Digital Commons Network^™

The Power Of A Stereotype: American Depictions Of The Black Woman In Film Media, Brittany Terry

Master's Theses

How are black women depicted in popular films? The significance of this study is that it sheds new light on the ways in which black women are depicted in film, and exemplifies some means to deconstruct dehumanizing representations of ourselves. This work advances the goal of institutionalizing more accurate visual accounts of black femaleness thereby exposing the inaccuracies of the dominant gaze. This study also transparently marks my intersectional positionality as a black feminist spectator-- simultaneously privileged and marginalized. I identify as a heterosexual woman of color, raised in an upper-middle class American community. As such, I benefit from classism …

How Personal Names Shape The Way Society Sees People As Individuals In The United States., Rand Gabriel M. Buenaventura

UROP Posters

In a world where people are disadvantaged by first impressions and implicit bias, names factor a lot into a person’s successes in life. Whether it be first names, last names, the number of middle initials, the gender and racial implications of a person’s name, and societal standards surrounding names and naming systems, there are multiple ways names shape a person’s identity. Thus, it is important to ask how personal names shape the way people are seen as individuals in the United States and contribute to their identity. Names are a trait that people are born with, usually determined before anything …

Politics And The Perceived Boundaries Of Science: Activism, Sociology, And Scientific Legitimacy, Chris Scheitle

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Research has suggested that public confidence in the scientific community has become politicized, but it is not clear that liberals and conservatives disagree on the more fundamental question of what counts as being scientific. An analysis of General Social Survey data finds that political conservatism is negatively associated with an individual’s rating of sociology as being scientific. This association is not found when examining ratings of economics or biology. Education moderates this association, as the gap between liberals’ and conservatives’ ratings of sociology’s scientific-ness is greater among those with more education. Although research has demonstrated that trust in the scientific …

Urban High School Educators' Perceptions Of Pre-Service And In-Service Conflict Resolution And Violence Prevention Education, Sean M. Brooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Studies have shown that conflict resolution and violence prevention education may be lacking within school-based environments. There is a gap in the literature regarding pre-service and in-service conflict resolution and violence prevention education for urban high school educators. The purpose of the study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of urban high school educators' pre-service and in-service conflict resolution and violence prevention education, and the student health-related antecedents that contribute to both. Utilizing a case study methodology, this study emphasized the diverse geographic locations of urban high school educators' pre-service institutions and the perceptions of their pre-service and in-service …

The Interrelationships Of Socialization, Integration, And Spirituality Among Students At A Historically Black College, William Rookstool

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Higher education has not been successfully producing students with positive self-identities and an integrated sense of self with the world. Little research shows how the relationships among socialization, integration, and spirituality can address the problem of cognitive dissonance. The research question for this study examined interrelationships among socialization, integration, and spirituality at a small, historically black, Christian college located in the mid-South? This quantitative, exploratory study utilized Durkheim's integration theory and Blau's theory of structuralism as the theoretical base. Survey data were gathered through a survey developed from Astin's, Reeley's, and Ross & Straus's survey instruments to help create a …

Edward A. Ross: Social Development And Social Control, Ernest M. Oleksy

The Downtown Review: An Interdisciplinary Journal Written and Peer-Reviewed by Mandel Honors College Students at Cleveland State University

With a foundation in philosophy and history, core concepts of sociology and criminology that were initially posited over a century ago are still useful in understanding the workings of today's society. The contributions of Edward A. Ross have helped latter day researchers centralize their studies of polycentric topics by using social control as an omnipresent social fact. By comparing Ross's descriptions of 19th century society and the researcher's descriptions of 21^st century society, a continuous understanding of a heavily pluralistic discipline comes to life.

Citation Analysis Of Doctoral Theses In The Field Of Sociology Submitted To Panjab University, Chandigarh (India) During 2002-2012, Preeti Mahajan, Anil Kumar

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This paper determines the materials cited in Ph.D. theses of Sociology, submitted to the Panjab University, Chandigarh during the years 2002-2012 to improve the existing collection development policy of University library. The study reveals that Books are the most preferred sources of information used by the researchers in the field of Sociology, accounting for 57.65% of the total citations, although citations from journals, proceedings, internet resources and reports are also found. It is also observed those researchers are not taking much advantage of internet resources. Bradford's law of scattering was applied. More cited materials were contributed by single authors and …

Gwu Alumnus Serves Fresh And Local Dishes As An Executive Chef, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

As executive chef at Grace Ridge Retirement Community in Morganton, N.C., Gardner-Webb University alumni Jon Kirby prepares fresh, local food and exciting recipes for the residents. Kirby was hired at Grace Ridge four years ago as a sous chef and was promoted to executive chef last fall. This rewarding job gives him the chance to provide healthy meals while getting to know the residents’ tastes.

Poppular Culture Of The Arab World Arb 251, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Beeman Studies Racism In Today’S America, Aldemaro Romero Jr.

Publications and Research

“When I went to college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, I became interested in sociology because it addressed issues of family and class dynamics and the issues that low-income working-class families struggle with. I avoided the racial element of it at first because my family and I had always been targeted as being among the few people of color in that community, and there is a kind of shame involved with that.”

This is how Dr. Angie Beeman explains how she came to be a sociologist. A native of Somerset, Pennsylvania, she went on to obtain a doctorate at the …

Gardner-Webb Student Pursues Passion For Justice, Office Of University Communications, Mallory Moore

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

It started with a passion for justice. Gardner-Webb senior Lauren Mahoney from Rosman, N.C., always knew that she wanted to help people. “If someone has been victimized, I want to be able to do something about it,” she shared. Recently, Mahoney had the opportunity to pursue her interests through an internship with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) at its Western District Office.

Social Norms, Heinrich Popitz

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Tourism And Representation: Digital Expressions And Implications Of Orientalism, Lily P. Ayau

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As the tourism industry in Morocco expands, so does Morocco’s online presence. Digital representations of Morocco are often written by and geared toward Westerners; these are often projections of an imagined Morocco, one that is informed by Orientalist conceptions of the Arab/Islamic countries. This study aims to analyze a selection of online articles about touring Morocco in an effort to determine how the underlying Orientalist attitudes in these pieces fit into a larger narrative of exploitation and Western dominance.

Who Steps In To Defend Online, Amanda J. Cross

Student Theses and Dissertations

This article looks at who steps in to defend people online. The article examines how the internet has changed our world, how hate groups use websites and social media to disseminate hate, and how social learning theory and collective efficacy can be used to talk about hate online. Next, the article delves into the topic of who steps in to defend people online by looking at a number of variables taken from a 2015 survey of internet users age 15-36. This article is a deep dive into the variables that impact standing up for people online including online collective efficacy, …

Panacea, Placebo Or Prudence: Perspectives And Constraints For Corporate Dialogue, Øyvind Ihlen, Abbey Levenshus

Scholarship and Professional Work - Communication

Public relations has long been preoccupied with the notion of dialogue, and the advent of social media ushered in new enthusiasm. Still, despite the technology on offer and the fact that dialogue has become a value that ‘everyone’ embraces, most research concludes that little actual dialogue takes place between corporations and their stakeholders. Scholars have pointed to a host of different factors to explain this, ranging from practitioners’ lack of time to their lack of understanding of what dialogue is. This article discusses perspectives on corporate dialogue with a focus on the constraints identified in the literature, before presenting the …

Psychology Graduate Receives Award For Research Completed At Gwu, Office Of University Communications

Gardner-Webb NewsCenter Archive

Does playing video games increase mental alertness? Through her research at Gardner-Webb University, Brittney Diane Jones discovered an answer to the question. “My findings suggested significant data in that action video games do increase mental-alertness skills among individuals,” concluded Jones, who graduated in 2017.

Terrorism: Motivation And Theory, Wayne Korbl

The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology

Abstract

This paper attempts to determine motivations behind terrorism from the perspectives of Rational Choice Theory and Social Solidarity Theory. Understanding motivation for terrorist acts cannot be determined uni-dimensionally and different levels of terrorist organizations are best understood using different theories ­­– with individual suicide bombers’ motivations best explained by Social Solidarity Theory and sponsoring organizations’ motives best explained by Rational Choice Theory.

Beyond Jurisprudence, Alan Calnan

Saint Louis University Law Journal

This article takes a new approach to legal theory. Because it views law as part of a complex natural system, it uses complex systems theory as its central investigative framework. Unlike traditional jurisprudence, which separates human artifacts from nature, complexity theory shows that human and natural systems are interdependent. Such systems cannot be studied in isolation, but require consilience. Consilience unites knowledge from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. By merging consilience with complexity theory, the article moves beyond jurisprudence toward “jurisilience.”

Jurisilience shows that law is a complex cultural system caused by complex social systems of …

Internationalizing The Curriculum, Isabel Scarborough Ph.D., Sarah Grison

Global Studies Initiatives in Social Sciences Pilot Project

This interactive presentation describes the experiences of faculty in the anthropology and sociology departments, along with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Parkland College, as they redesign courses to incorporate more international research and resources. The slides also discuss approaches to instructional design that are quick and easy and provide practical resources and tools to help design or re-design curriculum.

Statistics Education For Undergraduate Sociology Majors: Survey Findings Across Institutions, Natalie M. Delia Deckard

Numeracy

The need to close the quantitative literacy gap for sociology majors is a perennial topic in discussions of undergraduate sociological training. More and better statistical education with a greater focus on active research and engaged analysis is recommended by the major disciplinary association, as well as virtually all pedagogical agencies. This project explores these differences in the implementation of these recommendations, employing a survey (n=90) to report on the structure of quantitative training for undergraduates majoring in sociology. It finds that the type and extent of this education available to, and required for, sociology majors varies widely across not only …

Introduction To Sociology (Ghc), Christina Wolfe, J. Sean Callahan

Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work Grants Collections

This Grants Collection for Introduction to Sociology was created under a Round Five ALG Textbook Transformation Grant.

Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process.

Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials:

• Linked Syllabus
• Initial Proposal
• Final Report

Working Bodies: A Photo Essay On Tulare County Citrus Workers, Isamar Hernandez-Ramos

Agricultural Education and Communication

Many a times, when people think about their food, they think about origins. Where did it come from? Was it hygienic? Were the animals treated humanely? They seldom include the workers in their thought process, though the workers of the Ag industry provide what is arguably a vital part of the Ag industry. They do back-breaking labor in often lethal conditions for little pay (NFWM). The families of these workers often suffer economically, physically, and emotionally. In Tulare County, one of the top Agricultural counties in the country, the agricultural worker is often below the poverty line (Taylor, 2015). They …

"I Know It (Racism) Still Exists Here:" African American Males At A Predominantly White Institution (Pwi), Ray Von Robertson, Cassandra Chaney

Humboldt Journal of Social Relations

This qualitative study examined the experiences of African American males at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution). The focus on African American males is deliberate because, as a group, they have the highest attrition rate of any college demographic. Utilizing in-depth interview data from 12 African American males at a PWI, this project delineated the nefarious station of black males who experienced racism and racial microaggressions in a purportedly post-racial, colorblind society. Qualitative analysis of the data revealed the following two themes: (1) Racism and Racial Microaggressions and (2) The African American experience is not important to faculty and the university. …

How To Start A Riot: A Theory Of Collective Action, Cory Cambridge Alpert

Senior Theses

This paper will also augment existing theory by stating that lowered barriers to engagement and interaction with the social movement and social movement organization will increase the likelihood of both initial and sustained participation. Each section of the paper will condense the claims made into explicit theoretical statements and arguments, which are presented at the end of each section. Finally, a formal theory will be presented in Appendix I, which combines all of the presented theoretical claims and explain connections between propositions. Each section will have a title bolded, as well as a clear proposition (or multiple propositions) in italics …

Racial Microaggressions On An Online Anonymous Platform, Navneesh Pandher

Honors College Theses

In sociology there has been an increase amount of scholarly attention devoted to the microaggressions as a theoretical construct. Efforts have been devoted towards understanding the themes, track the progress of the term to its modern day use, the different forms that microaggressions take, and the consequences to individuals that suffer in these encounters. Typically, microaggression research is centered around interviews with minorities but there is minimal investigation into the presentation of these encounters on online platforms where users can maintain an anonymous identity. A content analysis with 5 codes was conducted of a blog that is open to anonymous …

Queer University: An Ethnographic Case Study Of The Trans Student Experience Of College Campus Space, Madeline Johnson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Operating from the premise that physical space becomes a gendered reality through social interaction, this study examines the social formation of self for gender nonconforming college students. Through ethnographic observations of an LGBTQ+ student organization and interviews with self-identified trans students, this research highlights the negotiation of campus space from a queer participant perspective. First, I present the trans student description of cisnormative space, the process of queering space through forming a queer community, and the experience of perceived safe space. This study finds that students experience all on-campus space as pervasively and fundamentally cisnormative, but upon the erasure of …

Making A Murderer: How Media Influences The Legitimacy Of The Legal System, Tasha A. Lane

Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement

I analyzed how media’s discussion of a legal case altered the public’s perceptions of the U.S. legal system. The purpose of this study was to see if the media’s coverage of legal cases influences how the public views the legal system. It was hypothesized that the format media presents a legal case in alters how people view the legal system and that it most often leads to a negative perception. In this research, a documentary about a case, 30 online news articles discussing the case, and 197 public reactions to the case and the legal system were analyzed. I use …

Juneau: Notes From The Bus, Cara Makuh

Senior Theses

This creative writing project is about a week I spent alone in Juneau, Alaska. All time and travel was spent on foot, bus and boat. Alone, I had many different experiences, and every time I interacted with a new person, that isolation became a shared experience, if even for a minute. Each day started out a blank slate, and eventually wrote itself into a story with a unique identity of its own as each day does as we travel through seconds and minutes that build up into completed days. Social interactions with so many different people turns them from strangers …

The Embodied Experience Of Pain: A Phenomenological Study Of Pain In Adults Diagnosed With And Treated For Cancer, Liza Hayes Mathias

Open Access Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation project was to understand and explain the meaning of pain for adults who are diagnosed with and treated for cancer. Cancer diagnoses generate different responses and multiple life disturbances in most participants. In this context, the search for meaning of these experiences is fundamental, particularly understanding both physical and emotional pain. In order to comprehend how people diagnosed with and treated for cancer experience their pain, I used a phenomenological approach to interview 15 adults (13 women and 2 men) with a variety of cancer diagnoses. Although I approached these interviews as conversations, I …

Reproduction In Society Soc/Apg 475g, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.