Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling Cultural Cognition, Donald Braman, Dan M. Kahan, Jame Grimmelmann

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

In this article we defend our contention that culture is prior to facts in resolving the gun debate. The basis for this position, simply put, is that culture is prior to facts in human cognition. Through an overlapping set of psychological and social mechanisms, individuals adopt the factual beliefs that are dominant among persons who share their cultural orientations. Far from being updated in light of new evidence, beliefs so formed operate as an evidentiary filter, inducing individuals to dismiss any contrary evidence as unreliable, particularly when that evidence is proffered by individuals of an opposing cultural affiliation. So even …

Whither Color-Blind Love? A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis Of Love In Black And White, Brian A. Mcelwain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Interracial marriage remains one of the most emotionally charged issues in the troubled racial history of the United States. Love in Black and White: The Triumph of Love over Prejudice and Taboo is Mark and Gail Mathabane's relatively popular memoir of their interracial marriage. Using this text as a means of access to the discourses surrounding interracial marriage in the post-Civil Rights era, this study applies the key Foucauldian concepts of discourse, power, subjectivity, and critique to an interpretation of this text in relation to its sociohistorical context. Color-Blind Love emerges as the dominant discourse of the memoir and this …

His Story/Her Story: A Dialogue About Including Men And Masculinities In The Women’S Studies Curriculum, B. Berila, J. Keller, C. Krone, Jason A. Laker, O. Mayers

Faculty Publications

The article discusses the issue of inclusion of men and masculinities in the Women's Studies curriculum. Women's Studies programs were started to compensate for the male domination in the academics. Women's Studies presented a platform where scholarship for women was produced and taken seriously, female students and faculty could find their say or voice, and theoretical investigations required for the advancement of the aims of the women's movement could take place. If the academy as a whole does not sufficiently integrate Women's Studies into the curriculum, integrating Men's Studies into Women's Studies might end up further marginalizing Women's Studies by …

Democratization In Afghanistan, Chris Rowe

Human Rights & Human Welfare

What determines whether a specific country embarks on the road to democracy, if it completes that voyage successfully, and finally consolidates democratic values, practices, and institutions? Analysts have debated these issues for decades and have identified a number of historical, structural, and cultural variables that help account for the establishment of successful democracies in some countries and its absence in others. Frequently cited prerequisites for democracy include social and economic modernization; a large and vibrant middle class; and cultural norms and values relating to politics.

Little Sisters: An Exploration Of Agency, Cultural Borderlands, And Institutional Constraints In The Lives Of Two Teenage Girls, Rosemary C. Henze

Faculty Publications

Part of a special issue on challenging corporate control of schools and communities. The writer discusses her experience with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters organization in Oakland, California, of mentoring two teenage girls who live in poverty and encounter crises and hardship almost daily. She examines the concepts of agency and social and cultural borderlands to help explain the divergent school performances of the two girls and investigates the concepts' utility in the pursuit of social justice for young women. She conducts her exploration within the broader context of dynamic change.

Sexual Identity Concerns For Christian Young Adults: Practical Considerations For Being A Supportive Presence And Compassionate Companion, Lisa Graham Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

Most sexual identity development models disregard the importance of valuative frameworks and faith for young adults with same sex attraction. This article is a theoretical and pastoral attempt to outline practical considerations for Christian professors, staff, and laity who seek a new role, that of compassionate companion, or a supportive presence for Christian young adults with same sex attraction. Observations and recommendations are based on 11 years of teaching and mentoring college students, sexual identity development research, and a theological concept of our human will-to-relate.

Telescopes And Microscopes: The Need For Applied Knowledge From Macro-Meso- And Micro-Level Systems, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Behavioral And Psychological Symptoms Of Dementia: The Effects Of Physical Activity At Adult Day Service Centers, Erin L. Woodhead, S. H. Zarit, E. R. Braungart, M. J. Rovine, E. E. Femia

Faculty Publications

Adult day services (ADS) are an increasingly popular option for caregivers of people with dementia, but there is little research on the effects of activities on the behavior and mood of the client. This study examines participation by 94 individuals in different types of adult day-care activities and their association with changes in behavior and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) for the client during a three-month span. Three domains of BPSD were examined: restless behaviors, mood behaviors, and positive behaviors. Using growth curve modeling, results show that the restless and mood behavior domains, on average, were stable over three months, …

Appropriate Practice? : A Study Of The Role And Co-Ordination Of Volunteer Appropriate Adults For Young Suspects, Harriet Louise Pierpoint

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This thesis reports on the first empirical study of the volunteer appropriate adult service for young suspects and the first attempt to determine the extent and nature of volunteer appropriate adult provision nationally. The investigation provides an original insight into the philosophy, role, practice and co-ordination of the appropriate adult. At an empirical level, the investigation fills a gap in the current work on the appropriate adult by considering the use of volunteers in the role, in terms of their practice and co-ordination and the extent and nature of their use. The empirical research is based on a detailed case …

Academic Feminism In Britain And The Usa 1980 And 1998: A Comparative Analysis, Rachel Torr

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Questions concerning the relationship between knowledge and other factors in the social world are among those that have been central to contemporary academic debates both within and outside of academic feminism. Linking into these debates, this study is guided by one central, underlying question; "What relationships exist between the changing perspectives, themes and contexts of academic feminism in Britain and the USA?" Four hypotheses form the framework for the project These hypotheses are informed by recent debates within feminist theory that appear to emphasise the dominance of poststructuralism in 1990s feminism and literature addressing the social shaping of knowledge. By …

Broken Contract : The Autobiographical Performance Or Producing 'Self' In The Act Of Writing A Life, Joshua Leo Sofaer

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

Taking as its starting point the definition of autobiography proposed by Philippe Lejeune in his essay 'The Autobiographical Contract', this study uses performance-based research to instigate a number of theoretical propositions which aim to test the boundaries of what is understood as autobiography. While the area under investigation is tightly focussed on the margins of autobiographical practices, examples and case studies range across literature (including J. M. Barrie, Marcel Proust and W. G. Sebald), performance practice (including Marina Abramovic, Tim Etchells and Zhu Yu), popular culture (including Blind Date, Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe) and philosophy (including Giorgio Agamben, Gilles …

Carhampton Magistrate District In Relation To The 1856 County And Borough Police Act : A Case For Non-Statutory Policing, Janet Susan Setterington

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The 1856 County and Borough Police Act had a pronounced effect on the criminal statistics in Somerset. Assize and Quarter Session committal statistics dropped across the county as a whole and this fall was reflected in six of seven individual magistrate areas studied. The seventh, the Carhampton magistrate district, showed no reduction in recorded crime. The records, in fact, suggest that the area was either subject to little criminal activity, or that people were not reporting offences. The lack of petty session records in Somerset prevented their inclusion in this study. In this thesis a number of criteria are applied …

Meeting The Leisure Needs Of The Forth-Coming Baby Boomers: Research And Programming Development, Heather Schantz

Graduate Research Papers

Perceptions and realities to provision of services for senior citizen have begun to emerge. In order for leisure service agencies to succeed with these new perceptions, management practices will have to be altered in order to meet the needs of these populations. The author presents past and present perceptions of senior citizens, leisure programming models and develops a leisure programming model in order to better serve the baby boom population. The purpose of this research project was to evaluate current lifespan models and leisure programming models and determine if community recreation service departments will meet the leisure needs of the …

Catalog Denison University 2005-2006

Denison University Catalogs

Denison University Course Catalog 2005-2006

The Challenge Of Environmental Protection, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

Connecticut is in the midst of a demographic transition to a period of lower population growth. These demographic changes will help check the pressures exerted on the state's natural resources by population growth. Water, air, soil, energy sources, food, fisheries, forests, and biodiversity are common pool resources upon which we depend in ways that transcend political boundaries. Those governing Connecticut should help turn the state into a model of how to manage natural resources by halting forest fragmentation, reducing pollution, and promoting environmental science education.

Fathers' Religious And Family Involvement At Home; And Work And Family Outcomes, Roxane O. Whyte

Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes and confirms two new predictors of work and family outcomes, thus far unexplored in existing work-family literature: fathers' religious involvement at home and fathers' family involvement at home. It is the first study to date to document that these produce a crossover effect to positively influence work-related outcomes including work-family conflict, work-family fit and job satisfaction.
Data come from employed married fathers and their spouses participating in the 2001 BYU Marriott School of Management Alumni Work and Family Survey (n = 210), all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Findings are that …

Contractual Incompleteness: A Transactional Perspective, Avery W. Katz

Case Western Reserve Law Review

No abstract provided.

Undergraduate Catalog 2005-2006, University Of North Florida

UNF Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Transborder Industrialization And Singapore's Suzhou 'Experiment': A Paradox Of Context?, Lu Gao, Wee Tan, Caroline Yeoh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.

Ownership Structure, Investment Behaviour And Firm Performance In Japanese Manufacturing Industries, Eric Gedajlovic, Toru Yoshikawa, Motomi Hashimoto

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Using data spanning the 1996-98 fiscal years of 247 of Japan's largest manufacturers, we empirically evaluate the extent to which a firm's investment behaviour and financial performance are influenced by its ownership structure. To do so, we examine six distinct categories of Japanese shareholders: foreign investors, investment funds, pension funds, banks and insurance companies, affiliated companies and insiders. Our findings strongly indicate that the relationship between the equity stakes of a particular category of investor and a firm' s financial performance and investment behaviour is considerably more complex than is depicted in simple principal-agent representations. Such a result emphasizes the …

Researching From The Inside, Does It Compromise Validity: A Discussion, Pauline Rooney

Level 3

it is not surprising that insider research — where the researcher has a direct involvement or connection with the research setting (Robson 2002) — has been the cause of much debate and scrutiny. Questions that frequently arise include: What effect does the researcher's insider status have on the research process? Is the validity of the research compromised? Can a researcher maintain objectivity? Is objectivity necessary for validity?

This paper aims to cast light upon these problematic and complex issues. While it is recognized that insider researchers, and the issues that surround them, are also the subject of debate …

Review Of Key Concepts In Critical Social Theory By Nick Crossley, 2005, Sage, Anne Murphy

Level 3

No abstract provided.

Dunks And Drunks: Depictions Of Drug And Alcohol Use Among High School Athletes In Film, Peter S. Finley, Laura L. Finley

Essays in Education

Mediated portrayals of student-athletes can provide strong role models for realworld student-athletes. This research explored the images of student-athletes in sportrelated films regarding depictions of drug and alcohol use. A content analysis of six sport-related films released between 1994 and 2000 was conducted 1) to address whether such films accurately depicted drug and alcohol use among student-athletes and 2) to consider how these presentations might impact viewers who are, themselves, high school student-athletes. Results suggested that the films reinforced the notion that student-athletes are supposed to experiment with drugs and alcohol as a part of the social role relative to …

School Financial Equity Litigation: Black Hole Of Civil Rights, Michael W. Simpson

Essays in Education

This paper uses the sociology of the case and the legal sociology of Donald Black to examine the litigation over public school financing inequality. Initial examination is made of the United States Supreme Court decision in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez and the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision in Fair School Finance Council of Oklahoma v. State of Oklahoma from a technical legal core perspective and a critical lens. Other cases are discussed along with other information to allow the reader a “big picture” of the issues and policies involved in the intersection of race, wealth, law, education, and …

Faculty Perceptions Of Academic Freedom At A Metropolitan University: A Case Study, Zachary Grant Goodell

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examines how faculty perceive academic freedom at a metropolitan university. Thirty structured interviews were conducted with social science faculty, who have been tenured for 10 years or more, at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). These faculty came from the departments of Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Political Science, Urban Studies, Criminal Justice, Women’s Studies, and African-American Studies. The following five questions were the central research questions: (a) how do core faculty in the social sciences at VCU define academic freedom; (b) do these same faculty perceive academic freedom to be a significant feature of a career in higher education; (c) …

Codes Of Interaction, Timothy Michael Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The ideas within this thesis are meant to clarify my explorations, research and painting practice during my studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. I expand on my general statements about being fascinated by advancing technologies and concerned about the after effects of these advancements. The writing explores my curiosity about the internal, skeletal structure of things and how they operate. I explain how the paintings are idiosyncratic hybrids that evoke animation, imaginary scientific propositions, blueprints, maps, and advancing technologies. The work combines these interests with my observations of day-to-day experiences. Isolated events provide found compositions which I then manipulate: a seemingly …

The Experience Of Decision Making In Adolescent Females And Young Women With Mobility Limiting Disorders, Bernice Balzer Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Young women with mobility limiting disorders face many challenges as they move through adolescence into young adulthood. In addition to the challenges of this developmental period, they must consider their disability as they manage their lives. Competent decision making is a foundational skill for self-management and for transition in adulthood. It is also a protective factor for resilience.There is little research on decision making in adolescents with disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the decision making experiences of female adolescents and young women with mobility limiting disorders. Theoretical underpinnings for the study included Resilience Theory …

Zapatismo And Autonomous Social Movements: Reading The Communiqés Politically, Jordan Camp

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study examines the Ejército Zapatista Liberación Nacional (EZLN) and Zapatista base communities contributions to an autonomous “revolutionary” theory and practice. The focus of this thesis is the evolution of Zapatismo as elaborated in the Zapatistas’ communiqués following the EZLN’s deceleration of war against the Mexican government on January 1, 1994, the same day that the North American Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico went into effect. This thesis investigates the Zapatistas’ communiqués as part of an effort to more fully engage their strategies of self-representation and articulation of a collective subject in which any number …

Resurrecting The Causal Theory Of The Excuses, Anders Kaye

Nebraska Law Review

This article seeks to resurrect the “causal theory”‘ of the criminal law’s excuses. While the causal theory fits some of our most important and most humane moral intuitions in a way that no other theory of the excuses does, it gets little play in current criminal theory. This article argues that criminal theory should give causal theory a second look.

I. Introduction . . . . . 1117

II. Causal Theory Defined . . . . . 1119

A. The Claims Made by Causal Theory . . . . . 1120

1. The First Claim: The Excuse Accepts a “Causal …

The Effects Of Postindustrial Employment Configurations On Father-Child Involvement In Urban Fragile Families, Michael G. Cina

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research shows that many inner city fathers work a variety of jobs to make a living for themselves and their families. While some fathers work in traditional jobs that are regulated and taxed, others generate income "off-the-books" or through illegal work called "hustles." This thesis uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to assess the impact of hours worked in regular jobs, off-the-books ventures, and illicit hustles on fathers' involvement with their eighteen-month old child. The regression results show that fathers who spend increasing hours hustling tend to be less involved with their children than fathers who …