Digital Commons Network^™

Culture And Repression Management, Lee A. Smithey, L. R. Kurtz

Sociology & Anthropology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

To Study Abroad Or Not To Study Abroad: That Is The Stem Question, Matthew A. Witenstein, Janel Henriksen Hastings

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

As more science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students consider studying abroad, it is critical for researchers and student affairs educators to know more about how students engage with the study abroad process and make decisions about whether to participate or not. This qualitative study examined the decision-making process in which STEM students engaged regarding study abroad at a STEM liberal arts college. An organizational culture lens was utilized to make meaning of the formal study abroad decision-making process within a deeply entrenched institutional bubble that permeates all college facets and stakeholders. Focus groups engaged both participants who studied abroad …

The Honor Society Of Agriculture Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter, History, May 25, 1918-2018

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Bylaws and Other Documents

First paragraph:

GAMMA SIGMA DELTA is a faculty governed society that selects its members from junior and senior students, graduate students, faculty, and alumni for the promotion and recognition of high achievement. While Gamma Sigma Delta is an honor society of agriculture, it may elect members from related fields such as biology, botany, chemistry, economics, entomology, family and consumer sciences, forestry, natural resources, plant pathology, sociology, statistics, veterinary medicine, or zoology when the work of the individual is related to agriculture. Officers, committee chairpersons, and others leading the chapter are faculty or alumni.

Nasis 2018: Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey Questionnaire, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

100 questions; 12 pages

Insane Clown Posse And The Liminal World Of Carnival, Class, And Juggalo Family, Magdalene Taylor

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is an analysis of the boundaries of Juggalos, the subcultural following of the rap group Insane Clown Posse. Analyzing lyrics, documentaries, Juggalo media and qualitative data collected at the 18th annual music festival The Gathering of the Juggalos, I explore the ways in which the subculture utilizes subcultural capital and “badges of dignity” to negotiate with boundaries of class identity. I focus on three major themes: the function of the carnivalesque and horror in creating a subcultural identity, the liberatory bonds of community and chosen-kin networks in Juggalo “family,” and the ways in which these two themes work …

“Women Be Shopping”: Intersectionality’S Effects On The Perceived Purchase Behaviors, Purchase Motivations, And Personality Of Women, Hannah Jacobs

Theses & ETDs

Previous research focused on intersectionality has been limited, especially in the field of economic psychology. The current study seeks to fill a gap in previous psychological literature by exploring the effects of women’s race and class intersection on perceptions of their purchase behaviors, purchase motivations, and personality by conducting an experiment with a 2 (Race: White, Black) x 2 (Affluence: low, high) between-subjects factorial design. Participants (N = 309) were exposed to this woman, given a photograph that manipulated her race and a vignette that manipulated her affluence via a description of some of their lifestyle choices and material items. …

Beyond Words: Poetic Authority And Voice In The Works Of Claudia Rankine And John Taggart, Azia Keever

Theses & ETDs

The lyric voice has been historically used as a stand-in for the internal voice. Two poets, Claudia Rankine and John Taggart, engage this narrative of the lyric voice in a way that calls into question the sources of individual voice. They accomplish this reimagining of the voice through authority inherent in the vocal aspect in poetry. For Rankine, this can be seen in her two American lyrics Don’t Let Me Be Lonely (2004) and Citizen (2014). Rankine exploits the conventions of speech we take for granted to unveil the sources of the voice. For Taggart, his use of the voice …

Soul At Hazard: American Violence And Landscape In Film Score, Joshua Smith

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the development of the film score and its artistic effect, particularly from the Sci-fi and Western film genres. I discuss the beginning of film as an art form which incorporated sound with moving image. I examine the aspects of film scores, particularly of the two Western films that I discuss, which are able to establish narrative through composing music from landscape. The films which I explore from a musical background are Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Ethan and Joel Coen’s No Country for Old Men (2007), and Paul Thomas Anderson’s …

Politics Of The Experiment: An Exploration Of Anarchist Political Enactment Through The Study Of Infoshops, Savannah Hawk

Theses & ETDs

In examining a spatial locality known as an infoshop I analyze how conceptions of autonomy, egalitarianism, and applied anarchy, are lived out in a present day anarchist space. Infoshops, or anarchist and anti-capitalist multi-use resource centers, serve many functions. They exist to provide a shared meeting space, lending library, and often host organizations and events such as cooperatively-run social justice collectives or anarchist reading groups. In my study I investigate one of the oldest infoshops in the Untied States, and the actions taking place within it, through ethnographic observations as well as in-depth interviews with members of the site. In …

Magna Latrocinia: Money And Governance In England And Northern Italy Between The Tenth And Fifteenth Centuries, Victoria Deal

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines money as a part of developing systems of government in the middle ages. In England, the recreation of counterfeiting as a crime and the enforcement of the nominal value of money as distinct from its value as bullion reflected the creation of a centralized English state over the tenth through thirteenth centuries. In northern Italy, independent city-states used money and regulation of the cash economy as part of an effort to establish distinct identities and legitimate their rule between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. Both societies contended with the subsequent development of finance, and the pressure of …

“Together For Liberation, Together For Our Nation”: An Examination Of Feminist Literary Practice’S Navigation Of Contested Membership In Palestinian Nationalist Discourse, Leen Alfatafta

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this study is to understand how feminist literary practice can navigate contested membership within Palestinian Nationalist discourse. In particular, I am interested in the way the content of Sawt-Al-Nisa (Voice of Women) magazine responds to the questioning of Palestinian women’s nationalist credentials during the Second Intifada on the basis of their lack of participation in the militarized resistance. Employing qualitative content analysis, I examine the ways Palestinian women imagine themselves as nationalist actors, how self-definition tools are employed to navigate contested membership, and whether that can qualify as resistance from the margins. Two themes emerged from the …

Authority, Gender, And Sacred Space: The Musical Reform-Ation Brought By Women Cantors, Sophia Yvonne Reinier Doscher

Theses & ETDs

Music inspires sacredness even in profane spaces. This thesis examines music’s power in creating sacred space in the context of women cantors in Reform Judaism. In the span of a few decades, the position of women in the Synagogue changed drastically. Filling the role of the cantor in the clergy contributed uniquely to this transformation due to the special impact of music in the development of authority within sacred space. In demonstrating how the power of music gives authority to women in a space where their autonomy has been missing, I focus on the authority of women cantors in their …

The New College Arboretum: A Site-Specific Analysis Of Trees In An Urban Landscape, Malcolm Wells

Theses & ETDs

Trees play key roles in moderating negative impacts of anthropogenic climate change and global urbanization. Their unique physiology and anatomy critically influence natural systems, facilitating life and playing an integral role in the health and functionality of urban landscapes. The arboreal diversity and sheer number of trees present on the New College of Florida campus begs the question: Why isn’t the school an arboretum? In this thesis, I explore this inquiry by investigating the botanical diversity of New College, and statistically comparing characteristics of New College with existing arboreta. By articulating the number of tree species present on the New …

Sugarcoat: The Line Between Selling And Prescribing, Sarah Bradicich

Theses & ETDs

The CDC reports an increase of United States citizens taking at least one prescription drug by 7.8% from 1994 to 2014.* Sugarcoat, a multimedia art installation, calls into question the commodification, standards for normalcy, and desire fueling the pharmaceutical industry and advertising. Through colorful pill-inspired imagery, my work critiques consumerist conditions contributing to a blind trust in and dependency on both advertisements and medication. Through collective denial we sugarcoat our own realities, masking deeper sociological undercurrents. In reference to our massive daily absorption in social media and the corporatization of the individual, Sugarcoat invokes nostalgic associations to the candy store …

Embodied Learning: Finding The Creative Process By Living Life, Allie Stachura

Theses & ETDs

This thesis project is a narrative analysis of my experience with embodied learning. I followed a program of personal research in an attempt to find meaning in my life and connect it with my academic work. The areas of inquiry included physical exercise, past examples of my creative process, and the experience of working on a thesis. Writing biographical narratives of my experiences in these areas allowed me to analyze them for thematic content and connect them back to the larger picture of my academic career. In practicing embodied learning, I encountered a new level of understanding that has changed …

Cultural Gentrification: Hip-Hop & Racial Epistemologies In The United States, Miles Iton

Theses & ETDs

The purpose of this thesis is twofold. The first is to synthesize my four years of academic instruction in philosophy with contemporary social theories (from both academic and non-academic but culturally relevant sources) in order to create the term “cultural gentrification.” In the context of cultural gentrification, I examine hip-hop as a music genre and subculture pertinent to contemporary representations of blackness in American society and subcultures. The second is to examine the intersections between hip-hop performance and contemporary avenues of identity expression in order to draw conclusions toward hip-hop’s relationship to both blackness and cultural gentrification. I do so …

“Weakness Is A Crime, Don’T Be A Criminal”: Moral Panic And The Construction Of Fitness In The American Middle Class, 1850 - Present, Cole G. Zelznak

Theses & ETDs

This thesis uses evidence from magazines, television, and academic journals to suggest a historical evolution in the social and cultural function of physical fitness in the white American middle class. The central argument of this study is that the antimodernist rhetoric of Progressive Era bicycling culture preempted the historical emergence of the “entrepreneur-of-the-self,” “neoliberal self,” or the “personality-based self” in the twentieth century. In tandem with this argument, I examine how the consumption-based cultivation of health and bodily appearance work as markers of economic, racial, and moral fitness. I begin by detailing how the media and federal government responded to …

Black Lives Matter! The Representation Of Black Activism In The Press, Giulia Heyward

Theses & ETDs

I explore the relationship between the media and Blackness in the United States by examining how Black activism and advocacy have historically been portrayed in the news. I examine literature on Black Americans and the press in this country in the form of statistical data, primary sources and research studies on the topics. I also investigate this relationship with respect to Black activism in Sarasota and Manatee counties by conducting interviews with surrounding experts, including leaders of the Black Lives Matter! (BLM) chapter in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and Black Sarasota-based reporters. Through analysis, I argue that the relationship between …

Transforming Ourselves, Transforming Our Society: A Virtue-Based Approach To Liberatory Education, Lena Isadora Nowak-Laird

Theses & ETDs

My goal for this thesis is to make the case for a virtue-based approach to Paulo Freire’s problem-posing pedagogy that addresses injustice in both schools and society in general. By teaching certain virtues in the classroom, I contend we can create a more caring and cooperative space for learning and transformation. I use virtue ethics and epistemology to frame the ways I think people can embody the sort of transformation I am advocating for. In our society, dimensions of oppression produce different (and differently valued) perspectives due to the vast range of social positionalities, both in the classroom and beyond. …

Blurred Lines: Sexual Consent In Popular Music Lyrics, Robin Lindsley

Theses & ETDs

This study examines the extent to which the lyrics of popular music portray sexual consent and beliefs and behaviors that contribute to the reproduction of rape culture. Using content analysis, I explore the top 20 U.S. Billboard songs each year from 2013-2017 (n=100). Based on the selected definitions of sexual consent and rape culture, the lyrics were coded for explicit and implicit mentions of sex, asking/telling consent, assumed consent, coercion, objectification, being overcome with lust, alcohol, and drugs.,. Chi-square tests demonstrated a significant correlation between the presence of sex in a song being accompanied by alcohol, assumed consent, coercion, drugs, …

“Self-Indulgent Nonsense”: Why Academics Write Badly And Why It Matters, Liliana Solomon

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I discuss the long-standing trend of academics writing inaccessibly, and explore the consequences of this writing for academics and the general public. In Chapter One, I review the most cited and trusted texts about writing to establish a basis for “good” and “bad” writing, and provide a brief history of how academic writing came to be so “bad.” In Chapter Two, I explore the tangible consequences of bad academic writing in high school, undergrad, postgrad, and beyond. In Chapter Three, I take on the project of “translating” and “rewriting” three prime examples of inaccessible academic writing, to …

“Aren’T You A Little Strong For A Lady?”: A Content Analysis Of Gender Representations In Contemporary Superhero Movies, Addison Allen

Theses & ETDs

Superhero movies have become increasingly popular since the turn of the 21st century. Since these movies are so popular, they have the potential to reach large audiences and communicate cultural messages, including messages about gender. Being a superhero is inherently masculine because traits associated with superheroes are also associated with current conceptions of hegemonic masculinity: they are brave, strong, and successful. Because of this inherent masculinity, female superheroes are contradictions, therefore, their masculine existence as superheroes conflicts with the expectation that they are supposed to be feminine. The current study explores how male and female super characters are represented in …

Sanitized Diversity: Race And Family On Disney Channel In The Early 2000s, Keaton Hughes

Theses & ETDs

The Disney Corporation has long been a major player in US, and in many cases global, cultural narratives. This thesis examines episodes of four Disney Channel original series from the early 2000s. Two, Even Stevens and Lizzie McGuire, center on white families, while the other two, The Proud Family and That’s So Raven, center on black families. At the dawn of the new millennium, many Americans imagined racism as a thoroughly 20th century phenomenon. Nevertheless, academic and residential spaces, like those portrayed on the Disney Channel, have historically been shaped by and continue to perpetuate systemic racism in the United …

Mass Incarceration Of Palestinian Youth As A Potential Catalyst For Socio-Political Change: An Examination Of International Reports On The Systematic And Institutionalized Ill-Treatment Of Palestinian Youth In The Israeli Military Detention System, Hannah Marie Procell

Theses & ETDs

In this study I explore how various international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) frame the issue of, and solutions for, the incarceration of Palestinian youth. I employ a method of content analysis in combination with social movement (SM) theory and frame analysis to critically analyze these organizations’ approaches to writing reports on the systematic and institutionalized ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian youth in the Israeli military detention system. In addition to finding how social movement NGOs frame the issue, my research fills a valuable research gap through connecting the topic with U.S. based mass incarceration literature. I discuss the necessity of reforming …

Menstruation As A Spiritual Experience: The Means Of Empowerment, Marissa Vitols

Theses & ETDs

Menstruation is a natural occurrence for the woman, however, it is still often discussed in negative, hushed tones. It is due to a prevalent patriarchal society that women look down upon themselves and their bodies. For many feminists and Goddess followers, menstruation is presented as an empowering experience. This research involves bridging the gap between women and their bodies through feminism and faith. This has been done by drawing upon feminist-centered primary sources and religious texts. In my research, the conclusion was drawn that for those who participate in feminist, Goddess-centered religions, menstruation becomes recognized as a natural and spiritual …

Women’S Opinions Of Body Positive Advertisements, Madeline Goncalo

Theses & ETDs

While there is extensive research on body positivity and advertising, there has been very little discussion of women’s opinions of advertisements that incorporate aspects of body positivity. This thesis examines women’s opinions of body positive advertisements specifically in advertisements designed by the brands Aerie and Dove. I was interested in finding out how women are viewing these advertisements and if they are changing norms for women. My research questions include: are the body positive advertisements staying true to the definition of body positivity? How are these advertisements potentially impacting women? Three main findings are discussed: shortcomings of body positive advertisements, …

From Overtown To Rosemary: Exploring Race And Space Through Oral Histories Of Sarasota’S First African American District, William Cooney

Theses & ETDs

This thesis is concerned with the development of the Rosemary District in Sarasota, also known as Historic Overtown. As a way of investigating the history of Overtown, namely the Black migration to Newtown and the ensuing gentrification, I conducted nine oral histories with local social activists who have ties to the neighborhood. I also analyzed historic and contemporary aerial photos to understand the spatial dimensions of Newtown’s segregation. Both forms of data are preceded by a theoretical framing and a background history of Sarasota to provide context. They are followed by a discussion of the intersection of race and space, …

Ethno-Journalism: The Work And Writing Of An Ethnographic Reporting Form, Katelyn Grimmett

Theses & ETDs

In this thesis, I work towards reconceptualizing journalism as both literary and documentary. In Chapter One, I reframe Robert Boynton’s “New New Journalism” as ethno-journalism and define it as an ethnographic reportorial form that straddles the social sciences and the humanities. In Chapter Two, I discuss how ethno-journalism practices anthropological immersion through participant-observation work and the life history interview. In Chapter Three, I analyze ethno-journalism’s use of narrative and thick description, and argue for first-person narration to maintain accountability. In drawing the comparison between ethnography and journalism, I argue for the media and the social sciences to cultivate a stronger …

Portrayals Of Female Suicide In Chinese Media, Megan Elizabeth Bailey

Theses & ETDs

This thesis examines the media language surrounding female suicide in China from the Republican era and post-Mao contemporary China. Several portrayals of female suicide are identified in the primary sources, including; Chinese news outlets, influential literature, and films. All of these portrayals are based on the same belief that women are more inclined to commit suicide because they are vulnerable either to their emotions or to their traditional mindset. These portrayals are shown to have origins in notions of suicide from the Ming and Qing dynasties, although they have been reinterpreted to support the ideologies of a new set of …

Dostoevsky And The Problem Of Microcosm Bakhtin, “Bobok” And “The Dream Of A Ridiculous Man”, Michael Pulsifer

Theses & ETDs

In Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics, Mikhail Bakhtin singles out Dostoevsky’s short story “Bobok” as “almost a microcosm of his entire creative output” (144). Following this, Bakhtin writes that the short story “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man” is “practically a complete encyclopedia of Dostoevsky’s most important themes” (150). In this thesis, I argue that these stories present two sides of a contending ideological coin in Dostoevsky: i.e. the idea that “everything is permitted,” which “Bobok” depicts, and the idea of “responsibility for all,” as encapsulated by “The Dream of a Ridiculous Man.” Furthermore, I read these stories as concrete and …