Digital Commons Network^™

Paragliding The Cliff Edge: Introducing Open Mic Studies. A Creative Response To Navigating The Post-18 Landscape For Young Adults With Send., James Tarling, Charlie Robinson, Nick Hall, Sammy Shepherd

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

This conceptual article investigates novel ways of thinking about Open Mic Nights (OMN) – performance spaces understood as free, community arts and performance opportunities where the members of the public are welcome to perform music, poetry and comedy in front of an audience. For the purposes of this article, music-related OMN that take place in pubs or community centres are discussed.

The article is intended to be a primer for OMN studies that offers new and emerging trailheads for future research and discussion. Its central focus is how OMN may benefit the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) community with …

When Childcare Becomes A Crime Space In Contemporary Indonesia, Isyana Kurniasari Konoras, Dr. Dra. Vinita Susanti, M.Si

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

Abstract. The increasing incidence of violence against children in daycare institutions reflects a structural crisis in contemporary child protection systems. This study examines the violence case at Little Aresha Daycare in Yogyakarta to identify the criminogenic factors underlying abuse in institutional childcare settings. The research applies a normative-empirical qualitative method through media-based case studies, legal analysis, and criminological interpretation. The findings demonstrate that violence emerged from the convergence of three major factors: structural strain experienced by caregivers, weak capable guardianship within daycare institutions, and the normalization of abusive disciplinary practices. Robert K. Merton’s Strain Theory explains how economic and occupational …

The Banality Of Evil And Delayed Rehabilitation: Uncovering Post-1965 State Crime Through The Lens Of Decolonial Criminology, Farhan Arif Sumawiharja, S.H., M.Si., M.Krim

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

This study sets out to reconstruct the history and structural repression that followed the 1965–1966 events in Indonesia—events that have long been reduced to a simple “horizontal conflict” between ordinary citizens. Using a socio-historical method, the study examines a wide range of historical literature and documents in order to reframe this violence as a State Crime, seen through the lenses of Critical Criminology and Decolonial Criminology. The findings show that the New Order regime borrowed the tools of subjugation first developed in the colonial era to crush progressive groups—a project that, in essence, served the interests of global capitalism during …

Symbolic Reform And Police Legitimacy In Indonesia, Nur Zena Anggita Raissa

Jurnal Kriminologi Indonesia

The Indonesian National Police (Polri) are facing a sustained crisis of legitimacy amid increasing public distrust, digital activism, and intensified external oversight. While reform has been repeatedly promised since the post-authoritarian transition, institutional change remains fragmented and largely symbolic. This article examines Polri’s reform trajectory through a criminological lens, drawing on theories of social solidarity (Durkheim), procedural justice (Tyler), and the sociology of professions (Abbott) to analyze the interaction between external pressures and internal organizational dysfunctions. Using theory-driven qualitative analysis of corruption cases, recruitment controversies, and public trust surveys, the study argues that Polri’s legitimacy crisis is rooted not only …

Unboxing Relations: An Ethnographic Study Of Blind Box Consumption In The U.S., Wendy Zheng

Sociology Honors Projects

Blind box consumption is a format for purchasing packaged toys without knowing the specific item in advance. It has become a global trend and is often viewed as irrational or gambling-like behavior in past literature. Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews conducted in retail settings, this study examines how consumers make sense of uncertainty through social interaction. This study proposes a two-layer model of consumption. In the first layer, social interaction during the consumption process helps consumers negotiate risk, generate meaning, and become more skilled buyers. In the second layer, consumers engage in moral and value judgments that involve distancing …

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms And Adult Functioning Within Major U.S. Racial Groups, Summer N. A. Millwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of disability among adults in the U.S and is associated with negative short- and long-term social, emotional, economic, and physical health outcomes. Notably, rates of depression among children and adolescents are rapidly increasing across the globe. Depression in youth disrupts crucial developmental processes that can adversely affect concurrent and longitudinal socioeconomic and health outcomes. Although extant research delineates the consequences of adolescent depression for adult functioning (e.g., lower educational attainment, fewer economic resources, worse physical health), studies that examine these associations within racially minoritized populations are scarce. This gap in the literature is especially striking …

Asian American Men's Experiences Of Gendered Racism In Online Competitive Gaming, Calvin Weiting Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S., Asian Americans men make up a large portion of active players in online competitive video games. In these settings, harassment, racism, and hate speech are prevalent and often normalized. The purpose of this study was to explore Asian American men’s experiences of gendered racism in online competitive gaming spaces. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2022) and applying the Intersectionality Framework (Crenshaw, 1989; Collins, 2000), six Asian American men were interviewed about their experiences of gendered racism while playing online competitive games. Two Group Experiential Themes emerged from their accounts: 1) Gendered racism …

Behind Prison Walls: Unmasking The Victimization Experience Of A Transgender Inmate: A Narrative Study, Kevin E. Hemminger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals experience disproportionately high rates of victimization within the U.S. criminal justice system, at rates some studies estimate as four times greater than those of cisgender individuals (Marchi et al., 2025). Victimization may occur at the hands of correctional officers, institutional staff, or fellow inmates. This narrative study focuses on the life story of a formerly incarcerated transgender woman, tracing her experiences before incarceration, throughout her time at two different correctional facilities in two different states, and her life following release. While Community Based Research (CBR) was not adopted as a formal methodological framework, its principles — centering lived …

Cultural Humility, A Salve For Romantic Relationship Conflict, Lena Blum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conflict communication and having a relationship consisting of differing sociocultural backgrounds (DISC Couples) have been viewed as obstacles or at best hindrances of relationship satisfaction in earlier couples’ psychology literature. More recent literature makes an argument that it is not merely conflict communication or the differences of culture within a couple, but rather how couples navigate both conflict and differences that impact relationship satisfaction. The present work aims to investigate the role of cultural humility in the association between cultural conflict communication and relationship satisfaction, as well as its relationship with the frequency of cultural conflict communication among DISC couples. …

Examining Intimate Partner Violence After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Rebecca R. Suzuki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked with social problems in peer relationships that can last into adulthood. Little is known about how social problems impact the development of intimate relationships as pediatric TBI survivors grow up. This study addressed this gap by examining risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 50 young adult survivors of pediatric TBI prior to age 13 (M age = 22.96, SD = 1.70, 60% women) and tested social information processing (SIP) as a potential process through which TBI influences risk for IPV. Participants were recruited via Prolific and social media …

Protest, Police, Peace, And Violence: Understanding Variation In Police Violence At Protests, Louis Pascarella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why do police engage in violence at some protests but not others? Existing research highlights the importance of protest characteristics, political context, police culture, organizational incentives, and interactions between protesters and law enforcement. While these factors help explain patterns of repression, they provide limited insight into why police responses can shift rapidly from restraint to widespread violence during the course of a protest event.

This dissertation examines variation in police violence during the 2020 George Floyd Uprising through a comparative analysis of protest events in Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington. Drawing on original event reconstructions based on livestreams, helicopter footage, …

A Brief Self-Help Intervention For Anxiety And Depressive Symptoms Utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Dialectical Behavior Therapy Within Correctional Settings, Genevieve L. Ray

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Individuals within incarcerated settings are far more likely to experience symptoms that meet criteria for a mental health disorder compared to the general population. This population is often underserved due to various financial and resource constraints. Self-help interventions have grown in popularity due to their proven effectiveness and accessibility for consumers, particularly for anxiety and depression symptoms. A self-help intervention for those in a correctional setting would not require extensive additional personnel amid financial constraints and would increase access to care. Many self-help interventions that are currently published apply to the community population, but readily accessible resources that reside in …

Disrupted Family Ecosystems: Intergenerational Estrangement, Nonnormative Events, And Perceptions Of Established Adults – A Case Study, Seth Wyncott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The issue of intergenerational family estrangement has gained increased exposure in research and popular literature; however, significant gaps remain in understanding the lived experience of adult-children who maintain separation from their parents. Complicating matters, the family is not a solitary unit but is intertangled within a macrolevel sociocultural ecosystem. This ecosystem includes normative and nonnormative stressors which are subject to diverse interpretations depending on the historic and evolving character of the family and its members. As such, it is important to examine the dynamic character of estrangement in familial and sociocultural context.

Utilizing a case study method with semi-structured phenomenological …

Well-Being Beyond The Binary In Perinatal Healthcare: An Application Of Reproductive Justice, Orphea D. Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender diverse birthing individuals face several systemic barriers to accessing affirming and empowering perinatal healthcare. The present study utilizes the term gender diverse and the abbreviation TGE to describe those who self-identify as broadly non-cisgender, an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. Gender identities that may be included in this definition include transgender/trans, gender expansive, non-binary, gender fluid, gender nonconforming, gender variant, gender queer/queer, and/or agender. Gender diverse individuals face unique barriers in perinatal healthcare due to the pervasiveness of cisnormativity in perinatal healthcare spaces. Research has documented the harm caused to …

Unexpected Encounters With Spot In The Wild: Sensemaking As Communicative Boundary Work With Robots, Annette Markham, Constanze M. Leeb, Brooke Ann Coco, Daniel Kirby, Lu Liu, Edoardo Lomi, Lucy Thornton, Kelly Ka-Lai Chan, Bradley R. Crammond

Human-Machine Communication

As near-autonomous and AI-embedded robots continue to appear in public settings, their sociality and interactivity is a critical part of the social fabric. This article presents emerging themes from a large-scale ethnographic study of granular-level public interactions between more than 400 people who have an unexpected encounter with Boston Dynamics’ robot “Spot” in a public square in Melbourne. Conceptualizing Spot as a boundary object enables us to highlight patterns of sensemaking as people grapple with ontological disruptions through micro-level interactions; within the self, with other people, or between the self and the robot. Based on thematic analysis of multimedia data …

The International Adoption Movement From South Korea: A Sociological Analysis Of Its Rise, Fall And Relevance Today For Children’S Rights Issues, Madeline H. Engel

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

The Intersectionality Of Juvenile Justice And Education: A Comparative Study Of Educational Governance Typologies Within The Juvenile Justice System, Domonique Mckenzie-Charles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Each year, a number of youths find themselves at an intersection between the school-to-prison pipeline (SPP) and the criminal justice system. This research study examined the relationship between educational governance typologies of juvenile justice systems and juvenile recidivism in 10 U.S. states, with a centralized focus on the model of internalized governance. The purpose of this research study was to develop a comparative typology of educational governance through the evaluation of leadership structures, to assess the association between educational governance typologies and rehabilitative outcomes. The following comparative study discovered how educational governance typologies differ across states and whether these differences …

Admiration Without Worship: The Fallibilization Of The Hero And The Moral Logic Of Modernity, Mohsen Askari

Heroism Science

This article develops the concept of the fallibilization of the hero, defined as the cultural process through which admired figures become visible as flawed, historically situated, morally complex human beings. It argues that modernity does not abolish heroism but changes the conditions under which it can be believed. In hagiographic systems, heroes are protected from contradiction and presented as pure or destined; in modern‑critical systems, greatness can coexist with error, weakness, and compromise. The article situates fallibilization within debates on heroism science, hagiography, charismatic authority, collective memory, and modern biography, proposing a four‑part typology of heroic forms: hagiographic, developmental, fallibilized, …

We Don't See Race, We See Blue: A Case Study Of Police Unions As Racialized Organizations, Sarahfina Aubrey Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

In the late 1960s, police began to unionize. Today, they are the most well-organized labor force in the United States, with 70% to 80% of sworn officers now represented by a union. Though it has been decades, little scholarship has developed about how police unions affect policing. Much of the research that does exist uses race-neutral frames to address an organization steeped in racial history. This study aims to address this gap in scholarship, in part, by introducing race as a motivation for and explanation of organizational output.

This research applies Victor Ray's racialized organizations theory to police unions. I …

Belonging, Safety, And Well-Being: An Ecological Systems Review Of School-Based Supports For Transgender And Gender-Diverse Students, Lauren Deluca

Educational Specialist, 2020-current

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth continue to experience significant challenges in school belonging, safety, and mental health outcomes within K-12 educational settings. At the same time, literature highlights the important role affirming school environments play in promoting resilience and well-being among TGD students. The purpose of this systematized review was to synthesize the current literature examining the school-based factors associated with belonging, safety, and well-being for TGD students across ecological systems, as well as identify the barriers that hinder educators in implementing affirming practices in schools, and how school professionals navigate these barriers. Guided by Minority Stress Theory and Ecological …

Review Essay: Human Security And Civilian Protection During Violent Conflict, Lauren Spink

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Essay: The Original Sin Of Humanity, John Sniegocki

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Theology Of The People As Modernity’S Alternative: A Review Essay, William J. Collinge

The Journal of Social Encounters

In Modernity’s Alternative, Rocco Buttiglione presents the Argentinian theology of the people as an alternative to modernity as it has developed in Europe and North America. After an introduction, the first main part of this review essay discusses Buttiglione’s account of the development of the theology of the people and the major figures in it and how the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe marks the beginning of an alternative modernity. The second section considers Buttiglione’s parallel between Christian Platonists’ inculturation of Christian faith into Greek culture and Guadalupe’s inculturation of Christian faith into Mesoamerican culture. The third section …

Patterns Of Age At First Birth And Child Spacing Behaviour Among Women In Ilorin Metropolis, Nigeria, Ismaila O. Orire

The Journal of Social Encounters

Age at first birth influences the length of a woman's reproductive years and affects fertility behavior including choices of child spacing which have profound influence on future population structure and dynamics. This study examines women’s demographic and social characteristics; identified their ages at first birth and relationship with status of marriage; their child spacing behavior; contraceptive usage; and duration of breastfeeding after child birth. Primary source of data was questionnaire administered to women of reproductive age representing three age cohorts whose ages range between 35-44, 25-34 and 15-24 years respectively. Systematic random sampling technique was adopted to ensure representativeness and …

Rethinking Women, Peace And Security In Southern Africa: Patriarchy, Policies, And Perspectives, Kgomotso Komane

The Journal of Social Encounters

Southern Africa is a relatively peaceful region, however, it has witnessed a range of diverse, multiple and ongoing conflicts that have prompted various peace interventions from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), neighbouring countries and international actors. An astounding pattern is revealed when observing the involvements of all the actors in the peace interventions. What is revealed is that, till present day, women remain marginalised in peace processes despite existing structures and policies that reaffirm their rightful participation in these processes. Rethinking women’s role in peace and security is necessary because existing approaches to peace are shaped by patriarchal norms. …

The Freedom Myth: How Ski Culture's Hidden Conformity Reveals The Unconscious Power Of Brand Belonging, Isabel R. Phillips

University Honors Theses

Purpose: Ski culture sells freedom and enforces conformity. This review asks what unconscious behavioral patterns hold that contradiction in place, and how brands capitalize on it to manufacture belonging.

Design/Methodology/Approach: A narrative literature review across consumer psychology, behavioral neuroscience, sociology, and ski industry research. No primary data were collected. Four accounts of consistency-seeking are synthesized into one framework, then applied to three ski industry cases at ascending scales and tested against a comparative case from Spanish football.

Findings: Belonging is a conditioned response, and conditioning requires a stable stimulus. Consistency is therefore the precondition of belonging rather than a constraint …

How Racial Bias And Job-Related Stressors Impact The Prospect Of Police Misconduct, Jean Emmanuel Brutus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Police use of excessive force is an enduring challenge for criminal justice institutions and the public, particularly, affecting minority communities. This has contributed to diminished public confidence in U.S. policing institutions. Prior empirical studies among law enforcement officers, indicate that Black minorities have been discriminated by police officers. Stress research links social stress to mental health and identifies police brutality as an anticipatory stressor for minority groups. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify factors, including job-related stressors, and racial bias, that contribute to officers using excessive force, so to fill the gap in research, and develop …

Public Defenders’ Challenges Representing Erroneous Prosecution Cases In The Black Community, Kayla Kristine Stephens

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Public defenders in a southern state continue to face significant challenges when representing Black individuals in the criminal justice system, particularly in cases involving erroneous prosecution. These challenges are intensified by high caseloads, limited funding, and systemic inequities, which can be stressors affecting the prosecutors wellbeing and hinder the provision of adequate legal representation. Public defenders, appointed to represent indigent defendants, frequently navigate complex legal and social circumstances that intersect with racial disparities in the justice system. For this qualitative study the research question was, how do public defenders perceive and manage any stresses representing erroneous prosecution cases in the …

Promoting The Bipartisan Dimension Of Political Leadership: A Study Of The Impact Of A Normative Intervention With Newly Elected Members Of Congress, Jaime M. Ruvalcaba

Dissertations

The U.S. political system is more polarized now than at any time in the past century, as evidenced by the rise of political incivility, legislative gridlock, and hyperpolarization. To date, most studies and efforts have focused on institutional strategies to explain, transform, and mitigate the challenges posed to the political environment. By contrast, little attention has been paid to the normative or values-based behaviors of leaders to either explain or influence political leadership in ways that positively impact the political environment. Fortunately, some organizational programs, like Harvard’s Bipartisan Program for Newly Elected Members of Congress, have taken a different tack, …

Contradiction And Critical Consciousness: Engaging Canadian University Students In Racial Dialogue On Anti-Chinese Racism, Dan Cui

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

This study examines how Canadian university students perceived and engaged with anti-Chinese racism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on grounded theory and interviews and written reflections from 28 undergraduates at a predominantly White university, the study analyzes students’ contradictory understandings of racism shaped by media, national narratives, and prior educational experiences. Informed by Bourdieu’s concept of habitus, it conceptualizes these tensions as a contradictory racialized habitus, in which awareness and denial, empathy and distancing, coexist. Three themes emerged: contradictory orientations toward anti-Chinese racism, the transnational influence of U.S. political discourse, and the limited transformative impact of a social justice course. …