Digital Commons Network^™

Fearless Friday: Chentese Stewart-Gartner, Christina L. Bassler

SURGE

This week, SURGE is proud to showcase the wonderful work of Chentese Stewart-Garner!

Chentese is a sociology major with a minor in education. She’s a sophomore and originally hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Currently, Chentese is the program coordinator for the Black Student Union, serves as the public relations liaison for the African Student Association, is a Diversity Peer Educator on campus, and works hard as a Career Outreach Assistant for the Center for Career Development. [excerpt]

Making Sense Of The Distrust Of The Chinese Government In Light Of China’S Successes In Economic Modernization, Rachel L. Neuhauser

Honors College Theses

This paper explores the contrast of China’s spectacular economic development and the low scores of trust for the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) legitimacy among the Chinese people. The sharp contrast may reflect flaws in the shaping of de facto authority of the Chinese government. The de facto authority is examined in connection to the notion of the Mandate of Heaven from the Confucian tradition. The severe imbalance of economic growth and lack of political reform is discussed against the backgrounds of the domestic and international political circumstances. This paper argues that, in spite of the phenomenal economic development of the …

Back To The Future: Student Time Period Analyses, Jordan Barge, Sarah Ebert, Anna Gaskin, Renay Gladish, Quinn Hamilton, Morgan Hanson, Hannah Markham, Mark Mclean, Callie Smith, Bertha Vega, Shelby Watkins, Jamie Weihe, Jillian Whitney

Student Publications

This newsletter began with the Fall 2015 Honors English class. These students were challenged to initiate research over a topic they thought was interesting and show how it related to our campus, Stephen F. Austin State University. It is our hope that this cumulative research will help readers look at SFA a little differently.

On Organizations And Oligarchies: Michels In The Twenty-First Century, Pamela S. Tolbert, Shon R. Hiatt

Pamela S Tolbert

[Excerpt] A central problem for those interested in studying and explaining the actions of organizations is how to conceptualize these social phenomena. In particular, because organizations are constituted by individuals, each of whom may seek to achieve his or her interests through the organization, questions of how decisions are made in organizations and whose preferences drive those decisions are critical to explaining organizational actions. Although early organizational scholars spent much time wrestling with these questions (e.g. Barnard 1938; Simon 1947; Parsons 1956; March and Simon 1958), more recent work in organizational studies has tended to elide them, adopting an implicit …

Emerging Climate Change Publics: Cultivating Sustainability And Justice In The Pioneer Valley, Vanessa Adel

Doctoral Dissertations

Climate change is setting off erratic weather patterns and environmental changes that threaten the livelihood, stability, and survival of the planet. Communities and institutions around the globe are sounding the clarion call about these devastating impacts, advocating for sustainable practices and deep changes to every facet of our lives. This dissertation research consists of an ethnography of a local network of actors and organizations who are responding to climate change, centered on those who define sustainability as integrally connected to justice. I analyze this network of activity through the lens of the concept of an emerging public. I start from …

Introduction To Sociology (Dalton State College), Hassan El-Najjar, Natalie Johnson

Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Grants Collections

This Grants Collection for Introduction to Sociology was created under a Round Three ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials:

• Linked Syllabus
• Initial Proposal
• Final Report

Integrating Biblical Truth Into The Teaching Of Sociology, Robert G. Parr

History and Government Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Elizabeth Borges: A Birth Mother’S Story Of Loss And Gain, Janice G. Schuster

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Voice And Context In Simulated Everyday Legal Discourse: The Influence Of Sex Differences And Social Ties, Calvin Morrill, Tyler Harrison, Michelle Johnson

Calvin Morrill

Everyday legal discount refers to the spoken language with which ordinary people constitute the law-in-action. In this article, we experimentally investigate the social distribution of rule-and relationally-oriented discourse found by ethnographers in small-claims court settings. We examine the influences of sex differences and social ties between disputants on these types of discourse in a mock small-claims setting using a quantitative content coding scheme. We do not find empirical support for sex differences in the production of simulated everyday legal discourse. The relational context of a dispute (operationalized as the strength of social ties between disputants) has significant effects on the …

Seeing Crime And Punishment Through A Sociological Lens: Constributions, Practices, And The Future, Calvin Morrill, John Hagan, Bernard E. Harcourt, Tracey Meares

Calvin Morrill

No abstract provided.

Veterinary Practices, Reactions And Laws: Analyzing The Difference In Rural And Urban Practices, Daniel Jude

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the College of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Daniel Jude on June, 23rd 2015

Contrasting Simmel’S And Marx’S Ideas On Alienation, Jorge Capetillo-Ponce

Jorge Capetillo-Ponce

Aside from their many affinities, the fundamental difference between these two thinkers is that they address the problem of alienation from two very different standpoints and with very different moral preoccupations. Marx’s moral vision is that of a revolutionary thinker who seeks to guide the masses toward the fulfillment of an impossible task: “the solution of the riddle of history,” the construction of a totally new society, free of alienation, on the ruins of the existent one. What chiefly inspires Simmel is a concern for individualistic values. Simmel thus is more “micro” and Marx more “macro” in their respective sociological …

Leap Of Faith: Adopting Our Sons Through The State Of Massachusetts, Janice G. Schuster

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Expanding Hope In Payatas, Rhea Cristine S. Bautista

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Informal settlements, also known as slums or squatter settlements, are a way of life for millions around the world, especially within urban centers. The challenge is to provide a better quality of life, both physically and socially. This thesis provides a critical look into the conditions, limitations, strengths, and hopes of the community of Payatas in Metro Manila, Philippines, with recommendations of measures to support and strengthen the community, by building upon the community’s positive elements to develop social impact.

A Model For Understanding Structure Versus Agency In The Participation Of Minors In The Commercial Sex Market, Courtney Thrash

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act defined any sex worker under the age of eighteen as a victim of sex trafficking and exploitation, while requiring evidence of coercion for those eighteen and over for the same charge. This definition makes explicit a common conception concerning CSEC, namely, that their status as participants in the sex economy rests upon a lack of personal and legal agency. Research on female sex workers often focuses on their victimization, such as childhood sexual abuse and neglect. Conversely, research on male sex workers often ignores their possible victimization and instead emphasizes their drug use, …

The Struggle Itself Toward The Heights Is Enough To Fill A Man's Heart: Calling, Moral Duty, Meaningfulness And Existential Self Of Zookeepers, Luisa G. Allen

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Applying Existential Sociology (Douglas & Johnson 1977, Manning 1973, Lyman and Scott 1989, Kotarba and Fontana 1984) as a theoretical foundation, this thesis endeavors to formulate first-order experiential understanding of zookeepers. Utilized is a mixed method approach comprising the survey and interview methods to explore zookeeper sense of calling as a moral duty, meaningfulness of work, and the possible connections formed with animals under their care (Bunderson & Thompson 2009, Spreitzer 1995, Wrzesnesweki et al 1997, and Pratt and Ashforth 2003, Hosey & Melfi 2010). Thirty zookeepers completed questionnaires containing measures of sense of calling, moral duty, work meaningfulness and …

Completing The Puzzle Of My Early Life, Kirk Schuster-Southern

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Philomena: A Film Review, Emily S. Adler

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Global Flows And The Globalization Of Nothing: Synthesizing The Incongruous, Elliott H. Valentine

Black & Gold

Increasingly pertinent in contemporary society, globalization is a force that promises to change the way people interact with others in almost all aspects of life. As scholars attempt to theorize about such situations, disparate perspectives about the dynamics and possibilities of globalization arise. In order to develop a more comprehensive theory of globalization, this piece engages the theory of global flows and the five “-scapes” as presented in Arjun Appadurai’s Modernity at Large (1996), as well as George Ritzer’s conception of the globalization of nothing as presented in The Globalization of Nothing 2 (2007). A rich synthesis of these two …

Letter From The Editors, Melvyn L. Fein, Linda A. Treiber

Linda A. Treiber

A letter from the editors, welcoming readers to the special issue on Faculty Development Abroad.

Review Of After A Fall: A Sociomedical Sojourn By Laurel Richardson, Linda A. Treiber

Linda A. Treiber

This a review of Richardson, Laurel. 2013. After a Fall: A Sociomedical Sojourn. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. ISBN: 978-1-61132-317-7, paperback, 268 pages. The book is an example of an autoethnography, detailing Richardson's stay in a nursing home.

Interfacing Catholic Social Meanings, Sociology, Self, And Pedagogical Practices, Daniel J. Myers, Andrew J. Weigert

Engaging Pedagogies in Catholic Higher Education (EPiCHE)

What connects Catholic Social Tradition with Sociology? How do each inform the other and how do they, together, flow through and animate the sociologist? Within a student-driven learning community pedagogy, this course builds on the humanistic aspects of Sociology as a scientific perspective a la Peter Berger’s Invitation to Sociology. This foundation is then filtered through a social psychological understanding of self with a sense of vocation through which persons’ deepest passions meets humans’ greatest needs. Biographical vignettes of sociologists’ careers of study that address issues of racial and gender inequalities and psycho-social shifts in values over the life course …

From Laws To Last Names: Examining Popular Opinions Of Adoption In Morocco, Margaret Liston

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As international adoption is becoming a much more common reality for many orphans and abandoned children worldwide, it is an important time to consider the implications of attitudes regarding adoption in Morocco—an Islamic state which defines adoption in a very specific but different way from the Western world. Despite the abundance of literature analyzing the historical and legal aspects of adoption in Morocco, there is a notable absence of research that examines the opinions of Moroccans removed from the adoption process on the institution itself. This study seeks to highlight potential trends in attitudes regarding adoption by examining the views …

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 …

Placeness: Mongolia A Call For The Creation Of A Human Impact Assessment, C. Winston Kies

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sense of place, place-­‐based identities, and “placeness” are fundamental ways through which human beings understand their physical place in the world. The means by which most Mongolians—and indeed most human beings—strive for placeness is fairly simple. First, one decides what location will become their place. Their place may be predetermined (i.e. a birthplace) or chosen (based on the wildlife, the scenery, the neighborhood, etc.). Once one has a place, sense of place necessarily follows. One’s place becomes the standard by which locations are understood, and by which one understands oneself. The latter process constitutes the formation of place-­‐based identities, which …

The Care-Cure Dichotomy: Nursing’S Struggle With Dualism

Linda A. Treiber

Playing The Way To Equality In The Civil Rights, Feminism, And Lgbtq Movements, Lauren Mcdonough

Open Books -- Open Minds: All Submissions

Music culture is where a group of people share a common involvement, or interest, in music. This culture spans across time and area as music evolves. Whether it be rap or country, classical or punk, people have found their niches in the world of music. People relate to music, and it makes them feel good. Music comes with an emotional attachment in this way. This bond is seen between listeners and performers, as well as the listeners themselves. This common love of music is seen very blatantly, as it’s played on every kind of social media, and is seen in …

Vowels In The 305: A First Pass At Miami Latino English, Lydda Lopez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I present preliminary findings of the first-large scale, systematic study of English Latino vowels in Miami. Sociolinguistic interviews were conducted with 25 Miami-born participants: 10 Anglo Whites and 15 Latinos with varying degrees of Spanish fluency. Here I focus on the vowel quality (/i, ɪ, ai, æ, ɔ, u /) in the speech of the 2nd and 3rd generations to examine the nature of influence of Spanish on English in Miami over the past 60 years. I conduct an in-depth analysis of the vowel productions of two female speakers, Maria & Blaze, to show the range of …

Getting "Bi" In The Family: Bisexual People's Disclosure Experiences, Kristin S. Scherrer, Emily Kazyak, Rachel M. Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

There are many similarities in gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals’ coming out experiences, but bisexual people face unique challenges. Despite this, an explicit focus on bisexual people is missing from family research. Using family systems and cultural sociological perspectives, the authors analyzed how social and cultural factors shape disclosure processes for bisexuals as they come out to multiple family members. After analyzing qualitative data from a diverse group of 45 individuals, they found that bisexual people navigate monosexist and heterosexist expectations in their family relationships. Cultural constructions of bisexuality shape the ways that bisexual people disclose their identities, including how …

Between Selves And Collectivities: Toward A Jurisprudence Of Identity, Meir Dan-Cohen

Meir Dan-Cohen

No abstract provided.