Digital Commons Network^™

Healing Communities With Police Divestment: Seeking Abolition Through Transformative Reform And Community-Government Collaboration, Jessica E. Gillson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Concerns about the efficacy and sustainability of the U.S. carceral system have persisted throughout the country’s history, recently fueling renewed activism and bipartisan calls for reform. However, proposed solutions remain divisive. This thesis first defines the current status of our prison systems, then explores collaborative alternatives to incarceration and policing that support communities and break cycles of incarceration.

Focusing on partnerships among local governments, community organizations, justice-involved individuals, and law enforcement, this study examines holistic approaches to crime prevention, reentry, and reintegration. Using an interdisciplinary framework incorporating restorative justice, community resilience, and systems theory, it investigates how community-based strategies can …

Statement From The Indiana Academy Of The Social Sciences And Board Of Directors

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

In Memoriam: Bruce Bigelow, 1943 - 2025, Kenneth Colburn

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Lgbt People's Sense Of Linked Fate: Belonging And Utility, Kay Hales

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

This is a three study dissertation. While the LGBT community is often referred to as a monolith, research suggests that it may be separate subgroups under one umbrella. Linked fate is the sense that what happens to one member of a group will affect all other group members with consequences for political behavior. While research on racial identity groups suggests that members often feel a sense of linked fate with other group members, this research has not been generalized or explored in the LGBT community. This study empirically explores whether there is a sense of linked fate in the LGBT …

The New Urbanism In New York City: A Case Study Comparing Battery Park City And Alphabet City, Lena Farley

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis examines two Manhattan neighborhoods, Battery Park City and Alphabet City, through the lens of New Urbanism—an urban planning approach developed in the 1990s. New Urbanist principles prioritize walkability, connectivity, mixed-use development, diversity, varied housing options, architectural quality, green transportation, sustainability, and accessible green spaces. While Battery Park City represents a top-down, master-planned New Urbanist neighborhood based on a 1979 plan, Alphabet City emerged from the 1811 Manhattan grid with significant community-driven design, notably through community gardens and grassroots initiatives. Using a mixed-methods approach including residential surveys, qualitative, and quantitative analyses, this research investigates how these neighborhoods embody New …

Norfolk Core Redevelopments And Population Disruption Dispersal, Sumner Darling

Institute for the Humanities Master's Papers, Projects, and Capstones

This project is an analysis of the racial impacts of the redevelopment of the downtown area of Norfolk, Virginia in the period of 1939-1959. The overall goal is to understand the ethnic and racial impacts of redevelopment and how populations were treated differently during the two styles of redevelopment that were employed in the city. The existing research on this topic tends to focus on the segregation of the education system in the city over the community population segregation. This makes it difficult to find sources that show the impacts of other factors like redevelopment of minority communities. Through research …

Fire History, Ecological History, And Historical Human-Environment Interactions In The Northern Great Plains, James Victor Benes

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

This dissertation explores the spatiotemporal signatures of fire in North American grassland ecosystems. In three chapters, I explore different aspects of fire history in the northern Great Plains. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapter 2 focuses on the Euro-American Settlement Period (ca. 1850–1950 C.E.). Fire histories from six different lakes in the Nebraska Sandhills are compared with two periods of historic drought and the establishment of United States Post Offices. Five of the six records show increased levels of biomass burning during the initial phases of Euro-American Settlement. Chapter 3 is a long-term (ca. 15,000 years), high-resolution fire history and …

Health Disparities After Redlining: A Comparative Analysis Of Health Outcomes And Health Disparities In Richmond, Virginia And Portland, Oregon, Amal Ali

Araneum: Richmond Journal of American & Global Affairs

Redlining was a discriminatory housing practice introduced by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation that denied loans and mortgages to Black residents and resulted in a heavily entrenched system of economic discrimination in the U.S. Existing literature points to a strong relationship between redlining and worsened health outcomes in communities of color. For example, redlining is associated with a higher risk of heart failure, a higher risk of death from breast cancer, and a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. While previous research has focused on the relationship between redlining and health outcomes and proposed several possible interventions, there is a lack …

Impact Of High School Racial Composition On Intercultural Competence Of Undergraduate Students, Ryuto Hashimoto

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Since the US population continues to become more diverse, it is important to foster students' intercultural competence (ICC) so that they can work collaboratively with people from different backgrounds. The existing studies have examined the impact of socialization at school on youths' development in their attitudes and behaviors in the context of classroom. However, we know little about whether or not the organizational and individual characteristics have an impact on students' ICC development. This study explored the impact of high school racial composition and individual factors such as gender on the ICC of undergraduate students. The study used the course …

Land Rematriation: Utilizing The National Register Of Historic Places And Developing Tribal Homeland Territories For The Restoration Of Historic Landscapes And Sovereignty, Robert E. Hazen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Land rematriation and cultural revitalization are crucial to addressing the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism on Indigenous communities, particularly for the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The National Register of Historic Places and federal recognition processes have traditionally marginalized Indigenous practices and land claims, yet, as I argue in this thesis, they hold potential for reappropriation in support of sovereignty and heritage. This thesis argues that integrating Indigenous methodologies, geospatial research, and archival analyses can forge a path toward effective land rematriation efforts. My findings reveal culturally significant sites connected to the historic village of Getegitigaaning, helping …

Energy Equity In India’S Renewable Energy Transition: A Policy Design Agenda, Aritra Chakrabarty

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

India’s transition to renewable energy has prioritized large-scale, grid-based electrification, often overlooking energy equity, particularly in rural communities. Many households would benefit more from decentralized solutions than from grid extension, yet current policies neither guarantee equitable access nor address pre-existing social and economic inequalities in energy distribution. This dissertation examines the sensitivity of India’s renewable energy policies to energy equity, with a specific focus on gender equity in rural last-mile connectivity. The study is guided by the fundamental question: How can implementation of solar energy program alleviate the lives of rural communities? Using a mixed-method approach that combines policy …

Overcoming Obstacles To Equitable Energy Transitions And Promoting Energy Sovereignty For Us Tribal Nations, Don Lee

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation explores the potential of equitable energy transitions guided by the tenets of energy justice with a focus on Tribal energy sovereignty through renewable energy development. It contributes to the literature on the social acceptance of energy systems, public perceptions of renewable energy transitions, the ramifications of US federal Tribal law on Tribal energy development and sovereignty, and the implications of conforming to capitalist logics in the energy justice literature.

To understand the importance of building reciprocal and collaborative relationships, our team of researchers and Tribal members collaborated on the development of a methodology to survey respondents in a …

Demonstrating Deservingness In College Tuition Crowdfunding Campaigns, Siqi Han

Journal of Student Financial Aid

College tuition creates a substantial financial burden for students and families in the United States. Exhausting their own financial resources to pay for their college tuition, some students seek to crowdfund their tuition – a new channel for higher education finance that may become more prevalent in the future. Distinctively, crowdfunding campaigns are not reviewed or approved in the same way as traditional funding applications, leaving space for students’ own justification for deservingness. This paper identifies the embedded semantic features in online college tuition campaigns that raised more money than the rest on a major crowdfunding platform and derives the …

Barriers To Postpartum Depression Treatment: Availability And Accessibility Of Maternal Behavioral Health-Inclusive Support Groups For Low-Income Populations, Radhika S. Venkatesan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The maternal health crisis is a prevalent and concerning issue in the United States. The lack of efficient availability and accessibility to health care services plays a significant role in augmenting this problem. One health care service that is often understudied is support groups, for prevalent issues like postpartum depression. Considering the socioeconomic burdens of low-income mothers, this paper analyzed the accessibility and availability of maternal health support groups across counties in Florida, with varying amounts of individuals below the federal poverty level (%BPL). Essentially, Florida counties were divided into one of four categories depending on their %BPL. A Fisher’s …

The Boston Metco Program: Recent Alumni Experiences And Educational Equity, Maya Hernandez

Honors Theses

This project focuses on contemporary school integration practices by examining, in particular, the Boston METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity Inc) program and the experiences of its recent alumni. The METCO program, the United States’ longest-running voluntary school desegregation program, was created in 1966 to give students of color from the city of Boston better educational opportunities by busing them to the surrounding suburbs for school. To this day, it is a program meant to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation, by permitting students from Boston to attend public schools beyond district lines, in the suburbs. My …

How The Town Views The Gown: A Case Study Of A Campus-Community Relationship, Dora Kreitzer

Honors Theses

This research uses Bucknell and Lewisburg as a case study to understand the relationship between universities and their surrounding communities. While prior research has focused on urban, large, and/or research-oriented universities, the rural, small, and predominantly liberal arts nature of Bucknell provides an opportunity to explore how campus-community relationships vary by environment. Forty-eight qualitative semi-structured interviews and 12 months of observation of Lewisburg Borough Council meetings are used to explore three main areas of the town-gown relationship: economics, space, and social capital. These three themes emerged from interviews and observations as the most important determinants of residents’ perceptions of the …

การศึกษาวิเคราะห์ลักษณะการย้ายถิ่นเข้าและรูปแบบเชิงพื้นที่ และปัจจัยที่มีผลต่อความตั้งใจอยู่ต่อของประชากรแฝง: กรณีศึกษากรุงเทพมหานคร, นันทนัจช์ ลิ้มกมลทิพย์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การย้ายถิ่นภายในประเทศไทยมากกว่าร้อยละ 10 มีจุดหมายปลายทางไปสู่กรุงเทพมหานคร ซึ่งส่งผลสำคัญต่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงพลวัตของประชากรเมืองอย่างรวดเร็ว อย่างไรก็ตาม ระบบทะเบียนราษฎรไม่สามารถสะท้อนการเคลื่อนย้ายดังกล่าวได้อย่างทันท่วงที กล่าวคือ จำนวนประชากรที่อาศัยอยู่จริงมีสูงกว่าจำนวนประชากรตามทะเบียนราษฎรอย่างมีนัยสำคัญ จึงนำไปสู่การเกิดขึ้นของกลุ่ม "ประชากรแฝง" ที่ยังไม่ได้จดทะเบียนในพื้นที่ ซึ่งย่อมส่งผลให้การจัดสรรทรัพยากรและการบริหารจัดการเมืองไม่สอดคล้องกับความเป็นจริง งานวิจัยฉบับนี้แบ่งการศึกษาเป็นสองส่วน สำหรับส่วนแรก เพื่อทำความเข้าใจลักษณะและรูปแบบเชิงพื้นที่ของการย้ายถิ่นเข้าสู่กรุงเทพมหานคร ผู้วิจัยวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลจากสำมะโนประชากรและเคหะ พ.ศ. 2533 2543 และ 2553 ด้วยสถิติเชิงพรรณนา อีกทั้งยังมีการผนวกข้อมูลการใช้ประโยชน์ที่ดินและข้อมูลรายรับจากภาษี เพื่อทดสอบความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างปัจจัยเชิงพื้นที่กับการย้ายถิ่นเข้าสู่พื้นที่ด้วยการวิเคราะห์การถดถอยพหุ โดยผลการศึกษาพบว่า จำนวนผู้ย้ายถิ่นเข้าสู่กรุงเทพมหานครมีเปลี่ยนแปลงตามช่วงเวลา โดยมีการลดลงใน พ.ศ. 2543 และกลับมาเพิ่มขึ้นใน พ.ศ. 2553 นอกจากนี้ ยังพบการเปลี่ยนแปลงรูปแบบการกระจายตัวของผู้ย้ายถิ่น โดยใน พ.ศ. 2533 มีการกระจุกตัวในเขตกรุงเทพฯ ชั้นใน แต่หลังจากนั้นขยายตัวออกสู่เขตกรุงเทพฯ ชั้นนอกอย่างต่อเนื่อง โดยเพิ่มขึ้นจาก 1.02 แสนคน เป็น 2.07 แสนคน ในช่วงระยะ 20 ปี ทั้งนี้ผลการวิเคราะห์การถดถอยพหุชี้ให้เห็นว่า ความหนาแน่นของประชากร รูปแบบการใช้ประโยชน์ที่ดิน และรายได้จากภาษีท้องถิ่น ล้วนเป็นปัจจัยเชิงพื้นที่ที่มีความสัมพันธ์เชิงบวกสำหรับผู้ย้ายถิ่นที่ระดับนัยสำคัญทางสถิติร้อยละ 5 ขณะที่สัดส่วนวัยแรงงานมีความสัมพันธ์เชิงลบที่ระดับนัยสำคัญทางสถิติร้อยละ 10 สำหรับการศึกษาส่วนที่สอง ซึ่งเป็นการวิเคราะห์ปัจจัยกำหนดความตั้งใจอยู่ต่อของประชากรแฝง โดยใช้ข้อมูลระดับบุคคลจากการสำรวจการย้ายถิ่น พ.ศ. 2557-2564 ผ่านแบบจำลองสมการโครงสร้าง (Structural Equation Modeling: SEM) พบว่า แบบจำลองสำหรับประชากรแฝงที่พำนักอยู่ในกรุงเทพมหานครมากกว่าหนึ่งปี มีความสอดคล้องกับข้อมูลเชิงประจักษ์ในเกณฑ์ดี (RMSEA = 0.04, RMR = 0.06, CFI = 0.96) โดยปัจจัยด้านเศรษฐกิจมีอิทธิพลโดยตรงสูงสุดต่อความตั้งใจอยู่ต่อของประชากรแฝง (β = 0.30) ในขณะที่ปัจจัยด้านประชากรมีอิทธิพลทางอ้อมผ่านระยะเวลาการพำนักในระดับต่ำกว่า (β = 0.08) ซึ่งผลลัพธ์นี้สอดคล้องกับกลุ่มประชากรแฝงที่พำนักไม่เกินหนึ่งปี จึงอาจกล่าวได้ว่า โอกาสทางเศรษฐกิจเป็นกลไกหลักในการกำหนดการตัดสินใจตั้งถิ่นฐานของประชากรแฝง โดยสรุปแล้ว การศึกษานี้ชี้ให้เห็นว่า การย้ายถิ่นเข้าสู่กรุงเทพมหานครได้รับอิทธิพลจากปัจจัยเชิงพื้นที่ ในขณะที่ความตั้งใจอยู่ต่อของประชากรแฝงถูกกำหนดโดยปัจจัยทางเศรษฐกิจในระดับบุคคล ซึ่งถือเป็นหลักฐานเชิงประจักษ์ที่ชี้ให้เห็นถึงความจำเป็นในการกำหนดนโยบายบริหารจัดการเมืองที่สอดคล้องกับบริบทพื้นที่ โดยการบูรณาการการวางผังเมือง นโยบายตลาดแรงงาน และการปรับปรุงระบบทะเบียนราษฎร เพื่อเพิ่มประสิทธิผลในการบริหารจัดการประชากรเมืองในระยะยาว

Social Determinants Of Health And Aging In Africa: Structural Inequality, Vulnerability, And The Future Of Care, Aremu Umor Lukman, Sunkanmi Folorunsho, Abdulrauf Olaitan Taofeeq

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Population aging is accelerating across Africa yet remains underrepresented in research, policy, and public health planning. This review critically examines how social determinants shape aging experiences across the continent, focusing on health, care systems, and structural inequalities. While traditional African societies have historically valued older adults, modernization, migration, and economic hardship have eroded support systems, leaving many to face old age with limited resources. Older Africans, particularly women and rural residents, contend with lifelong disadvantages including low education, informal labor, poverty, and gendered caregiving roles that contribute to poor health and social vulnerability. Health systems remain poorly equipped to address …

Editor-In-Chief's Note, Surekha Rao

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Go Birds: Sports Fandom And Civic Identity, Benjamin Rotko , '25

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

No abstract provided.

Reviewers And Referees

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

George C. Roberts Award Recipients

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Call For Papers

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

When Emotions Flare: Solar Rhythms, Emotions And Cycles Of Political Revolution, Andreas Hernandez, Carolina Zilli Vieira, Alexandra Smith, Rebecca Olson

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Revolutions are among the most transformative events in human history. Analyzing 395 revolutionary episodes from 1900 to 2014, we find that major waves cluster around solar maxima - periods of intensified geomagnetic activity. Drawing on biomedical research linking geomagnetic disturbances to cardiovascular and stress regulation, and thus to emotional states, we propose that solar cycles modulate the affective ecologies within which revolutions arise. Solar activity may accelerate, shape, and amplify revolutionary cycles by heightening emotional climates and tipping fragile systems toward mass mobilization. This reframes revolutions as planetary events - entanglements of political conflict, embodied emotion, and cosmic …

From Equitable Access To Equitable Usage: Moving Towards Data-Driven, Evidence-Based Cycling Assets Management, Kewei Ren, Yunping Liang, Chun-Hsing Ho

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Cycling is increasingly recognized for its wide range economic, environmental, and health benefits as a mobility option. However, disparities in the provision and the quality of bicycle infrastructure persists. Ensuring fair access and usage of these benefits for all presents a significant challenge. As a result, establishing effective methodologies to evaluate cycling equity is critically important. This paper synthesizes research on infrastructure asset management with a focus on equity considerations in bicycle infrastructure. A systematic review of 19 North American studies critically examines how existing research categorizes vulnerable populations and assesses fairness. The results reveal that most existing analyses focus …

Reproductive Rights: How Voting Behavior Illustrates Shifting Political Attitudes, Keavy Callwood

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This research project intends to explore a causal link between the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022) and shifting political attitudes as modeled through voting behaviors. Research will be conducted by using data from government and reputable sources that are representative of the general public to show that political attitudes have shifted since the release of the Dobbs decision. Additionally, the question will be analyzed through discussing several political theories and applying them to the current issues being studied. This research could help show how the Supreme Court is an important actor in the political …

Analyzing Car Theft Trends In Central Texas: A Comparative Study Of Waco, College Station, And Killeen, Daniel Njogu

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study examines motor vehicle theft (MVT) trends from 2019 to 2023 in three Central Texas cities—Waco, College Station, and Killeen—using temporal analysis, geospatial hotspot mapping, and make/model data. In Killeen, thefts generally rose over the period, with notable peaks in October and on Mondays. College Station saw an overall decline in thefts but experienced a seasonal spike each March, and Waco’s thefts increased until around 2021 before beginning to fall. Local festivals—such as the Spirit of Texas in College Station and the Heart O’ Texas Fair in Waco—appear to coincide with these seasonal upticks. Hyundais and Kias were most …

Maboo Liyan Boorroo–Good Spirit Country: Using Participatory Research Frameworks To Manage Indigenous Cultural Landscapes In A Time Of Environmental And Political Uncertainty, Martuwarra Riveroflife, Anne Poelina, Martuwarra River Keepers, Sven Ouzman, Tod Jones, Naomi Joy Godden, Martin Brueckner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Management of cultural landscapes has struggled to understand and adapt to Indigenous ways of managing heritage through a reciprocal duty of care. We argue that barriers to Indigenous cultural landscapes are threefold. First, conceptual barriers exist due to the prevalence of inappropriate heritage concepts and frameworks from the Global North. Second are relational barriers in the form of asymmetrical relationships of power between non-Indigenous heritage ‘experts’ and Indigenous individuals and communities. Third, political barriers present in neo-colonial politics are at odds with the goals of Indigenous movements. After introducing Martuwarra RiverOfLife and her co-authors, we review these barriers within a …

Urban Isolation In The Digital Age- Examining The Sociological Impact Of The Digital Divide On Civic Life In U.S. Cities, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

The digital divide remains a persistent barrier to civic participation and social inclusion in urban America, particularly in historically underserved communities. This mixed-methods study investigates how digital lack of access affects civic engagement, social capital, and community cohesion in U.S. cities, with a focus on Chicago’s South Side, Harlem New York, St. Louis, and Orlando. Drawing on quantitative data from recent surveys and qualitative insights from peer-reviewed literature, the research applies four sociological frameworks, Urban Sociology, Social Capital Theory, Critical Race Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism. These were used to examine the structural and interpretive aspects of digital isolation. Findings reveal …

Permeability Of Politics: Exploring The Impact Of Mobilization On Political Discussions In A Closed Religious Community, Sara K. Guthrie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 2016, the Amish PAC was formed with the intent of mobilizing a group of low propensity voters who they believed could help secure political victory in critical swing states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. These efforts continued through the 2020 election as the PAC continued to court voters within a closed religious community in an attempt to encourage political activity amongst those who ideologically remain apolitical. Specifically, this mobilization effort targeted those within the Amish and Mennonite communities, discussed throughout this dissertation as the ‘Plain Community’. This dissertation analyzes the mobilization attempt by measuring changes in the way the …