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Columbia University's Introductory Pedagogy (1986 - 1991), Daniel Stephen Johnson

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

A Historical Snapshot On The Progression Of Educational And Social Opportunities For Mexican American Students In The San Benito Public School System, 1909-2009, Marco Antonio Lara, Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigates the barriers Mexican American students encountered in educational and social opportunities within the San Benito Public School System from 1909 to 2009. This qualitative research study was organized chronologically by collecting information on the city, school district, and students who attended the San Benito Public School System. Personal and telephone interviews, as well as emailed questionnaires/surveys were used to gather firsthand information from former students, and current/former teachers, administrators, and board member of the district. A review of school board minutes, high school yearbooks, newspaper articles, books, and other related materials were also included for use in …

The Impacts Of Colonial And Environmental Processes On Ceramic Plainware At Salinas Province, New Mexico, Lindsey Elizabeth Daub

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis investigates whether Spanish demands on native time, labor and diet resulted in changes to the plainware ceramics used by the Salinas Pueblo Indians of New Mexico from the early 1600s to the 1670s. Increased pressures on native women's time may have resulted in a decline in the quality of the ceramic pastes, an increase in the presence of mend holes, changes in household size and composition that may have resulted in changes in the sizes of cooking vessels, and a decrease in food availability that may have resulted in decreased sizes or quantities of storage jars. While the …

Chronologies Of Pain And Power: Violence, Inequality, And Social Control Among Ancestral Pueblo Populations (Ad 850-1300), Ryan Patrick Harrod

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Analysis of human remains in the Greater Southwest offers important insights into mechanisms underlying cultural processes, human adaptability as well as behavioral flexibility and resilience in the face of change. Data collected from human remains from several sites throughout the Four Corners region of the Greater Southwest provides information on the ways that violence and social inequality were used to maintain a regional complex between AD 850 to AD 1300. Human remains were used to provide empirical data on biological (age, sex, stature, and robusticity) and cultural (mortuary context, burial practice, and site layout) identity. Skeletal remains provided information on …

Development And Validation Of The Biophilic Attitudes Inventory (Bai), Lawrence Letourneau

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study investigated the viability of an instrument called the Biophilic Attitudes Inventory (BAI), a pen-and-paper instrument intended to measure attitudes toward nature that, according to naturalist Edward O. Wilson, are rooted in an innate predisposition that humans possess to connect with other forms of life. Utilizing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), two models were tested (n=334)--a seven-factor model that reflected Stephen Kellert's biophilia typology and a more parsimonious two-factor model. However, neither model proved viable in terms of construct validity. As a result, a new model with four factors was developed via exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A subsequent CFA revealed …

The Autodidact : Constantine Samuel Rafinesque And The Limits Of The Posthumanities., Elijah Pritchett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The autodidact has a curious structural relationship to knowledge, education, and that assumed distillation of institutional learning, the academy. Because of its subjectivity-producing function, knowledge represents a site of tremendous cultural investment, and one that is challenged, if not even undermined, by the renegade ethos and idiosyncratic approach of the autodidact. Nineteenth century self-taught scholar and Renaissance man, Constantine Rafinesque, serves as a vivid exemplar, or even theoretical matrix, for demonstrating certain problems that the autodidact raises for post-Enlightenment knowledge as it assumes the various institutional states, metaphysical postures, and ideological closures necessary for its culturally privileged function. As the …

Community College Mission Influence On Culture : An Organizational Analysis., E. Gerome Stephens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strong agreement of mission and culture has been found in more effective colleges (Fjortoft & Smart, 1994). For leaders, the culture of an organization provides the context for which decisions about organizational change processes can be made (Malm, 2008). The purpose of this study was to explore the culture present within a community college through the lens of institutional mission implementation and to examine the perceived relationship of the mission statement to culture by those within the organization. Using qualitative methodology, this research explored the mission of a state community college system in the Midwest and studied the existing culture …

The Social Construction Of Ethnicity And Masculinity Of African American College Men., Jonathan Lee Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how African American college men construct masculine and ethnic notions of their identities, despite disproportionate social obstacles and hegemonic stereotypes. The primary research question of this study was, “how might African American undergraduate males understand and develop healthy concepts of their ethnic and masculine identities at a predominately White public institution?” The following research questions guided this study: (1) how do African American college men characterize their ethnic identity; (2) how do African American college men characterize their perception of their masculinity; (3) how do African American college men perceive their performance …

Exploring The Influence Of Social Media On Future Intentions Of Charity Sport Participants., Tara Q. Mahoney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Charity sport participation has gained increasing popularity, with over 11.6 million individuals participating and organizations raising more than $1.7 billion annually through charity sport participation events (Run Walk Ride Foundation, 2012). An increased number of alternatives created a competitive environment among charitable organizations to recruit and retain charity sport participants (Gladden, Mahony, & Apostolopoulou, 2004). The use of social media provides an opportunity for organizations to efficiently and effectively raise awareness about a cause (Waters, Burnett, Lamm, & Lucas, 2009) and build relationships with participants and alumni (Waters & Jamal, 2011), potentially creating a competitive advantage. The purpose of this …

The Perils Of Hilda, Elizabeth Sackett

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Translingualism In Post-Secondary Writing And Language Instruction : Negotiating Language Ideologies In Policies And Pedagogical Practices., Nancy Bou Ayash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drawing on text-oriented data from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, this study examines how writing teachers and students constantly negotiate tensions between translingual sociolinguistic realities on one hand and monolingualist assumptions about language and language relations on another that dominate curricular and pedagogical designs in first year writing courses. The study involves a multiplicity of data sources, such as official institutional documents, individual instructional materials, classroom observations, structured interviews, and a method of "talk around texts." Writing teachers in this study sensitively grappled with tensions between the constant political pressures of generating the status quo and their ideological orientations …

The Feeling Of Faith : A Thomistic Account Of Religious Emotions., John K. Dryden 1976-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a philosophical analysis of religious emotions. It draws upon Thomas Aquinas’s theory of the passions to build and apply a framework for thinking about religious emotions and their role in the spiritual life. The first two chapters are dedicated to building the theoretical framework. Chapter one outlines Aquinas’s theory of emotions in a very general way and compares this account to recent versions of cognitivism. By placing Aquinas in conversation with contemporary accounts, I show that his theory is able to capture the central insights of this mainstream philosophical view. According to the Thomistic account that emerges …

"Two Machines Similarly Constructed" : Humanity Between Apes And Clones., Emily Regina Freund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Two Machines Similarly Constructed”: Humanity Between Apes and Clones explores the development of scientific taxonomies of difference and the proliferation and evolution of the definition of the “human.” A focus on Enlightenment naturalists’ texts and images of apes reveals how these scientists defined the human “difference” and lends to Michel Foucault’s archaeology of the invention of “man.” This establishes the concept of a classifying discourse and argues that a narrative of human exceptionalism pervaded subsequent ideas of progress and civilization. Analyses of two texts, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, develop a discussion of how the …

Political Violence And Unemployment: Socio-Economic Strain As A Potential Source Of Terrorism, Reinmar C. Freis-Beattie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Why do some people commit acts of violence which are politically or ideologically motivated? Furthermore, why does the United States see such great variation in the number of terrorist incidents from year to year? To help answer these questions, Robert Agnew's (2010) General Strain Theory of Terrorism lays out a foundational model to explain what might cause terrorism. In contrast to previous strain theories, General Strain Theory of Terrorism argues that the strains most likely to result in terrorism are collective strains which are (a) high in magnitude, with civilians affected; (b) perceived as unjust; and (c) inflicted by more …

White Collar Crime And Morality: How Occupation Shapes Perception, Marshall Schmidt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

White-collar crime is on the rise in the United States and globally. The general public has historically been seen as apathetic to white-collar criminals and their crimes; however more recent studies have shown that prior conclusions on perceptions of white-collar criminals may have been inaccurate. In this paper, I examine the role that occupation has in forming perceptions of white-collar criminals. Using Status Characteristics Theory, a structural social psychological theory that links an individual's status characteristics to evaluations of their morality, trustworthiness and competency, vignette experiments are constructed that allow for offender status and offense seriousness in various white collar …

The Retreats Of Reconstruction: Race, Leisure, And The Politics Of Segregation At The New Jersey Shore, 1865--1920, David E. Goldberg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the political meanings of consumption and racial segregation in the public and commercial leisure spaces of the New Jersey shore during the Reconstruction era. Moving beyond issues of identity, racial violence, and labor disputes, I show how Jim Crow unfolded and operated in the post-Civil War North by emphasizing the importance of political economy and ideas about public health and welfare. Beginning in the 1880s, ideas about the rights and health of consumers became more important in helping shape the meanings of freedom than did the triumph of free labor ideology. The rise of mass consumption as …

New Mexico Tourism: Conflict And Cooperation In The Land Of Enchantment, Emily Alyce Bullington

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact that tourism and tourist sites have upon the surrounding communities in New Mexico. It will look specifically at Bandelier National Monument, El Santuario de Chimayo, and the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell. These sites have all been the cause of tensions in their interactions with the local communities, over issues of culture, identity, or resource usage. But these tourist attractions have also brought economic stimulus to these areas, which has brought about a need for cooperation and compromise between the groups as they have negotiated how tourism …

The Life History Of Larinus Minutus, A Biological Control Agent Of Invasive Knapweeds, And Its Dispersal From Release Sites In Arkansas, Adam M. Alford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Larinus minutus Gyllenhal, a biological control agent of invasive knapweeds, has become established in several states and provinces since initial North American introduction in 1991. In order to reduce growing spotted knapweed populations in Northwest Arkansas, Larinus minutus (a biological control agent of spotted knapweed) was released annually from 2008-2011. Little is known about the larval development of this species, although the widespread use of this insect has provided research describing detailed host range and generalized life history. The speed and extent of the spread of this weevil from release sites following introduction have not been reported. This research described …

The History Of Nusayris ('Alawis) In Ottoman Syria, 1831-1876, Ali Capar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Syrian provinces of the Ottoman Empire experienced significant events, such as the Egyptian invasion, the Tanzimat Reforms and the increasing activities of Protestant missionaries between 1831 and 1876. In this thesis, I tried to analyze the course of the Ottoman-Nusayri relationship between 1831 and 1876, the treatment of the Ottoman government toward the Nusayris, outcomes of the Egyptians and the Ottoman reforms in the region and among the Nusayris, the reaction of the Nusayris to these reform policies, and the activities of the Protestant missionaries among the Nusayri community.

Math, Science, And Social Studies Teachers' Attitudes Toward Diversity And Accommodation Of Diversity With Reference To Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Seventh, Eighth, And Ninth Grade Students In A Mid-South State, Nadia Khrais

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was exploring seventh, eighth, and ninth grade teachers' attitudes and beliefs in response to classroom diversity and how that is reflected on their instruction, learning styles, communication patterns, instrumental materials, and assessment patterns in math, science, and Social studies subject areas. In this mixed-method research, the designed survey consisted of 59 questions based on Likert scale and obtained information of ten demographic factors. The survey was delivered in two formats (online link and hard copy) to the participating schools in three urban school districts in a Mid-South State. The survey data were analyzed by using …

Development Of The Cultural Appreciation Of Martial Arts Scale, John Roderick Malmo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid Social sciences instrument designed to measure the construct of Cultural Appreciation of Martial Arts. Data were collected from 114 adult martial arts participants. Study participants represented Taekwondo schools located in Arkansas and Filipino martial arts schools located in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Development of the instrument involved the use of an expert panel, a Q-sort, test-retest reliability test, Exploratory Factor Analysis, and Cronbach's alpha.

The study resulted in a 20-item, 3-factor scale that measures Cultural Knowledge, Cultural Sensitivity, and Cultural Awareness and is named the Cultural Appreciation …

An Examination Of Chipped Stone From Two Middle Holocene Archaeological Sites In The East Central Great Plains, Christine A. Nycz

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This study examines aspects of movement and mobility of hunter-gatherer groups in the east central Great Plains during the Middle Holocene, between 8500 cal and 5000 cal B.P. Few published reports detail archaeological assemblages or address features of prehistoric mobility in this subregion of the Great Plains. Current research on the Great Plains emphasizes bison procurement and low regional bison mobility. This thesis presents interpretations of hunter-gatherer mobility based on examination of chipped stone assemblages from two Middle Holocene archaeological deposits (the Hill and Simonsen sites) in western Iowa. The resulting analysis demonstrates restricted hunter-gatherer mobility within this subregion, with …

Scheler's Phenomenological Ontology Of Value: Implications And Reflections For Ethical Theory, James Edward Hackett

Dissertations

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF J. Edward Hackett, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Philosophy, presented on December 6, 2012 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: Scheler's Phenomenological Ontology of Value: Implications and Reflections for Ethical Theory MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Kenneth W. Stikkers My dissertation provides the first comprehensive account of what values are in Max Scheler's Formalism in Ethics (Formalism hereafter). As a phenomenologist, Scheler did not attempt to invent a new ontological language to describe value experience clearly as Heidegger invented for his fundamental ontology of Dasein. In so doing, Scheler's phenomenological descriptions often use metaphysically …

When Visions Converge And Collide: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of Staff Participation In The Patient- And Family-Centered Care Initiative At The University Of New Mexico Hospital, Lisa Rossignol

Communication ETDs

Using Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT), this study sought to determine the rhetorical vision of staff at UNM hospital about working with patients and families and comparing it to the ideal rhetorical vision that the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (PFCC) has for healthcare providers. Participant observation methods were employed over a two-month period for seated physician rounds and interdisciplinary care planning and discharge planning meetings at UNMH in a general pediatric unit and a pediatric rehabilitation unit. Physicians had their own unique symbolic reality that differed from the vision of interdisciplinary groups. Physicians were most concerned with other physicians …

Social Networking Sites: Social Support, Motivation, And Influences On Chinese International Students' Intercultural Communication Competence, Zhibin Hong

Communication ETDs

The purposes of this study were 1) to examine the status quo and differences in intercultural communication competence and social networking sites use motivation between Chinese international students and U.S. students, 2) to explore the relationship between social networking sites use motivation and intercultural communication, 3) to understand the factors comprising intercultural communication competence, and 4) to develop a model to predict intercultural communication competence. Quantitative survey research was conducted to address these research objectives. The survey research showed that compared with U.S. students, Chinese international students differ in social networking sites use time, frequency, and certain patterns. Also, Chinese …

Molecular Control Of Muscle Patterning, Development And Stability In Drosophila, Elisa Mignon Labeau Dimenna

Biology ETDs

Muscle is a highly conserved and specialized tissue in animals. Failure of proper muscle patterning, maintenance and stability in animals can have variety of consequences for the individual. Mutations in loci that control muscle can result in death during embyogenesis, dysmorphism, and/or reduced lifespan after progressive muscle degeneration (Emery 2002, Mathews and Moore 2003, Amato and Griggs 2011). Muscle defects, such as these, have origins ranging from improper transcriptional control to direct sequence disruptions in proteins that play a wide variety of roles in the cell (Emery 2002, Mathews and Moore 2003, Amato and Griggs 2011). Thus, out of this …

Spanish Missionization And Maya Social Structure: Skeletal Evidence For Labor Distribution At Tipu, Belize, Lara Kristen Noldner

Anthropology ETDs

The cultural and human biological outcomes of Spanish colonization of the Americas were diverse. This dissertation examines the effects of Spanish colonization on Maya social structure using skeletal evidence for the distribution of labor at Tipu, a mission site in west central Belize. Skeletal remains of indigenous Maya buried in the context of a church, and in accordance with European Catholic burial customs, were examined for enthesis development and the cross-sectional morphology (CSG) of upper and lower limb long bones. Nothing besides burial placement in relation to the church (inside or outside the walls) denotes social status among individuals. Bone …

The Southern Accent And "Bad English": A Comparative Perceptual Study Of The Conceptual Network Between Southern Linguistic Features And Identity, Dean Hayes

Linguistics ETDs

This study investigates how the perception of Southern American English is linked to specific linguistic features, both phonetic and grammatical, in addition to how these features are interpreted differently by two different groups, one Southern and one non-Southern. Using interview-based methodology, I produce a holistic conceptual representation of the identity invoked for each constellation of features for each group and provide a unified framework for features and corresponding associations that previous works have discussed individually. Finally, I analyze imitations offered in interviews, by which means I am able to glean more detailed information from participants than they would otherwise be …

Is Higher Education The Key To Unlock The Door Of Fortune? A Study Of Students' Occupational Aspirations, Daiyue Sun

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study focuses on the relationship between students' social backgrounds and their occupational aspirations (in terms of becoming an authority, financial success and recognition in the workplace). By applying the status attainment theory and segmented assimilation theory, this study examines the significance of parental socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and social capital in predicting college freshmen's occupational aspirations using multivariate analysis. Interaction effects between the main predictors as well as control variables such as immigrant status, gender, school performance, motivations and skills are tested in the analysis. Results suggest that socioeconomic status is not statistical significance in predicting individuals' occupational aspirations in …

As Seen In Vogue: An Analytical Observation Of Nudity In French And American Vogue, Elizabeth A. Kiehn

Honors Theses

For centuries, Europe has been the leader in fashion production and innovation. At the heart of this continent lies the fashion capital of the world—France. French designers have always been on the cutting edge of fashion. Setting trends, shocking consumers, and enticing the world have been normal everyday activities for them as if it is in their blood. French culture is much more daring and open about sexuality in comparison to American culture, however, American designers and retailers are still heavily influenced by French fashion designs. This begs the question then: Are French fashion magazines equally influential on American fashion …