Digital Commons Network^™

Tenure And Promotion Announcement, 2023, University Of Mississippi. Provost

Tenure and Promotion Announcements

No abstract provided.

Ice Age Expert Named Director Of Um Archaeology Center, Erin Garrett

University of Mississippi News

Jesse Tune to bring cutting-edge methodologies to university

Making History: Ted Ownby To Retire After 35 Years, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

After 35 years as a member of the University of Mississippi faculty, including 11 years as director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, history and Southern Studies professor Ted Ownby is preparing to retire at the end of June.

Casting Your Own Spell: The Role Of Individualism In Wiccan Beliefs, Matt Mcdermott

Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Southern Anthropological Society

What is the role of individualism within the neopagan religious movement of Wicca? To answer this question, this research study was carried out in western North Carolina using participant observation and interviews with ten practitioners in 2021. This paper argues that Wiccan adherents cultivate an individualist agency that manifests through an openness to beliefs and practices. One of Wicca’s key characteristics is a lack of commitment to dogma. This allows Wiccans to bring aspects of their own identities and personalities into their practices. This individualist agency is shaped by solitary and collectivist forms of Wicca, which place value on liberating, …

The Role Of Narrative Medicine In Patient Healing And Meaningful Clinical Practice, Elizabeth Gray Duperier

Honors Theses

The patient-clinician relationship is one that relies heavily on trust and understanding—both of which are reached through effective communication. As medicine advances, it is increasingly important to prioritize the human interaction in the clinical encounter. Illness is more than just a set of diagnoses; it is the culmination of one’s way of being and interacting with the world while experiencing these diagnoses—it is a narrative. In order for physicians to provide quality care, trust and understanding are of the utmost importance, but oftentimes these are not at the forefront of medical practice due to logistical barriers that the US healthcare …

Predictors Of Future Physician Practice Location, Allegra Latimer

Honors Theses

Healthcare disparities exist throughout the United States. While Mississippi does not stand alone in the maldistribution of physicians and medical practices across the state, it does exist as a state that has been historically medically underserved. According to data collected by The County Health Rankings Model developed by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, in 2019, the ratio of population to primary care physicians in Mississippi was 1860:1. This is nearly 30% higher in disparity than the national average. It is also important to note that of Mississippi’s 82 counties, 79.3% are considered rural with the majority of physicians …

Associations Between Tiktok Use, Mental Health, And Body Image Among College Students, Alexz Carpenter

Honors Theses

Background. Social media use continues to increase globally, and there is a large field of research examining the relationships between social media use with anxiety, depression, and body image. College-aged students are particularly vulnerable to these associations because they are at a unique developmental point of their life. College-aged students also use social media more frequently than almost any other age group, which may put them at increased risk for negative mental health and body image outcomes related to their social media use. TikTok is a relatively new social media app that has exponentially risen in popularity, especially among younger …

Gender Disparities Present Within The Legal Profession, Olivia M. Sanders

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the problem of gender disparities present within the legal profession in order to discover their causes and ways to mitigate them. Currently, there are a variety of gender disparities in the legal profession. Women are paid less than their male counterparts, are exposed to sexual harassment and violence more often, and receive fewer leadership opportunities, to name just a few of these disparities. While these disparities are documented in larger firms, little data exists on the extent of such issues in smaller firms, especially in the southeastern United States. Accordingly, I interviewed eight individuals with their juris …

Key Barriers To University-Enrolled Student Parents Enhanced By The Covid-19 Pandemic, Khadeejah Franklin, Alexa Saval

Honors Theses

Student parents, both undergraduate and graduate, already face the difficult task of balancing their studies and raising children. The COVID-19 pandemic enhanced already present issues student parents face, such as virtual-schooling, daycare costs and closings, staying home with sick children, and potentially not having a local support system, among others. Further, students who are performing laboratory research to fulfill their STEM educational requirements had their
research progress come to a halt when the country locked down. This study aims to identify the struggles student parents faced prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, what issues the pandemic exacerbated, and what new problems …

The Associations Between Adolescent Motives For Social Media Use With Body Dysmorphia, Eating Disorder, And Anxiety And Depression Symptoms, Kaylan Melvin

Honors Theses

Adolescents spend a large amount of time on social media sites. This is notable, as adolescence is a crucial time for body image development. Additionally, recent findings suggest that using image-oriented social media sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, is associated with more body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Among previous studies, certain social media motivations have been found to have an association with poor body satisfaction and well-being in adolescents. To our knowledge, no studies have directly examined the association between social media motivations and eating disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and anxiety and depression symptoms in adolescents. The current study …

Historical Archaeology At The Chalmers Institute, Mississippi's First University, Antosia Briggs

Honors Theses

This study presents a basic description and analysis of the artifacts collected from the 2015 archaeological excavation conducted in Holly Springs, Mississippi at the Chalmers Institute site. The thesis includes history and background on Holly Springs as a city to orient the reader. This text also includes information regarding the program, Preserve Marshall County, as their work regarding the building and site ties directly into the ability of the student archaeologists being able to excavate in 2015 as well as the future of the building. This study analyzes the artifacts found based on the frameworks of the archaeology of institutional …

University Of Mississippi 170th Commencement, 2023, University Of Mississippi, Glenn F. Boyce, Noel E. Wilkin, Stephanie Hickman

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

“The Product Of That Finer Mould”: The Role Of Chinese Porcelain In The Making Of Early American Images Of China, Emily Meryn Hospodor

Honors Theses

This thesis asserts that Chinese material culture, specifically porcelain, was instrumental in the development of American perceptions of China in the colonial period through the late 19th century. The first chapter examines how the quality, durability, and uniqueness of Chinese export porcelain led Europeans, and by extension American colonists, to view China as an advanced and abundant civilization populated with ingenious craftsmen. The second chapter addresses the emergence of negative views of China among American traders and scholars after the establishment of direct contact with China during the Old China Trade (1784-1844). In contrast, the third chapter demonstrates that Americans …

The Evolving Role Of Women In The Sinaloa Cartel: An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Drug Trafficking Organizations, Female Agency, And Economic Mobility, Catherine Page, Kennady Leigh Hertz

Honors Theses

Exploring the role of women in Mexican drug trafficking organizations is a topic that has gained significant traction in the past 30 years. Despite the increase of literature on the topic, few papers theorize as to why women participate. This product sought to explore the various reasons why women participate in Mexican drug trafficking organizations, either willingly, or against their wishes. We hypothesized that women join drug trafficking organizations for two primary reasons: a) they are coerced by male figures in their life, and b.) they participate willingly in an effort to gain economic mobility. To test our hypothesis, we …

Impact Of Nutritional Knowledge On Student Purchase Intention Of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Mary Claire Ford

Honors Theses

The college years are a critical time in an individual’s life in which dietary habits are developed and will likely carry on for years to come. Mississippi has been ranked highly in health issues such as obesity for years; dietary decisions are one factor that can influence a person’s obesity risk. Therefore, it is imperative that changes be made to dietary decisions at a young age. With the proper adjustments made, preventable issues such as obesity can be avoided. Thus, research investigating how nutritional information affects college students’ purchase intention at the University of Mississippi is warranted. In this study, …

Sea Of Monsters, Kriscia Martinez

Undergraduate B.F.A. Theses in Studio Art

No abstract provided.

Ready For The World - Journey To Commencement, Edwin Smith

Journey to Commencement

Matt Knerr excelled in every aspect of university life and beyond.

A Legacy Of Devotion, Resilience And Service - Journey To Commencement, Vivian Ibrahim

Journey to Commencement

Jilkiah Bryant focuses on leaving a lasting impact as a Truman Scholar.

Starting Something New - Journey To Commencement, Ciara Edney Williams

Journey to Commencement

Taylor Medalist Rhonda Brown no longer running from school, but running toward her dreams.

Prescription Drug Misuse Among Graduate Students: Prevalence And Links To Mental Health And Academic Burnout, Madison De Gruiter

Honors Theses

The aims of this study are to examine the prevalence of prescription drug misuse (PDM) among doctoral students and assess associations between PDM and anxiety and burnout in this population. Additional analyses analyzed differential associations by doctoral degree type (i.e., research versus professional programs). A sample of doctoral students (n=131) affiliated with the University of Mississippi participated in an anonymous survey to assess research aims.

Kindness Without Barriers: An Investigation Of The Benefits Of Social Organizations For Students With Disabilities, Abby Newton

Honors Theses

While legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) has made monumental progress in education for individuals with disabilities, there is still an evident need for increased accessibility and equity of opportunity within the K-12 environment. IDEA guarantees students with disabilities will receive a Free Appropriate Public Education, but this law does not include discussion on the evolving barriers to social participation students with disabilities often face, and sequentially, the impact this has on one’s learning environment. This report will examine the benefits of extracurricular activities for …

Tourism's Power To Promote Peacebuilding In Post-Conflict Societies - A Northern Ireland Case Study, Margaret Walker

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the capacity of tourism to promote peacebuilding in post-conflict societies, specifically focusing on Northern Ireland. This study assesses the current state of conflict tourism in Northern Ireland by analyzing two tourist sites and considering variables that may impact peacebuilding in the greater Northern Ireland community. It measures the success of the Northern Ireland approach by comparing the effects of tourism in other post-conflict and conflict societies. This study culminates with the presentation of certain strategies that Northern Ireland should implement to positively impact peacebuilding through tourism. Curators must portray history in a balanced, sensitive manner that avoids …

Calculating Risk: A Scoping Review Of Ncaa D1 Football Players’ Motivations To Play And The Correlation To Demographic Characteristics And Injury Experiences, Kathleen D. Walsh

Honors Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate the motivations of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 (D1) football players for playing the game and how these motivations are associated with their socioeconomic status (SES). Further, the research aimed to investigate how the uncovered motivations were linked to injury experiences. The original project was designed as a survey-based mixed methods study on a national scale. However, issues with participant recruitment led to sidelining of that primary research. The research presented is a scoping review of the available literature pertaining to the research question: What is known from existing literature …

An Interesting Tension: Contextualizing The Emergence Of Queer Subjectivity In Rural Mississippi, Ian Whalen

Course Events, Presentations, and Syllabi

Event flyer of presentation by Ian Whalen, Sociology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Colorado-Boulder and UM Alum (2015 and 2017). Sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

"This talk will engage data drawn from the Queer Mississippi Oral History Project and explore how governing silences are negotiated and resisted by LGBTQ+ Mississippians."

Note: the event was not recorded.

Black Male Educator Shortage In The Mississippi Public School System: Impact, Challenges, And Intervention Strategies, Jilkiah Bryant

Honors Theses

The shortage of Black male educators in Mississippi's public school systems is a critical issue with far-reaching implications for the state's education system. Despite the state's sizable Black population, the percentage of Black male teachers remains disproportionately low, and there is little evidence of progress being made to address this issue. This paper examines the impact of the Black male educator shortage on Mississippi's education system, the challenges faced by Black male educators, and related intervention strategies to increase the number of Black male teachers in Mississippi's public school systems. Through a comprehensive literature review and interviews with Black male …

Lavender Graduation 2023, University Of Mississippi. Center For Inclusion And Cross-Cultural Engagement

Lavender Graduation

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Impact Of Student-Teacher Relationships On Teacher Retention And Recruitment, Kylie Scott

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of positive student teacher relationships on teacher retention and recruitment. The overarching research question this thesis project aims to address is how do teachers describe the impact of student-teacher relationships on their decisions to become a teacher and stay in teaching? Verbal data collected through semi-structured interviews with my former teachers have been analyzed and reviewed for common or emergent themes. These themes will be discussed along with other commentary from a literature review, results, and a conclusion.

Internship Portfolio: Digital Collection Of Dr. Mark Frezzo’S Book Inventory And Exhibit About Us China Relationship: Internship With Um Library, Yunze Li

Faculty and Student Publications

This internship included two projects: 1) an inventory of the book collection of the late Dr. Mark Frezzo, donated to the Department of Sociology and Anthropology by his family, and 2) a library exhibit on the history of U.S.-China diplomatic relations, using data visualization.

Portfolio includes:

• internship report
• spreadsheet of book inventory, made using LibraryThing.com
• Link to Frezzo collection on LibraryThing
• biographical statement about Dr. Mark Frezzo
• Tableau-packaged workbook, containing the data visualizations referred to in the internship report

Pride Parade Set For Saturday, May 6, Rebecca Lauck Cleary

Blog Posts

This week kicks off the 8th Annual Pride Week on the University of Mississippi's campus. The celebration, which includes events across campus and Oxford, culminates with a Pride Parade at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. Southern Studies will have a table at Pride on the Plaza, the destination for the parade.

Mark Frezzo Memorial Collection, Yunze Li

Faculty and Student Publications

After his death in 2020, the family of Dr. Mark Frezzo donated his substantial collection of books to the University of Mississippi's Department of Sociology and Anthropology, where he was an associate professor of Sociology. The collection, initially delivered in over 40 cardboard boxes, was processed in 2022 by graduate student Yunze Li as part of his internship project for the M.A. in Sociology.

Included here:

• Biographical statement about Dr. Mark Frezzo (pdf, docx, html)
• Inventory of Frezzo collection, made using LibraryThing.com
• Link to online inventory on LibraryThing.com
• Data visualization of Frezzo Collection (Tableau workbook)