Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

If And How Many 'Races'? The Application Of Mixture Modeling To World-Wide Human Craniometric Variation, Bridget Frances Beatrice Algee-Hewitt

Doctoral Dissertations

Studies in human cranial variation are extensive and widely discussed. While skeletal biologists continue to focus on questions of biological distance and population history, group-specific knowledge is being increasingly used for human identification in medico-legal contexts. The importance of this research has been often overshadowed by both philosophic and methodological concerns. Many analyses have been constrained in their scope by the limited availability of representative samples and readily criticized for adopting statistical techniques that require user-guidance and a priori information. A multi-part project is presented here that implements model-based clustering as an alternative approach for population studies using craniometric traits. …

Expanding A Model Of Female Heterosexual Coercion: Are Sexually Coercive Women Hyperfeminine?, Elizabeth Anne Schatzel-Murphy

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The present study aimed to replicate a preliminary model of female heterosexual coercion and subsequently expand the model with gender- and race-related variables. The preliminary model, which specified sexual compulsivity, sexual dominance, sociosexuality, and prior sexual abuse, as predictors of female heterosexual coercion, was sufficiently replicated with a racially diverse sample of college women. The model was then successfully expanded by adding rape myth acceptance and hyperfemininity to the model. Hyperfemininity was found to be a core predictor of female heterosexual coercion, challenging the notion that sexual coercion is an inherently "masculine" behavior. Actual minority status, perceived minority status, and …

Health Worker Experiences With Environmental Pollution : Health In Urban Targeted Community : A Study Of Pollution And Clinicians' Experiences And Attitudes Towards It In Urban Low-Income Communities And Communities Of Color, Leslie B. Bosworth

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Research suggests that exposure to pollution can impact people's health, and that there are more chances for exposure in some urban low-income communities or communities of color. The purpose of the study is to explore whether social service oriented clinicians consider whether their clients are exposed to pollution, how large of a problem the believe pollution is for their clients, and what actions they and their clients have taken to protect against pollution. A second purpose is to assess whether clinicians view pollution as product of discrimination. A third purpose is to see if pollution is indeed higher in lower-income …

The Prejudice Paradox (Or Discrimination Is Not Dead): Systematic Discrimination In Forced Choice Employment Decisions, Paula M. Brochu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research examined discriminatory responding in a forced choice employment decision paradigm, using a justification-suppression perspective to interpret the findings. In this paradigm, participants play the role of employers and make employment choices between two excellent and similarly qualified individuals that differ only on one dimension. In the first three studies, participants chose between two individuals who were described as differing only in ethnicity (European vs. Middle Eastern), gender (Male vs. Female), religion (Christian vs. Muslim), age (Young vs. Old), height (Tall vs. Short), weight (Average Weight vs. Overweight), nationality (Canadian vs. Immigrant), or sexual orientation (Heterosexual vs. Homosexual). Patterns …

George Bush Doesn’T Care About Black People: An Ideological Rhetorical Criticism Of Whiteness And Racism, Kate Braden

College of Communication Master of Arts Theses

On September 2, 2005, hip-hop artist Kanye West’s made the comment on live television that standing President “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, contributing to the national debate surrounding the government’s response to the storm and its survivors and the impact of race (and class) on such circumstances. An ideological criticism is conducted to assess how the dominant ideologies of whiteness and racism emerge in Bush’s rhetoric and affective performances in reaction to that accusation. In my analysis of Bush’s discursive and emotional enactments that responded to Kanye’s comment against him, three strategies …

Love Is Not Enough: A Look At Race In Transracial Adoption, Azucena Espindola

Social Sciences

This research paper looks at the different types of child adoption, in particular to transracial adoption. There is an emphasis in the role of race in transracial adoption and how transracial adoption can benefit and/or affect the children who are part of it. There has been a long fought debate regarding transracial adoption. Those who favor transracial adoption state that the children are receiving a home that they would otherwise not get. On the contrary, those who oppose transracial adoption state that the children are deprived from their heritage. However, the main thing that should be taken into account is …

A Question Of Comfort: Race, Whiteness, And The Creation Of Diverse, Inclusive, And Engaged Learning Environments, H. Elizabeth Braun

Open Access Dissertations

Most colleges and universities in the United States today claim that “diversity” is an important institutional value, but it is not always clear what this term means or how “diversity” is actually experienced and understood by students at predominantly white institutions. This ethnographic study examines a predominantly white liberal arts woman’s college in New England, applying data from participant observation, semistructured interviews, autoethnography, and textual data. My research addresses three intersecting areas of inquiry: the experience of students attending a predominantly white institution in relation to issues of race and racial identity, institutional practices related to race, “diversity,” and “culture,” …

El Papel De La Raza En Latinoamérica, Grant Louis Olaf Siracusa

World Languages and Cultures

My project aims to address the ideas, perceptions, and roles of race in Latin America. Latin America is a vast and diverse region that is often misunderstood by those unfamiliar with the culture. By researching the notions of race in this particular region, I aim to provide a clearer understanding on the various topics that stem from race, including racism, discrimination, racial whitening, and racial transformation.

First, I intend on examining the origins and implications of race, relating these topics to the Spanish Conquests. I will then identify and discuss the predominant races found within the region, giving a brief …

Constructing Asian/American Women On Screen, Charleen M. Wilcox

Communication Theses

Asian/American women occupy a highly circumscribed subject position in popular Western culture that entails a unique reading of our bodies. My discussion of this group will gain greater depth and scope by using Black body theory as a theoretical framework to better understand how Asian/American bodies become a site to enact a multitude of fantasies, fears, and anxieties. I will examine three case studies: the construction of the interracial “romance” featuring Asian/American women produced in classical Hollywood cinema, interracial pornography featuring Asian/American female performers, and the independent works of Asian/American feminist filmmakers. Topics interrogated include the over-determination of non-White bodies …

Teachers' Perspectives On Race And Gender: Strategic Intersectionality And The Countervailing Effects Of Privilege, Laurie Cooper Stoll

Dissertations

As a policy prescription, education is often considered a panacea for racism and sexism, and teachers therefore the conduits for social equality. Strategic intersectionality suggests that teachers who have marked identities, especially those who inhabit more

than one, may under certain circumstances experience a "multiple identity advantage" that can situate them as particularly effective advocates for others who are disadvantaged. This institutional ethnography explores the underlying premises of strategic

intersectionality and the countervailing effects of privilege through observations and indepth interviews of teachers in a primarily white elementary school, a primarily Hispanic elementary school, and a primarily African American elementary …

General Strain Theory, Race, And Delinquency, Jennifer Peck

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study drew on Agnew's General Strain Theory (GST) to examine the relationship between strain, race, and delinquent behavior. To address this possible association, five hypotheses were tested to examine if different types of strain and stress exposure influence delinquent coping and if these relationships are conditioned by race and ethnicity. Using data from the Add Health Study, White, African American, and Hispanic adolescents, the present study attempts to generalize GST to different racial and ethnic groups.

Results from OLS and negative binomial regression analyses indicate that some support was found for GST, in that indicators of strain to …

Financial Cultural Capital: Cultural Capital In The Context Of Higher Education And Federal Student Loans, Joey Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploratory quantitative sociological analysis of the financial knowledge and experience of undergraduate students who have borrostudent loans. It also explores students' feelings about their loans. I surveyed 100 undergraduate students who had contracted student loans to gather information about their knowledge of financial instruments and feelings about their student loan debt. To explore students' knowledge and feelings, I created three indices: knowledge, feelings, and financial cultural capital and tested for racial differences between Blacks and Whites. The knowledge index investigates students' knowledge of the terms of their loans and experience with basic financial instruments. The feelings …

Assessing Racial Differences In Offending Trajectories: A Life-Course View Of The Race-Crime Relationship, Michael S. Caudy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The developmental and life-course criminology (DLC) paradigm has become increasingly popular over the last two decades. A primary limitation of this paradigm is the lack of consideration of race and ethnicity within its framework. Race unquestionably matters in today's society and yet it has generally been ignored within the context of DLC theories. The current study aims to contribute to the literature informing DLC by viewing life-course theories through the lens of race and ethnicity. Utilizing nationally-representative data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, the current study examines race-specific developmental trajectories of offending over 11 years during the …

Park Access And Distributional Inequities In Pinellas County, Florida, Kyle Ray Hirvela

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although environmental justice research has traditionally focused on environmental disamenities and health hazards, recent studies have begun to examine social inequities in the distribution of urban amenities such as street trees and parks that provide several direct and indirect health benefits to local residents. This thesis adds to this knowledge by evaluating distributional inequities in both distribution and access to parks in Pinellas County, the most densely populated and one of the most racially segregated counties in Florida. An important objective was to determine if neighborhoods with lower levels of park access are more likely to contain a significantly higher …

Can Analysis Align With Antiracism? : An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Psychoanalysts Working Toward Social Justice, Madeline Rae Nussbaum

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research study is an exploration of the ways in which practicing psychoanalysts work towards antiracism in clinical practice. The study is based on an independent and in-depth investigation of 9 practicing psychoanalysts who self-identify as committed to the goals of antiracism. The study examines the ways in which theoretical orientation, analytic training, and clinical practice experience impact the analysts' commitment to antiracism and their ability to feel effective in their work. The study was designed using the constructivist grounded theory method for data collection and analysis. This method takes into account the social location of the participants and the …

Does The Provision Of Healthcare Vary With Race? Evidence From Health Shocks To Patients Far From Home, Ajay Sridhar

CMC Senior Theses

A vast literature acknowledges that minority groups, particularly African-Americans, receive less, and lower-quality treatment than Caucasians in U.S. health facilities. It remains an open question as to how much of this disparity is a result of poverty, and how much, a result of more overt discrimination. Former empirical studies are far from conclusive given the endogeneity of hospital quality, as minorities are overrepresented in areas served by poor health facilities. To remedy this endogeneity issue, we observe visitors to the state of Florida, as well as travelers within Florida. When an individual experiences a health shock far from home, her …

Student Perceptions Of Race And Gender Representations Within College Textbooks, Chastity Lynn Blankenship

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines introductory textbooks images across a variety of disciplines, with particular focus on the ways in which race and gender are shown. This study goes beyond a basic analysis of textbooks, however, and also explores student perceptions of textbook images. My data show that compartmentalization of gender and race into certain themes still occurs within some textbooks. Specifically, white men were more likely to be depicted as hard workers and contributors to the field than any other race and gender. Despite these results, students seemed mixed on the importance of textbook images with many students focused on the …

Do Nba Fans Discriminate Against Race Or Nationality?, Peter Meyer

CMC Senior Theses

Previous work found evidence that the racial composition of NBA teams was positively correlated with the racial composition of their metropolitan market areas during the 1990s. This paper finds continued evidence of this relationship in the 2000s, with an accompanying attendance boost from the incorporation of white players on teams located in whiter areas. There is also evidence that white players receive a salary premium relative to black players of equal performance quality. An examination of player performance indicates that demand for foreign players with the skill set of a forward or center is higher than demand for players of …

Puerto Rican Intermarriages : The Intersectionality Of Race, Gender, Class And Space, Gabriel Aquino

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Puerto Ricans have an intermarriage rate of 38.5 percent, the highest among Mexican, Cubans, Dominicans, European Americans, and African Americans in the United States. What govern the process of Puerto Rican intermarriage? Who do Puerto Rican intermarry with? And, do these intermarriages affect Puerto Rican ethnic identity? Traditional theories of intermarriage use a one dimensional explanation for intermarriages and for many posit an eventual ethnic identity transition. I propose the use of an intersectionality paradigm that incorporates a multidimensional approach, specifically race, gender, class, and space to explain Puerto Rican intermarriage and to test Puerto Rican ethnic identity transformation through …

New Homes, Different Places : Demographic Transitions In The Worcester County Ma Foster Care System : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Y.O.U., Inc. Foster Care Program In Worcester Ma, Anne Wassell Hopkinson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This case study examines the broader trends in demographic change experienced by children in the foster care system in Worcester County, Massachusetts by comparing information regarding removal and placement locations of youth in the Y.O.U., Inc. foster care program with 2000 census data describing the poverty levels, household incomes and racial composition of these locations. The findings demonstrate that children were likely to be removed from areas with high levels of poverty and low numbers of non-Hispanic white residents and placed into areas with low levels of poverty and high numbers of non-Hispanic white populations. This demographic analysis is contextualized …

Discerning What Can Be Learned From Seasoned Sentence Mitigation Practioners' Experiences Of The Accused And Their Family Members As Historians, Specifically In The Context Of Socio-Cultural Factors, In The Development Of Life History Presentation In Capital Defense Proceedings, Lisa Michele Kelly

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study employed a study of thirteen participants, including social workers, who interview the accused and their family members in death penalty cases, to discern what could be learned from seasoned sentence mitigation practitioners' experience of defendants and their family members as historians. Those interviewed in sentence mitigation investigations are asked to discuss sensitive information while in the midst of a legal process surrounding a violent crime and rendering the accused and their family members extremely vulnerable. The information interviewees provide may have direct bearing on sentencing of the accused. In capital cases, defendants are highly unlikely to avoid …

Differences Across Racial Groups In Caregiver Ratings Of Symptoms In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cindy Terlonge Graham

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A great deal of attention from local, federal, and international communities has been focused on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). As the prevalence of these disorders rise, researchers continue to investigate various unanswered questions. The goal of this study was to examine the differences across racial/ethnic groups in caregiver ratings of symptoms of children diagnosed with ASDs. Results from such research will help determine whether cultural background can influence the recognition of behaviors indicative of an ASD. Culturally-sensitive clinical practice stemming from the significant findings of this research project can help to reduce the age at which minority children are diagnosed. …