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Structuration Theory And Critical Consciousness: Potential Applications For Social Work Practice, Jennifer Wheeler-Brooks

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Anthony Giddens' structuration theory provides concepts that can be used to think differently about oppression and consciousness raising. Structuration sees society as being recursively created through its members' social practices, and oppression as being but one of these social practices. Consciousness raising, then, is recognizing that a given social practice is oppressive, and then deliberately working to change the practice. This is done by altering one's social performance and disrupting the recursive process that maintains the oppressive practice. Implications follow for empowerment-oriented social work practice and narrowing the gap between clinical and community social work practice.

Welcome To The Neighborhood: Does Where You Live Affect The Use Of Nutrition, Health, And Welfare Programs?, Molly De Marco, Allison C. De Marco

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the recent upsurge in neighborhood effects research, few studies have examined the impact of neighborhood characteristics on the use of nutrition, health, and welfare programs. To explore these issues, this study used data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study, a longitudinal dataset comprised of low-income neighborhoods in Boston, San Antonio, and Chicago (n=1,712). Using hierarchical linear models, the results indicated that both individual (education, employment, and marriage) and perceived neighborhood disorder factors were related to social service use.

Review Of The Political Sociology Of The Welfare State: Institutions, Social Cleavages And Orientation. Stefan Svallfors, Editor. Reviewed By Richard J. Smith., Richard J. Smith

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Stefan Svallfors (Ed.). The Political Sociology of the Welfare State: Institutions, Social Cleavages and Orientation. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2007. $55.00 hardcover.

Review Of Differential Diagnosis: A Comparative History Of Health Care Problems And Solutions In The United States And France. Paul V. Dutton. Reviewed By Krista Drescher Burke., Krista Drescher Burke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Paul V. Dutton, Differential Diagnosis: A Comparative History of Health Care Problems and Solutions in the United States and France. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2007. $29.95 hardcover, $19.95 papercover.

Review Of Challenges Of An Aging Society; Ethical Dilemmas, Political Issues. Rachel A. Pruchno And Michael Smyer, Editors. Reviewed By Erica Yoonkyung Auh., Erica Yoonkyung Auh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Rachel A. Pruchno and Michael Smyer (Eds.), Challenges of an Aging Society; Ethical Dilemmas, Political Issues. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. $49.95 hardcover.

Review Of Grassroots Struggles For Sustainability In Central America. Lynn R. Horton. Reviewed By Ian W. Holloway., Ian W. Holloway

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review for Lynn R. Horton, Grassroots Struggles for Sustainability in Central America. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado Press, 2007. $55.00 hardcover.

Review Of The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement And Kids-First Politics. David L. Kirp. Reviewed By James Midgley., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David L. Kirp, The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007. $26.95 hardcover.

Review Of Blue-Chip Black: Race, Class, And Status In The New Black Middle Class. Karyn R. Lacy. Reviewed By Paul G. Wright., Paul G. Wright

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Karyn R. Lacy, Blue-Chip Black: Race, Class, and Status in the New Black Middle Class. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2007. $60 hardcover, $22.95 papercover.

Review Of The Great American Crime Decline. Franklin E. Zimring. Reviewed By Matthew T. Theriot., Matthew T. Theriot

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Franklin E. Zimring, The Great American Crime Decline. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. $35.00 hardcover, $21.95 papercover.

Western News, Jan. 8, 2009, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Trustees give Dunn high marks; WMU/KCC sign dual enrollment agreement; Service anniversaries for January; On Campus with Joe Odehnal.

Prism #35, January 2009, Office Of The Provost

Prism: Western Michigan University's Newsletter for Academic Affairs

No abstract provided.

Battered Women, Children And The End Of Abusive Relationships, Angela M. Moe

Sociology Faculty Publications

Much work has focused on the interpersonal dynamics of violent relationships, but less is known about the specific turning points that prompt women at least to try to end them. Using a feminist standpoint method and phenomenological-based analysis of in-depth interviews with mothers in a domestic violence shelter, this article focuses on the role of children in women’s decisions to leave abusive partners. It discusses arriving at the decision, the logistics involved in leaving and planning for the future, and it presents policy and advocacy-based recommendations that are aimed at addressing the social welfare of women and children.

Community Encounter, Linda C. Reeser

Academic Leadership Academy

The purpose of this project is to inform more students about the baccalaureate social work degree and the possibility of a career in social work and also to provide students with an educational opportunity before they decide on or embark upon a career, to get a greater appreciation of the realities and hardships some people face in living and surviving (e.g. poverty, homelessness, immigration). This project will potentially increase student interest in a social work/human service career. The methods used will be discussion with students in their classes and at a reception and offering students a community experience for two …

Western Michigan University Graduate Catalog 2009-2010, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Colleges
• Course Descriptions (by College)

Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog 2009-2010, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

• General Information
• Colleges
• Course Descriptions (by prefix)

The Social Construction Of Client Participation: The Evolution And Transformation Of The Role Of Service Recipients In Child Welfare And Mental Disabilities, Terry Mizrahi, Mayra Humphreys-Lopez, Denise Torres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article presents a comparative analysis of client participation (CP) in child welfare and mental health and mental retardation systems. It identifies three rationales for client participation (philosophical, pragmatic, and political), along with the limitations surrounding each rationale. It uses social construction theory to examine the historical and ideological underpinnings of organized, institutionally-sanctioned client involvement inside and outside government. In order to enhance the capacity of clients to influence service and benefit systems, their role must evolve through the mutual efforts of government-strengthening client participation policies and independent organizing from the bottom up through community development and advocacy programs.

Fact Book 2009-2010, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Fact Books

• General Information
• Enrollment Information
• Institutional Comparison
• Student Information
• Faculty Information
• Budgets and Resources

Faculty Senate Yearbook, 2009-10, Wmu Faculty Senate

WMU Faculty Senate Yearbooks

No abstract provided.

The Emerging Engineering Scholar: A Citation Analysis Of Theses And Dissertations At Western Michigan University, Edward J. Eckel

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Can one glimpse the development of emerging scholars in the work of engineering graduate students? To answer this question, the author studied the citation patterns in 96 Master's theses and 24 Ph.D. dissertations completed at Western Michigan University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences between 2002 and 2006. The hypothesis of this study is that an increase in graduate student research competence between the master's and doctoral levels can be seen in their use of scholarly sources such as journal articles and conference papers. For each thesis and dissertation, bibliographic information (title, author, document type, year of publication) was gathered …

Review Of The Americanization Of Social Science: Intellectuals And Public Responsibility In The Postwar United States. David Paul Haney. Reviewed By Richard K. Caputo., Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David Paul Haney, The Americanization of Social Science: Intellectuals and Public Responsibility in the Postwar United States. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2008. $54.50, hardcover, $24.95 papercover.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session December 12, 2008, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Minutes of the WMU Board of Trustees meeting include appendices:

• Remarks by the Chair
• Remarks by the President
• Remarks by the WSA President and the GSAC Chair
• Presidential Evaluation/Compensation Recommendation

Ayers' Ties To Higher Education Are More Troubling Than Ties To Obama, Diether Haenicke

WMU President Diether Haenicke

This column was published in the Kalamazoo Gazette mlive.com/kalamazoo

25 Year Club: 27th Annual Gala, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

25 Year Club: 27th Annual Gala

December 4, 2008

• New Inductees
• Members
• Retirees

African American Grandmothers Providing Extensive Care To Their Grandchildren: Socio-Demographic And Health Determinants Of Life Satisfaction, Dorothy Smith-Ruiz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article explores the relationships between grandmothers' socioeconomic and health characteristics in relation to life satisfaction. Reasons for caregiving, assumption of the caregiver role, and grandmothers'attitudes and experiences in custodial caregiving were discussed qualitatively from data gathered in detailed interviews of a convenience sample of 99 custodial African American grandmothers caringf or one or more grandchildreny ounger than 18 in North Carolina. Most grandmothers in this sample reported mixed feelings toward custodial caregiving, both as a burden as well as a blessing. They also reported a weak support system and relied on their faith more than family and friends to …

Policy Mandated Collaboration, Jan Ivery

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory study examined the collaborative strategy used by Tri Cities Partnership (TCP) to facilitate the collaborative process required by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive Continuum of Care funding. The study examined partner perceptions of TCP's leadership, organizational structure, benefits and drawbacks of participation, and relationships with partners. A follow-up survey and key informant interviews explored themes related to organizational affiliation with TCP, benefits and drawbacks of participation, relationships with partners, challenges impacting the ability of TCP to facilitate collaboration and strategies for involving key stakeholders. The study also identified factors that motivate …

Rethinking Social Work's Role In Public Assistance, Julie Cooper Altman, Gertrude Schaffner Goldberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article presents an argument for revisiting social work's relationship to public assistance in the wake of 10 years of welfare reform. Three case studies drawn from a mixed-method study of the quality of life of former TANF recipients illustrate the range, depth and complexity of the needs of persons while they are on the welfare rolls, transitioning off and living without cash relief. The article briefly traces the history of social work's commitment to and provision of social services for this population and argues that it may be time to revisit the profession's role in public assistance. In light …

Review Of Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts To Influence Public Policy. Brian Adams. Reviewed By Michael Woodford., Michael Woodford

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Brian Adams, Citizen Lobbyists: Local Efforts to Influence Public Policy. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2007. $71.50 hardcover, $25.95 papercover.

A Boiling Pot Of Animosity Or An Alliance Of Kindred Spirits? Exploring Connections Between Native Americans And African Americans, Hilary N. Weaver

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The relationship between indigenous people and people of African heritage in the United States is a long and complex one. An examination of historical and contemporary connections between indigenous persons and African Americans not only clarifies complex and frequently overlooked parts of American history but sets the stage for examining future possibilities. It is useful for helping professionals to understand these relationships since this history may serve as the basis for positive connections or animosities between clients and professionals. This article begins with a discussion of selected historical intersections between these populations that highlight the complex and varied nature of …

Review Of Wives Without Husbands: Marriage, Desertion And Welfare In New York, 1900-1935. Anna R. Igra. Reviewed By Laura Curran., Laura Curran

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Anna R. Igra, Wives without Husbands: Marriage, Desertion, and Welfare in New York, 1900-1935. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. $19.95 papercover.

The Politics, Economics, And Culture Of Mexican-Us Migration: Both Sides Of The Border. Edward Ashbee, Helene Balsev Clausen, And Carl Pedersen, Editors., James Midgley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Edward Ashbee, Helene Balsev Clausen and Carl Pedersen (Eds.), The Politics, Economics, and Culture of Mexican-US Migration: Both Sides of the Border. New York: Palgrave, 2007. $79.95.