Digital Commons Network^™

The Socioecology Of Territory Size And A "Work-Around" Hypothesis For The Adoption Of Farming, Jacob Freeman

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper combines theory from ecology and anthropology to investigate variation in the territory sizes of subsistence oriented agricultural societies. The results indicate that population and the dependence of individuals within a society on “wild” foods partly determine the territory sizes of agricultural societies. In contrast, the productivity of an agroecosystem is not an important determinant of territory size. A comparison of the population-territory size scaling dynamics of agricultural societies and human foragers indicates that foragers and farmers face the same constraints on their ability to expand their territory and intensify their use of resources within a territory. However, the …

New Studies Of Children’S Work, Acquisition Of Critical Skills, And Contribution To The Domestic Economy, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In spite of the fact that the very earliest ethnographers who paid any attention to children took note of the “precocity” displayed by children in both learning the household (e.g., caring for a younger sibling) and subsistence (harvesting and processing grain), tasks characteristic of the societies under investigation, the first synthesis and cross-cultural compilation of this large body of descriptive material is quite recent. This first, introductory, article in this collection reviews those efforts to systematize the study of children’s work and leads the reader through a catalog of the major conclusions or generalizations that have emerged from this analysis. …

Say Yes To Digital Surrogates: Strengthening The Archival Record In The Postcustodial Era, Cyndi Shein, Emily Lapworth

Journal of Western Archives

Shein and Lapworth demonstrate how employing “scan-and-return” practices to strengthen and diversify archival collections is a creative and responsible way to provide researchers with equitable and ongoing access to a more inclusive and democratic historical record. The authors review some of the main archival theories and practices of the postcustodial era to show how their position is built on professional values and widely-accepted premises. They explain how and why UNLV Special Collections has joined a community of practice that validates stewardship of digital surrogates in support of the preeminent mandate of archives to preserve and provide broad access to cultural …

Making Sense Of Self Harm, Sandra H. Sulzer

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

In Making Sense of Self-harm: The Cultural Meaning and Social Context of Nonsuicidal Self-injury, Dr. Peter Steggals slowly and carefully circles around self-harm as a social construct. His book gathers up the underlying meanings and contradictions inherent in the practice and inspects them in turn. He makes a case that self-harm as we see it today in the form of skin cutting, picking, and other related phenomenon is unique to our time period and is not universally present across cultures— regardless of other mutilation, cutting, or piercing practices that may exist. And importantly, he starts by addressing our aversion to …

Gary Snyder, Shay Larsen

ENGL 6350 – Beat Exhibit

Raised among the forests and mountains of the Pacific North west, Snyder kindled his passion for the environment at an early age - a passion that would ultimately distance him from the Beat movement at its very beginnings. Snyder tempered his love of nature with stints of physical labor as a trail builder, logger, and firewatcher. Pursuing his interests in Zen Buddhism and Asian culture, Snyder accepted a scholarship from the First Zen Institute of America to study in Japan only a year after his participation in the 1955 Six Gallery reading. This scholarship would send Snyder over seas for …

Utah State University Commencement, 2016 – Main Campus, Utah State University

Commencement Programs

129^th Annual Commencement of Utah State University.

The Role Of Man's Best Friend: Assessing The Cultural Liminality Of The Canis Lupus Familiars And Its Influence On Human Societies, Julianne L. D'Amico

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project combines history and folklore to illuminate the concept of liminality and the human-dog relationship as it has evolved since the species domestication. The lore highlights the permanent liminality of the dog, the use of the species as remedies in Folk Medicine, and the dog's shift from secondary participant to active agent in contemporary medical fields. The informant data and the context of the lore provide the basis for a historical analysis on how the human-dog relationship has evolved, from the past to the present, and inform how this relationship will progress into the future. Furthermore, the lore supports …

Student Satisfaction At Utah State University Regional Campuses, Taylor K. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research examined the difference between what undergraduate students at Utah State University (USU) regional campus locations perceive as important to their education and how satisfied students are with those education-related priorities. As institutions offer more distance education coursework, enrollment of nontraditional students is increasing. However, few studies examine satisfaction, which is a proven predictor of retention, of the student population described in this study.

The results of this study showed the highest discrepancies between priorities and satisfaction of undergraduate students at USU related to academic advising, course scheduling and registration; and finances including student fees, tuition, and financial aid …

Exceptionally Cleared Cases In Intimate Partner Violence: A Comparison Of Same-Sex Couples Versus Heterosexual Couples, Clarice Ambler

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Most of the literature regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) focuses on heterosexual couples, with little emphasis on how same-sex couples are specifically and uniquely affected by IPV, especially in terms of how such cases are treated by the criminal justice system. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that influence the odds of intimate partner violence (IPV) cases being exceptionally cleared. This study analyzed 207,008 incidents of IPV that occurred in 2013. Using logistic regression, this study determined how weapon use, injury severity, and drug use affected the likelihood of a case being exceptionally cleared across heterosexual and …

The Relationship Between Water Shortage Concern And Age In Utah, Viviane S. Baji

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

It is unclear whether current water supplies in Utah will be able to accommodate the needs of the future. Population in the state is expected to double by 2050 and climate change models predict declines in water availability in the region. Public perceptions of the adequacy of the water supply (and concerns about potential shortages) are key factors that could influence water use behaviors and support for public policy interventions. This paper explores the research question: "Are young people in Utah more concerned about water shortages than older cohorts?" It was expected that young people would be more concerned about …

Interaction With Water: Water-Based Outdoor Recreation And Water Quality Perception And Concern Among Residents Of Utah, Matthew J. Barnett

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There are a large number of impaired water bodies in Utah, and population trends indicate that water quality impairment will become an increasingly important issue in the future. Because of education and management implications, an understanding of the social processes that drive water quality perception and concern is a matter of interest and importance. Sociodemographic characteristics and outdoor recreational activity have both been associated with environmental concern in the past. Using a Generalized Linear Modeling approach, this study explores the relationship between water-based outdoor recreation and water quality perception and concern. It is found that participation in water-based outdoor recreation …

Institutional Constraints Limiting Social Services For Immigrants, Grant Alan Holyoak

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study advances the literature by identifying the factors that constrain the resource provision activities of social service agencies for immigrants. We consider whether and how coercive, mimetic and normative constraints shape organizational practices in this field. Drawing on twenty-five in-depth interviews with social service providers in Utah, we find that despite providers' commitment to serving immigrants, organizations remain significantly constrained due primarily to external coercive constraints including restrictive state laws and increasing competition over limited funding. We conclude by exploring the implications of our findings for policy and practice.

Perception Of Real And Perceived Anger In Various Races, Mikelle Hymas

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Research of emotional expressions has suggested that facial expressions of emotions are universal between cultures (Ekman, 1989). However, because of in-group biases, misidentification of emotions in other races can predictably occur. The misidentification of facial expressions of emotions can lead to predictable and specific racial biases. One important instance of this is that groups of White individuals often make the error of perceiving anger in an African American who is actually experiencing fear. This has important implications of accidental discrimination. The current study aimed to determine whether a brief training in accurate identification of various facial expressions would improve accuracy …

Qualities That Influence Guardian Ad Litem Effectiveness, Ilana Kornfeld

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The use of Guardians ad Litem (GALs) in child abuse and neglect cases has become increasingly common throughout the world. It has, in fact, become standard procedure in child welfare proceedings in the United States. GALs are charged with presenting children's best interests in court and ensuring that each child has a voice in the process. Ideally, GALs are consistently effective in doing so. However, GALs have extremely high caseloads that potentially limit the time they can spend with their children. In addition, little research has been done on what qualities make an effective GAL. Knowing what qualities increase GAL …

The Ideal Educator: Investigating Teaching Culture And Teaching Styles Through Teacher Self-Efficacy And Social Acceptance, Jared R. Glenn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previously collected data from the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS 2013) is utilized to examine two hypotheses. First, I investigated whether teachers who perform well in their jobs also tend to be popular friend choices among colleagues and administrators. Second, if there were evidence to support the first hypothesis, I examined whether these popular teachers also had a particular style of managing their classrooms.

While popular opinion often suggests that education is a one-size-fits-all method of sharing knowledge, actual educational methods actually change from place to place and country to country (Ho and Hau, 2004; Malinen et al, 2013). …

Interpreting Risk: Variations And Explanations Of Resident Perceptions Of Hydraulic Fracturing Impacts, Adrian B. Uzunian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hydraulic fracturing has increasingly become a global phenomenon that has induced the public to be suspicious of the impacts of this process. As this new process has been fraught with controversy, it is important to gain further understanding of how different people perceive the risks associated with oil and gas development. Focusing on the Eagle Ford Shale region, located in South Texas, I examine how social position and source of information is related to perception of environmental and health risks. I do this by conducting a qualitative analysis of interviews from two counties experiencing hydraulic fracturing development, examining the most …

A Light In The Dark: Luminescence Dating Intermountain Ware Ceramics From Four Archaeological Sites In Northwestern Wyoming, Carlie J. Ideker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The chronology of high-altitude archaeological sites in northwestern Wyoming is poorly understood due to limited reliable age constraints. While temporally diagnostic artifacts provide relative age control, fluctuations in atmospheric radiocarbon produce radiocarbon age results with multiple calibrated age-range intercepts that prove difficult to interpret. Age overestimates associated with the 'old wood' problem can be especially prominent at high-altitude sites where cold and semi-arid environments promote the presence of long-living trees and prolong the preservation of organic material. Moreover, regional droughts coupled with a pine beetle epidemic have resulted in increasing wildfire frequency and intensities that serve both as a benefit …

The Association Between Shared Values And Well-Being Among Married Couples, Travis G. Parry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary objective of this research study was to examine the shared values and marital well-being of married couples and to see if there was a relationship between these variables. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine the marital well-being variables (financial stability, marital happiness, individual well-being) and see if there were relationships between these variables when analyzed simultaneously.

This study found a positive relationship between several shared values and the marital happiness and individual well-being variables of material well-being. However, no shared values were related to financial stability. The study did find positive relationships between all martial …

Bringing The States Back In: Institutional Determinants Of State Level Immigration Policies, Paul D. Jacobs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For the record 42 million immigrants residing in the U.S., the ease with which they can integrate into society is heavily determined by what state they reside in. While immigration policy formation at the state level is new due to the historical supremacy that the federal government has had on this issue, the federal stalemate at the federal level has led the states to pass more than 1,500 immigration laws since 2005. How states come to enact inclusive or exclusionary immigration policies is not well understood. Previous scholarship has examined many important predictors of these inclusive or exclusionary laws, but …

Refugee And Employer Perceptions Of The Effects Of Capital On Refugee Employability In Utah, Christian L. Fritz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Sociology, Social Work, and Anthropology Department at Utah State University conducted a state-wide needs assessment of refugees in Utah for the Utah
Department of Workforce Services. Using the data collected for this project, I analyzed the interview transcripts of twenty-four participants in the study including eight employers of refugees, eight Iraqi refugees, and eight Burmese refugees. I looked at the skills, education, finances, personal connections, personal attitudes, and cultural knowledge of the refugees and compared those to the desires of the employers of
refugees.

I found that the employers favored refugee employees because they work hard and do not …

A Population-Based Analysis Of Increasing Rates Of Suicide Mortality In Japan And South Korea, 1985–2010, Eric N. Reither, Sun Jeon, Ryan K. Masters

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Background: In the past two decades, rates of suicide mortality have declined among most OECD member states. Two notable exceptions are Japan and South Korea, where suicide mortality has increased by 20 % and 280 %, respectively.

Methods: Population and suicide mortality data were collected through national statistics organizations in Japan and South Korea for the period 1985 to 2010. Age, period of observation, and birth cohort membership were divided into five-year increments. We fitted a series of intrinsic estimator age-period-cohort models to estimate the effects of age-related processes, secular changes, and birth cohort dynamics on the rising …

Rethinking Stormwater: Usu Researchers Receive Major Grant To Study Aquifer Recharge | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

April 20, 2016 – Researchers at Utah State University are taking a fresh look at stormwater management as part of a federally-funded study to improve water reuse in the western U.S.

The team of engineers, scientists and sociologists are among a growing group of water quality experts who say it’s time for new ideas in stormwater management. Their research proposal was chosen among five nationwide to receive part of an Environmental Protection Agency grant totaling $3.3 million. USU will receive $774,283.

Ideal Elves? Expressing A 3-Dimensional Personality In A 2-Dimensional Space, David Tauber, Joshua Wanner

Student Research Symposium

Published in 2007, the Ideal Elf is a classic article studying character creation in Online Games. It used quantitative methods to address the difference between the idealize self of individuals surveyed, and the online characters they create. In their survey they found the difference between an individuals ideal self and the traits of the character they created was considerably smaller than the difference between the difference between the individual’s ideal self and their actual self. From this they suggested the creation of characters in game is partially a way for individuals to express their ideal selves. Our research attempted to …

The Utah Statesman, April 4, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Faculty Senate Agenda, April 4, 2016, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Items for March 2016
• Honorary Degrees and Awards
• Budget and Faculty Welfare Committee Report
• Professional Responsibilities and Procedures Committee
• 402.10.1 Reapportionment fix for missed section (Second Reading)
• 405.6.2(2) and 405.8.2 PAC (First Reading)
• PTR Edits Remaining Sections 405.12.3

Liberalis, Spring 2016, Utah State University

Liberalis

Freedom to Think, Discover, and Create. The alumni magazine for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah State University.

The Utah Statesman, March 14, 2016, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

A Systematic Review Of Empathy Development In Medical Education, Sandra H. Sulzer, Claire Wendland, Noah Feinstein

Kinesiology and Health Science Faculty Publications

Context Empathy in doctor–patient relationships is a familiar topic for medical scholars and a crucial goal for medical educators. Nonetheless, there are persistent disagreements in the research literature concerning how best to evaluate empathy among physicians, and whether empathy declines or increases across medical education. Some researchers have argued that the instruments used to study ‘empathy’ may not measure anything meaningful to clinical practice or patient satisfaction. Methods We performed a systematic review to learn how empathy is conceptualised in medical education research. We examined how researchers define the central construct of empathy and what they choose to measure, and …

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda, February 16, 2016, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• EPC Items for February
• Budget and Faculty Welfare Committee
• Faculty Diversity, Development and Equity Committee
• 405.12.3 CFAC Policy (Second Reading)
• 405.6.2 (2) and 405.8.2 PAC (First Reading)

Utah’S Oldest Show The Most Concern For Future Water Shortages, Viviane Baji

Research on Capitol Hill

Utah is set to double in population by 2050. It is unclear whether current water supplies will be able to accommodate the needs of the future growth. Young people will be in their prime when water shortage predictions come to fruition, so it is important to know how concerned they are about the water issues that will affect them. An understanding of the relationship between age and water shortage concern may also contribute to the development of social science theories relating age and environmental attitudes and behavior.

Research Question: "Are young people more concerned about water shortages?" to understand how …