Sociology Commons^™

Art, The Social Enzyme: The Emergence Of An Art Community In The Rio Grande Valley, Heaven Lashley

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study explores the emergence of an art community in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) region of South Texas. In researching this objective, I relied on observations at many gallery public functions where I had the opportunity to observe the interactions between prospective buyers, gallery owners and artists. I also visited with gallery owners and artists many times in small group settings where I raised open ended questions about the region's artists and other historical developments that would allow me to put together a cohesive story about the emergence of the art community

This study began as an unstructured exploration …

Credit Card Debt: A New Class Or A New Culture?, Rebecca Olympia Millan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis project examines the current situation of credit card debt on college students in two colleges in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas and seeks to understand whether the use of credit cards is the result of an emerging class or an emerging culture. In order to explain this distinction, students' credit card debt will be viewed as being created through three main areas: the result of the current living wage, the presence of a "buy now, save for later" philosophy, and the desire to obtain the means of the cultural capital to bridge from one social class …