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Volume 26, Issue 2 (Special Issue) -- Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

The Decline Of Republican Democracy And Rise Of The Techno-Authoritarian State: Reading Dystopian Novels In Hindi Literature, Manindra Nath Thakur

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the past few decades, the nature of capitalism has changed fast as it has lost its philosophical justification based on the principle of the common good. There have been many avatars of the idea of the “common good”: “white man’s burden to civilize the world,” “welfarism,” and “neoliberal concept of freedom of choice.” Capitalism now seems to have moved in a new direction, however, and it has failed to produce any further philosophical justification for its existence as a mode of production despite generating unprecedented economic inequality. Consequently, there is a rising tension between capitalism and democracy in societies …

Never Going To Let You Down: Preventing Predictive Shrinkage Via The Strong-R Assessment Method, Zachary Hamilton, Alex Kigerl, Andrew Peterson, Grant Duwe, John Ursino

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Widely used sources of crime data, such as the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), provide invaluable information on patterns in reported crime and justice processing. Yet, due to their measurement of crime at the incident level, these data have not been used to determine an individual’s likelihood of justice system involvement. By contrast, in the correctional field, individuals are used as the unit of analysis and common definitions to establish state-level base rates. Used for decades, base rates provide an estimate of justice system involvement, per individual, for a given jurisdiction’s population.

On An Unshakeable Foundation: An Archaeological Investigation Of The Postemancipation Black Community Of Bass Street, The Church They Built, And The Lasting Identity They Formed In Nashville, Tennessee, Clélie Elizabeth Cottle Peacock

Master's Theses

The Bass Street Community lived along the northern base of St. Cloud Hill in Nashville, just below the Civil War-era Union fortification, Fort Negley. The fort was built and defended by conscripted free, enslaved, and self-emancipated Black/African Americans and soldiers from the U.S. Colored Troops; some of whom stayed, built residences, founded a church, and established a shared community identity. The objects they left behind reflect a time of transition in the postemancipation urban South.

The former Bass Street Community enclave is a subset of the Fort Negley archaeological site (40DV189). My thesis examines artifacts from the Bass Street Baptist …

Examining The Relationship Between Recidivism And Community Size For Previously Incarcerated Individuals, Kayla A. Harbison

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within urban contexts, there has been progress in understanding recidivism through the lens of both individual criminogenic risk factors and ecological factors. However, little research has examined how these factors apply across different community sizes. The current study attempted to address this gap by examining how recidivism differs across different-sized communities at the county level, measured both dichotomously (metro, nonmetro) and across a rural-urban continuum. This study also explored the relationship between specific types of offenses and recidivism across different-sized communities. Archival data from Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) including 13,875 individuals released from prison within a five-year period was …

Human Trafficking Screening Tools Amongst Migrants And Refugees: Current Tools And Future Outlooks, Audra Fox

Student Theses

While various human trafficking screening tools exist to help stakeholders identify indicators and risk of trafficking, few tools are designed specifically for use amongst migrants and refugees. Via interviews with anti-trafficking stakeholders, the following qualitative study describes what tools stakeholders currently use to asses trafficking amongst migrants and refugee, and if stakeholders desire a new tool specific for migrant/refugee populations. Thematic results indicate that most stakeholders are not using validated tools for trafficking victims, let alone migrants and refugees (n=5, 38.5%). Of the total sample, 62% of participants (n=8) reported various screening discrepancies across stakeholders. Additionally, …

Antiracism In Higher Education: An Integrated Psychological Perspective, Rhea E. Nesbitt

Dissertations, 2020-current

Antiracism is a complicated and important term with prominent, influential voices claiming that systemic equity and the reconfiguration of white identity are the central solutions to eradicating American racism. Within the profound sociocultural effects of the existing antiracist rhetoric, there is vagueness, conflict, and incoherence. Language serves as a fundamental aspect of human experience, facilitating individual meaning-making and comprehension. Effective communication hinges on the ability to articulate subjective experiences and justifications clearly, a challenge evident in discussions surrounding antiracism. Despite advocating for antiracism as crucial and unending work, scholars recognize significant hurdles, including unclear responsibilities for implementation and entrenched structures …

The Riddle Of Religious Language, Luke Hillman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The following project analyzes religious life through the lens of religious language. Motivated by ideas of Wittgenstein and Wittgensteinians, religious language is shown to be nonsensical, and yet significant. Wittgenstein connects how we understand language with how we understand life, and this connection extends to religious life. This project offers an answer to how religious language is unique by comparing religious language to riddles and the process of answering riddles. In addition, religious language becomes understandable with imagination, a relationship with the transcendent, and an understanding of the kinds of language present in religious discourse. These ideas are solidified with …

Leveling The Playing Field: An Ethnographic Study Of Latinx Youth Soccer Leagues In Las Vegas, Jeannette Hernández

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how youth sports privatization, family dynamics, coaching, and team organization affect Latinx youth’s opportunities and interests in playing competitive soccer. It also examines the role that soccer plays in identity-making for Latinx people in Las Vegas, if and how they use these soccer spaces to develop kinship ties and build community, and it documents how these soccer spaces are developed as counter-spaces. I employ Critical Ethnography paired with 36 interviews with youth and adults. I observed two club soccer teams and one soccer league in Las Vegas (the league was a public community league that primarily caters …

Everything And Nothing: Exploring The Connection Between Gender Microaggressions In The Family Of Origin And Intimate Adult Relationships, Stephanie Dizenzo-Priestley

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Experiences with gender microaggressions have been shown to negatively impact mental health and self-esteem in women. Cisgender women are faced with pervasive gender microaggressions throughout life, including within their homes and families. This study sought to explore cisgender women’s experiences with gender microaggressions within two critical family systems, the family of origin and intimate adult relationships. Utilizing Postmodern Feminist Theory and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, three overarching themes were identified related to how cisgender women experience and make meaning of gender microaggressions: 1) Rigid Roles and Expectations for Women; 2) Impact of Power Dynamics; and 3) Identifying Pathways to Lasting Change. …

How Housing Insecurity And Welfare Systems Retraumatize Women In Southern California, Yesika Menera

McNair Summer Research Program

Studies show that individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity also experience trauma and mental illnesses. Despite this evidence, many resources provided through state welfare services seldom allocate sufficient funds and personnel to help address mental health. This study investigates the relationship between housing insecurity and trauma for adult women who have tried to access assistance throughout Southern California. To do this, I conducted in-depth interviews and DSM-5 questionnaires with twenty-six women during the summer of 2023 and 2024 via Zoom. My findings show that adult women who have experienced homelessness and housing insecurity in Southern California were more susceptible to …

The Negative Impacts Of Parentification On Adolescents: A Systematic Review, Reilly Reid Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

While child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect are clear examples of the most maladaptive types of parent-child interactions (Borchet et al., 2022), there is considerable evidence for the damaging nature of parentification in terms of youth outcomes and parental/familial dysfunction. The research literature contains numerous studies related to parentification, but there is little research overtly demonstrating the systemic effects of parentification (Peris et al., 2008). It is imperative that researchers and clinicians learn more about the mechanisms involved in the parentification process. Therefore, this systematic review analyzed the research literature centered on both parentification and adolescent populations. This study assessed various …

Pathways To Social Mobility: Examining Trades As A Career Path For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, June Jenkins

Dissertations and Theses

Obtaining stable, paid employment is crucial for successful reentry into the community after incarceration, however, formerly incarcerated individuals face extensive barriers when entering the workforce. Trades may present a uniquely attainable career path for this population due to relatively low barriers to entry. To date, there is a lack of research investigating experience-based perspectives on the viability of trades training programs and trades careers in facilitating prisoner reentry. This study employs semi-structured qualitative interviews to investigate perspectives on trades as a career path for formerly incarcerated individuals as well as barriers to accessing and attending trades training programs. Interviewees include …

Unequal Neighbors In Diverse Neighborhoods: Accounting For Variation In The Impact Of Relative Inequality On Neighborhood Crime, Samuel A. Torres

Sociology ETDs

Research demonstrates that crime rate differences across racially segregated urban communities are primarily attributable to uneven distributions of resources between neighborhoods. Less is known about the role economic inequality within neighborhoods, what I call relative inequality, plays in maintaining ethno-racial criminal disparities. In this dissertation I explore sources of variation in the impact of relative inequality on neighborhood crime by drawing on data from the 2010-2013 National Neighborhood Crime Study Panel (NNCS2-P). I find that relative inequality effects are attenuated in higher disadvantage neighborhoods and this interaction accounts for differences in effect size by neighborhood ethno-racial composition. Results also show …

Sitting With The Data: Experimenting With Meditative Thematic Analysis, Steve Haberlin

The Qualitative Report

While qualitative researchers have turned to non-traditional forms and methods to collect and analyze data, including contemplative and mindfulness approaches to inquiry relatively little has been written in the professional literature about how to specifically use meditation techniques as a qualitative data analysis method. In this article, I describe how I engaged in meditation and used mindfulness to code data and derive thematic patterns during the completion of my dissertation at the University of South Florida. I explore the notion of practicing meditation to foster a creative silence, which may encourage insights and thematic findings to emerge more spontaneously.

Sex Influences Of Age Of Onset And Duration Of Illness On Patterns Of Cortical Thickness In Individuals With Schizophrenia, Rachael Olivia Slate

Theses and Dissertations

Given that the manifestation of schizophrenia varies by sex, it is hypothesized that the interaction between diagnosis and sex significantly influences brain structure and is believed to be a crucial factor in understanding the neurobiology of schizophrenia. While much is known about cortical thickness mapping of the condition, there is currently no work that has assessed how changes to the cortical mantle relate to important clinical features of schizophrenia that vary by sex, such as age of illness onset (AOO) or duration of illness (DOI). This study utilized a sex-wise approach to examining cortical thickness alterations in men and women …

Three Essays In Food Security And The U.S. Sugar Program, Jacob Michels

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Chapter one devises an approach to adjust estimates of the number of food insecure for changes in sedentarism over time. Existing methodologies are biased upwards and date back several decades. We build a household model utilizing a Stone-Geary utility function, which rationalizes households shifting their labor decisions towards sedentary activities. Our comparative statics examine the impacts of changes in the productivities of sedentary types, as opposed to my physically demanding types, of activities and also their returns. Our empirical approach is informed by our theoretical model and comparative statics, in which we construct a unique pseudo-panel dataset. Sitting time serves …

Teaching Staff Mathematics University: Catalyst Of The Emotional-Techno-Ontological Logic, Derling Jose Mendoza Velazco Dr, Magda Francisca Cejas Martínez Phd, Carmen Siavil Varguillas Carmona Phd, Mercedes Carolina Navarro Cejas Phd, Gina Silvana Venegas Álvarez M.Sc.

The Qualitative Report

The relevance of the study lies in the necessity to investigate the psycho-emotional state of teachers during the transition to remote teaching in universities and its impact on academic performance and emotional state of students. The aim of the research was to develop a theoretical approach to describe the emotional and techno-ontological logic of mathematics teachers during distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of their emotional state on the learning process. The study involved teachers and students from universities in Ecuador, both private and public. The study observed the behavior of teachers and students, analyzed the use …

Towards A Mosim Christology: A Korean Response, Hwang Kyung-Hoon

Asia Pacific Mission Studies

This article will reflect on Jesus' understanding of God, and will then move on to discuss the Korean people's cultural understanding of Jesus. It will offer Mosim Christology (mosim means reverencing or serving humans and God in one's heart sincerely) as a meaningful Christology for Korean people. It will show the relationship between Jesus' experience of God as Abba and mosim, our main theme.

The Influence Of Eyewitnesses And Police Tip Line Reports: An Exploratory Case Study Of A 2005 Homicide, Abigail Rose Torres

Dissertations and Theses

Public tip lines provide the public to provide information [sic] to the police when there is an ongoing investigation. These public tip lines could increase investigations where the public is being made aware of the investigation, increasing the amount of information being brought forward. Research focuses on how tips reporting is similar to eyewitnesses in that individuals recall information. The literature illustrates how the media can influence the tips. The study is an exploratory content analysis looking at potential themes or patterns that emerged from analyzing the tips and patterns of the tip line and media files related to an …

Qualitative Study Of Stakeholder Influence On Environmental Practices: Evidence From The Malaysian Aviation Industry, Zarina Zakaria, Zamzulaila Zakaria

The Qualitative Report

In this study, we seek to explore the influence of stakeholders on environmental management practices in Malaysia's aviation industry. The data from this study was derived from interviewing 25 respondents in nine organisations within the aviation sector and was analysed using thematic analysis. We show that internal and external stakeholders significantly influence changes towards better environmental management practices. While internal stakeholders have contributed to better environmental management practices by changing their day-to-day practices within their functional role in the organisation, the external stakeholders have been the key actors that have significantly pushed the organisation to implement a proper environmental management …

To Resist Or Persist? An Examination Of Interpersonal Relationships Formed In Prison, Kamecia S. Blake

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prison is an important component of the criminal justice system. The structure and functionality of prison is tailored towards incapacitation, rehabilitation, and deterrence, which are goals of punishment. However, prison can have unintended consequences which increase the criminogenic risk of offenders causing inmates to become career criminals. This study examined the role of prison socialization, particularly the influence of interpersonal relationships formed while incarcerated on recidivistic behavior. It is important to investigate interpersonal relationships formed while incarcerated so that prison administrators can better realize its goal to rehabilitate offenders and prepare them for reintegration into society. The study was grounded …

Framing The Path To Fitness: Age Differences In Response To Framed Exercise Messages, Iliya Sherif, David B. Taullahu, Alyssa R. Minton, Joseph A. Mikels

DePaul Discoveries

Physical activity is one of the most protective health behaviors one can engage in, yet 75% of active adults in the US, meaning those who exercise regularly, fall short of the recommended levels of physical activity, with an even greater percentage of older adults living inactive lives, meaning they exercise minimally and engage in prolonged sedentary behavior (CDC, 2019). The goal of the current study was to explore different types of message framing targeted at encouraging older and younger adults to exercise. We recruited older adults (n = 184; Mage = 69.45 years, age range: 65- 80 years) and younger …

Facets Of Neuroticism As Predictors Of Heart Rate Variability And Psychological Distress, Mikel Cressman

Theses and Dissertations

Heart rate variability (HRV) and personality are related to both physical and mental health outcomes. Previous research has found a relationship between neuroticism and distress while the findings on the relationship between neuroticism and HRV are mixed. Studying the facets of neuroticism may provide a more nuanced view of the effects of personality on HRV and distress. Previous research has suggested that the vulnerability facet of neuroticism appears to be uniquely related to the cardiovascular response to stress. This study's first hypothesis is that individuals with higher scores on the vulnerability facet will have lower heart rate variability. The second …

‘A Storm Is Coming:' The New York Times Coverage Of The Covid-19 Pandemic In American Prisons, Katarzyna Celinska, Amina Cheboubi

Publications and Research

In this research, we analyzed the content of 171 articles published between March and August 2020 in the New York Times (NYT) on COVID-19 in American correctional institutions. We observed that the NYT coverage decreased significantly over 6 months. Our analysis uncovered 8 themes within two broader frames: institutional and systemic inequity. Although the themes are not mutually exclusive, we argue that ‘Responding to COVID-19,’ ‘A storm is Coming,’ ‘Collective Experience,’ and ‘Critiquing Prison Conditions’ are within the institutional framing. ‘Redefining Public Safety,’ ‘Categorizing Prisoners,’ ‘Doing Injustice,’ and ‘Making it as a Celebrity’ are the themes that highlight systemic inequity, …

Exploring Evidentiary Approaches And Reform Potential In The Allies In Change Program For Abusive Intimate Partners, Julie Melissa Conner

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the Allies in Change batterer intervention program, analyzing its curriculum components, alignment with evidence-based practices, unique features, limitations, and implications for domestic violence intervention. The study employs a qualitative mixed-methods approach, including curriculum textual analysis, word frequency count, a semi-structured interview with Chris Huffine, the curriculum author and program founder, and observation of a forty-hour domestic violence training provided for batterer intervention programs and facilitators.

The research begins by reviewing the literature on domestic violence intervention, highlighting the importance of evidence-based practices, cognitive behavioral techniques, and cultural responsiveness. It then conducts a textual analysis of the Allies …

Carrying Meaning, Bridging Worlds: Indigenous Language Localization In Western Courts, Nora K. Rivera

English Faculty Articles and Research

This work examines the localization practices of Indigenous court interpreters through prototyping and analyzing legal glossaries in eight Indigenous languages from the State of Oaxaca, Mexico. These languages are often needed in Mexican courts and immigration court hearings in the United States. Thus, examining the localization praxes of the court interpreters who use them can provide important intercultural technical and professional communication insights in global contexts. I compare the preliminary results of this ongoing study with the court interpreters' code of ethics from the State of California to demonstrate how Western court assumptions about language interpretation cause gaps between worldviews. …

Instructional Video On Mental Health, Sarah Angelica Cruz Salum

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

My capstone project is an instructional video promoting mental health in educational and workplace settings. Sharing important information regarding mental health. What it looks like, techniques to help those struggling with their mental health, and programs that could be implemented.

The Blessed Assembly: Irreplaceable Physical Co-Presence In Worship And Healthy Hybridity Reimagined After The Pandemic In The Digital Age, Yvette, Ying Wai Lau

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

Because of the unprecedented and unexpected force of the pandemic since 2020, most churches around the world have experienced some online worship during the lockdown of their cities or the mandated closure of the church buildings. For many people, online worship seems to be an equivalent, if not better, alternative for gathering together—a physical co-presence in worship—even after the pandemic has ended. As necessary and vital as online worship experiences have been for Christians during the pandemic, the witness of the church from Pentecost throughout Christian history indicates that gathered worship in physical spaces is irreplaceable for faith formation and …

A Comparative Evaluation Of Two Youth Mental Health Trainings For Volunteers, Monica M. Lobenstein, Shannon Sparks, Jennifer Park-Mroch, Danette Hopke, Jayna Hintz, Megan Suehring, Kea Norrell-Aitch, Karla Gearing, Michelle Gobert, Sheila Michels

Journal of Youth Development

Adolescence is a critical period for developing social and emotional habits important for mental well-being (Kessler et al., 2005). Half of all mental health conditions start by age 14, and the average delay between onset of symptoms and intervention is eight to ten years (Wang et al., 2007). Youth with mental health conditions are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma, educational difficulties, risk-taking behaviors, and worsening physical health. Youth often do not get the help they need due to ongoing stigma and barriers in accessing mental health treatment. For example, in Wisconsin, 30% of the population live in a …