Inequality and Stratification Commons^™

Portfolio For Soci 346: Environmental Sociology, Gwendwr Meredith

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Environmental sociology, SOCI 346, is the study of how social systems interact with ecosystems. As such, it is a very broad course that is tasked with understanding complex and often controversial questions about the social causes, consequences, and responses to environmental disruption. In this teaching portfolio, I enumerate how I use a backward design for crafting assessments that cater to my specific teaching goals and learning objectives for the course. In the first stage of this process, I reflected on what learning outcomes I wished to achieve and determined that structuring the course in modules aligned with the learning objectives …

Indoctrination Into Hate: The Development Of Racial Neuroses Resulting From Racist Socialization Under White Supremacy, Aliya Kathryn Benabderrazak

Haslam Scholars Projects

Racial-ethnic socialization is critical to our unique and individual conceptualization of reality. This socialization occurs explicitly and implicitly across the lifespan and has significant implications for one’s behavior, social relationships, and ideological beliefs. Two of the most notable and impactful spheres in which racial-ethnic socialization occurs are within the family unit and schooling contexts. The treatment and teachings within these two spaces shape our social and psychological development. The first part of my project considers the neurosis of Whiteness as a psychological consequence of racist socialization within school settings and primarily White communities—as a macro example of the family unit—to …

Economic Disadvantage, Nativity, And Academic Performance And School Punishment Among Latino/A Children, Yolanda Chavez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cultural explanations of how familial resource inequality negatively impacts the academic well-being of a Latino/a child saturate the literature. This study examines the relationship between economic disadvantage and academic performance and school punishment through Family Stress Process Theory, providing a contextual analysis of resource instability. The additional myriad of legal and social constraints that parental nativity provides for family members can moderate this relationship. Data was drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal measure of U.S. couples and their children in 20 large U.S. cities. Regression models indicate the relationship between economic disadvantage and academic performance …

The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status, Race, And Food Security On Mental And Physical Health, Andrea Delgado

Sociology Student Scholarship

Andrea Delgado ’22
Major: Sociology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Brandon Martinez, Sociology

The purpose of this study is to examine how an individual‚ race, socioeconomic status, and their household food security are correlated with physical and mental health outcomes. We propose that those with lower socioeconomic status and food security, as well as Non-Whites, are negatively correlated with better physical and mental health outcomes.

Finding A Home Through The Screen: A Glimpse Into Student Experiences In A World Of Remote Admissions Processes, Megan Carmen

Honors Projects

The college search process is an important time in the life of any student, and feeling a sense of belonging and inclusion through the admissions process is vital to ensuring student success in higher education. With COVID-19 forcing all admissions communications online, student connections were changed and student’s perception of belonging was altered. This confidential survey project used demographic, quantitative, and open-ended questions to understand student perceptions of belonging and inclusion during the online admissions process. Of 750 students contacted, 57 students responded to the demographic questions, 50 to the quantitative questions, and 17 students left in-depth responses about their …

The Right To Repair: (Re)Building A Better Future, Jumana Labib

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The goal of this research project was to take a multi-faceted, interdisciplinary approach to research and examine the Right to Repair movement’s progress, current repair practices, impediments, and imperatives, and the various large-scale implications (environmental, economic, social, etc.) stemming from diminished consumer freedom as a result of increased corporate greed and lack of governmental regulations with regards to repair and the environment. This poster exhibits the highlights of my general research project on the Right to Repair movement over the course of this four month internship, and aims to disseminate information about the movement to the wider public in an …

Male-To-Female Sexual Violence In Rural Communities: A Sociological Review, Walter Dekeseredy Dr.

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The extant sociological literature on male-to-female violence in rural communities reveals that the bulk of the empirical work on this problem focuses mainly on non-lethal physical assaults, such as beatings. Much more research on sexual violence is sorely needed. The main objective of this review is twofold: (1) to describe the current state of international sociological knowledge about male sexual violence against adult women and (2) to suggest new directions in research and theory.

"Its Own Little City": Service Work In Truck Stops, Michelle Elizabeth Williams

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Montana truck stops act as a meeting place for long-haul truckers, vacationers, local commuters, and the workers simply trying to earn a living. The employees at such truck stops must navigate working-class customer service norms while interacting with a unique and diverse set of customers. The ethnographic and interview data that I collected during the 2020 offers a unique view of how customer service employees fared during political unrest, global health concerns, and financial struggle. Additionally, this study highlights the power dynamics that exist in the service industry by examining how such dynamics manifest in the interactions surrounding face masks, …

Assimilating The Dominican Tourist: What Maps Tell Tourists In Puerto Plata About The Processes Of Capitalism And Imperialism, Amy Duncan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The tourism industry in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic is dominated by foreign enterprise. Given the history of colonization in the Dominican Republic, the social dynamics in the tourism industry are imperialist by nature. This thesis seeks to understand how tourist maps are used to assimilate tourists into the social dynamics of Puerto Plata. To do this, it unravels existing literature on tourism in the Caribbean, the nature of the tourism industry in the Dominican Republic as well as its foreign benefactors, and foundational works on the sociological aspects of tourism.

The findings of this paper are that tourist maps seek …

The Intersection Of Race And Criminal History In Perceptions Of Native Americans And Hiring, Sierra B. Streuli

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Studies show that race-based discrimination exists in the hiring process. Many minority job candidates experience this phenomenon, especially when a criminal record is present. The intersection of possessing a Native American identity and having a criminal history has yet to be examined. This research compares the experience of Native American job candidates (some with a criminal history and some without) to white job candidates (some with a criminal history and some without) to see how these varying points of identity influence hiring process decisions in a fictitious hiring scenario. Using an online questionnaire based on Foschi and Valenzuela’s (2015) study …

Anti-Black Racism And White Supremacy Soc/Apg 140x, Karen Morse

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Torn Apart: A Closer Look At Our Cover Image, Sandra Rios

Culture, Society, and Praxis

No abstract provided.

A Silver Lining: The Role Of Optimism In Overcoming Poverty In Early Life, Mary Brimmer

Sociology Senior Seminar Papers

Who is able to overcome adversity and experience upward mobility? Using cumulative inequality theory, which posits that the disadvantage or advantage associated with one’s social location impacts life trajectory and perceptions of such, I propose that level of optimistic outlook in individuals from low-income backgrounds increases their chances of financial success in adulthood. Analyzing data from the 2016 General Social Survey, a nationally representative survey administered to randomly sampled adults in the U.S., I examine a subset of 1,269 individuals from backgrounds of far below average or below average family income levels. In doing so, I determine how optimistic attitudes, …

Examining The Long-Term Effects Of Child-Mentoring Programs On At-Risk Children, Francisco Mejia

Student Symposium

Child care remains a complicated issue, with at-risk children suffering the most. As a response child-mentoring programs have been a topic of discussion regarding their long-term impacts. My project was focused on working with and collecting data on at-risk and/or low-income children. My literature review came from multiple academic sociological studies focused on mentoring programs. My relation to the overall project was working as an intern with the community organization Big Brothers Big Sisters. The goal was to understand the impacts of mentoring programs both through research along with actual work with the organization. A key component of the research …

Post Colonial Studies, Nashieli Marcano, Kyle Brooks

Research Guides & Subject Bibliographies

No abstract provided.

#Metoo Movement: The New Wave Of Feminism, Jannette Delgado

Sociology Student Work Collection

Every wave of feminism serves a different purpose based on the state of society and how it treats women from all backgrounds. This presentation shares a glimpse on how the socially media-driven #MeToo movement has impacted all social spectrums from Hollywood to the higher courts and why it has remained effective in and outside social media.

Facebook As A Social Outreach And Advocacy Tool In Intersex/Dsd Groups, Emelie J. Ali Ms

Publications and Research

My project includes a netnography of a Facebook intersex group called Families and Friends of Intersex People. I observed the group’s forms of communication within the group and which topics they discussed. It appears one of the major concerns the group has is the use of nonconsensual, sex assignment surgery on infants to “correct” their body to match a gender identity. I have also discovered a link between being intersex and affiliated with the LGBT+ community. Since the 20th century, intersex people have been stigmatized due to their assumed ability to engage in sexual, same-sex relations. I have concluded that …

Housing And Community Development, Yana Kucheva

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Racial Microaggressions On An Online Anonymous Platform, Navneesh Pandher

Honors College Theses

In sociology there has been an increase amount of scholarly attention devoted to the microaggressions as a theoretical construct. Efforts have been devoted towards understanding the themes, track the progress of the term to its modern day use, the different forms that microaggressions take, and the consequences to individuals that suffer in these encounters. Typically, microaggression research is centered around interviews with minorities but there is minimal investigation into the presentation of these encounters on online platforms where users can maintain an anonymous identity. A content analysis with 5 codes was conducted of a blog that is open to anonymous …

Queer University: An Ethnographic Case Study Of The Trans Student Experience Of College Campus Space, Madeline Johnson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Operating from the premise that physical space becomes a gendered reality through social interaction, this study examines the social formation of self for gender nonconforming college students. Through ethnographic observations of an LGBTQ+ student organization and interviews with self-identified trans students, this research highlights the negotiation of campus space from a queer participant perspective. First, I present the trans student description of cisnormative space, the process of queering space through forming a queer community, and the experience of perceived safe space. This study finds that students experience all on-campus space as pervasively and fundamentally cisnormative, but upon the erasure of …

The Impact Of Religion And Culture On Coparenting In Morocco, Corrine Ahrabi-Nejad

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Coparenting is an important relationship between mothers and fathers, which children can benefit from.Coparenting involves the active role mothers and fathers play in raising a child as well as communication between mothers and fathers regarding child related issues. Findings show that positive coparenting relationships lead to overall more satisfaction among both mothers and fathers in terms of child rearing. Additionally, positive parental involvement, especially father involvement, is shown to result in overall better psychological, physiological, and emotional development among children. Identifying ways to create positive interactions and ways to coparent can improve a child’s development. This study involves interviews with …

The Effect Of Refugees On Jordanian Identity, Max Yenkin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Jordan has become known as the home for refugees from the crises that have occurred along its borders. Several waves of large groups of refugees have come to Jordan: 1948, 1967, 1991, 2003, and 2011-present, with copious amounts of refugees coming from different surrounding countries to Jordan. The Hashemite Kingdom is ruled through keeping relations between the Bedouin tribes that have lived in the area from the founding of the country. This has led to the denial of equality for former refugees who obtained citizenship as well as the other refugee populations in areas such as work and education. As …

Review: Animal Oppression & Human Violence, Corey L. Wrenn

Between the Species

No abstract provided.

Cultural Capital In The Classroom: The Significance Of Debriefing As A Pedagogical Tool In Simulation-Based Learning, Bedelia N. Richards, Lauren Camuso

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Although social inequality is critical to the study of sociology, it is particularly challenging to teach about race, class and gender inequality to students who belong to privileged social groups. Simulation games are often used successfully to address this pedagogical challenge. While debriefing is a critical component of simulation exercises that focus on teaching about social inequality, empirical assessments of the significance and effectiveness of this tool is virtually nonexistent in sociology and other social sciences. This paper analyzes the significance of debriefing in a simulation game called “Cultural Capital in the Classroom” in order to address this lacunae in …

Interpreting, Stephanie Jo Kent

Doctoral Dissertations

What do community interpreting for the Deaf in western societies, conference interpreting for the European Parliament, and language brokering in international management have in common? Academic research and professional training have historically emphasized the linguistic and cognitive challenges of interpreting, neglecting or ignoring the social aspects that structure communication. All forms of interpreting are inherently social; they involve relationships among at least three people and two languages. The contexts explored here, American Sign Language/English interpreting and spoken language interpreting within the European Parliament, show that simultaneous interpreting involves attitudes, norms and values about intercultural communication that overemphasize information and discount …

Late Night At Lds, Mary E. Maloney

SURGE

As I am giving my full attention to the Western omelet, home fries, and rye toast on my plate, I do not notice what is going on around me. I’m not drunk, but I’m not sober either. I’m with some friends I know well and some people I barely know, but they all seem nice enough to share a late night meal. I’m starving.

I start to realize that more and more non-college students enter LDs, presumably local Gettysburg residents. Some are being loud and boisterous, not unlike many of the people sitting at my very own table, and someone …

Cultural Appropriation Of The Plains Native American Headdress In The 21st Century By Middle-To-Upper Class American Non-Indians, Marisa Wood

Undergraduate Research Posters

My research addresses the cultural appropriation of the Plains’ Native American headdress by middle to upper class American non-Indians belonging to the hipster subculture. The hipster subculture appropriates minority cultures while also receiving the benefits of the majority culture to which they belong. The hipster subculture is influenced by a generally limited knowledge of Native American culture and the trends pressed by corporations. Native Americans also contribute to stereotype continuation in order to make money.

I reviewed six journal articles addressing culture appropriation in fashion, spirituality and stereotypes as well as six journal articles addressing the relationship between identity and …

Japanese Expatriate Women In The United States, Ayano Sonoda

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Expatriation from Japanese companies has been considered mainly for men. This research focuses on gradually increasing Japanese expatriate women’s experiences in the United States. Using structuration theory (Giddens, 1984) and doing gender (West & Zimmerman, 1987), gender practices and (re)production of gendered structure at Japanese organizations in the United States are illustrated. It is exploratory research without prior research focusing on the subjects. Literature review, therefore, covers three relevant areas: women in workplace in Japan, Japanese expatriates in the United States, and women in international assignments from western countries. This research employs qualitative research method to understand the social world …

There Are No Fat People In The Netherlands: Embodied Identities, Hypervisibility, And The Contextual Relevancy Of Fatness, Jean Ochterski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is the product of a month long exploratory study on fatness in the Netherlands and how it intersects with other marginalized identities, including race, class, and queerness. The primary question it answers is the ways in which hypervisibility of fat bodies interplays with the silences surrounding size as an axis of identity. The research removes fatness from solely conversations in the public health field and re-situates it in a feminist, academic framework. Data was obtained through oral history interviews with seven self identified fat people currently living the Netherlands. The results show that childhood, dieting practices, standards of …

Public Perceptions On Family Planning And Birth Spacing In The Cultural And Religious Context Of Senegal: A Case Study In Dakar, Senegal, Heidi Kahle

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Much prior research has examined the prevalence rates of family planning and contraceptive use in Senegal, as well as the importance of family planning for reducing maternal and infant mortality, improving the well being of families, and improving the national economy. Few studies, though, have captured the perspectives of Senegalese persons and their attitudes and beliefs toward family planning, rumors and stigmas that surround it, and how different actors can work together to dispel rumors and encourage the use of family planning. I conducted my research in Dakar, Senegal, where I interviewed a variety of persons – two gynecologists, a …