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Models Of Earning And Caring: Trends In Time-Use, Roderic Beaujot, Jianye Liu, Zenaida Ravanera

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Families may be defined as people who share resources and care for each other. These earning and caring activities have undergone change, especially in terms of the de-linking of gender to their division in families. After considering the basis of change in families, in the economy and in models of earning and caring, this paper updates the average hours of paid and unpaid work of women and men, based on the time use surveys of 1986, 1992, 1998 and 2005. The focus is on gender as well as marital, parental and employment status over the life course. Total productive activity, …

Abortion In Iran: What Do We Know?, Amir Erfani

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Illegal Dumping: Large And Small Scale Littering In Rural Kentucky, Kenneth D. Tunnell

Justice Studies Faculty and Staff Research

Illegal dumping, a social problem greatly affecting some rural states, occurs at both the large and small scale as open dump sites and roadside trash. Focusing on Kentucky, a rural state without mandatory trash pickup and a per capita income below and a poverty rate above the national average, this photo essay describes the dumping and littering problem. As is shown, legislative and executive initiatives have made some inroads in large-scale clean up. Some local governments, however, appear apathetic about addressing illegal dumping in their own communities. Kentucky’s litter problem is showing few signs of improvement and roadside littering seemingly …

Sociology Minor 2008, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Sociology B.A. 2008, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Community Social Interactive Processes And Rural Adolescents’ Educational Outcomes: What We Know And What We Need To Know, Omolola A. Adedokun, Mark A. Balschweid

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Faculty Publications

The low educational outcomes of rural adolescents have long been a subject of research among educational and social researchers. In particular, extant studies have explained the high rates of high school dropout and low rates of college completion among rural adolescents mainly in terms of the structural and economic disadvantages associated with rural life. However, more recent research have employed social capital theory to show that rural adolescents‟ educational outcomes are shaped not only by the structural elements of their communities, but, also importantly by the dynamics of the social interactive processes taking place within this social environment. The present …

Law Enforcement's Reconceptualization Of Juvenile Prostitutes From Delinquency Offenders To Child Sexual Abuse Victims In Six Us Cities, Stephanie Halter

Doctoral Dissertations

The involvement of youth in prostitution has proven to be a difficult and complex issue for law enforcement, child welfare, and social service agencies to confront. This stems from the complicated social and legal aspects of the problem, which have created considerable ambiguity in how to recognize, define and, ultimately, handle juveniles engaging in prostitution. This research project examined how juvenile prostitutes were conceptualized by law enforcement, as victims or offenders, by examining the law enforcement response to this social problem. One hundred and twenty-six juvenile prostitute's case files from six law enforcement agencies in major U.S. cities were reviewed …

How Spanish -Speaking Parents Understand Kindergarten And Support Their Children's Education Within The Context Of A School, Phyllis Barton Schlichter

Doctoral Dissertations

The intention of this study was to examine the experiences of nine Spanish-speaking families in a public kindergarten setting during the 2005-2006 school year to understand how individual agency of parents, access to a community's practices and events, and the resulting interrelationship, shape parent understanding of and participation in school practices and events and ultimately impact student achievement outcomes. In a nation that is becoming increasingly diverse, the Hispanic population is the largest minority group in the country. There are more than two million English-language learners in the U.S. K-3 classrooms with Spanish accounting for almost 80% of the non-English …

Patterns Of Skinhead Violence, Derek Bowen

Doctoral Dissertations

Violence committed by racist skinheads has often been characterized as being motivated by racial hatred and by white supremacist ideology. This ideological aspect has been used to make a distinction between the violent acts committed by racist skinheads and violent acts committed by other groups of young males. Recent research on skinheads has indicated that this distinction may have been overstated. Researchers doing fieldwork with skinheads have found that racist skinheads are involved in violent conflicts with a variety of opponents, and that this violence often lacked an overtly ideological character. Building on this emerging research, I hypothesized that racist …

Behavioral Responses To Public Insurance Programs: Three Essays, Timothy F. Page

Doctoral Dissertations

Evaluating the effectiveness of public programs requires an understanding of how these programs affect the choices of individuals and households. For example, the program design of Social Security and Medicare may affect how much people work. While these effects are not intended goals of the programs, proper evaluation of these programs requires analyzing costs and benefits from all sources, even those that may be unintended. Given the growing number of uninsured individuals, currently 47 million, policy makers are considering an expanded role for government in the provision of health insurance. With any expansion may come secondary effects, such as those …

The Social Production Of Community Garden Space: Case Studies Of Boston, Massachusetts And Havana, Cuba, Charles A. French

Doctoral Dissertations

This research incorporates 'production of space' theory to explore how individual and societal characteristics influence community gardening practices and outcomes for individuals and neighborhoods in Havana, Cuba and Boston, Massachusetts. Methods used for this research include demographic analysis, interviews, surveys, field mapping, photo documentation and direct observation. The hope is that this research will bring to light certain policies and actions that will help ensure access to community garden space by diverse individuals. The following describes the main findings of this research.

In Boston, some neighborhoods experiencing rapidly escalating rents are also experiencing an outmigration of ethnic minorities, particularly Hispanic-Latinos …

The Effect Of Peer And Parental Smoking On Adolescent Smoking Initiation: Exploring Potential Moderators, Jeffrey Allen Eaton

Doctoral Dissertations

The factors that contribute to smoking initiation among adolescents are poorly understood. The current approaches to smoking prevention may have achieved their maximum potential as evidenced by a stalling in the decline in smoking rates. To date, approaches to smoking prevention based on social and individual factors have previously met with limited success. A promising new approach will be to examine the interaction between social and individual factors and the effects of their interaction on smoking initiation. Parental and peer smoking behaviors are well-known risk factors for smoking initiation. Several theoretical models suggest that perceptual or interpretative processes may moderate …

Using 'The Autobiography Of Malcolm X' To Teach Introductory Sociology, Brent D. Harger, Tim Hallett

Sociology Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we make the case for using The Autobiography of Malcolm X to teach introductory sociology classes. While The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an autobiography and not a novel, we summarize the literature on using novels in sociology and compare this literature to our own experiences using autobiographies in the classroom. We then describe how autobiographies are particularly helpful for introducing students to the concept of the ‘‘sociological imagination’’ before highlighting this with an in-class exercise. Finally, we discuss student feedback and some of the drawbacks to using autobiographies and the extent to which these drawbacks can …

Bridging The Theoretical Gap: The Diasporized Hybrid In Sociological Theory, Melissa F. Weiner, Bedelia N. Richards

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In a nation of immigrants, most American ethnic groups have at some point wrestled with how to reconcile having an identity that is rooted simultaneously in their countries of origin and in the United States, particularly when they are also racialized ethnic minorities. This hybrid identity often blends divergent cultures and traditions. And sociologists, intent on explaining these tensions, have focused on the experiences that have shaped these identities for over a century. As a result, the theoretical roots of contemporary hybridity theories such as the segmented assimilation perspective, can be traced back to “classical” theorists of race, pluralism, and …

Peace On G-D'S Terms: The Ideological Project Of Christian Zionism, James Alton Croker Iii.

Master's Theses and Capstones

This study examines the Christian Zionist movement. It identifies the motivations, composition, and objectives of the Christian Zionist movement in order to illuminate the interest group's influence on U.S. foreign policy making on Israel. The movement's influence results from the framing of its ideology as a political project, through which the movement is able to capitalize on a pre-existing pro-Israel opinion bias among Evangelicals, construct a community of believers from these individuals, and mobilize that community into action. This argument shows that classic realist accounts, such as that put forward in Mearsheimer and Walt's work, do not account for a …

Reentering The Community A Criminal: A Case Study Of Jail Inmates Released From The Strafford County Department Of Corrections, Jillian Marie Kalosky

Master's Theses and Capstones

The current study examines inmates' transition into the community upon release from the Strafford County Department of Corrections (SCDOC), a rural county jail in New Hampshire, in 2006. The present goals are to analyze the degree to which these individuals were able to successfully reintegrate into the community and to identify potential risk factors for future engagement in crime. To meet these goals, the current study utilizes (1) data collected during pre-release discharge plan meetings (n = 160); (2) data retrieved from the official SCDOC corrections database, which reports any arrests and/or incarcerations that have resulted since release (n = …

Family Structure And Adolescent Delinquency: Examining The Influence Of Parenting And Extended Family Support, Deirdre A. Boulter

Master's Theses and Capstones

Research regarding family structure and delinquency often suggests that adolescents from non-intact homes are associated with more delinquency than adolescents from intact homes. The influence of parenting practices on the above relationship is disputed among researchers. In addition few studies have examined the influence of extended family support. Using data from the National Youth Survey the present study examines parenting practices as a potential mediator between family structure and delinquency. Extended family support is also examined as a potential moderator between single mother families and delinquency. Results suggest that family structure is associated with certain types of delinquency. In addition …

The Impact Of Federal Violence Against Women Grants Upon Two New Hampshire Cities: Case Disposition And Police Report Writing, Catherine Anne Seabury

Master's Theses and Capstones

In 1994 the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed in the United States, and with it came a host of changes for the many cities and towns throughout the country which were granted federal funds in order to combat domestic violence.

Although these structural changes appear to have been successful, little empirical research has been conducted with the goal of accurately reporting what, if any, improvements have occurred within communities as a result of VAWA funding.

This research examines the impact of federal VAWA funds on two New Hampshire cities---Manchester, which has been receiving VAWA funding since 1995, the …

Parents And Peers: Assessing The Impact Of Same-Sex Parent-Adolescent And Same-Sex Peer-Adolescent Associations On Teen Delinquency, Alexander Conrad Keller

Master's Theses and Capstones

Prior research drawing on Social Bond Theory finds mixed evidence that parental influences are associated with a modest decrease in delinquency, but few studies have disaggregated maternal and paternal influences to examine their individual impacts on teen delinquency. The studies that have did not examine whether same-sex parental influences moderate delinquent peer influences on teen delinquency. The present study argues that (1) same-sex parent-adolescent associations may have important main effects on delinquency and (2) that same-sex parent-adolescent influences may simultaneously interact with peer delinquency such that delinquent peer influences decrease among youth whose same-sex parent exert strong parental influences over …

Psychoeducational And Therapeutic Group Counseling For Central American Female Immigrants, Amy Dolores Deutsch

Master's Theses and Capstones

There is a significant and increasing amount of Latinos immigrating to the United States. They face many challenges in successfully adapting to life in this country. These challenges are several and include cultural differences, premigration and migration trauma, economic hardship, lack of facility with the language, and attitudes of United States citizens toward immigrants. The needs of Latino immigrants are unique, and the costs of not addressing these needs are likely to be significant. As the United States becomes increasingly more racially and culturally diverse, it is encumbent upon those in the helping professions to prepare to serve a radically …

Family Context Of Children And Youths Experiencing Online Interpersonal Victimization, Brian Michael Hinchee

Master's Theses and Capstones

Internet victimization of children is a recent phenomenon that is now widely studied. The various predictors of Internet victimization have received less attention. My study measures Online Interpersonal Victimization, which includes harassment and sexual solicitations. I analyze victimization using the Family Context model and Routine Activities and Lifestyles Theory to examine how relationships with parents contribute to youth victimization.

This study uses 2005 data from the Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS2), a nationally representative sample of youth Internet users and their parents. Survey participants (N=1500) were regular Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17. It was hypothesized that …

Role Stress, Role Resources, And Mental Health Outcomes Among Recreational Runners, Leslie Dillon

Master's Theses and Capstones

Research on the impact of multiple role management on mental health outcomes has yet to consider the implications of a recreational athlete role. Role Conflict theory predicts that incorporating this additional role would increase potential for stress manifested as a mental health problem. Role Expansion theory predicts the social qualities of this additional role can be helpful in buffering against stress. In an exploratory study, a sample of recreational runners from New England were recruited by email to complete an online survey that evaluated role resources, role stress, depression, and alcohol problems. Results show no significant relationships between role stress, …

Evaluating The Serious And Violent Offender Reentry Initiative Within And Across The New England Region, Jessica A. Parent

Master's Theses and Capstones

The reentry of inmates back into the community is a hotly debated topic in society today. A descriptive study was conducted to analyze what mental health services were being provided to inmates who were participants in the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI). Additionally, barriers to implementing comprehensive mental health services, along with trends within and across the New England Region regarding mental health services were examined. The data collected was from three program evaluation surveys completed by Project Directors for SVORI in 2003, 2005, and 2006. The results indicate that the mental health services provided to SVORI participants …

A Critical Analysis Of The Relationship Between Salvation And Social Justice In The Minjung Theology, Ilmok Kim

Dissertations

The intent of this study is to investigate the relationship between salvation and social justice in minjung theology. Minjung theology grew out of social awareness in the 1970s that created adesire to fight oppression and misery in Korea.

The introductory chapter defines the problem, which is to critically evaluate minjung theology's attempts to reconstruct the traditional Korean Christian notions of salvation. This study is primarily limited to the works of two representative minjung theologians: Nam Dong Suh and Byung Mu Ahn.

Chapter 2 traces the historical context of Korea from which minjung theology emerged. The chapter particularly notes the religious …

Court Appointed Forensic Interviewers Of Non-Victim Child Witnesses: Weighing The Needs Of Reliability, Child Protection, And Litigant's Rights, Joseph J. Taylor

Master's Theses and Capstones

A child can be caused great harm by multiple interviews and the trauma associated with testifying in court. A child's statements may be inaccurate due to suggestive interview methods and trauma. Despite these facts children find themselves involved in the court system every day. The testimony of children cannot be ignored just as their testimony cannot be given too much weight without infringing the rights of litigants. More specialized procedures can be developed to give children's testimony its proper weight while ensuring reliability, child protection, and litigant's rights. A specialized procedure such as a Court Appointed Forensic Interviewer of non-victim …

How Does Advertising Articulate The Tropes Of The Posthuman That Exist In Contemporary Culture?, Norah Campbell

Doctoral

The posthuman is a concept that has accrued much currency in disciplines as diverse as legal theory, artificial life science and philosophy. This thesis explores the meaning of the concept by initially examining what it means to be human, finding that art and science have so far failed to provide a long-lasting definition of humanness. Instead of a temporal “coming-after” stage of humanity, posthumanism might be more usefully seen as a concept that draws attention to the cracks that have always existed in the apparently water-tight description of the human- how the “human” has changed radically and continues to change …

Mobilizing Movements, Mobilizing Contemporary Islamic Resistance, Rachael M. Rudolph

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent world events, ranging from international violence to elections, have propelled academics and policymakers to examine Islamic resistance movements more closely. Previous studies of such movements, in both the English and Arabic literature, has been limited to historical case studies. The lack of systematic cross-case comparisons has limited the development of generalizable propositions regarding movement mobilization. In a first effort to remedy this gap in the literature, this study examines the mobilization of Islamic resistance movements---the FIS, the PIJ, Hamas, the MNLF, the MILF and the ASG---in three different countries located in three different regions. Mobilization was examined utilizing the …

The Relationship Between Learning Style Preference And Achievement In The Adult Student In A Multicultural College., Matilde E. Roig

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority college students have varied learning styles and process information from distinct background and cultural perspectives, which influences their learning. Accordingly, the way faculty approach teaching affects student achievement. Few minorities are in scientific fields, with a shortage of scientists predicted. A problem exists in understanding the relationship between learning style preferences and achievement of minority college students. The purpose of the study was to investigate this relationship in adult minority students in a South Florida college's biology courses. Research questions pertained to relationships between learning style preferences, race, ethnicity and grades. This quantitative study used the online Felder-Soloman Inventory …

Emerging Youth Transition Patterns In Canada: Opportunities And Risks, Roderic Beaujot, Don Kerr

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Building on a Government of Canada sponsored seminar on Canadian and international perspectives on youth policy and research, the Policy Research Initiative (2006) has highlighted a resurgence of interest among researchers on the risks, opportunities and challenges that many young people face across industrialized countries. Various social, demographic and economic changes have altered the life experience of the young, which has modified the opportunities and risks encountered in navigating into adult roles.

The objective of this study is to largely describe some of the most salient of these changes, with a careful review of existing Canadian literature and published empirical …

Social Functioning: A Sociological Common Base For Social Work Practice, Thomas J. Blakely, Gregory M. Dziadosz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article describes the experience of a social work mental health agency with Social Role Theory (SRT), that is an organizing concept for the delivery of its assessment and treatment program. SRT has been called the process variable of the program, meaning how services are delivered. Social functioning, a concept taken from SRT, is a treatment outcome. The overall purposes of the article are to describe the contribution of sociology to social work practice, and to advance the argument that social functioning is a common base for social work practice generally.