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Full-Text Articles in Sociology

The Interaction Of Community Size And Perceived Local Political Efficacy Among Low-Income Individuals, Dylan Allen Brugman Dec 2015

The Interaction Of Community Size And Perceived Local Political Efficacy Among Low-Income Individuals, Dylan Allen Brugman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the world’s population continues to urbanize, urban studies are increasingly important. Studying the social science behind the rise of the city and its effect on various social phenomena should be a priority for scholars in the field of politics, sociology, and communication, because of the reasonable assumption that the environment of the city alters the way that a person engages people and systems within the city. This is especially true for peripheral and marginalized populations that often lack access to the social institutions necessary to improve their livelihoods. Using Diffusion of Innovation and urban studies theories of Anomie, Gemeinschaft …


Poking, Prodding, And Piercing: Becoming A Successful Body Modifier, Joshua A. Ison Aug 2015

Poking, Prodding, And Piercing: Becoming A Successful Body Modifier, Joshua A. Ison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body modification is a global phenomenon. In the southeastern United States, two forms of modifications present themselves most often: piercings and tattoos. Much of the research conducted on body modifications looks at deviance as a primary concern, focusing less on what the individuals are like. This study examines the personal accounts of people with body modifications and add to the existing information about body-modified people. Interviews were conducted with fifteen participants across several months in different parts of two east Tennessee cities. Questions were open-ended and all responses were transcribed. Participants discussed a variety of topics, including pain, belongingness, and …


Health-Related Quality Of Life In The Working Uninsured: Conditional Indirect Effects Of Perceived Stigma Via Vitality And Interpersonal Needs, Preston Lee Visser Aug 2012

Health-Related Quality Of Life In The Working Uninsured: Conditional Indirect Effects Of Perceived Stigma Via Vitality And Interpersonal Needs, Preston Lee Visser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stigmatization involves the application of labels to individuals in social contexts, leading to impaired access to social, economic, and political power. Although actual stigmatizing beliefs that society holds about particular groups are important, the extent to which individuals themselves perceive stigma from others and internalize stigmatizing beliefs is being increasingly recognized as a cause of psychological and physical distress. Little research has been done on explanatory mechanisms of the relations between perceived stigma and health outcomes, particularly in the area of stigma related to finances. Two important dimensions of overall health include depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life. According …


Family Income, Maternal Marital Status, Maternal Employment, And The Development Of Overweight And Obesity During Childhood., Shaoqing Gong Aug 2010

Family Income, Maternal Marital Status, Maternal Employment, And The Development Of Overweight And Obesity During Childhood., Shaoqing Gong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the longitudinal associations of family income level, maternal marital status, and maternal employment with body mass measurements and the development of overweight and obesity. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were used to assess the effects of the exposure variables on weight status with simultaneous adjustment for the exposure variables and the covariates. Key findings include: Children in families with incomes below the poverty line at child's 24 or 54 months of age were at a higher risk of becoming overweight and obese at child's third grade than children in families with incomes above the poverty line; longer …


An Analysis Of Gender-Based Pay Equity Of Instructional Faculty Members In The Virginia Community College System., Mary Beth Page Aug 2009

An Analysis Of Gender-Based Pay Equity Of Instructional Faculty Members In The Virginia Community College System., Mary Beth Page

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on the premises of "Equity Theory" (Adams, 1963), this study evaluated the Virginia Community College System compensation rates and compared the salaries of similarly ranked and similarly qualified male and female faculty members. A quantitative analysis was conducted of the reported salaries of all full-time instructional faculty members in the Virginia Community College System in the Fall of 2006. The specific areas examined included salary, rank, highest degree earned, and full- or parttime employment status. Using the tenets of Equity Theory as a foundation, this study evaluated any differences in the compensation and rank between male and female faculty …


Growing Up Biracial And Gay In The Deep South: Living Between The Color/Gender Lines, Theresa S. Hoogacker Jan 2008

Growing Up Biracial And Gay In The Deep South: Living Between The Color/Gender Lines, Theresa S. Hoogacker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a critical inquiry into the stories of three generations of women living in the South. Through the stories my mother, my daughter and I have lived through, I critically reflect on my experience of being a first generation doctoral student growing up in-between the color lines of Black and White and raising a biracial and gay daughter growing up in the deep South. Building on the works of Kincheloe and Pinar (1991), Frantz Fanon (1963), Maria Root (1996), Henry Giroux (1992), Paul Gilroy (1993b), Phillion, He & Connelly (2005), and He & Phillion (2008), I explore the ways …


I Think I Can: Identity And Social Experiences Of Adolescents With Physical Disabilities., Amy Sorensen Dec 2007

I Think I Can: Identity And Social Experiences Of Adolescents With Physical Disabilities., Amy Sorensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An online survey was completed by 40 adolescents and young adults (ages 12 to 22) with physical disabilities for the purpose of exploring their social experiences. The survey focuses on key variables associated with individual identity, group identity, social relationships and activities, and future aspirations. Positive outcome variables were explored including: self-esteem, self-efficacy, body satisfaction, cultural identity, relationship quality, activity participation, and future orientation. Independent variables included sex, population size, ability level, and proximity to disability. Ability level proved to be the most predictive of positive outcomes. Sex, population size, and proximity to disability exhibited small associations to some of …


Juveniles Adjudicated In Adult Court: The Effects Of Age, Gender, Race, Previous Convictions, And Severity Of Crime On Sentencing Decisions., Ashley Michelle Holbrook May 2007

Juveniles Adjudicated In Adult Court: The Effects Of Age, Gender, Race, Previous Convictions, And Severity Of Crime On Sentencing Decisions., Ashley Michelle Holbrook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze the influences such as age at current offense, gender, race, previous convictions, and the seriousness of crimes that contributed to the decisions received by juveniles in adult court. This study examined a secondary data set from the United States Department of Justice entitled Juvenile Defendants in Criminal Courts (JDCC): Survey of 40 Counties in the United States, 1998. The cases from these 40 jurisdictions represented all filings during one month in 75 of the most populous counties. The current study found significant differences among race, prior criminal history, current offense severity, and …


Racial Profiling And Policing In North Carolina: Reality Or Rhetoric?, Randal J. Sluss May 2007

Racial Profiling And Policing In North Carolina: Reality Or Rhetoric?, Randal J. Sluss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined police practices of the North Carolina Highway Patrol concerning the occurrence of racial profiling. The sample data consisted of motorists stopped in North Carolina by the Highway Patrol between January 1, 2000 and July 31, 2000 (N = 332, 861). The findings suggested that race was a likely factor in pretextual stops. The results also indicate that racial profiling was occurring more in the western region than the eastern region of North Carolina. Theoretical reasons are offered in support of these findings.


Class And Gender Roles In The Company Towns Of Millinocket And East Millinocket, Maine, And Benham And Lynch, Kentucky, 1901-2004: A Comparative History, Betty Duff Jan 2004

Class And Gender Roles In The Company Towns Of Millinocket And East Millinocket, Maine, And Benham And Lynch, Kentucky, 1901-2004: A Comparative History, Betty Duff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Company towns were products of nineteenth and early twentieth century attempts to attract and control the labor force needed for industrial production outside of urban areas. A comparison of the paper mill towns of Millinocket and East Millinocket. Maine, with the coal mining towns of Benham and Lynch, Kentucky, explores different management philosophies and methods of labor control employed in towns constructed by corporations in the early twentieth century. Great Northern Paper built Millinocket and East Millinocket; United States Coal and Coke, a subsidiary of United States Steel built Lynch, and Wisconsin Steel, a subsidiary of International Harvester, built Benham. …