sustainable and transformative practice of Islam. This research closes this gap through a case study of the religious experiences of American-born converts to Islam.

Through in-depth interviews …

Splendor In The Bluegrass: The Policing Of Drug Related Crime In Lexington, Kentucky, Christine Elizabeth Smith

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This project is designed as a case study investigating the relationship and practices between residents and police officers in the William Wells Brown neighborhood of Lexington, Kentucky toward the issue of drug-related crime. Employing Michel Foucault‘s work on governmentality and his concept of Splendor, I explore how governance is practiced within the daily negotiations of the WWB neighborhood. I approach this project through the lens of policing because some residents, especially those who comprise the William Wells Brown Neighborhood Association, form a limited partnership with the police department in combating the threat of drug crime in the neighborhood. Drug-related crime …