Digital Commons Network^™

The View From The Table: An Analysis Of Participant Reactions To Community-Based Dialogues On Food And Justice, Jennifer Turner

Dissertations and Theses

While Portland, Oregon's sustainable food movement wins accolades for explicitly situating itself in opposition to the industrialized global food system, it often fails to address systems of oppression that are reproduced within the alternative agri-food movement itself. This demonstrated aversion towards the messy, complex, contingent nature of the social world reflects larger processes of "de-politicization" of the overall sustainability agenda, which leads to the favoring of technological and/or spatial solutions that may undermine the social equity and justice dimensions of the "triple bottom line." This thesis focuses on an action research project involving a series of community dialogues that provided …

Economic Inequality's Correlation With Political Inequality And Inequality Of Opportunity And The Implications For Social Justice Theory, Staci Leigh Schoff

Dissertations and Theses

In 2004 the American Political Science Association ("APSA") published research exploring whether the rising income inequality in the United States had an effect on political equality. Although the APSA found tremendous evidence of a correlation between income and political power, the APSA nonetheless concluded that the issue could not be conclusively determined without further analysis.

The intent of this thesis is to argue the position that economic inequality is heavily implicated in both political equality and equality of opportunity, and to propose a political theory that directly addresses - rather than evades - this issue. A conclusion drawn in this …

The Economic Impact Of Veteran Status: The Effect Of Veteran And Demographic Statuses On Household Income, Danielle Standridge

Dissertations and Theses

Determining the effects of military service on those who volunteer is of vital importance in an age when service may lead to the loss of bodily function or life. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of military service with consideration for the demographic statuses of race, gender, and educational attainment on economic outcomes. Data for this study came from the Current Population Survey July 2010 with Veterans Supplement (N=83,000). Results from this study suggest that some veterans, namely those of minority racial status and lower educational attainment benefit from their military serve by achieving increased levels …

Postwar Reconstruction In Liberia: The Participation And Recognition Of Women In Politics In Liberia, Roland Tuwea Clarke

Dissertations and Theses

Despite the remarkable contributions made by women to secure peace in Liberia, women's representation in politics is still low. The first female African President has been elected, as well as a few women to strategic government positions, but the vast majority of women remain invisible. The reliance on these few women in government is inadequate to produce the significant changes that will be required to bring equality for all women.

This study examines the recognition of women's relative participation and recognition in postwar reconstruction in Liberia. Differences between traditional and non-traditional women's participation in Liberia were found.

This study includes …

Learning To Adapt: Online Social Science Instruction In Higher Education, Patrick Steven Smith

Dissertations and Theses

Online learning is a rapidly growing phenomenon in post-secondary education. Institutions of higher learning have embraced online learning for its perceived merits, but without the consideration of how instructors deal with this different learning medium. Little is known of the extent to which different disciplines are suited to the online medium; this is pertinent to disciplines that rely on spontaneous in-person discussion. Furthermore, as colleges continue to invest heavily in online learning, instructors who only possess face-to-face teaching experience may begin teaching online. This poses a pedagogical challenge for instructors who are unfamiliar with the medium. This qualitative, in-depth interview …

Life Post 9/11: Experiences Of Korean Americans Ten Years Later, Jay Lee

Dissertations and Theses

This is one of the first qualitative studies to investigate experiences of Korean-American Christians living in New York City at the time of 9/11. This study sought to gain an understanding of how a group of Second Generation Korean-American Christians living in New York City at the time of the 9/11 attacks experienced that event and the event's impact on their religious beliefs. The study also investigated the communication context at the time of the ten year anniversary of the event, September 11th, 2011. The guiding research questions were: RQ1) What were their life experiences of 9/11? RQ2) Was their …

Focal Point, Volume 27, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This special issue of Focal Point focuses on best practices for helping youth and young adults with mental health challenges reach their educational and employment goals, by highlighting preliminary results from some of our research at Pathways to Positive Futures as well as some of the work being done at the Transitions RTC at the University of Massachusetts.

Defining And Characterizing Open Peer Review: A Review Of The Literature, Emily Ford

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Changes in scholarly publishing have resulted in a move toward openness. To this end, new, open models of peer review are emerging. While the scholarly literature has examined and discussed open peer review, no established definition of it exists, nor are there uniform implementations of open peer review processes. This article examines the literature discussing open peer review, identifies common open peer review definitions, and describes eight common characteristics of open peer review: signed review, disclosed review, editor-mediated review, transparent review, crowdsourced review, prepublication review, synchronous review, and post-publication review. This article further discusses benefits and challenges to the scholarly …

Evaluation Of The Effect Of Supportive Services On The Success Of Apprentices In A Highway Trade, Maura Kelly

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This project evaluates the impact of a Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) initiative that provides supportive services (i.e. child care subsidies; fuel assistance; support for overnight travel; tools, clothing, and protective equipment) to promote retention of apprentices in the highway trades, with particular concern for increasing the retention of women and people of color. This research project specifically focuses on the Knife River apprentice program. This is a useful case study as all apprentices in the program are employed by the same employer (most apprentice programs have multiple employers) and because approximately half …

Education & Employment, L. Kris Gowen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The author provides an introduction to this issue of Focal Point, which focuses on the problems faced by youth with mental health challenges when attempting to choose a career. She also provides brief overviews of the articles contained in this issue, and recounts her own experiences as she embarked on her career.

Returning To Learn: Research And The Prodigal Student, Emily Ford, Meredith G. Farkas, Molly Blalock-Koral

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

Returning students - those with a significant lapse in time during their formal education - make up a large and growing percentage of the student population at Portland State University (PSU). Over 40% of PSU undergraduates are over 26 years of age and 21% of graduate students over 39. Given returning students’ experiences in the work force, motivations for learning, and the lapse of time since conducting academic research, returning students may approach research differently than traditional students. Despite the size of this student population at PSU and the growth of the returning student demographic in higher education, very little …

Hack All The History! Hackers 1959 - 1991, Kevin Vilbig

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines what a hacker is and explores an idea that has received a lot of recent attention: Information should be free. It also asks the question: Should information be free? Within a university or other research institution, or when the information has little to no commercial, strategic, political, or popular value, the answer is why not?

Queer! Narratives Of Gendered Sexuality: A Journey In Identity, Kym Bradley

Dissertations and Theses

My project looks at current conceptualizations of identity relating to gender and sexuality in order to understand how queer individuals enact gender as connected to their non-normative sexuality. I will use the notion of "desire" through Butler's (1990) notion of performativity as a part of iterability that reproduces an opposition between what is intended and how it is perceived. This approach creates space to problematize the status of identities that posits the conception of fluidity and dialectic as attached to notions of gendered sexualities - the understanding that sexuality interacts with gender and that these two notions are not compartmentalized. …

The Use Of Music As A Pedagogical Tool In Higher Education Sociology Courses: Faculty Member Perspectives And Potential Barriers, Jerry C.L. Loveless

Dissertations and Theses

Previous research has identified student engagement as an important antecedent to student learning in higher education. Although student engagement is viewed as important for learning, a significant number of college students still report frequently feeling bored in their courses. The use of music as a pedagogical tool is believed to be beneficial for promoting student engagement and student learning in higher education sociology courses, yet it has been suggested that sociology faculty members do not commonly incorporate the technique into their courses. The purpose of this comparative interview study is to explore higher education sociology faculty members' understandings of the …

2013 Commencement Program, Richard Tapia

Commencement Archives 2010-19

The program for the Portland State University 2013 Commencement ceremonies, held June 13, 2013.

Richard Tapia received an honorary degree and delivered the commencement addresses.

Barbara Ames received an honorary degree during the afternoon ceremony for the College of the Arts, School of Business Administration, Graduate School of Education, Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, School of Social Work, and the College of Urban and Public Affairs.

Rural Revolution: Documenting The Lesbian Land Communities Of Southern Oregon, Heather Jo Burmeister

Dissertations and Theses

Out of the politically charged atmosphere of the 1960s and 1970s emerged a migration to "the land" and communes, which popularly became known as the back-to-the-land movement. This migration occurred throughout the United States, as well as many other countries, and included clusters of land based communities in southern Oregon. Within these clusters, lesbian feminist women created lesbian separatist lands and communes. These women were well educated, and politically active in movements such as the New Left, Civil Rights, Women's Liberation, and Gay Liberation. These lands or communes functioned together as a community network that developed and commodified lesbian art, …

Same Sex Marriage And The Perceived Assault On Opposite Sex Marriage, Alexis Dinno, Chelsea Whitney

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Marriage benefits both individuals and societies, and is a fundamental determinant of health. Until recently same sex couples have been excluded from legally recognized marriage in the United States. Recent debate around legalization of same sex marriage has highlighted for anti-same sex marriage advocates and policy makers a concern that allowing same sex couples to marry will lead to a decrease in opposite sex marriages. Our objective is to model state trends in opposite sex marriage rates by implementation of same sex marriages and other same sex unions.

Methods and Findings: Marriage data were obtained for all …

Public Opinion And The Oregon Death With Dignity Act, Peggy Jo Ann Sandeen

Dissertations and Theses

Oregon voters legalized physician-assisted death in 1997 by passing the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. This law allowed terminally ill, mentally competent adult residents of the state to legally obtain a physician's prescription to hasten death under narrow sets of circumstances. The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine contemporary patterns of support for the law in Oregon and to explore how opinions have changed over time on the issue. This study examined patterns of public support among a random sample of registered Oregon voters for the state's death with dignity law, using a mixed mode (mail, online, and …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet June 2013, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The June 2013 Monthly packet includes the June agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held May 2013

Teachers' Negative Comments Toward Youth In Foster Care With Disabilities: How Do They Relate To Youths' Problem Behaviors, School Attitudes, And School Performance?, Sunghwan Noh

Dissertations and Theses

A large proportion of youth in foster care receive special education services, and poor educational outcomes are one of the most important difficulties facing these youth. One potential risk affecting the low educational achievements of youth in foster care and special education could be teachers' negative and stigmatizing comments toward them. Teachers' negative and stigmatizing comments could have negative effects on youths' behaviors, school attitudes and school performance. Yet, research on the nature and the impact of teachers' negative and stigmatizing comments remains limited.

Based on labeling and attribution theories, this study investigated the nature and impact of teachers' negative …

The Role Of Psycho-Sociocultural Factors In Suicide Risk Among Mong/Hmong Youth, Tangjudy Vang

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined psychological, social, and cultural factors that can affect suicide risk among Mong/Hmong youth between the ages of 18 and 25. Emerging evidence suggests that Mong/Hmong youth are at an increased risk for suicide (Huang, Lee, & Arganza, 2004; Jesilow & Xiong, 2007). Additionally, initial findings and theories have suggested potential associations between Mong/Hmong youth suicide risk and intergenerational family conflict, ethnic identity, acculturation, depression, and spirituality. The seriousness of suicide risk among Mong/Hmong youth in this country has been overlooked for decades; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine these associations with the hope that …

Forming A New Art In The Pacific Northwest: Studio Glass In The Puget Sound Region, 1970-2003, Marianne Ryder

Dissertations and Theses

The studio glass movement first arose in the United States in the early 1950s, and was characterized by practitioners who wanted to divorce glass from its industrial associations and promote it as a fine arts medium. This movement began in a few cities in the eastern part of the country, and in Los Angeles, but gradually emerged as an art form strongly associated with the city of Seattle and the Puget Sound region. This research studies the emergence and growth of the studio glass movement in the Puget Sound region from 1970 to 2003. It examines how glass artists and …

The Effects Of Race, Socioeconomic Status, And Religion On Formal End-Of-Life Planning, Tina Dawn Lillian Burdsall

Dissertations and Theses

Individuals who are facing death today are doing so in an environment that is significantly different than it was in the past. Medical technology is increasingly able to keep people alive even with multiple complex chronic conditions. While these advances in medicine are beneficial to many, it can also unnecessarily prolong inevitable deaths. Concerns over the ability to have a death that is in alignment with personal values has increased the interest in the use of formal end-of-life planning including writing an advance instructional directive and assigning a durable power of attorney for health care. Although research has indicated that …

Use Of Gender Aschematicity In The Reassessment Of Gender Concepts, Ashley A. Ward

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to reevaluate the binary constructs of sex and gender; and the biological and social influence these constructs have on males, females, and non-normative individuals. Throughout this examination, biological, specifically chromosomal and anatomical, differences between sexes will help foster a definition of sex. Psychological theories will then be examined, calculating the psychological and social factors surrounding gender. A reevaluation of gender constructs will shed light on previously held misconceptions about gender and help lay groundwork for non-normative gender acceptance in the future. Furthermore, the thesis will delve into gender aschematicity and potential benefits of gender …

Alley Allies, Scotty Ellis, Katie Hughes, Derek Dauphin, Sarah Isbitz, Shavon Caldwell, Liz Paterson

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

This is the guiding document for the project and sets the stage for the potential of alley re-use in the Foster Corridor. It includes: A 2020 vision statement; a project overview; context regarding the importance of alley revitalization; and our recommendations. The intended audience for this document is the leadership of the project, the non-profits and other organizations who will be involved in the project’s implementation, and the City agencies who will play a critical role in facilitating the successful repurposing of these alleys.

This document describes the development of the project during the planning phase, including the public engagement …

No Turning Back: A City Club Report On Bicycle Transportation In Portland, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.)

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Utilizing Affinity Spaces And Critical Literacies For Multi-Media Language Learning : I Can Has L3arning On Teh Interwebz Plz?, Allison Lemcke-Kibby

University Honors Theses

In this study I will demonstrate students' personal use of the technology and online affinity spaces outside of the second and foreign language classroom. These affinity spaces allow users to discuss, explore and solve writing and reading related problems while textually constructing and exploring their identities. Language learners' use of fan fiction is the main focus of this analysis because it provides a significant outlet to examine literacy oriented language skills. I will analyze three case studies on language learners' production of fan fiction texts through a critical literacy framework which concentrate on three of the main characteristics of using …

Interview With Maggie Michaels, Portland Public Schools, 2013 (Audio), Maggie Michaels

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Maggie Michaels by Carmen Vigil in NE Portland, Oregon on May 23rd, 2013.

The interview index is available for download.

Neighboring In Strip City: A Situational Analysis Of Strip Clubs, Land Use Conflict, And Occupational Health In Portland, Oregon, Moriah Mcsharry Mcgrath

Dissertations and Theses

A lack of land use controls on sexually oriented businesses contributes to the unique configuration of Portland, Oregon's strip clubs: nearly fifty clubs are distributed throughout the city's neighborhoods. Considered a locally unwanted land use (LULU) by many, these strip clubs are regulated by a variety of formal and informal social processes in the absence of zoning. This qualitative study explores drivers and constraints shaping the spatial configuration of Portland's strip club industry as well as influences on land use conflict at strip club sites and working conditions for women who work as exotic dancers in the clubs. Data collection …

The Metropolitan Dimensions Of United States Immigration Policy: A Theoretical And Comparative Analysis, Nicole G. Toussaint

Dissertations and Theses

Municipal unauthorized immigration policy, as an area of study, is underexplored. The literature is in the early stages of development, and little specific theory to guide research exists. To advance this emerging field, my study addresses two questions. First, what unauthorized immigration policies do local governments pursue, under what circumstances, and for what reasons? Second, what explains city-to-city variation in municipal responsiveness to the policy preferences and interests of residents without legal status?

The dissertation also presents a typology of municipal responsiveness to unauthorized immigrants, based on my exploratory research. To explain intercity differences in the policy processes and choices …