Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Elements Of Postfeminism: The Current Landscape Of American Politics?, Laura Delorenzo Denison

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to establish the meaning and definition of postfeminism along with an assessment of whether it accurately represents the current era of thinking. It is an historical, descriptive, qualitative analysis of the feminist movement from its inception with the central focus on the newest strand of feminist thought, postfeminism. The progression toward these conclusions entails an outlining of the waves of feminism and the strands of thought within these eras as well as a discussion of third wave feminism, modern feminism and generational differences between the waves. The focus on postfeminism begins with an exploration …

Climatic Adaptation And Postcranial Metric Variation In Precontact North America, Kathryn A. King

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate patterns of variation in the postcranial skeleton of prehistoric American populations as they are related to variation in climate. Two ecogeographical rules proposed by Karl Bergmann (1847) and Joel Allen (1877) describe expected patterns of variation with widespread, warm-blooded species. Modern humans in the Old World largely conform to this pattern (Holliday 1997a). This study seeks to explore if the same patterns are present in the New World.

Skeletal material from 25 North American bioarchaeological collections was used in this analysis. A series of 29 measurements of the postcranial skeleton were collected …

An Investigation Of The Relationships Among Work Values, Personality Traits, Job Satisfaction, And Career Satisfaction, Shannon Danielle Salyer

Doctoral Dissertations

In this study, the relationships among work values, personality variables, job satisfaction and career satisfaction were investigated. The specific work values assessed in this research included: achievement, autonomy, challenge, creativity, ecology, family, informality, income, leadership, leisure, geographic locale, excitement, work space aesthetics, social responsibility, security, expertise, integrity, power and teamwork. Personality was assessed broadly by using the Big Five personality variables and narrowly, using more specific constructs of personality. An archival data source was used consisting of a sample of 457 employees from various industries. Several research questions were addressed answered including: How are work values related to broad and …

Type I Diabetes Mellitus In Children And Pre-Adolescents: Affective, Behavioral, And Social Correlates, Meredith P. Schwartzman

Doctoral Dissertations

Type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common metabolic disorder among children and adolescents (Wysocki, Greco, & Buckloh, 2003) and research has indicated that children with T1DM are more likely to develop clinical depression and anxiety relative to children without T1DM. Building on this literature, the present study utilized a multi-method assessment strategy of self- and parent-reported depression, anxiety, behavioral regulation (i.e. internalizing and externalizing behaviors), social competence, personality, and family dynamics to identify whether preadolescents with T1DM were distinguishable from children without T1DM, and also whether psychosocial differences were evident in the T1DM group as a function of …

A Theory Of Multi-Transitions And The Chinese Welfare State, Bo Li

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation I introduce an institutional approach for the research of the Chinese welfare state and the measure of people’s welfare benefit. I demonstrate that multiple institutional transitions due to the economic reforms initiated in the early 1980s have since dramatically changed the Chinese welfare state and the way welfare benefits are distributed. Multiple institutional transitions discussed in this dissertation are structural changes associated with the state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms, the rapid industrialization, ever-growing urbanization, and large-scale decentralization of the fiscal system. Through the exploration of the data from the 1988 and 1995 Chinese Household Income Project (CHIP), I …

Site Formation Processes In An Upland Paleoindian Site: The 2005 – 2007 Topper Firebreak Excavations, Darcy Shane Miller

Masters Theses

In the Southeastern United States, archaeological sites dating to the Paleoindian period are elusive. This study examined whether the Topper Site (38AL23) in Allendale County, South Carolina has buried, relatively undisturbed Paleoindian deposit using a sample excavation block removed during the 2005-2007 field seasons. Artifact horizons were defined by plotting the density of each bulk provenience against a vertical profile. The vertical displacement of refitted artifacts and the position of diagnostic artifacts were used to test the integrity of these horizons. The results indicate a discrete deposit associated with diagnostic Clovis artifacts. Subsequent analyses tested for horizontal post-depositional movement, and …

From Gay Street To Turkey Creek: Knoxville’S Urban And Suburban Growth Machines, Katherine Leigh Morris

Masters Theses

Using growth machine theory, this study examines the newly built "lifestyle center" of the suburban Turkey Creek development and the redevelopment of the Gay Street corridor in downtown Knoxville, TN. Growth machine theory is one of sociology's predominant theories used to understand development and growth projects in metropolitan areas, and although not specifically defined in current literature, I suggest there are many differences in suburban and urban growth machines. This study examines the local dependency and organization of pro-growth coalitions; the tactics, ideology, and culture used to promote development projects; and community reactions. Upon completion of this project, I found …

The Primary Source: Issues In The Usability Of Genealogical Records, Patrick O'Daniel

Masters Theses

This thesis examines genealogists’ information needs and discusses how librarians can accommodate them by providing access to essential primary sources as well as making those materials user-friendly. It includes a review of relevant literature and the results of a survey of experienced genealogists that shed light on the informationseeking behavior of genealogists. It identifies problems experienced by genealogists in their search for information and recommends solutions by explaining what librarians can do to make primary sources more accessible and usable for genealogists. In doing so, it also illuminates the goals of genealogists, how they search for information, and what they …

Depressive Symptoms In An Urban Kurdish Refugee And Immigrant Population: An Exploratory Study, Natalie Kay Worley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the elderly Kurdish immigrant and refugee population living in the greater Nashville, Tennessee area. Nashville has the largest population of Kurds living outside of Kurdistan (Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, 2004), but as is the case for many immigrant and refugee groups, little empirical research exists to aid social service practitioners in addressing the unique needs of this population (Williams & Westermeyer, n.d.). The investigator draws on the limited research about mental health in other immigrant and refugee populations as a basis for the …

How Relational Views Influence Adolescents’ Subjective Understanding Of Romantic Relationship Interactions, Justin Dean Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study is to examine the influence of relational views on adolescents' subjective understanding of interactions in the context of their romantic relationships. Relational view is an attachment system construct comprised of three specific measures of attachment: attachment style, rejection sensitivity and self-silencing. To examine the influence of relational views on individual's subjective understanding, we are employing an innovative multimodal methodology: The video-recall system (Welsh & dickson, 2005). This system assesses adolescent participants' subjective understanding of their feelings and behaviors during a video-taped interaction with their romantic partner as well as trained observers' interpretations of the …

Felony Disenfranchisement Legislation: A Test Of The Group Threat Hypothesis, Angel Dawn Geoghagan

Doctoral Dissertations

The group threat hypothesis is part of the conflict theoretical perspective, which has been one of the most dominant and useful theories in the fields of criminology and criminal justice for decades. The usefulness of this perspective relates to the understanding it provides of how the law can be used by those in power as a measure of control. The use of law as a method of control has a long history in the US society, and there are many examples from which to pull. This project examines the use of one set of laws, felony disenfranchisement legislation, to determine …

Sexual Dimorphism In The Vertebral Column, Amanda Suzanne Allbright

Masters Theses

Determining sex from skeletal remains is important in forensic and archaeological settings. Though using the pelvis to determine sex is ideal, often remains are fragmentary or incomplete, requiring sex to be estimated from other skeletal elements. Many individual bones have been studied to evaluate sexual dimorphism and the extent to which they can be used to determine sex of an unknown individual. However, sexual dimorphism in the vertebral column has only been examined to a limited extent.

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of sexual dimorphism throughout the entire vertebral column and, if present, to establish …

The Green Brain: A Qeeg Investigation Of The Domain-Specificity Of Jealousy, Aric R. Gerke

Masters Theses

Previous investigators have found evidence to support the hypothesis that the genders show differential reactions to emotional and sexual jealousy. Evolutionary psychology provides heuristic support by noting that the genders have faced divergent selection pressures in the past that jealousy could adaptively address. While these studies have given sound proof in this regard, criticism has arisen because of the dearth of support for the actual neurological process of jealousy. This study was designed to record subjects experiencing two separate conditions designed to elicit emotional and sexual jealousy. The electrophysiological results did not demonstrate evidence of domain-specificity of jealousy, and produced …

Eight Karats Of Justice: Analysis Of The Grassroots Resistance Movement Against Goldmining In The Villages Of Bergama, Turkey, Banu Aysu Koçer

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores and analyzes the grassroots movement against goldmining in the villages of Bergama, Turkey. The struggle of Bergama villagers started out as a local ecological resistance movement in the early 1990s and gradually transformed into an environmental justice movement with national implications when activists adopted a rights-based discourse by incorporating into their claims the notions of justice, democratic participation, and citizenship rights.

Since goldmining investment in Bergama was a manifestation of significant shifts in the global corporate mining industry starting in the 1980s, and of changes in the world political economy, an account of these shifts is presented …

Examining The Relationship Between Maternal And Child Behaviors On Literacy Activities And Resources Employed In The Home, Eliza Gabrielle Allen

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the role of maternal (i.e., age, education, stress, depression, and self-efficacy) and toddler characteristics (i.e., temperament, dysregulation, and competence) on literacy activities and resources employed in the home. The current study was a secondary data analysis of a larger study assessing the role of infant/toddler, care, and family characteristics on preschoolers’ school readiness. Ninety-five mothers of toddlers (28 --- 31 months old) completed mailed questionnaires that assessed maternal depression, parenting stress, maternal self-efficacy, toddler self-regulation and temperament, and literacy activities. Instruments completed by mothers included the Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression …

Media, Accounts, And Coherence: ‘De Facto’ Impression Management Of A Transgressing Sport Star In The Chicago Tribune, Erin Maureen Austin

Masters Theses

Using the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case as an example, this thesis attempts to understand how the media, specifically The Chicago Tribune, maintain the consistency of a certain representation given changing or new information. A full analysis of all 274 news articles found in The Chicago Tribune from June 30, 2003 (the date the alleged sexual assault took place) through August 31, 2004 (the day before the charges were dismissed), revealed five devices by which journalists managed Bryant’s image. These devices are: (1) case is not paramount, (2) case is hindering basketball, (3) external lures are to blame, (4) …

Hablamos Español: Insights From Three Web Designers Who Design A Bilingual Or Multilingual Websites That Target Hispanic Audiences, Jeremy Brent Hughes

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine particular aspects three web designers use, with regard to layout and content, to effectively create a bilingual or multilingual website that targets Hispanics. In addition, it examines the processes that are used in creating a Spanish-language website. In-depth interviews were conducted with three web designers from top 25 Hispanic-targeted websites, as determined by Hispanic Online. Results indicate a six-step process that web designers should follow when creating a bilingual or multilingual website. Implications for web designers of organizations thinking about creating a bilingual or multilingual website are cited and recommendations for future …

Technology Adoption And Abandonment In Precision Cotton Production, Jonathan C. Walton

Masters Theses

The data intensive nature of precision farming necessitates the use of different technologies to collect, transmit, manipulate, and apply information. Understanding the economic factors associated with decisions regarding technology adoption and abandonment is essential to the continued growth and feasibility of precision farming. The development of precision agricultural technologies, as well as educational and promotional efforts concerning precision farming, can benefit from an understanding of the factors influencing adoption and abandonment of precision agricultural technology. The first part of the study examined farm and farmer characteristics influencing the adoption and subsequent abandonment of precision soil sampling in cotton production. The …

Counterterrorism And The Deterrence Doctrine, Casey E. Cordy

Masters Theses

The United States presently focuses much of its energy on the prevention of terrorism through particular counterterrorism policies and strategies. Today, deterrence is the primary theoretical basis for counterterrorism policies. If the United States invests so heavily in deterrence as a counterterrorism strategy, is it successful? If not, what are its theoretical flaws? Who is best served by efforts to prevent terrorism through a deterrent project?

This thesis will argue that a more appropriate understanding of terrorism is necessary. In order to achieve a more holistic conception of the terrorism problem, efforts should be made politically and theoretically to incorporate …

A Closer Look At Maternal Directiveness During Toddlerhood In A Lower Socioeconomic Sample, Ann Elizabeth Koelz

Masters Theses

The current study describes the directive behaviors of seven mothers with their toddlers ranging in age from 12 to 35 months throughout the day. This study explores the behaviors of a sample with lower socioeconomic status without the use of unnatural measures or artificial environments that may enhance the likelihood of observing atypical behaviors and perhaps perpetuate a deficit-based interpretation of the poverty context. Nine hours of observation for each dyad were collected as part of a larger study concerning the daily experiences of toddlers with the exception of one participant who dropped out of the study after three hours …

Extraction, Ecology, Exploitation, And Oppression: The Political Economy Of Coal In Appalachia, William R. Wishart

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the social and ecological problems associated with mountaintop mining in central Appalachia. Theoretical insights from world system theorists and other political economists are used to trace the roots of these problems to the historical progression of different modes of extraction in the region. The restructuring of the region’s social, cultural, and ecological systems to meet the needs of core production over time has perpetuated its position as a resource extractive periphery. This occurred in three major modes: a frontier mode, an agricultural mode, and an industrial raw materials mode. The last mode has been characterized primarily by …

The Social Ecology Of Parenting: Systematically Modeling The Antecedents Of Supportive And Intrusive Parenting, Julie A. Schluterman

Doctoral Dissertations

One of the significant contributions of this study is its inclusion of the role of social contextual factors in determining parenting. I built on the ecological model proposed by Belsky (1984). As such, the parenting model tested in this dissertation included individual level determinants of parenting: 1) parent characteristics (e.g., developmental history), and 2) child characteristics (e.g., behavior problems). Yet, rather than include a social context domain as described by Belsky, I distinguished between within family context (e.g., interparental hostility) and external to family context (e.g., work-family conflict, neighborhood disorganization) as social contextual sources of stress and support to the …

Groundwater: A Community’S Management Of The Invaluable Resource Beneath Its Feet, Nancy D. Brannon

Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the impact of human decisions on vital resources is a core task of environmental sociology, which studies the interaction between human society and the environment. The overarching theme of this research is the economicenvironmental relationship in U.S. public policy, using a case study of a specific environmental resource problem in a specific region. It fuses basic assumptions of two economic growth models (treadmill of production and the urban growth machine) to examine the extent to which these assumptions permeate the worldviews of policymakers and those who advise them. When the growth imperative is a priority in their …

Comparison Of Developmental Assets Of Early Adolescents In Two Urban Youth Programs, Keesha Yvette Chapman

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the presence of developmental assets of youth participating in two programs that have similar goals but are organized differently. One program was structured around a theoretical and empirical model of youth development (i.e., developmental asset framework) and one program was not organized around this framework. Gender was examined to determine if differences in reports of developmental assets existed across programs in relation to gender.

Data were obtained from 40 youth between the ages of 10 and 14 participating in both programs. A 47-item questionnaire was administered to participants in small groups at …

Co-Occurring Disorders: An Outpatient Latent Class Analysis, Kathleen H. Darby

Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past 20 years researchers and health care practitioners have come to realize in addition to high prevalence rates, individuals with co-occurring disorders did not represent a homogeneous group (Drake, et al., 1998: 2001; Lehman, et al., 1994: 2000; Mueser, et al., 2000). It is essential to consider the heterogeneity of co-occurring disorders when considering new treatment modalities. Thus, it becomes pivotal to identify these differences for treatment approaches and program goals. Research shows that heterogeneity of treatment populations can be reduced through empirically-derived homogeneous groups based on multivariate analysis (Ries, et al., 1993; Lehman et al., 2000; Mueser, …

Cigarette Papers: Cigarette Advertising And Promotion In College And University Student Newspapers, A Case Study Of The Orange And White At The University Of Tennessee, Elizabeth Crisp Crawford

Doctoral Dissertations

This historical dissertation discusses the relationship between cigarette advertising and student publications at colleges and universities across the United States. This study uses The Orange and White at the University of Tennessee as a case study. Cigarette advertisements were printed in student publications from the 1920-1921 academic year to the 1963-1964 academic year and provided a needed source of revenue for student newspapers. This research examines the tactics and strategies that the tobacco industry used to target youth in the absence of federal legislation. This dissertation is divided into five chapters, which explain in detail the relationship between student publications, …

Predicting High School Truancy And Academic Performance Among Students In The Appalachian South, Melissa Kathryn Hunt

Doctoral Dissertations

Truancy and academic underachievement are significant problems among adolescents. Considering the historical emphasis on studying delinquency in populated urban areas, a more concerted effort is needed to examine this issue in rural areas to determine the extent to which findings are culturally generalizable. As a move in this direction, truant behavior was examined in an East Tennessee county in the southern region of the Appalachian Mountains. The primary objective of this exploratory investigation was to assess personality, behavioral, religious, and environmental factors most associated with high school absenteeism and academic achievement in the Appalachian south. Participants were 374 adolescents in …

Myths, Metaphors, And Mass-Mediated Reality: U.S. Press Coverage Of Bird Flu And Avian Influenza Pandemic, 1996-2006, Kunka Dineva Ignatova

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined U.S. press coverage of the H5N1 bird-flu virus and the possible influenza pandemic in the period 1996 - 2006. One elite and three regional newspapers were used. Framing analysis facilitated by the QDA Miner revealed that militaristic, race, natural disaster and Christian/biblical metaphors, as well as the myths of the “other world,” the “hero,” the “victim,” and the “plague,” created fear that helped to perpetuate the story and keep it on the media agenda. This was a story that the press constructed both scientifically and metaphorically, relying on scientific facts as well as on cultural myths and …

Saying Yes When You Mean No: A Phenomenological Analysis Of Consensual Unwanted Sexual Activity, Samantha C. Litzinger

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to conduct a phenomenological analysis of the experience of consensual unwanted sexual activity (CUSA). College men and women (N=10) in relationships ranging from casual to committed who were enrolled at a university in the southeastern United States were interviewed about experiences of CUSA. Interviews were conducted in person with participants who were asked to answer the following research question: “Describe a time in which you did not want to participate in some sexual activity, but you decided to anyway.” Interview transcripts were analyzed using phenomenological research methods in the context of an interpretive research …

Fracture Biomechanics Of The Human Skeleton, Anne M. Kroman

Doctoral Dissertations

Trauma analysis is a growing area of physical and forensic anthropology. The analysis of fracture patterns is useful in determining cause and manner of death, as well as making inferences about past populations. Traditionally, anthropologists have categorized bone trauma into the discrete categories of blunt, ballistic, and sharp trauma. While these descriptors provide a practical approach, anthropologists need to change the way that trauma is perceived and analysis of fractures is conducted. Bone trauma is best viewed as a continuum (rather than discrete independent categories), with the variables of force, acceleration/deceleration, and surface area of impacting interface governing the appearance …