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Communities Of Practice: Aging, Emergency Management, And Churches In Rural Clackamas County, Oregon, Lukas Robert Aberle

Dissertations and Theses

As the population of the United States ages, questions arise of how to best care for older adults in daily life and emergency situations. This research looks at the daily activities of churches to see how they affect everyday and emergency care practices. As a collaboration with Clackamas County government, I researched the relationship between churches and care through participant observation and interviews during the summer of 2024 to understand congregations’ support for older members, the role of church congregations in emergency management, and the implications of the decline in religious participation alongside aging in the United States. I found …

Bride Abduction In Rural Ethiopia: A Multilevel Analysis Of Influences, Impact, And Intervention Strategies, Sydney Dragovich

Global Studies Senior Capstone

Bride abduction in rural Ethiopia is a harmful traditional practice that often goes unchallenged by both communities and law enforcement. This paper provides a multilevel analysis of legal frameworks, cultural influences, and socioeconomic factors sustaining the practice, and discusses the far-reaching impact on affected individuals and communities. Examining interventions that have successfully addressed gender-based violence in other contexts suggests that multicomponent community mobilization, improved procedural frameworks, and engagement with local leaders are essential to effectively addressing bride abduction in rural Ethiopia.

Zero Textbook Low Cost Syllabus For English 2100 (Writing 1), Anne Grevenitis

Open Educational Resources

In English 2100, our focus will be on autoethnography as a genre of writing. To write an autoethnography is to examine the value of the personal and use traditional modes of research to flesh out the narrative of the self. Through diverse research methods (interviews and site observation) and a multiple-step writing process (journaling, drafting and peer reviewing), your autoethnography should make a substantive contribution, have aesthetic merit, have reflexivity, make an impact, and express a reality.

Addressing Climate Vulnerability And Policy Gaps Of Heat Waves In Upper Egypt: The Case Study Of Al-A’Qaab Village In Aswan, Eman Abdullah

Theses and Dissertations

Heatwaves are currently one of the most dangerous climate hazards globally. Egypt is experiencing an increase in the intensity and frequency of heatwaves, which affects health, economy, infrastructure, and the ecological system. Upper Egypt is one of the most vulnerable regions in Egypt to rising temperatures, particularly in Aswan Governorate. The risks of heat waves are increasing vulnerability among vulnerable groups, such as women and low-income individuals. However, there is a clear gap in protection policies against heat waves, along with a lack of studies examining the effects of heat waves on individuals in Aswan. Accordingly, this thesis aims to …

Care As The Primary Motivation In Home Birthing Among Mothers In Panukulan, Quezon, Leslie A. Lopez, Marie Angelie Molina

Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC)

This qualitative study examines how women in Panukulan, Quezon, a GIDA municipality, make decisions regarding childbirth in light of national and municipal policies that promote institutional delivery and discourage home births. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as an analytical framework, the study analyzes maternal intrapartum health-seeking behavior (HSB) through the following components: a) sociocultural and institutional context, b) intention formation based on attitudes toward facility and home birthing, perceptions of subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, and c) actual behavior. Findings reveal that while facility births are widely recognized for their clinical safety, women’s preferences for specific behaviors are …

Venezuelan Migrants In Prostitution: A Personal Decision?, Yazmin Maria Lucila Cadena Camargo, Izara Maite Mondragon Moreno, Isabela Osorio Jaramillo, Paula Angélica Suárez Álvarez, Andrés Duarte Osorio, Carlos Gómez-Restrepo

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This paper explores the multifaceted experiences of Venezuelan migrant women engaged in prostitution, framed through three critical moments: the “decision to enter in prostitution,” the unique abuses faced, and the resultant consequences on mental, physical, and social health. The study highlights how socioeconomic vulnerabilities—exacerbated by migration and poverty—significantly influence the likelihood of entering prostitution. It also shows how traumatic experiences, particularly in childhood and adolescence, coupled with a lack of support networks, contribute to a heightened risk of exploitation. Eleven life stories were collected through a phenomenological approach, revealing a common narrative of abuse, poverty, and the search for survival …

The Power A Generation Holds: A Study On Students Generating Change In American Social Movements, Caroline E. Koziol

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Social activism ebbs and flows throughout American history. In the contemporary period, high visual coverage of activism has contributed to frustrations over the apparent decrease in change despite perceptions of increased participation. Young activists in the classroom ask questions to learn from their predecessors. This paper focuses on answering, “How can students create sustained change through social activism?” The present work recenters activism in the role of students and higher education institutions, noting their potential for creating change through a formula for future activists to engage with. The proposed formula targets methods and theories to bolster success towards the cause …

Changing Lives, Transforming Communities: How Young Feminist Organizations Create Change In Mexico And Kenya, Population Council Kenya

Adolescents and Young People

The Young Feminist Organizing (YFO) study was initiated in response to a call for proposals by two anonymous funders to conduct a Participatory Action Research evaluation (PARe) of young feminist movements across Kenya and Mexico. The project was implemented by the Population Council in Kenya and Mexico, with technical support from the GIRL Center, and through a Feminist Advisory Panel (FAP) and a Core Participatory Evaluation Community (Core PARe). The study's duration was 31 months, starting from September 2022 to March 2025. This end-of-project report summarizes the key findings, lessons learned, challenges encountered, mitigation strategies employed, and emerging opportunities.

Editor's Introduction, Michael D. Pante

Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints

No abstract provided.

Ethnographic Dilemmas And Reflexive Thoughts Of A Contemplative Jewish Anthropologist, Elazar Ben-Lulu Dr.

The Qualitative Report

During ethnographic fieldwork, anthropologists of religion grapple with various dilemmas regarding their participation in the rituals they study. How do they make real-time decisions between full participation and observational distance? Do they manage to participate harmoniously in religious activities even during moments of doubt or questioning of their own faith? Based on my three-year fieldwork in Israeli Reform Jewish congregations, which included observations and in-depth interviews, I demonstrate how my reflexive experience which exposes my internal Jewish dialogue, shaped my patterns of participation and motivation in engaging with various rituals. This autoethnographic description illustrates that my deliberate abstention or avoidance …

A Few Millimeters Of Bone: How Male Supremacists Leverage Scientific Sexism To Reinforce Misogynistic Ideologies, Robin O'Hanlon

Publications and Research

In recent years, male supremacist actors have reinforced their misogynistic worldviews by using narrative strategies centered on authoritative “common sense” and scientific “fact.” This paper presents a thematic narrative analysis of The Incel Wiki and the Wiki4Men, representing the first formal analysis of the wiki for the men’s rights organization A Voice for Men. The analysis indicates male supremacists use techniques including misappropriation of scientific information, manipulation of statistics, and leveraging pseudoscientific information to develop their narrative strategies of supremacy. The most consistent narrative strategies of scientific sexism on the wikis are male victimhood, denial of inequality between men and …

“I Am So Resilient Right Now”: Impact Of The Life Skills Journey Summer Program On Métis Program Leaders, Alicia Hibbert, Fay Fletcher, Brent Hammer

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The authors present the impact of the Métis Settlements Life Skills Journey facilitator training program. Community members, aged 16 to 32, were hired and trained to lead youth summer camps. It was hypothesized that participation in the program and employment as facilitators would have a positive impact on their individual resilience. The program and employment were designed to increase participant knowledge in key areas of resilience and skills to engage chil-dren in learning through play.

Do “Days Of Service” Meet Institutional Service-Learning Goals? A Case Study In Assessment Of The Mlk Day Of Service, Elizabeth B. Erbaugh, Jess Bonnan-White

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study pilots a survey tool for assessing participant experiences in the MLK Day of Service at a public university. Student, faculty, staff, community volunteer, and community partner par-ticipants (N=344) reflected upon service, learning, and university-community connections as part of a multi-method evaluation process. Quantitative analysis of unidimensional and summed variables found significant variation by instructional site and participant affiliation. Such measures and instruments may clarify the role of Days of Service in advancing institutional ser-vice-learning goals.

Reading Beyond Research Results: The Hidden Curriculum In A College And Urban High Schools Partnership, Shirley Mthethwa-Sommers

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The article draws from a study of a Gear Up partnership between a predominantly white middle class college and four urban high schools with a majority of low-income students of color. Teacher education candidates participated in community engagement through Gear Up at four urban high schools. The study shows that both college and high school students benefited from the partnership. However, employing internal and anticolonial theoretical lenses reveals the hidden curriculum that the positive results attained from the partnership may serve to buttress the myth of dominant culture’s supremacy.

Community Partner Perceptions About Community Engagement Experiences For Nursing Students, Judith E. Wattman, Marjorie A. Schaffer, Maureen J. Juarez, Leanne L. Rogstad, Timothy Bredow, Sara E. Traylor

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study explored community agency staff perceptions about community engagement learning experiences for nursing students. Focus groups with staff from eleven health-related community organizations revealed seven themes that will contribute to effective curriculum development and implementation for community engagement: (a) agency expectations for students, (b) orientation, (c) schedule of student experiences, (d) invested student participation, (e) student match with agencies, (f) projects envisioned, and (g) effective interactions with the population. Practice implications for developing community engagement learning experiences are suggested.

Evaluating The Impact Of Seed Money Grants In Stimulating Growth Of Community-Based Research And Service-Learning At A Major Public Research University, Judith A. Jetson, Mary E. Evans, Wendy Hathaway

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

At a major research university, community engagement must intersect with research productivity and attract external funding to be well-regarded. At USF, community engagement increased its value to the institution by using seed grants for community-based research and service-learning projects. Between 1998 and 2006, 132 projects received $1.65 million in seed money from general revenue and local government funds, bringing over $9 million in grants to USF, a return on investment of approximately 6-to-1.

Call For Papers For The Journal Of Social Encounters’ Special Issue

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Darfur And Sudan Recommended Webinars

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Escalation Pathways To The April War And The Dynamics Of Sudan's Political Economy, Salih Mustafa, Osama Hassan, Nagi Alassam

The Journal of Social Encounters

This paper analyzes the escalation processes that led to the outbreak of the April 2023 war in Sudan, based on Wolfram Lacher's theoretical framework of "escalation processes". The paper focuses on tracing the escalatory trajectories that preceded the war, analyzing the complex interplay between structural, political, and economic factors, as well as the impact of the political economy on the dynamics of the conflict and its escalation to full-scale war.

The Sudanese Identity In The Mirror Of Colonial And Post-Independence History, Abdalla Galaleldeen

The Journal of Social Encounters

After independence, Sudan’s political elite adopted colonial-inspired policies that sought to divide the country into North and South (Arabs versus Africans). This policy was further reinforced by the civil wars and by the failures of the Sudanese political elite to construct a cohesive national identity. In the post-independence period, one elite group aligned itself with an Arab identity, while another embraced an African identity. Logically, therefore, both identities—Islamic-Arab and African—encompass the majority of the population. Yet, while Islamists and Africanists each claimed to represent this majority, neither addressed the contradictions inherent in their positions. As the tension between the Islamic-Arab …

The Conflict In Sudan: An Overview, Mad Gabriel

The Journal of Social Encounters

It has been more than two years since the war erupted in Sudan. Although the crisis initially started between two warring parties, it has expanded beyond the two with the involvement of multiple actors. However, the current conflict is complicated and has deep historical origins. It increased after the 2019 revolution, with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battling for power and control. On the other hand, the situation has deteriorated dramatically, as the economy suffered from the continuation of the war, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Additionally, Health systems have crumbled, schooling has …

Sudan: A War Of Atrocities Report Of The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission For The Sudan, - Annual Report Of The United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights And Reports Of The Office Of The High Commissioner And The Secretary-General

The Journal of Social Encounters

This report documents attacks on civilians and objects essential for their survival in Sudan. It concludes that both parties to the conflict violated international human rights and humanitarian law, with most violations amounting to war crimes. The Rapid Support Forces’ conduct may also constitute crimes against humanity, including persecution and extermination. The report calls for accountability and sets out a roadmap for justice.

Introduction: Continuing The Exploration Of The Darfur And Sudan Crisis, Mawa Mohamed, Ron Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

The Late Father Rev. John Anthony Kaiser: “A Case For Justice”, Mbuthi Gathenji

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Hezbollah's Military Setback: From Strategic Strength To Political Dilemma—A Comprehensive Analysis, Habib Albadawi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This study examines the unprecedented military transformation of Hezbollah from 2024 to 2025, analyzing how technological superiority and strategic constraints have fundamentally altered the effectiveness of irregular warfare organizations. Through extensive analysis of organizational adaptation, technological disruption, and external dependencies, this research investigates the paradox of how advanced military capabilities, when constrained by external dependencies, can become operational liabilities rather than strategic assets. The study employs multiple theoretical frameworks to understand this transformation and its implications for future irregular warfare.

Dalit Poetry On The Eve Of Indian Independence: Gurram Jashuva And The Quest For Critical Consciousness And Collective Remembering, Chris Conway

The Journal of Social Encounters

The Dalit Literary movement irrupted on the scene in the early 1970s in the state of Maharashtra, India. Unblinking in its criticism of casteism and unnerving in its depiction of Dalit oppression, the movement sought to concretize the political aims of B.R. Ambedkar (1891-1956) through cultivating a critical Dalit consciousness liberated from caste identity and history. The movement enjoyed success in uniting Dalit groups across the country under this new name. However, fifty years later a new generation of Dalit and Dalit-supporting thinkers have begun to critically examine the implications of Dalit identity focusing particularly on its rootedness in suffering …

Black Somatic Liberatory Practices: The Africanist Aesthetic In Psychotherapeutic Movement Observation, Ebony Nichols

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This critical ethnographic qualitative study explored Black body-based healing practices and coping strategies used to resist and titrate the impact of racism and oppression. It also examined how Black individuals use their bodies to regulate their nervous systems to heal and cultivate liberatory practices. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as Black Psychology, African Indigenous Healing Systems, Liberation Psychology, and Critical Race Theory, this research investigated the intersections of Black Aesthetics, Psychology, and the body through the lens of the Africanist Aesthetic. The study employed interaction analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze non-verbal and verbal data collected from two focus …

علاقة أنماط التنشئة الإجتماعية في تشكيل ثقافة الخوف لدى الشباب الأردني, Tasneem Abdullah Mahmoud Alkhawaldeh, Mohammad Fayez Al-Tarawneh

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدفت الدراسة التعرف إلى علاقة أنماط التنشئة الاجتماعية بتشكيل ثقافة الخوف لدى الشباب الأردني، اعتمدت الدراسة على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي، وتكون مجتمع الدراسة من (200) شباب من الشباب الأردنيين من الذكور والإناث في هيئة شباب كلنا الأردن، وتكونت عينة الدراسة من (26) شاباً وشابة ومنهم (13) ذكراً و (13) إناث، وتتراوح أعمارهم من (19-35) من الشباب المتواجدين في هيئة شباب كلنا الأردن، وتم التوصل إليهم من خلال العينة المتيسرة، وتم استخدام المقابلة كأداة لجمع البيانات حيث شملت أربعة محاور. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى أن الشباب الذي يمارس عليهم النمط التسلطي كانت نسبتهم (50%)، في حين أن الشباب الذي يمارس عليهم النمط …

Addressing The Root Causes Of Population Health In Central Appalachian Virginia, David L. Driscoll, Kol Gold

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: The Southwest Virginia Health Authority (SWVHA) recently commissioned a community health needs assessment (CHNA) to reduce the high rate of preventable health problems in Virginia’s (VA) Appalachian Region. The CHNA took place over a two-year period from 2023 – 2025.

Purpose: This iterative, mixed-method CHNA informed the development of a new iteration of the regional Blueprint for Health Improvement and Health-Enabled Prosperity identifying and prioritizing health issues and develop strategic planning to address them in VA’s three westernmost regional health districts.

Methods: The CHNA followed a sequential mixed methods design to assess the regional health status, the contextual factors …

Community Empowerment For Strengthening The Local Economy Based On Cultural Heritage In Kampung Tudong, Pontianak City, Siti Fatimah, Egy Abdi, Winda Chelsea Meisari

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

Kampung Tudong, located in Bansir Laut Subdistrict Pontianak City represents a local community that has successfully revitalized its cultural heritage through a traditional product called Tudong (a protective cover) made from mengkuang leaves that has existed since 1915. This product not only serves a functional purpose for the local community but also symbolizes cultural identity and has become a driver of the local economy across generations. The establishment of Kampung Tudong was driven by local residents’ concern for social and economic conditions and their independent initiative to build a craftsman village for Tudong production. This study employs a qualitative approach …