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Envisioning Indigenous Models For Social And Ecological Change In The Anthropocene, James Fenelon, Jennifer Alford

Sociology Faculty Publications

Indigenous societies provide alternatives to hegemonic social institutions that global capitalism spread around the world, contributing to human caused environmental degradation called the Anthropocene, coterminous with the development of the modern world-system. In this work we describe Indigenous communities using ten social spheres, that balance human needs through ecological mindfulness, including spirituality, and then we model how these social spheres can be adapted to contemporary world-systems using a radical imaginary, building off Indigenous works by Fenelon (2015; 2016), social perspectives of Pellow (2017) and Norgaard (2019), and environmental geospatial sciences (Lui, Springer, and Wagner 2008; Jankowski 2009). We identify four …

Mentoring Faculty And Bolstering Students’ Emotional And Cognitive Interest: The Impact Of Perceived Homophily In The College Classroom, Robert J. Sidelinger, Leeanne M. Bell Mcmanus

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

For this study, expectancy violations theory was used to explore the associations among instructors’ inappropriate conversations, perceived homophily (similarity), and college students’ emotional and cognitive interest. Results found that students’ perceptions of instructor perceived homophily moderated the relationships between students’ reports of instructors’ enactment of inappropriate conversations and students’ emotional and cognitive interest. These results offer further understanding of the ways in which inappropriate conversations and perceived homophily affect perceptual outcomes in the college classroom, which can inform college faculty, administrators, and mentors. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

It's Complicated: The Impact Of Marriage Legalization Among Sexual Minority Women And Gender Diverse Individuals In The United States, Laurie Drabble, Angie Wootton, Cindy Veldhuis, Ellen Perry, Ellen Riggle, Karen Trocki, Tonda Hughes

Faculty Publications

This mixed-methods study explored perceptions of the impact of marriage legalization in all U.S.states among sexual minority women and gender diverse individuals. Survey data were collectedfrom a nonprobability sample of individuals 18 years or older who identified as lesbian, bisexual,queer, same-sex attracted or something other than exclusively heterosexual—as well asindividuals who identified as transgender or gender nonbinary (for example, genderqueer, transwoman, trans man, nonbinary, or gender non-conforming). The analytic sample included 418participants in an online survey who responded to open-ended questions about the perceivedimpact of marriage legalization. Qualitative analyses revealed perceptions of marriagelegalization that situated individual meanings in the context …

Normalizing Deviants: Notes On The De-Stigma Trend, Melissa F. Lavin, Medora W. Barnes

2020 Faculty Bibliography

This article explores destigmatization discourses in the United States in the early 21st century, as social and political strategies and as narrative social movements unto themselves. We argue that the first decades of the new century see a trend of marginalized actors across many categories, including queer marriage, drugs, (discreditable) mental illness and (discredited) other areas of identity and disability, make narrative attempts to neutralize their “deviant” identities. We argue that de-stigmatization has occurred through the successful use of medicalization and assimilation framing of de-stigma discourses. Assimilationist frames increase “liberal” emphasis on actionable outcomes of de-stigma, like cultural access (i.e. …

Ua35/3 Memoranda, Wku Provost

WKU Administration Documents

2020 memoranda issued by the WKU Provost to faculty & staff via email.

• Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning January Workshops
• Fall to Fall Retention of All FFY as of Census by Selected Categories
• Updates fromt the Provost
• COVID-19
• COVID-19 or Coronavirus Update
• COVID-19 Update from the Provost's Office
• Announcing the 2020 College Faculty Award Winners
• WKU Announces New Associate Provost for Research & Graduate Education
• Budget Communication
• Summer School Updates from the Provost
• Amendment to PDF Policy
• FY2020-21 Budget Executive Committee Recommendations
• Provost's Message

Affirmation And Reaction: Towards A Critical Biosemiotic Sociology, Benjamin Dreyer

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Does our physicality influence society? If it does then what meaning can be derived from that relationship? What follows is an analysis of theory which strives to develop a conceptualization of reality and society which incorporates both a radical social constructivism with the assumption or “givenness” of external reality. The works being drawn upon are predominately associated with phenomenological sociology, systems theory, and semiotics but additional works from philosophy and political science are considered. The result of this venture is the conclusion that affirmation, the proof of the reaction, is the foundation of society. From this conclusion follows the postulation …

A Qualitative Study Of Non-Relational Foster Families Experiences Navigating The Education System, Emma Grace Topf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to capture the lived experience of non-relational foster families navigating the Colorado public education system. While most research on children in foster care looks at all sub-populations of foster care combined, this is the first known study to focus solely on non-relational foster families navigating the education system. I explored non-relational foster parents experience navigating the education system for the school-age children in their care through a semi-structured two-interview approach. Four levels of data analysis were completed (descriptive coding, emergent coding of themes, a priori coding of research questions, and a priori coding …

The Researcher Journey Through A Gender Lens, Maria De Kleijn Msc, Mba, Bamini Jayabalasingham Phd, Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski Phd, Thomas A. Collins Phd, Liliane Kuiper-Hoyng Msc, Isabelle Cingolani Phd, Jin Zhang Phd, Guillaume Roberge, Gemma Deakin, Abigail Goodall, Kjersten Bunker Whittington Phd, Stephane Berghmans Dvm, Phd, Sarah Huggett Ma, Stacey Tobin Phd

Public Reports

An examination of research participation, career progression and perceptions across the globe.

As part of Elsevier’s ongoing efforts to promote gender diversity and advance gender equity in research using an evidence-based approach, we developed this latest report to understand how gender impacts the researcher journey. Drawing on robust data sets, we analyzed information about authors of academic publications, grant recipients and patent applicants to gain insights into trends in gender-based representation across 15 countries and the EU28.

In addition to the general global trends, there were notable country-specific findings. For example, Argentina was the closest to gender parity among authors …

Ua19/16/2 Athletic Media Relations Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

General WKU athletic press releases for 2020.

Biology 4920g: Companion Planting In The Community, Jacquline A. Nathaniel

Community Engaged Learning Final Projects

LIFE*SPIN is a local organization in London, Ontario that provides resources to individuals and families dependent on low income to ultimately break the poverty cycle by encouraging sustainable living and self-sufficiency. For this Seminar in Biology course, Maria Bata and I partnered with LIFE*SPIN to plan and execute a "Seeding Planting Party" to teach children about basic botany, nutrition, and leadership. The following final paper for this seminar discusses the project deliverables and efforts, biological research concerning companion planting, and personal reflection on this experience.

No. 39: Urban Food Governance Perspectives In Changing African And Southern Cities, Gareth Haysom

Hungry Cities Partnership

The key urban food governance question in African and other Southern cities is understanding the role that appropriate infrastructures could play in delivering positive outcomes in the urban food system. This discussion paper looks at urban food governance needs in African cities and reflects on the governance actions required in order to respond to wider food system changes and challenges. It argues that food in the African city is a public good and discusses the role that a state (and city government) should play in enabling access. The paper finds that the normalization of food poverty, the absence of agency, …

Radiation Actions And Dimensions Of Radiation Safety Among U.S. Radiologic Technologists, Quentin T. Moore

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: Radiation safety culture is a fundamental contributor to procedural justification, exam optimization, and dose-limiting practices in medical imaging. Multiple intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy factors could influence the outcomes of radiation safety culture.

Purpose and Aims: The purpose of the study was to examine the determinants of radiation safety culture among U.S. radiologic technologists. The specific aims were to: 1) develop a survey instrument tailored to radiation actions and dimensions of radiation safety with a sequential use of multiple techniques; 2) examine determinants of radiation safety culture employing McLeroy’s socioecological model; 3) examine relationship between the determinants of …

Over Sexualization Of Women In The Media And Its Effect On Self-Objectification, Alaysia M. Herndon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The current study examined the relationship between the sexualization of women in the media and its effects on women's self-objectification and sexual priming with sociodemographic variables as a mediator. It was hypothesized that (1) exposure to increased sexual content in music videos would positively correlate with increased sexual priming among viewers and (2) increased sexual priming among females would be associated with increased self-objectification and increased objectification of other women. Additionally, the current study aimed to examine sociodemographic factors and if they correlate to the impact of sexual priming on self-objectification and the objectification of other women. The results of …

Social Stigma, Public Health, And Addiction In Albania, Ediola Malkouari

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Drug use is considered in many countries the plague of today's society. Researchers from medical, psychological and sociological fields, as well as lawmakers, are interested in finding more answers to this widespread phenomenon. All over the world there are known conflicts related to drug producing, transportation routes and distribution, that harm the economy and social standing of the involved communities or countries. Policies towards drug use vary from country to country, but this research focuses on how stigma affects the lives of individuals suffering from substance use disorder (SUD) in Albania. Substance use disorder is not often considered a disease, …

The Role Of Female Headed Households Caring For Children And No Spouse In Gentrification In Los Angeles, Jovita Murillo

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Gentrification is the “in-migration of a relatively well-off, middle- and upper-middle-class population” into historically marginalized communities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Matsuoka et al. 2017). Literature has repeatedly shown that gentrification is placing cost and rent-burdened residents at risk of displacement due to the hike in housing prices and rents. Most cost and rent burdened households are female-headed households caring for children without a spouse (FHHCCNS) (Colburn and Allen, 2018). Given there is a lack of literature describing the role of gender in gentrification, this descriptive study aims to describe the gentrification profile in Los Angeles using multiple …

Immunization Strategies In Networks With Missing Data, Samuel F. Rosenblatt, Jeffrey A. Smith, G. Robin Gauthier, Laurent Hébert-Dufresne

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Network-based intervention strategies can be effective and cost-efficient approaches to curtailing harmful contagions in myriad settings. As studied, these strategies are often impractical to implement, as they typically assume complete knowledge of the network structure, which is unusual in practice. In this paper, we investigate how different immunization strategies perform under realistic conditions—where the strategies are informed by partially- observed network data. Our results suggest that global immunization strategies, like degree immunization, are optimal in most cases; the exception is at very high levels of missing data, where stochastic strategies, like acquaintance immunization, begin to outstrip them in minimizing outbreaks. …

Immunization Strategies In Networks With Missing Data, Samuel Frederick Rosenblatt, Jeffrey A. Smith, G. Robin Gauthier, Laurent Hébert-Dufresne

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Network-based intervention strategies can be effective and cost-efficient approaches to cur- tailing harmful contagions in myriad settings. As studied, these strategies are often impracti- cal to implement, as they typically assume complete knowledge of the network structure, which is unusual in practice. In this paper, we investigate how different immunization strategies perform under realistic conditions—where the strategies are informed by partially-observed network data. Our results suggest that global immunization strategies, like degree immunization, are optimal in most cases; the exception is at very high levels of missing data, where stochastic strategies, like acquaintance immunization, begin to outstrip them in mini- …

Secularism In The Arab World: Contexts, Ideas And Consequences, Aziz Al-Azmeh, David Bond

In Translation: Modern Muslim Thinkers

Explores secularism and secularisation in Arab societies since the mid-19th century.

This book is a translation of Aziz al-Azmeh’s seminal work Al-'Ilmaniya min mandhur mukhtalif that was first published in Beirut in 1992. Both celebrated and criticised for its reflections on Arab secularisation and secularism in the modern history of the Arab World, it is the only study to date to approach its subject as a set of historical changes which affected the regulation of the social, political and cultural order, and which permeated the concrete workings of society, rather than as an ideological discussion framed from the outset by …

Risk Perception Of Terrorism And Individual Preparedness In Thailand, Pinida Neenlapathna

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Since 2001, terrorist incidents in Thailand have caused more than 6,600 deaths and nearly 13,000 people have been injured. The Thai government has employed various counterterrorism measures, but there is little attention paid to terrorism awareness and preparedness. Following the tenets of social cognitive theory, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the predictive relationship between the risk perception of terrorism (i.e., perceived probability, perceived seriousness, perceived impact, perceived coping efficacy, perceived government preparedness, and perceived frontline responder preparedness) and individual preparedness among Thai people. The study was conducted with a convenience sample of 327 Thai adults who …

Adult Attachment For African American Women Who Have Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder, Elizabeth Uchechi Onyeali

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effects that borderline personality disorder (BPD) can have on the loved ones of those who suffer from the mental illness is significant and can be deleterious and enduring. Maternal BPD can adversely impact mother-daughter relationships by fostering abnormal connections and insecure attachment bonds. This is particularly the case for African American mothers, of whom research suggests that the early attachment bond between them and their daughters significantly shapes how their daughters behave, perceive themselves, and relate to others. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of being raised by a mother diagnosed …

Foster Parents’ Perceptions Of Services Needed To Help Manage Foster Children’S Emotional And Behavioral Issues, Timothy A. Lance

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children entering the foster care system in the United States have higher rates of behavioral and emotional issues than children in the general population. Research has revealed that foster parents need to be trained in how to manage the emotional and behavioral problems of children placed in their care. However, there is a gap in knowledge regarding foster care providers’ perceptions of services they may need to assist them in managing their foster children’s behavioral and emotional problems. A generic qualitative approach was used to address the question: What are foster parents’ perceptions of services they need to effectively manage …

Predictive Factors Of Determinants Of Health And Services Provided At Adult Day Service Centers, Nardia Anthonalla Aldridge

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The National Association of Adult Day Service Centers has suggested that adult day service centers can provide services to meet the complex needs of the older adult and delay nursing home placement. Researchers have yet been able to establish the predictive nature of determinants of health in Adult Day Care Centers (ADSCs). The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between the determinants of health and the presence of therapeutic services and nursing services at ADSCs. The open system theory guided this study. Data sets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016 Adult Day Services …

Acculturative Experiences Of African American Military Wives In An Arctic Environment, Demetria Roshan White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

United States military wives typically relocate every few years with their active-duty husbands. But little is known about the acculturative stress and stressors associated with relocating and reestablishing a military home in an Arctic environment. This qualitative research focused on African American women who were also military wives and the acculturative stress they encountered in relocating to an Arctic environment. Face to face interviews provided a platform for 10 military wives to share their personal experiences. The acculturative stress that African American military wives’ acculturative stress and stressors encountered in relocating from a non-Arctic to an Arctic environment are not …

Improving Effective Pain Assessment And Management In Elderly Patients, Omotola A. Adebayo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Inadequate management of pain is common in the elderly, and the negative implications are often profound. Untreated pain has been associated with negative consequences such as depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, weight loss, and limitations in the performance of daily activities and functions. The purpose of this educational project was to improve the assessment and management of pain of elderly patients residing in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). The project question examined the effects of staff education on the nursing staff’s knowledge of pain assessment and management. Nonlicensed personnel are at the forefront of providing direct patient care in LTCFs. Knowles’s theory …

Exploring Fathers' Perception Of Their Reading And Math Skills And Paternal Involvement, Vielka C. Massenburg

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many children in the U.S. public education system at the elementary and secondary levels are below proficiency in reading and math. Parental involvement within the home and school context is important to children's overall and academic success. The purpose of this basic, qualitative study was to explore fathers' perception about their self-efficacy, reading and math skills, knowledge of and accessibility to educational and community resources, and their involvement in the academic lives of their elementary school-age children. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory provided the theoretical framework of social interrelatedness. Semistructured interviews were conducted to collect the data from 7 fathers with …

Predicting Behavior To Engage In Fall Prevention Practices: The Role Of Interests And Basic Psychological Needs, Jan Fay Kress

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractA fall is associated with adverse outcomes that include occupational, physical, cognitive, and psychological decline together with economic and caregiving burden. Despite the continued increase in prevalence of falls globally, most studies address the well-known risk factors of falls but exclude the behavioral risk factors associated with human actions, emotions, and everyday choices. Following the theory of self-determination and person object of interest framework, this quantitative, nonexperimental study was conducted using face-to-face and web surveys to examine the relationship between motivational, relational, and sociodemographic/medical conditions to predict engagement in fall prevention practices in a sample of 75 community dwellers, 65 …

Adolescent Suicidal Ideation And Parental Perception, Parenting Style, And Parental Denial, Julie Mann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent suicidal ideation is a substantial health concern in the United States, from both mental and physical perspectives. Parent-child connectedness (PCC) ostensibly plays a considerable role in reducing the problem. Along with parents of youth who are struggling with suicide, mental health care providers and school administrators would appreciate understanding more effective strategies for eliminating adolescent suicidal ideation. This cross-sectional, quantitative study sought a statistically significant relationship between PCC measured as parental perception, parenting style, and parental denial (independent variables) and the dependent variable of adolescent suicidal ideation. Bandura’s social cognitive theory, Baumrind’s parenting style theory, and Mowder’s parent development …

Exploring The Resilience In Female Sex Trafficking Victims, Petra Torri

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study is aimed at exploring the resilience of human trafficking victims. More specifically, this research study focuses on the experience of female sex trafficking victims through the lese of practitioners who work with them. By understanding the causes that make females vulnerable to be recruited by traffickers, the way they get exploited, as well as how they are able to leave the trafficking situation, this dissertation provides an understanding about the factors that promote healing and resiliency from the trafficking experience. Feminist theory was used to illuminate existing literature on the subject, and data analysis was conducted using …

The Morning After: A Phenomenological Approach To Understanding The Process Of Repair And Reconciliation In The Aftermath Of Clergy Sexual Misconduct, Damion Taj Quaye

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

American religious institutions are expected to be free from the unsettling behaviors found in secular institutions. However, scandals in churches have revealed a difficult truth; the people who operate these faith institutions are just as flawed as those who do not. This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the damage caused by clergy sexual misconduct. Congregations, families, religious organizations, and the concept of the Christian church suffer because of clergy sexual misconduct. There are significant barriers to repair and reconciliation. Cases of clergy sexual misconduct in the Roman Catholic Church have received much of the attention, but the problem is bigger than …

Replacing Death With Life? The Rise Of Lwop In The Context Of Abolitionist Campaigns In The United States, Michelle Miao

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

On the basis of fifty-four elite interviews[1] with legislators, judges, attorneys, and civil society advocates as well as a state-by-state data survey, this Article examines the complex linkage between the two major penal trends in American society during the past decades: a declining use of capital punishment across the United States and a growing population of prisoners serving “life without the possibility of parole” or “LWOP” sentences. The main contribution of the research is threefold. First, the research proposes to redefine the boundary between life and death in relation to penal discourses regarding the death penalty and LWOP. LWOP …