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Timing, Sequences, And Variations In Separation And Divorce Of Canadian Men, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Something Ventured: Something Gained: Progress Toward A Unified Theory Of Fertility Decline, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

The Improvement Of Marriages And Divorces Statistics In South Africa: Relevance, Registration Issues And Challenges, Sulaiman Bah

PSC Discussion Papers Series

With the recent passing by parliament of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, 1998 (Act 120 of 1998), it is now possible to increase the coverage of registered marriages and divorces in South Africa. In the past, since certain unions were legally not recognised, the marriage statistics collected by the Department of Home Affairs excluded a large proportion of marriages, for example customary marriages among Africans. However, the passing of legislation on its own is a necessary but not sufficient condition to ensure that customary marriages are indeed registered. The aim of the paper is to explore ways of making …

When Does Gender Matter? Explaining The Transition To Adulthood As A Gendered Process, Kimberly Autumn Mahaffy

Doctoral Dissertations

Most gender theory and research focuses on two points in the life course: childhood and middle adulthood. Less attention is given to the period in between. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether and how the transition to adulthood is gendered. To what extent do school, family, and labor market contexts have a different effect on adolescent girls and boys as they become adults?

Using data from the High School and Beyond 1980 Sophomore Cohort Study (1980--1992), 1 examine how social context differentially affects the plans for the future and adult status outcomes of young women and men. …

Hyperdeprivation And Race -Specific Homicide, 1980--1990., Matthew Raleigh Lee

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Research on the nature of the urban underclass suggests that socioeconomic deprivation is multidimensional and involves more than just the personal experience of poverty. When negative characteristics like poverty and unemployment are concentrated geographically, it means that one is not only deprived of personal resources, but also deprived of contact with those who do have resources. Thus, when social disadvantage is concentrated, as it may be in underclass communities, this augments the effect of poverty, creating a situation of hyperdeprivation, by placing beyond reach those segments of mainstream society that are necessary for success. This dissertation extends this line of …

To Thine Own Self (And Thine Associates) Be True: The Strategic Management Of Competing Identities Among Academic Women., Shirley A. Keeton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

Social positions and social relationships are important in structuring self-concept. The self is often viewed as composed of identities related to the social positions an individual occupies. These identities are generally conceptualized as being organized hierarchically based on the individual's relative commitment to each. I contribute to this work by developing an Identity Management Model in which I propose three strategies (compartmentalization, amalgamation, and reprioritization) individuals use to manage completion among identities. In this model, I identify characteristics of (a) the identities, (b) the social environment and (c) the individual's social network that are likely to influence which strategy is …

Parental Alcoholism And Children's Social Skills., Marsha Dean Norton

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study focused on the daily interactions and home environments of 14 families with alcoholic fathers who were beginning primary treatment for their alcoholism. Data were collected by in-depth, face to face interviews with all family members. Social skills questionnaires administered to each child. Two specific family patterns were found to be associated with higher level social skills in children. First, father's frequent presence in the home, coupled with positive family interaction, was associated with children's high range social skills. Even in circumstances where violence existed, if the father was routinely at home and participated in positive family interactions, social …

Hazards To Navigation On The Lower Mississippi River And At -Risk Human Populations., George P. Wooddell Jr

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation tests whether known hazards to navigation determine the location of vessel accidents along the lower Mississippi River and describes the human populations most at risk according to predictions. The data are comprised of the relative risk index of river hazards (Forsyth et al. 1996, Gramling et al. 1998), the demographic characteristics of nearby residents, (U.S. Census 1990), and actual U.S. Coast Guard accident reports. Usable predictors of vessel accidents and a knowledge of population characteristics will enable better planning of emergency response, better placement of emergency response equipment, and more effective efforts to prevent vessel. accidents along the …

Small Firms, Global Economies: The Economic Sociology Of The Northwest Atlantic Sea Urchin Industry, Sean Raymond Lauer

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the organizational dynamics of firms operating in the East Coast sea urchin industry. First, I examine the confluence of economic and political conditions under which the industry evolved. As a part of the export driven growth of the past decade in the US the East Coast sea urchin industry benefited from political conditions, which encouraged development of global markets for US products. Along with this, the Japanese have displayed a seemingly insatiable demand for sea urchin roe through the 1990s. In 1971 the governance of the international monetary system changed from a fixed to floating exchange rate. …

Confronting The War Machine: Draft Resistance During The Vietnam War, Michael Stewart Foley

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation recovers the history of the draft resistance movement in Boston during the Vietnam War. It is a blend of social, political, and cultural history that seeks not merely to assert the importance of draft resistance to our understanding of the antiwar movement and the Vietnam War era, but also to capture the experience of draft resisters and their supporters.

It is an actor-oriented history. The sources used include the personal private manuscript collections of participants, court records, underground newspapers, a 1997 survey administered to 310 former resisters and draft resistance activists (185 responded), and interviews with more than …

Made In The Gdr : The Changing Geographies Of Women In The Post-Socialist Rural Society In Mecklenburg-Westpommerania, Bettina Van Hoven-Iganski

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis explores women's experiences in rural areas under state socialism in the GDR and in the New Germany since 1989. The study is located within feminist geographical thinking and draws on a variety of qualitative and quantitative sources. Data for the research were collated through various research methods both qualitative and quantitative including correspondence, focus group interviews, key informant interviews, and the consultation of documentary evidence and statistical sources. The thesis employs a modified grounded theory approach. Data were processed and analysed using the computer-assisted analysis programme NUD.IST Version 4.0. The thesis focuses on questions that emerge from a …

Making Genes: A Pilot Study Of The Social Construction Of Biotechnology, Christopher B. Ganchoff

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Biotechnology, the duplication of natural processes with artificial procedures and objects, is reshaping the way we see ourselves, and the world around us. Recent advances in genetic engineering have resulted in unprecedented hypotheses about the power and efficacy of the human genetic code. The entire human genetic structure is in the process of being mapped out, and this project should be completed within the next ten years. The Human Genome Project (HGP) represents are qualitative leap in modern science; it is a trans-national enterprise that promises to simultaneously release humanity from the grip of a multitude of physiological pathologies, and …

Researcher/Practitioner Teams: A Potential Tool For Creating Democratic Dialogue In Participatory Evaluation, Regina Ann Misch

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since December 1996, The Center for Applied Social Analysis and Education (CASAE) has conducted an evaluation for a juvenile justice program in Humboldt County. CASAE has taken a participatory approach to the evaluation by involving the probation officers and other practitioners in data collection and report composition. The evaluation is unique in that the researchers have the opportunity to experience the practitioner’s work first hand by observing the practitioner during visits to their clients. I have termed this collaborative tool, researcher/ practitioner teams (r/p teams). Such an experience may promote a bond of trust between the researcher and practitioner and …

Toward A Sociological Understanding Of Heroic Behavior: A Focus On Carnegie Heroes, Anna F. Lomascolo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This qualitative study explored the motivational factors underlying heroic acts of rescue and the ways in which gender role expectations appeared to have influenced whether or not males and females offered help in emergency situations. The overarching research question was What socio-cultural factors prompt individuals to risk their lives on behalf of others? In order to provide answers to this question, one-on-one, structured interviews were conducted with 75 recipients of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission’s medal for civilian heroism. Research findings revealed predominantly normative motivations which were evident in three forms: (1) adherence to the norm of social responsibility; (2) …

An Evaluation Of The Court Appointed Special Advocate Program In Humboldt County's Juvenile Court, Ruben Alvarado

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The Court Appointed Special Advocates of Humboldt program has grown to at a very rapid rate. CASA of Humboldt has become the largest rural program in the state of California. A program evaluation of the CASA of Humboldt program was performed to determine if the program is meeting its organizational mandate and to assess the impact on the children represented by CASA volunteers. A case study design was used to research the nature of CASA intervention on case disposition. A triangulation of findings from several mini-surveys which were administered to juvenile court judges, attorneys, social workers, CASA case managers and …

Constructing Early Christian Families: Family As Social Reality And Metaphor [Review] / Edited By Halvor Moxnes., David A. Desilva

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of The Project Challenge Pilot Program Evaluation, Judy Lynn Scripter

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There are ongoing discussions in the field of social research concerning the utility of Program Evaluation (Browne and Wildavsky, 1983; Posavac and Carey, 1989; Deshler and Ewert, 1995). Program managers need relevant information to make policy decisions, improve processes, or validate their existence. Program evaluation activities need to be assessed for the same reasons social researchers evaluate programs, i.e., accountability, selecting best practices, program improvement, etc.... Posavac and Carey (1989:3) state “The mission of program evaluation... is to assist in improving the quality of human services.” The purpose of this project was to assess the evaluation of Project Challenge Pilot …

The Media's Influence On Women's Labor Force Participation: A Content Analysis Of Magazines, Cassandra S. Crawford

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The media can be understood not as a mechanism which dictates cultural specifics, but rather, as forum for cultural mimicry. The Symbolic Interactionist perspective suggests that the media has a degree of influence similar to that of other actors, because readers are imputed in the production of meaning. Interactions are dynamic and, as a consequence, a multiplicity of meanings are inevitable. Women’s occupational imaging in advertisements can be utilized to illustrate this assertion. Year intervals in which labor force participation rates increased 1.5% or greater were extracted from labor force data. In order to ascertain what influence the media has …

The Shadow Children, Patricia A. Menzies

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Fifty years ago, to be a good foster parent, all one needed was a lot of love and patience. As we approach the 21st century, foster parenting has become a complex career choice wherein the foster parent needs to have a multi-faceted background in order to adequately deal with children who have been traumatized by those who should have been protecting them. Oftentimes suffering severe psychological damage, these children can present an overwhelming challenge to particularly the novice foster parent, but also to the veteran foster parent who is finding that, with each year, the children are arriving with more …

Embracing Descent: The Bankruptcy Of A Business Paradigm For Conceptualizing And Regulating The Legal Profession, Jeffrey W. Stempel

Scholarly Works

Lawyers are said to travel in packs, or at least pairs, and in the popular parlance are often compared to hoards of locusts, herds of cattle, or unruly mobs. However, at least for purposes of assessing concerns with professionalism currently surrounding the bar and the public, whether attorneys are more or less social than other human animals does not matter. My point is simply that lawyers are social beings; like other human beings in social and occupational groups, lawyers behave largely in accordance with group norms, in much the same way peer pressure led Julian English toward juvenile delinquency in …

Factors Which Cause Families To Home School Their Children In Northeast Tennessee, Tony G. England

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem which this researcher investigated centered around the motivational factors which caused parents to educate their children at home. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors as perceived to cause families to home school their children. This study of home school education offered the opportunity to examine the dynamics within home schooling families as they conducted a non-traditional educational alternative. The study may provide information and insight to assist public school policy makers in considering inclusion of program components presently perceived as missing. Two home school associations in upper East Tennessee responded to a home school …

Urbanization In Cuba, G. Edward Ebanks

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Contrasting Population Challenges: Cuba And The Dominican Republic In The Next Millenium, G. Edward Ebanks

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Neo-Malthusian Dilemma: Latin America And The Caribbean, G. Edward Ebanks

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Neo-malthusian dilemma manifests itself in a growing population of 500 million in 1998 and an additional net growth of 9 million people each year in Latin America and the Caribbean (LA & C) and low level of productivity resulting in poverty, a threat to sustainable development and prospects of continuing low level of the quality of life. To escape this dilemma it is necessary to reduce growth in the population while at the same time following the United Nations “Programme of Action” and the United Nations, The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), “Social Equity and Changing …

Happy Meals At Mcdonald's : A Qualitative Field Study Of Family Dinner At Mcdonald's, Joy Sandersen-Smith

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the family meal at McDonald’s as a family dinner ritual and as an arena for socialization of children. A field study, including six McDonald’s restaurants in Omaha, Nebraska, was conducted during the months of May and June. Approximately 25 hours of observations were recorded using the method of participant observation. The main sample consisted of 58 families (adults with children) and included single mothers, single fathers, two-parent families, as well as grandparents with children and other family constellations with children and adults. The most common family type at McDonald’s was single mothers …

Status Processes And Mental Ability Test Scores, Michael J. Lovaglia, Jeffrey W. Lucas, Jeffrey A. Houser, Shane R. Thye, Barry N. Markovsky

Faculty Publications

The expected consequences of a score on an ability test can constrain individual performance. The authors predict that status processes, including status differences and the differences in rewards and costs that result, will produce differences in ability test scores between high-status and low-status individuals. In three controlled experi- ments, participants randomly assigned low status scored lower on a standard test of mental ability (the Raven Progressive Matrices) than did participants assigned high status. For both men and women, the difference in ability test score between low-status and high-status participants was about half a standard deviation. The results suggest the need …

Variations In The Length Of Male Parenting: Evidence From The 1995 Gss Canada, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Trends And Variations In The Early Life Courses Of Canadian Men, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando, Thomas K. Burch

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

A Critical Analytical And Historical Review Of South African Published Life Tables, Sulaiman M. Bah

PSC Discussion Papers Series

The paper gives a critical review of South African life tables published since the 1920s. The life tables were constructed on the assumption that vital registration was complete among whites, coloureds and Asians. Over time, robust measures of the life tables such as under-five mortality rate and life expectancy at birth have to show internal and external consistency. In addition, derived measures such as entropy, E, which summarises the degree of convexity of the life table survivorship function, l(x), and Anson’s U also have to display such consistency. Against these criteria, the paper sets out to assess the validity of …

Time Availability And Relative Resources As Determinants Of The Sexual Division Of Domestic Work, Seth Mcfarlane, Roderic Beaujot, Tony Haddad

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Based on data from the 1992 Canadian General Social Survey on time-use, the time spent in housework and in child care are analyzed for women and men who are working full-time in dual-earner families. It is found that living with children under 19 years of age increases the average time spent in housework and child care and reduces that in paid work for both men and women. Time availability considerations, associated with the time demands of the family and the capacity to respond given the time in paid work, are found to be important determinants, especially for time spent in …