Sociology of Culture Commons^™

Approved For All Audiences: A Longitudinal Content Analysis Of The Portrayal Of Women In Movie Trailers, Brooke S. O’Neil

Masters Theses

Movie trailers are ever present in our society and impactful in the way society constructs views about various aspects of life. Trailers are unique in that they are specifically tailored and edited to entice audiences to buy tickets to the film. Further, prior research has indicated that in various forms of media, women are continuously underrepresented, disproportionately sexualized, stereotyped, and victimized. The present study examines the portrayal of women through a content analysis of 230 of the top grossing trailers across seven decades: 1950-2015. The research focuses on women’s representation, sexualization, gender roles, and violence. The analysis reveals that in …

"Race Becomes Biology": Co-Occurring Oral And Systemic Disease As Embodiment Of Structural Violence In An American Skeletal Sample, Rieti G. Gengo

Masters Theses

In recent years, a large number of biomedical studies have demonstrated that the bacteria that contribute to periodontal disease can migrate outside the oral cavity, causing a host of systemic infections. Yet, to date, only one bioarchaeological investigation has addressed this co-occurring disease process in a past population. The results of this thesis confirm the bioarchaeological visibility of the correlation between oral and systemic disease based on data derived from a sample of white and black adults from the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal Collection. Vertical recessions and porous remodeling of the alveolar crest were examined to identify periodontitis. Periosteal …

Diffusion Of The Lnternet And Its Effect On Gender Attitudes: A Cross-National Approach, Robert Roznowski

Masters Theses

The rapid diffusion of the Internet worldwide generates discussion about the social implications of the Internet. To explore the effect of Internet diffusion worldwide, this study examines changes in reported gender attitudes since the introduction of the Internet. I propose that the diffusion of the Internet fosters egalitarian changes in gender attitudes. Using cross-national data from forty countries over a time span of nearly twenty years, I successfully implement an alternative analysis technique, the slope-slope model, to examine the relationship between rates of Internet diffusion and changes in gender attitudes in the economic, political, and education domains. Internet diffusion affects …

Neiman Marcus Chicken Coops: Exploring Class And Identity Through Backyard Chicken Keeping And The Contemporary Food Movement, Traci D. Joseph

Masters Theses

This paper is a case study of a proposed backyard chicken ordinance for Grand Rapids, Michigan. The study is viewed in light of social movement theory, specifically new social movement theory, to determine if events surrounding and leading up to the debate can be labeled as a social movement. A key finding is a culture of consumption as a common thread throughout the debate. The poultry industry pushed for continued consumption of its products with an agenda of fear regarding disease and improper handling. Proponents countered with a discussion on an ethic of care for the birds. Ultimately, this rejection …

Comic Book Fandom And Stigma Consciousness, Dennis R. Gagliardo

Masters Theses

This research project explores the concept of stigma consciousness as applied to the subculture of comic book fandom. Integrating the disciplines of social psychology and cultural studies, this study examines the dynamic and socially constructed nature of the stigma process as applied to the specific cultural form of the American comic book, while identifying and measuring several variables of potential influence on perceptions of the hierarchy of American cultural values. The purpose is to address an existing gap in the academic literature of fan studies in regards to the marginalization and stigmatization of fan cultures as experienced by the members …

In-Group Disparaging Humor: Conditions Of Amusement And Consequences For Social Identity, Mark Allen Ferguson

Masters Theses

The present research develops and empirically tests a theoretical model of ingroup disparaging humor. In an experiment, one hundred and seventy-five undergraduates were exposed to a comedy routine that disparaged an in- group, an outgroup, or did not contain disparaging content. Subjects then completed measures of amusement and social identity. Results suggest that in-group disparaging humor can simultaneously elicit amusement and threaten social identity. The implications of these results for understanding the effects of in-group disparaging humor on amusement and social identity are discussed.

A Study Of Ideological Change In Reggae Music From 1971 To 1993, William H. Stanley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to see if the reggae music that became popular in the United States was ideologically different from the reggae that originated in Jamaica. The hypothesized change was derived from a model developed by Humphrey Regis (1994, 1988) labeled “cultural domination by re-exportation”. It was determined that early reggae music and the Rastafarian religion had very similar ideologies. The change within reggae music was measured against the Rastafarian belief system.

A content analysis of twenty-five songs was undertaken. The method of doing ideological analysis of the reggae lyrics was derived from Cormack (1992). The sample …

The Education And Cultural Adaptation: Experiences Of Japanese Children In Foreign Cultures, Akiko Namiki

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the experiences of Japanese children and adolescents who reside in the United States as a consequence of their parents' jobs and examines how they adapted to a local society and how their cultural identities were affected by living in the United States before establishing stable identities. This study was completed by relating existing literature to interviews with a sample of Japanese children and adolescents, their mothers, and their teachers who reside in a Midwestern urban areas.

Experiences of the Japanese children and adolescents were examined in terms of their English language skills, Japanese language skills, family lives, …

The White Extremist Movement: A Metatheoretical Analysis, Suzanne Vanweelde

Masters Theses

This study is a metatheoretical analysis of the white extremist movement in the United States. Five separate major and several smaller white extremist organizations were examined with respect to updated information as to the organizational levels, membership profiles and activities of: (1) the Ku Klux Klan, (2) the Militia, (3) Skinheads, (4) Aryan Nations, (5) the Neo-Nazi and (6) other organizations.

Several theories developed by foundational, developmental and contemporary sociologists were analyzed for their individual concepts. Pertinent and significant concepts were noted as being applicable to a theory of white extremism. Specific examples of the concepts' usage within the extremist …