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Signs & Symbols, Vol. 14, Spring 2015, Illinois State University, Department Of Sociology And Anthropology

Signs & Symbols

Newsletter of the Illinois State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Enrollment Report, Spring 2015, Planning, Research, And Policy Analysis

Enrollment Reports (2004-2019)

Enrollment Report for Spring 2015 for Illinois State University

Political Science News And Views, Spring 2015, Department Of Politics And Government

Department of Politics and Government News and Views

Newsletter of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University

Design Is Our Success--The Importance Of Modeling A Virtual Enterprise, Elisabeth Riebenbauer, Michaela Stock

International Journal for Business Education

Virtual Enterprise is a multidimensional teaching method based on a business simulation for learning purposes. In a Virtual Enterprise, students execute procedures similar to real-life companies in a virtual market economy. To enable that students can act according to existing business principles, teachers must design this Virtual Enterprise as an economically valid business model. This paper discusses the importance and the process of modeling and introduces several ways of designing a Virtual Enterprise for different learning objectives.

Modeling And Simulation Of Evacuation Plan For Hancock Stadium, Nirmal Neranjan Weerasekara

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study is to use Modeling and Simulation of Evacuation Plan (MSEP) to support management to execute proper evacuation plan in case of emergency at Hancock Stadium in Illinois State University. Analyses of the research literature and evacuation scenarios are used to build a simulation system that will connect a description of emergency and evacuation situation with its context. It shows how an evacuation plan actually functions. The results of the study will help safety managers to understand the current situations of evacuation according to the specific simulation scenarios. The evacuation simulation is categorized according to the …

Watch And Learn: A Documentary Exploring The Effects Of Video-Based Pedagogy, Chris Matthew Noel

Theses and Dissertations

This 20 minute film explores the use of hybrid lesson plans, those consisting of traditional in-class teaching and interactive video outside of the classroom. Using six voluntary Graduate Teaching Assistants as participants, the documentary follows the participants as they give their ideologies on teaching, perform either a traditional lesson plan or the hybrid lesson plan, and participate in a focus group to give their opinion on the perceived benefits or drawbacks of having hybrid lesson plans in the classroom.

Identification Of The Practices, Preferences, Knowledge, Attitudes And Barriers To Strength Training Participation Of Young College Aged Women, Brianna Ackerman

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and United States Department of Health and Human Services classify muscular fitness as a key component of health (13,20). While important for both men and women, women can benefit from resistance training, specifically strength training, in many ways. Muscular strength gains, increases and maintenance of lean body mass such as muscle and bone and possible fat loss are some benefits that women who regularly participate in resistance training can achieve (4,5,6,9,18).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the practices, preferences, knowledge, attitudes and barriers to strength training participation in …

Living In And Between"Two Different Worlds": Arab American Women, Identity, And Their Interethnic Romantic Relationships, Samar Dababneh

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the growth of Middle Easterners living in America, the study of interethnic

romantic relationships among Arab American women is crucial. The primary objective of this study is to achieve a deeper understanding through in-depth respondent interviews about the Arab American woman's interethnic romantic relationships, familial relationships, and platonic relationships specifically, to discover her use of identity negotiation and management with use of thematic analysis. The pressure for an Arab American woman to find a partner based on parental guidelines creates this notion of living "two separate worlds," thus, affecting the negotiation of her multiple identities. While some Arab …

The Impact Of Military Experience On The Higher Education Experiences Of Veterans, Jeff Dougherty

Theses and Dissertations

Veterans have been an integral part of the student population on higher education campuses since the conclusion of World War II. The purpose of this study was to examine veterans' perceptions of how their military experiences affected their experience as college students. Twenty-six veterans were interviewed at six Illinois higher education institutions. Study findings suggest five ways in which the military experience helped veterans adjust to college: (a) veterans were experienced with group collaboration; (b) veterans held high expectations of themselves; (c) veterans were organized and task-oriented; (d) veterans were experienced learners, and; (e) veterans had experience and ability to …

Subsistence Strategies In The Upper Illinois River Valley: The Kuhne Site Case Study, Autumn Beyer

Theses and Dissertations

Stuart Struever's excavation of the Kuhne site, located in the Upper Illinois River Valley occurred during the start of archaeological interest in the region. The faunal remains recovered during this excavation offer a unique opportunity to understand subsistence strategies in the area during the Middle Woodland period. Using standard zooarchaeological methods, these remains were analyzed to better understand which animal species were targeted by Middle Woodland people in this region, which season(s) the site was occupied, and how bones were modified for utilitarian and other purposes. These findings were then compared to faunal assemblages from Middle Woodland sites in the …

A Qualitative Assessment Of Eating Behaviors In Adults With Autism, Samantha Barbier

Theses and Dissertations

Rationale: Diagnosis of autism has increased ten-fold in the last 40 years, and adults with autism remain an underrepresented population in research. Purpose: To qualitatively explore the relationship between eating behaviors and autism using a questionnaire and interviews with adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: Four males aged 22-27 were interviewed with their mothers present and completed the Swedish Eating Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders (SWEAA). Interviews were analyzed through the process of open coding, and the questionnaires were analyzed to determine consistent findings between the interview and the SWEAA questionnaire. Major Findings: Participants generally recognized hunger and satiety …

Student Criminality: The Influence Of Strain, Family And Peers, Annie Cvetan

Theses and Dissertations

General strain theory suggests that a number of conditioning factors affect who is more likely to respond to strain with crime. Research has also demonstrated that an individual's self-complexity plays a role in how an individual responds to strain. Self-complexity refers to (1) the number of identities individuals perceive as important to themselves; and (2) the varied characteristics they ascribe to these identities. This research study analyzed if college students were committing crime, whether the crimes were major or minor in nature, and if criminality was a new behavior or an imported one. This study also looked at who, if …

Raising The Bar: The Stories Of Ged Graduates Transitioning To Community College, David Weatherspoon

Theses and Dissertations

RAISING THE BAR: THE STORIES OF GED GRADUATES

TRANSITIONING TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

David Weatherspoon

216 Pages January 2015

The purpose of this study is to examine the educational stories of GED graduates' pursuit of a college degree. The analysis captures the shared experiences of a select number of students' challenges and barriers during their transition to college. This research explores the links between the concepts of social and cultural capital and locus of control (behavior) by examining how these concepts are logically interrelated. The students were purposefully selected to participate based on their involvement in the community college GED transition …

Why Do I Fall For The Elf, When I Am No Orc Myself? The Implications Of Virtual Avatars In Digital Communication, Sercan Sengun

Faculty Publications – Creative Technologies

Various recent research on online avatars debated their authenticity in terms of representing the individuals that manage them. Seemingly users would construct an enhanced or idealized presence of themselves online, yet fail to realize that others also do so when seeking information of other users through their avatars. This phenomenon becomes even more curious inside online video game spaces, since video game avatars are already expected to be unrelated with their players but are still seen as sources of information about them. This study approaches the issue as a communication problem and tries to explain the process through Berger’s Uncertainty …

The Administrator, January 2015, Illinois State University College Student Personnel Administration

The Administrator

Newsletter of the Illinois State University College Student Personnel Administration

“Building Louder”: An Assessment Of Habitat For Humanity, International’S Government Relations And Advocacy Efforts, Joanna A. Bossi

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This paper examines the role that advocacy and lobbying has in nonprofit organizations and, specifically, makes an assessment of how well Habitat for Humanity, International is utilizing advocacy. This paper reviews the role of nonprofits in the United States, the barriers that keep some nonprofits from utilizing advocacy methods, and the advocacy methods that Habitat for Humanity, International has in place, as well as the methods of other nonprofits of similar size. Recommendations to Habitat for Humanity, International to increase their advocacy capacity are provided.

Building On Social Capital To Improve Health: The Interactional Approach To Community Development, Matthew Charles Tomlin Mr

Student Research – Stevenson Center

Since political scientist, Robert Putnam, (1995) brought the concept of social capital into popular discourse, there has been a surge in debate over its definition, causes, and consequences in a range of social science disciplines. While social capital has been found to support self-rated overall health at the state level (Kawachi et al, 1999), there is still a dearth of data and research on localities in different regions of the country. This study analyzes survey data collected in the United Way of McLean County’s 2014 Community Assessment to better understand the dynamic between social capital and health in one Central …

The Rhetorical Goddess: A Feminist Perspective On Women In Magic, Laura C. Bruns, Joseph Zompetti

Faculty Publications - Communications

Although female magicians have existed since the rise of entertainment magic, women have faced difficulty in entering the “fraternity” of the magic community. As an art form largely based around persuasion, it is useful to study the performance of magic as a text. It is additionally useful to study female magicians within this context of rhetoric. Not only will examining the rhetoric of female magicians provide insights on the rhetoric of women in this unique arena, but also of women in a historically gendered and underrepresented field. Research into this area may disclose other details regarding the communicative differences between …

Infant Mortality: Cross Section Study Of The United State, With Emphasis On Education, Daniel C. Sheets-Poling

Student Research – Stevenson Center

On the surface infant mortality is usually thought of as just a unfortunate part of life in what can happen to an individual family, but infant mortality is part of the factors that affect social capital, which can lead back to overall trust in a community. When that trust starts to wither within a community, economic activity will be affected as community members will not behave as they usually do within their given economic boundaries. While social capital is not solely affected by infant mortality, it does show what type of health status an area has. As a community, state, …

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Fifty-Fifth Annual Commencement, December 13, 2014, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Illinois State University
One Hundred and Fifty-Fifth Annual Commencement
December 13, 2014

Imagined And Activated Capital Within Study Abroad: Ethnographic And Auto-Ethnographic Reflections, Amanda Miller, William Shaw

ISU Ethnography of the University Initiative

Through ethnographic interviews and auto-ethnographic reflections of Illinois State University students about the meanings and experiences of study abroad, demonstrates that students imagine the study abroad experience as that which is individually transformative, advantageous within the employment sector, and an experience that increases cultural competence and global citizenship. Study abroad participation is influenced by race and socioeconomic status; individual habitus is argued to factor into how study abroad is perceived. Focusing on how class and race determine the ways in which study abroad is constructed through analysis of the meanings of the study abroad experience through imagined, transformed, and activated …

Understading "International": Faculty Perspectives On Study Abroad And Global Studies Education, Ethan Ingram

ISU Ethnography of the University Initiative

Little research has been devoted to critiques of study abroad programming coming from faculty perspectives. This research examines faculty critiques of study abroad arising from proposed changes in general studies education that would allow students to substitute study abroad for "global studies" coursework that specifically covers topics related to non-Western societies. While faculty are generally supportive of study abroad, opposition to this proposed policy change highlight questions of study abroad's role in higher education.

Social Forms And Culture Within Miller Park, Andrew Griffin

Student Research – Stevenson Center

This research explores the physical design and usage of Miller Park in Bloomington, IL for evidence of a cultural lineage to Frederick Law Olmsted and for indications that Miller Park functions as a third place locale as envisioned by Ray Oldenburg. The research also attempts to identify key cultural characteristics of the park, document park use, and assess Miller Park’s cultural significance within the local community.

Contradicting Conventional Wisdom: Women Presidents' Abilities To Forge Purposeful And Instrumental Relationships For Institutional Outcomes, Susan Amy Woollen

Theses and Dissertations

CONTRADICTING CONVENTIONAL WISDOM: WOMEN PRESIDENTS' ABILITIES TO FORGE PURPOSEFUL AND INSTRUMENTAL

RELATIONSHIPS FOR INSTITUTIONAL OUTCOMES

Susan A. Woollen

268 pages May 2015

There is a perception in the literature that women presidents are weak in the function of instrumental relationship building. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the practices developed and utilized by women presidents of 4-year institutions to identify and build relationships with key constituents whom they recognized as having resources that could lead to institution building and to learn how the presidents secured those resources.

Through an interview format, 12 presidents elaborated on the internal …

Social Forms And Culture Within Miller Park, Andrew R. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

SOCIAL FORMS AND CULTURE WITHIN MILLER PARK

Andrew Griffin

109 Pages December 2014

This research explores the physical design and usage of Miller Park in Bloomington, IL for evidence of a cultural lineage to Frederick Law Olmsted and for indications that Miller Park functions as a third place locale as envisioned by Ray Oldenburg. The research also attempts to identify key cultural characteristics of the park, document park use, and assess Miller Park's cultural significance within the local community.

Observation sessions within the park and targeted intercept interviews provide first hand data about park usage and physical design elements. Key …

Identifying Program Needs Of Women Detainees In A Jail Environment, Jeanna Michele Rodda

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, the population of incarcerated women has been steadily increasing. Approximately 200,000 women are incarcerated in prisons and jails in the United States (Clarke, Phipps, Tong, Rose, and Gold, 2010). There is an increasing level of comorbidity among the population of incarcerated women, with the majority requiring mental health, physical health, substance abuse and pregnancy services at the time of their incarceration or soon afterwards. Incarcerated women face a number of challenges; they are cut off from their primary support system and their children. Their physical health deteriorates, they lack appropriate coping skills, and often experience withdrawal symptoms. …

Senate Meeting, October 8, 2014, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Illinois State University Salaries Fy2015, Illinois State University

Illinois State University Salaries

Includes two sections: non-tenure track, tenure track, and faculty associate salaries, and administrative professional and civil service salaries.

The Rap Sheet, Fall 2014, Illinois State University, Department Of Criminal Justice Sciences

The Rap Sheet

Newsletter of the Illinois State University Department of Criminal Justice Sciences

Fact Book 2014, Planning, Research, And Policy Analysis

Fact Book (1988-2019)

Fact Book 2014 for Illinois State University