Digital Commons Network^™

Sex, The Body, And Learning Gender: Demons In The World Of The Five Gods, Erin E. Mcbrien

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

“Sex, the Body, and Learning Gender” analyzes the relationship between the physical body, sexual orientation, and gender as characterized within Lois McMaster Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series, with a particular emphasis on her Penric and Desdemona novellas. Using the framework of Bussey and Bandura’s social learning theory, and a close reading of Bujold’s text, this paper explores how the demonic characters within this series are an example of gender as a learned concept rather than a biological imperative. This is further developed by examining how the demonic characters both imprint on and contrast against the more societally-bound sorcerers …

Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Faculty Race And Gender On Their Sense Of Connectedness, Engagement, And Persistence, Sherrie Y. Fuller

Dissertations

This quantitative study examined how faculty demographic characteristics, specifically race and gender, influence undergraduate students’ perceptions of connectedness, engagement, and persistence at a public Midwestern university. Guided by Tinto’s Model of Student Integration (1975, 1993, 2012), the research explored whether perceived alignment between student and faculty identities contributes to students’ sense of belonging and motivation to persist toward degree completion. Data were collected from 100 undergraduate participants representing diverse racial, gender, and academic backgrounds. Participants completed a researcher-developed survey instrument utilizing a four-point Likert scale to measure connectedness, engagement, and persistence.

Reframing Fitness And Nutrition For Women: Understanding Hormonal And Metabolic Differences, Brooke J. Luecke

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores how women can consider approaching fitness, nutrition, and recovery based on the physiological differences between men and women. While much of the existing fitness and nutrition research has been based on male participants generalized to women, this paper aims to woman-centric, tailored recommendations. By focusing on hormonal cycles, metabolism, and muscle physiology, my paper will suggest a need for women to adjust their exercise and dietary practices for optimal health outcomes, including fat loss and raised energy levels. My suggestions in this paper are supported by the latest research, including Dr. Stacy Sims' insights on female health, …

Looking At The Nose: Gender, Jewishness, And The Politics Of Visual Mediation, Laura Glitsos

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The nose is a multisensory organ and a powerful bodily technology that helps orient the experience of consciousness in the material world, and yet, we have come to a socio-technological context so driven by ocularcentrism, largely as a result of the visual nature of social media and new media, that the nose is often reduced to just an idealised ‘shape’. This article explores how the contemporary construction and representation of the nose, especially on social media, is seated in a very long history of gendered and racialised politics. By examining the cultural and political implications of the nose through critical …

Rewilding Gender: Toward Relational Understandings Of ‘The Wild’, Kim Ward

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

This commentary reframes gender and rewilding through a relational understanding of wildness. Moving beyond a binary lens of ‘the wild’, it examines how gendered relations shape rewilding's material, emotional, and epistemic dimensions. Centring relational wildness exposes how rewilding challenges masculine imaginaries of control and ownership while opening space for more equitable multispecies relations.

Love, Sex, & Aging: Gendered Perspective On Relationship Desires And Satisfaction In Older Adulthood, William Henninger, Melinda Heinz, Nathan Taylor

Faculty Publications

This research explores gender differences in long- and short-term relationships and sexual satisfaction among older adults. Socioemotional Selectivity Theory posits that as people age, they prioritize immediate emotional satisfaction due to perceptions of limited time. This shift influences older adults’ romantic relationships, increasing the likelihood of seeking meaningful connections and reducing the prevalence of negative emotions. With healthy relationships linked to physical, psychological, and financial benefits, research is needed to further understand older adult romantic relationships. Older adults (n = 155) from the Seniors Together in Aging Research (STAR) completed a survey assessing relationship preferences and current and predicted sexual …

Lobizona And Cemetery Boys: Broadening Representation Of The Latinx/Chicanx Community, Genesis Pabon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on two young adult speculative fiction novels, Lobizona and Cemetery Boys, that showcase the need for accurate representation of the Latinx/Chicanx and LGBTQ+ communities. Themes of sexuality, race, identity, and the gender binary within Latinx/Chicanx cultures will be explored. The narratives of the protagonists in both novels disrupt the gender binary in the United States and the Latinx/Chicanx community. There is a lack of literature that focuses on Latinx/Chicanx young adult speculative fiction, particularly in the United States, highlighting the need for more scholarly research in this area. It is essential for literary scholars and readers to …

Associations Between Perceived Stress And Glycemic Measures: Gender And Age As Moderators, Ming-Hong Tsai, Charlene Enhui Goh, Michelle H. Lee, Francine Seah, Maybritte Lim, Eveline Febriana, Jiahui Fu, Julie K. Yip, Philip Presham, Sue-Anne Ee Shiow Toh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Introduction Prediabetes presents an opportunity for early intervention. Growing evidence suggests that psychological stress may contribute to glucose dysregulation, but the findings are inconsistent. This study aimed to clarify the association between perceived stress and glycemic measures, by first testing gender as a moderator, and then examining age as a moderator within each gender group. Research design and methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from 470 diabetes-free adults in Singapore. Participants completed the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, comprising two subscales: perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy. Glycemic measures included fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and 2-hour plasma glucose (2h-PG) following an oral …

Determinants Of Generation Z Working In The Formal And Informal Sectors In West Nusa Tenggara, Luluk Fadliyanti, Wan Roshidah Fadzim, Vici Handalusia, Muhammad Dzul Fadlli

Jurnal Ekonomi dan Studi Pembangunan

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing Generation Z’s decision to work in either the formal or informal sectors in West Nusa Tenggara. A descriptive quantitative approach combined with binary logistic regression analysis was employed. The population consists of 968 Generation Z individuals aged 15–26 years who are currently employed and earning income. The study utilizes secondary data from the August 2023 National Labor Force Survey (SAKERNAS), obtained from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Nusa Tenggara Province, covering respondents across ten districts and cities. The results indicate that income and age have a negative and statistically significant …

Naturalizing Motherhood: Neoliberal Femininity And The Re-Traditionalization Of Gender In Turkey, Canan Tanir

Sociology Faculty Publications

The recent trends in the social construction of “good mothering” through “naturalism” have become remarkably definitive in Turkey in the last decade. This study presents data from in-depth interviews with naturalist mothers in Istanbul demonstrating four operative mechanisms in their narratives with regard to their conception of gender. Practices of naturalist motherhood depart from systemic criticism and opposition to the ongoing neoliberal conservatization process in Turkey. However, at the same time, they are congruent with the normalization of a patriarchal gender order in this context. I propose that addressing this controversy is contingent on problematizing the focus on choice and …

Performing "Manly" Worship Music: Gender And Timbre At Mars Hill Church, Maren Haynes Marchesini

Yale Journal of Music & Religion

Ten years ago, Mars Hill boasted fifteen campuses and 15,000 members. Amid mounting allegations of abuse and mismanagement leveled against founding pastor Mark Driscoll, the church famously collapsed, closing its doors at the end of 2014. Driscoll had built Mars Hill’s core brand around his opposition to the perceived feminization of the Christian mainstream, and appointing himself the “leader of a heterosexual male backlash” in the church and broader culture. While Driscoll’s muscular Christianity stands in a wide historical stream, Mars Hill long led the charge in establishing a youth-oriented, hipster brand of hypermasculine Calvinism. And while rhetoric and theology …

Disabilities Project Initial Report, Enaya Othman

Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies

This report describes the processes, aims, and outcomes of the Disabilities Digital Archive, a project conducted as part of Arab and Muslim Women’s Research and Resource Institute’s vision to create data and oral histories regarding women’s experiences and transform them into meaningful information. To this end, this project seeks to explore gendered disability and facilitate more complex understandings of disability at the intersection of gender, culture, immigration, and other modes of identity. By collecting data from Muslim community members in Milwaukee, including people with differences of ability and their families, caregivers, Imams and religious scholars, community organization leaders, and health …

Gendered Disabilities Project Report, Enaya Othman

Journal of Gender, Ethnic, and Cross-Cultural Studies

This report presents our yearly progress in the third year of the Gendered Disabilities Project that aims to collect data and create a digital database on the experiences of Muslim women as people with disability or caretakers, including their access to healthcare services. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has influenced the structure of our research and has strong implications for our research topic, we have integrated the issue into our themes. Meanwhile, we adapted our methodology to the measures and thus conducted the interviews virtually. The remainder of this report first focuses on the integration of COVID19 …

“He’S Here, He’S Not Queer”: The Indexical Potential Of Pronoun Use On American Drag Reality Television, Finn Verdonk , '26

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

When English speakers talk about drag performers, what factors impact the pronoun that is used? Pulling data from two seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 4 and Season 14) and one season of Dragula (Season 5), this thesis attempts to understand the ways in which drag performers use pronouns in discourse about fellow drag performers. Building from Myers’s 2018 proposal that using he/him pronouns for drag queens can index shadiness or criticism, I expand her sample to see if her findings hold up over time and across franchises. I find that he/him pronouns on RPDR no longer index shadiness and …

Industries, Self-Rated Health, And Status Characteristics: An Exploration Of Health In Industries At The Intersection Of Race/Ethnicity, Gender, And Disability, Emmanuel Legarreta

Dissertations and Theses

While industries, occupations, and health outcomes have been widely studied, research has neglected self-rated health (SRH) and the intersectionality of different status characteristics in various industries. Using an IPUMS version of the Current Population Survey, this study explores the possible relationships between industries and SRH. More specifically, it seeks to find if workers' disability status, racial minority status, or gender moderates (i.e., differentiates) the relationship between their industry and SRH. Findings show that certain industries are significant predictors of SRH, and that women with disabilities working in Mining and Construction, and Business and Repair Service have significantly worse SRH than …

Gender In Translation: How The Contemporary Bible Is Challenging Androcentric Language In Translation Through Gender-Accurate And Feminist Hermeneutical Lenses, Matthew T. Gennard

Masters Theses

This Thesis surveys the changing practice of gender-accurate translation from the late nineteenth century to the present, with special consideration for the three key principles of gender-accurate translation: Generic ‘he,’ androcentric lexemes, and pronoun substitution. These focus areas are derived from an analysis of the five translation guidelines produced during the late twentieth-century gender-neutral controversy. The loss of individuality when introducing pronominal interchange or the masculine representative hermeneutical lens has left scholars divided on gender-accurate practices. This study surveys the sociohistorical development of the feminist hermeneutical lens and the changing linguistic trends of contemporary language, which challenge androcentric assumptions in …

Educational Attainment Patterns Among Mena Adults: A Comparative Study Of Native- And Foreign-Born Groups In The Us, Michael Okyere

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examines educational attainment patterns among Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) adults in the United States, focusing on how nativity status, residential patterns, and gender shape these outcomes. Drawing on segmented assimilation and spatial assimilation theories, I analyze data from the 2018-2022 American Community Survey using ordered logistic regression models. Results indicate that educational attainment varies by gender, with MENA women consistently achieving higher education levels than men across all nativity groups, though this advantage varies considerably in magnitude between native-born and foreign-born subgroups. Residence in ethnic enclaves demonstrates a strong negative association with educational attainment among foreign-born …

Incarcerated Women: Gendered Rhetoric From The Outside And Reality Inside Prison Walls., Taylor Riley Geiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how formerly incarcerated women navigate and resist gendered media portrayals through digital platforms, focusing on the “mad” and “bad” woman tropes that shape public perceptions. Drawing on feminist rhetorical theory—particularly Royster and Kirsch’s methodological practices and Ratcliffe’s concept of rhetorical listening—this study combines Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of mainstream headlines with Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) of TikTok content. CDA of media coverage surrounding Lori Vallow Daybell, Casey Anthony, and Andrea Yates reveals how language, imagery, and cultural logics sustain harmful binaries that portray women who commit crimes either as depraved or as excused by madness, obscuring the …

Alevi-Bektashi Ballads: Malady, Melody And Remedy, Mustafa Cingoz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This research focuses on how ballads play a central role in the cultural and spiritual life of the Alevi-Bektashi community in Türkiye. These ballads, performed by folk poets known as aşık (minstrel) with the stringed instrument bağlama are the inseparable elements of their daily life and sacred rituals. As rooted in the path of Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam, and the teachings of 13th-century Sufi saint Haji Bektash Veli, Alevi-Bektashi ballads express shared emotions, struggles, and hopes. Therefore, my point of view argues that these ballads do more than preserve the Anatolian ballad tradition. They create a sense of …

An Embodied Social Demography For Trans And Nonbinary Workers, Jesse Ezra Shircliff

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Recently, the separation of “sex” and “gender” has seen intense debate in public discourse, stemming from skepticism about the social sciences and the measurement and study of gender specifically. Meanwhile, the United States population is becoming more gender diverse, with roughly 1 in 200 people now identifying as trans gender or gender nonbinary (that is, as a gender that is different from that person’s sex assigned-at-birth or outside of the sex-gender binary). This growing population experiences numerous disadvantages across social life, including obstacles in one particularly important aspect of the American Dream: the right to have and hold a job. …

A Qualitative Interpretative Meta-Analysis Of The Experiences Of Women Under Community Supervision, Gifty Kinful

Research Papers

Research reveals that women parolees or probationers encounter both challenges and support systems as they navigate their reintegration into the community. More specifically, most women returning from prison and those on probation are released into a society of stigma where access to housing, employment, education, transportation, and healthcare services is either severely limited or nonexistent. These serious obstacles can undermine their ability, motivation, and desire to succeed while on probation or parole. Support systems may be more or less available and effective. The qualitative literature on women under community supervision is large but to our knowledge, the diverse studies have …

Graduate Student Paper: Aging In A Changing Japan: Gendered Adaptation To Changing Family Structure, Miki Izu, Clayton Chalmers

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Although Japanese seniors are very healthy, research shows that they are not very happy. Compared to seniors in other developed countries, Japanese elders have lower ratings of subjective well-being and are increasingly alone. This paper argues that changes to Japanese family life help explain why Japanese elders are struggling with low subjective well-being. Specifically, declining marriage rates and declining rates of elders living with their children (co-residency) have made it harder for elders to get the support they need. Moreover, the effect and the adaptations to these changes are not equal between men and women. While elderly Japanese men are …

Do First Impressions Count? A Gendered Comparative Analysis Of Self-Presentations By Contestants In The Bachelor And Bachelorette South Africa, Mthobeli Ngcongo Dr

The Qualitative Report

The study of social role expectations for men and women has been instrumental in a better understanding of intersex dynamics. Although much research has focused on behavioral similarities and differences in formal contexts, qualitative research that helps us to understand gendered differences in informal contexts remains underappreciated. In particular, the area of romance presents a fruitful social context in which to comparatively study gendered manifestations of strategic self-presentation. Using the first episodes of the first seasons of the Bachelor and Bachelorette South Africa reality television franchise, this study compares 28 self-presentation tactics used by 17 male and 24 female contestants. …

Introduction To Sociology: Sex And Gender, Dr. Marcia Morrison Ph.D.

Open Educational Resources

Abstract

This paper explores the complex interplay between sex and gender, focusing on how societal structures, historical contexts, and cultural norms shape gender roles and expectations. Drawing on the works of influential theorists such as Margaret Mead and researchers like Maccoby and Jacklin, the discussion distinguishes between biological sex differences and socially constructed gender distinctions. The analysis highlights the pervasive influence of gender socialization through agents such as family, peers, educational institutions, and media, which collectively reinforce stereotypes and stratify opportunities for individuals. The evolution of gender stratification is traced from the post-World War II era to the present, documenting …

Lessons From A Life In Transition: An Autoethnography Of Regional Attitudes Toward Transgender Educators, Birdie Miller

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the lived experiences of a transgender educator navigating public school systems in Mississippi and Minnesota. The purpose of this research is to illuminate how systemic discrimination, lack of institutional support, and cultural attitudes toward gender identity affect both the personal and professional lives of transgender teachers. Using an autoethnographic approach, I analyzed weekly journal entries written over multiple school years across three distinct school settings. These reflections were thematically examined to identify patterns related to identity negotiation, resilience, workplace discrimination, and moments of resistance.

The findings reveal the emotional toll of teaching in environments where safety and …

High-Impact Chronic Pain And Cognitive Decline Among Mexicans Aged 60 And Older From 2012 To 2018, Sadaf Arefi Milani, Sirena Gutierrez, Brandon O'Grady, Rebeca Wong, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Brian Downer

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pain is associated with cognitive decline, but prior research has not considered differences between high- and low-impact chronic pain or low-and middle-income countries, such as Mexico. Our objective was to evaluate the association between high-impact chronic pain and cognitive decline among older adults in Mexico. We used data from the 2012-2018 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a nationally representative study of older Mexican adults (60+). Pain, measured at each wave, was categorized as high-impact chronic pain (pain that limits daily activities), low-impact chronic pain (pain that did not limit daily activities), and no chronic pain. Cognition was measured at …

Sex-Based Differences In The Representation Of Top Youth Athletes, Jessica J. James, Sandra K. Hunter, Elizabeth P. Bueckers, Michael J. Joyner, Jonathon W. Senefeld

Exercise Science Faculty Research and Publications

Although emerging research demonstrates that male athletes outperform female athletes before puberty, the effect of these sex-related advantages on ordinal ranking of top performances remains unclear.

Objectives

Among overall top performances of youth track and swimming athletes, we aimed to determine 1) the proportional number of male compared with female athletes represented and 2) at what age females are no longer represented.

Methods

Finishing times and sex of the top 10 and top 100 performances of youth runners and swimmers between 5 and 18 yr were abstracted from online U.S.-based databases for four running (100 m–800 m) and six freestyle …

Learning Analytics: An Innovative Technological Tool To Help Increase Student Retention And Graduation Rates In Us Higher Education Institutions, Fednold Thelisdort

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have embarked on a journey of innovation by adopting learning analytics (LA) in their operation, offering a more sustainable and innovative technological tool to increase student retention and graduation rates in US HEIs. LA, an emerging academic and technological tool, equips HEIs to gather, analyze, and interpret their students’ data. Since the publication of the first (conceptual) framework by Burke (2019), LA has matured into a research focus and practice, implemented in several institutional contexts at different scales and disciplinary/pedagogical contexts. This study explored the impact of the use of LA on student retention and graduation …

Who's At Home?: Individual-And Family-Level Sociodemographic Characteristics Associated With Stay-At-Home Motherhood, Deegan Minchey

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I assess the relationship between various types of demographic variables, including individual, partner, and family-level information, and the likelihood of mothers staying at home. Using nationally representative data from the 2019,2021, and 2023 waves of the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the Current Population Survey to account for differences across the COVID-19 pandemic, this analysis examines the likelihood of becoming a stay-at-home mother (SAHM) across three separate regression models. From the variables analyzed, I find that various individual, family, and partner demographic characteristics are significantly associated with the likelihood of becoming a SAHM. These results …

Cinematic Abuse: A Critical Analysis Of Disney’S “Happily Ever After” In The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, And The Princess And The Frog, Erin Michelle Gough

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the manner in which three animated Disney princess films cultivate stereotypes and gendered behaviors consistent with domestic violence and thereby encourages viewers to accept and tolerate abuse against women. I argue that due to the dangerous, constricting, and sexist gender roles encouraged by the Walt Disney Corporation, films prime young girls and boys to react to social situations and encounters in a way that mirror the characters’ reactions. Because of the films’ entertainment value, most of the characters’ inappropriate, stereotypical, and often violent behaviors either go unnoticed or are passively accepted. The violence does not have to …