Digital Commons Network^™

A Call To Action: Examining The Experiences Of American Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteers, Nichole M. Brants

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Disasters come in many forms from natural to technological, and can occur without warning. A disaster causes loss of property, loss of life, and disrupts daily life. In the aftermath of a disaster, there are many organizations that step in to assist those affected. One such organization is the American Red Cross, which trains disaster responders to assist in relief efforts. Disaster services volunteers with Red Cross are trained in a variety of functions, some of which deal more directly with victims of disaster than others. In an effort to understand the unique experiences of volunteers in disaster relief, a …

Social Capital And Relational Work: Uncertainty, Distrust, And Support In Azerbaijan, Dustin S. Stoltz

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Much of the social capital literature focuses on unambiguous social situations where actors share generalized trust or interpersonal trust. Drawing on in-depth fieldwork in northwest Azerbaijan, this thesis focuses instead on distrust and the negotiation of conflicting interpretations of shared norms within moments of informal social support. In such situations, participants engage in an on-going negotiation of the situation, drawing on available cultural conventions to make sense of situations and perform relational work. They ultimately create meaning out of on-going social interaction and accomplish locally viable forms of social support.

Citizens Without A Nation: The Construction Of Haitian Illegality And Deportability In The Dominican Republic, Saha Miranda

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Migrant “illegality” has increasingly become a popular topic in political debates around the world, but illegal populations are not random or self-generating, they are created and patterned (DeGenova 2002:422). Through the recent enforcement of new and existing immigration laws, the Dominican State has begun to move large populations of Haitian immigrants and their descendants into irregular or “illegal” immigration status. A historical analysis of the relationship between the Dominican State and Haitian immigrants presents a paradox: the Dominican economy has become increasingly dependent on Haitian migrant labor, yet the Dominican State has persistently worked to force Haitians and their descendants …

Good Hair, Bad Hair, Dominican Hair, Haitian Hair, Katie E. Saunders

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

The goal of this research is to build on the literature concerning presentation practices of racial and national identity. The research examines presentation practices of race and national identity among Haitian heritage residents of the Dominican Republic (DR). Haitian immigrants have been an important part of the Dominican economy and the Dominican way of life since the beginning of the 20th century. Their descendants have to manage between Haitian and Dominican identities, while under the incredible pressure of anti-Haitian prejudices. The current literature concerning Dominican presentation practices asserts that normative presentation practices hide racial blackness. However, more recent literature questions …

Gender Transformation At The Grassroots: A Gender And Development Program From The Practitioners' Perspective, Tyler Curtis

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This study investigates the “gender transformative” Men as Partners (MAP) program as implemented in the West African nation of Togo. Using a qualitative research design, the project examines the successes and barriers of implementation, with an emphasis on the relationship of foreign (the American international development agency, the Peace Corps) and native practitioners (Togolese individuals implementing the program at the grassroots level). The study provides an ethnographic perspective of the researcher’s work as a MAP practitioner in Togo whose experiences are juxtaposed with seven different interviews from American and native practitioners administering the program on the national, regional, and community …

Uplift And Blame: Minority Parents In The Discourse Of Professional Educators, Katie Mitchell

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This historical document analysis explores the professional discourse on minority parents in education during the Progressive (1900-1914), Post-Civil Rights/ESEA (1960-1974), and NCLB/Accountability Eras (1995-2009). Grounded theory was used to code and analyze 430 articles mentioning parents and/or home life from two peer-reviewed journals of education. Research questions asked which minority parents are of interest to educators in each era, how minority parenting roles are portrayed in the educational discourse, and why minority parents concern educators. Findings include a focus on immigrant parents in the Progressive Era and on African American and Hispanic parents in the Post-Civil Rights/ESEA and NCLB/Accountability Eras. …

Closures And Consolidation: Schools, Farms, And Population Decline In Rural Illinois, Eric Porter

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This thesis reports the results of a year-long quantitative research project that examined the causal relationships between population loss, agricultural consolidation and school closures in rural Illinois—three primary facets of the overall decline in rural America. Conventional wisdom conceptualizes the following progression: a shifting U.S. economy from agriculture to manufacturing moved jobs to urban centers, which along with the reduced need for labor from industrialization in farming, caused out-migration from rural America; eventually this led to many rural schools closing due to dropping enrollment. However, it is hypothesized that these processes create exacerbating feedback loops. Specifically, loss of population leads …

Darle El Pecho: A Qualitative Exploration Of Mexican Immigrant Mothers' Experience With Breastfeeding, Tessa Zevallos

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Breastfeeding is widely accepted as a superior infant-feeding method, offering numerous benefits to both child and mother. However, not all women in the United States breastfeed their babies with the same frequency. Researchers have found Latina immigrant mothers to have among the highest breastfeeding rates of all racial/ethnic groups. However, their likelihood of breastfeeding decreases the longer they live in the United States and with subsequent generations. In an effort to understand these mothers’ breastfeeding experiences, a series of qualitative interviews were conducted with ten Mexican immigrant mothers of young children. The study explores the intersection between immigration, breastfeeding, culture, …

Married And Cohabiting Men's Extra-Dyadic Relationships In Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessing Two Health Behavior Models, Jared L. Ulschmid

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Sixty percent of all individuals with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV is primarily transmitted through sexual activity; having multiple congruent sexual partners is one significant source of HIV transmission in sub-Saharan African. Men are primarily the individuals to go outside of a relationship because of various social and cultural influences. The purpose of this study is to examine married and cohabiting men’s extra-dyadic affairs. Two models were used to examine men’s extra-dyadic behavior: The Health Belief Model (HBM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). These models can show if beliefs, attitudes, and norms about HIV/AIDS and the risks of …

Strong Ties And Strong Influences: Social Networks And Hiv Prevention, Nicole M. Wengerd

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This research builds on the social-oriented literature of HIV-risk behaviors in Gondar, Ethiopia by investigating influential social networks and why individuals would deviate from the norms established by their community.

With The Sweat Of Our Brows: A Qualitative Interview Study On The Meaning Of Work For Illinois And Nebraska Family Farming Couples With Long Careers, Sheri J. Hink

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

This thesis explores the social identities and the work and business strategies of five farming couples who had long farming careers in the Midwest. Much of the literature presented within this thesis discusses the hardships that family farmers face in today’s economy. However, the research also points to a strong attachment to farming and the farming lifestyle despite its many challenges. Using a qualitative interviewing method, I was interested in studying what meaning these farming couples attached to their work, including any gendered division of labor, and what survival techniques they had employed. I found that the five family farming …

The Other Side Of Metamorphosis: An Exploratory Study Of How Partners Of Transsexuals Experience Transition, Kara Harvey

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Interest in, and research within, transgender studies has exploded in recent years. The majority of the research, however, has focused primarily on the experience of transsexuals1 themselves. Romantic partners of transsexuals, though, have remained unexplored within the literature. Details of their experiences in the romantic relationship and during their partners’ transitions have yet to be investigated within scholarly research.

Mainstream And Alternative News In Seattle: A Comparative Media Frame Analysis Of Wto Protest Coverage, Richard Feffer S.

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Seattle was the site of one of the largest protests in recent American history. In 1999, tens of thousands of demonstrators representing a multitude of causes gathered in downtown Seattle to protest the meetings of the World Trade Organization and the larger issue of globalization. While many of the protest events consisted of peaceful marches and demonstrations with isolated incidents of violence, research on the media coverage of these events found that the mainstream media often minimized the contributions of the protesters, portrayed them as violent and disruptive, and showed support for the ability of the police to maintain order. …

Feminist Consciousness And Social Capital: Bonds, Breaks, And Bridges, Beverly A. Beyer

Master's Theses - Sociology and Anthropology

Through in-depth qualitative interviews with five current or former members of a midwestern National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter, this thesis explores four related research questions regarding: growth of feminist consciousness; how feminist ideology affects the evolution of social networks, and vice versa; the impact of intersecting social hierarchies; and feminism as a force for bonding and bridging social capital in the local community context. Analytical tools include feminist methodology, the articulation model, an understanding of intersecting social hierarchies, and grounded theory.

Participants each explained their gradual identification with feminism differently as a result of specific life experiences, although common …